Trying to talk to the dead is a tale as old as time; from 4th century Romans tying rings to strings, to 5th century Chinese writing in sand. But it was two young girls barely into adolescence that sparked the modern Spiritualism craze. We've got Harry Houdini, a toilet goddess (yes), lots of men claiming they invented the Ouija board, and Hollywood's influence over all of it. For Further Reading: “Planchette: The Despair of Science” by Epes Sargent, Roberts Brothers, 1869 “A Magician Among the Spirits” by Harry Houdini, 1924 For ad-free and bonus episodes: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts -OR- Subscribe on YouTube -OR- Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/horrorwoodpodcast Follow us! IG, FB Send us an email: horrorwoodpodcast@gmail.com Episode Sources: “Not Dead Yet” by Ron Cassie, Baltimore Magazine, Oct 2015 “Revelation of Ouija Forms Basis of Lawsuit” Bemidji Daily Pioneer, Feb 24, 1920 “Who Invented Ouija” The Charlevoix Daily Herald, Jun 25, 1920 “The New Talking Board” The Democratic Northwest, Apr 29, 1886 “The Planchette Craze Has Broken Out Again” The Morning Call, San Francisco, Nov 14, 1893 “The Ouija board's mysterious origins: war, spirits, and a strange death” by Baynard Woods, The Guardian, Oct 30, 2016 “The Spirits Come Forward: The Ouija Board in Films and Television” by Anthony Balducci, 2016 “The Strange History of the Ouija Board” by Lucy Davidson, History Hit, Oct 20, 2021 “How a Hoax by Two Sisters Helped Spark the Spiritualism Craze” by Becky Little, History, Mar 2, 2025 “The Haunting in Hydesville” by Alessandra Koch, Austin Séance, Mar 8, 2021 “The Mysterious Talking Board: Ouija and Beyond” SFO Museum, Oct 22, 2016 “The Ouija Board Can’t Connect Us to Paranormal Forces—but It Can Tell Us a Lot About Psychology, Grief and Uncertainty” by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, Oct 27, 2013, Smithsonian Magazine, updated by Ellen Wexler, Oct 30, 2024 “The Rules You Should Know Before Touching a Ouija Board” by Ivy Rose, Vocal Media - Horror, 2016 “‘A Very Common Delusion’: Spiritualism and the Fox Sisters” by Abbott Kahler, Smithsonian Magazine, Oct 29, 2012 “A Mentalist Explains: The Fox Sisters And The Birth Of Spiritualism” by Jeff Newman “Spiritism: Beliefs, Practices and History” Brittanica “What Are the Origins of the Ouija Board?” by Joseph Bennington-Castro, History, Sep 24, 2026 “Ohio’s Ouija Board Connection” by Jill Sell, Ohio Magazine, Oct 2017 “Jap Herron: A Novel written from the Ouija Board (1917)” The Public Domain Review William Fuld Website “Weegee Weegee Tell Me Do-Music (1920)” “Dedicated to Death: The End Experiment of Thomas Bradford” Hushed Up History, Jul 31, 2020 “OUIJA BOARD INVENTOR DIES IN FALL OFF ROOF” The New York Times, Feb 27, 1927 “When the Clouds Roll By (1919)” “DEAD SPIRITUALIST SILENT” The New York Times, Feb 8, 1921 “Inside Hasbro's Plan To Expand D&D, Clue, Transformers, G.I. Joe & More Into Bigger Franchises” by Rob Keyes, Screen Rant, Oct 6, 2026 “Spirit Rooms, Seances and Ohio in the 19th Century” by Vince Guerrieri, Ohio Magazine, Sep/Oct 2021 Robert Murch bio, Festival of the Dead Creeptastic theme music by: Nicholas Davio - nicholasdavio.com, @mr.nick.davio, @huron_coast Privacy Policy
