Creepy Shit

In 897 AD, Pope Stephen VI ordered the exhumed corpse of his predecessor, Pope Formosus, dressed in full papal vestments and placed on trial before the Roman public in the Basilica of St. John Lateran — an event historians now call the Cadaver Synod. 
In this episode of Creepy Shit, we break down the fully documented, real history behind one of the most bizarre trials in Catholic Church history: the exhumation, the corpse trial, the mutilation and disposal of the body, and the shocking downfall of the pope who orchestrated it all — strangled in his own jail cell within the same year. 
This is a true, chronicled historical event, not legend, told in full storytelling detail.

Mattoon, Illinois was gripped by panic when residents began reporting a sickly sweet odor followed by nausea, weakness, and temporary paralysis. 
Over two dozen separate attacks were reported to police in under two weeks, sparking armed citizen patrols and nationwide media coverage of the mysterious "Mad Gasser." 
In this episode of Creepy Shit, we dig into the real, documented history of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon — one of the most famous unsolved mass-hysteria cases in American history — the victims, the failed police investigation, and the theories that still divide researchers over 80 years later.

Hidden in Italy’s beautiful Venetian Lagoon lies a small island that locals refuse to talk about. For over 700 years, Poveglia Island served as Venice’s dumping ground for plague victims, mental patients, and human suffering. An estimated 160,000 people died on this 17-acre patch of land, creating soil that’s literally 50% human ash.
But the dead didn’t stay quiet.
In this spine-chilling episode, we dive deep into the dark history of Italy’s most haunted island - from the Black Death victims burned alive in massive pyres to the sadistic mental hospital doctor who performed horrific experiments in the old bell tower. We’ll explore the modern paranormal encounters that have terrified every visitor brave enough to set foot on this cursed ground.
Why does the Italian government keep Poveglia locked away like supernatural nuclear waste? What really happened to the investigation team whose equipment mysteriously failed in 2014? And why do fishermen still pull up human bones in their nets centuries later?
Join me as we uncover the brutal truth behind Italy’s island of the damned, where shadow figures roam crumbling buildings and invisible hands still reach out from the grave. Some places hold onto their trauma - and Poveglia Island might just be the most haunted place on Earth.
*Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of historical violence and disturbing paranormal encounters.*

Bihl Manor, one of America's most talked-about haunted houses in Fremont, Ohio, is about to get the HGTV treatment in the new series A Very Haunted Renovation, premiering September 15th. 
In this episode, we cover the real, documented history of Bihl Manor — from its 1890s origins as a private family home to its decades as a children's group home — and take an honest, opinionated look at how the new show's ghost-story framing lines up against actual local historical records. 
This is a documentation-first breakdown of where the real history ends and the "TV lore" begins. Time to press play

In the 1980s, a sweet-looking grandmother ran a boarding house in Sacramento, California. Dorothea Puente took in the city’s most vulnerable residents—elderly folks on Social Security, mentally ill individuals, recovering addicts—and presented herself as a caring caretaker who gave them a safe place to live.
But behind the floral dresses and homemade cookies, Dorothea was systematically murdering her tenants, burying their bodies in her yard, and cashing their Social Security checks for months or years after their deaths.
In November 1988, police excavated her property at 1426 F Street and found seven bodies buried in the garden. The subsequent investigation revealed at least nine confirmed victims, and possibly many more. This is the story of one of America’s most chilling serial killers—a woman who weaponized the appearance of kindness to prey on society’s most forgotten people.
**CONTENT WARNING:** This episode contains detailed discussions of elder abuse, murder, financial exploitation of vulnerable people, and descriptions of bodies being discovered. Listener discretion is advised.