Frozen Head
Hosted by Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart from the hit show Morbid.
When 90-year-old Laurence Pilgeram drops dead on the sidewalk outside his condo, you might think that’s the end of his story. But, really, it’s just the beginning. Because Laurence and others like him have signed up to be frozen and brought back to life in the future. And that belief will pull multiple generations of the Pilgeram family into a cryonics soap opera filled with dead pets, gold coins, grenades, fist fights, mysterious packages, family feuds, Hall of Fame baseball legends, and frozen heads — lots of frozen heads. From Wondery, comes a story about life, death, and what comes next.
You can binge all episodes of Frozen Head exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Find Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.
Our Editor's Take
The Frozen Head podcast shares the science, feasibility, and family drama of freezing dead bodies. Hosts Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelly narrate stories of people who pursue cryonics. The hosts are an aunt and niece who say they're like sisters. They have a shared interest in death and crime. They're also the cohosts of the podcasts Morbid and Crime Countdown. But this podcast focuses on the post-death experience. The people in these stories believe they can resume living after they're frozen. Ted Williams, the legendary Boston Red Sox hitter, was one of the people frozen with this procedure.
Alaina is a popular podcaster and an autopsy technician. She leads the Frozen Head podcast dialogue with input from Ash and the guests they interview. The two have the casual enthusiasm of friends talking over coffee. That makes it easier to hear grisly details about slicing off heads and stapling necks shut. Cryonicists do this to give preserved brains a new body.
The cryopreservation in the Frozen Head podcast occurs at Alcor Life Extension Foundation. Listeners learn about the man who was first in charge and why he pursued cryonics. He goes by Mike Darwin, the nickname that bullies gave him for an unusual childhood habit.
As expected, there are some negatives to freezing heads. Alcor handles lawsuits, homicide investigations, search warrants, and bomb squads. Deputies climb Alcor's gates to find frozen heads for autopsy. Subscribers find out whether law enforcement succeeds. They also hear about a letter that refers to "mother melters," who were no better than slave owners.
After a typical death, family members might argue over the decedent's estate. But the families in the Frozen Head podcast fight over bodies. Freezing a body costs $100,000 or more. Cryonicists chill bodies to negative 320 degrees Fahrenheit. They often remove heads and hands and drill holes in the head. They drain blood using a substance like antifreeze.
Of course, there's cause for controversy. But Alcor Life Extension Foundation hopes this process saves lives. The Frozen Head episodes may last about 30 minutes, but they linger in the mind far longer.
Episodes