In this week’s episode, Spotlight gets ready for Halloween with a spooktacular lineup. First, we’ll look at St. Louis’s role in the success of Houdini and ask: are spiders creepy monsters or harmless helpers? Then, we’ll explore the story of why ten thousand St. Louisans gathered to see a phantom horse and buggy, as well as a very odd museum full of haunted objects. Plus, we’ll feature an artist who uses recycled materials to create spooky items and share the tale of a woman and a spirit who wrote several books together.

Houdini in St. Louis
Harry Houdini was struggling to stand out in the overcrowded vaudeville scene until one night in St. Louis changed how he approached his act.

Celebrating spiders is a Halloween thing, but a Missouri man celebrates spiders all year long!
As a conservation educator, David Bruns has an abundance of Missouri spiders for show-and-tell, from the real ones to the thousands of spider photographs.

History Spotlight: Pine Street Specter
In the late 19th century, 10,000 St. Louisans gathered to see the Pine Street Specter, a phantom horse and buggy reported by the Globe Democrat.

Troy Taylor’s American Oddities Museum
Troy Taylor’s American Oddities Museum houses everything from skeletons and side show souvenirs to Ouija Boards and haunted dolls.

The Artwork of Nikki Leeper
Interview with Nikki Leeper where she talks about what she uses to make her art. She also tells us how she got started.

The story of Pearl Curran who channel spirit Patience Worth through a Ouija Board & they wrote books
It’s a ghostly tale that happened right here in St. Louis in 1912. Pearl Curran channeled spirit Patience Worth but not everyone believed in this tale.