Gabrielle Mounts has always been into the dark, mysterious, inexplicable, or just plain scary. When she was in high school, she wanted to be an embalmer, but didn’t want to leave her home to go to mortuary school. She’s studied historical and religious perspectives of the afterlife since she was in middle school, and has a collection of paranormal equipment. All of this comes together to explain how she started The Eerie Touch, a podcast dealing with all things spooky.
“I used to say all the time, it was like I was drawn to things that would normally scare others,” Gabrielle says. “Honestly, I’ve always been into crime, mystery, mythology, and the paranormal. I started The Eerie Touch because of all that.”
“I had been wanting to start a podcast for about a year or so. I kept putting it off, thinking no one would listen, so what’s the point, because I’m just some small town country girl. But then I literally just woke up one day and thought, everyone starts somewhere.” She researched good microphones and bought them the same day, bought a domain and a host site, and got to work. “I haven’t looked back since,” she says.
Gabrielle listens to podcasts on the regular, especially true crime podcasts, and it got her thinking about the victims whose stories go untold. “I wanted to base a platform off of those small town crimes and murders,” Gabrielle says. “I wanted people to hear those names, to hear their stories, and not forget about the ones who seem to have fallen between the cracks.”
The Eerie Touch explores all things related to murder, mystery, and the supernatural. “From crime to folklore and missing persons to hauntings,” Gabrielle says. She goes through news articles, court documents and transcripts, and sometimes, even interviews the families of victims. On the Eerie Touch, she presents the facts, and offers discussions.
Gabrielle’s husband, Allen Mounts, is a Chief Field Deputy with the Mingo County Sheriff’s Department and also shares her interest. He’s happy to join in and explain to listeners how the legal system works. “A lot of people have misconceptions about a lot of things,” she says. “I think it helps the public with a better understanding of how the system works in reality.”
Gabrielle’s favorite episode so far is “The Devil Lives in West Virginia”, because it made her think twice about how she interacts with the world. “It makes you realize that no matter how tough you think you are, you’re not invincible,” she says. She hopes that it encourages people who listen to think a little harder about the decisions they make. “I want kids, teenagers, and adults to be more safe, and think through their decisions. I want us as a community to always look out for one another, and have each others’ best interests at heart.”
You can listen to the Eerie Touch pretty much anywhere you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Google, Apple, and YouTube. To learn more about the Eerie Touch, check out their Facebook page.
All photos from The Eerie Touch Podcast Facebook page.