Mental Floss

LISTS



Biz Markie performing at SXSW.

There are a million no-hit wonders who’d gladly trade places with these one-hit wonders, which thrilled us for a short time, filling holes in our souls that we didn’t know existed, then got out of the way—voluntarily or otherwise.

Kenneth Partridge






On occasion, a piano has been a literal instrument of death.

We’re used to taking it figuratively: One “slays” on guitar, is a “killer” pianist, or wants to “die” listening to a miraculous piece of music. History, though, is surprisingly rich with examples of people who met their ends thanks to a musical instrument

Keith Johnston
Simone Simon stars in Cat People (1942).

'Cat People' made millions for RKO Pictures and subversively revolutionized the horror genre. Here are 11 facts about this hair-raising classic.

Mark Mancini
Christopher Lee in Horror of Dracula (1958).

Filmmakers have been making movies about vampires almost since the inception of motion pictures, and our public fascination with these creatures of the night has not yet dimmed. Here are 25 of the best of them.

Matthew Jackson


Don't get caught on these roads at night.

What could be scarier than driving down a dark road at night? Driving down one of these dark roads at night. If any of the below roads—compiled by Commercial Truck Trader—pop up on your GPS this spooky season, consider finding an alternate route.

Alvin Ward


Amazon

We’ve culled the internet to figure out what’s cool these days, and we found 16 items to suit any teen (and any price point).

Hannah McDonald


Theodore Roosevelt's Long Island home has 23 rooms and more books than you can count.

Theodore Roosevelt had very particular ideas about how Sagamore Hill should be designed—including "a very big piazza ... where we could sit in rocking chairs and look at the sunset." Here what you should know about Roosevelt's "Summer White House."

Lana Schwartz






Kurt Russell speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International.

Kurt Russell, the actor famous for films like 'Escape From New York' and 'The Thing,' once had a close encounter with a UFO he didn't publicly discuss for decades.

Jake Rossen




A still from Dario Argento's Deep Red (1975).

Broadly speaking, you know what you’re getting at the end of a horror movie. But the cleverest scary movies upend our definition of "scary" altogether.

Paul Schrodt
Spirit Halloween stores are a sign Halloween has arrived.

The seasonal workers of the most popular Halloween shop in the country share stories of messy customers, employee perks, and URP (Unexplained Retail Phenomena).

Jake Rossen