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PODCAST

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark

MagicalMystery.Media

Uncovering the strange histories and hidden truths behind film. NEW format! NEW show! NEW start! If you"re looking for our old conspiracy and paranormal episodes, please see the archives at MAGICAL MYSTERY RADIO: INANE RAMBLINGS FROM THE FRINGE. THE STORIES WE TELL IN THE DARK is a discussion of cinema deep cuts, weird behind-the-scenes stories, and forgotten film lore. FILM ON THE FRINGE was a limited series exploring modern cult classics and genre favorites and their connections to magic and

tv & film film history

All Episodes

23:01

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE and The REAL Possession of...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/10/15

Host Adam Charles unpacks the 2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose and the harrowing true story behind it - the 1970s case of Anneliese Michel, a young Bavarian woman whose tragic death followed dozens of sanctioned exorcisms. This is a haunting exploration of faith, suffering, and how Hollywood turns real horror into entertainment for the masses. Show notes at https://magicalmystery.media

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25:01

Hollywood Ghost Tour: MARILYN Monroe's Mirror,...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/10/08

Take a haunted walking tour of Hollywood with Adam. Along the way, meet spectral projectionists, Marilyn Monroe’s haunted mirror, the ghosts of the Roosevelt Hotel, and Peg Entwistle, the tragic actress who walks forever beneath the famous "H." Tour Stops: El Capitan Theatre TCL Chinese Theatre Hollywood Walk of Fame Roosevelt Hotel The Magic Castle Hollywood Sign Movies mentioned: Citizen Kane (1941); Anything Goes (1936, stage musical, later film); The Rocketeer (1991); Aladdin (1992); King of

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27:33

Robert Blake UNSOLVED MURDER Case, CAPRICORN ONE &...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/10/01

A 1978 thriller accidentally supercharges a conspiracy - and a Hollywood icon’s life spirals into a true-crime saga. We explore Peter Hyams’ Capricorn One - why Buzz Aldrin disapproved, how it was saved by Superman, and how moon-hoax theories grew from fringe chatter to mainstream mania. Then we trace the 2001 murder of Bonny Lee Bakley - and actor Robert Blake’s criminal trial. Movies mentioned: Capricorn One (1978); T.R. Baskin (1971); Busting (1974); 2010 The Year We Make Contact (1984); Outland

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28:11

Musical Mysteries: VANISHED UFO Troubadour, MISSING...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/09/24

Adam explores several strange and chilling tales at the crossroads of movies, music, and true crime. Folk-rock singer Jim Sullivan vanished in the New Mexico desert after appearing in Easy Rider and releasing his album UFO. Iron Butterfly bassist Philip "Taylor" Kramer, a tech pioneer in video compression, disappeared after a cryptic 911 call - his story later featured on Unsolved Mysteries. And Blondie’s Debbie Harry, known for her role in Cronenberg’s Videodrome, recalls a chilling near-abduction

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25:41

GODZILLA vs. GOJIRA, Atomic Fishing Boat Horror,...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/09/17

What do radioactive fallout, cannibal rats, and a flying turtle have in common? In this episode, Adam explores the dark origins of Japan’s most iconic monsters. From the real-life 1954 Lucky Dragon incident - sometimes called the “third atomic bombing” - to the scrapped rat-horror film that accidentally gave birth to Gamera, it’s a wild ride through film, folklore, and Cold War fear. Plus: just how big could a real kaiju actually get? Topics include: Godzilla’s link to post-war trauma and Shinto

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25:01

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES, Smurl Haunting True Story,...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/09/11

What’s real, what’s not, and what the Warrens never told you. Is The Conjuring: Last Rites a true story? What really happened to the Smurl family - and how involved were Ed and Lorraine Warren? What's the real story of Annabelle the Doll? And what happened to Annabelle's handler in July? Visit https://magicalmystery.media for show notes (or to send a message). ========== For our "lost episodes" archive, check out MAGICAL MYSTERY RADIO: INANE RAMBLINGS FROM THE FRINGE.

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27:43

On-Air Deaths, SUPERMAN's Tragic Origin, HALLOWEEN...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/09/04

Content warning: The first segment covers real-life on-air suicides and may be distressing to some listeners. This week, Adam shares a strange and tragic mix of stories: disturbing on-air deaths (one which anticipated Paddy Chayefsky's Network by two years); the real-life pain behind Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's creation of Superman; and a buried Michael Myers (Halloween) backstory from 1979. Real On-Air Deaths - The tragic story of Christine Chubbuck, the Sarasota news reporter who took her life

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27:07

[MM.M 49] Curses!! POLTERGEIST, THE FIRST (Cursed)...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/08/28

Adam explores some of film’s most infamous curses - from Poltergeist and its real skeletons to the eerie disappearance of the man who may have invented cinema before Edison. Also: a FLESH EATERS resurrection, some Hollywood lore, and the show’s evolving format. Movies mentioned: FLESH EATERS, POLTERGEIST, THE FIRST FILM (Roundhay Garden Scene/Accordian Player/Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge), THE OMEN, ROSEMARY'S BABY, THE EXORCIST, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, DRAG ME TO HELL, CURSE OF THE DEMON, CURSE

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27:15

[MM.M 48] WEAPONS & Pied Piper, EXORCIST True Story,...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/08/21

In this week’s episode of Magical Mystery Media, Adam takes you on a strange journey through pop culture, folklore, and forgotten history – starting with the new film Weapons and ending with the real-life boy who inspired The Exorcist. Visit magicalmystery.media for show notes (or to send a message). For archived episodes of Magical Mystery Radio going back to 2016, search "Magical Mystery Radio: Inane Ramblings from the Fringe."

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27:23

[MM.M 47] STRANGER THINGS & SQUID GAME in NY, Troma...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/08/14

Adam shares memories of working with Troma Films in 1980s NYC, reflects on THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, and solves two internet mysteries: the real origin of the famous time-travel ad that inspired SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED and the photo that inspired SEVERANCE by way of the eerie Backrooms phenomenon. Visit magicalmystery.media for show notes (or to send a message). For archived episodes of Magical Mystery Radio going back to 2016, search "Magical Mystery Radio: Inane Ramblings from the Fringe."

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28:19

[MM.M 46] DARK WATER & Elisa Lam, PSYCHO & Ed Gein

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/08/08

Adam reveals two chilling true stories he chose not to cover in his upcoming Shadow Play series: the disturbing case of Ed Gein, and the mysterious death of Elisa Lam. First, the strange case of Elisa Lam, a Canadian student whose bizarre behavior on hotel security footage went viral before she was tragically found dead in a rooftop water tank - eerily echoing plot details from the horror film Dark Water. Adam recounts his personal visit to the infamous Cecil Hotel in L.A. and reflects on the

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01:22

Oh my God it's mutating again....

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/05/14

Just a little update on the newest iteration of this show... lumbering and shuffling your way soon!

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26:01

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: Dream Deaths, Shadow Men,...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/05/08

What if a dream could kill you? We revisit Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and the real-life sleep phenomena that inspired it. We explore how Freddy Krueger emerged from Craven’s own childhood fears and reports of mysterious deaths among Hmong refugees. We also get into the strange science of sleep paralysis, the folklore of the “Old Hag,” the phenomenon of the Hat Man, and the viral mystery of This Man, a face reported in dreams around the world. Shownotes

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04:18

From Magical Mystery Radio to FILM ON THE FRINGE

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/05/01

Once known as Magical Mystery Radio, this podcast has transformed into something new. Here we lay out what to expect from Film on the Fringe and why the shift happened. If you’re interested in movies, folklore, speculative science, or the strange truths hidden in fiction, you’re in the right place. Thanks for listening! Doctor Atom

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32:27

BLADE RUNNER, Philip K. Dick, and the Search for...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/04/23

Blade Runner is more than just a sci-fi classic — it’s a meditation on memory, identity, and empathy. We explore Philip K. Dick’s 1974 mystical experience, the meaning of the Voight-Kampff test, and why the film still resonates today as a cinematic awakening. What does it mean to be human… if even our memories can lie? Shownotes

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30:13

THE LAST OF US and the Evolution of Zombies from...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/04/17

From vodou to viral spores, zombies have always evolved with us. In this week’s episode of Film on the Fringe, we uncover the real roots of the undead—myth, science, and metaphor. 🧟 Highlights & References: The Last of Us and the real-world science of Cordyceps fungus White Zombie (1932) and the colonial legacy of the Haitian undead Vodou, slavery, and the soul in Haitian cosmology Clairvius Narcisse, Wade Davis, and The Serpent and the Rainbow Romero’s undead allegories: race,

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32:21

JURASSIC PARK, Bone Wars & Creationism: Dinosaurs in...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/04/10

Dr. Atom takes you behind the scenes of JURASSIC PARK—literally. After a personal story of working alongside the filmmakers, we explore the science of cloning dinosaurs, the truth behind amber-trapped DNA, and modern de-extinction efforts using CRISPR and AI. Then we dig into the 19th-century Bone Wars, Victorian dinosaur mania, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s THE LOST WORLD. Along the way, we follow a strange fossil trail into the world of young Earth creationism, Cambodian stegosaurus carvings, and

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30:19

GREMLINS: From WWII Folklore to Spielberg to Shadow...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/04/03

Gremlins on the wing, goblins in the woods, and strange little beings at your window. From WWII aviation lore to Spielberg’s unmade alien siege story, this episode traces the evolution of mischievous trickster creatures through folklore, pop culture, and real-life encounters—including the night something came calling in Kentucky. Featured Films: Shadow in the Cloud (2020) Gremlins (1984) Poltergeist (1982) E.T. (1982) The Twilight Zone (Nightmare at 20,000 Feet) Amazing Stories (“The

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30:43

THE QUIET ONES / Hammer Films / Philip Experiment /...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/03/27

Venture into the murky space between psychological manipulation and the supernatural. Today, we’re talking about The Quiet Ones (2014), a Hammer Films horror throwback inspired by one of the strangest real-world experiments ever attempted: the Philip Experiment. We’ll unpack how a group of researchers in 1970s Canada set out to create a ghost, explore Derren Brown’s Seance as a modern reinterpretation, and finally, discuss whether collective belief can actually influence physical reality. Shownotes

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31:21

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS / Von Braun’s Warning / Project...

Shadow Play: The Stories We Tell in the Dark ·

2025/03/20

Let's explore The War of the Worlds — the iconic novel by H.G. Wells and the countless interpretations, adaptations, and conspiracy theories it inspired. We discuss: The 2005 Spielberg movie and the 1953 George Pal version The long-forgotten SEQUEL published only a year after the original The 1938 Orson Welles "panic broadcast" Wernher von Braun’s alleged warning of a staged alien invasion Project Blue Beam And finally, we ask: What would a real alien invasion look like? The War of the Worlds

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180 results

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