The latest episode of Pine Curtain Confidential is less supernatural than “Ghost Story, Ghost Town,” but just as scary! Maybe even more so, as I am learning to add mood music! (:

An area with dense pine trees can hide all kinds of things, and local east Texas folklore has long used the Wampus Cat for scares and warnings to stay away from places you might not belong.

This standalone episode looks at this mythic creature in more detail…just in time for Halloween, in case you were planning to trick-or-treat too close to the forest!

Here are some of the interesting items I found while researching the Wampus Cat:

The Story of the Wampus Cat in Appalachian History

The Wampus Cat, via AmericanFolklore.net

Texas Folklore Society. Folk Travelers: Ballads, Tales and Talk, book, 1953; Dallas, Texas : accessed October 28, 2021), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History; crediting UNT Press. Here are the search results for Wampus Cat. This book also introduced me to the Taily-Po, which will really make you sleep with the lights on.

Learn more about Pine Curtain Confidential and listen to episodes here.