cover of episode 15th Annual SYSK Halloween Spooktacular!

15th Annual SYSK Halloween Spooktacular!

2024/10/31
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Stuff You Should Know

Key Insights

Why do Josh, Chuck, and Jerry choose stories from the public domain for their Halloween episodes?

To avoid legal issues like getting sued.

Why are the Halloween and Christmas episodes of Stuff You Should Know ad-free?

They were written into the work contract to be ad-free.

Why was it challenging for Josh and Chuck to find a horror story written by a woman?

Few women were published in the public domain era, especially in horror.

Why did Josh and Chuck choose a story by Algernon Blackwood for this episode?

He was in the public domain and a good writer of ghost stories.

Why did the ghost in 'The Woman's Ghost Story' by Algernon Blackwood want the protagonist's love?

To escape the haunting and find peace.

Why did the four men visit the haunted Manton House in 'The Middle Toe of the Right Foot' by Ambrose Bierce?

To participate in a duel to the death.

Why did the three young men in Marshall challenge Robert Grossmith to a duel?

Grossmith was eavesdropping on their conversation about a murder.

Why did the ghost of Gertrude Manton appear in 'The Middle Toe of the Right Foot'?

To haunt and possibly kill the man who murdered her and their children.

Chapters

Josh, Chuck, and Jerry introduce the SYSK Halloween Spooktacular, explaining their tradition of reading spooky stories in the public domain. They discuss their preparation process and the challenges of finding stories written by women.
  • The hosts each pick a spooky story in the public domain to read.
  • Finding stories written by women is challenging due to historical publishing disparities.
  • This year, they found a story written by a man but told from a woman's perspective.

Shownotes Transcript

Buckle up folks, it's time for another of our favorite traditions, the SYSK Halloween Spooktacular! So sit down, dim the lights and get ready for some spooky stories. 

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