As children, scary stories involving ghosts, monsters, or vampires chilled us to the core considering how wild a kid’s imagination can be. As children grow older, however, those stories became harder and harder to believe especially when, as adults, we’re being told not to believe in the supernatural – that it’s all just make-believe.

Well, what if I told you that those stories were not just pulled from thin air? The folklore behind so many frightful tales is most certainly true and, most certainly shocking. Lore is defined as a collection of traditions, knowledge, or stories on a certain topic, held by a specific group. It is often found within fandoms, novels, games, and sports, though it is most commonly associated with supernatural events or paranormal occurrences. Werewolves, vampires, or even haunted dolls all have their origins entwined in the deep tales of history.

Aaron Mahnke is the storyteller who uncovers the mysteries behind these tales, and in turn, creates captivating stories that leave you longing for more. He does this perhaps better than anyone else today.

“Lore” is a podcast created by Aaron Mahnke in 2015 and still continuing strong into 2017. This 72-episode podcast takes the listener through many different times, uncovering the secrets of the past and human nature. Aaron Mahnke delves into the background of modern-day superstitions, monsters, and horror stories overall. He uses real background evidence as proof of the situations that occurred as each episode is based on real people and events. Each episode begins with true historical evidence followed by a story lost in time.

For instance, I bet that you’ve thought all your life that the term “saved by the bell” comes from high-school students eager to get out of class. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. This term comes the late 1800s when medicinal examinations were, how do you say, sub-par. Doctors never tested correctly to see if people were still alive or not, ultimately resulting in a disturbing amount of people being buried alive. Word spread of these incidents and the people feared for their lives. Some went as far as designing coffins to save themselves if they had ever become buried 6-feet under. One design included numerous strings tied to the “dead” body. If the strings were to move even the slightest, it would trigger the ringing of a bell above ground, hopefully alarming a nearby civilian. Hence being literally, saved by the bell.

Though “Lore” does have a ton of historical information, (that may or may not be useful in your AP classes) it still remains a horror show at heart. The stories told are sure to give goosebumps and chills every time. I do stress however, that this is not for the faint of heart. Ripping open vampire corpses, werewolves brutally murdering village children, and a sentient doll with a knife, are just a few examples of how intense this podcast can become.

Now, I know what many of you are thinking, “Gosh, I would love to listen to this but with schoolwork, sports, and all of my extracurricular activities, there’s just no way it would fit into my schedule!”. No need to fret, each episode is a mere 20 minutes and since it’s a podcast, you can take it wherever you go. Perfect for any length car trip! And, if podcasts aren’t really your style, Amazon has created a TV adaptation this past October. It is available with Amazon Prime and includes six 40 minute episodes bound to shake you to your core. All of the stories are sure to be memorable because most importantly, the scariest stories are true.