SYSK's 2025 Shocktober Halloween Spooktacular - Stuff You Should Know

Transcript

A (0:01)

Welcome to Stuff youf Should Know, a production of iHeartRadio.

B (0:18)

Hey, and welcome to the Spookfest. I'm Josh, and there's Chuck. And we're flying solo today. I should probably stop speaking like this because I'll bet it's getting annoying.

A (0:31)

That's right. Welcome to the one of our most fun traditions, our ad free Spooktacular, in which we read two stories, one of your choosing and one of mine. And yours is up first by Edward Frederick Benson. Is that right?

B (0:48)

Yeah. Better known as E.F. to his friends.

A (0:52)

Yeah. Did you see where this was published? Should we give a shout out to that?

B (0:55)

It was published in one of his books. He wrote several books, but this One comes from 1912, and I don't remember the name of the book. Chuck. Thank you.

A (1:04)

Well, I have it, sir. It was first published in an anthology called the Room in the Tower and Other Stories.

B (1:10)

That's it.

A (1:11)

And this is not the Room in the Tower, so this is. And Other Stories, but it's called Caterpillars. And at first I thought, by the way, this was gonna be, you know, we read stuff in the public domain. So a lot of these stories are sort of like, you know, the creepy house and the. You know, there's not actually a creature or monster. It's like it was within me all along. Sure, that was the direction of a lot of these stories, but this one actually has a nice little payoff with some real creep stuff.

B (1:40)

Yeah, it is a creepster, for sure. And before we get started, Chuck, I want to tip our hats to Ben, guest producer Ben.

A (1:49)

That's right.

B (1:51)

Who last year just laid a smackdown with his first version of editing one of our Halloween spooktaculars. And I expect he'll do it again.

A (2:01)

Yeah, I agree. And we plugged it recently, but Ben is a musician, so we might as well plug it again here, since everyone's listening here at the top. Ben has a new collection of songs out called Songs for Sleeping Dogs, and it is great. It's instrumental, it's very vibey and cool, and you can find it wherever you find any music.

Summary

Stuff You Should Know – 2025 Shocktober Halloween Spooktacular Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Hosts: Josh & Chuck (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Date: October 30, 2025

Overview

This special ad-free “Shocktober Spooktacular” continues Josh and Chuck’s long-standing Halloween tradition of reading public domain creepy stories to listeners. Each host selects and narrates a favorite horror tale, pausing to riff, banter, and playfully critique the stories and each other along the way. This year, Josh picks “Caterpillars” by E.F. Benson, and Chuck brings “The Deep Drowse” (not “Brows,” as repeatedly joked) by Alison B. Harding (a.k.a. the mysterious Jean Milligan). The episode is rich with tangents, housecleaning tips, improv voices, and occasional Halloween advice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Festivities and Traditions (00:18–02:20)

Josh and Chuck open with playful, spooky voices before Josh reels it in, joking about “annoying” listeners.
The hosts acknowledge their annual tradition of ad-free Halloween readings and note guest producer Ben’s musical achievements.
“[Producer] Ben has a new collection of songs out called ‘Songs for Sleeping Dogs,’ and it is great. It’s instrumental, it’s very vibey and cool, and you can find it wherever you find music.” – Josh (02:01)

2. Story One: Caterpillars by E.F. Benson (03:09–34:36)

Setting the Scene (03:10–08:14)

Caterpillars is introduced as a unique deviation from “dread only” ghost stories—this one has “a nice little payoff with some real creep stuff.”
Extensive discussion about pronunciation of ‘villa’ vs. ‘via,’ meta-commentary on the overly elaborate Gothic architecture description.
“All these old stories... there’s always a very detailed sort of map, and at the end, I feel like they should almost type, ‘Does everyone get it?’” – Chuck (07:53)

The Haunting and the Uncanny (08:24–17:41)

The protagonist is an English gentleman staying in a stately Italian home with friends when he senses supernatural dread.
The hosts delight in Benson’s wordiness:
- “E.F. Benson never met a parenthesis that he didn’t like.” – Josh (12:12)
A dinner conversation dismisses ghosts; later, in a vivid “dream,” the narrator witnesses an unoccupied room swarming with “foot-long caterpillars with crab pincers for feet.”
“This is where it turns, Creepster, right? ... mutant crab caterpillars, came on the scene, I was really knocked out.” – Chuck (16:00)

Manifestation and Aftermath (17:41–34:36)

The next day, a real caterpillar matching the dream’s horrors is found and nicknamed “Cancer inglesensis.”
- “He names this thing after himself. What a jerk.” – Chuck (23:48)
The hosts alternate reading, riffing on house details, and throw in meta-jokes about using baking soda poultices to clean marble countertops (18:46).
Story closes with a final twist: months later, actions in the dream mirror reality, as a character is diagnosed with untreatable cancer, attributed to the haunted room.
- “So, basically... those things transferred cancer, explains why they were lumpy.” – Josh (34:08)
Both hosts agree: “Let’s go with that since it’s a good horror story.” (34:31)

Notable Quotes & Segments

“On the bed...a foot or more in length... faintly luminous... rows of pincers like crabs... sliding their bodies forward.” (16:00)
“The horror did not cease then. Awake now, if dreaming before I did not at all recover from the horror of dream.” (20:34)
Sudden ending: “That room had cancer in It... And those things transferred cancer.” (34:03)

3. Story Two: The Deep Drowse by Alison B. Harding (34:36–96:25)

Introduction and Context (34:36–36:39)

“The Deep Drowse” is selected for its mysterious authorship and pulp magazine (Weird Tales, 1949) legacy.
The hosts discuss the author’s anonymity—“Gene Milligan, or Lamont Buchanan, or maybe a husband-wife team.”

Plague of Sleepiness and Isolation (36:39–75:31)

Arthur Hodges, a successful writer with severe hay fever, and his wife Fran are introduced, bantering about air-conditioning and suburban versus country life.
The hosts lean into voices (Homer Simpson, Dennis Hopper, old witches), and repeatedly joke about mispronouncing “Drowse” as “Brows.”
The couple’s air-tight “cave” keeps out allergens—eventually, it saves them from a mysterious lethargy sweeping over the populace.
As they make phone calls to friends, they discover everyone is succumbing to overwhelming drowsiness; radio broadcasts fade to silence.

Building Dread and Cosmic Catastrophe (75:31–96:54)

Arthur and Fran ration oxygen and supplies, theorizing about poison gas or enemy attack as the world outside grows unnaturally still.
Attempts to investigate are met by overpowering sleepiness—eventually, they succumb outdoors.
The story’s ending reveals, from a far-future perspective, that the entire human species entered an extinction-level sleep “suspension,” only to be supplanted by intelligent animals.
- “The animals... would inherit the earth.” – (96:25)
The tale closes with a Planet of the Apes twist: later generations of animals studying human “hieroglyphics,” including Arthur’s frantic journal.

Notable Quotes & Segments

“It was like a detective play, Cat in the Canary, or people marooned on an island... the most important people... were the long gray cylinders with the silver diamond-shaped labels that said ‘Oxygen, dangerous.’” (81:01)
Planet of the Apes–style reveal: “A biped who confessed ability in existence was the making of hieroglyphics... [his] message... reached those of his kind somewhere, someday...” (87:28–96:25)

Host Commentary & Humor

Frequent meta-remarks about “Cheever stories gone sideways” and “snap polls” on voice choices.
Jokes about practical marble care with baking soda poultices.
Light, irreverent banter offsetting the increasingly bleak narratives.

4. Closing Remarks (96:54–End)

Josh and Chuck congratulate each other on their renditions and poke fun at the length of the episode (“this one’s going really long”).
They look forward to seeing what producer Ben (and, jokingly, Ben & Jerry) will do in post-production.
Farewell with classic Halloween cautions: “Enjoy lots of candy, look out for razor blades in apples and all that stuff. And we’ll see you back in regular time after Halloween.” (96:59–97:34)

Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

(03:54) – “Can I stop you real quick? We’re going with via?” (The great pronunciation debate)
(12:12) – “E.F. Benson never met a parenthesis that he didn’t like.” – Josh
(16:00) – “When these crab caterpillars, mutant crab caterpillars, came on the scene, I was really knocked out.” – Chuck
(23:48) – “He names this thing after himself. What a jerk.” – Chuck
(34:08) – “...those things transferred cancer, explains why they were lumpy.” – Josh
(81:01) – “It was like a detective play... the most important people... were the long gray cylinders with the silver diamond-shaped labels that said ‘Oxygen, dangerous.’”
(96:25) – “The animals... would inherit the earth.” (Planet of the Apes twist)

Structure & Flow

Each story is introduced with its context and a brief authorial backstory.
Hosts take turns reading—often trading roles and voices—with frequent asides, explanations, and personal commentary.
They alternate between dramatic reading and joking asides, maintaining the original language of the stories but lacing it with contemporary humor.
The overall tone is playful, self-deprecating, and occasionally gleefully macabre—the kind of Halloween warmth and wit that SYSK fans expect.

Summary for Non-Listeners

This is the Stuff You Should Know Halloween Spooktacular distilled: two uncanny old horror stories read in full, staged with improvisational humor and affectionate mockery by Josh and Chuck. The hosts manage to both honor the tradition of Halloween campfire tales and lampoon the sometimes overwrought prose of early 20th-century pulp fiction, complete with practical marble-cleaning advice, weird British accents, and speculation about what it all means (“Was it a dream, Chuck?” / “I think it’s all real.”).

If you love Halloween, the macabre, or just hearing two old friends riff their way through weird stories, this episode brings spooky delight—with just enough wit to keep you grinning through the chills.