Podcasts
How Many “Most Haunted House[s] in America” Can There Possibly Be? [Guide to the Unknown]
Everyone loves a nice, shiny title. “Best Pizza in the County!” “Tallest Building in the State!” “World’s Largest Pair of Underwear!” (Author’s Note: We had the honor of seeing these once; they ruled.)
But it seems like many a haunted house is said to be the most haunted in the country, without that being strictly possible — there can only be one. The title is sometimes proudly self-imposed or enthusiastically applied by visitors, but either way, it spreads and becomes a thing.
So Kristen and Will of Bloody FM’s Guide to the Unknown podcast have decided to start pitting these houses against each other in an informal bracket-style competition to see what, indeed, actually is the most haunted house in America, as decided by two completely unqualified people with nary a boot on the ground.
This week’s matchup features The Spy House of New Jersey vs. The Whaley House of California, and it’s pretty much carnage right from the get-go.
The Spy House is so named because of a story told by Gertrude Niedlinger, an eccentric older woman who served as curator of the home and was proven to have been a teller of tall tales while guiding her tours. The paranormal origin stories that may have primed future ghost-experiencers came from her imagination as opposed to the other realm, although a healthy mix is always possible.
Compare that with The Whaley House, whose numerous deaths on the property are well-documented, including the violent hanging of “Yankee Jim” Robinson, who stood on a mule cart with a noose around his neck until the mules drove off and he stood no more. The Whaley House has the distinct honor of facilitating a ghostly experience for Regis Philbin, as documented on Celebrity Ghost Stories, which should be proof enough for anyone.
Check out the ghostly showdown this week on Guide to the Unknown. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to get a new episode every Friday.
Game Loop.
Trace and I inadvertently bookended our April discussions of John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London (listen) and Ciarán Foy’s Eli (listen) with Jude Law films. At the start of the month, we tackled Matt Damon’s Italian grifter in The Talented Mr. Ripley (listen) and now we’re closing out April with David Cronenberg‘s eXistenZ (1999).
The unofficial sequel to Videodrome (listen) and precursor to Crimes of the Future, eXistenZ takes place in the world of virtual reality and simulation. Game goddess Allegra Gellar (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is forced to go on the run with PR nerd Ted Pikul (Jude Law) through the Canadian backwoods when ‘Realist’ terrorists declare open season on her life.
Featuring no shortage of strange encounters and oddball characters, including Willem Dafoe‘s queer-coded Gas and Canadian film royalty like Don McKellar and Sarah Polley, Allegra and Ted must travel between the real world and the game world, all the while keeping track of who is friendly…and who is foe.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 279: eXistenZ (1999) feat Vannah Taylor
Lube up your industry standard bio-port because we’re playing David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ (1999) with someone friendly: Vannah Taylor!
David Cronenberg’s meditation on the dangers of gaming and simulation is the middle entry of an unofficial trilogy. It’s also a film that gets real confusing, real fast, so good luck figuring out if we’re still in the game!
Plus: criticisms of a “bland” game world, praise for Jennifer Jason Leigh, Canadian royalty, comparisons to Serenity, disgusting gristle guns, and Pikul getting his back blown out (several times!)
Cross out eXistenZ!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re continuing our celebration of 1999 films with a look at Stephen Sommers’ bisexual awakening, action adventure film, The Mummy (1999).
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 306 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal S01E04, Late Night with the Devil, The First Omen, Femme, Abigail and a brand new audio commentary on the original The Omen (1976).
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