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DULUTH — Ever talk with your friends about things that go bump in the night? Duluthians Kala Moria and Brittany Lind did when they were roommates a few years ago. They started talking about ghosts and hauntings and found they had a lot in common.
"We also discovered that we loved a lot of the same podcasts and after a while we were like, 'Well, why can't we do a podcast?'" Moria said. "I mean, I feel like that's something everybody says. But after mentioning it and repeatedly being like, 'Well, we could do that,' we actually decided to do it because COVID hit and we had time."
Their podcast, " Left of Skeptic, " started with a focus on spooky things based in Minnesota. Their very first episode focuses on Glensheen Mansion and the S.S. William A. Irvin. Eventually, they started running out of spooky places to cover, so they branched out to the Midwest and the rest of the U.S.
The podcast generally runs about an hour. Every week, Moria and Lind get together, or speak via Zoom to record. They both pick a topic from their ever-growing list of subjects, research it and share their findings with each other and the listeners.
"I usually like to say that it's two friends sitting down and talking about these creepy, funny and sometimes serious subjects," Moria said.
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Lind said their podcast weighs a little more on the comedy side than seriously spooky.
"We're not too scary," Lind said. "We have a lot of listeners who would describe themselves as scaredy cats who listen. And we actually have a couple of very, very small listeners so we try to do any trigger warnings if it might be too scary for people in advance."
After sharing their topics, Lind and Moria rate the place or story on a scale from 1-5, which they call their "Skeptic Scale."
"It's totally arbitrary. We have no scientific process. It's just how much we believe it," Moria said.
After creating over 90 episodes, both creators said they can't pick a favorite, but there are some topics that have stayed with them.
"The black-eyed children just because of the idea that you could have these children show up on your doorstep and beg to be let in," Moria said. "And from a rational point of view, you're a jerk who wouldn't let these kids in, but from a paranormal view, you might have to be the heartless person and not let them in in order to save yourself."
The black-eyed children are featured in episodes 21 and 76 of the podcast.
Brittany said a topic that's stayed with her is the Gjenganger from Scandinavian folklore that they featured during last October's "Urban Legend Month." The Gjenganger is a monster who supposedly pinched people, releasing a poison that killed those who were pinched.
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"It was just such an odd story that it's really stuck with me," Lind said. "Sometimes I do so much research and then tell the story and immediately forget everything I just did."
Their podcast averages around 100-150 listeners via various podcasting sites. Some listeners come from as far as Australia. Moria said the feedback they've received so far from listeners has been positive and they're excited to keep going.
"There are a lot of interesting topics out there to cover," Moria said. "And there are lot of paranormal podcasts out there. We're not looking to become rich and famous. We just thought it was a cool project and a fun thing to do for ourselves and to share with others."
"Left of Skeptic" can be found at leftofskeptic.com and on most podcasting apps.
