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AO Loves Halloween 2022

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The 17th-century blood jam recipe recommended using fluid drained from “persons of warm, moist temperament.”
vampires

The Strange Endurance of Consuming Human Blood for Our Health

From draining slain gladiators to modern-day "sangs," people have long looked to blood as a panacea.
Mark Hay October 31, 2022
Clowns in American circuses were once considered a form of adult entertainment.
19th century

Today's Creepy Clowns Have Roots in Bawdy and Crass 19th-Century Circuses

Pennywise, Art the Clown, and other modern, face-painted menaces recall an era when their kind were strictly adults-only entertainers.
Madeline Steiner October 31, 2022
haunted

Podcast: Scary Stories From Real Places

Our contributors share stories from spooky locations they’ve visited and which continue to haunt them.
The Podcast Team October 31, 2022
The cookbook also includes instructions on decorating your own sugar skulls. Don't eat these: You'll chip a tooth.
cemeteries

A Cookbook for Dining With the Dead

Learn to make amaranth skulls, “buried” tamales, and other regional Día de Muertos recipes.
Sam O'Brien October 28, 2022
In the oral traditions of the Penobscot people, a hideous, birdlike creature protects Mount Katahdin, now the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
mountains

The Transformation of Pamola, the Protector of Mount Katahdin

How a fearsome Penobscot Nation legend became a mascot of outdoor adventure seekers.
Sam Schipani October 28, 2022
witchcraft

Podcast: Witch Cakes

A baked good thought to ward off evil might have kicked off one of America's most notorious witch hunts.
The Podcast Team October 28, 2022
Armed with experts, psychics, and equipment, singer-songwriter Kesha went ghost hunting in one of America's most haunted places.
haunted

Why a Popstar Wanted to Go Ghost Hunting

Haunted places have a lot to tell us about ourselves.
Kesha October 27, 2022
This 1833 painting by Alexandre Hesse in the Louvre in Paris depicts the funeral rites of the painter Titian after his death from plague.
plague

Venice Is Almost One Big Plague Graveyard

A city built on water was always going to struggle with burials—especially when a deadly pandemic came to town.
Vittoria Traverso October 27, 2022
forests

Podcast: Spooky Places

Our Places Team shares spooky legends from both Transylvania and Appalachia.
The Podcast Team October 27, 2022
haunted

Why Horror Is So Damned Fun

We go inside Denmark’s Recreational Fear Lab to learn why our brains crave a good scare.
Samir S. Patel October 26, 2022
Despite a wingspan of up to 70 feet and legends about them from coast to coast, thunderbirds are a particularly elusive cryptid in North America.
cryptozoology

Beware the Thunderbird, Badass Cryptid of the Skies

The source of storms and an (occasional) kidnapper, the massive ancient beast has inspired muscle cars and jet fighters.
J.W. Ocker October 26, 2022
Robert the Doll has inspired a horror movie and regularly gets letters from those who fear they have offended the vindictive toy.
paintings

6 Cursed Objects, and the Legends Behind Them

Maybe it's best to just steer clear of white lighters, medieval books, and Robert the Doll.
April White October 26, 2022
natural history museums

Podcast: Luomus Spiders

The tale of a Scandinavian museum's 50-year infestation with Chilean recluse spiders.
The Podcast Team October 26, 2022
Medium Eusapia Palladino performs a séance at the French home of astronomer Camille Flammarion on November 24, 1898.
witchcraft

The Secret History of Female and Nonbinary Occultists

A new book examines how supernatural beliefs have often offered a voice, visibility, and vulnerabilities.
Sarah Durn October 25, 2022
Could we genetically engineer cats to glow when exposed to radiation, thus warning future generations about nuclear waste sites?
radioactive

Can Glowing 'Ray Cats' Save Humanity?

There are some strange ideas about how to send a warning to our descendants 100,000 years from now.
Kate Golembiewski October 25, 2022
cemeteries

Podcast: Houdini's Grave

Searching for the great beyond in Queens, New York.
The Podcast Team October 25, 2022
witchcraft

What the Scent of a Witch Revealed About the Ancient World

Antiquity’s perfumed sorceresses still influence ideas about magic today.
Britta Ager October 24, 2022
occult

Podcast: Cassadaga With Jamie Loftus

This week we're celebrating Halloween, starting with a special episode from Jamie Loftus's newest podcast.
The Podcast Team October 24, 2022