Southern Fried Ghost Stories

by Fiama Mastrangelo

Her name is Ashley

McGlothren, and she’s going to tell you a scary

story. Local podcaster, non-profit founder and selfproclaimed stage mom, McGlothren delivers spinechilling tales of horror and true crime from south of the Mason-Dixon line to listeners across the nation. The podcast just surpassed 50,000 downloads, proving that “spooky season” is year-round.

Southern Haunts is the brainchild of McGlothren, who is also the co-host of The Stage Moms podcast and president and founder of Arrant Knavery, a local theatre company. Originally from Panama City, McGlothren has spent her entire life in the South and wanted to explore the spookier side of Southern history. With her background in theatre and experience in the world of podcasting, McGlothren decided to start up Southern Haunts as a way to pass the time during nationwide lockdowns in June 2020.

The idea for Southern Haunts began when McGlothren recorded “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman for The Stage Moms’ Storyteller Series. Written from the perspective of a woman descending into madness, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a chilling tale with plenty of potential for haunting readings.

“That episode is really sort of what got my wheels spinning about Southern Haunts. I was like ‘Oh, I could do this on a podcast,’” McGlothren said.

As an established figure in the Pensacola arts community, McGlothren expressed her deep appreciation for the beauty of Southern living and the community that it inspires. She’s no stranger to hauntings,

either. McGlothren is the Director of Marketing at Pensacola Little Theatre, one of the oldest operating theatres in Southern America. As many locals are aware, PLT has seen its fair share of hauntings and has been visited in the past by paranormal investigators.

One of the leading reasons that McGlothren decided to focus her scary stories South of the Mason-Dixon line, however, is the rich tradition of storytelling that is a staple of Southern culture. Perhaps it’s the imagery of dripping Spanish Moss, or the murky waters of alligator-infested swamps that add a certain vivacity to the campfire stories of Southern people. Or perhaps it’s the national headlines of “Florida Man Throws Baby Alligator into Drive-Thru Window” that intrigues listeners and popularizes the legends of bizarre creatures such as the Swamp Ape.

“Honestly, the weird stuff that gets made up in the South is crazy. I mean like, from creatures to ghost stories and all that kind of stuff, the South just has really weird ones,” McGlothren said.

Southern Haunts has covered some of our most infamous cryptids, including The Bunnyman, The Donkey Lady and even Mothman himself. In addition to the goofier stories of boogeymen and monsters, Southern Haunts also tackles the darker stories of true crime. Given the complicated history of racism and violence that has plagued Southern America, McGlothren aims to tell these stories accurately and responsibly, while reclaiming the lore championed by people of color.

“I wanted people to know about things that happened in the South. I wanted to see a change in the way that stories in the South are told,” she said. “We have the lore that we have in the South because it comes from all the different types of people that are here. And those are the stories that I want to focus on in this show.” The love for Southern charm and the passion to reclaim its stories has propelled McGlothren into the national spotlight for her storytelling. Each episode is a fun-sized adventure into the strange and unusual history and haunts of the South. While spooky stories are typically limited to campfires and Halloween programming, something about our local ghouls keeps audiences captivated year-round.

Southern Haunts retains a certain charm that listeners crave. “A lot of people have told me it’s relaxing, which is strange,” McGlothren laughed. “I just want to keep creating a time for people to escape the weirdness that is our world. I like the idea of creating a community where people feel comfortable talking about paranormal stuff and sharing their stories.”

Southern Haunts regularly features listener stories to bring the spooks that much closer to home and continues the tradition of passing down lore for future generations. As the founder of a non-profit and leader in local theatre, McGlothren knows a thing or two about community. “Once things are a little bit safer, I would love to partner with other podcasters in the area and do a full performance of a night of podcast episodes,” she said.

“WE HAVE THE LORE THAT WE HAVE IN THE SOUTH BECAUSE IT COMES FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE. AND THOSE ARE THE STORIES THAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON IN THIS SHOW.”

Live readings are just some of the ideas McGlothren has cooking up for the future. Other show ideas have been considered, and Southern Haunts frequently collaborates with similar shows, such as Let’s Not Meet and Two Drinks and a Haunting.

There’s a lot to look forward to if you can’t get enough of Southern Haunts. Stay tuned for new projects and subscribe to the Patreon at patreon.com/southernhauntspodcast for bonus content, early access to episodes, and ad-free listening.

Southern Haunts can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere else you listen from. Follow @southernhauntspodcast on Instagram for behind-the-scenes content and previews for upcoming episodes.

Scan the Spotify URI to check out the podcast.