Para(normal)

The Loretto Possession & The Killer Who Inspired Scream


Listen Later

In this Devil’s Night two-part episode of Para(normal), Nicolina and Marie travel back to the origins of one of Denver’s first recorded hauntings and unravel the true crime that would decades later inspire one of Hollywood’s most chilling slashers.

First: The Loretto Possession.

When the Sisters of Loretto founded St. Mary’s Academy, they came to teach—until a mysterious new boarder arrived. What followed terrified them and became known in church archives as “The Sighting of Spirits and the Devil”—the earliest ghost story ever written in Denver.

Then: The Real Killer Behind Scream.

In 1990, college student Danny Rolling murdered five students in Gainesville, Florida—crimes so brutal they paralyzed an entire town. His taunting phone calls, voyeuristic stalking, and theatrical crimes inspired screenwriter Kevin Williamson to write Scream—the movie that changed horror forever.

Two stories.

One century apart.

Both proof that sometimes…the monsters are real.

Sources & References
  • The Sighting of Spirits and the Devil, Sister Joanna Walsh (Loretto Archives, Denver)
  • Operation Sacred Rescue — MSU Denver RED (2022)
  • Loretto Heights and the Sisters Who Built ItDenverite (2017)
  • Gainesville Ripper Case Files, FBI & Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement
  • Inside the Mind of Danny Rolling, Court TV (1994)
  • The Making of Scream, Kevin Williamson Interview, Entertainment Weekly (1997)
  • Subscribe & Follow

    If you love stories where history and horror collide, subscribe to Para(normal) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave a review, and follow us on Instagram @paranormalpod for behind-the-scenes lore, upcoming episodes, and listener ghost stories.

    Support Para(normal)

    Brought to you By: The Sonar Network

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Para(normal)By The Sonar Network

    • 4.2
    • 4.2
    • 4.2
    • 4.2
    • 4.2

    4.2

    364 ratings


    More shows like Para(normal)

    View all
    Spooked! by The Sonar Network

    Spooked!

    64 Listeners

    HUNKS by The Sonar Network

    HUNKS

    4 Listeners

    And That's Why We Drink by Christine Schiefer, Em Schulz | Para Pods

    And That's Why We Drink

    23,612 Listeners

    Squirrel Talk! by The Sonar Network

    Squirrel Talk!

    9 Listeners

    American Hauntings Podcast by Cody Beck and Troy Taylor

    American Hauntings Podcast

    1,580 Listeners

    Two Girls One Ghost by Sony Music Entertainment

    Two Girls One Ghost

    9,717 Listeners

    Live from The Centre by The Sonar Network

    Live from The Centre

    14 Listeners

    On a Dark, Cold Night by The Sonar Network

    On a Dark, Cold Night

    166 Listeners

    Morbid by Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart

    Morbid

    99,357 Listeners

    Sinisterhood by Audioboom Studios

    Sinisterhood

    6,350 Listeners

    The Night Owl: True Ghost Stories by Night Owl Paranormal Investigations

    The Night Owl: True Ghost Stories

    2,868 Listeners

    Self Esteem Party by The Sonar Network

    Self Esteem Party

    110 Listeners

    The Backline by The Sonar Network

    The Backline

    43 Listeners

    A Paranormal Chicks by A Paranormal Chicks

    A Paranormal Chicks

    1,817 Listeners

    Nostalgique by The Sonar Network

    Nostalgique

    4 Listeners

    Lights Out by Mile Higher Media & Audioboom Studios

    Lights Out

    8,600 Listeners

    Happy Good with Chris Locke by The Sonar Network

    Happy Good with Chris Locke

    23 Listeners

    Park Predators by Audiochuck

    Park Predators

    17,723 Listeners

    Creeps and Crimes by Taylar Fetzner, Morgan Harris | Para Pods

    Creeps and Crimes

    1,500 Listeners

    You Made Me Queer Presents: Queerial by The Sonar Network

    You Made Me Queer Presents: Queerial

    9 Listeners

    National Park After Dark by Audioboom Studios

    National Park After Dark

    5,507 Listeners

    Evil Men by The Sonar Network

    Evil Men

    97 Listeners

    Killed to Death by The Sonar Network

    Killed to Death

    8 Listeners

    The Dubious Book of Famous Deeds by The Sonar Network

    The Dubious Book of Famous Deeds

    13 Listeners

    Spencer Wants To Know by The Sonar Network

    Spencer Wants To Know

    0 Listeners

    Odd Trails by Andy Tate & Brandon Lanier

    Odd Trails

    1,591 Listeners

    It’s Become a Whole Thing by The Sonar Network

    It’s Become a Whole Thing

    381 Listeners

    Semi-Qualified Queens with Juice Boxx and Synthia Kiss by The Sonar Network

    Semi-Qualified Queens with Juice Boxx and Synthia Kiss

    45 Listeners

    Murder, Mystery & Makeup by Audioboom Studios

    Murder, Mystery & Makeup

    8,978 Listeners

    Heart Starts Pounding: Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries by Heart Starts Pounding

    Heart Starts Pounding: Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries

    4,445 Listeners

    The World Needs Nerds by The Sonar Network

    The World Needs Nerds

    129 Listeners

    Summer Camp: The Case of the Phantom Pooper by The Sonar Network

    Summer Camp: The Case of the Phantom Pooper

    2 Listeners

    Steele My Story with Alexa Steele by The Sonar Network

    Steele My Story with Alexa Steele

    4 Listeners

    Dark History by Audioboom Studios

    Dark History

    26,110 Listeners