There’s plenty of material out there for those interested in the strange, unexplained, and paranormal. In fact, one could argue there is too much material. Podcasters and filmmakers tread and retread the same ground. Sometimes they come with fresh perspectives and insight – breathing new life into old topics. More often than not, though, they give you basic surface examinations, with varying degrees of accuracy and little depth.
So, when a podcast comes up with stories that are not only new to me, but that take place right in our own backyard, I’m going to take notice sooner or later.
Thankfully for me, with the new Kentucky-based paranormal podcast Haunted Hollers, I caught on sooner rather than later. They’re only four episodes in, and they’ve already focused on three regional stories I wasn’t familiar with – the Octavia Hatcher ghost in Pikeville, Louisville’s Sleepy Hollow Road, and Van Cleve’s Frozen Creek and its haunted Bible college property.
If that isn’t enough to garner your interest, the trio’s first episode hits even closer to home, taking an in-depth look at the Callihan poltergeist of Olive Hill. If you’ve never heard of this local legend, this episode is a marvelous introduction to both the story and the podcast. And while it’s a story I’m familiar with – they cite one of my articles on the phenomenon in their show notes for the episode – even here they’ve brought fresh insight by quoting from George Wolfford’s original newspaper articles on the incidents.
They also highlight some aspects of the phenomenon that raised new questions for me as well, framing occurrences I was familiar with in a way that made me eager to go back to William Roll’s book, The Poltergeist, to reacquaint myself with the details of the story.
Their coverage isn’t comprehensive, but it provides a good introduction to the topics they broach, and serve as a good jumping off point for those who want to learn more about Bluegrass boogers and haints.
If I had one criticism it would be that the nature of their conversations sometimes seem to reveal a lack of experience with general Forteana. While the discussions between hosts Wendy Potter and April Blevins, with occasional input from “the Voice in the Wall,” Logan Skidmore, raise some really interesting questions, Potter and Blevins don’t always get around to discussing those questions. Whether this is a result of time restrictions, or because they haven’t delved deep enough into the Fortean canon to realize they’re raising some poignant questions, I can’t say. But even if it’s the latter, the trio are obviously on the right track.
If you have an interest in Kentucky and Appalachian folklore, haints, or just plain old spooky stories, you owe it to yourself to check out Haunted Hollers. You can find them through your favorite podcast streaming apps, and on Facebook, by searching for Haunted Hollers.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
