What are the beginnings of Halloween, and how have they evolved over the millennia from Samhain to trick-or-treating for kids — to being associated with Michael Myers? And what makes John Carpenter's "The Shape" stalking the suburbs so scary from a folkloric and sociological perspective? Fear sociologist Dr. Margee Kerr and folklorist Dr. Lynne S. McNeill join Talking Strange host Aaron Sagers for a Spooky Season episode.
About the Guests:
Dr. Margee Kerr is a sociologist and author. She earned her PhD in 2009 from the University of Pittsburgh and currently teaches and conducts research on fear, specifically how and why people engage in 'scary' experiences l like haunted attractions, horror movies, and paranormal investigations. She enjoys working as a consultant for attractions and museums and is the author of SCREAM: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear named as a must read by the Washington Post. And author of Ouch! Why Pain Hurts and Why It Doesn’t Have To. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Parade, Atlantic Monthly, and NPR’s Science Friday, among other places.
Dr. Lynne S. McNeill is a folklorist and Director of Graduate Studies in the English Department at Utah State University . Her research interests include legend, belief, fandom, and digital culture. She is the author of the popular textbook Folklore Rules (2013), and is the co-editor of Slender Man is Coming: Creepypasta and Contemporary Legends on the Internet (2018) and Legend Tripping: A Contemporary Legend Casebook (2018).
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Talking Strange Paranormal Podcast with Aaron Sagers is a weekly paranormal pop culture show featuring celebrity and author interviews, with a weekly "Small Talk" mini-sode with reader submitted letters and spooky tales. Sagers is a paranormal journalist and researcher who appears as host of 28 Days Haunted on Netflix, and on Paranormal Caught On Camera on Travel Channel/Discovery+, and Talking Strange is part of the Den of Geek Network.
If you like Talking Strange, please subscribe, leave a nice review, and share with your friends. The Talking Strange Paranormal Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you check out spooky content. For more paranormal pop culture, head to Den of Geek, and follow @TalkStrangePod on Twitter.
Email us with episode ideas, and guest suggestions, or for a chance to have your letter read on a future episode: TalkingStrange@DenOfGeek.com
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(For Q&As, livestreams, cocktail classes, and movie watches)
Until Next Time:
Be Kind.
Stay Spooky.
Keep It Weird.
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