Hysterical

Hysterical Podcast

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Hysterical investigates a mysterious illness that spreads among a group of high school girls in upstate New York. What is causing their sudden, often violent symptoms? Is there something in the water or inside the school? Or is it “all in their head?” The series examines the outbreak in LeRoy, NY, believed by some to be the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem Witch Trials. In his search for answers, Dan Taberski (9/12, Missing Richard Simmons, Running from Cops) explores other seemingly inexplicable events of the last few years – CIA officers being crippled with nausea and vertigo; cops OD'ing from exposure to fentanyl – and discovers they’re far more connected than we realize. From Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, this 7-part series forces us to grapple with the mysteries of our own minds, and reckon with a contagion that we thought was long dead, but may be the defining disorder of our time. Listen to Hysterical on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/hysterical/ now. 

Episodes

Shows with Subscription Benefits

  • 15 years ago chef Claudia Lawrence went missing. Multiple men have been arrested - then released. Several lakes near her home were emptied in the search for her body. Claudia has never been found. Now her mother has asked for help.  Tom McDermott is the journalist who 80 year old Joan Lawrence asked to help her, saying this might be her last chance for answers. Tom has spent the past year immersed in Claudia’s friendship group, speaking to people in Malton and Heworth where Claudia and her family lived, but something isn’t right - even now people are frightened. Why? Now Tom looks for answers - speaking to the people who knew Claudia best, exploring the persistent rumours surrounding the case and asking why, 15 years after Claudia’s disappearance, are the people of Malton still so scared of the truth?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Ruby Franke, a Utah mom turned YouTube “momfluencer” who amassed 2.6 million subscribers, was known for her strict disciplinarian parenting style. But authorities now say that her "tough love" was actually child abuse. Ruby Franke's son escaped from the Utah home of her self-help business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt. The boy was reportedly starved and tied up with duct tape along with his 10 year old sister. As law enforcement dug deeper, they uncovered injuries, torture, and emotional harm inflicted by both Franke and Hildebrandt. Law&Crime takes you behind the scenes, from Ruby and Jodi's path to internet stardom, to the investigation that brought them down. Binge all episodes of The Rise and Fall of Ruby Franke ad-free by joining Wondery+ on the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-rise-and-fall-of-ruby-franke/ now.

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  • RedHanded the podcast jumps head first into all manner of macabre madness. We cover everything from big time serial killers (and those you may never have heard of), to hauntings, possessions, disturbing mysteries, bizarre whodunits and basically anything that tickles our creepy fancy. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares.

  • A stormy evening in January 2022 begins as an innocent night out for drinks with friends for a local couple in Canton, Massachusetts. But by daybreak, Boston police officer John O’Keefe turns up under six feet of snow and his girlfriend, Karen Read, is immediately suspected of striking him with her SUV - leaving him for dead.  As the investigation into John’s curious death unfurls, rumors of a police cover-up captivate the town of Canton and beyond. Is Karen Read being framed? This question soon begs answers from onlookers far and wide as Karen’s ten week trial is catapulted into the national spotlight.   Law and Crime presents the most in-depth analysis to date of this sensational case – exploring the divisive theories and more by taking you behind the scenes of both the trial of Karen Read and the investigation into John O'Keefe's mysterious death in KAREN. Listen to all episodes of KAREN exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/karen/ now.

  • Donating your body to science is a final, noble act. If you’re donating it to one of the world’s most prestigious medical schools you might even hope you will contribute to a scientific breakthrough. But at Harvard Medical School something went wrong…the head of their mortuary had gone rogue and in 2019 a shocking discovery led to the realisation that body parts were being sold online.   So how did Cedric Lodge go from respected member of the Harvard community to running a network of human oddity collectors, and making huge profits? And what were their customers doing with the body parts? In Head Number 7 geneticist and ancient DNA expert Professor Turi King, takes you inside Cedric’s descent into darkness, finds out more about the people who donated their bodies only to be sold for parts and asks, who owns your body after you die?  Listen to episodes of Head Number 7 exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App or Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/head-number-seven

Binge all episodes early & ad-free right now.

€5.99/mo or €44.99/yr after trial

Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Hysterical investigates a mysterious illness that spreads among a group of high school girls in upstate New York. What is causing their sudden, often violent symptoms? Is there something in the water or inside the school? Or is it “all in their head?” The series examines the outbreak in LeRoy, NY, believed by some to be the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem Witch Trials. In his search for answers, Dan Taberski (9/12, Missing Richard Simmons, Running from Cops) explores other seemingly inexplicable events of the last few years – CIA officers being crippled with nausea and vertigo; cops OD'ing from exposure to fentanyl – and discovers they’re far more connected than we realize. From Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, this 7-part series forces us to grapple with the mysteries of our own minds, and reckon with a contagion that we thought was long dead, but may be the defining disorder of our time. Listen to Hysterical on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/hysterical/ now. 

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