Épisodes

  • HH08 Roos Hall: The Headless Horseman’s Christmas Eve Delivery

    HH08 Roos Hall: The Headless Horseman’s Christmas Eve Delivery
    Jan 1 2026
    Featured Song: The Headless Uber of Beccles To hear this and all songs from Haunted Holidays 2025, check out our Suno Playlist of songs we put together! Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT travel to the English countryside of Suffolk to explore Roos Hall, a 16th-century Tudor manor and reputedly one of England's most haunted houses. Mike details the sinister history, including the house's past as a site for public executions where a gibbet once stood. Crucially, Mike introduces the spectacular, recurring Christmas Eve haunting: a phantom coach pulled by headless horses and driven by a headless horseman, who arrives at the front door only for a beautiful, ghostly woman to step out before the whole procession vanishes. JT critiques the sheer cinematic drama of the Headless Horseman's holiday arrival, analyzes the extreme consequences of looking into the spectral woman's eyes, and questions the efficiency of a headless driver on Christmas. Sources ● Burials & Beyond. (2019, December 21). The Bramshill House Bride, or the Legend of the Mistletoe Bough. Retrieved from https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/12/21/the-bramshill-house-bride-or-the-legend-of-the-mistletoe-bough/ ● Hypnogoria. (n.d.). Door 21 - The Many Hauntings of Roos Hall. Retrieved October 14, 2025, from https://www.hypnogoria.com/ghosts_of_christmas21.html ● Moon Mausoleum. (2024, December 11). The Christmas Haunting of Roos Hall of the Headless Horseman. Retrieved from https://moonmausoleum.com/the-christmas-haunting-of-roos-hall-of-the-headless-horseman/ ● The Paranormal Database. (n.d.). Suffolk Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana. Retrieved October 14, 2025, from https://paranormaldatabase.com/suffolk/sufpages/suffdata.php?pageNum_paradata=1&totalRows_paradata=402 ● The Suffolk Coast. (n.d.). The Suffolk Coast's Most Haunted. Retrieved October 14, 2025, from https://www.thesuffolkcoast.co.uk/articles/the-suffolk-coasts-most-haunted ● US Ghost Adventures. (n.d.). The Headless Horseman of Roos Hall. Retrieved from https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/25-days-of-christmas/the-headless-horseman-of-roos-hall/ ● Weird Suffolk. (2020, December 24). Weird Suffolk: The Christmas ghost at one of Suffolk's most haunted houses. Retrieved from https://www.eadt.co.uk/lifestyle/21328565.weird-suffolk-christmas-ghost-one-suffolks-haunted-houses/ ● Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bramshill House. Retrieved October 14, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramshill_House Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Linktree ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    18 min
  • HH07 The Crescent Hotel: Quakery, Cadavers, and Cold Spots

    HH07 The Crescent Hotel: Quakery, Cadavers, and Cold Spots
    Dec 29 2025
    Featuring an Original Song: The Morgue at the Massage Parlor For this song and all of the Haunted Holidays songs, head over to our SUNO Playlist! Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT check into "America's Most Haunted Hotel," the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Mike details the hotel's notorious mid-life crisis when it was taken over by the charismatic but fraudulent "Dr." Norman Baker, who ran it as an experimental cancer hospital in the late 1930s. Mike covers the discovery of hundreds of bottles containing Baker's "cure-all" potions and, grotesquely, human tissue. Crucially, Mike includes the festive, yet chilling, ghost story of the Grand Christmas Tree that was inexplicably moved across the dining room during the holiday season. JT critiques Baker's fashion sense (a white linen suit and purple shirt), breaks down the sheer terror of a hospital using the basement kitchen as a morgue, and analyzes the spirits left behind, from the falling stonemason Michael to the ever-helpful cancer patient Theodora. Sources ● Historic Hotels of America. (n.d.). Ghost Stories - 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa. Retrieved from https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/1886-crescent-hotel-and-spa/ghost-stories.php ● Crescent Hotel & Spa. (2021, September 29). Ghostly Happenings at the Crescent Hotel. Retrieved from https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/ghostly-happenings-at-the-crescent-hotel/ ● US Ghost Adventures. (2022, January 14). The Crescent Hotel 'America's Most Haunted Hotel'. Retrieved from https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/the-crescent-hotel-americas-most-haunted-hotel/ ● Travel Eureka Springs. (n.d.). America's Most Haunted Hotel - Nightly Ghost Tours. Retrieved from https://www.traveleurekasprings.com/crescent-hotel-ghost-stories/ ● Crescent Hotel & Spa. (2023, August 4). Haunted Hotel History. Retrieved from https://crescent-hotel.com/about/history/ ● Crescent Hotel & Spa. (n.d.). Haunted Hotel. Retrieved from https://crescent-hotel.com/things-to-do/ghosts/ ● Smithsonian Magazine. (2018, October 27). The Charlatan of the Ozarks Still Looms Over the Haunted Crescent Hotel. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/charlatan-ozarks-still-looms-over-haunted-crescent-hotel-180973743/ ● Crescent Hotel & Spa. (n.d.). America's Most Haunted Hotel - Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Retrieved from https://www.americasmosthauntedhotel.com/ ● YouTube. (2022, October 31). The truly haunted history of the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, explored. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVuEOBTpRiE ● Crescent Hotel & Spa. (n.d.). Americas Most Haunted Hotel Archives. Retrieved from https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/tag/americas-most-haunted-hotel/ ● Crescent Hotel & Spa. (2024, February 15). The Baker Hospital – A Patient's Story. Retrieved from https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/uncovering-the-past/ Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Linktree ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 min
  • HH06 Bramshill House: The Bride in the Box and 14 Ghosts

    HH06 Bramshill House: The Bride in the Box and 14 Ghosts
    Dec 25 2025
    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT check into Bramshill House in Hampshire, England, reputedly one of the country's most haunted stately homes with over 14 specters. Mike details the house's magnificent Jacobean history, its famous owners (including a Lord Zouche and an exiled King of Romania), and the legendary ghost: The Mistletoe Bride (or White Lady). Mike covers the tragic tale of the bride who hid in an antique chest during a game of hide-and-seek, only to be found 50 years later as a skeleton in a wedding dress. JT dissects the bride's baffling choice of hiding spot, questions the sheer audacity of being haunted by a 'Green Man' and a 1920s tennis ghost, and reflects on the eternal trauma of a love story ruined by a faulty spring-loaded lid. To listen to all of the Haunted Holidays songs, head to the link here and leave us a like and comment: https://tinyurl.com/GhostBitesHauntedHolidays Sources ● Burials & Beyond. (2019, December 21). The Bramshill House Bride, or the Legend of the Mistletoe Bough. Retrieved from https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/12/21/the-bramshill-house-bride-or-the-legend-of-the-mistletoe-bough/ ● Cope Collection. (2018, October 31). The Bridal Chest of Bramshill, or, A Ghost Tale from the Cope Collection. University of Southampton Special Collections. Retrieved from https://specialcollectionsuniversityofsouthampton.wordpress.com/2018/10/31/the-bridal-chest-of-bramshill-or-a-ghost-tale-from-the-cope-collection/ ● House and Heritage. (2018, June 25). BRAMSHILL PARK. Retrieved from https://houseandheritage.org/2018/06/25/bramshill-park/ ● US Ghost Adventures. (n.d.). The Bramshill House Bride. Retrieved from https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/25-days-of-christmas/the-bramshill-house-bride/ ● Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bramshill House. Retrieved October 14, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramshill_House ● Wikipedia. (n.d.). Legend of the Mistletoe Bough. Retrieved October 14, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Mistletoe_Bough Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Linktree ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    17 min
  • HH05 The Yule Cat: Fashion Policing to the Extreme

    HH05 The Yule Cat: Fashion Policing to the Extreme
    Dec 22 2025
    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT venture to Iceland to confront the most terrifying holiday figure—one who isn't interested in coal or spanking, but in your wardrobe: the Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn). Mike details the cat's monstrous size ("bigger than a house"), its association as the pet of the man-eating troll Grýla, and the bizarre rule that dictates its victim: anyone who does not receive new clothes before Christmas Eve. JT critiques the sheer absurdity of the cat’s mission as "holiday fashion police," breaks down the underlying economic anxiety of wool-processing, and praises the cat's commitment to high-stakes sartorial enforcement. It’s an episode about horror, high fashion, and the constant fear of wearing last year's socks. Sources ● J. M. (2021, December 1). The Yule Cat of Iceland: A Different Kind of Christmas Tradition. Medievalists.net. Retrieved from https://www.medievalists.net/2019/12/09/frau-perchta-the-belly-slitter/ ● Nordic Visitor. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland with the Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/the-13-yule-lads-of-iceland/ ● Smithsonian Magazine. (2016, December 19). Each Christmas, Iceland's Yule Cat Takes Fashion Policing to the Extreme. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/each-christmas-icelands-yule-cat-takes-fashion-policing-extreme-180961420/ ● US Ghost Adventures. (n.d.). The Legend of the Yule Cat. Retrieved from https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/the-legend-of-the-yule-cat/ ● Wikipedia. (n.d.). Yule cat. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_cat ● ZME Science. (2024, December 17). The Yule Cat: Forget Santa, Embrace the Dark Side of Icelandic Christmas. Retrieved from https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/yule-cat-christmas-repubz/ Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Linktree ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    14 min
  • HH04 Belsnickel: The Fur-Clad Judge of Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas

    HH04 Belsnickel: The Fur-Clad Judge of Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas
    Dec 18 2025
    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT venture into the folklore of southwestern Germany and the American tradition of the Pennsylvania Dutch to meet Belsnickel. Mike details Belsnickel's unique role as a pre-Christmas judge who travels alone, dressed in ragged furs, wielding both a switch and pockets full of treats. Mike also covers the elaborate "Belsnickling" rituals and the character's eventual decline. JT hilariously critiques the sheer psychological terror of the Belsnickel's moral test (especially the "candy scramble"), questions why a figure of moral accountability looks like a runaway woodsman, and analyzes the extreme chaos of a holiday tradition based entirely on the fear of a gentle swat. Sources ● Uncharted Lancaster. (2024, December 6). The Belsnickel: A Mischievous Spirit of Christmas Past. Retrieved from https://unchartedlancaster.com/2024/12/06/the-belsnickel-a-mischievous-spirit-of-christmas-past/ ● VisitPAAmericana. (2019, December 18). What - or Who - is Belsnickel?. Retrieved from https://www.visitpaamericana.com/blog/post/what-or-who-is-belsnickel/ ● Wikipedia. (n.d.). Belsnickel. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belsnickel ● WITF. (2023, December 20). Who is Belsnickel in Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas tradition? [The Spark]. Retrieved from https://www.witf.org/2023/12/20/who-is-belsnickel-in-pennsylvania-dutch-christmas-tradition/ ● Woot & Hammy. (n.d.). Krampus, Santa's Other Little Helper, and Perchta, Christmas Terrors. Retrieved from https://wootandhammy.com/blogs/news/krampus-perchta-the-christmas-terrors Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Linktree ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    10 min
  • HH03 Perchta: The Belly-Slitting Christmas Goddess

    HH03 Perchta: The Belly-Slitting Christmas Goddess
    Dec 15 2025
    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT venture into the chilling, pre-Christian folklore of the Alpine regions to confront Perchta (or Frau Berchta), the dual-natured winter goddess. Mike details her terrifying role as the "Belly-Slitter," who roams the countryside during the Twelve Days of Christmas to enforce social and domestic order. Perchta's punishment for the lazy is grotesque: she cuts open their stomachs, removes their guts, and replaces them with straw and pebbles. JT critiques the sheer insanity of using organ-removal as a domestic punishment, questions the logistics of the required traditional meal of fish and gruel, and analyzes the extreme measures the Catholic Church took to demonize a goddess who was just a little too focused on tidiness and spinning. Source ● Morris, S. (2014, December 22). Perchta and the 12 Days of Christmas (Part 2). Stephen Morris, author. Retrieved from https://www.stephenmorrisauthor.com/perchta-12-days-christmas/ ● Myth Perchta. (n.d.). Perchta.Tirol. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from https://perchta.tirol/myth.en.html ● Smithsonian Magazine. (2024, February 28). Before the Yule Lads Evolved Into Icelandic Versions of Santa Claus, They Terrorized Children Into Following the Rules. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/before-the-yule-lads-evolved-into-icelandic-versions-santa-claus-they-terrorized-children-into-following-rules-180948162/ ● VICE. (2018, December 20). Meet Christmas Goddess Perchta, a Belly-Slitting, Half-Woman Demon. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en/article/perchta-christmas-goddess-demon-woman/ ● Wikipedia. (n.d.). Perchta. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchta Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Linktree ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    9 min
  • HH02 The Tomte: Tiny Protector, Enormous Fury

    HH02 The Tomte: Tiny Protector, Enormous Fury
    Dec 11 2025
    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT take a deep dive into Scandinavian folklore to examine the Tomte (or Nisse), the diminutive, yet fiercely powerful, homestead spirit. Mike details the Tomte's essential job—protecting the farm and livestock—and his simple, non-negotiable demand: a single bowl of porridge with butter. JT critiques the Tomte's high-stakes payment contract, analyzes the absurdity of his extreme vengeance (which involves everything from killing livestock to crushing farmers over bad manners), and tracks his career evolution from a homicidal gnome to the modern, jolly Jultomten. It's a hilarious look at a traditional myth that proves the cost of a clean barn might just be your life. Sources ● Hafstein, V. (2018). The Tomte/Nisse. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Scandinavian Literature and Mythology. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199580471.001.0001/acref-9780199580471-e-0498 ● Nordiska museet. (n.d.). Tomten i folktron. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from https://www.nordiskamuseet.se/arets-händelser/jul/tomten-i-folktron Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Linktree ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    10 min
  • HH01 Iceland's Troubling Trolls: The 13 Yule Lads

    HH01 Iceland's Troubling Trolls: The 13 Yule Lads
    Dec 8 2025
    Description Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT take a festive, yet deeply unsettling, trip to Iceland to explore the folklore of the 13 Yule Lads (Jólasveinar). Mike details the Lads' evolution from child-eating trolls to modern gift-givers, and introduces their cannibalistic mother, Grýla, and the giant, garment-obsessed Yule Cat. JT dissects the sheer absurdity of their crimes—from Spoon Licking to Skyr Gobbling—and critiques the administrative chaos of having thirteen Santas. It's a hilarious look at a holiday tradition that proves sometimes, the best way to get children to behave is still a credible threat of a rotten potato. Sources ● Arctic Portal. (n.d.). The thirteen Icelandic Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://arcticportal.org/education/quick-facts/people-and-culture/3469-the-thirteen-icelandic-yule-lads ● Arctic Portal. (n.d.). Icelandic Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://arcticportal.org/x-mas ● Gale, T. (n.d.). The Yule Lads History. Retrieved from https://icelandicyulelads.com/yule-lads-timeline/ ● Icelandair. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland: The Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://www.icelandair.com/blog/the-yule-lads/ ● Icelandic Christmas folklore. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Christmas_folklore ● Nordic Visitor. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland with the Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/the-13-yule-lads-of-iceland/ ● WorldStrides. (n.d.). Iceland's 13 Yule Lads. Retrieved from https://worldstrides.com/en-us/teachers/how-it-works/blog/icelands-13-yule-lads Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Linktree ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    10 min