My Favorite Murder Ep. 504: "Eyeball Territory"

Release Date: October 30, 2025
Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Network: Exactly Right / iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This Halloween-adjacent episode centers on the strange, stormy, and tragic real-life events that inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein. Karen Kilgariff tells the story of "the year without a summer," the haunted summer at Lake Geneva in 1816, and the grief-filled biography of Mary Shelley. Throughout, the hosts interweave their signature humor and personal anecdotes from touring, offering both chilling history and lighthearted commentary.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Tour Talk & Listener Letters

[02:37–07:37]

• Karen and Georgia share favorite moments from their ongoing live tour, including fan gifts and memorable stage incidents.
• Karen recounts a listener email about a serendipitous road encounter, highlighting the unpredictability of public interactions.
• Notable Quote:
  • “You never know what other people are going through. And it's like, ‘Honk honk, hey!’”—Karen Kilgariff [07:30]

2. Network and Show Updates

[07:41–09:14]

• Announcements about other Exactly Right shows, special episodes, and revived merchandise.
• Brief digressions on wardrobe staples and favorite sweaters—signature MFM banter.

3. Main Story Introduction: The Birth of Frankenstein

[12:36–13:34]

• Karen introduces the Halloween-themed story: Mary Shelley's creation of Frankenstein during the legendary 1816 retreat at Lake Geneva, against a backdrop of global catastrophe and personal grief.
• Notable Quote:
  • “This is the story of Mary Shelley and that gloomy summer vacation when she created Frankenstein.”—Karen Kilgariff [13:24]

4. The Global Catastrophe: Mount Tambora's Eruption

[13:34–20:14]

• Karen details the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, calling it "the most destructive explosion in recorded history."
• The eruption led to 1816 being known as "the year without a summer," with global famine, crop failure, and disease.
• Georgia excitedly recommends the book The Year Without Summer, adding context about widespread confusion during the era.
• Notable Quote:
  • “100 times more powerful than Mount St. Helens’ eruption in 1980.”—Karen Kilgariff [15:36]

5. Mary Shelley's Early Life: Tragedy and Rebellion

[20:14–25:47]

• Karen summarizes Mary’s radical, troubled family: her mother Mary Wollstonecraft’s trailblazing feminism (and early death), her father William Godwin, and difficult stepmother.
• Mary’s formative years spent in cemeteries, learning to write by tracing her mother’s headstone; exile to Scotland opens creative doors.
• First meeting with Percy Bysshe Shelley, their scandalous romance, and her difficult pregnancies.
• Notable Quote:
  • “It's said that Mary learns to write by tracing the letters on her mother's headstone.”—Karen Kilgariff [22:10]

6. Catastrophic Grief and Historical Resonance

[25:47–30:54]

• Early loss of her first child, and her dream that echoes in Frankenstein: “Dreamt that my little baby came to life again ... I find no baby. I think about the little thing all day.” [25:47]
• Second pregnancy coincides with global gloom—"volcanic winter."

7. The Lake Geneva Gathering: Where Monsters Are Born

[30:54–39:13]

• Mary, Percy, Claire, and baby travel to Geneva, near the infamous Lord Byron, at Claire's urging (motivated by their affair).

• Grueling weather, frequent storms, and a guestlist filled with bohemian writers create the ideal gothic backdrop.

• Byron, Claire, Polidori, and the Shelleys spend stormbound nights reading ghost stories, drinking, and engaging in laudanum-fueled drama.

• Newspapers call them a "League of Incest"; scandal and spectacle abound.

• Notable Quote:

  • “They're like stuck in the beginning of the movie Frankenstein ... It was a dark and stormy night.”—Karen Kilgariff [33:45]

• Lord Byron’s literary challenge: each guest must write an original ghost story.

8. Origins of Modern Horror: Vampires and Frankenstein

[39:13–41:35]

• Byron nearly invents the modern aristocratic vampire; Polidori develops it further in The Vampyre, inspiring Dracula and beyond.

• Mary turns her trauma and the group’s eerie environment into the first version of Frankenstein (subtitled "The Modern Prometheus"), prompted by a "contest" and group encouragement.

• Notable Quote:

  • “It is about grief, alienation, and guilt, things Mary has felt since childhood.”—Karen Kilgariff [45:55]

9. Mary Shelley’s Continued Loss and Artistic Resilience

[41:35–47:02]

• Further tragedies: the deaths of her half-sister, Percy’s wife, two of her children, and her husband all follow within a few years.
• Mary astonishingly survives and supports herself by writing, but faces doubts and credit theft from a misogynistic literary world.
• Years later, she publicly claims authorship of Frankenstein—many refuse to believe her.
• Scholars now see Frankenstein as a deeply feminist text, born from immense loss and reflecting a world “without mothers and a world without strong women.”
• Notable Quote:
  • “Unchecked male ambition, says Mary Shelley, is going to wreak havoc on the world.”—Charlotte Gordon via Karen Kilgariff [46:37]

10. Hosts’ Reflections and Halloween Chat

[47:04–48:02]

• Georgia and Karen praise the story’s dark resonance and Mary Shelley’s courage.
• Light banter about Halloween plans: Georgia will be in costume at home passing out candy; Karen will be “a person who’s happy to be home.”
• Discussion of the neighborhood kids and love for the holiday.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Public Grief & Creativity:
  “I dreamt that my little baby came to life again ... that it had been cold and that we rubbed it before the fire and it lived.”—Mary Shelley’s diary, read by Karen [25:47]

• On Frankenstein’s Meaning:
  “Frankenstein is actually a book about women ... a dystopian novel about a world without mothers and a world without strong women.”—Charlotte Gordon via Karen [46:37]

• On Weather and Doom:
  “If you look at paintings from that time, the sky is literally a different color for years.”—Georgia [17:59]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Tour Recap & Listener Email: 02:37–07:37
• Podcast Announcements: 07:41–09:14
• Frankenstein Story Intro: 12:36–13:34
• Mount Tambora & Global Disaster: 13:34–20:14
• Mary Shelley's Early Life: 20:14–25:47
• Lake Geneva Ghost Story Challenge: 30:54–39:13
• Birth of Frankenstein & Literary Legacies: 39:13–41:35
• Mary’s Later Life & Legacy: 41:35–47:02
• Halloween Banter & Wrap-up: 47:04–48:02

Tone & Style

True to MFM’s approach, the episode delivers historical true crime with a darkly humorous, conversational tone. Karen weaves deep research with empathy and drama, while Georgia offers emotional reactions, side commentary, and comic relief.

Final Thoughts

This episode dives deep into the spooky yet moving origins of Frankenstein, showing how personal pain and historical catastrophe can fuel creative genius. Jealousy, loss, weather calamity, and revolutionary ideals swirl together in a haunted summer—perfect listening for Halloween or anyone fascinated by literary history.

Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered.

[48:02]