The Haunted Tourist

PRETEND

10/31/25

•

60m

About

Comments

Featured In

It’s Day 2 of my Halloween Marathon, and today we’re diving into The Haunted Tourist.

I’m joined by Brandon Schexnayder, host of Southern Gothic and Fear Daily—two shows that live and breathe ghost stories. Together, we pull back the curtain on haunted tourism: the ghost tours, the myths, and the money that fuels them.

From fake cemeteries built for tourists to real tragedies twisted into folklore, Brandon and I explore what’s real, what’s exaggerated, and why we want to believe.

If you love a good ghost story—but also like to know what’s behind it—this one’s for you.

Southern Gothic: https://open.spotify.com/show/6s2eCUQgs76SLGEwiBwYOn?si=b9edd693f49b4e41

Fear Daily: https://open.spotify.com/show/5RrG0f6Yd7WNqSmuebfRMJ?si=d99660cd2e8c4a42

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previous Episode

The Real Vampires

October 30, 2025

•

43m

Hey, it’s Javier. Quick update: Meghan Walsh, the subject of my Cracks in the Fandom series, has filed copyright complaints on every major platform. As a result, Spotify and Patreon have temporarily taken down the series. My attorneys are already on it, and we expect everything to be restored soon.

In the meantime, it’s Halloween weekend — so let’s have some fun. I’m bringing back some of my favorite spooky episodes from the PRETEND archives. Today’s story? Real Vampires. Yeah, real ones. It’s one of my all-time favorites, and honestly, there’s no better time of year to revisit it.

Stick around... I’ll be dropping more eerie episodes all weekend long. For now, let’s press play on The Real Vampires.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Next Episode

The Hypnotist - Alien Abductions

November 1, 2025

•

39m

Alien abductions.
Hundreds of people say it’s happened to them.
They’re not looking for fame or attention.
Some keep it a secret...haunted by memories they can’t explain.

In Day 3 of PRETEND’s Halloween Marathon, we meet Dr. John Mack, a Pulitzer Prize–winning Harvard psychiatrist who risked his reputation to study these so-called abductees. Using hypnosis and relaxation techniques, Mack tried to uncover whether these encounters were dreams, delusions, or something far stranger.

Why would a man of science devote his life to stories most people laugh off? And what if the people he studied weren’t crazy at all?

This episode is part of a larger series I produced on hypnosis.

Check out the rest of the series. Season 8 of PRETEND:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/05forE4OuW9zgsI9OZ7XHy?si=71eca84e0f5843ba

Listen ad-free on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/collection/1813212

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices