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Tess Redman

Origins of the Men in Black Phenomenon

January 2, 2022 by Tess Redman

They wear many hats.

Men working for unknown organizations.

Men working for government agencies that deal in secrets and unusual activities.

Inhuman creatures who look like men but perform extraordinary acts.

And, most notoriously, the mysterious men who aid the government in hiding the existence of aliens and UFOs.

If you’re lucky enough to glimpse a UFO, you might also be unlucky enough to be visited by one of the so-called “Men in Black,” according to legend.

Encounters with the Men in Black

Take Harold Dahl for example. On June 27, 1947, Dahl was on Puget Sound with his son Charles and their dog when he saw six donut-shaped objects floating above the water. One of the objects plummeted, and debris hit Charles and the dog, injuring the former and ultimately killing the latter. Dahl took photos of the fallen object. He showed those photos to his supervisor, Fred Crisman, who went to Puget Sound and saw the object for himself, becoming a second witness.

A man in a black suit visited Dahl the morning after the incident. This man recited Dahl’s experiences the day before with absolute accuracy, then said, “What I have said is proof to you that I know a great deal more about this experience of yours than you will want to believe,” according to Gray Barker’s They Know Too Much About Flying Saucers (1956). The man warned Dahl not to talk about the sighting, or else.

Despite Dahl and Crisman later recounting their claims, the mythology behind the Men in Black has persisted, and other encounters feed the conspiracy.

Albert K Bender, the founder of the International Flying Saucer Bureau (IFSB), was also allegedly visited by men in black. Bender was a member of the Air Force; after he was honorably discharged, he and his parents moved to Bridgeport, Conneticut. Bender had what he called a “Chamber of Horrors” in his attic, containing items such as shrunken heads and original art. He was fascinated by the supernatural, which complimented his fascination with UFOs, leading him to found the IFSB in 1952. The organization gained global fame, with 600 members worldwide. The IFSB had a quarterly newsletter called Space Review that contained UFO sighting testimonies as well as theories. It was through Space Review that Bender orchestrated “C-Day,” a collective reading of a form letter written by himself by all the members of IFSB at 6 pm on March 15, 1953 as an attempt to communicate with alien life forms.

After starting IFSB, Bender began having disturbing experiences, such as a man with glowing eyes stalking him and a persistent foul odor from his attic. These experiences culminated in multiple visits from three men in black suits in July 1953 who demanded he stop his investigation into UFOs. Bender believed that these men were employed by an alien power. He eventually gave and ended the IFSB. Space Review’s last issue contained the following message: “The mystery of the flying saucers is no longer a mystery. The source is already known but any information about this is being withheld by orders from a higher source. We would like to print the full story in Space Review but because of the nature of the information we have been advised in the negative. We advise those engaged in saucer work to be very cautious.”

Albert Bender wrote an autobiography and moved to California, where he passed in 2016.

While the Men in Black remain in the realm of lore, the government’s involvement in UFO investigation is very real.

The Government’s History With UFOs

In the last couple decades, American politicians have been increasingly transparent in terms of research investigating UFOs, or UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena), as government agents like to call them. A video leaked of navy pilots witnessing UFOs in 2017 facilitated the de-stigmatization of UFO fascination, but the government’s history with UFOs began much earlier.

The U.S. military first saw UFOs on July 23, 1952 above Pottstown, Pennsylvania. F-94 Starfire fighter jet pilots spotted a large, silver, pear-shaped object. The object did not appear to have any mechanism that would allow it flight. The pilots also saw two smaller objects orbiting the larger for a total of 30 minutes.

Two more UFOs were spotted by an Air Force captain that same year, four days earlier, in Elkins Park in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Between 1947 and 1969, the U.S. military investigated over 12.6K UFO sightings worldwide as part of Project Blue Book. 701 of those cases remain unsolved[TR1] [TR2] .

The U.S. government is not alone in its dabbling in ufology. Canada, Denmark, Italy, and Sweden, and all had ufology programs sponsored by the countries’ governments, and France’s GEIPAN is still an active organization.

In 2008, U.S. Senator Harry Reid approved $22 million in funding to start a ufology research initiative called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, the existence of which was wasn’t made public until a decade later, when research documents from the program were leaked.

Another progression was made this year, when the Senate Intelligence Committee (headed by Senator Marco Rubio) called for a public report on UAPs. The report refers to UAPs as objects originating from Earth, which conflicts with their common association with the extraterrestrial.

Men in Black in Modern Culture

The Men in Black was cemented in American pop culture in 1997, when Men in Black was released, the first movie in an four-film franchise. The first three films starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as a sci-fi, buddy-cop duo; the latest movie in the series, Men in Black: International was released in 2019 and replaced the long-standing co-stars with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. An animated TV show targeted for kids premiered three months after the box office release of the first film and aired for four seasons, through 2001. Six video game spin-offs of the movie franchise have been released. Several books have been published on the subject of the Men in Black. They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers was mentioned earlier. Another famous title is The Real Men in Black by Nick Redfern. This book discusses Albert Bender; the MIB’s relation to Mothman, a phenomenon that haunted Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the ‘60s, and to the Loch Ness monster; and interviews with leading Men in Black researchers .


 

Filed Under: Conspiracies

13 Best Horror Podcasts to Listen to Right Now

October 29, 2021 by Tess Redman

Horror is a genre that lends itself quite nicely to the podcast medium, and I made a list of the best horror podcasts I have found. Good horror is immersive, and great horror lingers for a while after the story ends, manifesting as a presence in the shadows or a chill down your spine.

I am an avid consumer of horror, as I’m sure you reading this are, too. As much as I’ve loved the few horror podcasts I knew of – including Scary Story Podcast (SSP) and A Dark Memory (ADM) – I wanted to dive deeper into the world of audio horror. This recommendation list is my journey into that world.

For those of you who consider yourselves to be horror podcast aficionados, I hope this list contains at least one show you haven’t come across yet. (If not, feel free to drop your own recommendations in the comments!) For those of you who, like me, are newer to the audio horror genre, I invite you to come along on this journey with me. Without further ado, in no particular order, here are 13 of the best horror podcasts I’ve discovered:

*Disclaimer: Most of these recommendations are at least PG-13 – typical for horror, but listen with caution!

1. Archive 81

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Archive 81 is a “found footage horror podcast.” Dan Powell, a new employee of the Housing Historical Committee of New York State, is tasked with organizing the many tapes from the titular archive. Tape after bizarre tape reveals sinister, supernatural forces contained within the mysterious Visser building, whose inhabitants have mesmerizing and chilling stories to share with interviewer Melody Pendras. The podcast has three seasons and 32 episodes, 15-45 minutes each. Although Season 3 ended in 2018, a Netflix adaptation is currently in production.

2. Haunted Places

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One of Parcast Network’s many podcasts (heads up: a few Parcast shows made this list), Haunted Places is the perfect mix of history and fiction. Every episode features one of the “scariest, eeriest, most haunted, real places on Earth,” as host Greg Polcyn recites. Because the locations often have violent histories, Polcyn warns children under 13 to listen with caution. There are 200+ episodes, each around 45 minutes long. Haunted Places airs every Thursday; Urban Legends, a Haunted Places spinoff, airs on Tuesdays. Haunted Places is available on both Apple Podcast and Spotify, while Urban Legends is only on Spotify.

3. Old Gods of Appalachia

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Welcome to “Alternative Appalachia,” the fictional world in which these stories take place. Writer/Narrator Steve Shell has a deep voice and a Southern accent, which, when combined, immediately immerse you in the spooky environment. The stories are folkloric, like ones you would tell around a campfire, deep in the woods. Old Gods of Appalachia has 30 episodes, which are standalone stories that range from 10-45 minutes. New episodes air twice monthly.

4. Unwell

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Unwell is another narrative fiction podcast in the middle of its third season. A self-described “Midwestern Gothic Mystery,” the show follows Lilian Harper to small-town Mt. Absalom, Ohio, whose inhabitants seem just a little too friendly. The audio – both the voice acting and the background noises – is incredibly immersive, making it easy to picture the action in your head. While three seasons may sound like a big undertaking, the seasons are only 12 episodes each, at around 30 minutes an episode. That should give you plenty of time to listen before Season 4 premieres next spring!

5. Serial Killers

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Another Parcast podcast, Serial Killers is hosted by Greg Polcyn and Vanessa Richardson. Every Monday and Thursday, the duo presents the details of a famous serial killer’s life. This podcast, spending a good chunk of time on the killers’ psychological backgrounds. (Neither host is “a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist,” but they do “a lot of research for this show.” (This repeated disclaimer has become a running gag, even inspiring merch!) Serial Killers has nearly 300 episodes, many of which are two-parters; they run between 30 and 60 minutes.

6. The Black Tapes

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The Black Tapes follows Alex Reagan, a journalist investigating the paranormal. The storytelling is reminiscent of the podcast Serial. While that style makes for a convincing story, don’t be fooled – a quick Google search of the show will reveal that the podcast is a fictional “docu-drama” Regardless, the mystery is compelling. The Black Tapes is in its third season (same story, unlike Serial), seemingly on hiatus. The previous two seasons were 12 episodes each; the latest episode – Season 3’s mid-season finale – aired in January 2020. Episodes are 30-45 minutes.

7. RABBITS

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RABBITS is another podcast that toes the line between reality and fiction. This podcast centers around a mysterious, dark-web game; the disappearance of one of the players; and her friend, Carly Parker’s, search for answers. This podcast is in its second season, and the episodes are around an hour each. You can also listen to a three-part bonus story called THE PATH.

8. Full Body Chills

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If you’re looking for a similar podcast to SSP, Full Body Chills is a great choice. Narrator Ashley Flowers has a captivating voice that compliments the well-written stories. All episodes are less than 30 minutes long. The podcast has three seasons and 50+ episodes.

9. Mind’s Eye

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This is the last Parcast show on the list. Unlike the other two, though, Mind’s Eye is narrative fiction. In just six, half-hour episodes, Mind’s Eye unravels the mystery of Kate McClay’s night terrors. If you’re looking for a short thriller series, this podcast is perfect. (Don’t hold your breath waiting for a Season 2!)” Mind’s Eye is only on Spotify.

10. Darkest Night

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Join Dr. John Kinsler and his assistant Katie Reed, employees of the Roth-Lodbow Center for Advanced Research, tasked with the innovative Project Cyclops, which allows them to observe final memories of the deceased. The pair quickly realize that their patients’ deaths are linked to the Center and that they may have been unwittingly pulled into a gruesome conspiracy. Darkest Night has 3 seasons, 10 episodes each. Most episodes are around 30 minutes long.

(An extra warning: each of the episodes features memories of a murder, and the audio reflects any gore from those murders. If gore is your least favorite horror trope, I still recommend, but be prepared for some gross sounds.)

11. Scared to Death

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Scared to Death marries radio show-style banter perfectly with the creepy storytelling of SSP. The narrator, Dan Cummins, hosts with his wife, Lynze, whose sporadic interjections are the audio equivalents of jump scares. This podcast is the only non-narrative one on the list with a touch of humor. I included it anyway because of the high-quality horror it provides. Each episode features two stories (another similarity to SSP), and they’re 60-90 minutes long. Episodes air every Wednesday.

12. The Minds of Madness

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True crime doesn’t necessarily equal traditional horror, but this true crime podcast leans into the creep factor. Host Tyler blends narration with real recordings pertaining to the cases. The additional audio grounds the listener in the reality of what they’re hearing; in my opinion, reality is always scarier than fiction. Fans of ADM would likely enjoy that aspect of The Minds of Madness. This show has 100+ episodes worth of terrifying true-crime tales, each 30-60 minutes.

13. Don’t Look in the Trees

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Narrator Abbey Sobota presents creatures from American myths in less-than half-hour episodes. Abbey provides descriptions of these creatures, personal stories, and tips for protecting yourself, if you believe in the myths. Fifteen episodes have aired so far, and it’s unclear if/when more episodes will come out, so if you are looking for a shorter time commitment, this podcast is for you! You can also check out Sobota’s Tik Tok account (available in the episode descriptions on Spotify) for more content.

Filed Under: Blog

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