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Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror

The Lunatics Project
Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror
Latest episode

262 episodes

  • Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror

    Episode 214 - The History of The Hellraiser Franchise: Part 1

    27/10/2026 | 46 mins.
    This week Abby and Alan kick off our Halloween horror franchise watch through with the first four movies from the Hellraiser franchise.

    Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

    Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject.

    Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

    Join the discussion on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback.

    Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

    Sources

    A Nerdist Article by Rosie Knight: A Very Brief History of The Hellraiser Franchise

    Slash Film Article by Scott Thomas: The Entire Hellraiser Timeline Explained

    The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

    All off the Hellraiser movies

    Wikipedia and IMDB

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  • Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror

    Episode 213 - The History of Séances

    20/10/2026 | 28 mins.
    As the veil thins, Abby talks about the history of séances and the human need to understand what happens after we die.

    Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠.

    Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject.

    Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

    Join the discussion on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback.

    Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

    Sources

    Smithsonian Magazine Article by Abbott Kahler: The Fox Sisters and the Rap on Spiritualism

    A Magician Among The Spirits by Houdini, available on Project Gutenberg

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  • Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror

    Episode 212 - The History of Full Moon Madness

    13/10/2026 | 36 mins.
    This week Abby and Alan talk through the history of the belief in full moon madness and "lunatics."

    Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠.

    Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject.

    Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

    Join the discussion on ⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback.

    Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

    Sources

    Pagan Grimoire article by Rebecca Swanner: Moon Gods and Goddesses: Deities of Lunar Magic and Mysticism

    Etymonline article on the history of the word Lunatic

    NASA article on Moon Phases

    History.com article by Melinda Beck on European Wolf Trials

    PubMed Studies:

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1454923/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25756232/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8924138/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17256692/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31012946/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26498230/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33571126/

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10363673/

    Fred Sebastian, "Bad Moon Rising: The Persistent Belief in Lunar Connections to Madness," CMAJ (2005). This is particularly useful because it covers Paracelsus, Blackstone, Bethlem, John Haslam, and Benjamin Rush.

    Nigel Walker, "The Insanity Defense before 1800," The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (1985), for the history of insanity and criminal responsibility in English law.

    TIME, "Miscellany: Lunatic," March 7, 1932, for the Else Flothmeier case.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror

    Episode 211 - The History of Black Cat Superstition

    06/10/2026 | 26 mins.
    This week Abby and Alan talk about the history of Black Cat lore. From how cats were worshiped in ancient Egypt, to how the European and American Witch Trials helped to turn cats into a symbol of the spooky!

    Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠.

    Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject.

    Get Lunatics Merch ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

    Join the discussion on ⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠⁠Horror Stories⁠⁠. Available in eBook and paperback.

    Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror

    Episode 210 - The History of Atomic Horror: Part 3 - Nuclear Winter

    29/09/2026 | 42 mins.
    In the final part of our series on Atomic Horror, we look at the fear of nuclear war and the possibility of what could happen after the bombs stopped falling. During the Cold War, scientists began studying the potential global effects of a large-scale nuclear exchange, including the concept of nuclear winter, in which smoke and soot from widespread fires could block sunlight and cause severe climate changes.

    We look at the science behind the nuclear winter theory, the 1983 TTAPS study, and the way these ideas influenced public fears about nuclear war. We also examine films including The Day After, Threads, Dr. Strangelove, and other movies that imagined what life might look like before, during, and after a nuclear conflict.

    From atomic monsters to nuclear apocalypse, this final chapter of Atomic Horror looks at how horror films reflected one of the defining fears of the Cold War.

    Support the show on Patreon⁠.

    Follow us on social media @ TheLunaticsProject.

    Get Lunatics Merch ⁠here⁠. Join the discussion on ⁠Discord⁠. Check out Abby's book ⁠Horror Stories⁠. Available in eBook and paperback.

    Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More Film History podcasts
About Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror
Lunatics Radio Hour is a non-fiction history podcast about the history of horror and the horror of history. Each episode explores real, documented events where fear, violence, survival, and the unknown shaped human lives and cultures. The show also traces how historical events influenced film, examining how real-world horrors became the stories and images that appear on screen. Topics include dark history, psychological phenomena, folklore rooted in fact, and the historical roots of horror cinema. Most episodes focus on researched historical subjects. Occasional short fiction stories are included and clearly labeled. If you’re drawn to the darker side of history and the real events behind horror films, Lunatics Radio Hour explores where history, fear, and cinema intersect.
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