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On this week’s DragonKing Dark, I have a rare mailbag and feedback show as my recent shows on society and fear have generated a lot of conversation among you.
Despite these seemingly dire times, there is hope and we hear from a number of people this week on topics ranging from masks to social unrest and more. I hope you enjoy hearing from other listeners of the show.
The Devil and Father Amorth is a 2017 documentary film directed by William Friedkin showing the ninth exorcism of an Italian woman in the village of Venafro referred to as “Cristina” with this attempt performed by Father Gabriele Amorth.
Friedkin was, of course, the director of 1973’s The Exorcist and he wanted to see an actual exorcism, so he finally got to and filmed it for us all to see. So, what did it look like? Did it make me a believer? What can we make of exorcisms and demonic possession?
Join me as we examine The Devil and Father Amorth, available on Netflix streaming.
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? It turns out that there are plenty of reasons: both 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. So, let’s talk about it on this week’s DragonKing Dark.
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 gets darker again this week as I 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.” While that is true, the devil we have been raised to know is really different than the one presented in the pages of 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 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 whose evil acts and evil nature aren’t 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.
I celebrate my birthday all week long with a look back at the year I was born: 1971.
On this episode, we look back at the insane circus that was the Charles 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 Manson Family trial was a media circus and the cult played continuous mind games with the court including some outrageous antics. Hear all about that and more on this week’s DragonKing Dark.
This week, DragonKing Dark takes a turn toward true crime with a look at three wrestlers whose careers were tainted by murder accusations.
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 also will discuss the crimes. Jimmy Snuka never went to trial on the killing of Nancy Argentino as he died of cancer first, but I discussed the night in 1983 she was killed.
Finally, I take a deep dive into wrestling history that finds that the World welterweight champion and his wife also indicted for murder but ultimately acquitted.
Professional wrestling has had its share of tragedy, accidents, and true crime over its 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, spawning imitators for decades later and literally goes down with the ship. Then, there’s car wrecks, freak boating accidents, and even murder.
July is a month that pro wrestlers should take extra caution with. Hear why and more on this week’s episode of DragonKing Dark.
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.
This week on DragonKing Dark, I return to the topic of ancient civilizations and triy 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, but recent archeological investigation is beginning to shed light on even older civilizations which were 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.
This week on the DragonKing Dark Podcast, we are going to look at how we remember the dead.
In years past, the veneration of the deceased was a big deal. Historically, mankind has built elaborate tombs, pyramids, and even cities to honor the deceased. As recently as the early 1900s, it was not uncommon for families to erect massive memorials to departed loved ones. On this week’s episode, I discuss the differences between then and now and visit a historic cemetery in Nashville, TN, to pay respects to a pop culture legend.
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 Archaeology and reviews it and relates his experiences visiting a Mayan holy site a few years ago.
On this episode of DragonKing Dark, host Karl Stern takes a break from reviewing retro paranormal shows and discusses a topic that have many of the religious world unsettled right now — end-time events.
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?
On this episode of DragonKing Dark, I take a look at an amazing show written by Roald Dahl, Tales of the Unexpected.
It’s a wonderful show that ran for nine seasons from 1979-1988 and can be found on Tubi (free) or with an Amazon Prime subscription. (It’s also getting rebooted.)
Similar in many ways to The Twilight Zone but with a more sinister undertone, I look at the very first episode, 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 and the twist ending is also bizarre. This retro television episode is one that will stick with you and make you uncomfortable, but is yet enjoyable.