Show Notes
“A flight attendant was in the lower galley when she happened to glance into the glass window of one of the meal heating units. There was the face of Don Repo, the flight engineer who died in the Everglades crash. He said, “Watch out for fire on this airplane.” – from The Ghost of Flight 401
We’ve all heard of haunted houses -- but a haunted jumbo jet? For over two years, author and journalist John G. Fuller investigated claims that the ghosts of Captain Bob Loft and Flight Engineer Don Repo were appearing to Eastern Airlines flight crews and warning them of mechanical problems on their L-1011s. But how do you prove a story when the airline's top executive’s close ranks -- and employees are threatened with termination for even talking about the supernatural sightings? Richard never had a problem with airplanes until a particularly terrifying flight on the night of July 12th, 2002. Just when his life should have been opening up, this new crippling fear of flying was shutting it down. How do you overcome fear when you’ve spent a lifetime holding it deep inside? And how does Richard navigate a landscape of paranoia, anger, desire and rebellion when everything in his life seems to be changing all at once – and way too fast? Links:
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More from Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf
This week I’m joined by my old Titans friend Bryan Edward Hill as we break down the three films comprising the Omen Trilogy – all of which ask the haunting question: “What if the Anti-Christ was real -- and living among us right now?” The Omen, starring Lee Remick and Gregory Peck, was released in 1976 to massive critical and box office success. It is now considered a masterpiece of modern horror. It spawned two feature film sequels, a TV-movie, a 2006 remake, a 2015 TV series, and most recently, a “pre-quel” which is somewhat confusingly titled The First Omen even though chronologically it could be considered the fourth, fifth or even sixth Omen (depending on how you count your Omens). Bryan and I focus the first three films, and then we get into the short-lived A&E series Damien, primarily because I worked on the show and wrote one of the episodes. We talk about everything from the incredible casting of all three films to the academy award nominated score, to various ways the story can (and should) continue today. And along the way we answer the questions: where did the idea for David Seltzer’s original screenplay come from? How did they film the iconic “Baboon Attack” sequence? What famous political family was the Thorns based on? And would you trust a guy named Bugenhagen if he told you that the only way to save the world was to murder your own child with the Seven Sacred Daggers of Megiddo? St. Louis native Bryan Edward Hill is a director, screenwriter and comic book author whose television work includes Ash vs. The Evil Dead and HBO Max’s Titans. His comic book work includes American Carnage, Kilmonger, Blade, Fallen Angels and Ultimate Black Panther.
Astonishing Legends co-host Forrest Burgess makes his RHPB debut to kick off the Halloween Season and reveal his “Top 5 Favorite Paranormal Books”! Of course, first we have to argue about the format of the episode, whether or not I explained it to him clearly, and how is he even supposed to narrow it down to five?!? But rest assured, we “count ‘em down!” – just like Casey Kasem and “America’s Top Forty”! And along the way we talk about everything from “Summer-ween” to Alien Pool Parties to The Odessa File to Tarot Cards to Silence of the Lambs, astral travel, Scott Philbrook, Mike Tyson, the Lizard Man, Spooky Action at a Distance – and all of Forrest’s Girlfriends! If you know Forrest, you know it’s gonna get weird. And if you don’t, well… you have been warned. PLUS: BONUS PATREON CONTENT! For Patreon members at the Obsessed Fan Level -- Forrest Burgess joins me to reveal and discuss his FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME! Only on Patreon! LINKS:
Richard is back from the Light in the Dark Tour 2026! Join Richard and his wife (and RHPB executive producer) Susan Lambert as they discuss everything from Richard’s yearlong scheme to finally appear on “Woo-Woo with Rachel Dratch”, to the last minute decision to embark on the tour alone, to Scott Philbrook’s shocking news about getting COVID which basically made Richard certain that he had COVID too just by talking about it, to all the performances of RHPB and all the beautiful, kind and amazing fans we met along the way! LINKS:
Welcome New Listeners! Revisit Episode 1: Ghosts & Specters Show Description: Hey Everybody! I just had the pleasure of appearing on “Woo-Woo with Rachel Dratch”! So, I’m re-broadcasting the very first episode of RHPB (“Ghosts & Specters”) for new listeners and anyone who wants to hear it again. (And don’t worry, the episodes don’t run in chronological order, so you can actually start anywhere…) If you’re new here -- welcome aboard! I’m so thrilled to have you here! LINKS:
“I love the idea that if the house up the road is haunted, then I literally have a cosmic doorway to another way of being. And that just turns all the colors up in life.” – Peter Laws My friend Peter Laws grew up like a lot of us. As a kid he was obsessed with ghost stories, horror movies and all aspects of the paranormal. In fact, his interest in the “big questions” was so great that he became an ordained minister. But his interest in the macabre never went away. So he returned to the creepier side of life by authoring a series of novels featuring Matt Hunter, an ex-church minister who’s lost his faith, dropped out, and now assists the police in solving religiously motivated crimes. And now, Peter has an insanely popular YouTube channel called “Into the Fog” where he investigates and documents reports of the unexplained. These are real, never before heard cases -- and he talks to the people who lived through them. Peter is the guy I want to be when I grow up. In today’s show, Peter and I talk about everything from our favorite horror films to Ouija boards to Peter’s own supernatural encounters. And along the way we grapple with the pressing questions: is there an afterlife? Which religion believes in ghosts the most? Should you take your grandfather to see “Friday the 13th: Part 4”? Is Taylor Swift a witch? Is E.T. a demon? And just what does Peter mean when he says that his books are literally flying off the shelves? LINKS: