Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf

Astonishing Legends co-host Forrest Burgess makes his RHPB debut to kick off the Halloween Season and reveal his “Top 5 Favorite Paranormal Books”!Of course, first we have to argue about the format of the episode, whether or not I explained it to him clearly, and how is he even supposed to narrow it down to five?!? But rest assured, we “count ‘em down!” – just like Casey Kasem and “America’s Top Forty”! And along the way we talk about everything from “Summer-ween” to Alien Pool Parties to The Odessa File to Tarot Cards to Silence of the Lambs, astral travel, Scott Philbrook, Mike Tyson, the Lizard Man, Spooky Action at a Distance – and all of Forrest’s Girlfriends! If you know Forrest, you know it’s gonna get weird. And if you don’t, well… you have been warned.PLUS: BONUS PATREON CONTENT! For Patreon members at the Obsessed Fan Level -- Forrest Burgess joins me to reveal and discuss his FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME! Only on Patreon! LINKS:Listen to Astonishing Legends here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373 To buy all of the books Forrest recommends, please go to https://bookshop.org/Visit the Raymond Restaurant and have your own Alien Pool Party! https://theraymond1886.com/Support RHPB on Patreon and get extra AUDIO and VIDEO content here! https://patreon.com/RichardHatem?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLinkCelebrate 2026 with 26% off all RHPB merch with offer code RHPB26! CLICK HERE and the discount is pre-applied! https://richardhatem-shop.fourthwall.com/promo/RHPB26Need help with your personal writing projects? Richard is here to help! Get 20% off when you mention RHPB! https://www.richardhatem.com/

Welcome New Listeners! Revisit Episode 1: Ghosts & SpectersShow Description: Hey Everybody! I just had the pleasure of appearing on “Woo-Woo with Rachel Dratch”! So, I’m re-broadcasting the very first episode of RHPB (“Ghosts & Specters”) for new listeners and anyone who wants to hear it again. (And don’t worry, the episodes don’t run in chronological order, so you can actually start anywhere…) If you’re new here -- welcome aboard! I’m so thrilled to have you here!LINKS:Listen to me on “Woo-Woo with Rachel Dratch” here:Spotify • Apple PodcastsWoo Woo websiteGet tickets to Richard Hatem’s “Light in the Dark Tour 2026” LIVE!: https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/eventsSupport RHPB on Patreon here! https://patreon.com/RichardHatem?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLinkCelebrate 2026 with 26% off all RHPB merch with offer code RHPB26! CLICK HERE and the discount is pre-applied! https://richardhatem-shop.fourthwall.com/promo/RHPB26Need help with your personal writing projects? Richard is here to help! Get 20% off when you mention RHPB! https://www.richardhatem.com/

“It was Christmas time. It was supposed to be a time of happiness, but we had funerals in town. We couldn’t put off the funerals until after Christmas. They said later, they found a hairline crack in an eyebolt, and once one part went down, the whole bridge went down.” – from the book Bridging The Tragedy by Bill & Jaci KousoulasWhen the Silver Bridge collapsed on December 15, 1967, the tragedy touched the lives of everyone in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. In the months leading up to the disaster, hundreds of people in the Ohio River Valley reported UFO sightings, psychic events, poltergeist activity, Men in Black and encounters with a flying humanoid that became known as Mothman. What happens to a community that undergoes this kind of trauma? Bill & Jaci Kousoulas decided to find out.Richard was fortunate enough to meet Bill & Jaci at the 2025 Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant. In this interview, Richard talks with them about their initial interest in the case (sparked by the movie The Mothman Prophecies), their paranormal investigations, the concept of “Post Traumatic Growth”, and the people they met in Point Pleasant – many of them first-hand witnesses to the bridge collapse and the Mothman himself – all of which led to the publication of their book Bridging the Tragedy -- Silver Linings In The Mysterious Ohio River Valley. LINKS: Buy Bill & Jaci’s book “Bridging the Tragedy” here https://www.amazon.com/Bridging-Tragedy-Silver-Linings-Mysterious/dp/B0CGKK5KTC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UISTYHW9O71R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JGFkN_m1TGe7bsB-M4g1NV0X-SsmyxkAfqfydVAkI4z6qQIdI1EhVVj1HxqXLrXm.elAVktCytqkj6YX87VPcYvE9F4C_LnqmyBHd4r6AhBI&dib_tag=se&keywords=bridging+the+tragedy&qid=1769029017&s=books&sprefix=bridging+the+tragedy%2Cstripbooks%2C168&sr=1-1

“I became a journalist because of Carl Kolchak. He was my idea of what a journalist was and should be, and he remains that to this day.” -- Mark Dawidziak, author of The Night Stalker CompanionToday’s episode is a Christmas gift to myself: a visit with my friend Mark Dawidziak, who just happens to be the world’s leading authority on Carl Kolchak and all things Night Stalker – the movies, the TV series, the original novel by Jeff Rice and the many sequel novels, one of which was written by Mark himself!The Night Stalker, a TV-movie starring Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland and Barry Atwater, was about an intrepid reporter named Carl Kolchak covering a series of bizarre murders in Las Vegas – murders he becomes increasingly convinced are being committed by an actual, real-life vampire. It premiered on January 11, 1972 to blockbuster ratings and for decades was the highest rated TV-movie of all time. It led to a sequel, The Night Strangler, and eventually to a 20-episode TV series that premiered on September 13, 1974. It’s the TV show that most people my age remember – a weekly trip into horror that at the time had no equal. Chris Carter often cites his love for The Night Stalker as the inspiration for creating his hit series The X-Files. And of course, listeners of this podcast know about my affection for the show and how formative it was for me as a young kid.Join Mark and me as we talk about Darren McGavin, Dan Curtis, David Chase, our favorite Night Stalker episodes, the history of the American vampire, the 3rd (unproduced) Night Stalker movie, how Darren McGavin finally gave up on the show (but not the character) – and the upcoming 2026 release of the all-new, definitive edition of The Night Stalker Companion!Mark Dawidziak is the author or editor of 25 books, including three acclaimed studies of landmark television series: The Columbo Phile, The Night Stalker Companion and Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone. He also is an internationally recognized Mark Twain scholar, and five of his books are about the iconic American writer. His most recent book, A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe, was published by St. Martin’s Press in February 2023.Keep up with Mark Dawidziak and buy his books at his personal website here https://www.markdawidziak.com/Buy The Night Stalker TV series on DVD here https://kinolorber.com/product/kolchak-the-night-stalker-the-complete-series-blu-ray?gad_campaignid=21604535012Buy the novel The Night Stalker here https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=jeff%20rice&ref_=search_f_hp&sts=t&tn=night%20stalker