Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf

Astonishing Legends Productions
  • 4.8 (456)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS

“Go inside the mind of one of television and movies’ wildest storytellers…”  Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf is a podcast that feels like discovering a secret diary.  Every episode unravels the mysteries of a book from Richard's bookshelf and a story from Richard’s life, weaving together the excitement of the supernatural and the warmth of personal storytelling.

  1. 1D AGO

    Lily Dale

    “Compared to most people in Lily Dale, I was a raging skeptic.  Compared to most of my journalistic colleagues, I was a soft-headed sap.  I didn’t believe Lily Dale’s people could chat with the dead, but I was willing to concede that I might be wrong.  I never intended for any of it to change me.  But it did.” – Christine Wicker, Lily Dale Lily Dale is a small community of spiritualists in upstate New York.  It is known as “The town that talks to the dead”.  People come here from all over the world hoping to connect with loved ones who have passed on.  Everyone who comes here thinks they will find “the truth” -- and know it when they see it.  Up or down, true or false, real or fake.  They’ll know.  Christine Wicker, religion reporter for the Dallas Morning News, comes to Lily Dale convinced she’ll find out the “truth”.  But the longer she stays, the harder it is to find… In the summer of 2009, Richard and Susan find themselves on opposite sides of an issue for which there can be no compromise: having a second child.  All Richard wants is another TV show. A year later he’s in Shreveport, Louisiana producing ABC’s summer series The Gates.  But the dream job is rapidly turning into a nightmare.  What happens when the thing you thought would save you turns into something you can barely survive?  And what if embracing the thing you’re most afraid of might be the only path to happiness? Links:Support 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/The Cumin Club – delicious, easy, authentic Indian cuisine delivered right to your door.  Use offer code RHPB to get 30% off on EVERY ORDER! https://www.thecuminclub.com/Buy Lily Dale by Christine Wicker here https://bookshop.org/p/books/lily-dale-the-town-that-talks-to-the-dead-christine-wicker/40f0955a03d76fe0?ean=9780061153747&next=tLearn more about the real town of Lily Dale, NY here https://www.lilydaleassembly.org/

    1h 6m

  2. FEB 27

    Sasquatch

    “SOMETHING is making those goddamn footprints and I’m going to find out what it is!” – René Dahinden, SasquatchThe 1970’s were prime “flesh-and-blood” Sasquatch years.  It seemed like everyone who was looking for Bigfoot was sure they were gonna find him (or her) any minute now.  Don Hunter and René Dahinden were no different.  After all, if something exists in the real world, it’s just a matter of time before you’re holding it in your arms – right? In 1977 Richard was in search of a girl he barely knew.  She drifted through his school, his neighborhood, his dreams – always glimpsed in motion, in the corner of his eye -- but when would she become real?  As Don Hunter and René Dahinden scour the Pacific Northwest in their search for Sasquatch, will Richard’s hunt bring him any closer to his mystery girl? Links:Support 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/Buy Sasquatch by Don Hunter and René Dahinden here https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=don%20hunter&ch_sort=t&cm_sp=sort-_-SRP-_-Results&ds=30&dym=on&rollup=on&sortby=1&tn=sasquatchBuy Joshua Cutchins and Timothy Renner’s book Where The Footprints End, Volumes 1 & 2  here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/where-the-footprints-end-high-strangeness-and-the-bigfoot-phenomenon-volume-i-folklore-joshua-cutchin/09962a8798ca581c?ean=9798634992617&next=t

    1h 1m
  3. S4: SPECIAL PRESENTATION: What It Means To Be Human

    FEB 20 · BONUS

    S4: SPECIAL PRESENTATION: What It Means To Be Human

    Today I am thrilled to bring you an episode of an all-new podcast by RHPB guest, fan and my good friend Dan Zetterstrom!  PATREON members will remember him from the episode where he shared his experience visiting spirit healer Michael Chapman – the son of George Chapman who was featured in the RHPB episode “Surgeon From Another World”.  Dan is a kind, intelligent and relentlessly curious guy and his show “What It Means To Be Human” dives deep into the mysteries of consciousness, humanity and the anomalous.  This episode features a fascinating conversation with comedian, actor and writer Michael Ian Black (Reno 911!, Wet Hot American Summer).  Their talk touches on everything from John Keel to orb sightings to near death experiences to the collective unconscious – to Michael’s growing discomfort with the politics and personalities orbiting “official disclosure”.  This is a fun and fast-moving interview that I think you guys will love. You can find “What It Means To Be Human” on Spotify, Apple podcasts, YouTube and everywhere you get your Podcasts Follow “What It Means to Be Human” here: https://www.tobehumanshow.com/

    1h 25m

  4. FEB 13

    The Ghost of Flight 401

    “A flight attendant was in the lower galley when she happened to glance into the glass window of one of the meal heating units. There was the face of Don Repo, the flight engineer who died in the Everglades crash. He said, “Watch out for fire on this airplane.” – from The Ghost of Flight 401We’ve all heard of haunted houses -- but a haunted jumbo jet?  For over two years, author and journalist John G. Fuller investigated claims that the ghosts of Captain Bob Loft and Flight Engineer Don Repo were appearing to Eastern Airlines flight crews and warning them of mechanical problems on their L-1011s.  But how do you prove a story when the airline's top executive’s close ranks -- and employees are threatened with termination for even talking about the supernatural sightings? Richard never had a problem with airplanes until a particularly terrifying flight on the night of July 12th, 2002.  Just when his life should have been opening up, this new crippling fear of flying was shutting it down.  How do you overcome fear when you’ve spent a lifetime holding it deep inside?  And how does Richard navigate a landscape of paranoia, anger, desire and rebellion when everything in his life seems to be changing all at once – and way too fast? Links:Support 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/RHPB26 Need help with your personal writing projects?  Richard is here to help!  Get 20% off when you mention RHPB!  https://www.richardhatem.com/Buy The Ghost of Flight 401 by John G. Fuller here: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=fuller&ch_sort=t&cm_sp=sort-_-SRP-_-Results&ds=30&dym=on&rollup=on&sortby=2&tn=ghost%20of%20flight%20401

    1h 18m

  5. JAN 30

    Induced After Death Communication

    “Nothing in my formal training prepared me for the events described in this book.  What I discovered defied everything I knew about treating patients suffering from grief and trauma, and it took me into an unfamiliar realm of human experience.  I and about 200 other trained psychotherapists have induced thousands of after death communications.  It appears to work with nearly everyone, nearly all of the time.” – Dr. Allan L. Botkin, author of Induced After Death CommunicationWhat if communication with the dead was no longer a spontaneous occurrence but rather something anyone could access any time they liked?  In 1995, Dr. Allan Botkin chanced upon a treatment for grief and loss that appeared to deliver exactly that.  Botkin’s method is called “Induced After Death Communication” – and it is currently being practiced all over the world.  But is it true communication with the spirits of the dead -- or something else entirely? Richard grapples with this question as he reads Dr. Botkin’s book in the aftermath of his mother’s death.  How does one process grief when the relationship being grieved is “complicated” at best?  And how can you trust a supernatural event that can be accessed as easily as a visit to a therapist’s office? Links:Support 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/Buy Dr. Allan Botkin’s Induced After Death Communication here https://bookshop.org/p/books/induced-after-death-communication-a-miraculous-therapy-for-grief-and-loss-allan-l-botkin-psyd/7d367a8ec38ec68c?ean=9781571747129&next=t

    1h 9m

  6. JAN 23

    SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE! Bridging the Mothman Tragedy with Bill and Jaci Kousoulas

    “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 Kousoulas When 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

    58 min

  7. JAN 9 · BONUS

    SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE! Telephone Calls From The Dead with Parapsychologist Dr. Callum Cooper

    “He was seen with this guy… Two days later a neighbor said his lawn sprinkler had been running continuously. They called the police.  A lieutenant was sent out – they found the back door ajar.  So he went through and discovered Scott -- slain in a pool of blood.”  -- parapsychologist Dr. Callum Cooper on the death of D. Scott Rogo. Today I’m thrilled to be talking with Dr. Callum Cooper about his personal research into the life and tragic death of fellow parapsychologist D. Scott Rogo.  Rogo was the driving force behind one of the strangest and most fascinating books ever written – Phone Calls From The Dead.  Cooper followed up on this research and published his own book 30 years later: Telephone Calls From The Dead.In our conversation, Cooper discusses his investigation into the murder of D. Scott Rogo, his role in getting Phone Calls From The Dead republished in a new affordable volume – and his ongoing fascination with electronic communication with the dead. LINKS:Learn more about Dr. Callum Cooper and purchase his books at his personal website https://www.callumecooper.com/Buy a brand new – and affordable! – copy of D. Scott Rogo and Raymond Bayless’s classic book Phone Calls From The Dead here https://bookshop.org/p/books/phone-calls-from-the-dead-the-results-of-a-two-year-investigation-into-an-incredible-phenomenon-d-scott-rogo/27684604309b6445?ean=9781786772725&next=tWatch this amazing vintage theatrical promo trailer for the movie Poltergeist -- featuring D. Scott Rogo himself!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIQDw3mJlAg

    1h 9m

  8. 12/26/2025

    SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE! – Night Stalking with Mark Dawidziak

    “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

    1h 28m
See All (55)

Trailers

4.8
out of 5
456 Ratings

About

“Go inside the mind of one of television and movies’ wildest storytellers…”  Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf is a podcast that feels like discovering a secret diary.  Every episode unravels the mysteries of a book from Richard's bookshelf and a story from Richard’s life, weaving together the excitement of the supernatural and the warmth of personal storytelling.

Information

You Might Also Like