Episode 66 - Worlds Most Haunted Island

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Sam, if you dig the twisted, admire the outlandish, and are enamored by the unusual, you're in the right place. True crime, the supernatural, the unexplained. Now you're speaking our language. If you agree, join us as we dive into the darker side. You know, because it's more fun over here. Welcome to Total Conundrum. Warning. Some listeners may find the following content disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. [00:01:08] Speaker B: All right, Conundrum Crew, buckle up because today we're joined by someone extra special. Not only is she our creepy cool neighbor from over in Wisconsin. Yes, the land of cheese curds, haunted taverns, and a couple of the most famous serial killers. But she's also an absolute master storyteller of the supernatural. She's got a passion for all things creepy. She tells incredible haunted stories that'll make you sleep with the lights on. And her videos, Chef's Kiss, they're the best. Please give a big ghostly welcome to our friend from Creepy Shit Podcast Star. Hey, Star. How are you? [00:01:50] Speaker C: Hi. Thank you for having me. Thank you for that really awesome introduction. Thank you. [00:01:57] Speaker B: So how have you been? [00:01:59] Speaker C: Really good. Things are awesome. It's summer right now, which, like, I love and hate at the same time. Like, I love it because we are big hikers, my family and I, but at the same time, I'm like, okay, it's too hot. I don't like it. [00:02:16] Speaker B: And today is an oven. That humidity and heat, at least in Minnesota, it's. [00:02:22] Speaker C: Yeah, I know. And no offense, but you guys keep blowing it over here. [00:02:30] Speaker B: Either. Yes, it's been a really weird. The weather this summer has just been all sorts of rain. It's hot one day, cold the next. You got that 20, 30 degree swing. [00:02:45] Speaker C: I get so excited, though, when I wake up and I'm like, oh, my gosh, it's 60 degrees and foggy. Yay. [00:02:54] Speaker B: Yeah, we definitely have some of the weirdest weather. I. I just am over it. And the older I get, the less I like it. [00:03:02] Speaker C: Yes, I completely agree with you. I completely agree with you. [00:03:06] Speaker B: I don't remember when we were kids at this up and down and the scorching either. [00:03:14] Speaker C: And the things that I don't remember from childhood either. Like, I don't remember ever feeling cold in winter. Like, I never remember feeling like I was freezing like I do now in winter. And I also don't ever rem feeling boiling hot in summer as a kid. I'm like, what happened to the neutral, like, body temperature? [00:03:37] Speaker B: It's crazy. Getting old sucks. [00:03:41] Speaker C: Yeah. Little bit. [00:03:43] Speaker B: Well, why don't you tell us a little bit about your podcast and where people can find you? [00:03:50] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Awesome. So my, my podcast is Creepy Shit podcast. It actually started back in of this year, so she's, she's a fresh baby. Yay. And it's all about true historical hauntings as well as even a few current stories. I tend to cover a lot with. I noticed when I was looking at my outlines and my notes and stuff for future episodes, I'm like, wow, I have a lot of Wisconsin stuff. So I was like, okay, that's good. But let's like start to keep it. I try to keep it very dynamic. I've done things on the Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana. I've got some upcoming episodes that are definitely disturbing, like Turnbull Cannon, which is in California. Those are going to be some future episodes coming up. And I've done some smaller things too, like haunted salons. [00:04:44] Speaker B: That was a big one on your video on that. It's an episode. I want to definitely binge your podcast. I haven't had much of a chance. I've only listened to one so far. [00:04:54] Speaker C: Right on. [00:04:54] Speaker B: Crazy busy. But I'm excited. You have some really good fun stories. The Haunted Bridges and. [00:05:02] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, thank you. Yeah, I, Oh, I so get it. Yeah, I know there's like, I feel like there's so many podcasts in so little time, but yeah. [00:05:10] Speaker B: So. And where can everybody find you on socials? [00:05:13] Speaker C: Totally. The main place to, to hang out with me and reach out to me is at, at Creepyshit podcast on Instagram. It is the Creepypod. [00:05:26] Speaker B: Very cool. And check out all of. She's got a lot of shorts especially. I don't, I'm assuming mostly on Instagram, but I don't know. Do you do tick tock and stuff too? [00:05:35] Speaker C: Oh my gosh. Tick tock. Like I, I, I've been encouraged. I'm, I'm part of a wonderful group and they've encouraged me. They're like, you really should. And I'm like, yeah, but I'm like 45 now and I don't know like, if I should be on there. Like, I don't know. But I, let's put it this way. The app is downloaded and I'm perusing. [00:06:04] Speaker B: We'll see what happens when you've already got the content. It's not going to take you much just to put it on there. We drug our feet with TikTok too. And a lot of, what do you call them? Like the, you do more of like yourself and I need to be Better about doing videos like that with us. We do more of the. Taking the clip from our episodes, and then I'll put pictures or video and stuff like that to it. So we have our voices, but I don't have enough time most days to do the face ones. And I'm like, so I love that you do that. And I get nervous about that. We do the video for the podcast and stuff, but just doing those shorts, like, I feel like I just don't. I don't know. I'm not so get it. [00:06:57] Speaker C: It's really. It is a thing of, like, okay, more people are probably going to pay attention. And it's. And it's weird. It totally is. I definitely had my issues with it when I first started, and I look back and cringe sometimes at some of the stuff I did, like, way before I ever started. Creepy shit podcasts. I'm like, oh, yikes, that hurts. And I'm like, well, it's one of things where it's like, it does evolve over time, and it's like wine. It gets better with time. [00:07:28] Speaker B: Right, Right. And you get more comfortable with it and stuff. I have a. I'm much better at doing this kind of interaction with video versus looking at myself and talking and trying to. Yeah, I. I'm not. [00:07:43] Speaker C: I totally agree. And I think it's because I feel very strongly like, props help. Like, you have a microphone, you have headphones. There's other things going on than just you. [00:07:55] Speaker B: Right. [00:07:56] Speaker C: And I think that that has a big comfort factor. It's like standing behind a podium during a presentation. There's comfort in that. [00:08:03] Speaker B: Yes. Yes, definitely. I agree. But, yeah, we keep talking about. Jeremy wants to get into doing, like, little skits and stuff like that, and we think it'd be so cute. [00:08:13] Speaker C: Yes. [00:08:15] Speaker B: But it's just getting the time to do it and writing the stuff up, too. So y. [00:08:21] Speaker C: And then going into. I always say, like, I think the biggest is editing. I really do. Editing is just a pain in the ass. Like, yes, I. I have. That's why, like, a lot of people have asked, like, oh, do you. How much editing do you take into your podcast? I'm like, honestly, not much, because the less, the better. And I rather just keep it rolling because. Because, honestly, like, ain't nobody got time for that. [00:08:46] Speaker B: Like, I don't think a lot of people realize is how much work goes into podcasting. [00:08:55] Speaker C: There is. And you do have to love it. [00:08:59] Speaker B: Yes. You have the hours of research, the writing up your notes, the recording, the editing, all of the posting and Promoting and then interacting with everybody and Right. [00:09:13] Speaker C: Like, keeping up with your. Your fan base and your. The people that you're connecting to. Like, it is. It's almost like an entire job in and of itself self. And a lot of times like it. And not that it's about money, because for me, it's really not. But you're not getting paid for it. You know, you're not getting paid for that time. So it's truly out of love and devotion for what you're doing. [00:09:33] Speaker B: Oh, it truly is. And it's funny. I hated writing papers in high school. [00:09:40] Speaker C: But I did, too, in high school. Oh, my gosh, I was terrible. [00:09:45] Speaker B: That's all I do research. [00:09:47] Speaker C: And now it's Detroit. And I always say, I'm like, man, I'm like, if. If. If I could go back and, like, be the history lover that I am now, I'm like, I guarantee you I would have aced history. But I hated history in high school because it's the rose colored glasses version. It's not the history you want to know. It's the history that you allegedly have to know. And it's so boring. Like, it's so boring. But when you add, you actually get to look at it. It's so awesome. And it's amazing. [00:10:24] Speaker B: It really is. Well, so we prepared a little fun game. [00:10:30] Speaker C: Oh, yay. [00:10:31] Speaker B: And it's going to be kind of just like a rapid fire. We're each going to give our answers, but we're going to do a little. Would you rather Paranormal Edition Juicy. I love it. Are you ready, Jay? [00:10:46] Speaker C: No. [00:10:50] Speaker B: All right. Would you rather spend a night alone in a haunted asylum or a week camping in Bigfoot territory? [00:10:59] Speaker C: Oh, Bigfoot territory, hands down. [00:11:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:02] Speaker C: Yep. [00:11:02] Speaker A: Probably spooky location for me. [00:11:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:06] Speaker B: I think I would do the camping in Bigfoot. [00:11:09] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:10] Speaker B: Are you sure? Maybe for that one. So the alone in the asylum is a no go for me. [00:11:19] Speaker C: The alone in the asylum is a no go for me, too. Like, asylum, I. Asylums are kind of a hard limit for me. There's a lot of trauma that goes in that at least if I'm out up by a campfire, if I need to haul ass and get out of there, I'm way more likely to succeed. [00:11:39] Speaker B: Yeah. My thing is if we ever do go to Waverly or something like that, I always say I need a big group and I need some holy water. All right, next one. Would you rather hear ghostly whispers every time you shower or see a shadow figure in every mirror you look into? [00:12:00] Speaker C: Oh, whispers. [00:12:08] Speaker B: Jeremy Is a skeptic. He hasn't ever had a true paranormal experience and he wants to have one. He wants to. But for me, I would say the whispers, because I could drown him out with loud music or something else. I don't want to see nothing looking back at me in the mirror. [00:12:30] Speaker A: Hopefully that never happens. Otherwise we'd have to move and, yeah, back everything up. [00:12:38] Speaker B: All right, next one. Would you rather get abducted by aliens once for 12 hours or be haunted by a polite ghost forever? [00:12:49] Speaker C: Oh, I want a ghost forever. Yeah, I totally want a ghost forever. That would be great if they're nice. Absolutely. Let's be friends, right? And I won't even name you Casper. I promise. [00:13:02] Speaker B: Are you gonna help me do my chores and fold my laundry? Maybe write a couple episodes? [00:13:06] Speaker C: Right. Oh, my gosh. That would be the best co host ever. [00:13:10] Speaker B: Totally. I didn't even think about that. How about you, Jeremy? [00:13:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm going to the ghost too, because aliens probe. [00:13:17] Speaker C: Yeah, man, we don't need that again. [00:13:21] Speaker B: Aliens are a no go for me. That. That scares the out of me. All right, would you rather always feel a cold hand on your shoulder when you're alone or always hear footsteps behind you? [00:13:36] Speaker C: Oh, both royally suck. Neither, I would say. I guess if I had to choose, I'd probably choose footsteps because I could put headphones in. [00:13:50] Speaker B: Okay, Jay. [00:13:51] Speaker A: I don't know. Footsteps, I guess, too. [00:13:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't want any cold, clammy hand always touching me unless I'm really hot. [00:14:00] Speaker A: I mean, then it might be nice. [00:14:02] Speaker B: Yeah, I just say that there's boundaries. Stay out of my bubble. [00:14:09] Speaker A: Rub the back and, you know. [00:14:14] Speaker B: All right, next one. Would you rather find a cursed doll under your bed or discover a vampire living in your basement? [00:14:24] Speaker C: Vampire. I want a vampire. [00:14:27] Speaker B: You want a vampire. [00:14:28] Speaker C: Yes, absolutely true. [00:14:33] Speaker B: That is true. [00:14:35] Speaker C: Right? [00:14:36] Speaker B: How about you, Jay? [00:14:37] Speaker A: Yeah, a vampire. [00:14:38] Speaker B: Definitely vampire. [00:14:39] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:43] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't really want a curse, doll. So I guess I'm going to go vampire too. Cuz, you know, I. I guess, you. [00:14:50] Speaker A: Know, most people with these questions would probably say no to both. Well, yeah, that's why has been pretty much. [00:14:58] Speaker B: Yeah. That's what makes the game so fun. But I suppose we could always have Jameson come over and take care of the vampire for us. The. You've watched the Lost Boys, right? [00:15:10] Speaker C: Oh, gosh, yes. Oh, yes. [00:15:13] Speaker B: Do you remember the Frog Brothers? [00:15:15] Speaker C: Yes. [00:15:16] Speaker B: We had Jameson Newlander. [00:15:18] Speaker C: Oh, shut the front door. Oh, I love it. That is so cool. [00:15:25] Speaker B: Yeah. And then we also interviewed very sad. [00:15:28] Speaker C: Corey Haim and I never worked Out. [00:15:30] Speaker B: Yeah, I know, right? [00:15:32] Speaker C: Seriously, I had such a mean crush on him growing up. [00:15:36] Speaker B: Oh, I think you did, too. [00:15:41] Speaker C: Yup, I did. I loved Corey Haim. [00:15:44] Speaker B: Yes, I did, too. [00:15:45] Speaker C: Even though Ouija board told me that I was going to marry Michael J. Fox. And that didn't work out either. [00:15:50] Speaker B: So, I mean, come on. If you're gonna tell me something, at least make it true. Right? Right. Let's see. Would you rather have lived in a house with 10 possessed, or would you rather live in a house with 10 possessed dolls or have a job cleaning haunted graveyards at night? [00:16:12] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh. That's like, my retirement dream. Like, haunted graveyards at night? Yeah, absolutely. [00:16:19] Speaker A: Nope, I don't want to clean up in one, please. [00:16:25] Speaker B: You want that? To possess dolls? [00:16:27] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:16:30] Speaker B: I don't want either of them. [00:16:31] Speaker C: Honestly. [00:16:35] Speaker B: I don't do very well in graveyards. [00:16:38] Speaker C: I love. I love cemeteries. I love them. I am very, very respectful when I go, like, very respectful. Like, I will not walk on lawn. I will stick to the path. Like, if I do have to cross. I am very mindful and cautious because I do believe in. Like, I don't want anything following me home. I want to be respectful. I'm not trying to tread on you, like. But, yeah, I love them. I used to live by one, and it was my favorite graveyard. It was just massive. It's absolutely huge for being in such a small state of Wisconsin and, like, the landscape of it, just the landscape alone, it's just so peaceful and beautiful. And I love it. I love it. But anyway, I digress. Sorry. [00:17:28] Speaker B: Have you been to Resurrection Cemetery? [00:17:32] Speaker C: No. Where's that? [00:17:33] Speaker B: It's in Chicago or in Illinois. [00:17:37] Speaker C: Okay. [00:17:37] Speaker B: What town was that in again? J, do you remember? [00:17:40] Speaker A: I don't remember. [00:17:41] Speaker B: Well, the story. There's the story of Resurrection Mary. [00:17:45] Speaker C: Okay. [00:17:45] Speaker B: And she's the ghostly hitchhiker in white. So you'll have to look into that. We did an episode on it. [00:17:54] Speaker C: Okay. [00:17:54] Speaker B: And she seems to frequent Chet's Music Lounge, which is across the street from Resurrection Cemetery. [00:18:02] Speaker C: Really? [00:18:03] Speaker B: What's that? [00:18:04] Speaker C: Really? [00:18:05] Speaker B: No, it's still there. [00:18:07] Speaker A: Is it still there? [00:18:08] Speaker B: Yeah. Bobby Mackey's was the one that they tore down. We went there to Chet's Music Lounge. [00:18:15] Speaker A: Oh, did we? [00:18:16] Speaker B: Yeah. When we. We did a little Illinois tour one day. But Resurrection Cemetery is gorgeous. It has beautiful mausoleums, very large, elaborate headstones. It's a definite must see, and it's huge. [00:18:37] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh. I love it. [00:18:38] Speaker B: Forever and ever. It's beautiful. But we were there during the day, so I was okay. [00:18:44] Speaker C: Right on. That's fair. [00:18:47] Speaker B: All right, let's see. Would you rather become a cryptid for a year, Bigfoot, Mothman, etc. Or be a ghost stuck haunting your workplace forever? [00:19:01] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh. Ghost haunting my workplace. Absolutely. I would have way too much fun with that. I would be such an asshole, too. [00:19:13] Speaker B: How about you, Jeremy? [00:19:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I was going out the same way, since, you know, our work spot is already haunted. [00:19:20] Speaker B: It is. [00:19:21] Speaker C: Is it really? [00:19:22] Speaker B: Yeah, we think so. Yeah. We clean a couple daycares in the evenings, and one of them definitely has. Has some weird shit going on. Just the other night, I was standing by the front desk, and I happened to walk by the room, and there was a shadow that went across the room in the dark. So the room was dark, but I saw a black shadow. And Jeremy's like, it was probably you. And I'm like, no, I know how to. You know, I tried to recreate it. Tried to figure out, you know, like, again, he hasn't had anything truly happen. Except for you were in the bathroom cleaning, and you kept hearing noises outside of the bathroom the other night, too. So we keep having these little. [00:20:10] Speaker A: Sounded like a teacher in one of the rooms, but nobody was. There's nobody over there. [00:20:16] Speaker C: Oh, wow. [00:20:17] Speaker B: Yeah, we've had a few very, very creepy things happen there. And there was one night I literally stopped what I was doing, went upstairs, grabbed him, brought him outside. Wouldn't even say anything while we were doing it or going, you know, through the building until we got outside. I'm like, something came up behind me and blew on my neck. Very, very freaky. But it doesn't seem like it's anything, like, malevolent. It's just kind of playful. Sure, toys will fall or toys will go off here and there and stuff, but, yeah, I. He wants to investigate it. And I say hard. No, you don't investigate where you work or where you. [00:21:03] Speaker A: I disagree. [00:21:05] Speaker C: Yeah, definitely not. [00:21:07] Speaker B: I don't want it telling me it dislikes me and then stirs up from there. Right, Right. Last one. Would you rather be able to see ghosts everywhere you go or hear all the thoughts of the living around you? [00:21:22] Speaker A: Oh, boy. [00:21:24] Speaker C: Oh, I don't think I'd want to know anybody else's thoughts. Like, sometimes you think you would, but. No, you don't. Like, no, you don't. So I think I would totally go with seeing ghosts. I. That would be. That. And I think that would be kind of cool, too. Could be a little overwhelming, but it'd be cooler than the other. [00:21:41] Speaker B: Yeah. How about You. [00:21:43] Speaker A: That's my thought, too. I don't want to know what people are thinking. [00:21:47] Speaker B: It would be very loud. There's. And people can suck. [00:21:51] Speaker C: Yeah, very true. [00:21:56] Speaker B: All right, so let's get to know Star a little bit here. So, Star, how did you come up with the idea for Creepy Shit Podcast? And was there a particular incident or obsession that inspired it? [00:22:11] Speaker C: So I have always been a big lover of the strange and unusual. That that whole quote from Beetlejuice has stuck with me from the very first time I ever heard it. And I fell in love with paranormal as a young kid. My mom had these vintage playing cards for war, if you remember how to play war, like the card game war. But these were, like, face cards, and they were of the Addams Family, and they were so cool, and I really wish my mom still had them. I so do. And so we would play on her bed, and we would play this before bedtime. And I remember the one day I asked my mom, I'm like, mom, who. Who are these people? Like, who are they? And she's like, well, that's the Addams Family. And that's how I got introduced. And then I started watching the old Black and White Sun Nick at night and fell in love with it. Then, you know, you get into, like, your high school days, and the craft happened and the craft and scream. And I was like, okay, game on. You know what I mean? But then peer pressure happens, and you become a weirdo and it. And not in a good way. You know what I mean? Like, at that time. So I shoved my love down for quite a while until fast forward. Before school let out this year, one of the moms, mutual moms that I know, she had said, do you ever listen to Morbid? And I was like, no. I'm like, what's that? And she's like, it's like a paranormal true crime. And I'm like, well, I'm like, I'm weird about true crime. Sometimes. I'm like, sometimes it gets too heavy and too graphic because that shit is, like, really real. [00:24:03] Speaker B: I said. [00:24:04] Speaker C: So I'm like, I'm more of paranormal person. She's like, no, they cover that, too. They cover that, too. You need to listen. And I was like, all right, fine. So I picked up an episode, and I was. It was the spooky New Orleans episode. That was the very first episode I ever listened to. And I have a deep love for New Orleans. I want to go there. I love. Love all the paranormal things that happen down there, like all the different myth stories. That happen about being a portal and all the things. I'm like, yes, all of it. I want to go, I want to experience it. So she. I listened to that. Sorry, back to back up the trolley here. I listened to that and there was this conversation about Encephalitis Lethargica, which was like a medical horror thing that had actually happened. And I was enamored and I was like, I need to find out more about this. I'm like, everybody needs to know about this. I'm like, how do people not know about this? The fact that this could happen again. Are you serious? Like, oh, my God. So one of those, like, rapid diving rabbit holes happened for me. And at the time, I was right in the midst of. Of ending my other podcast. I had. I've. I have other podcast experience and I felt that I had gone as far as I could with those two podcasts. I'm like, those episodes are there. I'm like. And let me tell you, they are far different than this. So I'm like, I think I should do a podcast on true hauntings and paranormal and beginner weirdos and somehow make an environment and build a community for whether you are an experienced weirdo or you are a beginner weirdo of the paranormal. And I wanted to create something safe for them because that was something that I never had, right? So I was like, well, I love podcasting. I knew I didn't want to give up podcasting. I just didn't know where I wanted to go. And then when I heard that, that's when Creepy Shit was born. And the title of Creepy Shit is kind of funny because I was researching and looking for different, like, inspirations for a title for the podcast. And so I'd come up with a title, I'd research it, I'd be like, damn it, it's taken. And I'm like. And then I got so frustrated, I'm like, fine, screw it. Creepy shit. It wasn't taken. So it's like, okay. And that's how it all came together. And the Encephalitis Lethargica episode is my second episode. [00:26:45] Speaker B: So very cool. And I have no idea what that is. [00:26:50] Speaker C: It is like, it is the most disturbing thing. Did you ever see the movie Awakenings with Robin Williams and Robert De Niro back in like the late, like early. I would say late 80s, early 90s. [00:27:03] Speaker B: Probably, but I don't remember for sure. [00:27:06] Speaker C: So it's this. It's like a sleeping disease, and it affects the neurological brain. It's where you are Literally stuck. And you are like. It's like awake sleep paralysis. Almost. Like you can see and you understand everything that is going on around you, but you cannot move, you cannot speak, and you are, like, literally frozen in time. [00:27:32] Speaker B: Like, that's my worst nightmare. [00:27:34] Speaker C: Yeah, right. And the thing is, is it happened right around World War II, and it affected like, it hit like a plague. And all of a sudden, then it was just gone, and it just vanished. And nobody understands why or how, what even brought it in to begin with. And the fact that it could still happen, it could very well still make a comeback. And I'm like, you know, I think we've had enough pandemics for this century. Could we maybe hold off? [00:28:05] Speaker B: It almost sounds like that. That story of the dancing. The dancing plague. [00:28:10] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep. [00:28:12] Speaker B: Hold up. Everybody's dancing out in the streets, dying, and then just disappears. Gone. [00:28:21] Speaker C: Yes. [00:28:22] Speaker B: That is crazy. Well, that's very cool how that kind of inspired you to go into this next, you know, chapter in your podcasting and stuff like that. And. And I just love listen, hearing how people get into it and, you know, what inspired you and the process and stuff like that. It's fun because it usually is pretty similar, but I just love hearing everybody's unique experience with it, and I learned something new, and I'm very terrified of that. All right, do you or have you ever had, like, a spooky encounter or something? [00:29:10] Speaker C: So the Carl story is really unique. So this happened in a salon. The first salon that I ever worked for was absolutely, positively haunted. It was a very old building. It actually had an underground tunnel that was used in bootlegger digs that was, like, closed off and all of that. So was definitely that. There was a front room in that building that, like, nobody wanted to go into. Like, nobody just. Everybody had a bad feeling about it. Nobody liked it, whatever. So it's Earth Month and Earth Month because it was an Aveda salon. Aveda is very earth friendly, very giving back to the. To the waters and all the things. And back in the day, you had those charity events where you would, like, sign a piece of paper of, like, a little cutout, and then it showing that you, like, donated to the cause and you'd, like, hang it up and you know what I'm talking about, right? So there was one major marketing piece, and it was a huge blue man cutout of, like, what you see on, like, a restroom label. And so me being the quirky, dorky self that I am, I'm like, well, we need to name them and then the girl that I was working with, her name was Patty. She's like, well, what should we call them? And I'm like, I don't know. How about Carl with a kid? And she's like, okay, whatever, you know? And we just kind of had it off. And so she's like, well, your pedicure's here. And I was like, okay, fine. So I, like, grab my pedicure, I go back, I sit her down, and she starts crying, and she's bawling, and I'm like, oh, my gosh. I'm like, are you okay? What's wrong? What's going on? You know? I'm like, I don't want to pry, but are you okay? And she's like, yeah, I'm okay. I'm okay. She's like. She's like, it was just too weird what happened out there. And I was like, well, what? And she's like, the weird thing is, is my mom and I are here today to celebrate my father's passing, which happened one year ago today. And his name was Carl. With a K. No. So that, like. I don't know what you would call that, because it's like something channeled through me, unbeknownst to me, and allowed some sort of, like, peace. And she even said. She's like, I just felt like he was telling us that he's okay and that, like, everything is okay and to celebrate him is wonderful, and that he's happy and he's at peace. And she's like, that was just too, too weird. And I was like, it is too weird. I'm like, that is definitely weird. And then one of my other favorite ones is, for a short time in history, I worked in a chiropractic office. And the chiropractic office was a assisted living place before it became a chiropractic office. And so the building is not terribly old, but moderately and definitely some people have passed away at that location. And the building made, like, a loop. It was like a square loop. So there was one big room on one side. And then you go down the hall and you make a big circle. And so I'm in that back hallway, and I'm all by myself. And there is one room back there that is for one of the massage therapists. And I thought she was back there messing with me because I'm walking past her room, and all of a sudden I get a pinch on my ass. Like, what? And I, like, looked, and nobody's around, and I'm like, what the hell? So Like, I walk back around, and here she is up at the counter, and I'm like, like, girl, did you just pinch my ass? And she's like, I would never pinch your ass. Okay, so. And then she told me, and I. I cannot remember his name anymore. But she's like, he's a cheeky fellow. And I was like, really? And she was so cool because she was very much into divination and tarot and being connected with the spirit world. So it was so cool because I. I totally believed her. I was like, yeah, that was too weird. Like, that was too weird. [00:33:30] Speaker B: So you hear that a lot in with people investigating, like, prisons and asylums and stuff like that, that females will get those inappropriate touches more often than a man would get an inappropriate touch, which. Hey, boundaries. [00:33:52] Speaker C: Like, easy there, tiger. But that was kind of like a. [00:33:55] Speaker B: Little fun, you know, kind of a fun, loving, playful thing, right? [00:33:58] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. I took no offense to it. And every night when I would close up the office, I would always say goodnight to him because I found out what room was his. So I. I always made sure. I'm like, all right, I'll see you tomorrow and don't do anything I wouldn't do. [00:34:16] Speaker B: Before we started recording today, Jeremy built us these 8 by 8 studios. So they're side by side, but they're completely enclosed. We have our own doors and everything. And so I closed up my studio and I thought he went into his. And then all of a sudden, I hear knock, knock, knock on my door. I'm like, come in. And nothing, nothing, nothing. So I open the door. He's nowhere to be seen. I'm like, what is going on? [00:34:42] Speaker C: Right? Like, are you messing with me? Yeah. [00:34:45] Speaker B: Again. Knock, knock, knock. And I'm like, okay. So I open the door, and he's not there. [00:34:52] Speaker C: I'm like. [00:34:54] Speaker B: So I get up, I go to his studio, whip the door open, and he's standing right there ready to dart out, knock on the door again. He's like, you weren't supposed to catch me that fast. Am I losing my mind or what is going on? But, yeah, we love, you know, we love doing the whole paranormal. We've been trying to get into investigating a little bit. We bought some equipment. And I am more scared than Jeremy is. Jeremy's like, where are we going? And where. What are we doing next? And I will hide in the car. [00:35:33] Speaker C: I love the research aspect because I can keep myself disconnected. Like, I love the research aspect of it, but, like, I've thought about, like, having, like, an EMF in the House and stuff like that. And I'm like, I don't know if I want to know. Like, I. I just don't know. Like, not. [00:35:50] Speaker B: Not my own home. No. [00:35:51] Speaker C: Yeah, right. Like, I just don't know about that. [00:35:55] Speaker B: Go somewhere else and I'll be okay as long as it stays there, but. Yeah. [00:36:01] Speaker C: Black Obsidian. Black Obsidian. Black Obsidian. [00:36:05] Speaker B: We recently or last year at Crypticon in Minneapolis, we met Dave from Midwest Spirit Seekers and his wife, and they're going to be back at Crypticon again this year, and we did an episode with them that'll be airing soon as well. But we told them that we'd like to go on an investigation. Excuse me. An investigation with them. And we're also going to have dinner with them, I think next month we're getting together and having dinner so they can tell us more of their, you know, because that's all they do. They do. [00:36:39] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:36:40] Speaker B: Paranormal investigation throughout the Midwest. So it's pretty cool. [00:36:44] Speaker C: And are you, if you don't mind my asking, are you getting involved with. With the fest, like, on a. On a podcast level, or are you, like, just going for the fun of it? [00:36:53] Speaker B: Just for the fun of it. [00:36:54] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah. [00:36:56] Speaker B: Just fun of it. Well, if you want to call it fun, Jeremy. Would I. I want to not be afraid. I grew up in a house that was not. Not very nice. [00:37:09] Speaker C: Okay. [00:37:10] Speaker B: And so I think I kind of shut myself off to it, and I'm trying to open myself back up to it. I love Halloween. I love doing all that. We do a haunted maze and stuff, and I love scaring the. Out of people in that aspect and the whole putting that all together. But I won't go to a haunted house. [00:37:29] Speaker C: Yes. Haunted, like, haunted house attractions don't appeal to me because they're so over the top to me that I'm like, no, no, no, no. I want more of the. The. The feel and the ambiance. I don't necessarily need the visual, you know? [00:37:52] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't like him much either. Yeah, I love doing it, but. All right, well, we have kind of got to know you a little bit, and we played fun little game. So I think let's transition into our next part where Star is going to share a little bit of a story with us. This is such a great topic. [00:38:22] Speaker C: Yes. So have you ever heard of Poveglia in Italy? [00:38:30] Speaker B: I have. Jeremy and I watched the ghost Adventures episode on it, and after you mentioned it, I listened to a few different podcasts while I was working to try to see if there was anything that he didn't cover, other than, you know, him getting demonically possessed or whatever when he was there investigating. [00:38:51] Speaker C: Yes. So I love the fact, like, the. The Poveglia island started out, like, innocent enough. It's like this small 17 acre chunk of land in, like, the Venetian lagoon. And it was probably, in my opinion, I'm willing to bet that this island was probably really pretty, like, once upon a time. [00:39:14] Speaker B: The building looks like it was gorgeous. [00:39:17] Speaker C: Yeah, like, it's so pretty. So the Romans used it as a strategic outpost, and later it had a small, like, fishing community. So people lived normal lives there. They raised their kids, they caught fish, you know, died of old age, like all civilized human beings. But then 1348 rolled around and everything went to, like, absolute shit. So the death plague, as it were, which is the Black Death, hit Europe like a total apocalypse. We're talking about the bubonic plague that killed 30 to 60% of Europe's population. And Venice, being a major trading port. Excuse me. Was basically ground zero for plague distribution. Ships would roll in with half their crew, dead rats jumping off, carrying infected fleas. Suddenly everybody is like, dropping like flies. So the Venetians had a problem. Where do we put tens of thousands of plague corpses? When your city is built on water and space is limited. So some genius bureaucrat looked at the map and said, hey, what about that little island over there? So here's where it all gets royally effed up. They weren't just taking the dead to Pavelia. They were taking anyone who showed symptoms. So a cough, you're off the island. Fever. See ya. Black boils under your armpits. Don't let the Blake Parge hit you on the way out. Like, seriously, like, you're gone. So entire families were loaded onto boats and dumped onto the Pavilia island to die. Not to recover, not to quarantine. Until they got better. They were left to die because they. [00:41:12] Speaker B: Didn'T get food, they didn't get water, they didn't get anything. [00:41:16] Speaker C: Yeah, because if you even showed symptoms, then you were technically already dead. You just hadn't stopped breathing yet. So it was like a zombie apocalypse, you know? So within a few years, Povelia is like wall to wall with corpses. And they started with individual graves, then mass graves, and then this is just disturbing piles. Like, the smell was so bad that Venetian sailors could smell the island from miles away. And local fishermen stopped fishing in those waters because the stench would make them vomit. Like, that's disgusting. [00:41:57] Speaker B: It is disgusting. [00:41:59] Speaker C: Ew. So when they ran out of room to bury People, someone made the decision to start burning them. And we're talking about massive, like, funeral pyres that burned day and night. The smoke was so thick it could be seen from Venice, and the ash fell like snow on the surrounding islands. And here's the kicker. The fires burned so hot and for so long that they turned the sand into glass in some of the places. And you can actually still find chunks of melted glass mixed with human bone fragments on the beach today. Like, if you were to go there. So here's the question. You find this, right, like, you find the stone, would you be brave enough to pick it up? Hell no. Hell no. Right? Like, I'm the same way. Like, no way. I'm not touching it. Like, I'll look at it, but I ain't touch. I don't even know if I'd want to step foot on it, to be honest with you. Like. [00:42:57] Speaker B: Well, the one thing that I was. When one podcast was talking about, even though these people were burned, that plague, you can't mess with those. The ash for, like, a long, extended period of time. Or you could get the plague from it. [00:43:15] Speaker C: Yeah, right. It does. No joke. And by. I think it was like, by the 1630s, like, 50% of the island was human ash. [00:43:27] Speaker B: Yes. [00:43:28] Speaker C: That's crazy. [00:43:30] Speaker B: Is insane. [00:43:32] Speaker C: You're right. Like, that is not metaphorically. That is literally like. [00:43:39] Speaker B: Hundreds of like a hundred to one hundred fifty thousand total people by the time it was all said and done. [00:43:47] Speaker C: I think so, yeah. If I. If I remember in my notes correctly, yes. 160,000 corpses. [00:43:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And some of them were not even dead when they burned them. [00:44:00] Speaker C: Right. Like, that's so messed up. Like, you're on an island, you're being burned alive. You're drenched in stench on top of it. Not to mention the fact, like, you have no food, no water. I can't even imagine. Because I'm sure, like, this is just how I think. Like, I'm sure at some point before you fully pass on, you probably had to go to the bathroom too. You know what I mean? [00:44:28] Speaker B: I didn't even think of that. [00:44:29] Speaker C: Right. Like, that is so messed up. Like, man, you know, like, holy cow. Talk about a seriously, like, just messed up time in history for this. Like, so crazy. So, yeah, that it's just so definitely disturbing. So. So I believe what happened was, if I remember correctly, they. They wound up opening a hospital that was built using, like, existing structure structures from the plague area era. Because this happened in. They opened the hospital in, like, 1922. It was like a Mental hospital. And it was like decided. So they like built it over these corpses, like over this burial ground. So. Which I'm like, that's definitely not a good idea. Like, like, I just think that's a bad idea. So the hospital was built using existing structures from the plague era along with new building. But the thing is, during the construction, workers kept finding human remains and lots of them. Like this construction foreman reported that they had to stop work multiple times to remove bones and skulls from the foundation site. So the head doctor, and I'm not going to name him because honestly, he does not deserve to be remembered. He was a total sadistic piece of shit who saw his patients as lab rats. And this was an era of experimental, like psychiatry time. And so he took like full advantage. He was. He did crude lobotomies. He had patients chained to walls for months. He did experimental drug trials that wound up killing people. He did torture, decisive disguised as treatment. And there was several surgeries that were performed without any sort of anesthetic. So truly horrific. And the doctor had a particular obsession with the old bell tower from the plague area. He would take patients up there for treatments that involved strapping them to stables, performing God knows what procedures. And patients who went up to the bell tower would rarely come back down the same. And if they came back at all. So locals on the mainland had reported hearing screams from the tower that would go on for hours. The bell itself would sometimes ring at night even though there was no one pulling the rope. [00:47:10] Speaker B: Now I've was listening to one and it was saying that they still hear that bell today even though the bell has been removed. [00:47:20] Speaker C: Really? [00:47:21] Speaker B: Yes. [00:47:23] Speaker C: That is so creepy. [00:47:24] Speaker B: Yeah, the bell was removed and people still say that they can hear it. [00:47:30] Speaker C: And I absolutely believe that. I so believe that because there is. I did an episode on Saint Nasians, which was like a cultural, religious colony type based thing that happened in Wisconsin. And they wound up removing the bell from the church. And people still say too, that they can hear the bell. And I'm like, that is weird. That's weird. [00:48:00] Speaker B: It's scary. That whole. I would never step foot on that place. I mean, all you're doing is walking on human remains, right? [00:48:11] Speaker C: Like that's where you go. That is not. I'm not okay with that. I mean, you guys know how I am in a cemetery. Like, I'm not doing that. [00:48:21] Speaker B: No, no, no. [00:48:22] Speaker C: So the hospital did wind up closing its doors after the doctor died. Doctor allegedly had climbed to the top of the tower and he jumped. So he committed suicide and Then after the doctor's death, the hospital struggled to maintain staff. Nurses were refusing to work night shifts. Doctors were requesting transfers. Patients. Conditions seemed to worsen on the island. RA prove not surprised at all by that. And so the final straw came when an entire night shift, three nurses and a security guard was found the next morning huddled in the main lobby, catatonic. They had barricaded themselves in and refused to speak about what they had experienced. All four had to be hospitalized themselves. Wow, that is crazy. [00:49:23] Speaker B: I want to go back a second. So a couple of the different things that I read on the doctor is they said that people aren't sure if he actually committed suicide. [00:49:35] Speaker C: Oh, really? [00:49:36] Speaker B: Pushed. And he did not die from the fall. [00:49:44] Speaker C: Really? Oh, that's good to know. [00:49:47] Speaker B: When he fell and there was a nurse that went to his aid and she backed away. And now this is allegedly. But she stated that something, a smoke came up from the ground and it basically covered his entire body. Like, it was, like, suffocating him. And that's when he died. Now that's allegedly right. It is known that the fall did not kill him instantly. So I was like, ooh. So some of these people are fighting back, right? [00:50:28] Speaker C: Yeah, no doubt. Right. Absolutely and rightfully so. Like, honestly, justifiable in all the ways. So. [00:50:37] Speaker B: Yeah, so sorry. I just wanted to add that little tidbit that I had heard on. [00:50:41] Speaker C: Yeah, no, I'm glad. Oh, my goodness. Because I know, like, the rabbit holes can go so deep, and sometimes I'm like, they're deep. Yeah. I'm like, seriously, I gotta. Sometimes I'm always careful. I'm like, okay, let's pull back. But no, I love. I love knowing that now that is such a good, like, nugget for it. I love that. So in 1968, the Italian government wound up taking very strong control over the island. They weren't allowing any sort of public access. No tours, no research expeditions. They refused multiple offers from developers and paranormal investigators. And the official reason is structural instability and contamination, which, I mean, that's not wrong, you know, like. Yeah, so. But despite the restrictions, people have made it to Poveglia over the years. And urban explorers, paranormal investigators, thrill seekers. Their reports tend to be, from what I could find, pretty consistent and remarkably soul between, like, physical phenomenon of, like. Of course, the temperature drops, the hand touching, grabbing, hair pulling. Feeling like they're being watched constantly. Audio. As far as screaming and children crying. And this is so sad, but hearing, like, singing lullabies. There's been documentations of that. And that's that breaks my heart. Like, seriously, like, I don't like that. No voice is speaking in medieval Italian. A sound, of course, of the bell tower ringing. But, yeah, so there was actually a. I think this is where, like, I found it into the ghost hunters thing of the 2014 investigation. And I'm thinking that's probably the ghost hunters investigation, where the team of paranormal investigators managed to get onto the island with, like, all the equipment. And within an hour of arriving, every piece of electronic equipment started to malfunction. So they had cameras that stopped working, audio recorders produced only static. Everything just kind of went haywire. So, yeah, it's. It's just a wild, wild place. And it still sits abandoned. The buildings are crumbling. You know, there's really no vegetation or anything like that. Tour votes, or excuse me, not tour votes. Tour boats that take visitors around the Venetian lagoon will point out the island from a distance, but they do not get close. The guides usually mention that it's off limits, but they don't. I caught this little nugget, which I thought was interesting, but they won't really explain why to a lot of tourists. So I'm like, huh? I'm like. Because, you know, it's true and it's creepy as. Right. [00:53:46] Speaker B: What I understand there's a lot of water taxis that. Yeah, well, they'll say, okay, I'll take you out there. But it'll be around three to five hundred dollars. And they have to be careful. They don't guarantee, because it's very patrolled by the local police. And they say if we get out there and there's a police boat out there, I'm turning around. [00:54:13] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. [00:54:14] Speaker B: So they don't have the guarantee to get on the island. [00:54:16] Speaker C: Island, yeah. I wonder how that would work too, because my guess is like. Which I think would be gutsy as all get out, is if it were me and I was really determined to get to step foot on that, which, again, I wouldn't. But if I were, I'd probably do it in the most, like, dead of night possible. No pun intended. And I'm willing to bet you'd have to do it almost like a covert operation, like a spy. Like, you got to have some scuba gear you gotta like, which, ew, I wouldn't want to go under the water either. Like, that would be my thought, is that. I think that would probably be your only way to make that happen. [00:55:01] Speaker B: I watched a YouTube video last night on this couple of urban explorers that went there, and they got somebody to drop them off. They were able to get on the island, and they were, like, exploring the buildings and stuff like that. They went to the prison, they went to the mental hospital, they went to the living quarters. And so they were going around in all the buildings and stuff. And they're even walking around on the island itself. It's dangerous because there's so much overgrowth and vines and. [00:55:34] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:55:36] Speaker B: And I mean, they were tripping and falling and they would go into certain areas and the ceilings were collapsing and. But my big thing, I kept thinking, I'm like. Like, what if the boat can't come back for you? Or what if he's like, I got my money. I'm good right there. And then terrible is going to happen. The ghosts are all going to attack you, and then you're stuck. [00:56:01] Speaker C: Right. And truth be told, my thought I'd be like, all right, so you want $500, whatever the case may be, to get me over to this island? Be like, all right, here's the deal. I'm going to give you 200 now, 300 for coming back. Like, I would try to negotiate my way, like, hard before I'd commit to anything, but again, I'm not going. No. [00:56:26] Speaker B: But, yeah, it's. The place is. It's just eerie. Super creepy just even seeing it on tv. But the other cool thing that I saw with that, those urban explorers, it must. I never realized how much flooding they must have in that area. [00:56:49] Speaker C: Yeah, Venetia. Yeah. The. They. Venice gets flooded a lot. Like, there's a time of the season, too, where they literally, like, have to walk around on planks throughout. [00:57:01] Speaker B: Yes, that's what I was going to say. When they were there, they had these temporary stainless steel, like, walking platforms and stuff that everybody was having to walk through the town on. I had no idea. It was just kind of the cool. It was cool. But, yeah, these businesses that are all over the place. [00:57:26] Speaker C: Yes, there was a. This was a long time ago. I was watching something I probably on the Discovery Channel. I don't remember. I. I was fairly young, but they had. At the time, they were looking at how to avoid the. The cons, the constant flooding. Because the theory is, is that eventually it's going to be all underwater, like a lost city of Atlantis kind of thing. So they were trying to figure out, like, a way to control the water flow and the flooding. And they came up with, like, this dam idea of these, like, big, huge, like, double doors of like, like keeping the water out. But I don't know whatever happened to that. And I know, like, that is a Constant struggle for them in Venice is that. And I always think too, like, you think about how those buildings are built. Like, how is all of that not totally falling apart? Because there's got to be some corrosion somewhere there. There's gotta be, because if there's not, I'd be floored, like, and there's a. [00:58:32] Speaker B: Big, massive stone and, you know, and stuff. So. Yeah, but the whole place just. I had never heard of it before watching that episode, and I had forgotten about it. And then we re. Re. Watched Ghost adventures recently as our. Like I was saying before our. It was kind of our background noise and watching that episode again, it was like I actually caught the whole thing about all of the bodies and the death and what was all going on with it. And then you mentioned it, and I'm like, that sounds familiar, right? All I did was Google it and just saw the image and I was like, I do know this deep dive time, right? [00:59:21] Speaker C: Yes. [00:59:22] Speaker B: But, yeah, that is the craziest story. And then to even think I heard somebody say something that it may have been purchased now really asking like, an astronomical amount for the island. [00:59:40] Speaker C: Oh, I'm sure. [00:59:42] Speaker B: And somebody. I don't know for sure. I didn't get into any research with it. I just heard that. But the other thing that I didn't know. I don't know if you know this or not, but there's actually four islands. [00:59:55] Speaker C: Oh, really? [00:59:56] Speaker B: Yes. And had the same thing. So there was actually. I can't remember the name of the other island that's right by it. But they say that there was even more death and cremation on that island than there was on. [01:00:14] Speaker C: On Povelia. [01:00:15] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:00:16] Speaker C: Oh, now that's interesting. [01:00:18] Speaker B: So I didn't research. So we're gonna say allegedly, but the one podcast that I was listening to, they went into, like, all the history and how they had built these four structures on these islands. And it was back in like, the early, like, war times and stuff like that. [01:00:39] Speaker C: That. [01:00:40] Speaker B: And yeah, I guess there's three other islands. And those islands were also used during the Black Flight. [01:00:49] Speaker C: Interesting. I wonder if Pavelia, then, is just the famous one, because it was the first one. Like, could be. [01:00:55] Speaker B: Or had the mental hospital on it as well. [01:00:58] Speaker C: Yeah. Interesting. [01:00:59] Speaker B: I'm not sure. But again, I don't know for sure. It was just something that I had. I had heard. I can't remember if it was on a podcast or if it was on the. [01:01:07] Speaker C: Those. [01:01:07] Speaker B: Those urban explorers that we're talking about. I listened to a few different things. [01:01:11] Speaker C: So I get you But I was. [01:01:13] Speaker B: Like, ooh, more dirt. [01:01:17] Speaker C: Right. [01:01:21] Speaker B: But did you have anything else you wanted to talk about with Pavelia? I can't say that I don't think so. [01:01:27] Speaker C: I think that was everything I had. [01:01:29] Speaker B: You did a great job. [01:01:32] Speaker C: Oh, thank you. [01:01:35] Speaker B: Great topic. Great deep dive into it. I love your storytelling. [01:01:40] Speaker C: Oh, thank you. Thank you. [01:01:43] Speaker B: Big pat on the back. [01:01:45] Speaker C: Thank you. [01:01:48] Speaker B: Well, let's go ahead and let everybody know again where they can find you. [01:01:54] Speaker C: Absolutely. You guys can come hang out with me over at Creepy Shit Podcast on Instagram. It's creepypodcast. [01:02:03] Speaker B: Awesome. Well, thanks again, star, for joining us. It was so fun and it was. It's been great to get to know you on Instagram and stuff. And now getting to talk to you face. Well, kind of face to face video. [01:02:17] Speaker C: Yes. Feeling is very mutual. Thank you so much for having me. This was absolutely amazing. So thank you. Thank you. [01:02:24] Speaker B: Well, we appreciate it. Well, everybody, until next time, keep on creeping on. We love you. [01:02:32] Speaker A: Bye. Thanks for hanging out with us here at Total Conundrum. Please make sure to check out our website and [email protected] for news, upcoming events, merch, bloopers, and additional hysteria. You never know what will pop up, so be sure to follow along. If you want to show your support for Total Conundrum and gain access to all all of our bonus content, please visit our Patreon page. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The links are available in our show Notes. If you have any questions, comments, recommendations, or stories to share, please email [email protected] episodes are available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. If you like the show, please rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts. We appreciate the love. Keep on creeping on, Mother Cluckers. Sam.