Fresh Hell Podcast

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E304: Fresh Hell Pet Wall of Fame - Pigeons Nov 07, 2025

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They’ve delivered love letters and war messages, carried microfilm across battlefields, worn tiny backpacks full of XTC, and been accused of international espionage! Yet somehow, pigeons have become one of the most hated animals in modern cities.

In this episode we take a closer look at the humble pigeon...a bird that’s been by our side for thousands of years.

You’ll hear about decorated pigeon war heroes like Cher Ami and G.I. Joe, White Vision or Paddy, but also about the surprising science behind their intelligence, memory, and self-awareness.

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E303: Halloween Special 2025 Oct 31, 2025

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E302: MURDER - Lisa Ann French Oct 24, 2025

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On Halloween night, 1973, nine-year-old Lisa Ann French left her home in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, dressed as a hobo and planning to trick-or-treat with a friend. She never made it back. What followed would not only shatter their community, but also forever change Halloween for American families, and spark one of the most shocking parole controversies in Wisconsin history.

In this episode, Annie and Johanna tell the heartbreaking story of Lisa’s murder, the investigation that led to her neighbor, Gerald Turner, and the decades of legal battles that followed — from his 1975 conviction to the 1992 parole, and the eventual creation of Turner’s Law.

Lisa French murder, Gerald Turner, Fond du Lac Wisconsin, 1973 Halloween murder, Turner’s Law, Wisconsin Chapter 980, sexually violent person law, Waupun Correctional Institution, Racine Correctional Institution, Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center, Mauston Wisconsin, Maryann French, Halloween safety, child murder case, Wisconsin true crime, Fresh Hell Podcast, American true crime, 1970s true crime, parole controversy, Halloween killer, Wisconsin legal history, child safety law, Wisconsin justice system, crime in Fond du Lac, Lisa Ann French case, Wisconsin Department of Justice, civil commitment law, preventive detention, Turner parole, missing child 1973.

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E301: MACABRE - The Great Vampire Epidemic Oct 17, 2025

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This week, Johanna takes us back to 18th-century Austria, when terrified villagers were convinced the dead were refusing to stay buried...and the Habsburg Empire responded the only way it knew how: with paperwork!

Hear all about Petar Blagojević and Arnold Paole, and how it lead to Maria Theresia’s no-nonsense vampire ban. This is the true story of Europe’s first documented vampire epidemic. We’ll talk superstition, bureaucracy, and why the Empress’s personal physician, Gerard van Swieten, might have been Bram Stoker’s real-life inspiration for Van Helsing.

Of course we also try to figure out the possible medical explanations behind the legend: tuberculosis, rabies, and much more

Austria, Austrian vampire panic, Habsburg Empire, Petar Blagojević, Peter Plogojovitz, Arnold Paole, Gerard van Swieten, Maria Theresia, Enlightenment, Aufklärung, vampire history, vampire epidemic, Milzbrand, anthrax, tuberculosis, rabies, porphyria, premature burial, Medvegia, Kisilova, 18th century, superstition, folklore, Bram Stoker, Van Helsing, vampire myth, Viennese history, Christian Reiter, historical medicine, grave exhumation, Visum et Repertum, Habsburg Monarchy, true crime history, Fresh Hell Podcast, Spooky Fuckery Month.

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E300: The Haunting of the RMS Queen Mary Oct 10, 2025

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For our 300th episode, we’re boarding one of the most famous ships in the world: the RMS Queen Mary. Once the epitome of 1930s luxury and wartime resilience, she now sits permanently moored in Long Beach, California… and she’s said to be home to over 150ghosts.

We talk about the tragic story of Door 13 and the splendor of the first-class swimming pool, as well as the anger and rage in the infamous Stateroom B340. Hear all about the elegant Woman in White who never left the dance floor, explore with us the ship’s history, hauntings, and the very thin line between legend and marketing.

Join us as we celebrate 300 episodes of Fresh Hell Podcast with a deep dive into the glamour, the ghosts, and the real-life horror story of keeping the Queen Mary afloat.

Queen Mary, RMS Queen Mary, Haunted Queen Mary, Queen Mary ghosts, Queen Mary Long Beach, haunted ship, haunted ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary history, Queen Mary hauntings, Stateroom B340, Queen Mary Door 13, Queen’s Salon ghost, Jackie Queen Mary, Queen Mary paranormal, Queen Mary ghost tours, Dark Harbor Queen Mary, Queen Mary Disney, Port Disney, Queen Mary corporate history, haunted ships podcast, Fresh Hell Podcast, Queen Mary haunted history, Long Beach hauntings, Queen Mary documentary, paranormal tourism, Art Deco ocean liner, Queen Mary 300th episode

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E299: Hex Appeal - The Witches of Austria and Germany Oct 03, 2025

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This week on Fresh Hell, we’re taking you to the heart of spooky fuckery month with a deep dive into witch lore and trials in Austria and Germany. You know Salem: twenty people, one tragic year! But compared to what happened in central Europe, Salem was just a footnote. We’ll explore the folklore that fed the fear: Walpurgisnacht on the Brocken, Frau Perchta and her terrifying entourage, witches blamed for storms and nightmares, and then the very real trials in Würzburg, Bamberg, Salzburg, and beyond. Tens of thousands of people, mostly women, were executed in brutal hunts that tore entire communities apart. And yet, centuries later, witches have gone from a death sentence to Halloween costumes, protest slogans, and pop culture icons.

witches, witch trials, Würzburg, Bamberg, Salzburg, Walpurgisnacht, Blocksberg, Brocken, Frau Perchta, Perchten, Druden, nightmares, weather magic, Hexe, Holy Roman Empire, Malleus Maleficarum, German folklore, Austrian folklore, spooky season, Halloween, Fresh Hell Podcast

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E298: Crickey - It's a Croc! Sep 26, 2025

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Crikey! This week we’re taking you to meet crocodiles. The largest living reptiles on Earth, creatures that inspire both awe and terror. We’ll talk about the late, great Steve Irwin, whose passion and humor showed millions of people why crocodiles deserve our respect.

We’ll also tell you the truth about the legend of the Ramree Island “crocodile massacre,” and explain the strange biological truth behind the phrase “crocodile tears.”

Crocodiles may be dangerous, but they’re also extraordinary survivors, and Irwin was right: they deserve our admiration.

crocodiles, saltwater crocodile, Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter, Australia Zoo, crocodile tears, Ramree Island massacre, crocodile myths, man-eating crocodiles, crocodile attacks, crocodile legends, Fresh Hell Podcast, reptile facts, conservation, crikey

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E297: The Affair of the Necklace (part II) Sep 19, 2025

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Cardinal de Rohan believes he’s secretly helping Marie Antoinette purchase the world’s most extravagant necklace, while Jeanne de la Motte and her accomplices quietly dismantle it and sell the diamonds across Europe. We’ll tell you all about the scheme, the dramatic arrest of Rohan at Versailles during the Feast of the Assumption, and the sensational public trial before the Parlement of Paris. Jeanne is punished, others are exiled, Rohan is cheered as a victim — and Marie Antoinette, though innocent, is left more despised than ever. From there, we trace how the scandal haunted her through the Revolution, the flight to Varennes, and her final days in the Conciergerie, all the way to the guillotine.

affair of the diamond necklace, marie antoinette, cardinal de rohan, jeanne de la motte, nicolas de la motte, rétaux de villette, nicole d’oliva, versailles, feast of the assumption, temple prison, conciergerie, louis xvi, princess de lamballe, varennes, french revolution, september massacres, guillotine, 18th century scandal, french history, trial of marie antoinette

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E296: The Affair of the Necklace (part I) Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

This week we’re heading to Versailles for one of the most scandalous cons in French history. In Part 1, you'll hear all about the glittering worlds of Versailles and Schönbrunn, the childhood and marriage of Marie Antoinette, and her already fragile reputation as “Madame Déficit.” We’ll meet the main characters in this elaborate scheme: Cardinal de Rohan, desperate for the queen’s forgiveness; Jeanne de la Motte, a schemer with royal pretensions; her husband Nicolas; the forger Rétaux de Villette; and Nicole d’Oliva, a young woman who just happened to look like the queen.

will describe to you...in detail...this gaudy piece of jewelry!

affair of the diamond necklace, marie antoinette, cardinal de rohan, jeanne de la motte, nicolas de la motte, rétaux de villette, nicole d’oliva, versailles, schönbrunn, louis xvi, louis xv, madame du barry, french history, 18th century scandal, french revolution origins, con artists, diamond necklace scandal, diamonds

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E295: MURDER - To Die in a State of Grace Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

In the 16th to 18th centuries, hundreds of people across Central Europe engineered their own executions in the hope of dying “in a state of grace.” Suicide was a mortal sin, but murder was a capital crime, and execution after confession was seen as a path to salvation. In this episode we discuss several real cases of so-called “suicide by proxy,” including Agnes Catherina Schickin in 1704, Eva Lizlfellnerin in 1762, and Ursula Waserin in 1723. We’ll look at how religion, law, and despair combined to create a tragic pattern of crimes that were all eerily similar, and ask why authorities took so long to shut down the deadly loophole.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please know you’re not alone. In the US, dial or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In Canada, call 988. In the UK & Ireland, call 116 123 for Samaritans. In Austria, dial 142, and in Germany call 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222. In Australia, call 13 11 14 for Lifeline. You can also find international resources at findahelpline.com.

The State of Grace, suicide by proxy, Agnes Catherina Schickin, Eva Lizlfellnerin, Ursula Waserin, 18th century crime, Central Europe history, Austria history, Württemberg history, religious history, capital punishment, public execution, state of grace, salvation, absolution, Fresh Hell Podcast

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