The Grim Cities

We really did one of our listeners dirty y’all…and we apologize. Listener Regina sent us multiple messages over the past year, but we never saw them as she was trapped behind the hidden message requests on Instagram. We begin today by clearing up all the confusion and giving Regina the air time that she deserves! Then Madeline talks through 5 paranormal games so risky that no one should ever play them. The consequences could be lifelong and quite dire. 😱 Our main story today reveals the origins of the Christmas tree. And just as so many modern traditions have before, the Christmas tree finds its roots in Pagan theology.Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Have you ever noticed how some superstitions are so ubiquitous that no one ever seems to question them? Where did they come from? Why do they persist? One such superstition is so widely recognized that it is considered a near-global phenomenon: knocking on wood. Today we discuss the origins of this peculiar practice and what it even signifies. But before we dive into all of that, Dan shares yet another horror festival that he knows the listeners will be champing at the bit to attend. And Madeline shows us THE scariest commercial ever produced… No joke.Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Madeline starts us off this week on a feisty note, when she airs out Dan’s dirty laundry. That’s right, Madeline catches Dan in a bold-faced lie that he swears was “unintentional”… We’ll let the audience decide. Then the two find out if they’d survive a horror film based off of their astrology signs. But most importantly today, we talk about Thomas Busby and his beloved seat at a local pub. After he was hung to death in the town square, he cursed anyone who dared to sit in it ever again. The chair now hangs suspended from the ceiling in the Thirsk Museum. Would you dare to sit in it?Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Dan recently discovered a new queer ghost hunting show that he cannot wait to share with everyone! And Madeline has a new Instagram account she's following. Then we explore an antique wooden object that is known to be haunted by a malicious spirit from Jewish folklore. This wine cabinet is said to be one of the most haunted objects on the planet, and it went up for sale in the early aughts on the popular e-commerce website, eBay. The events that unfolded following the sale of this Dybbuk Box can be tracked by a string unusual mental breakdowns. So pour a glass of wine (or two) because you’ll need a little something extra to calm your nerves for this episode! 🍷 Cheers! 🥂Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Madeline and Dan can’t help but begin this week by reminiscing about the serendipitous moment they were contacted by a senior producer at MPR and the emotional high that immediately followed. I mean, a live interview about this very podcast syndicated state-wide on a popular radio show…is this real life?! Turns out, it is! Furthermore, we get another listener email from uncle John who regales us the story of his anniversary weekend with aunt Sheila at a haunted Memphis bed and breakfast. And for our main story today, Madeline and Dan recount their exhilarating yet frightening night exploring a local cemetery. Huge shout out to the Pillsbury Club for their amazing graveyard tour! Check out this experience and many more on their website at minneapolistrolleytours.com. This episode is all about first hand experiences from your two favorite hosts, and we could not be more thrilled to share the excitement with you all! Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Last week we took you all on a little journey back in time to explore how the most haunted castle in the entire world came into existence. Through all that conflict and bloodshed it’s no surprise that there may be some spiritual imprints on the place. Some of the previous inhabitants of Leap Castle have been driven to near madness. Was it the unforgiving cellars? Was it the family clashes? Or was it the hauntings themselves? And don’t even get us started on the elemental...strap in for a heart pounding episode.Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Today Madeline and Dan put their knowledge to the test to see if they truly deserve the title of Spooky Season Kween and King. And the questions come directly from a BuzzFeed quiz, so you know it’s the most accurate thing in the world… Then Dan introduces Madeline to a new annual film festival that has the two of them wondering “How the FUCK have we not heard of this before?!” And finally, we take a virtual field trip to the most haunted castle in the world. You read that right, the ENTIRE WORLD! What secrets lie beyond those cold brick walls?Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Today’s tale takes place in the small town of Thief River Falls located in the far reaches of northwestern Minnesota. As most of these stories begin, the town was established though conflict between Native American tribes and white colonizers and a string of treaties that were never honored. But the horrors don’t end there…at the junction of two Minnesota rivers lies Dead Man’s Trail, a treasure trove of mysterious sightings and ghostly tales. We even tell the story of famed Saturday Night Live comedian Phil Hartman’s killing at the hand of his wife. So to say this episode covers a broad range of topics wouldn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Y’all have a lot of information to soak up into your noggins. 🧠 So why not jump right in?!Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Today we explore people’s innate and often unexplainable fears. Do you have a phobia that seams unreasonable to most, but can trigger a full-body fear response that consumes all of your senses? Maybe you don’t…yet; however, as Madeline recently discovered, new fears can manifest at any stage of your life. Even at her advanced age, Madeline found out that large objects can send her spiraling. So dive into today’s episode to learn about various physical and emotional responses humans may have to stimuli. Maybe you’ll uncover a hidden phobia that you never knew about. 😱Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

You all can let out a huge sigh of relief because we are back in your earballs! The Grim Cities has returned for a brand new season, and Season 5 is going to be our biggest one yet! We’re coming at you with a whole new theme this year that will have you questioning what the fuck is behind those trees?! All season long we’ll be exploring the past, present, and perhaps the future as it relates to deep dark forests and the secrets they conceal. It’s gon’ be a wild ride y’all!Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Welcome to the Season 4 finale of The Grim Cities! Can’t believe we’ve been doing this for over four full years… fucking 🤯 mind 🤯 blowing. We’re so grateful to all of our listeners, both new and original, for supporting the show and spreading the word to your whole network of peeps. Let’s close this season with a bang by wrapping up our longstanding series about Spiritualism. But not before we share some exciting and somewhat unusual horror headlines with you all. Is Madeline teaming up with spirits from another realm to start her own interior design business? 🤔 This is the season finale you’ve all been waiting for and an episode you won’t want to miss. Enjoy your summer and we’ll be back in your feed for Season 5 baybee!! And until next time…live your best afterlife!Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Madeline and Dan have some riveting content to share with you all, and each other, this week! We jump in right away with not one, but TWO movie trailers for upcoming films that are causing unparalleled excitement in our Grim Cities family. The first trailer hails from a movie by the director of Madeline’s favorite horror flick – Barbarian –, Zach Cregger. The second trailer reunites Dan with one of his favorite horror franchises from childhood. And both movies are set to be released this summer! 🤩 But most importantly, we wrap up today’s episode by beginning to explore how Spiritualism played a large role in propelling women into more influential societal roles, and jumpstarting women’s rights on several levels.Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Madeline starts today’s episode off by once again traumatizing Dan with a video that makes him question all of his life choices that lead to this very moment. Things get even wilder when we regale the listeners with a real-time account of a murder that took place in the Australian Outback of Larrimah. And for our main story today, we discus a small unassuming bridge in a rural area near Henderson, Minnesota. Visitors say that crazy eerie things occur when driving over the bridge…which makes sense as the bridge’s unofficial moniker is Crazy Annie's Bridge. Yeah, no thank you…Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Madeline and Dan dust off the cobwebs from a long Minnesota winter, and attend to some much neglected housekeeping items for The Grim Cities. Beginning with an email from a devoted fan that was sent months ago - our apologies - we update our listeners on all the behind the scenes shit that has been swept under the rug. We also find out that we’re sitting strong at #5 on FeedSpot’s list of Top Minnesota History Podcasts at the time of recording. How exciting?! We couldn’t be more proud.https://podcast.feedspot.com/minnesota_history_podcasts/Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Today, Madeline and Dan mourn their thwarted plans to attend the live recreation of the Insidious universe. But in reality, it may likely have been for the best…listen to the crazy tales from those who endured the show in Detroit to find out why. And then we take a field trip to the White House to see which famous entities may be lurking just down the halls of this iconic landmark.Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Did you know that the Lincolns were heavily involved in the world of Spiritualism? Yes, those Lincolns…as in the 16th President of the United States and his wife Mary Todd. Today you’ll learn how they went through a whirlwind of change and grief, potentially turning to Spiritualism to make sense of it all. But before we jump into any of that we have to discuss something super important: Madeline and Dan are going to a live stage show based on the Insidious universe. It sounds absolutely terrifying! 😱 We also hold some space for the nostalgia that is Goosebumps, because the series has been revamped for a whole new generation on Disney+. Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/ Be sure to follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Today we revisit the infamous Dating Show episode with Cheryl Bradshaw, as Dan confirms that she did indeed pick Rodney Alcala as the winner of a second date. But that second date did not come to fruition, consequently and most certainly saving Cheryl’s life. He then reads some more real-life close encounters with serial killers from the Reddit community. It happens way more often than any of us think… Then, Madeline shares some super exciting news in the world of horror as it relates to the Oscars; horror is having its heyday y’all! And finally, this week we continue with Episode 3 of our Spiritualism series.Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Dan cheated this week and looked ahead one day on the horror trivia calendar…blasphemy! But it was worth it because we learn another interesting fact about Buffalo Bill for the second day in a row. Madeline keeps the trend going by sharing another heart-pounding tidbit about a modern serial killer who used a hit game show to find his victims. But most importantly, today we’re introduced to three of the most influential women of the Spiritualism movement: the Fox sisters. Were they naturally gifted, or was it all a farce?Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/Be sure to follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Madeline starts us off today by taking the listeners deep underground through a series of tunnels underneath the United Kingdom. From a bomb shelter to music venues, these tunnels have seen a lot of action. Dan shares a list of the best horror movies from 2024, as suggested by the prolific horror film critic and author Gretchen Felker-Martin. He even touches on her most famous book, which both Madeline and Dan agree they have to read ASAP. And for the main story: Midnight Mass of the Dead…and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like! Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/ Be sure to follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!

Did you know that the movie The Omen pre-dates its novelization? Madeline didn’t either, and today we both learn how many books there are in total across the series. Just in time for Dan to get called out for spreading misinformation about how many Omen movies have actually been made. Then, a new friend of the pod sends Madeline a link to a creepy tale of medical malpractice. And our main story today involves a skeleton horse that wanders the streets of Wales. What could it be up to? Pick up some merch today: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-grim-cities/ Be sure to follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook @TheGrimCities or email us at thegrimcitiespodcast@gmail.com!