The Night Crew Podcast

What do a stolen Colonel Sanders statue, a legendary blues guitarist, and two of history's greatest violinists have in common?Apparently, the devil has an excellent marketing department.In Episode 5 of the Cursed Objects series, horror author Brad Ricks takes a break from haunted dolls and deadly artifacts to explore some of history's strangest, funniest, and most unexpectedly tragic curses.First, we're heading to Osaka, Japan, for the infamous Curse of the Colonel. In 1985, celebrating Hanshin Tigers fans threw a life-sized KFC Colonel Sanders statue into the Dotonbori River. What followed was a decades-long championship drought, a missing fast-food mascot, and one of the most bizarre curses in professional baseball history. Was Colonel Sanders really responsible for 38 years of bad luck?Next, we travel to the Mississippi Delta for the legendary story of Robert Johnson and the crossroads. Did one of the most influential blues guitarists in history really sell his soul to the devil in exchange for supernatural talent? Brad explores the mysterious origins of the crossroads legend, its connection to fellow bluesman Tommy Johnson, and the tragic truth behind Robert Johnson's short life and extraordinary musical legacy.Finally, we enter the world of classical music to uncover the stories of Giuseppe Tartini and Niccolò Paganini, two brilliant violinists whose talents inspired rumors of demonic bargains.From Tartini's terrifying dream of the devil playing an impossible violin sonata to Paganini's supposed supernatural abilities and the disturbing fate of his remains, these stories reveal what happens when musical genius becomes something people are afraid to explain.In this episode:The Hanshin Tigers and the legendary Curse of Colonel SandersThe missing KFC statue and the 38-year championship droughtRobert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, and the crossroads devil legendThe mysterious circumstances surrounding Robert Johnson's deathGiuseppe Tartini and the Devil's Trill SonataNiccolò Paganini, his haunted reputation, and his troubled burialNot every curse begins with a death. Sometimes it starts with a baseball celebration, a musical prodigy, or a story that's simply too good not to believe.Join Brad for a lighter, stranger installment of The Night Crew Podcast, where folklore meets dark history, music, and a healthy dose of gallows humor.Coming next: The final installment of Cursed Objects, featuring The Monkey's Paw and the psychology behind why we believe objects can be cursed.Connect with Brad RicksSigned books, merchandise, and author news: https://www.bradricks.comJoin the Facebook community: Brad Ricks's Book CryptThe Night Crew Podcast — Where Shadows Breathe and Monsters Listen.KeywordsCurse of Colonel Sanders, Hanshin Tigers curse, KFC curse, Robert Johnson crossroads, Robert Johnson devil, Tommy Johnson blues, sold soul to the devil, Devil's Trill Sonata, Giuseppe Tartini, Niccolò Paganini, cursed violin, cursed instruments, supernatural music legends, Mississippi blues folklore, cursed objects, Japanese baseball curse, horror podcast, paranormal podcast, dark history, The Night Crew Podcast, Brad RicksHashtags#CursedObjects #CurseOfTheColonel #ColonelSanders #HanshinTigers #RobertJohnson #CrossroadsLegend #DevilsTrill #Paganini #MusicFolklore #DarkHistory #UrbanLegends #HorrorPodcast #TheNightCrewPodcast #BradRicks

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with horror author, screenwriter, and filmmaker Shane McKenzie for a wildly entertaining conversation about extreme horror, splatterpunk, KillerCon, horror movies, gross-out fiction, and the strange career path that took Shane from short stories to writing for Hollywood.
Shane talks about cutting his teeth in horror anthologies, discovering writers like Wrath James White, breaking into extreme horror with books like All You Can Eat, Pus Junkies, and Muerte con Carne, and eventually making the jump into screenwriting. He shares how Muerte con Carne helped lead to the short film El Gigante, how he learned screenwriting on the fly, and what it was like co-writing the Blumhouse feature Bingo Hell.
The conversation also dives into the difference between writing novels and writing movies, returning to books after years in Hollywood, collaborating on projects like Benjamin, Ugly Truth, and the Frogman novelization, and why every creative project has its own rules. Shane also opens up about how some of his most outrageous horror has roots in very real personal experiences — from weight struggles and acne to identity, family, and childhood trauma.
And then things get disgusting.
Shane explains the bizarre social-media campaign behind the re-release of All You Can Eat, which has involved eating everything from fermented fish and insects to balut, plus the even more unhinged gross-out gauntlet planned for KillerCon. From hot-wing challenges and gross-out competitions to horror cartoons, filmmaking workshops, and the idea that horror conventions should actually be fun, Shane gives a behind-the-scenes look at what makes KillerCon different.
They also talk about Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Mexican folklore, the Chupacabra, Korean goblins, evil skeletons, Army of Darkness, An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, Monster Squad, and why the horrifying midpoint of a werewolf transformation still scares Shane more than almost anything else.
If you love extreme horror, splatterpunk, indie horror, horror filmmaking, screenwriting, creature features, body horror, KillerCon, Blumhouse movies, and conversations that go gloriously off the rails, this episode is for you.
Socials
Shane
Website: https://www.mchorror.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shanemckenziehorror
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanemckenziehorror/
Linq App: https://linqapp.com/shane_mckenzie
 
KillerCon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killerconatx/
Website: https://killerconatx.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@killercon.austin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KillerConATX
 
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#ShaneMcKenzie #KillerCon #ExtremeHorror #Splatterpunk #GrossOutHorror #AllYouCanEat #MuerteConCarne #PusJunkies #BingoHell #Blumhouse #HorrorAuthor #HorrorWriter #Screenwriting #HorrorMovies #IndieHorror #BodyHorror #Werewolves #CreatureHorror #HorrorPodcast #TheNightCrewPodcast

Can a movie, a role, or even a centuries-old play actually be cursed?
In Episode 4 of the Cursed Objects series on The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks leaves haunted dolls and cursed artifacts behind and heads straight into Hollywood and the theater to investigate three of entertainment history’s most enduring supernatural legends: the Superman Curse, the Poltergeist Curse, and the Curse of Macbeth.
First, Brad examines the so-called Superman Curse, from the mysterious death of George Reeves and the career struggles of early Superman actor Kirk Alyn to Christopher Reeve’s devastating equestrian accident and the tragedies that later became attached to actors connected with the iconic superhero franchise.
Then comes one of horror cinema’s most infamous legends: the Poltergeist Curse. Several actors connected to the franchise died during or shortly after the original films, including Dominique Dunne and twelve-year-old Heather O’Rourke. But behind the supernatural rumors are very real and very different human tragedies. And then there’s the detail that needs absolutely no paranormal embellishment: the production really did use actual human skeletons during the original film’s swimming-pool sequence.Finally, Brad steps onto the stage for one of the oldest entertainment superstitions still alive today: Macbeth, better known backstage as The Scottish Play. Why do actors refuse to say its name inside a theater? From stories of witches cursing Shakespeare's play to centuries of injuries, falling scenery, sword accidents, disastrous productions, and even the deadly Astor Place Riot, the legend has had more than four hundred years to grow.
Are these productions genuinely cursed—or are we simply very good at connecting unrelated tragedies once somebody gives us a pattern to look for?
If you love Hollywood mysteries, cursed movies, horror movie history, paranormal legends, theater superstitions, supernatural folklore, dark Hollywood history, Superman, Poltergeist, Shakespeare, and stories where real tragedy collides with urban legend, this episode is for you.
Keywords
Hollywood curses, cursed movies, Superman Curse, Superman curse explained, George Reeves death, Christopher Reeve, cursed Superman actors, Poltergeist Curse, Poltergeist movie curse, Heather O'Rourke, Dominique Dunne, real skeletons Poltergeist, cursed movie sets, Macbeth curse, Scottish Play curse, why actors don't say Macbeth, cursed theater productions, theater superstition, Hollywood urban legends, paranormal Hollywood, horror movie history, supernatural legends, dark Hollywood history, cursed films, The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks
Hashtags
#CursedByHollywood #SupermanCurse #PoltergeistCurse #MacbethCurse #TheScottishPlay #Superman #Poltergeist #Macbeth #CursedMovies #HollywoodCurses #MovieLegends #HorrorMovieHistory #DarkHollywood #Paranormal #UrbanLegends #TheaterSuperstitions #Supernatural #HorrorPodcast #TheNightCrewPodcast #BradRicks

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with horror author Angel Ramon to talk about creature horror, zombies, cryptids, psychological horror, and the long road from writing his first novel to becoming known as the Frogmaster.
Angel shares how he started publishing horror in 2017, rebuilt his writing career after Hurricane Maria, explored historical fiction under a separate pen name, and eventually returned to horror with books like Piña Coladas and Rats and his breakout Frogs and Margaritas series. They also dive into Angel’s deeply personal psychological horror novel Requiem of a Lost Nation, inspired by his mother’s experiences during the Salvadoran Civil War.
The conversation covers everything from Indiana Jones, The Legend of Zelda, and creature-feature storytelling to zombie fiction, the messy middle of writing a novel, supporting fellow indie authors, surviving imposter syndrome, and why reading widely is one of the most important things any writer can do.
And, of course, no Night Crew interview would be complete without monsters. Angel talks about his favorite cryptid, the legendary Chupacabra, its roots in Puerto Rican and Latin American folklore, and why the creature still fascinates horror fans today.
If you love indie horror, cryptids, monster fiction, creature features, zombie horror, psychological horror, Latin American folklore, and candid conversations about the realities of being an author, this episode is for you.
Links:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1851996472230541
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelfrogmaster/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@angelfrogmaster
Mailing List: https://mailchi.mp/a6c47f92ebdf/jointhedarklegion
 
Keywords
Angel Ramon, Angel Ramon author, Angel Ramon interview, Frogs and Margaritas, Frogmaster, Piña Coladas and Rats, Requiem of a Lost Nation, The Fifth Survivor, creature horror, creature feature books, Chupacabra, Chupacabra folklore, Puerto Rico folklore, Latin American cryptids, zombie horror, psychological horror, indie horror author, horror writing, indie publishing, horror community, Indiana Jones horror, Legend of Zelda inspiration, cryptid podcast, monster podcast, author interview, The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks
Hashtags
#AngelRamon #FrogsAndMargaritas #Frogmaster #Chupacabra #Cryptids #CreatureHorror #CreatureFeature #MonsterLore #ZombieHorror #PsychologicalHorror #IndieHorror #IndieAuthor #HorrorAuthor #PuertoRico #LatinAmericanFolklore #HorrorBooks #AuthorInterview #HorrorPodcast #TheNightCrewPodcast #BradRicks

Some cursed objects are blamed for bad luck. These ones have something darker attached to them: real deaths, real tragedy, and a body count.
In Episode 3 of the Cursed Objects series on The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks explores five infamous objects whose legends are tied to documented deaths, accidents, fires, and human suffering. From Busby’s Stoop Chair, supposedly cursed to kill anyone who sits in it, to James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder “Little Bastard,” whose wreckage became linked to a growing trail of racing deaths and strange accidents, this episode asks what happens when tragedy gets attached to an object—and the story becomes bigger than the facts.
Brad also dives into the infamous Myrtles Plantation mirror, separating the popular Chloe ghost story from the plantation’s real and far more difficult history; the Crying Boy paintings, which sparked a full-blown British tabloid panic after supposedly surviving house fires untouched; and two internet-era legends, The Hands Resist Him and The Anguished Man, whose haunted reputations exploded through eBay listings, viral stories, and paranormal claims.
Along the way, this episode uncovers how cursed-object legends are often built from a mixture of real tragedy, folklore, media sensationalism, tourism, money, coincidence, and our need to give suffering a villain. Sometimes the object is old. Sometimes the story is old. And sometimes the story was created long after the object ever entered the room.
If you love cursed objects, haunted artifacts, dark history, paranormal stories, ghost legends, James Dean, haunted paintings, true horror, urban legends, and the strange places where documented history collides with supernatural folklore, this episode is for you.
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Hashtags
#CursedObjects #JamesDean #LittleBastard #BusbyStoopChair #CursedChair #MyrtlesPlantation #HauntedMirror #CryingBoy #TheHandsResistHim #TheAnguishedMan #HauntedPaintings #CursedArtifacts #DarkHistory #Paranormal #GhostStories #UrbanLegends #Supernatural #HorrorHistory #HorrorPodcast #TheNightCrewPodcast

What makes an urban legend truly scary? Maybe it’s the tiny possibility that it actually happened.
In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with horror writer M. Lee Goodson to talk about urban legends, cryptids, psychological horror, and the strange path that led her from inspirational writing to stories where things tend to go considerably darker.
M. Lee discusses her love of The Twilight Zone, Edgar Allan Poe, and Dean Koontz, as well as her weekly Legend of the Week posts exploring strange folklore, regional monsters, and creepy stories from around the country. They dig into why nearly every town seems to have its own frightening legend, how real experiences can make fictional horror feel more authentic, and why the best urban legends work because there’s always that lingering thought: what if it’s true?
The conversation also covers Bigfoot, the Wendigo, Texas cryptids, the mysterious Horizon City Monster, werewolves, The Blair Witch Project, and M. Lee’s surprisingly unique favorite monster—the Basilisk.
If you love cryptid lore, creepy folklore, urban legends, monster mythology, psychological horror, paranormal stories, and conversations with indie horror writers, this episode is for you.
Links:
Website: https://www.mleegoodson.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mleegoodson
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mleegoodson
 
Substack: https://substack.com/@mleegoodson
 
Keywords
M. Lee Goodson, M. Lee Goodson interview, The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks, urban legends, cryptids, Texas cryptids, horror author interview, psychological horror, Twilight Zone horror, Edgar Allan Poe, Dean Koontz, basilisk mythology, Bigfoot, Wendigo, Horizon City Monster, werewolf stories, Blair Witch Project, creepy folklore, paranormal legends, monster lore, horror writing, indie horror author, Horror Writers Association, HWA Texas, folklore podcast, horror podcast
Hashtags
#MLeeGoodson #TheNightCrewPodcast #BradRicks #UrbanLegends #Cryptids #CryptidLore #MonsterLore #TexasCryptids #PsychologicalHorror #HorrorWriter #IndieHorror #HorrorPodcast #AuthorInterview #EdgarAllanPoe #TwilightZone #Basilisk #Bigfoot #Wendigo #Folklore #Paranormal

What’s worse than a cursed object bringing bad luck? A cursed object that seems to know you’re there.
In Episode 2 of the Cursed Objects series, Brad Ricks dives into three of the most infamous supposedly haunted objects in modern paranormal lore: Annabelle, Robert the Doll, and the Dybbuk Box.
First, forget the creepy porcelain face from The Conjuring. The real Annabelle doll is a seemingly harmless Raggedy Ann surrounded by stories of unexplained movement, disturbing messages, claw marks, demonic manipulation, and the controversial paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren.
Then it’s off to Key West to meet Robert the Doll, the century-old sailor doll whose reputation has become so powerful that visitors still send letters apologizing for photographing him without permission—often after blaming Robert for accidents, injuries, divorces, lost jobs, and other sudden misfortunes.
Finally, Brad opens the story of the infamous Dybbuk Box, a supposedly haunted wine cabinet associated with nightmares, illness, possession, Hollywood movies, and paranormal television. There’s just one problem: the man who created the story later admitted that he invented its haunted history himself.
So why do these stories continue even after the evidence falls apart?
This episode explores haunted dolls, demonic objects, paranormal investigations, Jewish folklore, dybbuks, the psychology of seeing faces and intent in objects, and the strange way a frightening story can become more powerful than the truth behind it.
If you love true paranormal stories, haunted objects, demonology, creepy dolls, urban legends, occult history, and horror stories that blur the line between folklore and fact, this episode belongs on your playlist.
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Can an object actually be cursed—or are we just very good at turning tragedy into a story?
In the first episode of a brand-new Cursed Objects series on The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks digs into six of the most famous allegedly cursed artifacts in history: the Hope Diamond, the Koh-i-Noor, the Curse of Tutankhamun, the mysterious Basano Vase, the Delhi Purple Sapphire, and the Black Orlov Diamond.
But this isn’t just a collection of creepy legends. Brad separates the documented history from the folklore to uncover how these curses were actually built. Some were fueled by real deaths. Some were amplified by newspapers. One may have been deliberately embellished by Cartier to help sell a diamond. Another might never have existed at all.
From royal executions and colonial theft to mysterious suicides, pharaoh tombs, supposedly bloodstained gemstones, and objects people became convinced were trying to ruin their lives, this episode asks a bigger question: why do we need cursed objects in the first place?
If you love dark history, paranormal mysteries, haunted objects, occult legends, ancient curses, Egyptian mythology, true horror, and stories where folklore collides with documented history, this is the perfect place to start.
Keywords
cursed objects, cursed artifacts, Hope Diamond curse, Koh-i-Noor curse, King Tut curse, Curse of Tutankhamun, Basano Vase, Delhi Purple Sapphire, Black Orlov Diamond, Eye of Brahma, haunted objects, cursed diamonds, ancient curses, paranormal objects, occult history, dark history, supernatural legends, Egyptian curse, cursed gemstones, haunted artifacts, folklore podcast, horror history, horror podcast, The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks
Hashtags
#CursedObjects #HopeDiamond #KingTut #CurseOfTutankhamun #KohINoor #DelhiPurpleSapphire #BlackOrlov #CursedArtifacts #HauntedObjects #AncientCurses #DarkHistory #OccultHistory #Paranormal #Supernatural #Folklore #HorrorHistory #CursedDiamonds #HorrorPodcast #TheNightCrewPodcast #BradRicks
 

Lilith may get all the attention, but she was never the only queen ruling the darkness.
In this bonus episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks steps into the shadowy world of Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, and the Sitra Achra to uncover the three demon queens who stood beside Lilith: Naamah, Agrat Bat Mahlat, and Eisheth Zenunim.
Each queen rules a different territory of human fear. Naamah corrupts through seduction and desire. Agrat Bat Mahlat commands vast armies of demons that ride through the night. Eisheth Zenunim consumes the souls of the damned. Together with Lilith, they form a terrifying map of human vulnerability stretching from the cradle to beyond the grave.
This episode explores the Four Queens of Demons, their connection to Samael, the Zohar, fallen angels, the Watchers, the Nephilim, demonic offspring, dangerous nights, forbidden desire, and the horrifying fate of souls that were meant to survive death.
Perfect for fans of demonology, occult history, dark folklore, Jewish mythology, Kabbalistic mysticism, supernatural horror, and ancient monsters hidden in religious texts.
Keywords
Naamah, Agrat Bat Mahlat, Eisheth Zenunim, Four Queens of Demons, Lilith, demon queens, Jewish demonology, Kabbalah demons, Sitra Achra, Samael, Zohar, Jewish folklore, occult history, demon mythology, fallen angels, Watchers, Nephilim, succubus folklore, dark mysticism, supernatural horror, horror mythology, mythology podcast, demonology podcast, The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks
Hashtags
#Naamah #AgratBatMahlat #EishethZenunim #Lilith #FourQueensOfDemons #DemonQueens #Demonology #JewishFolklore #JewishMysticism #Kabbalah #SitraAchra #Samael #TheZohar #DarkFolklore #OccultHistory #SupernaturalHorror #HorrorMythology #HorrorPodcast #TheNightCrewPodcast #BradRicks

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with horror author Kayla Frederick to talk about turning nightmares, trauma, and a love of 1980s horror into unforgettable dark fiction. Kayla shares the journey behind her Rituals of the Night series, including Dead by Morning, Alive at Sunset, and the upcoming Survive at Midnight, which she describes as Heathers meets A Nightmare on Elm Street.
They also explore her deadly artist competition novel The Residency, the difference between writing a standalone novel and a long-running horror series, overcoming imposter syndrome, and why consistency matters more than waiting for inspiration. Kayla discusses her atmospheric writing style, her love of psychological suspense, and the recurring nightmare that inspired her first book.
The conversation also features 1980s movies and music, Stephen King, true crime, lucid nightmares, cliffhangers, baking cheesecakes, and Kayla’s favorite supernatural creature: the banshee. This episode is perfect for fans of indie horror, dark fantasy, supernatural horror, slasher fiction, psychological suspense, and behind-the-scenes conversations with rising horror authors.
Website: www.authorkaylafrederick.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkaylafrederick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayla.frederick77
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@kaylafrederick
 
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Hashtags
#KaylaFrederick #TheNightCrewPodcast #BradRicks #DeadByMorning #AliveAtSunset #SurviveAtMidnight #RitualsOfTheNight #TheResidency #HorrorPodcast #AuthorInterview #IndieHorror #HorrorAuthor #WomenInHorror #SupernaturalHorror #DarkFantasy #PsychologicalHorror #SlasherFiction #80sHorror #Banshee #HorrorBooks