In this episode of Cursed...ish, Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens head into one of the darkest corners of the Harry Potter universe: the Unforgivable Curses. From Avada Kedavra to the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse, they unpack how the wizarding world casually hands children the power to torture, control minds, and kill instantly — then somehow treats that as normal school-adjacent information. Along the way, they dig into the horrifying implications of Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Mad-Eye Moody/Barty Crouch Jr.’s infamous classroom demonstration, and the moral chaos at the heart of this magical world. And then they ask the question that makes everything worse: if these curses are truly unforgivable, why does Harry Potter himself end up using them? Darkly funny, skeptical, and gloriously uncomfortable, this episode explores dark magic in Harry Potter, wizarding-world ethics, and why this beloved fantasy series gets much more disturbing the older you get.

Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com.

The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes.

*Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

The Dybbuk Box may be the perfect cursed object for the internet age: part ghost story, part folklore confusion, part viral marketing miracle, and part “sir, please stop gifting this to relatives.” In this episode of Cursed...ish, we trace the story of the haunted eBay cabinet said to unleash nightmares, misfortune, illness, and general psychic bad vibes on anyone unlucky enough to own it. From Holocaust-linked origin claims to ghost-hunter fame and the possibility that the whole thing began as an elaborate piece of interactive horror fiction, we ask whether the Dybbuk Box is actually cursed — or just unbelievably good at making people want it to be.

Episode Sources:

Moss, Charles. “Finally, the Truth Behind the ‘Haunted’ Dybbuk Box Can Be Revealed.” Inverse, July 8, 2021 https://www.inverse.com/input/features/dybbuk-box-dibbuk-kevin-mannis-zak-bagans-haunted-hoax-revealed

Biddle, Kenny. “A Closer Look: The Dibbuk Box.” Skeptical Inquirer, January 14, 2019 https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-dibbuk-box/

Collis, Clark. “Little Box of Horrors.” Entertainment Weekly, July 27, 2012 https://ew.com/article/2012/07/27/little-box-horrors-2/

Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com.

The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes.

*Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.

The Curse of the Billy Goat is one of the most famous sports curse legends in American history. In 1945, Chicago Cubs fan and Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis was kicked out of Wrigley Field after trying to bring his pet goat to the World Series — and according to legend, he cursed the Cubs on the spot. What followed was decades of heartbreak, near-misses, black-cat omens, failed curse-breaking rituals, and one of the longest championship droughts in baseball history.

In this episode of Cursed...ish, we dig into the full story of the Billy Goat Curse, from its origins at Wrigley Field to the Cubs’ dramatic 2016 World Series win. Along the way, we explore Chicago Cubs history, the folklore surrounding sports curses, and the media hysteria that helped turn a bitter moment in 1945 into a legendary baseball myth. Was the Cubs’ losing streak just bad luck — or was the Curse of the Billy Goat real or just cursedish?

Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com.

The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes.

*Terms and conditions may be upheld by unknown forces.