Cursed...ish

Daniel Stevens and Angela Mattes
  • 4.4 (7)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Cursed...ish is a podcast about misfortune, mystery, and the stories we tell when bad luck stops feeling random. Have you ever thought, “I don’t believe in curses… but I feel cursed”? A project that keeps going wrong. A string of strange coincidences. A disaster that, in retrospect, feels almost inevitable. That’s when people start reaching for a bigger explanation. It’s not just bad luck, but something more sinister. Hosted by Daniel Stevens and Angela Mattes, Cursed...ish explores stories in which misfortune is framed as more than mere happenstance: as something malevolent, approaching the macabre with curiosity, skepticism, and the occasional dark joke. From King Tut and the Dybbuk Box to the Avada Kedavra, and even your favorite four-letter word, each episode pulls apart the history, folklore, and media hysteria surrounding the human impulse to explain chaos. Sometimes a curse is a supernatural claim. Sometimes it’s a metaphor. And sometimes it’s just what people tell themselves when the universe keeps kicking them in the teeth. Welcome to Cursed...ish.

  1. 15h ago

    The Hands Resist Him - Ep. 26

    Link to Cursed Painting - Open with Caution - https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSAq5NbAyoMu1Rb8ohN-tb2d5WriWF_EOruRTMKj9QxxQ&s=10 In this episode of Cursed...ish, Daniel and Angela investigate The Hands Resist Him, the allegedly cursed painting by artist Bill Stoneham that became one of the internet’s earliest viral cursed-object legends. The painting itself is unsettling enough: a young boy, a life-size doll girl with black eyes, disembodied hands pressed against a glass door, and the general feeling that maybe you should not be looking at it too long after dark. But the real legend begins when the painting appeared in an early eBay listing with claims that the figures moved at night, the boy left the frame, and the artwork had to be removed from the seller’s home. From there, the story spiraled into reports of dizziness, fainting, printer malfunctions, supernatural panic, and the kind of internet folklore that feels very familiar to anyone who remembers the wild, lawless energy of the early 2000s internet. Along the way, we talk cursed paintings, creepy art, the Dybbuk Box, haunted eBay listings, Bill Stoneham’s sequels to The Hands Resist Him, whether art can become cursed through collective belief, and why a painting does not need to be supernatural to make people feel deeply, deeply weird. Is The Hands Resist Him actually cursed, or did the internet just take a compelling, unsettling piece of art and build a legend around it? Maybe there is no ghost crawling out of the frame. Maybe the real curse is what happens when the internet decides your artwork belongs to the haunted corners of history forever. https://stonehamstudios.com/haunted https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hands_Resist_Him https://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/unexplained/2002/haunted_painting/ebay_haunted_painting_01.shtml Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com. The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes. *Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

    The Hands Resist Him - Ep. 26

  2. Aug 12

    The Basano Vase - Ep. 25

    Some cursed objects come with centuries of documentation, terrified witnesses, and a long trail of bodies. The Basano Vase mostly comes with vibes. In this episode of Cursed...ish, Angela and Daniel investigate the legend of the Basano Vase, an allegedly cursed silver vase said to have been made in 15th-century Italy as a wedding gift. According to the story, the bride died on her wedding night while clutching the vase, and from there the object supposedly passed from owner to owner, leaving mysterious deaths behind it until someone finally had the good sense to bury the thing. But when the vase allegedly resurfaced in 1988, things got even stranger, and also much, much sketchier. A pharmacist, a surgeon, an archaeologist, a police officer, a secret burial, an auction, a littering fine, and absolutely not enough names, records, or details for Angela’s liking. So is the Basano Vase one of the world’s most dangerous cursed objects, or is it a modern urban legend that desperately needed a better writer? Along the way, we talk cursed objects, internet folklore, the Dybbuk Box, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, 90s kid urban legends, roller coaster rumors, cannibal make-out stories, and why some fake stories feel more believable than allegedly true ones. Maybe the Basano Vase is cursed. Maybe it is not. But if this is modern mythology, we are simply asking everyone involved to step up the storytelling. Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com. The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes. *Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

    The Basano Vase - Ep. 25

  3. Aug 5

    Cursed Creatures: Werewolves Part II - Ep. 24

    The full moon is rising again, Accursed Ones. In Part 2 of Cursed Creatures: Werewolves, Daniel and Angela return to the woods to finish unpacking one of the most enduring monsters in folklore, mythology, horror movies, and our collective fear of what might be lurking under the skin. This time, we follow the werewolf legend beyond ancient myth and medieval trials into the Beast of Gévaudan, the rougarou of Louisiana folklore, Irish wolf-warriors, Argentina’s lobizón, Romanian vampire-werewolf hybrids, and other strange shapeshifter traditions from around the world. Along the way, we ask how a creature once tied to divine punishment, mob hysteria, and moral panic became the full-moon monster we know today. Spoiler Alert: a lot of it comes from Hollywood just making stuff up until we all decided it was ancient lore. Silver bullets, full moons, tragic transformations, cursed bites, and the tortured wolfman all owe more to movies like The Wolf Man and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man than most of us probably realized. Apparently, our deepest monster mythology was heavily shaped by sequel logic. Naturally. We also dig into possible real-world explanations for werewolf stories, including rabies, clinical lycanthropy, ergot poisoning, and the very human need to explain horrifying behavior by turning people into monsters. Are werewolves cursed creatures, misunderstood victims, sexy supernatural love interests, or just one of humanity’s oldest ways of asking what separates man from beast? Maybe the real curse is not that a person could become a wolf. Maybe the real curse is that we invented the wolf to explain what people were already capable of doing. https://www.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk/blog/the-real-story-behind-the-shetland-wulver https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/29/argentina-kirchner-adopt-child-werewolf https://paulsullivan216.substack.com/p/howling-at-the-moon-a-complete-history https://www.medievalists.net/2013/04/the-rage-of-the-wolf-metamorphosis-and-identity-in-medieval-werewolf-tales/ Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com. The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes. *Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

    Cursed Creatures: Werewolves Part II - Ep. 24

  4. Jul 29

    Cursed Creatures: Werewolves Part I - Ep. 23

    In Part 1 of our Cursed Creatures deep dive, Cursed...ish heads into the woods under a full moon to ask a deceptively simple question: where did werewolf legends actually come from? Before silver bullets, full moons, and shirtless men chaining themselves to basement pipes, werewolves were already prowling through ancient mythology, folklore, and some deeply cursed corners of human history. Daniel and Angela trace lycanthropy back to the Old English roots of “werewolf,” the Greek origins of “lycanthrope,” and one of the earliest Western werewolf stories: King Lycaon, the mythological ruler cursed by Zeus to become a wolf after committing a dinner-party crime so horrifying it should have voided his hosting privileges forever. From there, we follow the wolf trail through the Epic of Gilgamesh, Norse wolf-warriors, medieval fear, and the terrifying reality of European werewolf trials. Along the way, we meet Peter Stumpp, the infamous Werewolf of Bedburg, whose story may be part murder trial, part scapegoat panic, and part tabloid nightmare. We also meet Old Thiess, the self-proclaimed “hound of God” who insisted the court had werewolves all wrong. So are werewolves cursed monsters, misunderstood victims, or just another story humans invented to explain the darkness in ourselves? Maybe cursed. Maybe not. Definitely hairy. Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com. The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes. *Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

    Cursed Creatures: Werewolves Part I - Ep. 23

  5. Jul 22

    Cursed Literature: The Curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor - Ep. 22

    Why can no Hogwarts professor survive more than one year teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts? In this very unofficial Harry Potter episode of Cursed...ish, Daniel and Angela return to Hogwarts to investigate one of the wizarding world’s most suspicious job openings: the cursed Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Across seven books, Hogwarts burns through professor after professor, from Quirrell and his deeply inadvisable Voldemort head-share to Gilderoy Lockhart’s fraudulent little memory-wiping empire, Remus Lupin’s tragic exit, Fake Mad-Eye Moody’s disturbingly committed lesson planning, Dolores Umbridge’s pink-cardigan fascism, Severus Snape finally getting the job he absolutely should have known better than to want, and the full Dark Arts nightmare of Voldemort’s Hogwarts. Along the way, we talk Dumbledore’s questionable hiring practices, Barty Crouch Jr.’s bizarre commitment to education, whether anyone at Hogwarts understood red flags, and why this revolving door of cursed professors became one of the most effective recurring patterns in the Harry Potter series. Was the Defense Against the Dark Arts job cursed because Voldemort hexed it after Dumbledore rejected him? Was it cursed because Hogwarts HR was apparently run by owls and vibes? Or was the real curse simply letting children attend a school where every year’s teacher came with a new trauma package? Maybe cursed. Maybe not. But this time, honestly, pretty cursed. Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com. The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes. *Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

    Cursed Literature: The Curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor - Ep. 22

  6. Jul 15

    The Curse of the Flying Dutchman - Ep. 21

    What happens when a cursed ghost ship becomes both victim and warning? In this episode of Cursed...ish, Daniel and Angela set sail into the foggy, storm-tossed legend of the Flying Dutchman, the doomed ship said to be cursed to sail the oceans forever, never reaching port and never finding peace. From eerie sightings by British sailors and royal witnesses to centuries of maritime folklore around the Cape of Good Hope, this episode explores why the Flying Dutchman became one of the most famous ghost ship legends in the world. Along the way, we dig into Dutch sea power, the dangerous trade routes of the Dutch East India Company, Captain Hendrik van der Decken, cursed letters from the dead, and the strange idea that simply seeing the Flying Dutchman could bring disaster. Then we look beneath the surface at possible real-world explanations, including St. Elmo’s fire, Fata Morgana mirages, stormy seas, sailor superstition, and the very human need to turn fear, loss, and uncertainty into a story. Was the Flying Dutchman a cursed ship doomed by hubris, a ghostly omen of death, or just a terrifying trick of light on the open ocean? Maybe cursed. Maybe not. Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com. The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes. *Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

    The Curse of the Flying Dutchman - Ep. 21

  7. Jul 8

    The Superdome Curse - Ep. 20

    New Orleans has no shortage of haunted history, but the Superdome Curse is one of the city’s lesser-known legends hiding in plain sight. In this episode of Cursed...ish, Angela and Daniel head to the Big Easy to explore the eerie story connecting the New Orleans Saints, the Louisiana Superdome, and the old Girod Street Cemetery, a burial ground once overwhelmed by cholera, yellow fever, decay, and thousands of human remains. Was the Superdome really cursed because part of its parking structure was built over a former cemetery? Did the Saints spend decades as the “Aints” because of bad management, bad luck, or something a little more accursed? And what exactly happened when voodoo priestess Ava Kay Jones arrived at the 45-yard line with a boa constrictor, offerings for the ancestors, dancers, drums, and a mission to break the curse before the Saints faced the St. Louis Rams? From New Orleans cemetery lore and above-ground burials to sports curses, ghost tours, grigri bags, playoff heartbreak, and one very dramatic act of spiritual crowd participation, this episode asks whether the Curse of the Superdome was supernatural, symbolic, or just the perfect New Orleans story. Maybe cursed, maybe not. https://www.neworleanslegendarywalkingtours.com/new-orleans-tours/new-orleans-ghost-tour?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21389000574&gbraid=0AAAAADx_gLc9IPv4YlQsGB741CE1__qVg Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com. The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes. *Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

    The Superdome Curse - Ep. 20

  8. Jul 1

    The Lottery Curse - Ep. 19

    Winning the lottery is supposed to change your life for the better, but for some jackpot winners, sudden wealth has brought bankruptcy, betrayal, addiction, lawsuits, murder, and the uncomfortable realization that money can solve plenty of problems while creating entirely new ones. In this episode of Cursed...ish, Daniel and Angela investigate the so-called lottery curse. From the British tabloid sensation who promised to “spend, spend, spend” to Powerball and lottery winners targeted by relatives, scammers, spouses, and strangers, they examine the true stories that turned instant millionaires into cautionary tales. But do most lottery winners really lose everything? Is the infamous claim that 70 percent of winners go bankrupt even true? The hosts explore hedonic adaptation, financial self-destruction, media selection bias, and research suggesting that most winners actually become more satisfied with their lives. Then Daniel unveils his extremely sensible and only mildly unhinged 13-step Lottery Curse Avoidance Plan, featuring lawyers, anonymity via Ghostface mask, and a Never-Be-Poor-Again Fund. Maybe winning the lottery is cursed. Maybe money simply amplifies whatever was already waiting underneath. Either way, check your numbers twice. Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com. The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes. *Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

    The Lottery Curse - Ep. 19
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Cursed...ish is a podcast about misfortune, mystery, and the stories we tell when bad luck stops feeling random. Have you ever thought, “I don’t believe in curses… but I feel cursed”? A project that keeps going wrong. A string of strange coincidences. A disaster that, in retrospect, feels almost inevitable. That’s when people start reaching for a bigger explanation. It’s not just bad luck, but something more sinister. Hosted by Daniel Stevens and Angela Mattes, Cursed...ish explores stories in which misfortune is framed as more than mere happenstance: as something malevolent, approaching the macabre with curiosity, skepticism, and the occasional dark joke. From King Tut and the Dybbuk Box to the Avada Kedavra, and even your favorite four-letter word, each episode pulls apart the history, folklore, and media hysteria surrounding the human impulse to explain chaos. Sometimes a curse is a supernatural claim. Sometimes it’s a metaphor. And sometimes it’s just what people tell themselves when the universe keeps kicking them in the teeth. Welcome to Cursed...ish.

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Stevens and Angela Mattes
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Cursedish
  • Show Website
    Cursed...ish