Welcome, my unholy loves, to the final episode of our Unholy December series.

In seventeenth-century Puebla, a cloistered nun's suffering was documented as spiritual warfare rather than illness. Drawing on colonial convent records and clerical testimony, we examine how pain, devotion, and fear collided inside the rigid world of New Spain's Carmelite convents. Stripped of folklore, this case reveals how a woman's body became a site of religious authority and control. The Possessed Nun of Puebla endures not because of what was believed to inhabit her, but because of how her suffering was interpreted.

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Sources & References:

Rosalva Loreto López, “The Devil, Women, and the Body in Seventeenth-Century Puebla Convents,” The Americas, Cambridge University Press.

False Mystics: Deviant Orthodoxy in Colonial Mexico, Scribd academic document.

Discalced Carmelite Convent of San José and Santa Teresa — historical foundation and context.

Fernando Cervantes, The Devil in the New World: The Impact of Diabolism in Colonial Mexico, Yale University Press, 1994.

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"Return of Light" Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen

"Final Examination" Jay Varton

"Ghost Dungeons" Ethan Sloan

"Creepy Crawly" Arthur Benson

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Bell Church

Whispers Eerie Low M

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A quick message for my Unholy fiends to say Happy Holidays, thank you for the love!

Just wanted to share a small update, the final Unholy December episode will be released on Saturday.

I really appreciate your patience and apologize for the delay.

Stay safe, my loves.

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Music & SFX Attribution:

“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” arranged by Craig Austin. Licensed through Audio Hero.

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Welcome, my devilish fiends!

A ghost born from childbirth and silence, the Kuntilanak haunts Indonesia's folklore as something far more unsettling than a simple possession story.

In this episode, we trace her origins through birth, blood, and grief, and examine how a woman who never needed a body sometimes ends up speaking through one.

From eerie encounters in banana groves to modern cases of mass trance and fear, the line between haunting and possession begins to blur.

This is tropical horror where folklore, gender, and modern anxiety collide.

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Sources & References:

Duile, Timo. Kuntilanak: Ghost Narratives and Malay Modernity in Pontianak, Indonesia. Anthropological analysis of Kuntilanak narratives and social change.

Daily JSTOR. "The Indonesian frontier town named for a jungle vampire." Cultural history of Pontianak and its ghost lore.

Lee, Y. B. "The Villainous Pontianak? Gender, Power and Malaysian Horror Film." Film studies perspective on gendered ghosts.

Lounela, A. "Spirits, Modernity, and Possession in Kalimantan." Research on kesurupan and social stress.

South China Morning Post. "Paranormal perils plague Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara." Contemporary reporting on spiritual anxiety and development.

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Music & SFX Attribution:

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"Alleys of Darkness" Phoenix Tail

"Banshee" Jay Varton

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Welcome, my dark souls!

In this haunting chapter of Unholy December, we uncover the chilling possession outbreaks that swept through convents in France, Spain, and Italy during the 17th century. From violent public exorcisms to quiet nocturnal terrors, these cases reveal how fear, faith, and control shaped the lives of cloistered women across Europe.

Drawing from diaries, trial records, and centuries of historical analysis, this episode exposes the obscure boundary between mysticism, trauma, and the supernatural. A deep, unsettling journey into the archives where some of history's darkest whispers have been waiting.

*Listener Discretion is Advised*

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Sources & References:

Aldous Huxley, The Devils of Loudun (1952).

Michel de Certeau, The Possession at Loudun (1970).

Nancy Caciola, Discerning Spirits: Divine and Demonic Possession in the Middle Ages (2003).

Edward Peters, The Magician, the Witch, and the Law (1978).

John D. Lyons, The Phantom of Chance: From Fortune to Randomness in Seventeenth-Century French Literature (2019).

Moshe Sluhovsky, Believe Not Every Spirit: Possession, Mysticism, and Discernment in Early Modern Catholicism (2007).

Marina Warner, Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary (1976).

Moshe Sluhovsky, “The Devil in the Convent,” American Historical Review 107, no. 5 (2002).

Francine Masiello (ed. and trans.), The Diary of Santa Veronica Giuliani (selections).

Michel Carmona, Urbain Grandier (2000).

H. C. Lea, Materials Toward a History of Witchcraft (1939).

Brian P. Levack, The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West (2013).

Stuart Clark, Thinking with Demons: The Idea of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe (1997).

Jodi Bilinkoff, Related Lives: Confessors and Their Female Penitents, 1450–1750 (2005).

Various 17th-century exorcism transcripts and ecclesiastical reports referenced in secondary scholarship above.

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A brutal killing in 1974 shattered the quiet town of Ossett and left investigators confronting one of Britain's most unsettling possession claims.

In the hours before the violence, ministers believed they were fighting unseen forces inside a small church, pushing Michael Taylor through a "deliverance" that spiraled far beyond their control. What followed fractured the thin line between faith and reality, sending a frightened community scrambling for answers.

In this episode, we unravel the ignored signs, the clergy's fraught involvement, and the aftermath that cast a long shadow over Ossett. Was something unearthly taking hold... or did conviction give shape to the terror everyone feared?

***Listener Discretion is Strongly Advised***

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Sources:

Michael Taylor (British killer) — Wikipedia.

The Devil Within (Wondery) — Podcast series on the Michael Taylor case.

All That’s Interesting — “The Exorcism of Michael Taylor.”

The Times Archive (1975) — Court and inquest reporting.

Harmes, M., The Church Sinister / Brill article.

Audioboom Transcripts & Retrospectives — Includes Rev. Peter Vincent quote.

Scholarly articles on psychiatry and possession — analyses of Michael Taylor’s psychiatric diagnosis and religious influence.

True Crime Retrospectives / Media Coverage — Documenting hospitalization at Broadmoor and eventual release.

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Welcome, my devilish fiends!

In 1730, the trial of Catherine Cadiere exploded into one of the most notorious scandals of 18th-century France.

What began as a confession between a young woman and her Jesuit director spiraled into accusations of seduction, manipulation, and demonic influence. Courts, clergy, and entire communities were suddenly forced to choose sides as the case blurred the line between spiritual guidance and exploitation.

In this episode, we trace how a private relationship became a public fury.

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Sources & Further Reading:

The Case of Mrs. Mary Catharine Cadière, Against Father John-Baptist Girard. London, 1732 — English translation of Catherine’s memorial to the Parlement of Aix.

Mita Choudhury, The Wanton Jesuit and the Wayward Saint: Sex, Religion, and Politics in 18th-Century France. Penn State Press, 2015.

J. T. Kuznicki, “Sorcery and Publicity: The Cadière–Girard Scandal of 1730–1731,” French History, Vol. 21, 2007.

Stéphane Lamotte, “Le Père Girard et la Cadière dans la tourmente des pièces satiriques,” Dix-huitième siècle, Vol. 39, 2007.

Natalia L. Zorrilla, “Mysticism and Seduction: The Affair Cadière–Girard and the Triumph of Rationality in Thérèse Philosophe,” Çedille. Revista de Estudios Franceses, Vol. 12, 2016.

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"Return of Light" by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen

"Crypta" by Jo Wandrini

"Paranormal Activities" by Jon Bjork

Radio Glitch, Static Chops, Stuttering, Noise 02

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Welcome, my ghoulish fiends.

The Smurl family claimed their West Pittston duplex was overtaken by a violent, calculating force that wanted more than their fear, it wanted their bodies and their faith.

Over fourteen years, they reported whispers, apparitions, assaults, and a darkness that grew stronger the longer it was ignored. Even seasoned investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren called it one of their most disturbing cases.

In this episode, I dig into the documented chaos, the Church's hesitation, and the terrifying question that still lingers on Chase Street. Was something truly hunting the Smurls... or does evil simply wear the face of an ordinary home?

***Listener Discretion is Strongly Advised.***

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Sources:

The Haunted: One Family’s Nightmare — Robert Curran, Ed & Lorraine Warren

Scranton Times Archives (1974–1989)

Citizens’ Voice Interview with Janet Smurl (1986)

Ed and Lorraine Warren Case Files, N.E.S.P.R.

The Morning Call (Pennsylvania), 1986 Coverage

Local testimonies collected in Haunted Pennsylvania (1994)

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'Carol of the Bells'- Christmas Presence

'In a Heartbeat'- Retro TV Mystery Score

Welcome, my December souls!

A young French woman ignites chaos in the 1590s when claims of demonic possession turn her into a national obsession. Was Martha Brossier truely tormented... or performing for influence?

Follow me as I delve into the case that rattled priests, physicians, and even the king's court.

*Listener Discretion is Strongly Advised*

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Sources & Further Reading:

A True Discourse vpon the Matter of Martha Brossier of Romorantin (1599), translated by Abraham Hartwell

Anita M. Walker & Edmund H. Dickerman, “A Woman Under the Influence: A Case of Alleged Possession in Sixteenth-Century France,” Sixteenth Century Journal

D.S. Ferber, Possession and Exorcism in the Sacramental Life of Early Modern France

“Martha Brossier” — Encyclopedic and secondary analyses, including Wikipedia for contextual reference

Further Reading:

Nancy Caciola, Discerning Spirits: Divine and Demonic Possession in the Middle Ages (Cornell University Press, 2003)

Sarah Ferber, Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern France (Routledge, 2004)

Brian Levack, The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West (Yale University Press, 2013)

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