Before Salem, there was Connecticut.

In this episode of Lunatics Radio Hour, Abby Brenker sits down with historian Josh Hutchinson to explore the Connecticut Witch Trials, which spanned 1647 to 1697 and led to 11 executions decades before the events in Salem.

They discuss the Puritan beliefs and English laws that shaped colonial prosecutions, the role of coerced confessions and spectral evidence, and the social instability that fueled accusations. The episode examines cases including Alse (Alice) Young, Mary Johnson, Goody Bassett, Goodwife Knapp, Katherine Harrison, and the 1662 Hartford executions.

Josh also shares insights from his work with the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project and discusses ongoing efforts to formally clear the names of those convicted.

A factual look at one of early America’s lesser known chapters of legal and religious history.

Sources discussed include:
– Amanda Pitts, NBC CT https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/four-decades-before-salem-there-were-witch-trials-in-connecticut/3407226/
– Research by Josh Hutchinson https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mary-johnson-witch/
– William K. Holdsworth, The New England Quarterly
– Godbeer, Escaping Salem
– Brian Levack, The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe
– Carol Karlsen, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman
– Connecticut Colony Code of 1642

Other links mentioned in the episode:
https://connecticutwitchtrials.org/trail/
change.org/witchtrials
https://endwitchhunts.org/

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

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This week Abby and Alex present two stories for your enjoyment.

In The Light of The Wisps was written by Marisca Pichette. Follow them on Instagram @marisca_write or check out their website: www.mariscapichette.com

Airbag was written by Mike Macera. Follow Mike on Instagram and @mikemacera and check out his website: https://www.scene3.co/films

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

Consider donating and volunteering with organizations like National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amica Center and the ACLU.

Thanks to a post by @thefinancialdiet for originally shouting out this information.

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This week Abby and Alan discuss the real history of the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island, from the first English expeditions to the colony’s unexplained disappearance in 1590.

We talk through the major historical theories, including integration with Indigenous tribes, disease, violence, the supernatural and failed rescue attempts. Finally, we explore how this mystery shaped modern horror, including references in Storm of the Century by Stephen King and American Horror Story.

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

Support your favorite podcast by wearing some haunting and highly specific clothing. Check out our merch store here.

Consider joining our Patreon for bonus episodes, spooky literature and deep dives into horror and history. Click here to learn more.

Consider donating and volunteering with organizations like National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amica Center and the ACLU.

Thanks to a post by @thefinancialdiet for originally shouting out this information.

Support the show

This week Abby and Alan discuss Third Man Factor; real life incidents, theories and it's impact on horror and pop culture. Third Man Theory refers to the phenomena of people surviving extreme situations and claiming it's because an invisible entity came to save them.

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

Consider donating and volunteering with organizations like National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amica Center and the ACLU.

Thanks to a post by @thefinancialdiet for originally shouting out this information.

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This week Abby sits down with Kate Rotunda to discuss the very unnerving history of puppets.

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

Support your favorite podcast by wearing some haunting and highly specific clothing. Check out our merch store here.

Consider joining our Patreon for bonus episodes, spooky literature and deep dives into horror and history. Click here to learn more.

Consider donating and volunteering with organizations like National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amica Center and the ACLU.

Thanks to a post by @thefinancialdiet for originally shouting out this information.

Support the show

Abby and Alan conclude the four part winter horror series. This week they discuss The Yerti and other snow cryptids. They even talk through some of the most famous instances of ice mummies.

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

Support your favorite podcast by wearing some haunting and highly specific clothing. Check out our merch store here.

Consider joining our Patreon for bonus episodes, spooky literature and deep dives into horror and history. Click here to learn more.

Consider donating and volunteering with organizations like National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amica Center and the ACLU.

Thanks to a post by @thefinancialdiet for originally shouting out this information.

Support the show

This week Abby presents two spooky stories.

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

Consider donating and volunteering with organizations like National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amica Center and the ACLU.

Thanks to a post by @thefinancialdiet for originally shouting out this information.

Support the show

This week Abby and Alan continue exploring the intersection of winter and horror, this time through the lens of of isolation.

Sources:

• A Medical News Today article by Danielle Dresdon: What to know about cabin fever.
• JAMA Network, scientific study by Eugene Ziskind, M.D. called Isolation Stress in Medical and Mental Illness
• PubMed study from 2021, Social Isolation and Psychosis: An Investigation of social interactions and paranoia in daily life
• Study we found on PubMed from 2008: Psychological effects of polar expeditions
• And another study listed on PubMed The role of circadian phase in sleep and performance during Antarctic winter expeditions from 2022
• Slash Film article by Danielle Ryan: The Haunted History Behind The Shinings Stanley Hotel
• SyFy article by Josh Weiss: The Thing Oral History: Cast and Crew Reveal Secrets of John Carpenter's Sci-Fi Horror Masterpiece

Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.

Support your favorite podcast by wearing some haunting and highly specific clothing. Check out our merch store here.

Consider joining our Patreon for bonus episodes, spooky literature and deep dives into horror and history. Click here to learn more.

Consider donating and volunteering with organizations like National Immigration Project, Immigrant Defense Project, Legal Aid Justice Center, Amica Center and the ACLU.

Thanks to a post by @thefinancialdiet for originally shouting out this information.

Support the show