Monster House Presents.

This episode includes coverage of suicide.

Self-harm is a serious problem,

and one of the best things you can do if you're struggling with such thoughts

is to reach out and talk to someone.

In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline can be reached by dialing 988.

If you're struggling, please seek help. We care about our listeners and want you to be around

for many years to hear stories about monsters, science facts, and, of course, terrible puns.

Thanks.

It's actually quite unlike anything we've ever seen before.

A giant hairy creature, part ape, part mass.

In Larkness, a 24-mile- long bottomless lake in the highlands of Scotland.

It's a creature known as the Loch Ness Monster. It's a creature known, the science show about monsters. I'm Blake Smith. And I'm

Karen Stolznor. This week we're throwing together a little Valentine special. There's so much

turmoil in the world and if you're lucky enough to be in a stable and healthy relationship,

it can give you emotional armor. It can be your anchor. But long-term relationships

often start out with intense passion and then sometimes things go awry. Betrayal and deception

can turn the objects of our desire into figures of horror. And that's the story as old as

humanity. Now this episode is not a deep dive, but we thought it would be fun to discuss specific

monsters whose origins lie in the corruption of romance, from fiction to folklore, from ancient

torchlit streets to glowing internet forums.

When the heart breaks, sometimes tears are released, but sometimes there's also terror.

...