Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

Over three nights in December 1980, during the Christmas weekend, dozens of military personnel at a British air base witnessed something in the woods that remains officially unexplained.

IN THIS EPISODE: Imagine celebrating the holidays around your Christmas tree – and it begins shaking for no reason! (The Swaying Christmas Tree) *** What dark secret made Charlie Lawson slaughter his family on Christmas Day? (The Murder of the Lawson Family) *** A Weirdo family member tells of an odd yet heartwarming experience at Christmas. (Visits For The Holidays) *** A woman still mourning her husband’s passing is visited on Christmas by beautiful balls of light. (The Christmas Orbs) *** The holidays; a time for warmth, joy… sorcery, superstition, and darkness and… at least it is in Russia. (Christmas in Siberia) *** Did dozens of military personnel at RAF Bentwaters encounter an alien spacecraft over Christmas 1980? (The Christmas Invasion) *** (Originally aired December 12, 2018)
SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
“The Christmas Invasion” posted at The Unredacted: https://tinyurl.com/y6jolswm
“Visits For The Holidays” by Weirdo family member, Ashley Ingraham
“The Swaying Christmas Tree” from YourHauntedLifeToo.com: https://tinyurl.com/yyscz2xr
“The Murder of the Lawson Family” by Orrin Grey for The Line Up: http://ow.ly/KeA130mXqwi
“Christmas Orbs” by Jenine Fitterer for YourHauntedLifeToo.com: https://tinyurl.com/yyfg8bt8
“Christmas in Siberia” by Dreyk for Your Ghost Stories: https://tinyurl.com/y4j3mp5a
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Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. Background music provided by Alibi Music Library, EpidemicSound and/or StoryBlocks with paid license. Music from Shadows Symphony (https://tinyurl.com/yyrv987t), Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ) Kevin MacLeod (https://tinyurl.com/y2v7fgbu), Tony Longworth (https://tinyurl.com/y2nhnbt7), and Nicolas Gasparini (https://tinyurl.com/lnqpfs8) is used with permission of the artists.
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(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)

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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46

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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024, Weird Darkness.

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https://weirddarkness.com/ufochristmas

#WeirdDarkness #RendleshamForest #UFO #BritainsRoswell #UFOSighting #MilitaryUFO #Unexplained #UFOEvidence #AlienEncounter #ChristmasUFO

In Austria, naughty children don't get coal — they get beaten by a goat-horned demon who might drown them in a river.

Ho ho ho, kids! If you like the stories Santa is telling, tell your friends and family about the Spooky Santa podcast so they can listen too! 

STORY AND MUSIC CREDITS/SOURCES…

”The Tradition” by Andrea Stanet: https://tinyurl.com/wkp7uu6
“Girls Night Out”: https://tinyurl.com/u4zjhwu
“Krampus”: https://tinyurl.com/whz5qc8
All music used with permission of the artists. Spooky Santa theme by Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ). All other music by Nicolas Gasparini (http://bit.ly/2LykK0g).
***Spooky Santa™ and Weird Darkness® are creations and trademarks of Marlar House Productions and Weird Darkness, LLC. Copyright © Weird Darkness, 2023
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
https://weirddarkness.com/KrampusChasedMe
#WeirdDarkness #Krampus #ChristmasHorror #DarkChristmas #Krampusnacht #ScaryChristmas #ChristmasDemon #AustrianFolklore #HolidayHorror #ChristmasLegends

Twenty-two days ago, a mysterious advent calendar arrived on Officer Matthew Klein's doorstep — no sender, no explanation, just twenty-four doors and a carved bearded face with hollow eyes. Since then, Marshport has become a graveyard. The entity behind it has a name now: Zurvan, an ancient demon whose mid-winter worship culminates on December 24th — the same demon that ten-year-old Matthew and his seven-year-old brother Steven accidentally summoned through a spirit board on Christmas Eve, 1995, the night their house burned to the ground. Zurvan has possessed Matthew's best friend, his own son, and a detective whose head he twisted completely around. On December 22nd, he proved the Bible verse about Legion true — the decomposing corpse of Wilbur Ward rose from the basement, levitated through the hallway, and snapped Pastor Hart's neck like kindling. Matthew's world went dark. The demon's final words echoed into oblivion: "Time's up." Two doors remain. Two days until Zurvan's celebration officially arrives.

Get the print version of the novel: https://weirddarkness.com/AdventOfEvil

#WeirdDarkness #ChristmasHorror #HolidayHorror #SupernaturalThriller #HauntedCalendar #DarkChristmas #HorrorStory #DemonicEvil #CreepyTales #YuletideTerror

When the Kubis family moved into their Milwaukee home in 1913, they didn't know the previous owner had made a deathbed promise to return—and she was a woman of her word.

Episode 10 of 12 in the #12NightmaresOfXmas series!

In this episode: “Mrs Pickman’s Ghost”, “Haunts of Hartland”, “The Things We Do For Love”, “The Christmas Rosebush”, “Please Help”, “Footprints In The Snow”, “The Chicken Ghost”

SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
All stories in this episode are from the book, “The Spirits of Christmas: The Dark Side of the Holidays” by Sylvia Shults: https://amzn.to/3uT2vMA
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. Background music provided by Alibi Music Library, EpidemicSound and/or StoryBlocks with paid license. Music from Shadows Symphony (https://tinyurl.com/yyrv987t), Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ) Kevin MacLeod (https://tinyurl.com/y2v7fgbu), Tony Longworth (https://tinyurl.com/y2nhnbt7), and Nicolas Gasparini (https://tinyurl.com/lnqpfs8) is used with permission of the artists.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
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https://weirddarkness.com/ShePromisedToReturn

#WeirdDarkness #HauntedHouse #GhostStory #Paranormal #TrueGhostStory #ScaryStory #HorrorStory #Wisconsin #Haunting #Supernatural

When six of history's most infamous serial killers mysteriously wake up at the North Pole on Christmas Eve, Santa offers them one final chance at redemption—but the Holiday Spirit doesn't work on everyone.

IN THIS EPISODE: It’s an original short holiday horror story from Jon Allen, called “Here Comes Santa’s Claws”. *** (Originally aired December 23, 2021)

SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
“Here Comes Santa’s Claws” by Jon Allen, https://twitter.com/writerjonallen
Visit our Sponsors & Friends: https://weirddarkness.com/sponsors
Join the Weird Darkness Syndicate: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate
Advertise in the Weird Darkness podcast or syndicated radio show: https://weirddarkness.com/advertise
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Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. Background music provided by Alibi Music Library, EpidemicSound and/or StoryBlocks with paid license. Music from Shadows Symphony (https://tinyurl.com/yyrv987t), Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ) Kevin MacLeod (https://tinyurl.com/y2v7fgbu), Tony Longworth (https://tinyurl.com/y2nhnbt7), and Nicolas Gasparini (https://tinyurl.com/lnqpfs8) is used with permission of the artists.
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OTHER PODCASTS I HOST…
Paranormality Magazine: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/paranormalitymag
Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/microterrors
Retro Radio – Old Time Radio In The Dark: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/retroradio
Church of the Undead: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/churchoftheundead
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(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)

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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46

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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2023, Weird Darkness.

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https://weirddarkness.com/SerialKillerChristmas

#WeirdDarkness #ChristmasHorror #SerialKillers #SantaClaus #HolidayHorror #TrueCrime #ScaryStory #HorrorStory #CreepyChristmas #NorthPole

On Christmas Eve, a teenager shoveling snow beside an abandoned house with a deadly history becomes convinced that Death himself is watching from its darkened windows—and waiting to collect.

Ho ho ho, kids! If you like the stories Santa is telling, tell your friends and family about the Spooky Santa podcast so they can listen too! 

STORY AND MUSIC CREDITS/SOURCES…
”The Carol Singers”: https://tinyurl.com/s978sjj
“The Sock Puppet”: https://tinyurl.com/wgrpaog
“The Tell-Tale Scarf” by Judith Graves: https://tinyurl.com/wkp7uu6
All music used with permission of the artists. Spooky Santa theme by Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ). All other music by Nicolas Gasparini (http://bit.ly/2LykK0g).

I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use. If I somehow overlooked doing that for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I’ll rectify it the show notes as quickly as possible.***Spooky Santa™ and Weird Darkness® are creations and trademarks of Marlar House Productions and Weird Darkness, LLC. Copyright © Weird Darkness, 2023

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
https://weirddarkness.com/ChristmasChores
#WeirdDarkness #ChristmasHorror #HauntedHouse #GhostStory #HorrorStory #Creepypasta #ScaryStory #HolidayHorror #Paranormal #TrueScary

The demon has a name — Zurvan. For thirty years it waited, dormant within the charred fragments of a spirit board, sealed inside an advent calendar built by hands it had already corrupted. Now Detective Davenport lies dead, his head twisted completely around as punishment for a door Matthew failed to open. Logan has been freed from the demon's grip, but Zurvan does not forgive, and it does not forget — Father Olsen warned that when a host is lost, it will seek another. Pastor Hart fled drenched in blood. Wilbur Ward's corpse was found in Mason's closet. Twenty-one doors have been opened, twenty-one horrors unleashed, and three days remain until Christmas Eve — the climax of Zurvan's ancient celebration, the anniversary of the night Matthew ran while his family burned. Logan is ten. Mason is seven. The parallel to Matthew and Steven is no coincidence. Matthew's allies are dead or scattered, both sons have been touched by an ancient evil, and the calendar continues its relentless countdown toward something even more terrible. Three doors remain. Will anyone be left alive to celebrate Christmas?
Get the print version of the novel: https://weirddarkness.com/AdventOfEvil
#WeirdDarkness #ChristmasHorror #HolidayHorror #SupernaturalThriller #HauntedCalendar #DarkChristmas #HorrorStory #DemonicEvil #CreepyTales #YuletideTerror

In November 1966, a winged creature with glowing red eyes began terrorizing the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia — and thirteen months later, just ten days before Christmas, the Silver Bridge collapsed during rush hour, killing 46 people returning home from holiday shopping. Was the Mothman a harbinger of doom... or something far more sinister? | WEEK OF DECEMBER 21, 2025 #WDRadio
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HOUR ONE: Most all of us think of Christmas as a time of love, warmth, joy, and charity… but for some, Christmas isn’t merry at all… it’s murderous. We’ll look at some horrific holiday murders and the killers behind them. And more! But first… we visit Point Pleasant, West Virginia during the Holidays of 1967… but we don’t see a sleigh and reindeer in the sky… we see a nightmare.
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HOUR TWO: Christmas is supposed to be the merry season with joy and light in the darkness. But many places arehaunted by ghosts and paranormal activity during this time. In fact, many of the ghost stories I’ll share tonight are haunted especially around Christmas.
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SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME: “Rejected Christmas Gift Ends In Murder” *** “The Lawson Christmas Massacre”
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SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM TONIGHT’S SHOW:
“Overshadowing Christmas With Tragedy” by Julie Henthorn: https://tinyurl.com/3e2a5dr6
“Have Yourself a Very Mothman Christmas”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mrxt43wx
“Bruce Pardo: Killer Santa”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8c78vd
“Kristy Bamu’s Cruel Christmas”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8k3mys
“The Tradition of Christmas Ghost Stories”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckzjuwk
“Christmas Hauntings”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8ja4rz
“The Mistletoe Bride”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/26ak3rxs
“Fatima’s Harp”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3pe7cne8
“A Royal Christmas Haunting”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3fyzhj6p
“The Highway Man”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8h68z3
“The Brown Lady”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yc7z852v
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Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. Background music provided by Alibi Music Library, EpidemicSound and/or StoryBlocks with paid license. Music from Shadows Symphony (https://tinyurl.com/yyrv987t), Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ) Kevin MacLeod (https://tinyurl.com/y2v7fgbu), Tony Longworth (https://tinyurl.com/y2nhnbt7), and Nicolas Gasparini (https://tinyurl.com/lnqpfs8) is used with permission of the artists.
==========(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for material I use whenever possible. If I have overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it immediately. Some links may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
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WeirdDarkness®, WeirdDarkness© 2025
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To become a Weird Darkness Radio Show affiliate, contact Radio America at [email protected], or call 800-807-4703 (press 2 or dial ext 250).

She asked for a doll, but the gift waiting under the tree had other plans for her — and her sisters.

Ho ho ho, kids! If you like the stories Santa is telling, tell your friends and family about the Spooky Santa podcast so they can listen too! 

STORY AND MUSIC CREDITS/SOURCES…

”The Clown Puppet”: https://tinyurl.com/rmzhwoa
“Devil In The Closet”:  https://tinyurl.com/rbcqqoo
“The Carol” by Jessica Bayliss: https://tinyurl.com/wkp7uu6
All music used with permission of the artists. Spooky Santa theme by Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ). All other music by Nicolas Gasparini (http://bit.ly/2LykK0g).

Long before Santa slid down chimneys, other figures roamed the winter nights — and they weren't bringing presents. They were bringing punishment.

IN THIS EPISODE: ‘Tis the season for not only reindeer, grinches and magical snowmen but also fearless children, negligent parents and dumb thieves. “Home Alone” may be the first Christmas movie that comes to mind upon hearing that description, but it turns out there’s a long and storied tradition of true stories of children left alone around the holidays matching wits against would-be robbers. (Home Alone) *** What would you think if you received a Christmas card in the mail that had a picture of a dead bird on the cover? Not very festive, is it? But that’s not what people believed in the past. For a while, a dead bird was synonymous with saying “Merry Christmas!” (Merry Christmas, Here’s a Dead Bird) *** A woman leaves her family to go Christmas shopping at the last minute… and disappears forever. (Mom Vanishes While Christmas Shopping) *** Christmas fun isn’t all about Santa, his reindeer, and a magical snowman come to life thanks to a hat. There are some downright terrifying yuletide monsters that might make you want to stay behind locked doors this year. (Creepy Christmas Characters)
SOURCES AND ESSENTIAL WEB LINKS…
“Merry Christmas, Here’s a Dead Bird” by Troy Taylor: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9b4f73
“Creepy Christmas Characters” by Molly Mahan for Ranker: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8mf9e9, and Karen Anne for German Girl In America: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckjs6r6
“Mom Vanishes While Christmas Shopping” by Chrissy Stockton for Thought Catalog: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckpe5n5
“True Stories of Kids Home Alone At Christmas” from Second Glance History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/25uum6xj, “Home Alone” theme by John Williams
Visit our Sponsors & Friends: https://weirddarkness.com/sponsors
Join the Weird Darkness Syndicate: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate
Advertise in the Weird Darkness podcast or syndicated radio show: https://weirddarkness.com/advertise
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Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. Background music provided by Alibi Music Library, EpidemicSound and/or StoryBlocks with paid license. Music from Shadows Symphony (https://tinyurl.com/yyrv987t), Midnight Syndicate (http://amzn.to/2BYCoXZ) Kevin MacLeod (https://tinyurl.com/y2v7fgbu), Tony Longworth (https://tinyurl.com/y2nhnbt7), and Nicolas Gasparini (https://tinyurl.com/lnqpfs8) is used with permission of the artists.
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(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)

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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46

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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024, Weird Darkness.

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Originally aired: December 22, 2021
EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/ChristmasCreatures
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all things strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
#WeirdDarkness, #Krampus, #ScaryChristmas, #ChristmasHorror, #FrauPerchta, #DarkChristmas, #HolidayHorror, #ChristmasDemons, #CreepyChristmas, #DarkFolklore