Mental Floss

POP CULTURE

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
Debbie Reynolds, Kimberly J. Brown, Emily Roeske, and Joey Zimmerman in Halloweentown (1998).

For Disney Channel Original Movie fans, spooky season can only mean one thing: It’s time to watch 'Halloweentown.'

Kerry Wolfe














A photo of Radiohead members Phil Selway, Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, and Ed O'Brien in 1995.

When Radiohead released 'Kid A' on October 2, 2000, few people were prepared for the album—or the lasting effect it would have on the music industry.

Mimi Kenny


The cast of Cop Rock—in a rare moment of not singing about law and order.

There’s a time and a place for a jaunty Hall & Oates pastiche, but—as the creators of 'Cop Rock' discovered the hard way—it’s probably not in the middle of a self-described “baby merchant” getting caught in a child abduction sting.

Jon O'Brien
Patch Products

Iron filings don’t seem like obvious playthings. They’re extremely unpleasant if swallowed, can cause great harm to the eyes, and are best not inhaled. Yet they are at the core of one of the world’s best-loved toys: Wooly Willy.

Mike Rampton