A warning for delicate ears: this episode contains explicit language. We hope you’ll pardon us; when the topic is cursed words, some of those words do insist on showing up and being heard.

On the 13th episode of Cursed…ish, Daniel and Angela investigate curses of a more etymological persuasion: curse words. Why do certain sounds become dangerous, filthy, or forbidden? Why did ancient speakers stop saying the original word for the beast they feared the most out of a suspicion that uttering its name might summon one forth? How did damn go from a terrifying sentence of eternal condemnation to one of our mildest swear words? And where did the word fuck actually come from, and why has it become the undisputed king of English profanity?

Along the way, we unpack the strange history of taboo language, from Bronze Age euphemisms and divine damnation to medieval court records featuring the curious case of Roger Fuck-By-The-Navel. Because curse words are more than just dirty language. They reveal what people fear, what they revere, what they repress, and why sometimes only a well-placed “fuck” will do.

https://www.medievalists.net/2023/08/earliest-use-f-word/

https://sslh.org.uk/2023/06/07/i-dont-know-where-he-gets-his-fucking-language-from/

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.

Why do theater people refuse to say Macbeth inside a theater? This week on Cursed...ish, we step into the blood-soaked, witchy world of Shakespeare’s most allegedly-cursed play: Macbeth, also known by the superstitious as “The Scottish Play.”

Angela takes Daniel through the strange history behind the curse of Macbeth, from one king's weird, misplaced obsession with witchcraft and Shakespeare’s suspiciously well-researched trio of iconic witches, to the chilling discovery that real incantations may have been written into the very play itself. Did Shakespeare accidentally, or maybe not so accidentally, put actual magic onstage?

Then we follow the supposed victims of the Macbeth curse across centuries of theatrical disaster: an actor allegedly dying before opening night, the Great Storm of 1703, the deadly Astor Place Riot of 1849, falling stage weights, accidentally-sharp prop swords, mysterious production deaths, stage injuries, kerosene-soaked costumes, and one extremely unfortunate bike accident.

But is Macbeth truly cursed? Or is one of the most-performed plays in the English language simply old enough, popular enough, and chaotic enough to collect a long list of theatrical disasters?

This episode has witches, Shakespearean ass-kissing, toxic theater fandom, dead sheep carcasses, cursed stage traditions, and the eternal question: is it cursed, or just cursed...ish?

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.

Is the Poltergeist curse real, or is it just one of Hollywood’s darkest tabloid legends? In this episode of Cursed...ish, we dig into the alleged Poltergeist movie curse, from Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s creation of the 1982 horror classic to the tragic deaths of Dominique Dunne and Heather O’Rourke, the eerie stories surrounding Poltergeist 2 and Poltergeist 3, and the infamous rumor that real human skeletons were used on set. Along the way, we trace how the “curse” narrative spread through tabloids, media frenzy, and horror lore, and ask the question at the heart of every Cursed...ish episode: is there really something supernatural going on here, or are people forcing a pattern onto tragedy? If you’ve ever wondered about the truth behind the Poltergeist curse, this is the story behind one of horror’s most infamous legends.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-21-ca-993-story.html

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/poltergeist-movie-curse-documentary-explore-830368/

https://www.avclub.com/a-new-documentary-about-the-poltergeist-curse-knows-w-1798285147

https://bloodygoodhorror.com/bgh/interviews/bgh-investigates-the-poltergeist-curse-with-craig-reardon

https://web.archive.org/web/20121105201058/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-03/news/mn-27226_1_poltergeist-iii

https://allthatsinteresting.com/dominique-dunne

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3555052/poltergeist-getting-remade-captain-america-avengers-directors/

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.

In this episode of Cursed...ish, Angela and Daniel dig into the Curse of Cassandra, the Greek myth of a woman who could literally predict disaster and still got treated like she was being dramatic. From Apollo’s extremely petty curse of a punishment to the Trojan Horse, the fall of Troy, and the brutal aftermath of war, they trace how Cassandra became mythology’s patron saint of I told you so. Along the way, they unpack the tragedy, misogyny, and cultural staying power of her story, plus why the Cassandra archetype still shows up everywhere from horror movies to modern pop culture, including Taylor Swift’s “Cassandra.” Because sometimes the real curse is not just bad luck, it’s being right while everybody around you insists on acting like an idiot.

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.

In Part II of Cursed...ish’s King Tutankhamun coverage, Daniel and Angela pick up where the tomb story turns ancient history to archaeology and legend. From Napoleon’s role in fueling Europe’s obsession with ancient Egypt to the Rosetta Stone, Howard Carter’s excavation, Lord Carnarvon’s mysterious death, and the media frenzy that helped create the so-called Pharaoh’s Curse, they trace how a buried king became one of history’s most famous supernatural stories. Along the way, they dig into protective funerary rituals, tabloid embellishments, supposed curse victims, mold and poison theories, and the uncomfortable question at the heart of the whole legend: was there ever really a curse at all, or was Tutankhamun the one who was truly wronged?

https://time.com/archive/6862937/science-a-curse-on-a-curse/

https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/ancient/were-getting-ancient-egypt-all-wrong-and-its-because-of-european-nationalism/

https://www.auntminnieeurope.com/clinical-news/article/15654128/the-radiologist-and-the-curse-of-the-mummy

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/23321/victims-king-tuts-curse

https://allthatsinteresting.com/king-tut-curse

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-30-mn-3981-story.html

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/history/article/tutankhamun-egypt-howard-carter-times-letter-m53zhbbps?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/aug/13/howard-carter-stole-tutankhamuns-treasure-new-evidence-suggests

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-30-mn-3981-story.html

https://time.com/3594676/king-tut/

https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/were-six-bizarre-deaths-linked-to-curse-of-king-tut-actually-the-work-of-this-notorious-satanist-6365783.html

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.

Before Tutankhamun became the most famous mummy in the world, he was a teenage pharaoh buried in secrecy beneath the sands of ancient Egypt. In Part 1 of this story, the Cursed...ish hosts trace the origins of the Curse of King Tut by exploring the world that created him: the religious beliefs of ancient Egypt, mummification, tomb protection, funerary rituals, and the supernatural fear of disturbing the dead. Along the way, we dig into the meaning of curses in ancient Egyptian culture, the ancient Egyptian afterlife, the weighing of the heart, protective spells, burial practices, and the history surrounding Tutankhamun himself. Before the tomb is opened and the modern legend begins, this episode lays the foundation for one of history’s most famous alleged curses surrounding a tomb that did not want to be opened.

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.

In this episode of Cursed...ish, Angela Mattes and Daniel Stevens investigate one of America’s most infamous allegedly-hexed families: the Kennedys. From the death of Joseph Kennedy Jr. in World War II to the tragedies of Rosemary Kennedy, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, the scandal of Chappaquiddick, and the plane crash that killed JFK Jr., the Kennedy family story is packed with a staggering pattern of death, disaster, scandal, and political fallout. As the hosts trace the rise of America’s closest thing to a royal dynasty, they ask whether the so-called Kennedy curse is truly supernatural, or just what it looks like when power, trauma, and tragedy collide across generations.

If you’re fascinated by American history, political dynasties, JFK conspiracy-adjacent lore, true crime, plane crashes, assassinations, and famous family tragedies, this episode dives deep into the dark legacy of the Kennedys with the skeptical, curious, macabre tone of Cursed...ish.

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.

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.