Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

“Hands of Death”: A wheelchair-bound collector of murder relics decides the only things missing from his macabre collection are a murderer and a victim — so he engineers his own killer brother's downfall to acquire both. But the dead don't always stay in their boxes, and a pair of severed hands may yet keep a promise of vengeance.

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTR

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Witching Well” (December 23, 1977) ***WD
00:47:28.447 = Adventures of Ellery Queen, “Armchair Detective” (march 27, 1946) ***WD (LQ)
01:17:54.860 = Quiet Please, “Valentine” (February 13, 1949) ***WD
01:48:08.576 = Radio City Playhouse, “Duet” (October 16, 1949) ***WD
02:17:13.009 = The Croupier, “The Roman” (September 21, 1949) ***WD
02:47:28.792 = Sam Spade, “Same And Guiana Sovereign Caper” (July 12, 1946) ***WD
03:16:41.034 = The Sealed Book, “Hands of Death” (March 18, 1945) ***WD
03:47:40.901 = The Shadow, “Death Rides a Broomstick” (March 02, 1941)
04:16:17.053 = Sleep No More, “Jilting of Granny Weatherall” (January 30, 1957) ***WD
04:45:27.614 = BBC Spinechillers, “Origami” (February 28, 1984) ***WD
05:29:33.275 = Show Close

(ADU) = Air Date Unknown
(LQ) = Low Quality
***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing.
CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0680

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

Researchers in Italy spent three months baking sourdough from yeast they pulled out of the meltwater inside a 5,300-year-old murder victim.

SOURCES, LINKS, AND PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/otzibread

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://pod.link/1078714736

*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

“Brothers of the Angle”: A grieving widow believes a stranger can carry messages from her dead husband — messages only the couple could have known. But in a story about baiting hooks and landing fortunes, the real question is who's fishing, and who's the catch.

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTR

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Brothers of the Angle” (December 19, 1977) ***WD
00:46:41.705 = Mystery House, “Laugh? I Thought I’d Die!” (April 14, 1946)
01:11:23.715 = Night Beat, “Bell Perrin Amnesia Case” (July 06, 1951) ***WD
01:41:38.347 = CBC Nightfall, “Hypnotized” (April 22, 1983)
02:11:33.366 = Nightmare, “The Leech” (April 07, 1954)
02:34:12.420 = “The Leech” by Static Wax (SONG: https://weirddarkness.com/music)
02:36:59.340 = Obsession, “Surrender Is Farewell” (January 29, 1951)
03:00:13.100 = Origin of Superstition, “No News Is Good News” (1935) ***WD
03:15:10.285 = Pat Novak For Hire, “Jack of Clubs Better Encode” (February 20, 1949) ***WD
03:44:34.186 = Peril, “Cup of Tea” (ADU) ***WD
04:11:15.983 = Mystery Playhouse, “Challenge to Listener” (July 04, 1947) ***WD
04:36:15.645 = Price of Fear, “Guy Fawkes Night” (November 17, 1973)
05:04:00.821 = Show Close


(ADU) = Air Date Unknown
(LQ) = Low Quality
***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing.
CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0679

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb should never have been friends, they were too different from on another. But they did have one thing in common – they both agreed to create the perfect murder – and a mundane pair of eyeglasses would be their undoing. 

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/BobbyFranks

READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode:
https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ywzfbb6b

LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS:
Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps
*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

SOURCES and RESOURCES:
”The Perfect Murder of Bobby Franks” by Troy Taylor – from the book “Suffer the Children: American Horrors, Homicides and Hauntings”: https://amzn.to/3lo6CvP (Available on Kindle, paperback, and as an audiobook narrated by Darren Marlar)
(Over time links 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.)

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
Originally aired: November, 2021

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

Scientists ground a tooth from a 2,000-year-old elongated skull into powder to settle whether the Paracas Coneheads were human, and the genetic machines still came up short.

SOURCES, LINKS, AND PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/paracas-skulls

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://pod.link/1078714736

*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

One engineer built an AI laser to roast every mosquito in his house, Google wants federal permission to release 32 million more, and the agency built to stop pests can't clear bed bugs out of its own offices.

SOURCES, LINKS, AND PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/BugWars

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://pod.link/1078714736

*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

Two women camping along a public trail on the Fourth of July woke near midnight to a man cutting through their tent, and for nearly two years no one knew who he was.

The FBI believes there may be more victims. Investigators have asked anyone who thinks they were harmed by McLenithan, or who knows anything about other possible crimes involving him, to contact the bureau at (503) 224-4181 or to submit a tip at http://tips.fbi.gov. 

SOURCES, LINKS, AND PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/TillamookTent

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://pod.link/1078714736

*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

A double boom rattled homes across New England on a Saturday afternoon, and the cause turned out to be a five-foot meteor breaking apart miles above the coast before its remains splashed into Cape Cod Bay.

SOURCES, LINKS, AND PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/CapeCodMeteor

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://pod.link/1078714736
*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

A young Long Island couple discovers that the knife-wielding ghost stalking their cellar and terrorizing their four-year-old son may not be the threat they assumed.

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTR

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Ghost With a Knife” (December 16, 1977) ***WD
00:47:13.694 = Beyond Midnight, “The Party” (1968-1970) ***WD
01:18:25.389 = MindWebs, “The Night He Cried” (1975-1984)
01:39:31.543 = Voice In The Night, “Necklace” (June 14, 1948)
02:09:24.196 = Mystery In The Air, “Lodger” (August 14, 1947)
02:40:19.177 = Molle Mystery Theater, “Night Must Fall” (April 12, 1946)
03:09:20.782 = Mr. Keen, “The Girl Who Flirted” (February 03, 1944)
03:39:48.543 = Murder at Midnight, “The Man Who Died Yesterday” (June 30, 1947) ***WD
04:06:14.829 = The Black Museum, “The Shopping Bag” (1952) ***WD
04:33:04.964 = Mysterious Traveler, “Change of Address” (January 22, 1952)
05:02:31.652 = Show Close

(ADU) = Air Date Unknown
(LQ) = Low Quality
***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing.
CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0678

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.

Back in 1818, the same year *Frankenstein* hit the shelves, a Scottish professor named Andrew Ure decided to see if electricity could actually bring a dead body back to life—so he hooked up a freshly executed murderer to a current and watched in fascination as the corpse twitched, "breathed," and even made terrifying expressions that sent witnesses into a panic.

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript):
https://weirddarkness.com/AndrewUre

READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode:
https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/58czndx7


FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: In 1800s numerous scientists were trying to find the reason for life in the hopes of staving off death or even bringing the recently dead back to life. But in 1818 one scientist named Andrew Ure attempted to do even more – to bring the brain of dead human back into the living. And ironically, his experiments took place the very same year the novel “Frankenstein” was published. (The Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein) *** They say the family that plays together stays together… but does that also mean that the family that crimes together does time together? We’ll look at a few true cases of parents committing crimes – and getting help from their children in doing so. (The Family That Preys Together) *** A hunter comes across a wild man in the woods… but what he hears from the humanoid doesn’t sound like a man at all. (The Man I Saw Through My Night Vision Scope) *** What would you do if you showed up to work one morning and your employer asked you to help dispose of a dead body? Don’t be so quick to say that would never happen. That’s just one part of the story of one of the most notorious crimes of 19th century America – the murder of John Parkman. (Dr. Coolidge Settles a Debt) *** Skipping church to go fishing might get you more than just a guilty conscience – especially if you believe the strange story of the Lambton Worm. (The Legend of the Lambton Worm)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Excerpt from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”
00:00:49.707 = Show Open
00:03:06.456 = The Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein
00:11:54.238 = The Family That Preys Together ***
00:31:59.759 = The Man I Saw Through My Night-Vision Scope ***
00:40:02.958 = Dr. Coolidge Settles a Debt
00:50:44.058 = Legend of the Lambton Worm ***
00:59:16.928 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS:
Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps
*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

SOURCES and RESOURCES:
“The Family That Preys Together” by Chrys for ListVerse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2sv76asj
“The Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein” by Rachel Souerbry for Weird History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4pevzd6e
“Dr. Coolidge Settles a Debt” from Strange Company: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/7tpj8wmv
“The Man I Saw Through My Night Vision Scope” from PerpetualConnection: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4e6nrd3h
“The Legend of the Lambton Worm” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/52t8cfnc
(Over time links 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.)

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
Originally aired: November 09, 2021

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.