Grimly

In this episode, we dive into the darker roots of Christmas folklore from around the world. Where winter isn’t just cozy, it’s crawling with creatures, warnings, and ancient traditions meant to keep people in line through the longest nights of the year. From Iceland’s terrifying Gryla and the towering Yule Cat to Wales’ eerie Mari Lwyd and the restless household spirits like the Tomte, we explore the legends that shaped midwinter celebrations long before modern Christmas.

Before Christmas was all lights and cheer, Victorians gathered by firelight to tell ghost stories. This episode dives into the legend of the Mistletoe Bride and the haunting of the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, two of the most famous Victorian Christmas tales still whispered about today.

On Christmas Day 1929, the quiet tobacco fields of Germanton, North Carolina, became the backdrop for one of the most haunting family tragedies in American history. What began as a day of celebration ended in unthinkable violence when Charlie Lawson murdered his wife and six of his children before taking his own life. Nearly a century later, the question of why still lingers like a cold winter fog over Stokes County. In this episode, we unravel the events leading up to that horrific morning, explore the rumors and theories that have surrounded the case for decades, and trace the echoes of a family portrait taken just days before the killings. This is the story of the Lawson Family Murders, a Christmas tragedy that refuses to be forgotten.

A missing nurse. A desperate search to find her. And a woman who claimed she could see what no one else could. In 1980, the disappearance of Melanie Uribe spiraled into one of the most baffling true-crime stories in Los Angeles history when aerospace worker Etta Louise Smith came forward with a startling vision, one that led police directly to Melanie’s body. But instead of gratitude, Etta found herself arrested and accused of murder. This episode dives into the mystery, the intuition, and the injustice behind the case that still leaves more questions than answers.

Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

In January 2002, 20-year-old Christopher Carlton Thompkins vanished in broad daylight while working a surveying job in rural Harris County, Georgia. One moment he was walking along a fence line with his crew, seconds later, he was gone. His tools were left behind, a boot was hanging from a barbed wire fence, and twelve cents lay scattered on the ground. Two decades later, there are still no answers. What happened to Christopher Thompkins?

Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious

On Easter Sunday 2024, while Los Angeles celebrated the holiday, a team of thieves quietly pulled off one of the largest cash robberies in U.S. history. They cut through the roof of a high-security storage facility, bypassed alarms, and disappeared with more than $30 million dollars, without leaving a trace.

In this episode, we break down how the heist happened, who might have been behind it, and why, months later, investigators still have no solid suspects and no money recovered.

Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

The summit of Everest is called the top of the world, but in May 1996, it became a place of chaos and loss. As hurricane-force winds ripped across the mountain, climbers were stranded, oxygen was running out, and rescue was nearly impossible. This is the story of how ambition, heroism, and the unforgiving power of nature collided on the roof of the world. Listen as we dive into the 1996 Everest Disaster.

Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

On 284 Green Street in a quiet neighborhood just North of London, a strange phenomena happened in 1977. It started with knocking and furniture moving, then small childhood items like marbles and legos flew through the air on their own. The press caught wind of the strange happenings, and soon the story spread across Britain. That’s when paranormal investigators Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair arrived and over the next two years, they would capture some of the most famous evidence of a poltergeist ever recorded.

Listen as we break down the infamous Enfield Poltergeist.

Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious

Wayne Nance had been hiding in plain sight for over a decade. Behind this average man was a trail of brutal, unsolved murders stretching across western Montana.

Until a September night, Nance broke into the home of Doug and Kris Wells binding, stabbing, and terrorizing them in what he believed would be his next kill. But this time, his victims fought back. And their survival would finally expose one of Montana’s most chilling serial killers.

Be sure to rate and review and as always, stay grimly curious.

This week, we look beyond the campfire and into stories that have lived for thousands of years. We’re honoring Indigenous People’s Day by sharing four spirits that still walk between worlds The Wendigo, Deer Woman, The Stick Indians, and Coyote the Trickster. They’re not just myths. They’re lessons about greed, balance, and the price of forgetting who we are.