The Cryptid Keeper

Halloween may be over, but we're not done yet! We're back with part 2 of our Halloween Listener Stories Special, featuring contributions from Listeners Like You! Join us as we share your stories, offer advice where we can, and all in all have a jolly good time as we bid the Halloween season goodbye for another year* *Addison would like to clarify that Halloween is never over if you carry its spirit in your heart

Happy (almost) Halloween! This week's episode features our secret third (and fourth and fifth etc.) host: YOU! It's part one of our two-part Halloween Listener Stories Special! Every story or sighting in this episode was submitted by a listener to this very podcast, presented by us for your spoopy seasonal enjoyment. Thank you to everyone who submitted, you're Jacks (O lantern) of All Trades!

Even an earthquake drill can't stop us from discussing one of Addison's greatest childhood nightmares. Like a bat out of hell, she careens through the sky in search of people to suck dry like a capri sun! She's just a MananangGAL on the Town, and she's... troubling. This episode comes with a Content Warning for MAJOR Body Horror. Join us as we cover this vampiric creature, from her varied nomenclature to her ability to SPLIT HERSELF IN HALF. Hang on, this flight may experience some turbulence and flying torsos.

Today's episode comes with a Content Warning for blood and light discussion of sexual content. Exercise caution when listening, and stay safe out there! Vampires: they're just like us, only not super great at graphic design. This week, we're deviating a little bit from our show's usual subject matter, and talking about something that is most assuredly real in every way: real-life practicing vampires. We're taking a thoughtful look into a portion of the population that many people know nothing about, and hopefully coming out of it informed and with newly piqued curiosity!

We're the EIGHTH WONDER OF THE PODCAST WORLD! We're here to haunt you with clanking chains and groan-worthy puns, and if this description is confusing you then you should probably go ahead and listen to the episode all about a very special little guy. He's the fifth dimension, the eighth wonder of the world, he's Gef the Talking Mongoose and he defies explanation.

Do you ever look at a cat and think "I sure wish that had more scales"? Ever look at a snake and think "I sure wish that had whiskers"? Do both of those sound like animals you'd like to pet, no matter the cost? Then this episode might be for you. This week, we're talking about the original cat snake/maybe a dragon/possibly a basilisk with a name that never stops being fun to say: The Tatzelwurm!

Are they more horse than man? More man than horse? Inspired by an ill-advised bingewatch of Bojack Horseman, Addison brings Centaurs to the table today. Join us as we discuss folkloric inconsistencies in the Harry Potter universe, reverse-centaurs, and all manner of (possibly satanic) modern-day horseman sightings.

To all those affected by Hurricane Florence: We hope you're staying safe out there! This episode was recorded before the hurricane hit, when we all knew it was coming, and we decided to cover a legendary figure who warns people of impending storms. NOT to be confused with serial killer Albert Fish, he's The Gray Man. He's a decidedly Good Ghost and/or apparition, and we hope you enjoy the episode. Take care, stay safe, and help those affected by the storm if at all possible.

Someone's watching over you...provided you're walking past a specific stretch of mountain at a specific time of day. Are they ghosts? Shadow people? Weird mountain-dwelling voyeurs with great taste in hats? We're not sure! We know one thing though: they're the Dark Watchers and the subject of this week's episode.

We're back! Recording from two opposite coasts, we're back in your ears again with a Very Troubling Lad. This episode comes with a content warning for body horror because we're dealing with The Beast of Bray Road's soap opera-esque Evil Counterpart: the Capelobo. Expect the unexpected, because this creature puts the "oh god WHY" in anteater.

This week's subject is looking awfully familiar...maybe TOO familiar. We're traveling to Germany and beyond, from the man in the mirror to a stranger in a crowd, we're covering Doppelgangers! In which "twinsies" takes on a much sinister meaning. It's our last episode recording in the same place (for now) and we hope you have as much fun as we did.

Alex is back this week and we're feeling a little hungry...a little TOO hungry...for Knowledge. If you're feeling a little peckish too, let's sate our unnatural hankerings together and learn about this week's frightening creature. Not quite a werewolf, not quite a wendigo, but it's definitely cause for conversation. So let's take a trip over to the beautiful French countryside and watch out for wolves trying to fight you: this week we're discussing the Rougarou. Audio editing by Val Petrone

They're in the sky, they're on your roof, in your windows, doing backflips and just totally OWNING you in front of your whole family: It's the Hopkinsville Goblins! Guest Host Andrew (A Horror Borealis, our theme music) joins us again in Alex's absence as we cover what may be the Original Little Green Men. They're out of this world!

To make up for our absence last week, we're here with a bonus episode featuring Andrew Giotta, from A Horror Borealis and also The Writer of Our Theme Music! Andrew is filling in for Alex as a guest host while she is off making sweet jazz music, and we're here with some music and fun times of our own! Join us as we bring some really chaotic energy to the suffering booth, where Addison drags jokes on for too long and Andrew teaches us about his former hometown cryptid: The Menehune!

Have you ever thought to yourself: What if Sonic the Hedgehog was a terrifying bee/snake hybrid instead? No? Well, get ready to think about it. This is one hoop you probably won't see at any music festivals (if you're lucky). We're taking a trip all over on this week's episode, from The USA to Canada to the Australian Outback as we discuss the exactly-what-it-sounds-like Hoop Snake. Snake me to church!