Geo Rutherford Talks Spooky Lake Month
Content Warning: Topics in this interview include death, dead bodies, and a number of topics related to thalassophobia (fear of the ocean and other underwater areas).
Umm yes hello! It’s Spooky Lake Month, where GateCrasher Patrick Dickerson (he/him) interviews artist, educator, and the creator of the viral October internet sensation Geo Rutherford (she/her). As we are fans of horror in all of its forms here at GateCrashers, it was only natural that we talk about all things haunted hydrology with Geo, who posts her educational video series for 31 days each October on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
This video series, though called Spooky Lake Month, covers all the weirder, wilder, and downright horrifying facts about all of the underwater places on our planet. From lakes to rivers, oceans to glaciers, and even manmade watery places like nuclear spent fuel pools and killer fountains, Geo covers it all. Started in 2020, Geo has discussed (and rated 1 to 10 out of 10 spookies) almost 200 topics and counting about creepy wet places around our world. This series has also spawned two books: Spooky Lakes (2024) and Spooky Rivers (2026), which both also feature beautiful original illustrations created in gouache paint by Geo herself. Patrick and Geo talk about classic Spooky Lakes topics, like the Great Lakes, soap mummies, and manmade horrors, while also saturation diving into Geo’s artistic inspiration.
The Spooky Lake Month series can be found on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook at Geo Rutherford’s account, @geodesaurus, and this year’s series will run through October 31. Geo’s books, Spooky Lakes and Spooky Rivers, as well as an accompanying coloring book, are published by Abrams and available wherever you buy your books, including many independent bookstores and the Abrams website. Spooky Lake Month merchandise, including prints of Geo’s gouache paintings, can be purchased at spookylakes.com.
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