What would you do if you were on your way to a wedding and a sailor stops you tell you a story about life or death? This week Cassandra Harold tells us The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This poem was first published in 1798 and is in the Public Domain. Cassandra is narrating an 1834 edition. This famous poem features popular phrases that are still used today : "albatross around one's neck" and "Water, water, every where, / Nor any drop to drink". Enjoy! -- Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain: https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's Unpleasant Dreams features a horror story written by H.P. Lovecraft. Cassandra Harold narrates the short story, "The Music of Erich Zann." "The Music of Erich Zann" was written in 1921 and first published in 1922 and is in the Public Domain. -- Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain: https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us this week on Unpleasant Dreams as Cassandra Harold tells us the story of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842 and is in the Public Domain. -- Jim Harold Media LLC respects writers' intellectual property. All fictional stories on Unpleasant Dreams are in the U.S. public domain, published before 1928. For more on public domain and copyright, visit the Cornell University Library's guide on public domain: https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Unpleasant Dreams we dive into an eerie tale that tests the boundaries of darkness and the sway it holds over the mind. Our story is Edith Nesbit's "The Power of Darkness." Our narrator is Cassandra Harold. Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33028  

Happy Valentine's Day! Here's the perfect story for a day dedicated to our hearts. It's The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. Enjoy!

Join Cassandra on a journey to the mysterious Goblin Market on this edition of Unpleasant Dreams! This classic was written by Christina Rossetti and released in 1862. Thank you for listening and please share the show your friends!

The Yellow Wallpaper is a horror tale from 1892 which details a woman's decent into madness. Yet, it is much more and is considered a classic of feminist literature. The author is Charlotte Perkins Gilman and you can find the full text at Project Gutenberg. Your narrator is Cassandra Harold. Thank you for listening and share the show with your friends right from your favorite podcast app.

We delve into the conclusion of Robert W. Chambers’ “The Mask,” a tale that intertwines love, art, and the audacity of human ambition. What happens when an artist’s quest for eternal beauty crosses the unforgiving lines of mortality? Join us as we explore a story that ventures beyond the surface, examining the emotional and psychological toll of capturing perfection—at a price. Your narrator is Cassandra Harold. You can find the original text of this classic 1895 story here: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8492/pg8492-images.html#THE_MASK Thank you for listening and please tell your friends who love classic horror!

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe as read by your host, Cassandra Harold. Our little Halloween gift to you from Unpleasant Dreams. Boo!

The mysterious disappearance of a group of nine Soviet hikers in 1959 has puzzled the world for decades. What happened? Was it simply horrible weather? A secret weapons test? Or, something otherworldly? That is the subject of this very Unpleasant Dream. EM Hilker is our writer and researcher with additional writing by Cassandra Harold. Jim Harold is our Executive Producer. CLICK HERE for EM Hilker’s original article. SOURCES Borzenkov, Vladimir. “Trek Categories and Sports Ranks.” Dyatlov Pass. Retrieved 17 August 2022.  Eichar, Donnie. Dead Mountain: the Untold Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident. Chronicle Books, 2013. Hadjiyska, Teodora, and Igor Pavlov. “Dyatlov Group.” Dyatlov Pass. Retrieved 17 August 2022. Gaume, Johan, and Alexander M. Puzrin. “Mechanisms of Slab Avalanche Release and Impact in the Dyatlov Pass Incident in 1959.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 28 January 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2022. “Nikita Khrushchev.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 November 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2022. Niziol, Tom. “Whirls, Curls, and Little Swirls: The Science Behind Von Karman Vortices.” Weather Underground. Retrieved 18 August 2022.  Osadchuk, Svetlana. “Mysterious Deaths of 9 Skiers Still Unresolved.” The St. Petersburg Times, 19 February 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2022. Solly, Meilan. “Have Scientists Finally Unraveled the 60-Year Mystery Surrounding Nine Russian Hikers’ Deaths?” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 29 January 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2022.  Speltz, Lorin. “Salo.” Russiapedia. Retrieved 17 August 2022.  Wedin, B, et al. “‘Paradoxical Undressing’ in Fatal Hypothermia.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 1979. Retrieved 18 August 2022.

Did shooting a 1956 movie in the irradiated Utah desert eventually kill John Wayne and a host of his co-stars and crew? It seems very possible and that is the just the start of tragedy on this week’s edition of Unpleasant Dreams. -BetterHelp- The Paranormal Podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp is professional therapy done securely online, available to people worldwide. They have a special offer for my listeners: get 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/dreams EM Hilker is our writer and researcher with additional writing by Cassandra Harold. Jim Harold is our Executive Producer. CLICK HERE for EM Hilker’s original article. -TRANSCRIPT- CLICK HERE for a full transcript.

Numbers stations are real and very weird. What are these and what are the successors to these bizarre transmissions? We delve into the mystery in this edition of Unpleasant Dreams. CLICK HERE for E.M. Hilker’s original article. TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE for a full transcript.

This UK poltergeist case is possibly the most famous in history, inspiring many books and the motion picture, The Conjuring 2. It is the subject of tonight’s edition of Unpleasant Dreams! Primary writing is by EM Hilker with supplementary writing by Cassandra Harold. Cassandra Harold hosts and Jim Harold is the Executive Producer. -TRANSCRIPT- CLICK HERE for a full transcript. CLICK HERE for the original article by EM Hilker -SOURCES- Brennan, Zoe. “Enfield Poltergeist: The Amazing Story of the 11-Year-Old North London Girl Who ‘Levitated’ above Her Bed.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 4 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2022. “Brimsdown.” Hidden London. Retrieved 3 June 2022. “The Enfield Poltergeist: Living The Horror.” YouTube, New Line Cinema, 2016. Accessed 4 June 2022.  Guglielmi, Jodi. “Inside the Real Story That Inspired The Conjuring 2.” People.com, updated 13 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May, 2022.  Hyde, Deborah. “The Enfield ‘Poltergeist’: A Sceptic Speaks.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2022. “Interview With a Poltergeist.” YouTube, Channel 4, 2007. Posted April 2015. Accessed 4 June 2022.  Playfair, Guy Lyon. This House is Haunted: The Amazing Inside Story of the Enfield Poltergeist. White Crow Books, 2011. “Poltergeist.” New World Encyclopedia, 10 May 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2022. Smith, Duncan. “Enfield Poltergeist Case Offers New Proof of Paranormal Existence.” Enfield Independent, 31 August 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2022, Ward, Diarmaid. “Ten Myths about Council Housing.” City Monitor, 26 April 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.

The sad tale of the Donner Party is one of the most grisly in American history. So much tragedy on this edition of Unpleasant Dreams. ARTICLE Find the original article by EM Hilker HERE TRANSCRIPT & SOURCES CLICK HERE for a full transcript and sources.

Betty and Barney Hill UFO abduction case is the perhaps the most famous in the history of the phenomena. We share their story on this edition of Unpleasant Dreams. JIM HAROLD’S SPRING BOOK GIVEAWAY & NEWSLETTER Never miss anything going on at the Spooky Studio and qualify for Jim’s Spring Book Giveaway (some restrictions apply), sign up for Jim’s FREE newsletter HERE ORIGINAL ARTICLE CLICK HERE for the original article by EM Hilker TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE for the full transcript. SOURCES AND FURTHER READING Dickinson, Terence, et al. “The Zeta Reticuli (or Ridiculi) Incident.” Astronomy.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.  Fox, Margalit. “Betty Hill, 85, Figure in Alien Abduction Case, Dies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Oct. 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2022. Lacina, Linda. “How Betty and Barney Hill’s Alien Abduction Story Defined the Genre.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 4 September 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022. Marden, Kathleen and Stanton T. Friedman. Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience. Weiser, 2007. Pflock, Karl and Peter Brookesmith, eds. Encounters at Indian Head: The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Abduction Revisited. Anomalist Books,  2007. Robinson, J. Dennis. “Historic Portsmouth: Simon Says ‘It Was a Dream’.” Seacoastonline.com, Portsmouth Herald, 28 May 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.  Skomorowsky, Anne. “Alien Abduction or ‘Accidental Awareness’?” Scientific American, Scientific American, 11 November 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2022. Todd, Iain. “Zeta Reticuli: Facts About the Binary Star System.” BBC Sky at Night Magazine, 18 May 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022. “UNH Innovation Spotlight – Betty and Barney Hill Collection.” UNHInnovation, 20 October 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022

Season Two of Unpleasant Dreams is coming soon in April. Thank you for your kind words and support.  Please keep following, subscribing and telling your friends about the show...have them listen to the archive! Wishing you pleasant dreams!

The mysterious Chupacabra is the subject of this week’s Unpleasant Dreams! Find the original article by EM Hilker that this podcast is based on HERE PODCAST TRANSCRIPT It often happens as the dusk settles itself gently over the lush rainforest.  You might think farm animals, confined to pens or herded by human and canine protectors, wouldn’t have a sense of their own vulnerability or the existence of predators. But somewhere, deep down in their basest primal instincts that reach back to the dawn of time, they must have known it was coming. Even before the whiff of the rank animal in the cool evening air hits them, they have to have known. It was fast, though, and that was a blessing. It didn’t toy with them, or drag it out. It was fast. The unlucky ones watched it happen to another animal first, smelled the creature and the blood and knew deep down it was bad, and they were next; the lucky ones never saw the chupacabra. The humans who cared for the animals would never forget what it left behind.  FIND THE REST OF THE TRANSCRIPT & SOURCES HERE

Spooky (Christmas) ghost stories are the subject of this week’s Unpleasant Dreams. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Find the original article by EM Hilker that this podcast is based on HERE PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Yuletide is a season of warmth and joy, at least according to Hallmark. There you sit by the fireside, sipping hot chocolate, bathed in the warm glow of the lighted tree, the flickering lights from the menorah or yule log, filled with contentment. But outside (at least in the Northern parts of the globe) the bone-bare branches claw at your window as the cold, dry wind blows snow in small spirals, lifting the ethereal sparkling flakes back into the black sky. On the nights that they’re visible, the stars shine like a careless scattering of diamonds in the darkness, seemingly so close you could pluck them out of the sky. It’s bitterly cold, and very still; and it is perhaps in that stillness that you begin to feel just a little bit uneasy. Let’s face it...  FOR A FULL TRANSCRIPT AND SOURCES CLICK HERE

The real story of Krampus is the subject of today’s holiday edition of Unpleasant Dreams! Oh, and be sure to be good. You wouldn’t want to upset The Krampus… Find the original article by EM Hilker that this podcast is based on HERE PODCAST TRANSCRIPT A fresh blanket of snow glistens in the cold light of the moon, a contrast to the warm glow of street lamps, wrapping the city streets in the cozy blanket of early winter. Twinkling across the surrounding fields in the night, mirroring the light of the moon in a million broken rays, the landscape is nevertheless stark beyond the forests surrounding the city.  The creatures come from there, beyond the city, thickly furred and sharply clawed, from dank caves and deep, dark, ancient places. Some have feet and some have cloven hooves, some one of each; the thick layer of snow softly crunching under feet and hooves both in a smudge of sound as they scatter across the landscape and toward the small, neat houses. Their faces, pallid and gnarled and very nearly demonic, turn from moon-silver to a pale bronze as they approach the warmly-lit city streets, chains and bells clinking gently as they draw near. CLICK HERE FOR A FULL TRANSCRIPT AND SOURCES

A beast that terrorized the French countryside is one of history’s greatest mysteries. The Beast of Gévaudan is the subject of this episode of Unpleasant Dreams. PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Apprehensive they went, clasping each other tightly, into the night. It was so, so quiet outside of the footsteps of their papa, clomping along hurriedly, unsteadily ahead. The unnatural still of the night seeped into all three children’s blood, making them shiver as the moon poured silver upon them. They didn’t need to go out to look for her. They knew. The Beast had butchered someone in the village not even two days ago. And now, tonight, maman hadn’t come home with the flock. Papa, now far up ahead, let out a strangled cry, indecipherable. It was followed by the sound of vomiting. They ran to their father and tried not to look at whatever was up ahead of them, but they looked. They quickly buried their small, tear-streaked faces against their papa’s generous, sturdy body. But they saw, and it would be years before they would be able to close their eyes without seeing it again. Their maman’s body lay ahead of them, twisted and mauled. Where they expected to see maman’s sweet face and her tumbling waves of reddish hair, there was only a dark smear. It took her head. The youngest, huddled behind papa, widened her eyes in wonder and whispered, “loup garou.”  FOR THE REST OF THE TRANSCRIPT AND SOURCES GO HERE