Based on a True Horror Story

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In the first part of our special two-part episode, we take a look at the hit HBO show and video game, "The Last of Us". Even though the show is not based on a true story, it has led to much speculation about the role that fungi may play in future pandemics. In Part 1, we look at the history of zombies in pop culture, take a look at some "true" cases of zombies, and look at how this latest instalment in the post-apocalyptic genre holds up.
References and Sources

• Music by SoundGalleryByDmitryTaras from Pixabay
• https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-zombies - The History Channel - The History of Zombies
• https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150828-where-do-zombies-come-from - BBC Culture - Where do zombies come from? Our contemporary take on the lumbering undead is actually rooted in Voodoo folklore from the Caribbean - Roger Luckhurst
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us_(TV_series)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us - video game
• https://zombie.fandom.com/wiki/Why_Zombies_Eat_Brains%3F
• The Last of Us . Created by Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin, performances by Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, HBO, 2013.
• The Walking Dead . Created by Frank Darabont, performances by Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, AMC, 2010.
• Night of the Living Dead . Directed by George A. Romero, performances by Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Image Ten, 1968.
• Jackson, Michael. “Thriller”, Thriller , Epic Records, 1982, 4.
• BBC Planet Earth - Season 1, Episode 8: Jungles . Directed by Alistair Fothergill, performances by David Attenborough, BBC, 2007.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSJTPbAm-SM - Trailer for “Pig” starring Nicolas Cage

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In the second of our special two-part episode, we take a deep dive into the world of fungi with mycologist and Teaching Professor Emerita from the University of Calgary, Heather Addy.
What is a fungus?
What is the Cordyceps fungus?
Could the Cordyceps fungus ever evolve to infect humans?
Are there any fungi that are dangerous to humans?
Is there anything that humans can do?
We look at these questions and many others as we look at one of the largest, and most overlooked, organisms on the planet.
Additional Information from Professor Addy:
- The number of fungal species vs plant and animal species: There are an estimated ~ 300 000 species of plants and likely around 7.7 million species of animals (mostly insects!). So, more animals than fungi, likely (although we don't know number of fungal species for sure), but more fungi than plants.
- Fungal pathogens of other animals, specifically white-nose syndrome and the chytrid fungus that is decimating frogs and other amphibians around the world, I mentioned that individual frogs can be treated by transferring them to warmer temperatures for a time (which eliminates the fungal infection from their bodies), which is true. The same treatment would not work for bats infected with white-nose syndrome fungus. The probiotic treatment is promising for protecting bats, this involves spraying the wings of bats with a mixture of bacteria that naturally occur on their wings and that slow the growth of the fungus. There is also a research group working on a vaccine.
References and Sources
A huge thank you to Professor Addy for the taking the time to talk to us and help us to learn more about this fascinating topic!

• https://youtu.be/jM5jf-8ekVA - Could the Cordyceps fungus really take over?
• https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/the-last-of-us-apocalypse-is-not-realistic-but-rising-threat-of-fungal-pathogens-is/ - Yale School of Medicine, “The Last of Us” Apocalypse is Not Realistic, But Rising Threat of Fungal Pathogens Is
  February 6th, 2023
  Isabella Backman
• https://educationnewscanada.com/article/education/level/university/1/1005668/ucalgary-biologist-says-fungus-presents-no-last-of-us-style-threat-to-humanity.html - Calgary biologist says fungus presents no Last of Us-style threat to humanity
  University of Calgary
  February 17th, 2023
  Brennan Black
  Interview with Professor Heather Addy
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8 - BBC Planet Earth - Ant infected with Cordyceps fungus
• The Last of Us . Created by Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin, performances by Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, HBO, 2013.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuInX_lsI8g - Leaf Cutter Ants - Shadow of the Sun - BBC Earth
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xKeJyvnuWs - CBC Docs - The Evolutionary Story of How Fungi Shaped All Terestrial Life - Including Us
• https://www.ecovative.com/ - Ecovative pioneered the art and science of growing complete mat

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In December of 1975, newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz moved into a house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, setting off what would become one of the most famous haunted house stories of all time. The house, the site of a grisly mass murder, had a history that the Lutzes were not concerned about, but just 28 days later, they were fleeing for their lives with only the clothes on their back. Based on the 1977 best selling novel by Jay Anson, "The Amityville Horror" was one of the most successful films of 1979, but how much of this story is actually true? Using historic newsreel, as well as interviews from Ronald DeFeo Jr. and George Lutz, join us as we explore the true, and maybe not so true, history of one of the most famous houses in the world.
Sources and Credits:
Narrated by: Carissa Willis and Tara Moore
Researched by: Carissa Willis and Tara Moore
Podcast edited by: Carissa Willis
Music by: SoundGalleryByDmitryTaras from PixabayMellor, Lee Dr. Behind the Horror: True Stories That Inspired Horror Movies, Penguin Random House, New York, 2020

Shock Docs - Amityville Horror House - Discovery + / ID

Blistein, Jon. “Ronald DeFeo, Killer Who Inspired ‘The Amityville Horror,’ Dead at 69”, Rolling Stone Magazine, March 16th, 2021
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/amityville-horror-murderer-ronald-defeo-dead-1142644/

https://youtu.be/dM6D4pSausw - News Clip

https://youtu.be/WtNXl_z8Ue8 - Ronald DeFeo Jr. Clip

https://youtu.be/tgaWzCfckHM - George Lutz Interview

The Amityville Horror . Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, performances by James

Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger, American International Pictures, 1979.
Armstrong, Frances J. The Real Amityville Horror, Independently Published, 2017.

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We've all seen those movies that are supposedly "based on a true story" or "inspired by true events", but what does that mean? How much of the story is actually true and how much is just Hollywood? Join Carissa and Tara as we explore horror movies, both old and new, to see how much of the true story is actually true.

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Published in 1977, the popularity of Stephen King’s gothic horror novel, “The Shining”, is outmatched only by the 1980 film adaptation by legendary director Stanley Kubrick.

Jack Torrance has been hired to be the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, a grand hotel with a violent past, located high up in the Colorado mountains. Along with his wife, Wendy and their son Danny, the Torrance family settles in for what is supposed to be a peaceful winter of family togetherness. However, as Jack slowly descends into madness and something new awakens within Danny, a battle between good and evil, with the Overlook Hotel at the centre, is beginning.

Stephen King has said that he was inspired to write “The Shining” after staying a night at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. “The Shining’s” book disclaimer reads: Some of the most beautiful resort hotels in the world are located in Colorado, but the hotel in these pages is based on none of them. The Overlook and the people associated with it exist wholly within the author’s imagination. However, in our first podcast episode, we will explore the rather interesting true story behind the Stanley Hotel and argue that maybe, just maybe, it influenced Stephen King, and “The Shining” a little more than he thinks it did.
Sources and Credits:
Narrated by: Carissa Willis and Tara Moore
Researched by: Carissa Willis and Tara Moore
Podcast edited by: Carissa Willis
Music by: SoundGalleryByDmitryTaras from PixabayKing, Stephen. The Shining. New York, Random House, 1977.

Pittman, Rebecca F. The History & Haunting of the Stanley Hotel 2nd Edition.

Self-Published, 2015

The Shining. Created by Stephen King, Warner Bros, Television, 1997.

The Shining . Directed by Stanley Kubrick, performances by Jack Nicholson,

Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd,Warner Bros., 1980.

Stanley Hotel Web Page: https://www.stanleyhotel.com/

The Stanley Hotel Ghost Hunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiFsRSbFgp8

Rocky Mountain Paranormal:
https://www.rockymountainparanormal.com/investigationpdfs/StanleyHotel.pdf