Espooky Tales

In the 1980s, one man took Peru by storm when he shared his extraterrestrial experience, which included a miraculous healing. His name was Donato Cervantes. Cristina and Carmen share this story, but first they tell a listener story and end with spooky recs. Cristina recommended two Mexican horror movies on Tubi, both directed by Carlos Enrique Taboada: Veneno Para las Hadas and Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo. Carmen recommended the horror book, Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the...

La Cuesta de Las Cañas is a road that leads from the municipalities of San Lucas and Santa Lucía Milpas Altas towards Antigua Guatemala. It is known for its curves and steep descent, but also for being haunted! In this episode, Cristina tells Carmen about this haunted road. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Cristina is joined by the one and only, Cynthia Pelayo, to talk about Something Followed Us Home, an anthology book full of Latine stories featuring Agustina Bazterrica, Monica Ojeda, Isabel Cañas, Gerardo Sámano Córdova, Leopoldo Goût, Mariana Enriquez, Cynthia herself and so many more! They talked about how the book came to be, how these stories explore identity, belonging, assimilation, history, all through the venue of horror. They also discussed Cynthia's journey as an author and shared a paranormal experience of her own. They ended with spooky recs, Cynthia's was Rooted by Leopoldo Goût and Crist...

Carmen and Cristina share the legend of La Chaneca from Guerrero, Mexico and La Matki. They end with spooky recs, Cristina's was the movie Obsession and Carmen's was the book Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next boo...

Cristina and Carmen are announcing a hot ghoul summer break! They will be back the first week of September. In the meantime, send them your duende stories!

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is Monstrilio by Gerardo Sáman...

La construcción de la Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México tomó 250 años, pero según la leyenda, la ciudad sufrió un exorcismo y el demonio que la poseía quedó atrapado en las catacumbas de la catedral. (this is our "monthly" Spanish episode, Espooky Tales will be back to a normal episode in two weeks).

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy Peo...

Carmen shares the legend of El Callejon del Beso, El Grito de la Valenciana and La Casa de la Tia Aura, all from the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Cristina shares the recent case of a hermana buscadora from Penjamo, Guanajuato. They end with spooky recommendations, carmen's rec: Molka by Monika Kim and Cristina's rec: I Am Frankelda, the 2025 Mexican stop motion movie. First, they read a listener story.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it...

In this episode, Cristina tells Carmen about the April 20th, 2026 shooting in Teotihuacan, but also more about how this type of violence was once thought to be only a western problem and has spread to the global south, as well as discussing some conspiracy theories that popped up after the shooting.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=p...

Terror struck the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June 12, 2016. The club was hosting their weekly Latin club when a man entered and opened fire. 49 were dead and over 50 were wounded. Over 90 percent of victims were Latinos. 

Today June 12, 2026 is the anniversary of this event and Espooky Tales is re-releasing episode 170 in light of today. 

It's a book club episode! Carmen and Cristina read the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. First they recapped the book, then did discussion questions and ended by picking the next book club episode. Here is the synopsis for the Possession of Alba Diaz: 

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family’s isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin...

Carmen and Cristina had the pleasure of talking with Cynthia about her new book Muñeca, available 6/2/26 (WE LOVED THE BOOK). Muñeca is a vivid, surreal Gothic about a queer, Latine, working class witch who sets out to rescue a bespelled heiress and loses control of her powers and her heart in the process.

It is 1968 Oakland, and Natalia Fuentes has been hearing rumors about the beautiful Violeta Miramontes. The young heiress to Spanish colonial wealth has been left paralyzed by a mysterious illness. But Nati knows a thing or two about witchcraft, and she is certain th...

Carmen shares the legend of the ghost bride of Patos and other legends from the Mexican state of Coahuila. Then, they end with spooky recs. Carmen's recommendation is the book Malas by Marcela Fuentes and Cristina recommended McFarland USA and El Norte (neither is spooky, but they are Latinx movies).

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

The Satanic Panic was still very alive in the 1990s and in the midst of this, ABC's 2020 aired the alleged real exorcism of a Colombian American teen named Gina. Carmen and Cristina share the context in which her exorcism took place and then discuss the exorcism itself. First, they read a listener story and they end with spooky recs. Carmen recommended the zombie romance called Dating after the End of the World by Jeneva Rose and Cristina recommended Tubi's newest original horror HIVE. They also shared their brief interview with the director of HIVE. Stay espooky! 

If you h...

Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre era artista y muy conocida en su comunidad. Todos los vendedores de comida la conocían. También era activista en un grupo llamado Mesa de Mujeres, una agrupación centrada en la violencia de género. Asimismo, era integrante de Puro Borde, un colectivo artístico de la ciudad. Algunos de sus murales aún pueden encontrarse en Ciudad Juárez. Salió de un bar en el centro de Juárez pasada la medianoche del 18 de enero de 2020, y esa fue la última vez que sus amigos la vieron con vida. Antes de hablar sobre Isab...

On June 11th, 2018, Fabian Caceres left his home and enated the double femicide of Gabriela Alcaíno Donoso and Carolina Donoso. This led to the passing of Gabriela's law in Chile, changing the way femicide is classifed forever. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

On 3/18, the NYT dropped its years-long investigation into Cesar Chavez, and in it, survivors told their stories for the first time. It revealed that he abused them when they were minors. In this episode, we share the new allegations, but also discuss a troubling past that involves anger issues, being controlling, the wet lines, his admiration for a cult leader, and more.

sexual assault resources:https://doloreshuerta.org/sexual_assault_resources/

Historias Unknown: https://www.historiasunknown.com/

sources: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html?smid=url-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/u...

Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre was an artist and so well known in her community. Every food vendor knew her. She was also an activist with a group called Mesa de Mujeres, a group that focused on gender violence. She was also a member of Puro Borde, an art collective in the city. Some of her murals can still be found in Ciudad Juarez. She left a bar in downtown Juarez after midnight on Jan 18, 2020 and that was the last time her friends saw her alive. Before tallking about Isabel, Cristina tells Carmen some of the history of Juarez, involving...

On the 1st of November, two cyclists were biking from Ciudad de Mexico, heading south to Tepoztlan. As they rode, they turned off the regular road, there, under a bridge in the highway, in the undergrowth, they found the body of a woman. She was wearing a beige dress, it was hiked up  above her waist, she was missing one of her high heels and her long hair was in braids. She had no ID on her. Ricardo alerted the authorities, but he was worried this would just be dismissed and that they would not even try and figure out w...

It was a Chile focused one this time! For the paranormal segment, Carmen shared Chile's bermuda triange, el cerro moreno and Cristina shared the case of Jose Huanante, a Mapuche teenager who went missing in 2005.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next bo...

On June 27, 2022, at approximately 6pm, Roberto Quintero and his crew were working, when they heard screams and rushed towards the commotion, which took them to Quintana Road in San Antonio, TX. There, they found a girl staggering near a semi-truck. Once they got closer to the semi-truck, they found bodies upon bodies, not moving, with swollen faces and blue lips. Roberto called 9-1-1, exclaiming, “There’s an 18-wheeler with about 20 dead people in the back. There’s more than 20 people, there’s 50 people! All the while the girl could be heard screaming in the background. In total, 53 migrants found in the t...

More legends from Chihuahua and a case also from there, involving vampirism/satanism. For spooky recs, Carmen had none because she was busy reading Harvest of Empire and Now I Surrender. Cristina talked about One Battle After Another. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

Chihuahua is one of the largest states in Mexico and also very haunted. Among these hauntings are El Panteon de los ninos (the children's cemetery), La Casa dell Ahorcado (The Hanged Man's House) and Los Monitos de Meoqui (the little monkeys of Meoqui). Cristina and Carmen shares these stories, then they end with spooky recs and start with a listener story. Carmen did not have a recommendation and Cristina recommended Bugonia.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit...

Carmen and Cristina share a few family stories and then Cristina shaares the 1985 Mexico City Musuem Heist. They end with spooky recs and start with a listener story. Carmen recommended Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Cristina did not have a spooky recommendation. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cr...

La mama de Carmen y Cristina las acompano para este capitulo, en donde cuenta diferentes historias de terror que ocurrieron durante su juventud en Guadalajara, Mexico. DISCULPENOS porque tuvimos muchos problemas tecnicos que se notan! 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next boo...

The metropolitan cathedral of Mexico city was built over the course of 250 years, but according to legend, Mexico city underwent an exorcism and the demon that possessed it, is locked away in the catacombs of the Mexico city cathedral.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was killed by border patrol officers in May 2010. He was handcuffed and beaten and tased multiple times until he died from a heart attack. Carmen and Cristina share this case, IT IS A VERY HEAVY CASE, listen with caution/care. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's ot...

Metapán, a city and municipality in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador. It borders Honduras and Guatemala, as it is located in the north of the country. It’s the second largest city, and in Nahuatl, it means, “river of the Maguey”. It's also a little espooky! In this episode, Cristina and Carmen share three stories from this town. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for...

No episode today (insert sad face), but here is a short list of some espooky Xmas movies instead!

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to pur...

Before it housed the General National Archive, Lecumberri was a prison. Due to it's dark past, the Black Palace is now said to be haunted with the ghost of Don Jacinto and more. Cristina shares the history of this haunted location in CDMX and Carmen shares the case of the San Juanic Explosion.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?u...

The Bewitching follows three women, in three different timelines:  Alba in 1900s Mexico, Beatrice during the great depression in Massachusetts, and Minerva in the 1990s, who’s connected to both women as she is Alba’s granddaughter and attends the same university as Beatrice, who is also the focus of Minerva’s thesis. All women are facing dark forces that are possibly connected. Today's episode is a book club! Carmen and Cristina recap the book, then go through discussion questions. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espo...

Juan Fernando Hermosa holds the record for being Ecuador’s youngest serial killer. At just 15 years old, he was arrested for murdering 22 people. Carmen and Cristina discuss this case, but first they read a listener story and end with spooky recs. Carmen's rec was the book Play Nice by Rachel Harrison and Cristina's was Guillermo Del Toro's debut film, Cronos. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for...

Mexico's metro system is one of the most used public transportation systems in North America, but it's also said to be super haunted! In this epiosde, Cristina tells Carmen 4 different stories from the metro system, two from CDMX and two from Guadalajara. But first, they read a listener story and end with spooky recs. Cristina talked about Vacaciones de Terror 1 y 2, el Espinazo del Diablo, Km 31 and Carmen recommended the book Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836...

Carmen and Cristina are still playing catch up after spending a week together and doing a couple of live shows, so there's no new epsiode BUT enjoy this Weapons movie from the vault (the vault being patreon) with podcast bestie, Ayden (the host of Susto). 

Check out Susto: https://www.sustopodcast.com/

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@es...

El Chupacabras es uno de los críptidos latinoamericanos más conocidos. Los primeros avistamientos datan de 1995 en Puerto Rico, pero algunos de los relatos más extraños provienen de Chile. En el año 2000, se produjo una serie de ataques atribuidos al Chupacabras, algunos de los cuales involucraron al ejército chileno y, supuestamente, a la NASA. Cristina le cuenta a Carmen un poco sobre la historia del Chupacabras. Terminan con recomendaciones que dan miedo, en este capitulo fueron Vacaciones de Terror 1 y 2, el Espinazo del Diablo y platicaron un poco sobre la nueva pelicula de Guillermo del Toro...

Durango is located in the northwest area of Mexico and has the title of the 8th loeset populated state in the country, and maybe that's because it's full of ghosts. In this episode, Cristina tells Carmen the legend of la Bruja de Guanajuato, the train of Poanas, the Headless Man and the Lerdo Monster. But first, they read a listener story and end with spooky recs. Today's spooky recs were the Clown (on netflix) and Juan of the Dead. The movie The Fly was also mentioned.  (MY BAD! I ACCIDENTALLY TITLED THIS GUANAJUATO WHEN IT WAS DURANGO, AND THEN LEFT I...

Stories of duendes can be found all over Latin America. They are said to live inside the walls of a house and to be tricksters. In this episode, Cristina tells Carmen three creepy duende stories, but first they read a listener story and end with spooky recs. Today's spooky recs were Train to Busan by Carmen and Cristina mentioned Juan of the Dead and Queens of the Dead. 

Come see Carmen and Cristina: The Cucuy Is Going to Get You Nov 1st, 2025 event in Yakima, WA 

If you have a spooky story to s...

The Chupacabras is one of the most well known Latin Americana cryptids, the first sightings can be dated back 1995 in Puerto Rico, but some of the most bizzare reports come from Chile. In 2000, a series of attacks attributed to the Chupacabras took place, some of which involved the Chilean military and allegedly, NASA. Cristina tells Carmen a little about Chupacabras history, and then about the Chile attacks, but first they read a listener story and end with spooky recs. 

Come see Carmen and Cristina: The Cucuy Is Going to Get You Nov 1st, 2025 event in Yak...