Dec 10, 2020
Amanda and Sarah talk Hindu and holiday spirits for this episode. Amanda takes a look at the vetala, a vampire-like paranormal entity from India thought to have influenced Bram Stoker's Dracula. Sarah decks the halls with a series of trivia and in-depth history about why people are absolutely horny for Christmas. Other subjects covered include falling down the stairs, buying too many Triscuits, and mispronouncing yogurt names.
Recommendations:
Amanda recommends the true-crime works Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson, Crazy, Not Insane, and Murder on Middle Beach, and the new horror-comedy Freaky. Sarah recommends Collected Ghost Stories by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.
Sources:
- Amuse (Sex in Our Strange World | Why Christmas has Always Been About Sex)
- Bustle (9 Christmas Foods That Are Also Aphrodisiacs)
- History Today (Medieval Christmas)
- Wikipedia/Mistletoe
- iNews (When Santa was sexy: the sordid history of Father Christmas)
- Wikipedia/Vetala
- Mental Floss (8 of the Undead from Around the World)
- Atlas Obscura (One of Dracula’s Often Overlooked Inspirations Is the Indian Vetala)
- The Hindu (Meet Dracula’s Indian ancestor Vetala)
- The Hollywood Reporter (Hindu Group Accuses 'Sleepy Hollow' of "Distorting" Faith, Seeks Fox Apology)