Bigfoot Collectors Club: "Wolfmen Encounters" w/ Brian Bahe

Release Date: October 1, 2025
Hosts: Michael McMillian & Riley Bray
Guest: Brian Bahe (comedian, writer)
Theme: Personal paranormal history, wolfmen/dogman encounters, and the ways folklore, environment, and personal experience intersect with the paranormal.

Episode Overview

This high-spirited episode opens the "Zombie Bigfoot’s Cryptic Crypt" series, celebrating Halloween with extra spooky, high strangeness stories. Michael and Riley welcome comedian and TV writer Brian Bahe, known for a deep appreciation for the weird, to share both personal encounters and cultural perspectives on the supernatural—with a special focus on encounters with wolfmen ("dogmen"). The show blends whimsical banter, first-hand accounts, cultural reflections, and detailed cryptid lore for a Halloween treat.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Halloween Traditions & Costumes

• Hosts and guest recall their favorite DIY costumes as kids, waxing nostalgic over resourcefulness and commitment to the Halloween spirit.
  • Brian: Loved making costumes from scratch, peaking as Goofy due to a Disneyland acquisition ("Being, like, 'gorge' all night was pretty—pretty easy." – Brian [06:41]).
  • Riley: Once dressed as the Green Giant, painting himself green and making a green bean from felt.
  • Michael: Recalls a two-headed monster costume and losing a contest to a "two-headed grandma," which became a core memory ("And we were angry. We were angry. I've never forgotten it. It's a core memory." – Michael [09:20]).

2. Changing Traditions in Trick-or-Treating

• Hosts lament the decline of kids saying "trick or treat", noting cultural shifts in Halloween customs ("I've been handing out candy for, like, a solid 10 years in a row now in this neighborhood, and no one says trick or treat anymore." – Michael [07:43]).

3. Spooky News Corner: "Ghost Threesome"

• [11:35] – [20:14]
• Wild story about a woman claiming to have a threesome with the ghost of her deceased husband and another woman, discussed with humor and skepticism.
  • Reflects on tabloid culture and blurring lines between grief, fantasy, and the paranormal.
  • Brian, with comic timing: "I want there to be people having sex with ghosts. I don't know if this counts." [19:54]
  • Michael and Riley riff on journalistic writing styles and the human urge to find connection—supernatural or otherwise.

4. Brian Bahe’s Paranormal History

• [22:02] – [34:40]
• Upbringing in Arizona, a UFO hotspot, seeded a fascination with the unexplained:
  • Frequent sightings of mysterious orbs in the desert: "Orbs that moved in ways that like planes don't go" – Brian [22:18]
  • Early exposure to Fire in the Sky and the Phoenix Lights scandalized him as a child.
  • Native American family background contributed a layer of spiritual caution: "Almost all native things are like, to not invoke anything. It's like you do so many things just to avoid invoking anything." [30:45]
  • Blend with Catholic upbringing led to many rules about not calling forth spirits and shunning things like Ouija boards and ghost tours.

5. Folklore Intersections:

• [32:28] – [33:08]
• Bahe notes eerie parallels between Native American, Appalachian, and broader rural folklore, citing TikTok and paternal advice about not responding to unknown voices or noises, emphasizing survival and spiritual safety.

The Trick or Treat Rapid-Fire Game

• [39:37] – [43:43]

Special Halloween "Bullshit or Believe It"

• Series of paranormal phenomena for Brian to label "trick" (skeptical) or "treat" (believer).
• Brian strongly treats on most—especially ghosts, Bigfoot, UFOs, haunted dolls, shapeshifters, and curses.
• Notable quote: "Just saying them out loud for me is something is like very. . . so not supposed to do that." – Brian [43:19]
• Haunted dolls and phantom hitchhikers provoke the strongest reactions, with Brian suggesting haunted dolls are particularly plausible as spiritual vessels ("It's almost like the perfect object to like, if you were something and you wanted to be, like, make some type of connection with like, this reality." [45:02]).

Personal & Family Paranormal Encounters

• [34:53] – [38:39]
• Family UFO anecdotes: Uncle witnesses a close-approach orb of light on rural Arizona land, even showing Brian a photo.
  • Reflects on Native American elders' reluctance to discuss cryptids openly, except among siblings.
  • Distinguishes between ghosts (indoor, humanlike) and unknown outdoor entities (possibly UFOs or spirits).

Main Feature: Wolfmen/Dogman Encounters

Introduction to Wolfman Lore

• [49:01] – [54:20]
• Hosts explain difference between werewolves (lycanthropic shapeshifters) and cryptid "wolfmen" (always in beast form).
• Tribute paid to the late Linda S. Godfrey, the chronicler of Beast of Bray Road and dogman sightings.

Encounter 1: The Wolfman of Chestnut Mountain (Illinois)

• [54:25] – [58:41]
• 2010: Psychologist and fiancé see a 6-7 foot humanoid wolf on hind legs crossing the road in the woods. Creature watched them leaving.
  • Rachel: “Its gaze seemed to look through her. It was like it already knew her.” [56:45]
  • Brian: "Her working in psychology almost works against her in this situation... if she is around so many people that… are talking like about seeing so many weird things, I feel like they’re almost priming her to also… see those things" [58:54]

Encounter 2: The Calgary Creature (Alberta, Canada)

• [59:55] – [65:28]
• Family plagued by strange noises, predator-like sounds, massive canine presence.
• Both daughter and mother see a 6ft humanoid wolf on two legs over a year apart; wildlife fluctuations are noted, orbs seen in the sky.
  • Brian: "You tell me there’s orbs in the sky, I’m firmly there." [64:36]
  • Hosts discuss how these creatures seem more comfortable preying on animals, not people.

Encounter 3: Michigan Dogman Encounters

• [65:27] – [74:13]
• Brad, in SW Michigan, has multiple encounters with wolf-like bipeds—one leaping Tarzan-style into treetops; another observed by creek, emitting growls and a foul stench; trading apples for rocks.
  • “The trading the apple for a rock is really funny. It’s like, yeah, I’m going to take this food and I guess here’s a rock.” – Brian [73:42]
  • Discussion of the “Oz factor”—silence preceding strangeness—accompanies the account.

Common Themes in Wolfman Accounts

• All creatures seem to avoid direct human conflict; they are seen fleetingly, remain mostly hidden, and show more interest in animals than people.
• Notably, all witnesses—including families—share a lingering, awe-stricken fear, but no direct threat is ever realized.
  • Michael: "Much like Bigfoot, much like ghosts, much like UFOs, they're like these fleeting encounters." [75:02]
  • Riley: “Midwest, I don’t know, it gives me the jeebies… All this space and then one Victorian farmhouse, sort of on a knoll, and then space again. That’s too scary.” [76:10]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Brian, asked about ghost sex stories:
  "I support it and I want there to be people having sex with ghosts. I don’t know if this counts. There’s a part of me that just wants a little more...something that really is like this--we for sure--a ghost." [19:54]
• On haunted dolls:
  "It’s almost like the perfect object to like, if you were something and you wanted to be, like, make some type of connection with like, this reality..." – Brian [45:02]
• On liminal spaces and rural existential anxiety:
  "I spent a lot of my childhood driving around Arizona… so much of my childhood is just like me remember being like in a car...like a highway basically." [45:40]
• On encountering cryptids:
  "He seems to not want to be really noticed by these people. He's content with eating coyotes and groundhogs..." – Michael, on the Calgary Wolfman [65:08]
• On Native American and Catholic spiritual rules:
  "Don't invite anyone over. Don't fucking, you know, directly address somebody or something unless you want them to pop up..." – Brian [30:48]

Concluding Thoughts & Final Segments

• Brian expresses renewed terror of the Midwest post-wolfman stories: "I’m definitely terrified of the Midwest now…” [74:25]
• Light-hearted ending: Michael prompts a metaphorical “candy grab,” Brian chooses a peanut butter-Oreo Reese’s cup as his Halloween treat [77:51].
• Hosts and guest swap Halloween movie recommendations (e.g., The Silence of the Lambs, Strange Harvest, plans to re-watch the Conjuring universe) as autumn rituals.

Timestamps for Significant Segments

• Halloween Memories & Costumes: [04:08] – [09:30]
• Spooky News – Ghost Threesome: [11:35] – [20:14]
• Brian's Personal Paranormal History: [22:02] – [34:40]
• Cultural Superstitions & Folklore: [30:45] – [33:08]
• Trick or Treat Game: [39:37] – [43:43]
• Wolfman/Dogman Stories: [49:01] – [74:13]
• Halloween Movie Recap: [80:16] – [85:08]

Tone & Style

The episode delivers a blend of irreverent humor, earnest curiosity, and an appreciation for both the silliness and profundity of belief in the unexplained. The hosts and Brian balance self-deprecation, cultural insight, and legit creeped-out vibes, making the discussion accessible and engaging for both skeptics and believers—they’re your paranormal pals, never taking things too seriously but always up for a good story around the fire.

Useful For...

• Anyone interested in cryptid folklore, especially dogmen and wolfmen
• Fans of culturally diverse perspectives on the paranormal
• Listeners seeking both laughs and genuine eerie anecdotes
• Anyone who enjoys the spirit of Halloween and storytelling among friends

Follow Up:

• Brian Bahe: Stand-up dates on Instagram (@brian_bahe), cohost of Sage Based Wisdom podcast (available on all platforms and Supercast).
• Bigfoot Collectors Club: More episodes, ad-free & bonus content at bcc.supercast.com.

Listen if you want high spirits spiked with chills, a deep-dive into cryptid lore, and a reminder that sometimes the weirdest part about the unknown is just how ordinary it feels to those who’ve lived it.