Originally spinning off of Bryan Alvarez hit podcast show After Dark, Karl Stern’s DragonKing Dark Podcast appeared for years on the Dark Matter Digital Network and numerous websites and terrestrial radio. Now, after years of laying dormant, DragonKing Dark has risen from the grave to again bring you tales no one else would dare touch! Tales of the supernatural, horror, monsters, scandals, and how they weave into pop culture. Join us now if you dare for the archives and new shows of DragonKing Dark only on our Patreon!
DragonKing Dark - Carrie (2026) Review
From the pages of Stephen King's classic book Carrie, Amazon Prime has released a new eight-episode mini-series retells the supernatural story of Carrie White in a modern style with tie-ins to other Stephen King series including the recent Welcome to Derry, The Shining, and more. This modern remake gives an even more supernatural spin to the Carrie White story with an ending that differs from the original movie. Join Karl and Tonya from When It Was Cool with a review of this great new Amazon Prime mini-series.
DragonKing Dark - UAPs, Angels, Demons, ETs, Oh my!
For a few minutes I am resurrecting the DragonKing Dark podcast to talk about the government's UFO / UAP files, Angels, Demons, ETs, The Celestials and much more! Even Congress and Steven Spielberg have gotten in on the act. What is this all about or is it even about anything? What on Earth is happening in the heavens? Let's ponder it for a few minutes on this special episode of DragonKing Dark!
DragonKing Dark - Age of Disclosure Documentary Review
Join us as we sit down and chit-chat about the new documentary film that is making waves around the country and starting a finally, for-real, serious discussion about what the heck is going on with UAPs/UFOs. This documentary is fascinating with very high-level people in the government basically saying, 'UFOs are real. We are not alone. We should just come out and tell everybody... but..."
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Fall of the House of Usher
This Edgar Allen Poe themed dark drama debuted on Netflix in November starring, among other people, Mark Hamill... yes, Luke Skywalker as an evil attorney if you can believe it. Drawing from the Sackler family and the opioid crisis, this is the tale of the fall of a billionaire family who made their fortune off selling a deadly medication with no moral compass, sprinkled with a bit of the supernatural and told by the framework of Edgar Allen Poe. It doesn't sound like it should work, but it does.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Knock at the Cabin (2020) Movie Review
Karl and Tonya from When It Was Cool takes a look back at the psychological thriller Knock at the Cabin starring former pro wrestling and MCU star Dave Batista. A mysterious foursome appear at a cabin where a family of three are staying with a strange and dark request- choose to kill a member of their family or the world will end. When they refuse, apocalyptic events begin unfolding.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
Karl and Tonya from When It Was Cool return to discuss the new video game inspired horror movie Five Nights at Freddy's. While fans seem to love it and it has made a ton of money, critics have brutalized it. The truth, at least in our opinion, stands somewhere in-between! This also falls right into our pop culture wheelhouse as the animatronics in the movie (and game) are based on the old Showbiz Pizza animatronics which leads to some great fun. Is it creepy or is it fun? Let's talk Five Nights at Freddy's (There are spoilers aplenty so be warned!)
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Pet Semetary: Bloodlines (2023)
On this edition of When It Was Cool Dark Podcast, hosts Karl and Tonya discuss the latest prequel for the Stephen King Pet Semetary franchise: Bloodline. The seeds for this story were planted in the original 1989 movie/book where we learn about a young Judd, Timmy, his dog, and the origin of the pet cemetery. This movie has seen some harsh criticism and we will discuss why. So, grab some popcorn and come prepare for Halloween with us as we journey to the Pet Semetary.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Son of Frankenstein
When It Was Cool Dark looks back at 1939's Universal Monster movie Son of Frankenstein where the son of the original Dr. Frankenstein comes to claim his family estate and discovers The Monster has been saved by Ygor (played by Bela Lugosi of Dracula fame) and is being used as a weapon against Ygor's enemies. Karl and Tonya (from When It Was Cool website) discuss the movie and the changes in macabre films over the years and what are the modern equivalents of this type cinema.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Alaska Triangle
Karl Stern discusses the mysterious Alaska Triangle where supposedly nearly 20,000 have gone missing. There are also reports of UFOs and UAPs and even its own native Bigfoot like creature, the Wendigo! Planes have vanished without a trace and even a high-level U.S. Congressman has gone missing. Is there something going on in this vast stretch of Alaskan wilderness or is this just another mystery that isn't really that mysterious? There is one very strange case in the Alaska Triangle that seems to defy explanation. Join us as we discuss the Alaska Triangle.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Early Newspaper UFO Reports
If the headlines of today's newspapers sudden screamed "The United States in Possession of Alien Spacecraft!" the world would go crazy. The 24 hour news stations would leap on the story (until the next crisis came along or could be invented) but it was be... well... big news. Yet, it has already happened. Thanks to archives of Newspapers.com, podcast host Karl Stern digs into the start of the "Flying Saucer" sensation that gripped the United States (and later the world) around the time of the reported Roswell, NM UFO crash.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Who is the Harvard Alien Hunter?
For several years now you may have been periodically reading headlines like, "Harvard Professor Believes Object Traveling Through Solar System is Alien Space Craft", or recently, "Harvard Professor Discovers Remains of Alien Technology on Earth". So who is this Harvard Professor? He is Avi Loeb and he is, in fact, a Harvard Professor. But what's his deal? If a Harvard Professor has, supposedly discovered all of this why has the world turned upside down at his "discoveries"? Let's dig deeper into who is this Alien discovering Harvard professor and why does his name keep coming up in the news and... has he discovered evidence for aliens?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Corruption of the Peer Review Process
We need to be able to trust the gatekeepers of science. Science and scientific ideals are at the center of modern political warfare and science should be held to the course of political winds. We need science to be firm and accountable. But what happens when the very process that oversees acceptable science becomes corrupted. There is an outcry among the scientific community that this may well be happening due to a corruption of the peer review process. What is peer review and how could it be manipulated? That is the topic on this edition of When It Was Cool Dark Podcast.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Origin of Life
How did life begin? The prevailing scientific consensus presents us with a primordial soup a few billion years ago which coalesced into life. But wait, the science is not as settled as you might believe. There are problems with that model and some leading scientists are challenging that model. What even is "life"? Even that definition is not as clear in 2023 as one might think. Today at When It Was Cool Dark we will look at some of the latest questions being presented to origin of life researchers. No, we aren't talking creationism either, but the straightforward science.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Strange Funeral of Gram Parsons
This week, our show has a twist. Yes, it was a tragedy that 26 year old singer-songwriter Gram Parsons died. Like many music deaths, it was likely caused by the usual suspects. But what happened next is... bizarre. The story involves a stolen hearse, fake morticians dressed like cowboys, a gallon of gasoline, and a flaming casket in the middle of the desert. Yeah, this one is dark but in a different way.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Death of Edgar Allan Poe
The master of dark literature, Edgar Allan Poe, died under the most mysterious of circumstances. The famous writer was found wandering the streets of Baltimore, MD in dire straits, mumbling and dressed in someone else's clothing. There are a number of theories about the death of Edgar Allan Poe and we will discuss a few of them this week on When It Was Cool Dark.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Beetlejuice (1988) Review
It's the ghost with the most. This week WhenItWasCool.com continues our month long celebration of Halloween as Karl and Tonya take a look back at the 1988 horror comedy Beetlejuice! An all-star cast battles with the afterlife in this late 1980s classic, fun for everyone on your Halloween playlist! Beetlejuice is a cult classic movie that has actually aged pretty well. Just don't say the title three times!
DragonKing Dark - Poltergeist (1982)
Karl and Tonya discuss the classic 1982 horror movie Poltergeist. Into the pop culture lexicon entered the eerie phrase, "They're here!" And, beyond the storyline itself, the movie was followed by the tragic death of its young star. Poltergeist gave birth to multiple sequels and remains a staple of must-see horror Halloween classics.
DragonKing Dark - Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story Netflix Review
The Jeffery Dahmer Story is currently one of the most popular streaming series of the year. Karl and Tonya from When It Was Cool have watched it and this is our review. We understand there is a lot of negative feelings toward this series and we try to address those as honestly as possible.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Host Karl Stern (DragonKingKarl) is joined by his wife Tonya from WIWC to discuss one of the iconic horror movies of ever- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) which gave us a young Johnny Depp and one of the greatest monster horror characters ever in Freddie Kruger! One-Two-Freddie's Coming For You!
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Death of Prince
Continuing our look at 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history by looking at the death of pop music legend Prince. Prince died just over six years ago of a fentanyl overdose. Since then, fentanyl has been a scourge in American society, responsible for numerous overdose deaths. Prince was one of the most talented musicians of all time and his death at the age of 57 was one of pop cultures darkest moments. This show ended up getting me booked on Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho Podcast.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - What Happened to Glenn Miller?
If you know any big band swing music, then it is probably by Glenn Miller and his orchestra. Some of the most recognizable instrumental hits were arranged and recorded by the biggest pop star of the early 1940's, Glenn Miller. He was every bit as big a star as Elvis or The Beatles in that era. So, what happened to him? Where is he now? Nobody knows. At the height of his fame, he joined the U.S. Army Air Force in World War 2 and went missing somewhere between London and Paris. This is the story of pop mega-star Glenn Miller.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Twilight Zone Movie Disaster
In July 1982 while filming the Twilight Zone movie, actor Vic Morrow and two child actors were killed by a crashing helicopter while filming a scene during the movie. The accident reveled numerous short-cuts were taken and safety protocols bypassed which contributed to the tragedy. The Twilight Zone movie disaster is one of our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Gloria Ramirez - The Toxic Lady
It sounds like urban legend. Surely the details of the story must be exaggerated. But as it turns out, in California, there was, in fact, a lady named Gloria Ramirez who showed up to the Emergency Room very sick, who appeared to have a crystal type substance in her blood, who then radiated fumes which caused multiple hospital employees to pass out, one even ended up in ICU. Turns out, it's true.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Crystal Skulls
It's a staple of popular culture and a fun story. Multiple crystal carved stones are discovered throughout Mexico and South America. The Crystal Skulls supposedly have mystical powers and perhaps ties to extraterrestrials. There are 13 of them. Any or none of this may be true. The story of the crystal skulls are one of those tales about an intriguing object that popular culture latched onto for some reason. Let's discover the true story of the crystal skulls.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Baltic Sea Anomaly
We enter our mythical museum of curiosities again and this time travel beneath the Baltic Sea to find something very strange. Again, this object isn't a work of fiction, nor is it something ethereal. It is a real existing thing that can be studied... but what is it? Of all the structures of unusual nature that are talked about, this one has gone under the radar but I find it one of the most fascinating. It certainly appears as though there is a crashed UFO under the Baltic Sea.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Pyramids
This week we enter our mythical museum of curiosities to examine one of the oldest and largest structures on planet Earth- the Great Pyramid. For over 3000 years the Great Pyramid at Giza was the tallest structure on the planet. Despite the fact we can still see and study these massive structures today, there is still much that isn't known about them and much that is still debated. It's not only one of the most grand structures in history but one of the most mysterious as well.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Mask
One of the most ancient rituals mankind still engages in is the creation and wearing of masks. Since the oldest civilizations, humans have concealed their identities for rituals, for war, to commit crimes, and for celebrations and sports. In today's society we are wearing masks for health purposes. But we also use them in movies, sports, and more. The hockey mask, the medical mask, the decorative mask, movie monster mask, the lucha libre and wrestling, mask, and mask used for crime. DragonKing Dark Podcast looks at humanities fascination with masks.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Eye of Agamotto
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Comic Universe, there exists an esoteric object of incredible magical power- The Eye of Agamotto. Possessed by Earth's Sorcerer Supreme- Dr. Strange, the Eye of Agamotto is a story telling device which offers up a solution to many problems. Need to get to another location quicker than conventional travel allows? The Eye of Agamotto can help. Need to open a gate to another dimension? Eye of Agamotto. Answer an unanswerable question? Banish a monster? Cast an illusion? The Eye of Agamotto.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Ancient of Days
We return to our metaphorical museum of curiosities this week for a very curious object indeed. Spoken of only in passing in the Bible but in greater detail in Khabbalic literature, we examine The Ancient of Days. The Ancient of Days seems to be a device of some sort which had to be assembled and cleaned in a specific manner during the Biblical Exodus. One author believed the device to be a machine which produced manna. He then built a working model based on the text and produced food with it. What is the strange Ancient of Days?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Shroud of Turin
This episode we enter our mythical museum of curiosities and find a real object that can be periodically seen and studied- the Shroud of Turin. Many Christians over the centuries have revered this cloth as the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. The reason? A faint, but distinct image of a man is somehow visible on the cloth with evidence of injuries to the areas one would expect from a man crucified. There is conflicting evidence concerning the dating of the shroud and the Catholic Church, despite revering the shroud, has yet to officially venerate it.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Dendera Lights
There is a carving in the ancient Egyptian temple of Dendera that seems, on first sight, to show an Egyptian holding a giant light bulb. The image is striking and seems obvious which begs the question: What were the ancient Egyptians doing with an electric light bulb? Is the explanation that simple? Come inside the DragonKing Dark museum of curiosities and let's examine this seemingly out of place artifact and let's try to determine what is really going on here. This week let's discuss the Dendera Lights.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Helmet of Fate
We return to our mythical museum of curiosities again this week looking at objects of mystery and power and examine a fictional object this time - The Helmet of Fate. Though the Helmet of Fate is a fictional object of comics and television it tells us something about our fascination with magic, ancient Egypt, and forbidden knowledge. The stories of Dr. Fate and mystical helmet reflect other stories from literature and tells us something about a world beyond our ability to see.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Antikythera Mechanism
An artifact that we can really see in a museum, study, and make models of: the Antikythera Mechanism. The Antikythera Mechanism is a vastly complex analog computing device dating to presumably 200 BC or earlier with hugely complicated gears and switches that track celestial movements, eclipses, and more, sometimes down to the very hour. The lost wisdom of our ancestors is astonishing and this artifact seems out of place in the timeline.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Ark of the Covenant
Some items are real and some imagined and some are something in between. But all the items and objects we will study tell us something about who we are, what we believe, what we imagine, and speak to our fears and hopes. Today, we study the best theories and ideas about the Biblical Ark of the Covenant. What was it and where might it be?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Grand Canyon Tales of the Missing and Murdered
We are going on a trip to the Grand Canyon National Park later this week and while the Grand Canyon is one of the most beautiful places in North America it can also be very dangerous. Routinely people, often using less than good judgement, plunge to their death. Other hike away on trails and the weather gets the better of them. Still others go missing never to be found again. On this episode of DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern takes a look at a few of the outstanding cases of the Grand Canyon missing and murdered.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Conspiracies Are Real (And They Aren't)
We live in an age of conspiracies, no question about it. What is real about the illness sweeping the world? What is real concerning the upcoming election? Is there a rogue government agent posting insider information on the internet? Conspiracies happen every day which are real. You might even be conspiring about something yourself. But how can we know what is real and what isn't when the world is in such turmoil right now? A year ago if you would have told people the world would be masked, shut down, and large numbers of people dying you might have been inclined to yell "conspiracy". Let's talk about it.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Examining True Crime
True Crime podcasts and television are very popular. Entire TV channels are devoted to the genre and true crime podcast series often reside near the top of the podcast charts. What is our morbid fascination murder? Why do we gawk at the misfortune of others, often forming our opinion based less on fact than on entertainment? Millions of untrained people are fed the most sensational aspects of a story and willingly sit and devour that information for their own entertainment. Join us as host Karl Stern examines True Crime entertainment.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Dark Shadows & Bewitched
This week on the DragonKing Dark Podcast we have two retro TV reviews for you of very differing types. Pulled from our Patreon archives at WhenItWasCool.com host Karl takes a look at one of his favorite TV shows, the gothic vampire soap opera Dark Shadows. Then Karl is joined by Tonya from When It Was Cool to discuss the witch themed sitcom Bewitched!
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Led Zeppelin Curse
A great show for you today as Karl reviews the book The Led Zeppelin Curse by Lance Gilbert exploring Jimmy Page and his involvement with the occult and especially his ownership of the Boleskine House manor on the shores of Loch Ness previously owned by the occultist Alister Crowley. Did Jimmy Page's dabbling in the dark arts bring doom down on the band? Did a curse placed on Jimmy Page by an occult film director cause his downfall? What is the real story of Boleskine House and it's history? (It's burned down twice). Plus wizards, a fatal church fire, and more!
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Tarot Cards
Tarot cards evoke images of the esoteric and occult. With names like "The Devil", "The Hanged Man", "The Tower", and "Death", it's not hard to understand why tarot cards stoke the imagination. While decks of cards have been used for millennia for divination, the Tarot's antiquity is someone in question. While they have been linked to ancient Egypt the evidence is somewhat questionable. Never the less, the Tarot are imaginative, interesting, and somewhat scary.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Anger Within Us
I can feel the temperature rising, can't you? You can't escape the images of anger and violence in today's society, but what are we all so mad about? Turns out, there are plenty of reasons real and imagined. Periodically, humans seem to lose sight of all reason and embark on witch hunts. Even a cursory study of history shows over and over again we collectively need to hunt and burn perceived evil and impose our vision of good... and we seem to be doing it again. Let's talk about it.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Distrust of Government and Each Other
I'm sure you've noticed... we are having a hard time getting along with one another lately. Even the simplest of things seem to trigger people. One would think simply asking the public to wear a mask to slow the spread of a disease would be met with, "Oh sure, that's easy." Instead it's been met with wild eyes, slobber, and the insinuation that this easy request is an act of humiliation and enslavement. Seems like there's something deeper to it. And there is. There is a reason that Karen is going nuts in Walmart, there is a reason people are destroying property and burning cities, there is a reason we distrust even the mildest things the government asks and are now turning on each other. We've been conditioned to do it.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Devil We Know
DragonKing Dark gets darker again this week as we look at a 2011 documentary titled The Devil We Know. This documentary takes a look back at the historic origins of Satan. You might be saying, hey Karl, the origins of the devil are from the Bible, and while that is true the devil we know is really different than the one presented in the pages of the scripture. So how did we get from this etherial prosecutor for God to the lord of evil and master of demons? The answers are surprising.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Most Evil People in History
DragonKing Dark Podcast continues to get even darker this week as we continue the theme of the faces of evil. On this episode, host Karl Stern from WhenItWasCool.com asks the question, who are the most evil people in history? Several immediately come to mind for obvious reasons but are there any we overlook? Are there people who's evil acts and evil nature are completely evident until later on? Did these evil people meet a terrible end or did their unholy works go unpunished in this life time? The complex question of evil is examined this episode and we try to put some faces on it.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - 1971: The Manson Family Trial
Host Karl Stern celebrates his birthday all week long with a look back at the year he was born- 1971. On this episode, we look back at the insane circus that was the Manson family trial. While the killings took place in 1969 and the trial began in 1970 it wasn't until 1971 that a verdict could finally be reached. The Charles Manson family trial was a media circus and the cult played continuous mind games with the court including some outrages antics
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Trilogy of Wrestling Murders
This week DragonKing Dark takes a turn toward true crime with a look at three wrestlers whose careers were tainted by murder accusations. Most everyone is very familiar with Chris Benoit who killed his wife and child and then himself. But did you know I once had dinner with him? I'll tell you about it and discuss the crime. Jimmy Snuka never went to trial on the killing of Nancy Argentina, he died of cancer first, but we will discuss the night in 1983 she was killed. Finally, a deep dive into wrestling history finds that the World Welterweight champion and his wife were also indicted for murder but ultimately acquitted. I'll tell you about that too.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Wrestling's Curse of July
Professional wrestling has had it's share of tragedy, accident, and true crime over it's lengthy American history but, July as it seems, has historically been the worst month of all. A major superstar comes to America and is the darling of the press and would spawn imitators for decades later. He also literally goes down with the ship. Car wrecks, freak boating accidents, and even murder. July is a month that, as a pro wrestler, should bear extra caution.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Who Were the Olmecs?
DragonKing Dark takes another journey back in time to study ancient civilizations in our continuing effort to make sense out of the history of mankind, a timeline which seems to have a lot of pieces that don't fit. One of the great central American cultures surrounded by a lot of mystery are the Olmecs. They left us several giant carved heads. We presume these heads represent the Olmecs but why are they all wearing helmets? Have some of these same heads also been found in Africa? We try to cut through the information and misinformation surrounding the mysterious Olmec culture and attempt to determine where they fit into our story of human civilization.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Most Ancient of Civilizations
This week on DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern returns to the topic of ancient civilizations and tries to unpack the question - what is actually the most ancient organized civilization we know of? Most of us know of the Sumerians, and ancient Egypt of course, but recent archeological investigation is beginning to shed light on even older civilizations which are moving more north of the "cradle of civilization" of the Persian Gulf region. And what beyond that? Do we really even have a grasp of the history of our planet? The answers are interesting.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Funerals, Tombs, Memorials
In years past, the veneration of the deceased was a big deal. Historically, mankind has built elaborate tombs, pyramids, even cities to the deceased. As recently as the early 1900s it was not uncommon for families to erect massive memorials to departed loved ones. On this weeks episode Karl discusses the differences between then and now and visits a historic cemetery in Nashville, TN to pay respects to a pop culture legend.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Secrets of Archeology the Mayans
The mysterious Mayan civilization built cities, roads, and elaborate complexes throughout central America. An amazing advanced civilization that evaporated in a remarkably short period of time. Host Karl Stern watched an episode of Secrets of Archeology and reviews it and relates his experiences visiting a Mayan holy sight a few years ago.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Biblical Plagues and the Four Horsemen
Karl takes a look back at the Biblical plagues of Egypt as detailed in the book of Exodus. Then, we visit the Revelation of St. John and discuss the infamous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and see if they are, indeed, riding the earth as we speak. No matter if you believe this stuff or don't, the fact is millions of people do and we can understand their anxieties by understanding these stories. Dystopia, fear, and future events? Are they foretold by these tales?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Tales of the Unexpected
An amazing show written by Roald Dahl. From 1979 Tales of the Unexpected is a wonderful show. Similar in many ways to the Twilight Zone but with a more sinister undertone. This episode (season one, episode one) is an often repeated tale of a bet made between a teenage sailor and a mysterious, eccentric, older gentleman but the wager is a strange one. The twist ending is also bizarre. This retro television episode is one that will stick with you, make you uncomfortable, but yet enjoyable.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Son of Satan
Another supernatural entity first appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics back in the 1970s alongside Ghost Rider- the Son of Satan! Damian Hellstrom (I nice devilish name) has occasionally appeared ever since in the pages of his own comic book series and as a member of The Defenders. In our current series we are examining the stories we tell that help us deal with the unknown and this story- the Son of Satan, not only deals with devils and demons but with our on family issues as well. Even your dad wasn't this bad.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Avenging Angels in Comics
These are angelic beings sent by a high power to right wrongs and serve justice. Obviously, these beings are vastly powerful and are based on archetype biblical angels. The Specter, Angela, and other powerful beings sent to serve justice are explored in this episode of DragonKing Dark.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Ghost Rider
For several weeks now we have been exploring our fascination with the unknown, the paranormal, and the super natural through the stories we tell. After examining several movie characters we now want to shift our focus to another area of retro pop culture where many movie characters are mined from: comic books. The first character we look at is the Marvel Comics character Ghost Rider who rode onto comic book pages in the 1970s and continues to this day. He had two movies and is one of the best character designs in comic book history.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Joker
This week on DragonKing Dark, host Karl is joined by Joker expert Tonya from WhenItWasCool.com to discuss the complex and widely interpreted Batman foe The Joker. The Joker debuted in Batman issue 1 way back in 1940 and has been interpreted many ways, both in the comics and in movies. Cesar Romero's slapstick Joker, Jack Nicholson's strange comic bookie Joker, Heath Ledger's award winning drug-addled inspired Joker, Jared Leto's new punk version, and Joaquin Phoenix's brilliant exploration of mental illness.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Anton Chigurh (No Country For Old Men)
We continue our look at complex movie villains with a dark or supernatural aspect to them. This week we look at one of my favorite- Anton Chigurh from No Country For Old Men. Upon first viewing in 2007, No Country For Old Men became one of my favorite movies and much of that surrounded how I related to Tommy Lee Jone's Ed Tom character but even more to Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh who is both a great straight up bad guy, but beyond that, a psychological analog to the never-ending presence of evil in the world.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Bane from Dark Knight Rises
This week, host Karl Stern takes a look at another movie villain who is more than a one dimensional brute. We travel back to, what many feel, was the worst of the Nolan Batman films, however, the lead antagonist is an extremely interesting character. Bane is, on first examination, a brute. A strongman who aims to "break the Bat" as per comic book lore. However, there is much more to Bane than meets the eye... even if you can't understand him.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Jason Voorhees
This week on DragonKing Dark, we explore the story and psychology of another icon of fear and horror - Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movie series. The story of Jason changed frequently throughout the movie franchise but the stalking element of fear and surprise remained constant. DragonKing Dark continues to explore elements of the supernatural, fear, and paranormal through the stories we tell and this week we look back at one of the most iconic film series ever.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Lord Humungus the Road Warrior
Here he is, Humungus, the Lord Humungus. The master of the wastelands. The Ayatollah of rock and rolla! On this episode of DragonKing Dark Podcast, host Karl Stern takes a look at our possible dystopian future through the movie Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and it's main antagonist- the Lord Humungus. As we live through this pandemic we are going to look at some pop culture that tells us stories of how the future could be. THERE'S BEEN TOO MUCH VIOLENCE!
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Secrets of the Sphinx
This week on DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern takes a look at a 2013 documentary from the Smithsonian Channel called Secrets of the Sphinx. Of all the ancient monuments in Giza complex in Egypt, one stands out as different from the others. The great Sphinx seems out of place, out of scale, and older than the rest. The official archaeological story says different but one can see with their own eyes that the head is out of scale to the body and there are clear signs of water erosion. What's up with that? We discuss the age and theories of The Sphinx.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Bionic Man vs Venus Death Probe
This week on DragonKing Dark Podcast, host Karl Stern looks back at a series of popular Six Million Dollar Man TV episodes featuring a Soviet Venus probe that malfunctioned and landed in the United States and went on a terror spree. The Venus death probe was indestructible, built to withstand the harsh conditions of the planet Venus. Then we will look at the reality behind the Venus probe including Russia's actual successful landing of a probe on Venus, the only pictures from it's nightmarish surface, and some really cool information about the hell world that is Venus.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Paranormal Survivor
On this weeks DragonKing Dark Podcast, host Karl Stern takes a look at an episode of the television docu-series Paranormal Survivor. This episode takes a look at a haunted house (one of my favorite topics), a haunted car and other haunted objects, and much more. We venture into the realm of ghosts and demonic activity.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Hidden Best Monsters: Loch Ness
One of the most popular pop culture monsters of the 1970s was the Loch Ness monster, a supposed displaced dinosaur or sea creature in a deep Scottish lake. Nessy even made it into a song by The Police and Napoleon Dynamite. While the Loch Ness monster also seems like a plausible real thing that could exist, it turns out, it's the most likely of the famous 1970s monsters not to be real. This documentary from 2012 takes a look at how the Loch Ness monster turned out to be nothing more than a plot to get revenge on a newspaper.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Bionic Bigfoot
This week on the DragonKing Dark Podcast, host Karl Stern looks back to the 1970s popular television series the Six Million Dollar Man and reviews the episodes where Bigfoot shows up! Not only does Bigfoot arrive but he's has bionic enhancements as well. Bigfoot is played by both pro wrestler Andre the Giant and Ted Cassidy. We talk about Bigfoot hysteria in the 1970s and how pop culture treated Bigfoot.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - In Search of History... Dracula (1996)
This week on DragonKing Dark Podcast, host Karl Stern takes a look back at a 1996 documentary from In Search of History on the origins of Dracula. We will look back at the facts and fiction of tying the real-life Vlad Tepes to the fictional vampire lord Dracula. While Bram Stoker's Dracula gets his name and much of his home setting from Vlad the Impaler, there is some question of how much the two Dracula's have in common. We take a look back at this 1996 documentary and discuss what has changed since then.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Master of Dark Shadows
This week on DragonKing Dark, Karl takes a look at a documentary from 2019 about the cult 1960s supernatural themed soap opera Dark Shadows. We have talked about Dark Shadows before at When It Was Cool and this documentary promised a look behind the scenes and at the creator of the series- Dan Curtis. While it fell short in that area, it excelled in taking a look at the most interesting character from the show- Barnabas Collins.
DragonKing Dark - Abominable Snowman Yeti
This week host Karl Stern takes a look at a documentary titled "In Search of History: The Abominable Snowman". The Yeti is a creature similar to Bigfoot in many respects, only in colder climates. But what evidence of the Yeti do we actually have? Do we have more or less than Bigfoot? There is even some claimed evidence of the existence of the Abominable Snowman in the form of a mummified hand and scalp. How well do these hold up to examination?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - In Search of Bigfoot (1977)
Our retro TV review this week goes back into the In Search of... collection and tackles an icon of the 1970s- Bigfoot! In this episode, Leonard Nimoy navigates us through the usual Bigfoot stories- men trapped in a cabin under siege from a group of creatures, obviously the Patterson film story, and many other close encounters with a giant ape-man in the Pacific Northwest. If you're a Bigfoot enthusiast then this show was produced during the height of the 1970s Bigfoot-mania.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Future Shock 1972
Orson Wells. We all know the name as one of the greatest directors and minds of the last 100 years. Orson Wells narrates this amazing 1972 documentary Future Shock based on a book by the same name. Unlike so many other futurism documentaries and books, this one gets it right. In fact, frighteningly so. No flying cars or homes of the future here. Instead, it seems a society shocked into depression over the rapid advancement in technology. With 50 years of perspective since Future Shock aired, it actually seems more relevant than ever.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - In Search of and The Pyramid Code
This week, host Karl Stern takes a look at two shows. First, from the old series In Search Of... starring Leonard Nimoy season 1 episode 1 which asks "What if plants can communicate with us?". Then the second half of the show looks at episode 1 of the Pyramid Code which dives into the mysteries of the Egyptian Pyramids!
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Here is Your Super Power
On this week's show host Karl Stern plays a fun and interesting game combining fantasy and ethics. Here is Your Super Power asks the question, if you were given a comic book super power what would you actually do with it? We examine several comic book characters who either use their powers for good or evil and ask ourselves what would really happen in a real world setting?
Host Karl Stern is back with a fresh show taking a look at 10 interesting curses in both history and popular culture. Are there any that actually pass the slightest bit of inspection and make you go, "hmmm?" From obviously ones like buried pirate treasure to ones less known, people have long been fascinated by a warning attached to a curse. Will you be brave enough to break the seal on this episode?
This week looks at entropy in small town America, a topic I've discussed before. Today I take you on sort of a tour and tell you more about the changing dynamics of America including the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Dark Superhero Movies
This week on DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern takes a deeper dive into the list to pick out the movies which have more of a horror or occult theme to them. Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, Dark Man, Blade, and more. DragonKing Dark is your weekly dose of the strange, bizarre, odd, and unusual. Patreons get an ad free extended version of the show and this week we take a look at recent comments and questions from our Patreons.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Curse of the Poltergeist
Host Karl Stern continues his look at various curses in pop culture and today he looks at all the strange and tragic events surrounding the Poltergeist series of movies. A young star dies of an unexpected health emergency, another is murdered, and others still befall a series of bizarre calamities.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Curse of Superman
Karl Stern takes a look back at the supposed curse of Superman. Tragedy and misfortune has been linked to appearing as the iconic DC Comics character. From the strange and controversial death of George Reeves to the tragic injury and ultimate death of Christopher Reeve many associated with the role of Superman have met with trouble. Is Superman a career killer for an actor? How many others have met with tragedy while associated with Superman?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Consider the Speckled Sea Louse
A variety of dark themed topics pepper the news over the last few weeks mostly dealing with strange and amazing aspects of science. On this episode we journey from the depths of the sea to the outer reaches of space to find out that reality is sometimes stranger than fantasy. It's your weekly dose of the odd, strange, and unusual brought to you by WhenItWasCool.com and Karl Stern.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Odd Coincidences
Karl Stern takes a look at a couple of Presidential coincidences and tries to determine if these are fact, fiction, or just fun? We take a look at the supposed connections between Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln which is one of the most popular stories and then we look at the lesser known but still strange story of the Baron Trump books from the 1800s which supposedly have time travel and synchronistic elements dealing with the current President.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - When Idols Fall
We have seen much of this lately. Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, politicians, church leaders, and other entertainers are frequently in the news as their past sins and crimes have come to light. Then out come the torches of the media both mainstream and social and their works are art are pulled from the air, dismissed, and forgotten. But should it? Can we separate the artist from the art? Should we?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Lying Stones and CERN
On this edition of DragonKing Dark Podcast we are taking a look at two famous hoaxes of science. First we journey back to the 1700s were a respected professor is convinced that he had found fossils made by the hand of God himself only to find out that the joke was on him. Then we discuss a modern day conspiracy tale involving the CERN particle collider. It's another science packed episode of DragonKing Dark.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - CRISPR
Genetic editing is all over the news lately and many laymen are wondering what exactly is CRISPR? Is it some biblical monstrosity where man is now playing God? Is it a way to create supermen and women? Or is it the answer to all genetic problems and the future to the health and wellbeing of mankind? On this episode of DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern digs into some research about what exactly is gene editing and CRISPR and is it a tool to be feared or one of the greatest advancements in science of the modern era?
DragonKing Dark Podcast- Time and Time Again
On this week's edition of DragonKing Dark Podcast we take on one of host Karl Stern's favorite topics- time! Specifically on this episode we discuss whether time travel is scientifically possible and look at several papers on the subject that come to varying conclusions. The possibilities are interesting and some theories are not necessarily what you might think. Let's aim for the nearest singularity this week and see what happens on the DragonKing Dark Podcast!
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Most Dangerous Episode Ever
On this special edition of the DragonKing Dark Podcast, host Karl Stern tells some truths which must be told. At long last, the most dangerous weapon is exposed. If you have ever wondered why things are the way they are. If you have ever wondered how people are being manipulated to believe and passionately defend the most outlandish of ideas. If you have ever wondered what's causing all this - then you must listen to this very special edition of the DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Most Dangerous Episode Ever. You have been warned. Knowledge is power.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Flat Earth, Antivaxx, Conspiracies
Karl Stern discusses beliefs that are against the mainstream and discusses what the logical approach to them is, why they exist to begin with, and searches for the truth behind what is seemingly anti-logical beliefs such as the Earth is flat, anti-vaccinators, and other extreme conspiracy beliefs.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Thea or How the Moon Was Born
Karl Stern takes a look at one of the leading hypothesis about how Earth's larger than average moon was formed. Does the formation of Earth's moon also offer an explanation of how all the essential ingredients for life arrived here when the rest of our solar system appears barren? Or is the first origins of life still a mystery? World's will literally collide on this episode of DragonKing Dark Podcast.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Oumuamua Alien Probe
It came from outer space. Like literally, outer outer space. Oumuamua made the news last year as the first observed body from interstellar space which had been seen in our solar system. And then it got weird. It was like nothing we ever saw before. It was neither astroid nor comet. It also seemed to accelerate as it left our solar system. Now a Harvard Professor, no less, believes it was of artificial origin. In this episode of DragonKing Dark Podcast, host Karl Stern takes a look at just what was Oumuamua and where did it go?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Curse of King Tut
In the early 1900s Egyptian archeology was in it's golden era and the unearthing of an intact, treasure filled, tomb of a Pharaoh was the talk of the world. Movies and pop culture media were based on it. The discoverers were superstars, and... most of them may have died shortly thereafter.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Hands Resist Him
Karl Stern, takes a look at a supposed cursed painting called The Hands Resist Him. Now, mind you, this painting is creepy enough of it's own accord, but supposedly those who have owned the painting have met with misfortune. The painting is now kept in a museum... but not on display.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Oak Island Money Pit
This weeks tale is one of the more well known one because it has a television reality show attached to it. The Oak Island Money Pit is located in Canada and for over the last hundred years people have been trying to claim a supposed treasure buried in a booby trapped pit. This one actually has a little evidence to support it... a little.
DragonKing Dark - James Dean Cursed Car
This week, we look at the tale of James Dean's Cursed Car. James Dean was an icon of Hollywood who was killed in a car wreck as his fame exploded. But, as the story goes, James Dean was only the first of several to be killed by this car. How could a totaled Porsche Spider kill again and again?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - All In Your Head
Ghosts, the paranormal, UFOs, religious experience- is it all just in our heads? Everything we experience and perceive is literally just our brains interpretation of input from our senses. People with certain mental disorders and illnesses like dementia seemingly experience real events in the their minds that aren't actually happening in the real world so is this evidence that supernatural experiences are all just inside our own minds or are our minds amazing receivers to a realm beyond our own?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Is Tech Bad For Us?
Is technology bad for us? In so many ways technology has helped mankind and advanced us to live longer and healthier lives. But it has come with a cost. While the tech has opened up the world and given us instant access to information we previously had to manually search out there are more and more studies that have uncovered the chilling ways it is impacting our lives. Does tech really make our lives easier or has it added complexity and stress and given the worst among us a new tool to exploit, harass, and prey.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Bible and the Paranormal
This week on DragonKing Dark we take another look at what the Bible has to say about topics of the paranormal. Many of the supernatural elements in paranormal belief are not only in the Bible but originate there. Obviously, things like angels, demons, and miracles, but the very idea of the occult has it's origins in the Bible. How about other things like UFOs? Ghosts? Magic? On this edition of DragonKing Dark we search for these elements in the Bible.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Are You Being Controlled
Karl Stern takes a look at the news, current events, modern politics, and asks the very valid question - Are you being controlled? For hundreds of years there has been talk of an Illuminati type organization pulling the strings on world events and while that may (or may not) be a work of fiction, events in the world that we are told are organic have a feel of orchestration. It's not hard to view current world events and see evidence that society is being manipulated, but by whom or what?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Modern Horror Themes
Monsters of the modern era are even more intense and frightening. Freddie Kruger, Jason Vorhees, Leatherface, Michael Myers, Pennywise and the other slasher killers play on a newer type fear. On this edition of DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern discusses the modern horror icons and why we fear them.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Mythos of the Mummy
Karl Stern examines the lore surrounding mummies- the specially wrapped and prepared Egyptian dead. Ancient Egypt includes all sorts of supernatural and macabre elements including a great collection of gods, an elaborate afterlife ritual, and magnificent structures. It also came with elements that were picked up in pop culture based on the real life archeological discoveries of the late 1800s and early 1900s including curses on those who disturbed the dead.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Mythos of the Werewolf
Karl takes a look at the mythos of the werewolf or the wolf man. Tales surrounding the werewolf are ancient. There is even a story of a man being tried and convicted of being a werewolf but most of the associated lore surrounding the wolf man comes from the old Universal horror movies. Karl takes a look at that and more including some modern ideas about the werewolf as well.
DragonKing Dark - Mythos of Dracula
Karl Stern looks at the mythos surrounding the Lord of the Vampires- Dracula. He discusses the gothic horror novel, what influenced the novel, the Universal horror movie classic, and Dracula in popular culture since then. Also he examines just how much Vlad Tepes actually truly influenced the classic Dracula character.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Bermuda Triangle
Karl Stern from WhenItWasCool.com explores the mythos surrounding the Bermuda Triangle. You used to hear about the Bermuda Triangle (or Devil's Triangle) a lot back in the 1970s when Karl was a kid, but not so much any more. There have been a number of incidents that have lead to the lore surrounding the Bermuda Triangle but none more so than the disappearance of a group of Navy fighters that disappeared there during the 1940s and... oh yeah, one of the rescue planes searching for them disappeared also.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Magic
Karl Stern talks about magic. Not the stage show kind, or what Penn and Teller or doing but the belief that by spells or incantation, people can effect the future or events in their lives. It's easy to understand why humans, before the age of science, might have believed in magic but the big question is- why would anyone today believe in magic? Is there any evidence that real magic exists? What exactly is magic? When It Was Cool invites you on this spellbinding exploration of magic.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Pressed by the Beast
Karl Stern tells us two tales of odd and unusual tombstone inscriptions. The first, located in Salt Lake City, UT ascribes the death of a local elderly lady to The Beast - 666. We explore why The Beast from John's Revelation in the Bible may, or may not, have claimed this poor woman and why it is inscribed on her headstone. The second story tells of a tombstone in New England that describes the deceased souls method of death - pressing. Tales of the macabre from DragonKing Dark.
DragonKing Dark - Haunting Architecture
Karl Stern talks about the draw and allure of old buildings. There is sometime haunting about about buildings that outlive multiple generations of people. We take a look old homes, mansions, cathedrals, castles, and more. Karl discusses his trip to the National Cathedral last year and seeing all the famous people buried in the basement. All over the world there are buildings that out live you and me and we discuss the ghosts, both real and imagined, that haunt them.
DragonKing Dark - Dark Tourism
There is a series on Netflix called Dark Tourism where a host takes you to various taboo hotspots around the world where a tourism industry has sprung up. On this week's DragonKing Dark podcast, host Karl Stern talks about the allure of seeing places of tragedy, disaster, and the macabre. Why are we drawn to such places? Why do people want to see the spot where someone was murdered, or where life changing accidents occurred? DragonKing Dark explores the dark side of our curiosity.
On this week's DragonKing Dark Podcast, host Karl Stern takes a look at giants. Since the dawn of time there have been legends, myths, and eyewitness reports of giants on Earth. But where are the remains? Make no mistake there have actually been some giant skeletons uncovered but the reality doesn't match the mythology. This week we will talk about giants, Nephilim, and more.
DragonKing Dark - The Future is Wrong
Karl Stern talks about why it is virtually impossible to predict the future. Chaos takes the future in unforeseen directions. Trends we think will lead to future tech often fizzle out or go in previously unconsidered directions. We take a look at predictions made in the past by leading magazines and see how completely wrong they guessed the future to look like but try to understand why they believed the way they did and what we today think the future may look like and why we are probably wrong.
DragonKing Dark - Nothing Left Standing
Karl Stern takes a look back to April 4, 1974. He was just a young kid but there are faint memories etched in his mind of a night that killed many, forever changed the landscape of his state, killed family members, and altered the way everyone around him lived their lives. A massive F5 tornado (and the longest on ground tornado ever recorded up to that point) leveled towns and passed within a mile of where he was, killing a family member and, as you'll hear from NOAA, left nothing standing.
DragonKing Dark - Ghosts in The Bible
Did you know that The Bible actually talks about ghosts? No really, it's not something you were probably taught in Sunday school and I don't mean it in the sense of the resurrected dead either. I mean there are literally multiple scenes in The Bible where ghosts were contacted by mediums. One story in the Old Testament relates how a prophet was summoned from the dead to give advice to the King including how and where it happened.
DragonKing Dark - The Devil in the Details
Karl Stern revisits the Satanic Panic series to answer listener questions about the time in the 1970s and 1980s when everybody was afraid the devil was out to get you. Satan was in the music, in the television, in toys, and in vans waiting to kidnap you. Television fear mongers preyed on the hysteria and many moms and dad threw out their kids records and took away their toys... all for seeming nothing. On this weeks DragonKing Dark we take a look back at this early example of fake media created panic with the Devil is in the Details.
DragonKing Dark - Baghdad Battery
It's one of the most famous advanced artifacts in popular culture. It's past and even it's discovery is shrouded in mystery. Found sometime in the early 1900s a battery like device appeared in a museum in Iraq. It has been replicated and tested to actually function as a battery but, as we will see this week on DragonKing Dark, what it is and why it exists is still clouded in mystery. Today host Karl Stern from WhenItWasCool.com takes on the Baghdad battery.
DragonKing Dark - Moral Compass
Where does it come from? What directs your ethics in life? Is religion necessary to developing one? Why do some people seem to lack one? As part of our intermittent continuing series on the degradation of society, Karl examines why we ethically and morally act the way we do and why dissimilar people can each be acting out of good conscience and still come into conflict.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Ninjas
What were ninja's really? Did people really believe ninjas had super natural powers? Where ninjas even a real thing? What did the modern era teach us about ninjas? Grab your throwing stars and sword and let's scale the walls into the myth and magic of the Ninja warrior!
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Fear of Fear
A favorite topic of the DragonKing Dark Podcast and host Karl Stern is fear. What are we afraid of and why? We have done shows about this in the past but it seem relevant again with all the social unrest and division in the world and it is our contention that much of it is driven on fear, in particular, keeping you and me afraid. This week on DragonKing Dark we talk about the fear that is driving society and how not to fall prey to it.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Winchester House
Owned originally by the Winchester firearms family and left to the widow of Mr. Winchester following his death, the story goes that Ms. Winchester was haunted mentally by the ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles and began adding rooms onto the house to pacify their spirits. It is rumored the house continued to build onto itself even after her death. What is the truth?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Star Wars and Star Trek
Karl Stern from DragonKing Dark reminisces on this show about how his love of Star Wars got him interested in science and astronomy. He also discusses Star Trek and how the two franchises differ despite both containing many similar elements. On this episode of the DragonKing Dark Podcast we take a trip back into the science zone by way of two of the greatest fictional sci-fi franchises of all time- Star Wars and Star Trek.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Grand Illusion
What is that? It was a song by Styx in the 1970s but it is so very relevant today. The media, especially social media, has created a very fake, very false narrative that we have all bought into. You will be surprised just how indoctrinated we are into this false narrative. We have been brainwashed and it is time we broke this spell we are under. Take a trip inside your mind and discover truth on DragonKing Dark.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - White Witch of Rose Hall
There is a book on the subject and Johnny Cash even sang about it but what is the real truth behind the White Witch of Rose Hall Jamaica? As it turns out there is some true and a lot of fiction behind the supposed Witch of Rose Hall which is a popular tourist destination on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. Perhaps you've been there yourself and wondered? Maybe one day you'll take a cruise and wonder about it? Today, host Karl Stern, takes a look at the woman, the myth, and the legend.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - When You Can't Trust the Evidence
There is a real problem rising that society, the news, nor the courts are fully ready for. Evidence manipulation. In an age where even an novice with a computer can Photoshop pictures, produce near professional quality video and special effects, and then drop them into the sea of social media what are we to trust? Once a photo was taken as proof positive in a court of law. Now, most photos you see are ran through filters, manipulated, or fabricated. In a fake digital world how can we trust anything?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Lone Ranger and the Problem is You II
The Problem is You with a look at society, changing moral codes, and the ever so slippy slope of entitlement. We also talk about the Lone Ranger. Yes, the Lone Ranger. And he is relevant to our discussion on moral codes and ethics and why things aren't always as simple as they seem and sometimes they are.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Age of Mankind and Argentina Monster
Karl Stern talks about two recent articles in the news. The first asks the very interesting question about the age of mankind and what if there was an advanced civilization here millions of years ago? Recently the scientific community has looked at this question from a different angle. Then, recently making the news is a monster roaming the streets in Argentina... or so the news said.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - No Surrender Japanese Soldier and the Yeti
Life is weird sometimes... obviously. You are listening to a show that airs on the Dark Matter Radio Network so, of course, you know this. Following on the heels of two of our most popular shows ever we slow down this episode for a cautionary tale. A story about a man so dedicated to his job that he wasted a huge chunk of his life. Warning, this show also contains a Yeti. Yep. Rest in Peace Art Bell.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Problem Is You
I shopped this out to several trusted people to preview because I felt this episode was too strong. Not with language or even topic, but too strong in tone. This episode rolls off the thoughts expressed in last weeks show - Contrarians are Ruining Society. You'll laugh, you'll applaud, you might even get mad, but most importantly of all, you'll think.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Contrarians are ruining society
Host Karl Stern has had enough with the "argumentative for the sake a argument" sect of society and let's it loose on them. Over the next two episodes Karl discusses how, somehow, people who only serve the negative have hijacked the narrative to, well, everything and how that is destroying the very fabric of what makes the world work. This episode and next week's climax "The Problem is You" episode may very well represent the pinnacle of what DragonKing Dark is all about.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Time
What is time? Is it even real? Is it a construct of the human mind only for measuring motion or is it a real testable part of the fabric of the Universe? The answer isn't as clear as we would like for it to be. Despite the fact that virtually every aspect of our lives is ruled by time we actually have very little understanding about what it is.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Satan in Music part 2 and Aleister Crowley Speaks!
This time, not just fringe super hard core death metal, but in popular mainstream music. Then, we play the only known voice recording of Aleister Crowley whom we talked about last episode as we continue our look at Satan in popular culture with host Karl Stern.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Satan in Pop Culture (Music)
Satan has been used both seriously and as a storytelling device in popular music over the years. This topic will continue next week as well but this week we look at how groups like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and others have used Satan as a story element in their music plus we will look at, possibly, some true believers as well.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Where are the ETs?
Well... where are they? The universe should be teeming with life but as far as we know we are all alone. Why? Plus news of the weird and odd.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Cloned Monkey
Yep. They did it. The Chinese have now cloned our closest animal cousin and the whole world has flipped out thinking that we are next... we probably are. In recent news a group of Chinese scientists have successfully cloned twin monkeys and on this edition of DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern will discuss the fact, fiction, hype, and myth about the modern day mad science of cloning things and takes a look at the question on everyone's mind- are we next?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Mailbag Q and A!
Karl Stern cleans out the mailbag which features a variety of topic requests for the new year and several questions and even accusations! We talk UFO's, Karl is accused of being a conspiracy theorist, how Skeptics have hijacked that name, and the one supernatural or unexplained event that has happened to Karl.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - The Silent Twins
Karl Stern takes a look at the strange case of the Silent Twins. Two twin sisters who lived in the UK isolated themselves from others to the point that they developed a secret language only the two of them could understand and made a pact to never speak to anyone else except each other. This dark pact resulted in an incredible bond and an exceptional hatred toward each other that ultimately resulted in one twin deciding to die in order to give the other their freedom... and that is exactly what happened.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Jack the Ripper
Look back at the most infamous serial killer of all time- Jack the Ripper. How many people did Jack the Ripper actually kill? Who was he really? There are many unanswered questions about the Victorian era killer and on this edition of DragonKing Dark, Karl digs into many of the theories and suspects in the vastly interesting and still unsolved case of Jack the Ripper.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Dr. Thomas Neill Cream
A man who "may" have claimed to be Jack the Ripper- Dr. Thomas Neill Cream. His claim to have been Jack the Ripper (if he even actually made that claim) seems suspect at best but even if he wasn't he had a string of killings attached to him in both the United States and England during the Victorian Era.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Ed Gein
Ed Gein- The Butcher of Plainfield is the inspiration for many horror movie archetypes such Leatherface and Psycho. Ed Gein shocks us not just because he killed but because he also robbed graves and had a sick fascination with wearing the skins of the dead. Listener discretion is advised.
He is often called "America's First Serial Killer" and his gruesome Chicago Murder Castle sounds like something straight out of a horror movie but does reality actually compare to the narrative in the case of H.H. Holmes- serial killer? As we will see, the H.H. Holmes story didn't really need embellishment to be horrific enough.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Halloween
Look back at the origins of Halloween and the traditions associated with it. Surprisingly, what we now know as Halloween has it's origins in numerous and varied traditions.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Netherworld
Karl Stern discusses his trip last night to the largest and greatest Halloween Haunted House in the United States- Netherworld just outside of Atlanta, GA and how this haunted attraction actually gets it right. It was an amazing fun trip and this show is packed with everything you need to know if ever consider visiting this must see attraction.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Universal Monsters
Universal Studios monsters and their movies. The Universal Monsters included the Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Wolfman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and their respective spin-offs and cross-overs. Which of the Universal Monster movies are the best and which are the worst? This week's show celebrates the iconic Universal Monster movies!
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Friday the 13th
Karl Stern explores the origins of Friday the 13th and how it may, or may not, have came to be known as an unlucky day including the very Game of Thrones story of the mass arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday the 13th. Obviously, we also talk about the movie series franchise.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Booger Tree
Joe Clack is buried somewhere down by the creek. The mill owner was given $5 to bury his body. His horse is dead in the middle of the creek. Riding back west with a suit of baby clothes retrieved from Clack are a family of southern Union sympathizers. On today's new edition of DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern tells us a tale of deep south history you might not be familiar with. Not every southerner was on-board with the Confederacy and sometimes those values ended up in murder. Today, the tale of the Booger Tree and the killing of Joe Clack.
This is a spoiler free discussion of the psychology behind the new blockbuster movie IT.
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Communicating With the Dead
Karl Stern discusses the ancient belief that it is possible to communicate with those who have died. From the Biblical Witch of Endor to the more modern Ouija Board our ancestors have long felt that it was possible to talk to those who have passed on. Where do we go when we die? Why do many believe there is life after death?
DragonKing Dark Podcast - Haunted Dolls & Annabelle
Karl Stern is joined by Tonya from When It Was Cool to discuss the new horror thriller Annabelle: Creation and haunted dolls and haunted houses and objects. Can spirits or demons inhabit everyday objects? What is it about dolls that creep some people out?
Continuing our theme from last week, the line between life and death gets even less clear and stranger as we look at Russian experiments from the 1940s (and as recent as 2005) where dogs were killed, then brought back to life in various ways, including a giant robot reanimated dog... yes you read that right.
DragonKing Dark - The Line Between Life and Death
Karl Stern begins a new series of shows examining the blurry line between life and death. What is the spark of life and can it be reignited? Science and faith offer opposing views. We also look at the story of a Japanese woman who came back to life HOURS after dying and the story of an American cyclist who straddled the line between life and death for days thanks to new science! What is death?
DragonKing Dark - 1600s New England UFOs
Karl Stern concludes his pre-airplane era search for UFOs with the first UFO sighting in American history. In the 1600s the Governor of Massachusetts no less wrote of two UFO sightings. We pick them apart and see if they hold up to scrutiny.
DragonKing Dark - Julius Obsequens and the Greco-Roman UFOs
Karl Stern takes a look at the story of 400 AD era writer Julius Obsequens who wrote several reports of possible UFO sightings in the Greco-Roman era... or did he? We continue our search for plausible UFO sightings in the time before airplanes, satellites, and hot air balloons. Will we finally find something we can't explain? This week we search the writings of Julius Obsequens to find out.
DragonKing Dark - Charlemagne and his UFOs
In this episode of DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern continues his hunt for UFOs in the era before airplanes and balloons. He continues to scour history for reports of unknown objects in the sky to see if any pan out to be truly unanswerable. On today's show he takes a look at Charlemagne, King of the Franks who supposedly had help from fiery wheeling shields during a middle ages battle. Does this story check out?
DragonKing Dark - Alexander the Great and his Flying Saucers
DragonKing Dark host Karl Stern takes a look this week at the story of Alexander the Great being turned back from his advance into India by flying saucers. Alexander again, apparently, had otherworldly help taking the city of Tyre. But what is the truth of these stories? In the time before airplanes, what did people see in the skies that was unidentified? And finally, what does it really mean to be a skeptic?
Satan probably isn't who you think he is. What popular culture has come to accept as Satan is more of a caricature and less of what he is represented as being in Western religious literature. On this episode of DragonKing Dark we take the mask off of the face of evil.
DragonKing Dark - Baltic Sea Anomaly
What is the Baltic Sea Anomaly? Is it a crashed space ship? A very odd geological formation? Why do radios cut off within 200 feet of the object? What is going on 300 feet below the surface of the Baltic Sea?
DragonKing Dark - Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens may be a ridiculous television series but it is actually a great theory that makes a lot of sense. On this week's episode of DragonKing Dark we investigate the idea that mankind might have been tampered with in the past by ancient astronauts.
DragonKing Dark - Washington DC
Is Washington DC laid out to feature a pentagram? Is there Masonic imagery incorporated into our most famous national monuments? Are archaeologist out to lunch and how does Washington DC factor into that?
DragonKing Dark - Uncontacted Peoples
A great topic suggestion from one of our Patreons - The moral and ethical questions of contacting uncontacted peoples. While extremely rare, there are groups of people who have lived very isolated lives away from modern society. What are the ethical and moral questions about what should happen if and when these people are encountered? It's a more difficult question than you might suspect and who are these people anyway?
DragonKing Dark - Dytalov Pass
It is one of the most famous incidents in paranormal history. What really happened to the group of Russian hikers who died in the Ural Mountains? A very interesting case with some still uncertain conclusions.
As someone with significant experience in search and rescue, we will discuss the reality of what happens when someone goes missing. We will also discuss manufactured crisis's and much more. This week - Missing!
Bullshido is the, not so ancient, art of selling Karate, Kung-Fu, and other martial arts techniques with little or no actual value. Today we discuss martial arts golden era of the 1970s into the 1990s and look at some crazy tracts making some crazy claims. Is it real or is it bullshido?
DragonKing Dark - Mandela Effect
What process is at work when not ONE person has a false memory but a WHOLE GROUP of people? Is it a glitch in the Matrix? An alternate timeline? Another dimension? I was shocked to learn this quirk has actually happened several times! What you think is real might not be! This episode will blow your mind.
Karl Stern goes to the mailbag to look at emails from listeners about such topics as The Hollow Earth, Godzilla, King Kong and Kong Skull Island, nuclear bomb testing in Bikini Atoll, and Halloween poison candy urban legend and the one real life case tied to it.
DragonKing Dark - Serial Killers
Karl Stern takes a look at serial killers, mass killers, and evil despots in this episode of DragonKing Dark and questions if some people are born "evil".
Host Karl Stern takes a look at one of the staples of the Universal monster movies and later Marvel Comics character The Mummy. Many movies have featured The Mummy. Just what is one and why are we afraid of it?
DragonKing Dark - Into the Storm
Host Karl Stern tells about surviving not one but TWO of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history - the 1974 Super Outbreak and the 2011 Deep South tornado outbreak and the aftermath of these killer storms.
Host Karl Stern talks about the creation, use, and history of the Atomic Bomb.
The number of the beast. The belief by many Christians that there is an Anti-Christ coming to rule the world and that, at some point in time, everyone will have to take a mark in order to buy, sell, or trade and this mark will place them in direct opposition to God.
As a follow up to last week's hallow Earth show, host Karl Stern follows up this week with a recently revived belief by some that the Earth is, in fact, flat. Oh, the science!
DragonKing Dark - Hollow Earth
We know more about what's out there than what's in here. Let's talk about it.
DragonKing Dark - Divided We Fall
A follow up to last week's episode "For What It's Worth" talking about fear in modern society post election.
DragonKing Dark - For What It's Worth
Trust me, no one wants to stir away from politics more than I do but what happens when you do a show about fear and look around and see a lot of very scared people? I guess it's time to talk about it.
DragonKing Dark - Satanic Panic
Karl looks back at the Satanic Panic of the 1980s that weaved it's way into every corner of life right down to the cereal you ate.
DragonKing Dark - Churching That Devil Music
Karl did battle with his church once over the topic of the Satanic Panic and music. They seriously thought Journey was Satanic and he was not gonna stop believin'
DragonKing Dark - Satanic Back Masking in Music
Did your favorite hits from the 1970s & 1980s have backward recorded messages encouraging you to worship the devil? Many believed they did.
DragonKing Dark - Victorian Era Death
People in the Victorian era had this very strange celebration of death that seems macabre and strange today.
DragonKing Dark - The White Thang
It apparently lived close to me and my brother-in-laws father saw it in the 1930's. Let's hunt of The White Thang.
DragonKing Dark - Synchronicity
A connecting principle, linked to the invisible... etc.
Host Karl Stern reviews the Marvel Unvierse movie Dr. Strange.
Host Karl Stern presents a show on witchcraft and sorcery.
DragonKing Dark - Stephen King
He's the most acclaimed horror writer of our generation and host Karl Stern has some mixed emotions about him.
DragonKing Dark - Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Karl Stern takes a look at, maybe, the greatest horror movie ever made.
DragonKing Dark - Victorian Era Death Photos
This will creep you out... significantly.
Celebrating the greatest of the vampires- Dracula.
DragonKing Dark - Creepy Clowns Attack
A modern day mass hysteria - creepy clown sightings everywhere.
DragonKing Dark - Phantom Memories
Host Karl Stern relates a strange tale of a false memory he has and how he confirmed it was false.
DragonKing Dark - Haunted Houses & Horror Movies
Host Karl Stern talks about his favorite time of year- Halloween! Discussion is on great horror movies and haunted attractions.
DragonKing Dark - Ancient Civilizations
It's one of host Karl Stern's favorite topics. Just how long have we been here?
DragonKing Dark - Pokemon & Godzilla
Karl & Tonya from When it Was Cool discuss it how it reminds Karl of Godzilla and his family of monsters.
DragonKing Dark - Bloody Benders
A harrowing tale of a mid-west murdering pioneer family and their bizarre disapperance. True crime with a twist.
DragonKing Dark - Pale Blue Dot
One of Karl Stern's most popular shows talking about our place in the Universe.
It's the spark of dreams. This episode is all about your imagination.
DragonKing Dark - The End Times
Are these the last days? Are these the Biblical end times? What does the future have in store for us?
DragonKing Dark - DC & Marvel Comics Reboot
On this episode, host Karl Stern talks about the recent reboots of both Marvel and DC Comics.
DragonKing Dark - Frankenstein
Sewing together dead people and bringing them back to life... of course this is in my wheelhouse.
DragonKing Dark - News Conspiracy
You think the news are reporting the facts? Think again. Highly acclaimed episode.
DragonKing Dark - Old Timey Obituaries.. the second coming
You loved it so much that we did it twice.
DragonKing Dark - Cursed Movie
Is there a cursed movie? Sure seems like it. Also mailbag discussed.
Is there a shadow cabinet of power controlling the world? Let's talk about it.
Yeah, you knew we were going to get into Bigfoot and Nessy.
DragonKing Dark - Superman and the Infinite Sadness
Karl Stern saw Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and my god how he hated it. Another of the most popular episodes.
DragonKing Dark - Old Timey Obituaries
One of the most popular episodes of DragonKing Dark featuring the tale of the corpse eating cats, bear attacks, and grim tales from old newspapers of deaths.
Empires have risen and fallen based on dreams. Religions have been built by dreams. What is really happening while we are fast asleep but our minds are spinning fantastic stories. Just what is it about dreams.
DragonKing Dark - 1950's Horror Comics
The 1950's featured some really twisted and macabre comic book series. On this episode host Karl Stern takes a look at some of them and themes involved.
DragonKing Dark - Abandoned Places
On this episode of DragonKing Dark Karl Stern is joined by Tonya from When It Was Cool to talk about Abandoned Places and abandoned places photography. What's so creepy about abandoned places.
DragonKing Dark - Tech Talk & Mailbag
On this episode, host Karl Stern talks about the latest in technology and where it is heading and answers emails from listeners.
DragonKing Dark - Great Divide
No this episode isn't about a separation land masses but, rather, about a separation of ideas.
DragonKing Dark - Lost History & Structures in Space
DragonKing Dark takes a look at what parts of history might be missing from the record and what evidence there is for it. Also, a look at the news story that reports a possible structure in space built around a star.
DragonKing Dark - Contrarian Conspiracy
Conspiracy theories have their roots in distrust. Distrust of the government, religion, organizations, etc. But sometimes, if not frequently, it has it's roots in just wanting to be right. To have secret knowledge. This DragonKing Dark show looks at the psychology of conspiracy.
DragonKing Dark - Music For the Mind
On this episode, Karl Stern takes a look at music for smart people. Pink Floyd, Rush, and other groups that explore science and fantasy.
DragonKing Dark - Ancient Civilizations
What is the real age of mankind? Karl Stern takes on one of his favorite topics - the true age of mankind. There are lots of evidence for wildly diverse theories about how long man has been civilized.
DragonKing Dark - What Information?
This episode of DragonKing Dark goes deep down the science worm hole to talk about information... huh? Well... listen and learn. This one is all sciency.
DragonKing Dark - Sloss Furnace
Karl is joined by Tonya from WhenItWasCool.com to talk about one of the most haunted places in the United States (and a place they have gone to multiple times) - Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, AL. Here the story of the circa 1800's steel mill and the horrible accidents that happened there that lead to supposed haunting of the now vacant structure.
DragonKing Dark - Aunt Jenny Johnson
Who was the old lady of the forest? She was Aunt Jenny Johnson and she doesn't like trespassers. Her family was brutally killed by the Confederate homeguard and she and her remaining family vowed revenge... and got it! Many say she is still getting it to this very day.
DragonKing Dark - Looking Upward and Inward
In the prelude to Karl Stern's DragonKing Dark podcast about the paranormal, supernatural, science, horror- Karl explains what the idea beind the series is all about - fear and understanding. In this critically acclaimed episode 00 and 01, Karl talks about fear and how to explore it.
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