

30 Morbid Minutes
30 Morbid Minutes
Journey into the morbid, macabre, gruesome and unexplained, with comedians and friends Elyse Willems and Jessica Vasami. Covering topics like: untimely deaths on cruise ships, sleep paralysis demons, celebrity death hoaxes, obituary bandits, pesky cursed objects, spontaneous human combustion, zombie apocalypses, the Victorian obsession with death, screaming mummies, the Dark Forest alien paradox, medical malpractice, good old-fashioned cannibalism, and so much more.Episodes on Mondays.***Featured in Apple Podcast's New & Noteworthy 2022.***
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 15, 2025 • 29min
From the Crypt: Ghost Stories During Christmas - A Victorian Tradition We Need to Bring Back
This episode was originally released December 19, 2023
Gathering around the fire and telling ghost stories during the holiday season was extremely in vogue during the Victorian Era. We explore how a tradition of yuletide terror came to be, and the authors behind it.
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30 Morbid Minutes is made by Elyse Willems and Jessica Vasami, with music by Casey Edwards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 1, 2025 • 31min
What Does a Coroner Do? (Reddit AMA with a Coroner)
We’re doing a thorough examination of what life is like for a professional coroner, pulling questions from a Reddit AMA in which a real-life coroner gives personal insight into the ways in which they investigate deaths, locate and notify families of deaths, determine cause and manner of death, and relay information to the media.
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30MorbidMinutes
Elyse Willems
Jessica Vasami
Music by Casey Edwards
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 10, 2025 • 24min
Is It Common to Die on Your Birthday?
Sometimes a surprise birthday party can result in an unforeseen death. We explore the dark statistical phenomenon that is the Birthday Effect.
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30MorbidMinutes
Elyse Willems
Jessica Vasami
Music by Casey Edwards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 27, 2025 • 31min
Cemetery Sleepovers: Not As Morbid As You Think?
What compels thrill-seekers and ghosthunters to spend the night amongst the gravestones? And how do local communities use cemeteries for special events and spooky movie nights? Find out, in 30 Morbid Minutes.
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30MorbidMinutes
Elyse Willems
Jessica Vasami
Music by Casey Edwards
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 20, 2025 • 34min
From the Crypt: The History of Halloween - America's Most Morbid Holiday
Spooky enthusiasts rejoice, it's the most wonderful time of year: Halloween season! No better time than now to dive into the history behind America's most morbid holiday; how it started, where certain traditions like trick-or-treating come from, and how Halloween has evolved and popularized into more than just a commercial candy and costume fest. (This is a re-release of an episode originally released on October 4, 2022.)
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30MorbidMinutes
Elyse Willems
Jessica Vasami
Music by Casey Edwards
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 13, 2025 • 34min
More Cursed Objects: The Tallman Bunk Beds
In the 1987 the Tallman Family of Horicon, Wisconsin were driven from their home by paranormal activity caused by an unexpectedly haunted artifact: bunk beds.
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30MorbidMinutes
Elyse Willems
Jessica Vasami
Music by Casey Edwards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 6, 2025 • 31min
From the Crypt: The Real Life Dr. Frankenstein
Examining the real life mad doctors and their galvanic experiments that inspired one of literature's most famous monsters. (This episode was originally released October 10, 2023.)
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30MorbidMinutes
Elyse Willems
Jessica Vasami
Music by Casey Edwards
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 22, 2025 • 34min
"What's it like to die NINE times?" - Q&A
A Reddit user shares their incredible journey of surviving nine sudden cardiac arrests at just twenty. They discuss the intense psychological aftermath, grappling with PTSD and constant anxiety. Humorous anecdotes reveal their choice of McDonald's as a 'last meal' and delve into the physical pain caused by defibrillation. The conversation explores how repeated near-death experiences shift one's life perspective, emphasizing experiences over career pressures. They also reflect on their atheism and the impact of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while advocating for awareness around the condition.

Sep 8, 2025 • 38min
America's Most Isolated Family: The Whittakers
Who are the Whittakers, and why has the world become so fascinated with them and their isolated West Virginia way of life? We take a look at their insular family tree, and the genetic fallout that can occur with inbreeding.
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30MorbidMinutes
Elyse Willems
Jessica Vasami
Music by Casey Edwards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 25, 2025 • 28min
The Unspoken Rules of Appalachia
Is the rich history of Appalachian folklore meant to be taken literally? Do cryptids, spirits and supernatural dangers exist in those rugged hills? If you hear a voice say your name in the woods, should you respond? (Spoiler: no.) In this new episode, we examine the unspoken rules of Appalachia and give a brief history of the mountain range.
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30MorbidMinutes
Elyse Willems
Jessica Vasami
Music by Casey Edwards - @ComposerCasey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


