Lunatics Radio Hour: The History of Horror

The atomic bomb changed the world in 1945, but it also changed the way people imagined horror. In Part One of our history of Atomic Horror, Abby and Alan look at how the Manhattan Project, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear testing, and the beginning of the Atomic Age influenced science fiction and horror cinema. As the threat of nuclear destruction became part of everyday life, filmmakers began turning those fears into stories about monsters, mutations, alien invasions, and the destruction of humanity. We look at some of the films that helped establish Atomic Horror, including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Godzilla, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. We explore how these movies reflected fears about nuclear weapons, radiation, scientific experimentation, and the possibility that humanity had created something it could no longer control. This is the beginning of the Atomic Horror story, from the development of the atomic bomb to the monsters that emerged from the nuclear age. 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 Nightmare on Film Street article by Kimberly Elizabeth: Oppen-Horrors or: How I Recommended 10 Atomic Horror Movies to Blow Your Mind History.com article on the Manhattan Project An Atomic Heritage Foundation article by Paul Tibbets and Curtis LeMay: Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – 1945 PBS.org article Letter from Albert Einstein to FDR, 8/2/39 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Abby and Alan discuss dowsing and divining rods, and how people believed a forked stick could reveal hidden water, buried treasure, minerals, or even supernatural forces. From early references to divining rods and their connections to magic and folklore to the rise of water dowsing in Europe and America, we trace how a simple forked branch became an instrument of supernatural belief. We look at the people, practices, and ideas behind dowsing rods, including rhabdomancy, the occult traditions surrounding magical wands, early modern beliefs about hidden forces, and the long-running debate over whether dowsing actually works. Along the way, we explore the folklore and history that turned an ordinary stick into a supposed supernatural tool. 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

Death was a major part of everyday life in the Victorian era, and people developed elaborate ways to mourn, remember, and preserve the dead. In this episode of Lunatics Radio Hour, we explore the history of Victorian funerary traditions and the social and historical circumstances that shaped them in Britain and the United States. We look at Victorian mourning customs, postmortem photography, mourning jewelry, human hair art, funeral rituals, embalming, funeral biscuits, mourning stationery, death masks, and Victorian cemeteries. We also examine how the American Civil War helped popularize embalming in the United States and how Queen Victoria's mourning for Prince Albert influenced Victorian mourning culture. Along the way, we separate historical practices from later myths, including the popular story of Victorian "tear catchers." Finally, we trace these traditions into Gothic literature and horror movies, looking at how Victorian cemeteries, mourning clothes, old photographs, preserved bodies, and memorial objects became part of the visual language of supernatural horror. Because the Victorians weren't trying to make death scary. They were trying to find ways to live with it. 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. ⁠Support the show⁠. Sources The Gettysburg Compiler: Until We Meet Again: Victorian Mourning Practices by Ziv Camri The National Museum of Funeral History: 19th Century Mourning Eat Your Sorrow With These Victorian Funeral Biscuits: Atlas Obscura Another Atlas Obscura article: Clearing Up Myths About Victorian ‘Postmortem’ Photography Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Abby and Alan dig into the strange history of witch bottles, a form of folk magic once used to protect from witchcraft, curses, and supernatural attacks. We explore where the practice came from, how witch bottles were made, why they were hidden in fireplaces, walls, and beneath floors, and what archaeologists have discovered centuries later. From 17th-century England to colonial America, witch bottles reveal a fascinating intersection of folklore, magic, superstition, and everyday life. We’ll also look at the objects and rituals believed to make these bottles work, and how this obscure piece of folk magic eventually found its way into the imagery and traditions of modern horror. If you’re interested in witchcraft, folk magic, occult history, supernatural folklore, haunted history, paranormal traditions, and the real history behind horror, this one is for you. Lunatics Radio Hour explores the history behind the things that scare us. 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. Support the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Scary Scuffle reaches its bloody finale! In Part Two of our horror villain tournament, the remaining sequel monsters and villains face off in a series of one-on-one battles to determine who will be crowned the ultimate champion. Every matchup is judged on strength, abilities, durability, intelligence, and, of course, their overall potential to ruin your day. Abby is joined by Dan Roberts and Kate Rotunda as we break down the final matchups, argue for our picks, and decide which horror seq...