Paranormia

Between 1968 and 1969, a mysterious killer haunted Northern California, murdering at least five people and sending cryptic letters and ciphers to local newspapers. Calling himself the 'Zodiac,' he taunted police and the public, but his true identity has never been revealed. This episode explores the crimes, the chilling letters, and the lasting mystery of the Zodiac Killer.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March 1997, a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California became the site of one of the most unsettling mass deaths in modern history. 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate group were found arranged in identical clothing, their deaths carefully planned and documented. Led by Marshall Applewhite, the group had spent decades developing a belief system that blended religion, science fiction, and extraterrestrial salvation, teaching that Earth was temporary and that a spacecraft from the “Next Level” would come to take them home. As comet Hale-Bopp comet appeared in the 1990s, their beliefs crystallised into a final act they described not as suicide, but as “graduation.” This episode explores how the group formed and how belief created one of the most haunting cult cases in American history.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the late 1970s, Sacramento was shaken by a series of brutal killings carried out by Richard Trenton Chase, a man later labelled the “Vampire Killer.” Convinced that his blood was being poisoned and that he needed to survive by taking blood from others, his behaviour escalated from harming animals to attacking people. In just one month, six lives were taken. This episode explores who Richard Chase was, how his beliefs developed, and how a suburban city became the backdrop for one of the most disturbing true crime cases in American history.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Cottingley Fairies might not seem like the kind of story you’d expect on Paranormia. In 1917, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright produced photographs that appeared to show tiny winged figures, ‘fairies’, dancing beside Cottingley Beck. What could have stayed a family joke quickly spread far beyond the Yorkshire village. The images reached Theosophists who believed they were proof of hidden worlds, and eventually Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who published them in The Strand magazine and argued they might change how people think about reality. This episode explores how a childhood hoax became an international story, and why so many people, in a world still recovering from war and loss, wanted to believe it.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early 2000s, a small group of teens and young adults found each other online through Final Fantasy VII fandom, where they felt understood. But survivor accounts describe a household in State College, Pennsylvania, where a leader turned fantasy and roleplay into a system of control. This episode traces how a fandom became a closed world, and why its aftermath became an internet legend. Some names are pseudonyms from reporting in Vice, while others are composite characters based on survivor accounts.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In May 1828, a teenage boy named Kaspar Hauser appeared in Nuremberg with letters claiming he’d been raised in total isolation, sparking fascination and doubt. As officials, doctors, and crowds tried to understand him, rumours grew…was he a victim, a fraud, or something more? Reports of attacks and injuries deepened the mystery, dividing opinion. In 1833, he died from a stab wound. Was he murdered, or did he write his own ending? 

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In January 1804, a man was shot dead on a dark lane in West London after residents of Hammersmith became convinced a ghost was haunting their streets. When Francis Smith fired at what he thought was the figure, he killed Thomas Millwood, a bricklayer walking home in his white work clothes. This episode retraces how fear spread through the community, leading to that moment, and follows the case into court, where it raised a bigger question… can belief ever excuse taking a life?

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 1978, more than 900 people died in Jonestown, Guyana, an event often reduced to a warning about blind obedience. This episode looks at what led up to it, from the early days of the Peoples Temple offering support and community, to the slow loss of choice and control that made leaving feel impossible. It also explores daily life in Jonestown and the final days, showing how a place meant to protect people became one that trapped them.

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of mass death, psychological coercion, and harm involving children. Listener discretion is advised.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years, children on Staten Island were warned about Cropsey, a boogeyman said to haunt the abandoned Willowbrook buildings. It began as a way to keep kids away, but in the 1970s and 80s, children started going missing. This episode looks at the real cases behind the legend, and how fear and tragedy became blurred into myth.

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In January 2013, a 21 year old Canadian student named Elisa Lam checked into The Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. She was travelling alone, documenting her journey online, and calling her parents every day. Then the calls stopped. Weeks later, her body was discovered in a rooftop water tank above the hotel. Police released surveillance footage of Elisa behaving erratically in a hotel elevator. The video went viral, transforming a missing person investigation into a global obsession. This episode explores how a tragic death turned into a myth and what it reveals about mental illness, internet culture, and how easily a real person can be lost inside a legend.

Support note:

This episode discusses mental illness, suicide, and distressing themes. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available.

UK & ROI: Samaritans - call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

US: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988

Canada: Talk Suicide - call 1-833-456-4566

Australia: Lifeline - 13 11 14

Or visit findahelpline.com for local support worldwide

***

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at [email protected].

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.