episodic Interested in the creepy and macabre?

This podcast developed from the Creepy Conference, a Gothic-themed event held every October at RMU in which students and faculty, as well as guest speakers to campus, share their research or creative work about creepy topics, horror, and mystery. 

The Creepy Conference is organized by Dr. S. Pamboukian, University Professor of English and author of Agatha Christie and the Guilty Pleasure of Poison, with the assistance of the members of the RMU chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the English honor society. 

Previous Creepy Conference presentations are listed on RMU’s webpage: https://www.rmu.edu/academics/schools/sihss/english/creepy-conference

]]> Creepy Conference 2023 RMU Podcasts Timothy Jones false en https://pod.co/creepy-conference There are a lot of Victorian monsters: Frankenstein’s Creature, Carmilla, Mr. Hyde (from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), Dracula, Dorian Gray, The Invisible Man, and arguably Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. These monsters were once compelling and creepy, but are they still? In this episode, RMU English department faculty member Danielle Hornyak joins in a discussion about Victorian monsters in the media. Are Victorian monsters still creepy, or have they become heartthrobs?

]]> Victorian Monsters Victorian Monsters 00:40:03 aef90a3d-4449-45f6-945d-0fda59c284a8 Dr. Sylvia Pamboukian 3 2 full false https://pod.co/creepy-conference/victorian-monsters Thu, 07 May 2026 17:37:22 +0000 Would you survive a horror film?

If you were in a horror story, would you be the first to go? Would you hang on for a bit but eventually succumb? Die heroically saving others? Or would you be the final girl who makes it to the end? This podcast discusses surviving horror stories with Adia Madjaric, whose substack called “Would I survive?” discusses which horror stories might do her in. We also discuss our loved and hated horror tropes, from the loved using the surroundings creatively to the hated running upstairs instead of outside, and share our recommendations and hidden gems.

https://substack.com/@adiaisbyronic/posts

]]> Would you survive a horror film? Would you survive a horror film? 00:43:15 fc85a4d2-ac70-4bab-a4f5-972cbf0173a0 Dr. Pamboukian 2 2 full false https://pod.co/creepy-conference/would-you-survive-a-horror-film Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:00:16 +0000

In the mid-2010s, an anonymous poster on the site 4chan intrigued readers with the promise of a prize for exploring a creepy building. One person took the bait and posted about his experiences then vanished. What happened to him? Was there really a prize? Why are people today still discussing what happened in the 4chan murder?  

Adia Madjaric, RMU student and presenter at the 2025 Creepy Conference, joins the podcast to discuss the 4chan Murder.  

]]> The 4chan Murder The 4chan Murder 00:21:52 16efda50-d173-4a67-b634-2b9fb61c86b2 Dr. Pamboukian 1 2 full false https://pod.co/creepy-conference/the-4chan-murder Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:57:04 +0000 At the 2023 Creepy Conference, RMU student Josephine Leslie described the various theories that surround the death of noted American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe. This podcast explores these theories from the reasonable to the outlandish, and it shares some favorite Poe poems – “Annabel Lee” and “Lenore.”

]]> Episode #3 The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Episode #3 The Death of Edgar Allan Poe 00:24:24 08e9d3b9-29e1-4c02-8d23-b4f10e717577 Sylvia Pamboukian 3 1 full false https://pod.co/creepy-conference/episode-3-the-death-of-edgar-allan-poe Thu, 14 Dec 2023 17:11:15 +0000 At the 2023 Creepy Conference, RMU student and military history buff Alex Vignovich described the rumors surrounding a supposedly secret military test called “The Philadelphia Experiment.” This episode explores the legendary Philadelphia Experiment along with some other folklore of the sea.  

]]> Episode #2 The Philadelphia Experiment and Folklore of the se Episode #2 The Philadelphia Experiment and Folklore of the se 00:29:18 5a8c294c-305e-4c6b-8919-2c7746cfcc10 Sylvia Pamboukian 2 1 full false https://pod.co/creepy-conference/episode-2-the-philadelphia-experiment-and-folklore-of-the-se Thu, 14 Dec 2023 17:08:28 +0000 At the 2023 Creepy Conference, graduate student Ashley Messner shared ghoulish experiments with the audience and invited them to vote: real or fake? This podcast asks listeners to decide for themselves about which creepy experiments are strange science and which are only science fiction.

]]> Episode #1 – “Strange Science or Science Fiction” with Ashley Messner Episode #1 – “Strange Science or Science Fiction” with Ashley Messner 00:29:30 b1dda64c-b295-4b87-a82a-9308680935af Sylvia Pamboukian 1 1 full false https://pod.co/creepy-conference/episode-1-strange-science-or-science-fiction-with-ashley-messner Thu, 14 Dec 2023 17:04:28 +0000