2023

1. Is Yuki-onna the Most Terrifying Snow Monster?

2023-02-09 · 10m

Yuki-Onna, the icy snow maiden of Japanese lore, might steal your heart, or your life. This harsh winter monster is beautiful and dangerous, the incarnation of winter storms.

2. How Bloody Mary Turns Fear Into Fun

2023-03-09 · 10m

If you are unlucky enough to summon Bloody Mary, there’s no real standard of what you’ll see. By some accounts, she’s hideously mutilated but in others she is beautiful but bloody—more commonly though—every aspect of her appearance is vague. There’s even versions where she was a witch burned at the stake in Salem. In some legends, she’s connected to a cult. But where she comes from and what she looks like is less important than the ritual that summons her.

3. Unicorns: Magical Icons or Violent Beasts?

2023-04-11 · 13m

Unicorns are all over the place in popular culture these days - movies, TV shows, toys, clothing and books for children and adults alike. But you might be interested to learn that the majestic, all-white horse with a spiralized horn on its forehead is just one version of the many varieties of unicorn that have appeared in folklore throughout history.

4. Why Do Cyborgs Inspire Special Fear in Humans

2023-05-04 · 11m

Advances in technology are always met with some degree of technophobia—and villainization. And cyborgs represent a special kind of fear inherent in losing ourselves in the technologies we create.

5. Hero, Beast, or Both? The Complex Lore of the Centaur

2023-05-18 · 14m

Humans have domesticated animals as beasts of burden for thousands of years and the vital role horses play in the evolution of culture in particular has inspired countless equine folklore, but none are quite like the centaur.

6. The Untold Secrets of Pokémon’s Monster Mythology

2023-06-08 · 13m

What inspired Pokémon’s Monster Mythology?

7. Beyond the Supernatural Horror of the Nishi Daak Ghost

2023-07-06 · 12m

The nocturnal entity called Nishi reflects the complex nature of good vs. evil in Bengali.

8. The Hidden Origins of Nixie, the Scariest Little Mermaid

2023-07-19 · 9m

Of all the many terrifying monsters haunting the waters of the world the Nixie stands out.

9. Was Púca the Nightmare Bunny That Inspired Donnie Darko?

2023-08-17 · 12m

The trickster Púca is an animal-spirit that was once dreaded across many lands.

10. Uncovering the Enigma: Sasquatch Sightings

2023-09-07 · 13m

North America’s most famous cryptid, Sasquatch is a bipedal hairy humanoid with history pre-dating European colonization with numerous sightings even up to the present day. From cave paintings to video documentation, Sasquatch is a uniquely American monster. Why has the legend endured, and what does it say about humanity?

11. The SCP Foundation: Declassified

2023-09-28 · 13m

Unlocking the Mysteries of SCP: From Secure, Contain, Protect to Unearth, Expose, Fascinate! Dive deep into the shadowy world of the SCP Foundation as we peel back the layers of secrecy surrounding these enigmatic entities. Discover the untold stories of containment, explore the unexplainable anomalies, and join us on a journey to unravel the secrets that have captivated the most curious minds.

12. The Evolution of Creepy Dolls

2023-10-26 · 14m

Maybe it’s the unblinking eyes, staring at you, emotionless, day and night. Or, perhaps it’s their small size acting as a cloak of innocence. Or their human-like appearance that makes them seem just slightly too real. However, you want to spin it—there’s something creepy about dolls.

13. What Happened During Our Scary Slumber Party

2023-10-30 · 13m

Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, Bloody Mary and Ouija are scary and entertaining rites of passage for kids and teens to participate in. But do these games actually work? And why do we love to scare each other so much at sleepovers?

14. Creepy Clowns: The Horror Behind the Laughter

2023-11-22 · 8m

When did clowns—the characters who filled our childhoods with juggling and balloons—become so creepy? For centuries, clowns have worn two faces: as irreverent entertainers, and tricksters who could break social norms. So when stories of scary clowns pop up all over popular culture, it's a sign that we're wondering who clowns really are behind the costume. Do they want to make us laugh? Or scream?

15. Mari Lwyd: The Skeleton Horse's Deep Past with Christmas

2024-01-24 · 11m

The coastal villages of Wales around the winter holidays have a unique nighttime visitor. A grim skeletal equine monster roams the streets with a rag tag group and demands entry to the homes of the citizenry, demanding food and drink. But is this really a monster to be feared, or one that is rather cheered?