WEAPONS & Pied Piper, EXORCIST True Story, Insane 1920 Headlines
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
Release Date: 08/21/2025
Season Finale: Field Guide to SPIRITED AWAY, GILLIGAN'S ISLAND Real?, BBC Spaghetti Tree Hoax, EXORCIST-CIA Connection, Hollywood Star Secrets, 13 WOMEN
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
Adam wraps up the season with Thirteen Women (1932) - the only film of tragic actress Peg Entwistle, more secrets behind the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the real-life viewers who thought Gilligan’s Island was a documentary, and Britain’s famous “Spaghetti Tree” hoax. Plus: the 1970s CIA rumors surrounding The Exorcist’s author William Peter Blatty, and a bonus field guide to the Shinto spirits of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Show notes at
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THE EXORCIST: Faith, Fear, and the True Story Behind Hollywood’s Most Haunted Film
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
Before The Exorcist terrified the world, its creator was writing comedy. This episode traces William Peter Blatty’s journey from humorist to theologian of horror - his mother’s influence, the real 1949 exorcism case, the film’s alleged curse, and the true story of the boy who inspired it all. Show notes at
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THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE and The REAL Possession of Anneliese Michel
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
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Hollywood Ghost Tour: MARILYN Monroe's Mirror, HOLLYWOOD Sign Haunting, MURDERED TV Actor, Dead Projectionists
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
Take a haunted walking tour of Hollywood with Adam. Along the way, meet spectral projectionists, Marilyn Monroe’s haunted mirror, the ghosts of the Roosevelt Hotel, and Peg Entwistle, the tragic actress who walks forever beneath the famous "H." Tour Stops: El Capitan Theatre TCL Chinese Theatre Hollywood Walk of Fame Roosevelt Hotel The Magic Castle Hollywood Sign Movies mentioned: Citizen Kane (1941); Anything Goes (1936, stage musical, later film); The Rocketeer (1991); Aladdin (1992); King of Kings (1927); Thirteen Women (1932); From Here to Eternity (1953). Personalities mentioned: Will...
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Robert Blake UNSOLVED MURDER Case, CAPRICORN ONE & Moon Landing Hoax Conspiracies
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
A 1978 thriller accidentally supercharges a conspiracy - and a Hollywood icon’s life spirals into a true-crime saga. We explore Peter Hyams’ Capricorn One - why Buzz Aldrin disapproved, how it was saved by Superman, and how moon-hoax theories grew from fringe chatter to mainstream mania. Then we trace the 2001 murder of Bonny Lee Bakley - and actor Robert Blake’s criminal trial. Movies mentioned: Capricorn One (1978); T.R. Baskin (1971); Busting (1974); 2010 The Year We Make Contact (1984); Outland (1981); Timecop (1994); Lost Highway (1997); Baretta (1975-1978); The Little Rascals &...
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Musical Mysteries: VANISHED UFO Troubadour, MISSING Scientist Rocker, Debbie Harry ESCAPES Ted Bundy, Michael Jackson Brother Kidnapped
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
Adam explores several strange and chilling tales at the crossroads of movies, music, and true crime. Folk-rock singer Jim Sullivan vanished in the New Mexico desert after appearing in Easy Rider and releasing his album UFO. Iron Butterfly bassist Philip "Taylor" Kramer, a tech pioneer in video compression, disappeared after a cryptic 911 call - his story later featured on Unsolved Mysteries. And Blondie’s Debbie Harry, known for her role in Cronenberg’s Videodrome, recalls a chilling near-abduction in 1970s New York she later linked to Ted Bundy. Also: Michael Jackson’s Brother Randy...
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GODZILLA vs. GOJIRA, Atomic Fishing Boat Horror, Cannibal Rats & Giant Turtles, Could Real Kaiju Exist?
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
What do radioactive fallout, cannibal rats, and a flying turtle have in common? In this episode, Adam explores the dark origins of Japan’s most iconic monsters. From the real-life 1954 Lucky Dragon incident - sometimes called the “third atomic bombing” - to the scrapped rat-horror film that accidentally gave birth to Gamera, it’s a wild ride through film, folklore, and Cold War fear. Plus: just how big could a real kaiju actually get? Topics include: Godzilla’s link to post-war trauma and Shinto beliefs The Lucky Dragon #5 nuclear disaster How a failed giant rat movie led to...
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THE CONJURING: LAST RITES, Smurl Haunting True Story, ANNABELLE is Real!
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
What’s real, what’s not, and what the Warrens never told you. Is The Conjuring: Last Rites a true story? What really happened to the Smurl family - and how involved were Ed and Lorraine Warren? What's the real story of Annabelle the Doll? And what happened to Annabelle's handler in July? Visit https://magicalmystery.media for show notes (or to send a message). ========== For our "lost episodes" archive, check out MAGICAL MYSTERY RADIO: INANE RAMBLINGS FROM THE FRINGE.
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On-Air Deaths, SUPERMAN's Tragic Origin, HALLOWEEN Michael Myers Lost History
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
Content warning: The first segment covers real-life on-air suicides and may be distressing to some listeners. This week, Adam shares a strange and tragic mix of stories: disturbing on-air deaths (one which anticipated Paddy Chayefsky's Network by two years); the real-life pain behind Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's creation of Superman; and a buried Michael Myers (Halloween) backstory from 1979. Real On-Air Deaths - The tragic story of Christine Chubbuck, the Sarasota news reporter who took her life on-air in 1974. - Budd Dwyer, a Pennsylvania politician who died...
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Curses!! POLTERGEIST, THE FIRST (Cursed) FILM, Top "Curse" Movies... Oh, and FLESH EATERS
The Stories We Tell in the Dark
Adam explores some of film’s most infamous curses - from Poltergeist and its real skeletons to the eerie disappearance of the man who may have invented cinema before Edison. Also: a FLESH EATERS resurrection, some Hollywood lore, and the show’s evolving format. Movies mentioned: FLESH EATERS, POLTERGEIST, THE FIRST FILM (Roundhay Garden Scene/Accordian Player/Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge), THE OMEN, ROSEMARY'S BABY, THE EXORCIST, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, DRAG ME TO HELL, CURSE OF THE DEMON, CURSE OF THE MAN WHO SEES UFOS
info_outlineIn this week’s episode of Magical Mystery Media, Adam takes you on a strange journey through pop culture, folklore, and forgotten history – starting with the new film Weapons and ending with the real-life boy who inspired The Exorcist.
Visit magicalmystery.media for show notes (or to send a message).
For archived episodes of Magical Mystery Radio going back to 2016, search "Magical Mystery Radio: Inane Ramblings from the Fringe."