Mar 4, 2021
Amanda and Sarah cover sick teens and evil kids for this episode. Sarah goes into mass psychogenic illnesses (MPIs) - aka mass hysteria - and gives a rundown of various outbreaks, including a mysterious 2011 case at a high school in Le Roy, New York. Amanda opens her door to the Black-Eyed Children, a heavy-hitter urban legend where witnesses claim to have encounters with terrifying youths. Other subjects covered include hating ponies, being a perfect evil kid parent, and casting grandma as the villain.
Recommendations:
Sarah recommends the 2018 found footage horror movie The Devil's Doorway. Amanda recommends the indie survival game Overland and the podcast Hollywood Crime Scene.
Sources:
- New York Times Magazine (What Happened to the Girls in Le Roy)
- Today Show (School baffled by 12 girls’ mystery symptoms)
- The Fever by Megan Abbott
- Chicago Tribune (Examining 1962's 'laughter epidemic')
- Wikipedia/List of mass hysteria cases
- NCBI (Mass psychogenic illness and the social network: is it changing the pattern of outbreaks?)
- The Guardian (Black-eyed ghosts and giant mutant rats: the scare stories that nearly destroyed Britain in 2014)
- The Mirror (Black Eyed Child of Cannock Chase: Watch ghostbuster hunt out soul-sucking demon)
- Brian Bethel recounts his possible paranormal encounter with 'BEKs'
- The Lineup (9 Terrifying Encounters with Black-Eyed Children)
- Behind black eyes: Reports of spooky black-eyed kids by Sharon Hill
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