PODCAST · arts
Black Magic Treehouse
by Jose Cruz and Eric Houge
We travel back to the creepy kid culture of the past, one bargain bin item at a time. Come on up and join the club!
Episodes
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Shivers #10: The Curse of the New Kid
Jose drops Eric like a bad shoe for a conversation with A.D. Aro (@bumps_in_the_night_books on Insta). Together they traverse the forest of irresponsibility that grew from the mind of M.D. Spenser by way of a particularly unsane entry in the Shivers series, The Curse of the New Kid! Is this just...
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Half-Minute Horrors!
If a picture is worth a thousand words and your thoughts cost a penny apiece, then today's episode might just save your life! No, we don't know what that means, either. What we do know is that, as Jose and Eric guide you through a cross-section of thirty-second terrors from this 2009 collection,...
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Bruce Coville's Book of Monsters
After earning an extra long summer break by graduating early from the Class of Sass (and Horror), Eric and Jose return to reading, writing, and rill silly names with the first entry of the ultimate children's anthology series of the '90s: Bruce Coville's Book of Monsters! The stories--and the...
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Heebie Jeebies #2: Welcome to Camp Creeps
Have you ever been to camp? Was it creepy? Have no fear, the Lord is here! Rod Randall uses the horror genre to teach us a thing or two about the Bible or...something.
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A Bad Dream Come True
Have you ever wondered what would happen if all of your worst nightmares came true? Wonder no longer, for the listener-submitted tale read aloud in this episode answers that question--and more! One more. It answers exactly one more question.
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Strange Matter - Driven to Death
Let's venture into new territory--that of an anthology series to rival Goosebumps: Strange Matter! This one is about phantom greasers who drive through walls, up buildings, and over oceans in a bid to recruit fresh victims for--what, exactly? Well, telling you would spoil the twist, wouldn't it?
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Short and Shivery
Jose makes his triumphant return to the pod with nothing but boxing shorts and a dream! A BAD dream! Or several! That comprise the folklore compendium Short & Shivery! A rival series to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! Does this episode merit so many exclamation points? NO!
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Get It Fright This Time!
On a second excursion into the realm of the trilogies-of-teeny-tiny-terror known as Fright Time, Eric welcomes a new guest into the treehouse--his girlfriend! Take that, everyone who says I'm patently unlovable. Adana fills in for the pretending-to-be-busy-to-get-out-of-work Jose and gives her...
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Fright Time, A Couple Times!
Remember those books you could apparently buy at the dollar store with a price tag of $7.95? Nothing is spookier than cognitive dissonance! Anyway, Eric doesn't remember that (although the dollar store may be where he picked up Gooflumps) but Jose had rollicking fun reading entries in the Fright...
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The Bailey School Kids Holiday Special
Monster Kids Don't Host Podcasts! Except that they do, in the form of Eric and Jose, who celebrate the Ghoultide season with winter-appropriate entries in the popular children's chapter book series, the Bailey School Kids! At what point do child sleuths cross over from "charming" to "obnoxious"?…
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Gabbin' Bout Goosebumps
What do you do when you have an opportunity to record a podcast episode and you've done no preparation whatsoever? You shoot the breeze, of course! Or the 'bumps. Eric and Jose reminisce about the ghoulish godfather of '90s children's horror, R.L. Stine, and his plethora of peculiar paperbacks....
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Evil Mirror by Jose Cruz
On this Very Special Episode of Black Magic Treehouse, Jose regales Eric with a tale of his own creation: a little ditty crafted in childhood that bears more than a passing resemblance to Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and, needless to say, Mortal Kombat. Evil Mirror tells the story of…
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Eric's October Challenge Movie Journal, Part Two
Halloween is over, except in our hearts. Join Eric once more as he runs down the second half of his October watchlist, offering thoughts on first-time watches including The Stendhal Syndrome, the Spanish-language version of Universal's Dracula, Offseason, Basket Case, Lord of Illusions, Satan's...
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Tales of the Great White: The Legend of Harvey Shank
Jocelyn Heaney's anthology about our friend the shark contains precisely one good story. At least that's the way Eric remembers it from his time spent with the collection following a Scholastic book fair in 5th grade. And by "good" he means someone gets eaten by a shark and it is goretastic. Jose...
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Eric's October Challenge Movie Journal, Part One
Eric took the October Challenge, and since nothing is valid unless you're sharing it online, he decided to drop a bonus podcast series all by his lonesome detailing his thoughts on the horror movies he's watched this month! Part One includes mini-reviews (or ramblings) for: Dr. Terror's House of...
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Halloween Special 2023
Happy Halloween! Jose and Eric blast into the past to discuss the special Halloween episodes of nostalgia-favorite TV shows. They discuss how Hey Arnold is more meaningful when you're watching as an adult, touch on the idea that Stevil may have been the exact moment when Family Matters jumped the...
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Creepover #9: No Trick-or-Treating!
On the first of two VERY SPECIAL Halloween episodes, Jose and Eric discuss the ninth entry in a post-Goosebumps anthology horror series entitled (You're Invited to a Creepover) by the mysterious, and apparently pseudonymous, P.J. Night. They swap Halloween memories, recommend Halloween…
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The Tale of the Silver Sight
On part two of our Are You Afraid of the Dark? retrospective, we discuss the three-part meta-episode, The Tale of the Silver Sight! Jose and Eric bag on child actors, bag on the writing, and bag on the look and feel of the post-revival show. But they love it...they swear. Opening music by Karl...
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Are You Afraid of the Dark?
In what was meant to be an episode focused on the seminal three-parter The Tale of the Silver Sight, Jose and Eric waffle on for nearly an hour with general reminiscences about what might be the ultimate expression of '90s horror for children, Are You Afraid of the Dark? We talk best episodes,...
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Monster Kid Reference Books!
As the last dog day of August slips by, join us on a trip to a utopian ladder-filled library as we pore through junior encyclopedias for classic creature features. The yellowing pages! The crummy Xeroxed black-and-white photographs! The musty scent of a book that ought to have been "weeded" (an...
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Uncovered by Paul Jennings - "Forever"
On this episode of the podcast, Eric regales Jose with a tale from an aptly titled collection by Paul Jennings: Uncovered!: Weird, Weird Stories. Together they UNCOVER the touching story of a boy on crutches and his toilet-paper-obsessed brother, who only communicates by barking. Maybe Eric…
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Freaky Stories
Jose introduces Eric to Freaky Stories, an animated anthology series from the late '90s that retells urban legends! They talk being blindsided by Pee Wee Herman, the halycon days of the Fox Family channel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ripoffs, and, of course, their favorite scary urban legends.
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The Dollhouse Murders
It's playtime at the Treehouse as Eric recounts the not-really-a-mystery of the Treloar grandparents' murder. With guest appearances by Spuds Mackenzie and the Mouse on the Motorcycle!
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The Scary States of America - North Dakota
Jose guides Eric on a tour of all the spookiness that the United States has to offer--or at least 1/50th of it. Learn about paranormal blogs run by twelve-year-olds of questionable authenticity, the curse of locker 615, and how everything you need to know about being a doctor comes not from…
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The Cold People
Come take us by the chilly hand and journey to Christopher Pike's SPOOKSVILLE, a land rife with witches, aliens, crocodile=snapping human popsicles, Mayors turned Bums, and a boy wearing an excessive amount of wristwatches.
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In a Dark, Dark Room
Jose leads Eric by candlelight into Alvin Schwartz's widdle-kid follow-up to his seminal generational trauma-inducer, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Find out why you should never touch green ribbons, stay away from smiling men, and how to watch out for... A GHOST! (Grabs listener)
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The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
Looking at pyramids and feeling thirsty? Eric regales Jose with a summary of the fifth Goosebumps book. Tar pits! Inadequate kidnapping! Product placement! And a little bit of mummy all night long!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Black Magic Treehouse have?
Black Magic Treehouse currently has 27 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Black Magic Treehouse about?
We travel back to the creepy kid culture of the past, one bargain bin item at a time. Come on up and join the club!
How often does Black Magic Treehouse release new episodes?
Black Magic Treehouse has 27 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Black Magic Treehouse?
You can listen to Black Magic Treehouse on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Black Magic Treehouse?
Black Magic Treehouse is created and hosted by Jose Cruz and Eric Houge.
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