

Astonishing Legends
Astonishing Legends Productions
The world is more mysterious than most people are comfortable imagining. We cross paths with the mystical from time to time and may not even notice it. If we do, we quickly return to our usually mundane daily existence. But what if we not only acknowledged the unknown, we investigated it and spoke with those in the know? That's what co-hosts Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, and co-executive producer Tess Pfeifle do at Astonishing Legends. Over 100 million downloads and hundreds of thousands of listeners have discovered the thrill of exploring the mysteries of our world, showing that the unknown can be both captivating and intriguing. Welcome to Astonishing Legends!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 21, 2025 • 45min
51: Spectral Hounds
In tonight’s dead letter… Luke recounts a spooky camping trip with his brother and father where they found themselves surrounded by something both canine and ethereal. Despite being experienced outdoorsmen, they’re unable to defend themselves against whatever is encircling their campsite as the leader of this pack of animals stares intently at them, and has no reaction to shots fired in self-defense.
LINKS:
The Tule River Indian Tribe
https://tulerivertribe-nsn.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tule_River_Indian_Tribe_of_the_Tule_River_Reservation
Black Dog
https://www.thebarkingbugle.co.uk/the-black-dog-of-east-anglia/
The Barghest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barghest
The Hellhound
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellhound
The Black Shuck
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Shuck
Original Reddit Post
https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/55mhg6/surrounded_by_translucent_coyotes/
The KLF 3AM Eternal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_a.m._Eternal
MOVIE REFERENCES:
Jacob’s Ladder
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob's_Ladder_(1990_film)
BOOK REFERENCES:
Wild Talents: By Charles Fort
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Talents_(book)
The Silver Bridge (Collapse/Mothman Connection)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge
PODCAST EPISODES:
Let’s Not Meet
https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/
https://crypticcountypodcasts.com/
Radiolab: You Are Here
https://www.radiolab.org/podcast/110165-you-are-here
Astonishing Legends: Are We Ever Alone?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nLvVgPmouZsTAnuxepPMo?si=7eb6d9be9f9b4c14
Astonishing Legends: The Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 1
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0aPODiXAQaJwg5GePi7039?si=78bc91b6c0e14a3a
OUR SPONSOR:
Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/dlo
#rulapod
Send YOUR story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Oct 19, 2025 • 2h 9min
The Mundrabilla Incident
In 1988, the Knowles family’s journey across Australia’s remote Nullarbor Plain turned into a nightmare, when in the pre-dawn hours of January 20th, they encountered a glowing, egg-shaped object that chased their car along the Eyre Highway. They claimed the light emitted a high-pitched hum, filled the car with a gray mist, and lifted the vehicle off the road before dropping it, blowing out a tire. Fleeing in terror, they found the car dented and covered in black dust. A police officer confirmed their distress, and a truck driver reported seeing strange lights in the same area. What attacked the Knowles family that night? This week, we take a look.
Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Oct 14, 2025 • 36min
50: The Prisoner of Charleston (Dead Letter Office)
In tonight’s dead letter… Veronica takes a ghost tour of an old jail in Charleston, South Carolina and has an intense encounter with a spirit there. She's able to describe this man in detail and later discovers the spirit is that of William Marcus, who was hanged at the jail for the murder of his wife. The experience was terrifying and shaped Veronica's path in understanding and protecting herself from many more unseen things she has crossed paths with in her life since then.
The photo of William Marcus is from Charleston News and Courier (published as The News and Courier.) - August 4, 1906 - page 8.
LINKS:
Facebook video where the video tour of the jail with the guide can be found, at 4:30 the image of William Marcus can be seen.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=198368942110180&rdid=DOvyBA9NGT8WMtSY
Stella Maris Catholic Church
https://stellamarischurch.org/
American Ghost Walks (Tour Company)
https://www.americanghostwalks.com/
ASTONISHING LEGENDS EPISODES MENTIONED:
The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts Part 1
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0R1h6Lw9GoAnMupP82zSrm?si=7f96f93019ef4976
The Vertical Plane Part 1
https://open.spotify.com/episode/69ynhhVF8UrVzI1OI4Rsoy?si=d266bf2f5e064ca2
Send YOUR story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Oct 12, 2025 • 1h 50min
The Mysterious Moving Coffins of Barbados
In the cemetery of Christ Church Parish Church in Barbados stands a half-buried stone crypt infamous for its early 19th-century mystery. Between 1807 and 1812, several heavy, lead-lined coffins were placed inside, but each time the vault was reopened, the caskets were found disturbed — despite the massive stone door being sealed tight with no sign of entry. Governor Lord Combermere investigated in 1819, sealing the vault with his stamp, and spreading sand to catch footprints, but when it was opened again, the coffins had once more been thrown into chaos with the seals unbroken and the sand untouched. The bodies were removed soon after, and the vault sealed again, its mystery still unsolved.
Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Oct 7, 2025 • 25min
49: The Return of Evil Yoda
In tonight’s dead letter, listener Trevor recounts a bizarre encounter while looking out the window one night. He saw a strange, bald, meditating figure with long pointed ears in his friend’s backyard. The figure then opened its eyes, grinned at him with pointed teeth, and hopped away into the woods. Trevor’s evening began with taking the psychedelic drug mescaline, but he has some experience with it, and has never experienced something interactive like this. Trevor is plain about the fact that he had been under the influence earlier in the evening, and maybe that’s the reason for what he saw, but he does also wonder if the drug lifted a veil to reveal a real being, especially when he connected his story to an older episode of Astonishing Legends where a listener encountered something very similar, while awake and completely sober.
LINKS:
Astonishing Legends - “Your True Halloween Stories, Part 3” with Mallory’s Storyhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/5q6pnT9fOeVof8hNIndYYi?si=3e6b159e281c4ba9
DMT: The Spirit Moleculehttps://www.simonandschuster.com/books/DMT-The-Spirit-Molecule/Rick-Strassman/9780892819270
Terence McKenna analysis on the Podcast: Midnight, On Earth
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ogRYNa6kWF6CKyUIkcnUl?si=23uwRaoCRNuXnrTqhSXw5A
https://www.organism.earth/library/document/what-ive-learned-from-psychedelics
Dr. Steve G. Jones - Astral Projection Hypnosishttps://stevegjones.com/buy/hypnosis-mp3s/astral-projection-platinum-mp3/
Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Sep 30, 2025 • 28min
48: Die Fratzen
In tonight’s dead letter… a listener shares their chilling encounters with "Die Fratzen," demonic faces that surfaced after a period of indulgence and self-disgust. These weren't just fleeting nightmares; they manifested as waking visions and doppelgangers, leading to a quest for spiritual help. The writer grapples with the possibility of mental health issues versus a genuine spiritual battle and how these experiences mirror those of Anneliese Michel, whom we covered a few years ago on Astonishing Legends.
Links:
Astonishing Legends: The Devil and Annaliese Michel P1
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ZiRkT1ZfIyMBsUBAs1RDK?si=d044978fbf484d63
P2
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5k6UzW5Yku23D55QbcKGhl?si=cb39009d744f4dbd
P3
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NHYwTl94InnHYREWpE044?si=bc43d397273d4176
Astonishing Legends: Sarah and the Spider Woman
https://open.spotify.com/episode/38UXYglzND21RcSLQiTk1M?si=4e6f381273b34557
Unsolved Mysteries: Don Decker
https://unsolved.com/gallery/don-decker/
Paranormal Witness: Don Decker
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2090999/
Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

8 snips
Sep 27, 2025 • 1h 37min
The Screaming Skulls
Explore the eerie tales of England's 'screaming skulls' that curse those who disturb them. From a haunting skull in Dorset that spells disaster to a railway project halted by Dickie's supernatural influence, these stories blur the line between folklore and reality. Uncover the tragic legend of a slave's skull at Bedescombe Manor, and delve into the mysterious origins of the names tied to these relics. With each skull, a unique narrative unfolds, revealing humanity's strange relationship with mortality and the past.

Sep 23, 2025 • 39min
47: The Lock Looker
In tonight’s Dead Letter, you’ll hear a bizarre tale from rural Ohio, one of our favorite strange states, involving a creature known only as the "Lock Looker." This cryptid, with its orangutan-like build, glowing orange eyes, and famous movie scream, lurks near a dam and has been sighted by both the storyteller and their father. It may have been around a while. Join Scott and Forrest as they briefly debate the pronunciation of Orangutan and also delve into this multi-generational mystery.
LINKS:
Shelby County Parks (Home of Lockington Reserve)https://shelbycopark.org/lockington-reserve
University of Zurich - Orangutan Callshttps://www.iea.uzh.ch/en/research/orangutannetwork/orangutancallrepertoires.html
The actual one we played:
https://www.iea.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:00000000-7c6e-90e4-ffff-ffff84c61003/Ref_Crying_and_Screaming_Jeri.mp3
R2-D2 Sound Design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So0nmciiFJg
Lyle Blackburnhttp://www.lyleblackburn.com/
Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Sep 20, 2025 • 57sec
Important Update
News from Scott and Forrest

Sep 16, 2025 • 42min
46: The Cowboy in the Canteen
In tonight’s dead letter… a VFW canteen worker in Michigan has a close encounter with a mysterious cowboy, complete with vintage attire and dollar coins. The stranger asks her to champion his cause of getting “shell shock” recognized for a Purple Heart. After the encounter, the letter he provides vanishes and the general he mentions turns out to be from the Civil War.
Links:
Jim Harold’s Roadhouse Saloon Campfire STory
https://jimharold.com/the-roadhouse-saloon-from-the-files-of-jim-harolds-campfire/
The VFW
https://www.vfw.org/
Shell Shock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_shock
PTSD
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder
PTSD as a Criteria for a Purple Heart
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/520197/purple-heart-criteria-exclude-ptsd-defense-officials-say
https://www.mghclaycenter.org/hot-topics/denying-purple-hearts-veterans-ptsd-2/
https://www.disabledveterans.org/purple-hearts-for-ptsd/
The ‘Seated Liberty’ Dollar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seated_Liberty_dollar
Some for sale on Ebay
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=seated+liberty+dollars+1840-1873&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1311
‘The Edge of Tomorrow’ movie which references Verdun as an Alien Battle Site
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_of_Tomorrow
Unsolved Mysteries: Paranormal Rangers
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22336540/


