Keeping it spooky, MAU Podcast worth a listen

Halloween was last week. The election was this week. Still need something scary to fill that fear void? Check out my favorite podcast Monsters Among Us Podcast.

I came across it many months ago and it is my favorite. I love the stories, the format and the host.

The host is Derek Hayes and per the podcast website, he “currently calls the mountains above Los Angeles, California home but originates from the backwoods of Southeast Ohio.  He’s worked in the film industry for 10 years in addition to producing oddity inspired artwork on the side.  A chance encounter when he was 10 years old drives his passion in the cryptozoology world and inspired him to create Monsters Among Us Podcast as a way to learn more and hear stories from all over the world.”

The website describes the podcast as “an anthology of true paranormal stories told by the witnesses themselves. Monsters Among Us is a collection of first-hand audio recordings made directly from experiencers of the paranormal. Enter host Derek Hayes’ atmosphere and nostalgia rich world, as he curates these terrifying tales, offering deep dives into supernatural subjects ranging from ghosts, UFOs, and alien abductions, to bigfoot, sasquatch and other cryptid creatures.”

One thing I love about the podcast is Hayes and sometimes his callers work to find rational reasons for the things people have experienced or seen. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, the stories are fascinating and sometimes downright spooky.

I have learned a lot about bigfoot, including the number of different names the cryptid goes by around the country and some of the mannerisms and characteristics. Apparently they do not smell at all pleasant, but, I guess that is understandable when you live in the woods and do not shower on a regular basis.

Also, did you know there are numerous reports of bigfoot aka sasquatch aka skunk ape that they like to throw rocks at people they encounter? There have been stories about rocks being thrown at tents, cars and cabins.

I never knew there were so many cryptids and other paranormal creatures. Listening to several seasons worth of the show (I started with season 16 but have gone back and listened to the first six seasons), I have learned about some interesting cryptids such as dogman, the Jersey devil, goatman, mothman and the Dover Demon to name a few.

Then you hear of other scary entities such as the shadow people, black-eyed kids and, what is in my opinion the creepiest of all, the mirrored men. Reports have been made of three men who walk in complete unison. Some who have seen them report missing time. Usually they are found in remote areas, typically forest or wooded areas.

The mirrored men are hard to describe here but if you want to be creeped out check out some of the episodes with mirrored men stories.

Of course, you have your ghosts stories. Some that I have found the most fascinating are the ones at historical places, especially Gettysburg and historical hotels.

At the end of each season, Hayes collects “Hometown Legend” stories for the finale. You would think he would run out of material, but people continue to call in about their hometown legends and they are as varied as the landscape throughout the country.

Recently there was quite a discussion about ABCs on the Monsters Among Us Podcast Facebook page. ABCs for those wondering are “alien big cats.” It does not mean they are actual aliens from outer space, rather, in the words of Encyclopaedia of Cryptozoology, they are “supposed exotic cats in an area in which they are not native. Most reported ABCs are all black, larger than typical black panther.

One poster said he was bored with ABC stories because he does not consider them true cryptids. He is right but the great thing about the Monsters Among Us Podcast is it is a safe place for people to share their paranormal (not normal) experiences.

I find them fascinating. Some I have a hard time believing, some, as they are told by the people themselves, I find I have a hard time listening to, while others I enjoy hearing about their experience.

I listen to other strange and unexplained podcasts but Monsters Among Us Podcast is in a class by itself in my opinion.

So if you enjoy stories about the paranormal, you get tired of podcasters who seem to talk just to hear their own voices, or podcasters who use a lot of foul language (Hayes does not but occasionally a caller might), I encourage you to check out Monsters Among Us Podcast.

And, in the words of Hayes, “keep it spooky.”