Astonishing Legends

From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the center of the world’s most shocking secrets and nefarious organizations. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a Crime House Original powered by PAVE Studios. Follow the show now so you don’t miss a single story. Listen and follow here: https://link.podtrac.com/nu1waeoa 

This week’s Dead Letter Office is cancelled, but the show will return next week. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

In tonight’s dead letter, listener Jerri-Kay recounts a story from her childhood when her mother witnessed multiple shadow figures entering their bedroom in broad daylight. Later that night, while seemingly half-asleep, when her mom enters her room she yells that she's not her mother and points to lights that only she can see in the room, leaving the family shaken and searching for answers. Were these events positive or negative? Astonishing Legends' Shadow People Episode:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/7wNUanfRFXoQ0QOhy5l58L?si=62193edf57854ec0 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373?i=1000355594797 Myth Fits Podcast with Kari Byron and Tori Belleci from MythBusters: https://www.youtube.com/@MythfitsPod https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mythfits/id1813405582 https://open.spotify.com/show/6SOvzD9Rc52Is6qHm0ivJt?si=f479aac0675644f8 David Weatherly's Work:  https://eerielights.com/ https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01N59JC6U/allbooks David Weeatherly on Astonishing Legends (Spotify/Apple Podcasts Links) https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RWx4nYQNZZ9b3qd04Dj8y?si=0353dbf9a2324ae1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5p5GxpIqVX43RQwvtmTdwz?si=35384b2e23404b63 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373?i=1000495952492 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373?i=1000497668831 Documentary - The Nightmare:  https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-nightmare Missing 411:  https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Paulides/author/B002ALI9AA? https://open.spotify.com/episode/3TRVhzSYDB6NKiU69L5c9A?si=e6fe2e83dfe84069 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Q0pc5e8JlBoZzDrgY1Evp?si=b451bd4ae98841be https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373?i=1000579063545 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373?i=1000580601049 Article on Light Emission After Death:  https://www.sciencealert.com/we-emit-a-visible-light-that-vanishes-when-we-die-says-surprising-new-study Email your stories to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

This week, Scott and Forrest welcome back Richard Hatem of Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf to Astonishing Legends! Join us as we delve into Richard's unique insights on paranormal literature, including odd details in famous experiences like Whitley Strieber's book, Communion and others. We'll explore Rich’s favorite episodes and get a sneak peek into his upcoming season. Plus, we'll hear about his pending tour across the US, including a stop at the Mothman Festival in just a few weeks! Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In tonight’s dead letter, we hear from our listener Sam, who shares two spooky stories. The first involves two hauntings at an aquarium in the UK. An old lady ghost with a penchant for floral perfume, and as one might expect…a fisherman. While the second features a mysterious, hunched-over shadow figure lurking in a South Carolina home. Sometimes these shorter letters are the most freaky. As we often remind our listeners, the real experiences don’t occur with a three-act structure or poignant message all the time. Instead they are just glimpses of something that you may never understand.  North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher:  https://www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher Phantosmia (Phantom Smells):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantosmia Clairalience:  https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/enlighten/clairalience-to-clairvoyance-your-psychic-gifts/ Gorton's Fisherman:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorton's_of_Gloucester Trilogy of Terror (1975):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilogy_of_Terror https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/trilogy-of-terror Homunculus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus https://www.britannica.com/science/homunculus-biology Astonishing Junk Tour: https://www.patreon.com/posts/astonishing-junk-85805858?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Email your stories to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

In tonight’s dead letter listener Henry, a marine, recounts his experiences on guard duty in Iraq, where his platoon was stationed at an abandoned hotel near the Jordanian border. During a late-night watch, he and another marine hear footsteps in the stairwell, but a search of the building yields nothing but an unsettling encounter with glowing eyes in the boiler room. The mystery deepens when a fellow marine suggests the presence of a skinwalker, leaving the group to ponder the true nature of what they encountered in the desolate hotel. Navajo Culture https://discovernavajo.com/navajo-culture/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo Skinwalkers (In the Context of Navajo Culture) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin-walker https://nativeappropriations.com/2016/03/magic-in-north-america-part-1-ugh.html The Monroe Institute https://www.monroeinstitute.org/ Jim Harold’s Campfire https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jim-harolds-campfire/id310656913 Trebil, Iraq https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebil https://web.archive.org/web/20050716034614/https://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2088 The Monte Vista Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona https://hotelmontevista.com/

In tonight’s dead letter… Josh shares a chilling encounter with a being we’ve discussed on the show numerous times. The Hat Man. For Josh he appears as a shadowy figure sitting in his bedroom in the middle of the night. What would you do in this situation? It’s easy to answer that until you’re confronted with it yourself. Josh gave into paranormal apathy, something we’ve identified at Astonishing Legends as a common reaction to the unexplainable. Is the Hat Man a harbinger of doom or change or just something that happens in our mind? Jim Harold’s Campfire https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jim-harolds-campfire/id310656913 Our Strange Skies (Rob Kristoffersen) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-strange-skies-ufos-throughout-history/id1546735571 Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/ Hypnopompic State https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnopompia Hypnogogic State https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia Send your story into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

A listener shares a bizarre encounter in Los Angeles, mistaking a woman for a gray alien during a late-night dog walk. The hosts discuss their unique experiences in LA, contrasting it with New York City. They delve into the nature of perception, questioning what is real versus what is a trick of the light. Personal anecdotes explore eerie moments and the emotional depth of interactions with strangers. The conversation invites contemplation on the boundaries between the ordinary and extraordinary, including the potential existence of hidden entities around us.

On September 12th, 1952, in Flatwoods, West Virginia, five boys witnessed a fiery object slowly descend from the sky and land nearby, seemingly under intelligent control. What followed became one of the strangest UFO encounters in American history. Joined by a 32-year-old mother and a National Guard member, the group were allegedly pursued by a towering, mist-shrouded, humanoid figure that emitted strange lights and sounds. And with seven direct witnesses and reports from several states, this was no isolated event. With some eyewitness still speaking up as recently as 2018. Misunderstood and mythologized for decades, the Flatwoods Monster deserves a closer, more accurate look — and that’s exactly what we’re here to do. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In tonight’s dead letter, Cody shares a chilling experience from a trip to Jacob City, a ghost town in Utah. While camping with friends and their dogs, they captured eerie EVPs, including one that called out Cody’s name. As the night grew darker, the dogs became unusually frightened, and a sudden, strong wind forced them to pack up and leave before their campfire got out of control. This is history, mystery, and a reminder to trust your instincts. Send your story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com  Show note links! Jacob City - Utah Ghost Town https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ut/jacobcity.html Jacob City - Utah Outdoor Activities https://www.utahoutdooractivities.com/jacobcity.html Snapshots of Mentioned Newspaper Articles https://postimg.cc/gallery/SCkxPjw Bannack, Montana - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bannack,_Montana Southwest Montana History: Bannack https://southwestmt.com/specialfeatures/history/bannack/ The Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Series at Astonishing Legends (Available on all podcast platforms as well and YouTube) Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 1 https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/4/21/ep-68-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-1?rq=henry%20plummer Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 2 https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/4/28/ep-69-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-2?rq=henry%20plummer Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 3 https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/5/10/ep-70-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-3?rq=henry%20plummer Jacobs Smelter - Superfund Site https://www.toxicsites.us/site.php?epa_id=UT0002391472