Summer Night(mares)
Release Date: July 8, 2025
Host: Adam Berry

Episode Summary:

Before you dive into our newest episode, a quick note from the team. This week’s show explores the eerie legends and ghost stories surrounding summer camps—a theme we recorded two weeks ago, before the devastating floods in Texas.

Our hearts are heavy, and we want to extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this recent tragedy. We stand with the victims, their families, and the entire community during this incredibly difficult time.

What happens when summer camp becomes a setting not for s’mores and swimming, but for something much darker? In this nostalgic and spine-tingling episode, Adam Berry dives into the eerie evolution of summer camp—from wholesome wilderness retreats to blood-soaked horror tropes. With personal stories, classic lore, and a real-life paranormal investigation into a haunted camp, this episode is your ghost story told under the stars.

ACT 1: What’s Lurking in the Woods

It all started with good intentions. Summer camp began as a wholesome tradition—teaching kids life skills, building independence, and sparking lifelong friendships. But by the 1980s, Hollywood had transformed these idyllic escapes into brutal battlegrounds where slashers roamed and no one was safe once the sun went down.

 In this act:

• The surprising history of real summer camps
• How the wholesome narrative flipped into Friday the 13th territory
• Why scary stories were used to keep campers in line—and why many camps are banning them today
• The hidden fears of parents who grew up watching cabin massacres on VHS

ACT 2: The Darkness Beyond the Trees

Adam shares his own summer camp experiences, including an overnight trip, a church camp scare, and his first taste of ghost stories around the fire. These personal tales blur the line between fun and fear—and remind us how easily the woods can turn ominous.

In this act:

• Surviving, kind of
• A counselor’s creepy midnight behavior no one could explain
• Why spooky stories hit differently when you’re far from home and deep in unfamiliar woods
• That moment when shadows outside your bunk window move just a little too much

ACT 3: Get it Right or Pay the Price

John E.L. Tenney joins the show to break down why we tell ghost stories at all—especially around the campfire. From ancient warnings to psychological bonding, you’ll learn how storytelling has long been a way to scare, protect, and connect. And yes, some of these tales might just ignite a lifelong interest in the paranormal.

In this act:

• The real roots of campfire ghost stories and what they’re really teaching us
• The top 5 archetypal summer camp legends
• How fear can create friendships—and even shape future ghost hunters
• Why every lantern in the woods might mean more than just a lost camper

ACT 4: A Night at Camp Fear

Adam revisits a chilling real-life investigation from Ghost Hunters, where he spent the night alone in a haunted cabin at a summer camp with a history of drownings and unexplained phenomena. What happened off-camera is even more unnerving than what made it to air…

In this act:

• Behind-the-scenes of the "Camp Fear" episode
• Eyewitness accounts of ghostly figures and ominous voices
• What it feels like to truly be alone, in the dark, in a place where people claim to see the dead
• Why silence can sometimes be scarier than screams

ACT 5: A Story for the Dark Road Ahead

To close the episode, Adam brings us full circle with a classic urban legend guaranteed to make you check your backseat. “The Hook” is retold in full spooky detail—the perfect campfire tale to carry with you into the night. Just remember to keep the doors locked.

In this act:

• Why fear, when managed, can actually help us grow
• A bone-chilling retelling of one of America’s most famous cautionary tales
• A final word on why we seek out fear… and why it sometimes finds us first

Listen if you dare…
For anyone who grew up loving summer camp movies, telling ghost stories under the stars, or fearing that every snapping twig in the woods was a sign—you’ll feel right at home in Camp Blood.

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Production Credits:

• Host/Producer/Writer: Adam Berry
• Co-Producer/Music: Chad Rossi Provincetown Recording Studio
• Writer and Co- Producer: Julie Tremaine
• Artwork: Laura Lineberry