Episodes

  • Episode 216 - The History of Spontaneous Human Combustion

    Episode 216 - The History of Spontaneous Human Combustion
    Nov 3 2026
    This week Abby and Alan discuss the history of Spontaneous Human Combustion, real cases and how it impacted horror and pop culture. Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject. Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join the discussion on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep. Sources Bleak House preface, Project Gutenberg Let's Talk About Spontaneous Combustion, CrimeReads The Mystery of Spontaneous Human Combustion, Grunge Can humans spontaneously combust?, Popular Science Burn, Baby, Burn: Understanding the Wick Effect, Scientific American Is spontaneous human combustion possible?, Science ABC Irishman's Death Ruled Spontaneous Combustion, ABC News Galway man spontaneously combusted, Irish Echo History.com, Mental Floss (Stacy Conradt), Pérez-Pérez and Vallejo, St. Pete Catalyst (Bill DeYoung) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Episode 215 - The History of The Hellraiser Franchise: Part 2

    Episode 215 - The History of The Hellraiser Franchise: Part 2
    Oct 31 2026
    This week Abby and Alan continue our Halloween horror franchise watch through with the last six films of the Hellraiser franchise. ⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject. Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join the discussion on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep. Sources A Nerdist Article by Rosie Knight: ⁠A Very Brief History of The Hellraiser Franchise⁠ Slash Film Article by Scott Thomas: ⁠The Entire Hellraiser Timeline Explained⁠ The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker All off the Hellraiser movies Wikipedia and IMDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Episode 214 - The History of The Hellraiser Franchise: Part 1

    Episode 214 - The History of The Hellraiser Franchise: Part 1
    Oct 27 2026
    This week Abby and Alan kick off our Halloween horror franchise watch through with the first four movies from the Hellraiser franchise. Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject. Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join the discussion on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep. Sources A Nerdist Article by Rosie Knight: A Very Brief History of The Hellraiser Franchise Slash Film Article by Scott Thomas: The Entire Hellraiser Timeline Explained The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker All off the Hellraiser movies Wikipedia and IMDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • Episode 213 - The History of Séances

    Episode 213 - The History of Séances
    Oct 20 2026
    As the veil thins, Abby talks about the history of séances and the human need to understand what happens after we die. Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject. Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join the discussion on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep. Sources Smithsonian Magazine Article by Abbott Kahler: The Fox Sisters and the Rap on Spiritualism A Magician Among The Spirits by Houdini, available on Project Gutenberg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Episode 212 - The History of Full Moon Madness

    Episode 212 - The History of Full Moon Madness
    Oct 13 2026
    This week Abby and Alan talk through the history of the belief in full moon madness and "lunatics." Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject. Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Join the discussion on ⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep. Sources Pagan Grimoire article by Rebecca Swanner: Moon Gods and Goddesses: Deities of Lunar Magic and Mysticism Etymonline article on the history of the word Lunatic NASA article on Moon Phases History.com article by Melinda Beck on European Wolf Trials PubMed Studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1454923/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25756232/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8924138/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17256692/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31012946/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26498230/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33571126/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10363673/ Fred Sebastian, "Bad Moon Rising: The Persistent Belief in Lunar Connections to Madness," CMAJ (2005). This is particularly useful because it covers Paracelsus, Blackstone, Bethlem, John Haslam, and Benjamin Rush. Nigel Walker, "The Insanity Defense before 1800," The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (1985), for the history of insanity and criminal responsibility in English law. TIME, "Miscellany: Lunatic," March 7, 1932, for the Else Flothmeier case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Episode 211 - The History of Black Cat Superstition

    Episode 211 - The History of Black Cat Superstition
    Oct 6 2026
    This week Abby and Alan talk about the history of Black Cat lore. From how cats were worshiped in ancient Egypt, to how the European and American Witch Trials helped to turn cats into a symbol of the spooky! Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠. Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject. Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Join the discussion on ⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Episode 210 - The History of Atomic Horror: Part 3 - Nuclear Winter

    Episode 210 - The History of Atomic Horror: Part 3 - Nuclear Winter
    Sep 29 2026
    In the final part of our series on Atomic Horror, we look at the fear of nuclear war and the possibility of what could happen after the bombs stopped falling. During the Cold War, scientists began studying the potential global effects of a large-scale nuclear exchange, including the concept of nuclear winter, in which smoke and soot from widespread fires could block sunlight and cause severe climate changes. We look at the science behind the nuclear winter theory, the 1983 TTAPS study, and the way these ideas influenced public fears about nuclear war. We also examine films including The Day After, Threads, Dr. Strangelove, and other movies that imagined what life might look like before, during, and after a nuclear conflict. From atomic monsters to nuclear apocalypse, this final chapter of Atomic Horror looks at how horror films reflected one of the defining fears of the Cold War. Support the show on Patreon⁠. Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject. Get Lunatics Merch ⁠here⁠. Join the discussion on ⁠Discord⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠Horror Stories⁠. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • Episode 209 - The History of Atomic Horror: Part 2 - Attack of The Mutants

    Episode 209 - The History of Atomic Horror: Part 2 - Attack of The Mutants
    Sep 22 2026
    In Part Two of our history of atomic horror, Abby and Alan look at how filmmakers moved beyond the initial fear of nuclear weapons and began exploring the effects of radiation, mutation, and scientific experimentation. From giant insects and oversized animals to shrinking and enlarging humans, the atomic age created a new generation of monsters. We look at films including Them!, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Amazing Colossal Man, The Fly, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, and The Hills Have Eyes, along with the continued evolution of Godzilla and other atomic monsters. We also explore Nevada’s nuclear testing sites and how the real-world landscape of atomic testing became part of American horror, from atomic tourism to films about people transformed by radiation. Listen to Part Two of our history of atomic horror and hear how nuclear anxiety continued to shape horror movies long after the first atomic monsters appeared. Support the show on Patreon. Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject. Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep. Listen to The Great Atomic Power. Sources PBS article Atomic Tourism in Nevada The “True” Story Behind The Hills Have Eyes on Reynold’s by Stephen Basdeo. Mubi Article: Through the Eyes of America: Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes by Matt Carlin Science History Institute article by Judith Kaplan: Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins: These four scientists codiscovered the double-helix structure of DNA, which formed the basis for modern biotechnology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins