Ain't It Scary? with Sean & Carrie

#HotMothSummer presses on this week with part 2 of our primer on the Men in Black! Sean takes us back to 1953 Bridgeport, Connecticut, as we hear in Albert Bender's own words what he says he experienced that fateful summer. What sounded from the outside like an intimidating visit from government officials quickly spins into a sci-fi thriller full of telepathic messages, astral projection, and the occasional sexy alien rubdown. Grab your magic coin and breathe in that sweet, sweet sulphur air, because this week we look the MIBs right in their beady, glowing little eyes and see what gazes back. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best known today for diminishing cinematic returns, the Men In Black have been one of the creepiest boogymen of the UFO community for nearly 80 years. This week, Sean takes us all the way back to 1947 and the first reported incident of someone being approached by a black-suited government agent after a UFO sighting and told to keep quiet. Next we jump ahead to the early '50s to meet Albert Bender, whose own encounters with so-called Men in Black were decidedly more sinister. What did Bender see in 1953 that made him stop investigating UFOs altogether? And if the Men in Black aren't really men... What are they? This #HotMothSummer, Ain't It Scary has the answers. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As an Independence Day treat, we hop into the time machine for a little "Ain't it Sneaky" here on the show with the twisting tale of the Culper Spy Ring, America's first foray into espionage during the Revolutionary War. Formed after the tragic execution of newbie colonial spy and forever Connecticut hero Nathan Hale, the Culper Spy Ring was the brainchild of none other than George Washington, who realized a more sophisticated system of spycraft was necessary if the fledgling Patriot cause was ever going to win the war against British oppression. Thanks to the guts and gumption of a ragtag group of civilians, military men, and one mysterious lady known as "Agent 355", the Culper Spy Ring helped ensure that the cause of American freedom would win out - ensnaring traitors like Benedict Arnold and Loyalist spies like Major John André in the process. This week, we raise a glass to freedom - and our Founding Sneaks - on our way to hit the beach (and a cooler full of White Claws). Viva la Revoluciòn! ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week it's a summertime holiday story for the summertime holiday season as Sean introduces us to the creature fondly remembered as the Sandown Clown. This C-team cryptid (maybe) is reported to have chatted with two vacationing children on the Isle of Wight one warm day in 1973, introducing itself, "Hello and I am all colors, Sam." The "clown's" eye-catching appearance and inescapable high strangeness have made it a favorite of ghost, cryptid and alien hunters despite the single alleged sighting... But what the hell WAS this thing?? Theories abound, many stupid, as Sean and Carrie try to decide of if this encounter was some sort of bizarro world Pennywise, children with a high-functioning imagination, or just a really weird guy hanging out in the woods. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lighthouses have stood on the Northeastern coast of America for centuries, beacons of hope in dark night or a desperate storm...and, sometimes, silent witnesses to the many tragedies that can befall seafarers and their loved ones in the course of their sometimes dangerous work. This week, we take a trip through the past 300 years of American history to visit some of the most haunted lighthouses in New England (and, uh, one in New Jersey) and see how their morbid tales tie in to the most important moments of this country's past. We meet a lighthouse keeper driven mad by his wife's incessant piano playing - to the point of murder... A very good boy named Spot who some say still barks to warn sailors of deadly fog to this day, decades beyond his crossing over the Rainbow Bridge... A Revolutionary War soldier hanged by the British Redcoats for a crime he didn't commit, and who may still patrol the New Jersey coastline even after death... And several more interesting characters and strange happenstances across the maritime history of Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Grab an oar and hop aboard! ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We take a trip back to '40s and '50s London this week to cover the grimy and gruesome story of serial killer John Reginald Christie, who gassed and strangled 8 women to death and stowed their bodies in and around his London flat. Sean takes us through the case that helped get the death penalty abolished in the UK, and we tackle all the most important unanswered questions - like how this guy stayed married as long as he did. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our 175th episode, we're going back to our spooky roots to investigate another internet-popularized urban legend: Black Eyed Kids. In 1998, journalist Brian Bethel took to the fledgling interwebs to share a strange tale. Sitting in his car alone one night in 1996, he'd been approached by two strange children - children who insisted he let them in the car and acquiesce to their demands. The encounter made Brian uneasy...especially so when he realized that both of the kids had entirely black eyes. No iris, no sclera, just pure black voids. There was something off about these kids, and he would be far from the only person to experience this bizarre moment of high strangeness. Since Bethel's encounter, hundreds of people have shared their stories of run-ins with threatening black eyed kids...and how the kids, seemed, well, off. Unearthly. Dangerous. Is this just a case of hysteria? Is it a tulpa, like some believe Slender Man to be, rising from the depths of the internet to wreak havoc on the real world? Or is it just a bunch of creepypasta storytelling? We try to get to the truth, and avoid letting creepy kids into the house along the way. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we tackle the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft, one of the most notorious and high-value art heists of all time. One March night in Boston, 1990, two men donned police disguises to enter the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Once inside, they subdued security and walked off with a collection of art potentially valued at over $1 billion in 2024. Vermeers, Rembrandts and more were lost to the world that night, never to be seen again. To this day, no one has ever been charged with the robbery. So who did it, and how, and can we collect this reward already? Find out on an action-packed episode! ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we're celebrating all kinds of mums - but no, that isn't in observance of America's Mother's Day holiday this upcoming Sunday! No, the collection of mums we're discussing are of a decidedly drier type: mummified human remains. And these aren't the millennia-old corpses of ancient Egyptian Pharoahs; no, all the mummies we're discussing come from the last century (and change) and all across the world. From a drag queen's closet in New York City to a musty Sicilian catacomb to Moscow's Red Square to a D&D style booby trap that holds the body of one of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's greatest inspirations, follow us on a globe-trotting tour of the last 104 years' most fascinating mummies. (Note for our beloved listeners: We will be "off" next week, as Carrie will be out of state for a business trip. But don't worry - we'll see you again Thursday after next!) ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're tackling the "ancient astronaut" hypothesis: the idea that ancient humans had repeated contact with extraterrestrials that is borne out in their myths, art, and monumental achievements. How were the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Moai of Easter Island erected without modern technology? Could the Bible, the myths of the Babylonians and Mayan religion all be cultural memories of heavenly beings from another planet? Are the Annunaki and Planet X on their way back to the inner solar system at this very moment? These crucial questions and more are - well, they're mocked and dismissed. Enjoy! ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week we shared the first half of the dramatic tale of one of America's so-called "Crimes of the Century" - the kidnapping, and tragic murder, of Charles Lindbergh Jr., toddler son to one of the most famous men in the world: aviator Charles Lindbergh. In this, our 2nd and final part, we detail the painstaking investigation that eventually led to the arrest of German immigrant Richard "Bruno" Hauptmann for the murder of little Charles. The years-long search for the kidnapper and killer involved serial numbers, con artists, ransoms and one very tenacious wood expert, all which eventually led police to Hauptmann's doorstep. But was the (admittedly very guilty-looking) Hauptmann actually the one who took the Little Eaglet from his "nest" that fateful night in March 1932? We launch own own investigation, including a recap of Charles Lindbergh's life after his son's death...and how his alleged Nazi sympathies may have pointed to a darker motive than greed in the toddler's killing. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the night of March 1st, 1932, little Charles Lindbergh Jr. was tucked into his crib for a good night's sleep. Mere hours later, the family nurse discovered that Charles Jr. was no longer in his bed...nor was he anywhere else to be found. The disappearance kicked off the beginning of one of America's so-called "crimes of the century", and one of the world's earliest international true crime sensations. Because Charles Jr. wasn't just any toddler - he was the son of megastar aviator Charles Lindbergh, one of the most decorated daredevils of all time and one of the most famous men to ever live. What was to follow was a historic investigation, involving a desperate manhunt, con artists, ransom notes, and the still-new FBI. Next week, we'll go into the second part of this story with the O.G. "trial of the century." ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's an old school ghost story this week - and we mean *way* old school, as we jump back to the early 19th century to explore the Bell Witch Haunting. From 1817 to 1821 John Bell Sr. and his family were harassed by an invisible presence with a clear, distinct voice and a penchant for slapping people around. This week Sean introduces us to the Bell family, the mischievous spectral gossip known as Kate, and the series of events on this Tennessee farm that would eventually turn deadly. (I mean, maybe.) ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Obvious TW this week for discussion of suicide.] Over the years, certain songs have attracted dark reputations. Reputations like that the songs might drive you mad enough to end your own life... or make others mad enough to end another's. This week, we discuss 3 famous examples of these "suicide songs": the morosely melancholic "Gloomy Sunday", the sinister legend of the Lavender Town Syndrome, and the very real rash of "My Way" murders, centered within Philippines karaoke culture. Can a song really drive you to life-ending despair? Can a video game chiptune actually break your mind? And can one of the Chairman of the Board's most famous ditties really inspire murderous intentions in others? We try to find the answers in a decade-spanning journey from 1930s Hungary to Pokémon's Kanto Region to Filipino karaoke bars. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Born in small-town Italy in 1893, Leonarda Cianciulli had led a hard and tragic life - but her friends and neighbors in Correggio, Reggio Emilia knew her as a kindly woman and a good neighbor. Naturally, they were all shocked when she was arrested for luring three local women to their violent deaths.  Axe Murder March finishes with a bang (a whack?) as we find out why Cianciulli is known as the Soap-Maker of Correggio, and explore whether her murders really were, as she claimed, motivated by human sacrifice. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we finish our two-parter on the rise of the Norwegian black metal scene and the leaders of the pack, Mayhem, as the culture descends into edgelord-on-edgelord crime - first with a series of arsons across Norway, and eventually spinning into the inevitable end of chaos and murder. Experience such real-life characters as Varg Vikernes, black metal musician and out-and-proud white supremacist-turned murderer; Euronymous, the (still-young) godfather of the Norwegian black metal scene and eventual victim; Faust, who killed a man just for kicks; and...Kanye West? We also follow up on our News segment from last week, in which we give the public what they've surely been waiting for: an update on Kate-Watch. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early 1990s, a series of crimes rocked the historically peaceful country of Norway. Churches were burned, home-grown terrorist plots were revealed, and arrests were made. Then, the murders came. This rash of crime all stemmed from one seemingly-innocuous source: Norwegian black metal bands and their fans. It seemed like these musicians were trying to out-edgelord each other, and no band pushed harder for the title of "Most Evil" than the fathers of Norwegian black metal, Mayhem, led by the charismatic Euronymous. But Euronymous would succumb to a tragic fate of his own - and one of his own bandmates would be the perpetrator of his death. This week, we dive into the Scandinavian black metal scene to try and understand why such a peaceful country could spawn such a dark musical fandom...and how that fandom eventually worked itself into a self-perpetuating metal madness. In our News segment, we also take a mini-dive into all the conspiracies surrounding Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales - and why she hasn't officially been seen in public in months. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The raison d'etre for our whole series on Hannibal and the Punic Wars is here this week, and that's very bad news for 50,000 Roman soldiers. After being beaten and humiliated by Hannibal for two years straight, the Romans came out swinging in 216 BC with the largest army the Republic had ever raised. Nearly 100,000 men chased the Carthaginian army to the small town of Cannae, which would become the site of the greatest military disaster in Rome's history - and one of those times and places in history Sean would least like to visit. The Romans would eventually win the Second Punic War, and a few decades later would wipe Carthage off the map. But the most impressive thing they did in the whole conflict was to keep fighting after the crushing defeat at Cannae, Hannibal's most impressive victory. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the dusty horrors of ancient warfare, in part 2 of our rapidly expanding series (well, to 3 episodes, anyway) on Hannibal and the Second Punic War! It's 218 BC, and Hannibal just marched a whole army across the Alps to surprise the Romans in Italy. The next move is Rome's, and they've got all the wrong ones. We step into the shoes of Roman infantry as tens of thousands of our buddies are slaughtered on the field at the Trebia and Lake Trasimene, before Fabius the Delayer steps in to make things way more safe and boring. But don't worry - Rome's boldest moves, and most abject horrors, are still to come. Also, Hannibal marches 50,000 more guys through a marsh full of poop. ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean has the podcast reins for two weeks of HANNIBAL. No, not the cannibal - the Carthaginian general who made himself the worst nightmare of the Roman legions. Take a trip with us back to the third century B.C., where new horrors wait around every corner - from children sacrificed to ancient gods, to sieged cities starving behind their walls, to armored men tumbling off high alpine peaks. Oh, and a crapload of elephants. Settle in for next week, because Hannibal is saving the worst for the Romans! ________________________________________ Connect with us on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscary Twitter: @aintitscary Instagram: @aintitscary Patreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/aint-it-scary?ref_id=27696 ___________________________________________ Thank you to our sponsors: Neuro Gum - Get up to 30% off your order of Neuro Gum at tryneurogum.com/aintitscary! Magic Mind - Get up to 56% off your subscription and 20% off your first order with our code SCARYSC2020 at MagicMind.co/aintitscary! MANSCAPED - Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code SCARYSQUAD at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscary Audible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscary BarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more details Hunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices