Story 7 of Season 1 of Tales from The Hollow

Michael thought he left the supernatural behind when the haunting at his family's farm ended. But when his cousin Samantha suggests helping Frank with spring maintenance at Ironwood Retreat in March 1985, the sixteen-year-old takes the job. What should be a simple weekend clearing trees becomes a nightmare when the dead rise and walk the compound at Ironwood Retreat. Trapped inside Unit 3 with nowhere to run, Michael must survive until dawn while the Hollow tests him with an army of the walking dead. Some nightmares won't stay buried.

1980s supernatural horror | Zombie thriller | Survival horror

Runtime: 2 hours

Content: Psychological horror, themes of supernatural destiny and facing fear, intense zombie combat

📚 DISCOVER THE WILLOW'S BEND NOVELS:

The horror at Ironwood Retreat is just one chapter of a much larger story. The darkness in Willow's Bend has been feeding for over a century. Learn how it all began:

The Haunting of Willow's Bend Farm (1977-1978) & What Dwells Beneath (1885)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN6T77TR

Both novels reveal the dark entity behind these hauntings and the families it consumed long before Ironwood Retreat existed.

🎧 MORE TALES FROM THE HOLLOW:

• YouTube: Stephen Crane Audiobooks - [https://www.youtube.com/@StephenPCraneAudiobooks] - Complete series + exclusive content
• Season 1 Collection: All 10 Tales coming 2026

📱 CONNECT:

• Subscribe for weekly episodes
• Leave a review to support the show
• Share your favorite story with horror fans

Until next week, stay out of The Hollow.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/stephen-crane-audiobooks/donations

Story 6 of Season 1 of Tales from The Hollow

Carla Simmons is a former ER nurse. She's been running from guilt for six months. When something pulls her to Ironwood Retreat in late February 1984, she discovers she can't leave. Three figures appear at her door across three nights—each one wearing a hospital gown, each one calling her by name. They know what happened during that code in August. They know why she froze. And The Flatline won't let her run anymore.

1980s supernatural horror | Gothic ghost story | Medical thriller

Runtime: 1 hr 39 min

Content: Psychological horror, themes of medical ethics and guilt, no graphic content

📚 DISCOVER THE WILLOW'S BEND NOVELS:

The horror at Ironwood Retreat is just one chapter of a much larger story. The darkness in Willow's Bend has been feeding for over a century. Learn how it all began:

The Haunting of Willow's Bend Farm (1977-1978) & What Dwells Beneath (1885)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FN6T77TR

Both novels reveal the dark entity behind these hauntings and the families it consumed long before Ironwood Retreat existed.

🎧 MORE TALES FROM THE HOLLOW:

• YouTube: Stephen Crane Audiobooks - [https://www.youtube.com/@StephenPCraneAudiobooks] - Complete series + exclusive content
• Season 1 Collection: All 10 Tales coming 2026

📱 CONNECT:

• Subscribe for weekly episodes
• Leave a review to support the show
• Share your favorite story with horror fans

Until next week, stay out of The Hollow.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/stephen-crane-audiobooks/donations

Story 5 of Season 1 of Tales from The Hollow

Ray Butler is a retired postal worker. He's been running from a conversation for four years. When his wife finally breaks on New Year's Eve 1983, Ray flees to Ironwood Retreat—only to discover he can't leave. The Toll Keeper blocks every bridge. It wears Ray's old uniform. It speaks with his son's voice. And it demands payment: the words Ray never said, the forgiveness he never gave, the love he was too proud to show.

1980s supernatural horror | Gothic ghost story | Atmospheric thriller

Runtime: 2 hr 3 min

Content: Psychological horror, themes of grief and estrangement, no graphic content

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/stephen-crane-audiobooks/donations

THE YULETIDE

A Christmas Horror Story from Tales from The Hollow

Two estranged sisters. One snowbound retreat. A Christmas that demands the truth.

Claire and Jenny haven't spoken in eight years—not since their mother's funeral revealed deep wounds neither could face. When they return to rural Ohio to scatter her ashes at a remote retreat, a blizzard traps them with the secrets they've buried for decades.

As Christmas decorations manifest unbidden and a figure wearing their dead mother's face appears in the snow, they discover The Yuletide: an ancient entity that feeds on family lies and the gap between holiday cheer and hidden resentment.

It knows what Claire suffered to protect her sister. It knows why Jenny stayed away. And it won't stop until they speak the truth to each other—or die pretending everything is fine.

Set in December 1983 at the isolated Ironwood Retreat, THE YULETIDE is a gothic Christmas horror story about childhood trauma, family secrets, and the cost of forgiveness.

Part of the Tales from The Hollow series - standalone gothic horror stories set in 1980s rural Ohio, connected by the mysteries of Grindstone Hollow and Ironwood Retreat.

Content warning: Themes of childhood abuse, family trauma, and supernatural horror. No graphic content.

Written and narrated by Stephen Crane.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/stephen-crane-audiobooks/donations

Story 3 of Season 1 of Tales from The Hollow

Keith Barnett is a taxi driver. Jennifer Morrison is a mother. Both carry guilt. Both arrive at Ironwood Retreat seeking escape. Both discover The Passenger waiting in every reflection.

1980s supernatural horror | Gothic ghost story | Atmospheric thriller

Runtime: 1 hr 56 min

Content: Psychological horror, no graphic content

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/stephen-crane-audiobooks/donations

A single mother takes a construction job at an isolated retreat to make ends meet. Three weeks of work, eight hundred dollars, enough to keep her family afloat. But when something in the stagnant pool begins using her estranged sister's voice, Diane Matthews must repair more than just a fence—she must face eight years of silence and the creature that feeds on broken families.

Set in September 1981 at Ironwood Retreat in rural Ohio, "Thicker Than Water" is the second tale in the Tales from The Hollow series. A story about guilt, reconciliation, and the darkness that calls blood to blood.

Content Advisory: Contains themes of family estrangement, guilt, drowning, and supernatural horror. Best for mature audiences.

About Tales from The Hollow: Original gothic horror fiction set in the Willow's Bend universe. Each standalone story explores the darkness that lives in rural Ohio's forgotten places, where the past refuses to stay buried and some debts can only be paid in truth.

Written and produced by Stephen Crane.

Visit youtube.com/@StephenPCraneAudiobooks for the complete audiobook series and weekly updates.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/stephen-crane-audiobooks/donations

Some debts can't be paid to the living.

Marcus Webb thought a weekend at Ironwood Retreat would help him escape his guilt. But when his dead wife's voice calls to him from outside his window, he realizes some secrets refuse to stay buried.

Episode 1 of Season 1 of Tales From The Hollow

Written by Stephen Crane

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/stephen-crane-audiobooks/donations