That Would Be Rad

Thanks to Listener Matt Armstrong for sending in this absolute banger of a submission!
In this epic episode of That Would Be Rad, Woody takes you on one of the wildest journeys in early American history - the true survival odyssey of Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. Shipwrecks, slavery, starvation, cannibalism, miraculous healings… and then the story gets really weird.
Around 1534, the Native tribes of south-central Texas told the four ragged survivors about Mala Cosa - “The Bad Thing.” A small, bearded figure with unnatural power who performed grotesque surgery on living people, ripped out their entrails, healed the wounds instantly, lifted entire lodges into the air, shapeshifted genders, and claimed to live “down below.”
Is it the Devil? A cryptid? A rogue shaman? Or something even older?
We dive deep into the historical record from Cabeza de Vaca’s own book La Relación, explore similar creatures across Texas, the Southwest, Mexico, and around the world, and leave you wondering what the hell was really walking those plains 500 years ago.
🔥 What We Uncover in This Episode:
The doomed Narváez expedition... from 600 men to just 4 survivors
Eight years of naked survival, slavery, and becoming “Children of the Sun”
The full terrifying account of Mala Cosa straight from the source
Texas wild man legends, Skinwalkers, La Lechuza, Chupacabra, and more
Global parallels: Pishtaco, Manananggal, Tokoloshe, and beyond
Historical debates - demon, cryptid, shaman, or something else?
🎧 Why You NEED to Listen:If you love deep historical mysteries that turn into straight-up nightmare fuel, this is your episode. Buckle up... this one will stick with you.
RAD WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR SHOW:
JOIN OUR PATREON: Exclusive episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes weirdness — patreon.com/thatwouldberad
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CHECK OUT OUR MERCH: Grab official That Would Be Rad gear — thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com
SHOW INFO:
🎧 Written & Produced by: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence🎧 Recorded at: Midnight Radio Studios🎧 Sound Design, Editing, & Music by: Woody Brown🎧 Mixing & Mastering by: Tyler Bence🎧 Art Design by: Tyler Bence🎧 Outro Song: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society
CONNECT WITH US:
💬 Have a wild history-meets-weird story? Send us a voice message at www.thatwouldberadpodcast.com📸 Follow us on Instagram: @thatwouldberad
#ThatWouldBeRad #MalaCosa #CabezaDeVaca #TexasCryptids #ParanormalPodcast #BeRad #StayRad
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Forty years ago this month, a scrappy little creature feature crawled out of New Line Cinema and straight into cult status.
This week, we’re throwing it a proper 40th birthday party and no full plot recap, just the good stuff: the wild trivia you’ve forgotten (or never knew), the behind-the-scenes practical effects magic, how it held its own in one of the craziest movie years ever, and the gloriously unhinged ride the franchise took afterward.
From the Chiodo Brothers building fuzzy alien puppets on a shoestring budget… to Corey Burton inventing the Krites’ language on the spot… to Leonardo DiCaprio’s very first movie role getting terrorized by the little furballs… we’re digging into all the rad details that make Critters still feel alive in 2026.
We also talk about why these practical-effect monsters hit different in the CGI era, that perfect pre-internet small-town 80s vibe, and how a tiny $2–3 million underdog carved out its own weird little corner in a summer packed with blockbusters.
Whether you grew up renting this on VHS or you’re discovering the Krites for the first time — this one’s pure nostalgic chaos with a side of “wait till you hear this.”
If you’ve ever loved a goofy, scrappy 80s creature feature and wondered why it still holds up…This one’s for you.
Stay curious.Stay weird.Be Forever Rad.
CONNECT WITH US📲 Instagram: @thatwouldberadTag us or DM your favorite 80s creature features, practical effects love, or retro movie rabbit holes.
🎙 Share a Story / Send a Voice Message: thatwouldberadpodcast.com✉️ Email: [email protected]
SHOW INFOHosts & Producers: Woody Brown & Tyler BenceRecorded At: Midnight Radio StudiosSound Wizardry:• Woody Brown — Sound Design, Editing, & Music (Solo Episode)• Tyler Bence — Mixing, Mastering, & Art Design (currently on computer resurrection duty)
Outro Jam: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society
RAD WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SHOW
🎧 Join Our Patreon: Exclusive episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes weirdness — patreon.com/thatwouldberad
☕️ Buy Us a Coffee: Fuel our late-night deep dives — buymeacoffee.com/thatwouldberad
🛍 Check Out Our Merch: Grab official RAD gear — thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com

What if someone went missing… and actually came back?
This week, we head into the mountains of Wyoming to look at a case that starts off simple - just a guy taking a day off to go elk hunting -and turns into something that doesn’t fit neatly into any explanation.
Because at some point during that hunt… something happens. Something that affects the environment around him. Something he can’t explain.
And something that, by all accounts, shouldn’t be possible.
What follows is one of the strangest encounters we’ve ever covered - filled with moments that feel grounded and real… right up until they don’t.
And then it just keeps going.
The deeper you get into this story, the harder it is to pin down what actually happened, and maybe more importantly… what almost happened.
Because this isn’t just a story about an encounter. It’s a story about what comes after.
What it’s like to come back from something you can’t explain.
What it does to your memory. Your sense of reality. Your understanding of what’s possible.
And whether or not you ever really leave it behind.
We also zoom out and look at how this case fits into a much bigger picture.
Other strange incidents in remote wilderness areas.
Stories that share similar details, even when they’re separated by decades.
And the uncomfortable possibility that this might not be as isolated as it seems.
This episode is about:
A hunting trip that takes a turn into something unexplainable.A moment where the normal rules… stop applying.An encounter that feels just close enough to reality to be unsettling.And the question of what it really means to come back from something like this.
Because sometimes the strangest part of a story… isn’t what happens.
It’s what almost happened.
If you’ve ever heard a case and thought, “there’s more to this than we’re being told…”
This one’s for you.
Stay curious.Stay weird.Be Forever Rad.

CONNECT WITH US
📲 Instagram: @thatwouldberadTag us or DM your favorite alien encounters, sci-fi theories, or movie rabbit holes.
🎙 Share a Story / Send a Voice Message:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
✉️ Email:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠
SHOW INFO
Hosts & Producers: Woody Brown & Tyler BenceRecorded At: Midnight Radio Studios
Sound Wizardry:• Woody Brown — Sound Design, Editing, & Music• Tyler Bence — Mixing, Mastering, & Art Design
Outro Jam: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society
RAD WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SHOW
🎧 Join Our Patreon: Exclusive episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes weirdness —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
☕️ Buy Us a Coffee: Fuel our late-night deep dives —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🛍 Check Out Our Merch: Grab official RAD gear —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com⁠⁠

What if some of the strangest moments in alien movies weren’t plot holes at all?
This week, we dive into the weird world of alien movie fan theories - the kind of ideas that start off sounding ridiculous… and then slowly start to make a little too much sense.
Because if you’ve watched enough sci-fi over the years, you’ve probably had that moment where something in a movie makes you pause. A strange detail. A character decision that feels a little off. A plot twist that raises more questions than it answers.
And of course, the internet has spent years trying to explain those moments.
Some of those theories are hilarious. Some are completely unhinged.
But every once in a while you hear one that makes you rethink the entire movie.
Why do alien ships always seem to have impenetrable shields in invasion movies like Independence Day? Are the terrifying creatures in A Quiet Place actually the invasion… or just the first wave?
Could E.T. really be a lost alien child… or is he something very different?
And what if the real explanation behind the aliens’ weakness in Signs isn’t what the movie tells us at all?
We also venture into much darker territory with a theory that suggests humanity itself might have a terrifying origin in Prometheus.
And finally, we take a closer look at the shadowy organization in Men in Black… and ask a question that completely flips the movie on its head.
What if the real villains weren’t the aliens?
This episode is about:
Alien forcefields and the hidden logic of interstellar travel.
The terrifying possibility that some alien invasions might only be the beginning.
The strange behavior of one of the most beloved aliens in movie history.
Theories that turn famous sci-fi endings upside down.
And the idea that sometimes the scariest part of an alien story… might actually be us.
Because once you start looking at these movies through a different lens, it’s hard not to wonder if the strangest theories might actually make the most sense.
If you’ve ever watched a sci-fi movie and thought… “wait a second…”
This one’s for you.
Stay curious.
Stay weird.
Be Forever Rad.

CONNECT WITH US
📲 Instagram: @thatwouldberad
Tag us or DM your favorite alien encounters, sci-fi theories, or movie rabbit holes.
🎙 Share a Story / Send a Voice Message:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
✉️ Email:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
SHOW INFO
Hosts & Producers: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence
Recorded At: Midnight Radio Studios
Sound Wizardry:
• Woody Brown — Sound Design, Editing, & Music
• Tyler Bence — Mixing, Mastering, & Art Design
Outro Jam: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society
RAD WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SHOW
🎧 Join Our Patreon: Exclusive episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes weirdness —
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
☕️ Buy Us a Coffee: Fuel our late-night deep dives —
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🛍 Check Out Our Merch: Grab official RAD gear —
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com⁠⁠

What if one of the strangest mountains in Europe wasn’t just a mountain?
This week, we head to the border of Germany and Austria to explore the mystery of Untersberg - a massive limestone mountain looming over the city of Salzburg that has been surrounded by strange stories for centuries.
At first glance, Untersberg looks like any other peak in the Alps. But beneath the cliffs and forests lies a vast underground labyrinth. More than 400 caves have been discovered inside the mountain, some plunging over a kilometer into the earth, and even today large portions of the cave system remain unexplored.
And that’s where the stories begin.
Local folklore claims a powerful emperor sleeps somewhere inside the mountain - waiting for the day he will awaken and lead one final battle. Other legends speak of mysterious beings that live in the tunnels beneath the rock, guarding hidden chambers and ancient secrets.
Then the twentieth century added an entirely new layer to the mystery.
Just miles away from Untersberg, "A Famously Evil Austrian Painter" built his infamous mountain retreat, the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest), surrounded by a network of wartime bunkers and tunnels carved into the mountainside.
But the strange stories didn’t end with World War II.
Hikers have long reported strange experiences on the mountain... losing track of time, encountering unexplained phenomena in the caves, and sometimes disappearing entirely.
And in the early 2000s, an engineer published a book claiming he had encountered something impossible beneath the mountain: a hidden world deep inside the rock.
So what exactly is Untersberg?
A beautiful but dangerous alpine landscape filled with caves and folklore?
Or something stranger?
This episode is about:
A mountain filled with tunnels that stretch deep beneath the Alps. Legends of sleeping emperors and the beings said to guard them. The dark history of wartime bunkers carved into the mountainside. And the stories that continue to make people wonder what might still be hidden inside.
Because for centuries, locals have had another name for this place.
They call it “the mountain that eats men.”
If you’ve ever looked at a place on a map and wondered what secrets might be hiding beneath it… this one’s for you.
Stay curious.
Stay weird.
Be Forever Rad.

CONNECT WITH US
📲 Instagram: @thatwouldberad
Tag us or DM your favorite Yeti sightings, cryptid theories, or Cold War conspiracies.
🎙 Share a Story / Send a Voice Message:⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠
✉️ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

SHOW INFO
Hosts & Producers: Woody Brown & Tyler BenceRecorded At: Midnight Radio Studios
Sound Wizardry:
• Woody Brown — Sound Design, Editing, & Music• Tyler Bence — Mixing, Mastering, & Art Design
Outro Jam: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society

RAD WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SHOW
🎧 Join Our Patreon: Exclusive episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes weirdness —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
☕️ Buy Us a Coffee: Fuel our late-night deep dives —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🛍 Check Out Our Merch: Grab official RAD gear —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com⁠