On the morning of February 9th, 1855, the residents of Devon woke to a nightmare pressed into the snow. A single-file line of cloven hoof-prints, stretching over miles of frozen English countryside. Across thirty towns. In six hours. Made by something walking upright, one foot precisely in front of the other.

The prints didn't go around obstacles. They went through them. Over fourteen-foot walls without disturbing the snow at the base. Across a two-mile river with no mark at either shore. Across rooftops while families slept below.

The explanations that followed were creative. None of them quite fit the evidence.

Then, in 2009, a woman in North Devon walked out to her garden after a fresh snowfall. Same prints. Same single-file line. Starting at a window. Vanishing without explanation on the other side of the yard.

One hundred and fifty-four years between events. Same county. No answers.

Haunted Talks tells the story of the Mystery of the Devil's Footprints.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:

Episode 188 – Something in the Air: What Happened in Mattoon, Illinois?
Episode 184 – Dark Folklore From Around the World – Part 1
Episode 150 – Footsteps in the Attic: The Hinterkaifeck Murders

Jim steps out from behind the microphone to share a talk he gave at the Modern Language Association conference in Toronto, where he was invited to speak on a panel about Gothic scholarship, podcasting, and public humanities.

It's a conversation about what we're really doing when we tell ghost stories. Not just entertaining, but shaping how people think about the past, life, death, and what may lie between. It's about butterflies that remember past lives, Titanic folklore that won't die, and why a zombie apocalypse in a Cold War bunker became one of our most beloved projects.

Thanks to Joshua Tuttle from Concordia University in Chicago for the invite!

Also: Valentine's Weekend is upon us. Friday the 13th and Valentine's Day, back-to-back. The most superstitious night of the year, followed by the most romantic. Ghost tours in Kingston, Ottawa, and Toronto. Paranormal investigations in Ottawa and Toronto.

Journalist and researcher Brian Baker, founder of The Superstitious Times, joins Haunted Talks to discuss his new book, Eerie Whispers: Exploring Canada's Reluctant Relationship with Its Ghostly Lore.

Why is Canada, a country overflowing with ghost stories, so hesitant to talk about them?

Brian shares a chilling childhood encounter he has never quite shaken, unpacks his idea of Canada as "the introvert on the global stage," and takes us across the country to explore why some regions embrace the paranormal while others keep it at arm's length. We also dive into Toronto's legendary Philip Experiment, where a group of researchers appeared to summon a ghost they invented, raising unsettling questions about belief, storytelling, and what might be shaping a haunting.

Along the way, we explore fear, pop culture, and Indigenous perspectives that challenge the very word "paranormal."

If you've ever wondered why Canadians are so shy when it comes to ghosts, press play and find out.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:

Episode 196 – Spiritualism in Canada, Eh? Part 1 "Ghosts, God & The Great Divide"
Episode 163 – Canada's Ghost Towns