In this special October episode, the Rabbit Hole of Research crew takes the show on the road to Chicago’s Horror House. Joined by co-owners Moses and Vinny, the conversation drifts through ghosts, graveyards, and the supernatural, blending personal stories with science, folklore, and a dash of pop culture.
From sleep paralysis and memory to cats staring into the void, from reincarnation theories to favorite ghost movies, the crew explores how cultures imagine the dead and why ghosts loom so large in horror and storytelling. The episode closes with upcoming Horror House events and a look ahead at future haunted adventures. Equal parts eerie and enlightening, this one celebrates the start of October with science, speculation, and spooky fun.
And check the list below for a ghostly list of movies by the RHR crew, Moses and Vinny, to get your month of horror off to a spooky start.
Links for Horror House
Check out what the RHR crew is creating:
Joe:
Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories Anthology featuring a new story by Joe!
Chicago Writers Association Podcast: Talkin’ Science Fiction with Joe Austin
Essay by Joe: From Beyond Press: Specific Knowledge: Jotham Austin, II, PhD on Transformations in Fiction
Joe explores how many calories it would take to transform into monsters across sci-fi and horror—think 222 Big Macs and tubs of Cherry Garcia.
It’s Science for Weirdos
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We want to Hear From You (leave a comment):
Do you believe in ghosts?
Have you ever had a strange experience in a graveyard, or maybe your cat stared into the darkness like it saw something you couldn’t?
Do you have a favorite ghost movie or story?
Future Episodes & Events
Episodes:
Episode 46 – Slashers (Recorded at Reed’s Local, Avondale, Chicago)
Guests: Jesse Andrus (Slasher Sauces) and Melissa (Co-owner of Reed’s Local)
Blades and booze collide as the crew unpacks the legacy of slasher films—from
80s VHS carnage to modern horror meta-commentary
Episode 47 – Who Goes There? The Thing and The Shape of Paranoia
Guests: Todd Thyberg (Angel Bomb) and Bill Halliar
A deep-dive into the horror of isolation, distrust, and shapeshifting terror through
the lens of The Thing. Expect philosophical chills.
Episode 48 – Perception vs. Perspective
Guest: Katie Lichte-Mullenix
Is your brain lying to you? An exploration of perception, illusion, and how the mind constructs reality.
Events:
Joe will be reading with 5 other story tellers at the Printer’s Row Wine Shop and Bar on November 1st.
2pm-4pm
Joe will be reading with other story tellers at the Experimental Station in Hyde Park on November 1st.
5:30-8pm
For more stuff (Images, Episode Highlights, events, etc), subscribe to our Substack newsletter!
Stay curious, stay speculative, stay safe, and we’ll catch you in the next rabbit hole. Love Y'all!
Show Notes & Fun facts
Books, Media, and References from the Episode
Pet Sematary (Stephen King, 1983; film adaptations) – Burial ground horror.
Ghost (1990, Patrick Swayze) – Vinny’s favorite ghost movie, even though it doesn’t include a graveyard
Event Horizon (1997 film) – Sci-fi horror often framed as a “ghost story in space.”
Idle Hands (1999 film) – Horror-comedy featuring Seth Green.
Sinister (2012 Film) – Supernatural horror about a true-crime writer who discovers a box of cursed home movies, each tied to a family’s violent death and an ancient pagan entity.
Black Mirror (TV series) – Particularly episodes dealing with digital afterlives (e.g., San Junipero).
The Matrix (1999 film) – Referenced in connection with AI and simulation.
Ghostbusters (1984 film) – Mentioned as pop-culture ghost reference.
The Sixth Sense (1999 film) – Classic ghost thriller.
The Others (2001 film) – Gothic haunted house film.
Crimson Peak (2015 film) – Guillermo del Toro’s ghostly gothic.
Beetlejuice (1988 film) – Comic ghosts in bureaucratic afterlife.
The Ring (1998 / 2002) – Vengeful spirit transmitted by videotape.
A Ghost Story (2017 film) – Minimalist meditation on ghostly presence.
Casper the Friendly Ghost (Animated TV Series, 1945–1959) – Classic cartoons from Famous Studios that introduced Casper as the first “friendly” ghost in popular media.
Casper (1995 Film) – Live-action/CG film, giving Casper a backstory as a lonely boy who died young
The Devil’s Backbone (2001 Film) – Directed by Guillermo del Toro, a Spanish gothic ghost story set in an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War
Session 9 (2001 Film) – Psychological horror set in an abandoned asylum, where environmental dread and mental breakdowns blur the line between hauntings and madness.
Phantasm (1979 Film) – Classic surreal horror with graveyards and supernatural undertones
Coco (2017 Film) – Pixar’s Día de los Muertos tale of family, memory, and the land of the dead, blending Mexican folklore with a celebration of ancestors.
Dream Scenario (2023 Film) – Nicolas Cage as a professor who inexplicably appears in everyone’s dreams, turning from curiosity to nightmare in a surreal meditation on haunting, fame, and fear.
Insidious (2010 Film) – James Wan’s supernatural horror where a family’s son falls into a coma and becomes trapped in “The Further,” a ghostly astral realm filled with vengeful spirits.
Candyman (1992 Film) – Bernard Rose’s supernatural horror rooted in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects, where an urban legend manifests as a vengeful ghostly killer tied to history, trauma, and racial injustice.
Video game
Phasmophobia (2020 Video Game) – A co-op horror game where players investigate haunted locations with EMF meters, spirit boxes, and other ghost-hunting tools, blurring gaming, folklore, and paranormal investigation.
Episode Highlights
00:00 – Welcome to the Horror House
The crew kicks off October from Chicago’s haunted Horror House with Moses and Vinny.
01:21 – Graveyards and Ghosts: An Introduction
Opening reflections on why graveyards feel like the natural home of ghost stories.
06:21 – Cultural Perspectives on Ghosts
Discussion of how different cultures imagine and honor spirits of the dead.
16:10 – Cats, Ghosts, and the Supernatural
Are cats really seeing ghosts—or just picking up on things humans can’t?
17:43 – The Science Behind Ghostly Experiences
Sleep paralysis, infrasound, and other scientific explanations for hauntings.
30:21 – Déjà Vu and Reincarnation Theories
Exploring déjà vu, savant abilities, and whether memory might carry across lives.
39:11 – Generational Trauma and Memory
Epigenetics and how trauma echoes across generations.
43:59 – Ghosts and Mental Disorders
Linking ghost experiences to mental health and brain science.
59:26 – Favorite Ghost Movies and Graveyards
The crew shares their go-to ghost films and legendary haunted cemeteries.
01:04:25 – Upcoming Events and Conclusion
Wrapping up with Horror House events and a teaser for future episodes.
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