Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

On Friday, April 13, 2029, an asteroid named for the Egyptian god of chaos will pass closer to Earth than the satellites overhead, and roughly two billion people will be able to see it without a telescope.

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/Apophis29

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*
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
Originally aired: May 7, 2026

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

In the summer of 1963, a mysterious crater, eerie lights, and a baffling military response turned the quiet town of Charlton, England into the center of a UFO controversy that still refuses to be neatly explained.

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

FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Did someone steal from you? There's an ancient curse for that. A rival stressing you out? There's a curse for that, too. As it turns out, cursing one's adversaries is pretty timeless, and I’ll share a few real curses you might consider using against your own enemies.  (Curses To Use Against Your Foes) *** “I never would have believed that Viola could do such a thing. She never had much to say and always did what she was told. She went to church regular, loved gospel music and was a hard worker.” That’s what one of Viola Hyatt’s relatives said after she committed a bloody double murder. (The Alabama Ax Murderess) *** In the early morning hours of July 16th, 1963 a Charlton police officer gasped at the sight of an orange light streaking across the sky. At the same time, a farmer heard a loud boom in the distance. Then several hours later another man found a huge crater near his farm. Was the Charlton crater UFO incident a genuine alien landing, or an elaborate hoax? (The Charlton UFO Landing Site)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:59.269 = The Charlton UFO Landing Site
00:14:58.271 = The Alabama Ax Murderess ***
00:38:35.660 = Curses To Use Against Your Foes ***
00:48:42.019 = 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:
“Was The Charlton Crater UFO Incident a Genuine Alien Landing, or An Elaborate Hoax” by Marcus Lowth for UFO Insight: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4trx23tm
“Curses To Use Against Your Foes” by Melissa Sartore for Weird History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/k2pjf83x
“The Alabama Ax Murderess” by Elton Camp for WritingRoom.com: (link no longer available)
(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: February 24, 2023

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

A Wirt County woman allegedly fired three shots at a side-by-side driver after he ran over her chicken in the road outside her home.

PRINT VERSION OF THIS STORY: https://weirddarkness.com/car-vs-chicken

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.

In late-1800s Paris, an eighteen-year-old artist's model named Trilby suffers from headaches no doctor can touch. The cure, when it finally arrives, comes from the eyes of a strange musician named Svengali — and her friends are convinced she should never have let him near her.

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 Mystery Theater, “Trilby” (September 30, 1977)
00:47:17.842 = Radio City Playhouse, “Mother” (September 11, 1949)
01:17:06.447 = Max Haines Mystery, “Arthur Gusy” (Mid 1940’s)
01:40:56.965 = The Sealed Book, “Escape By Death” (April 15, 1945) ***WD (LQ)
02:11:50.125 = The Shadow, “The Man Who Lived Twice” (February 09, 1941)
02:35:04.740 = Sleep No More, “Death of Oliver” and “Fishhead” (December 26, 1956) ***WD
03:04:24.816 = BBC Spinechillers, “Cupboard Beneath The Stairs” (April 2006)
03:18:28.728 = Strange Wills, “Treasure To Starboard” (July 13, 1946)
03:48:08.450 = Strange, “Captain Robinson” (1955)
04:01:53.644 = Suspense, “Suspicion” (April 03, 1948)
05:00:47.763 = 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/WDRR0651

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

A portable toilet at a New Jersey construction site detonated Saturday night with enough force to shove a nearby building's wall and ceiling out of position, drawing the State Police Bomb Squad to Holden Square.

PRINT VERSION OF THIS STORY: https://weirddarkness.com/lakewood-toilet-blast

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.

Some say Zozo is just a trick of the mind, but after countless chilling Ouija board encounters and centuries of whispered warnings, maybe it’s something far more sinister.

EPISODE PAGE (includes sources and transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/SummoningZozo

IN THIS EPISODE: The Zozo demon has allegedly harassed hundreds via their Ouija boards. But is this demonic force from the spirit world or from our own minds? *** Citizens of Van Meter, Iowa were confronted with a tall, human-like figure with bat-like wings, a single horn on its head, and it, apparently, was bullet-proof. What was this supernatural creature people were seeing? *** A bride-to-be becomes worried when her fiance disappears – so she contacts a psychic friend to see if she can help. *** Something sinister creeps into a Christian boarding house. *** Bram Stoker wrote his classic novel “Dracula” in 1897… but vampires are much, much older than that. *** A supposedly cursed doll has remained in the protection of one family for over four generations. But why would this family keep hold of such a demonic item? *** They are almost always silent, enigmatic figures usually seen at a distance up on ridges silhouetted against the darkening twilight sky, always at around dusk or dawn, quietly looking over and surveying their domain with unknowable purpose and often vanishing in the blink of an eye. What are the dark watchers of California?

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Lead-In
00:01:12.727 = Show Open
00:03:37.878 = Zozo And The Ouija Board
00:11:10.107 = The Van Meter Visitor
00:21:40.657 = Back To Say Goodbye
00:28:17.688 = Spirit Drawn to Teenage Emotions
00:33:38.525 = Older Than Dracula
00:42:05.860 = Joliet, the Haunted Doll
00:45:23.026 = The Dark Watchers of California
00:57:43.160 = Show Close
00:58:33.668 = Final Thought

SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Zozo and the Ouija Board” by Mark Oliver for All That’s Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yc2rhvtz
“The Van Meter Visitor” by Troy Taylor for American Hauntings Ink: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8kupf3
“Spirit Drawn to Teenage Emotions” by Lemurian Emerald, posted at Your Ghost Stories: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4erh8ezb
“Older Than Dracula” by Sam George for Ancient Origins: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4hv6sdmc
“Joliet: The Haunted Doll” by Chris for Real Paranormal Experiences: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9fmmx7
“Back to Say Goodbye” by Judy Rad, posted at MyHauntedLifeToo.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3bkkpbjb
“The Dark Watchers of California” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckxrfkv
=====
(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.)
= = = = =
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
= = = = =
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
=====
Originally aired: June, 2018

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

A deckhand has just put his captain over the rail in ten fathoms of empty gulf and called it an accident. He thinks the worst is behind him, but he never accounted for the captain’s dog.

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 Solitary” (September 29, 1977) ***WD
00:45:58.396 = CBC Nightfall, “Walter’s Dog” (April 01, 1983) ***WD
01:15:07.573 = Obsession, “The Silver Cord” (December 18, 1950) ***WD
01:38:20.761 = Origin of Superstition, “Lose Baby’s First Pair” (1935) ***WD
01:52:39.682 = Pat Novak For Hire, “Mysterious Set of Books” (August 10, 1947) ***WD
02:21:26.963 = Peril, “Wheelchair” (June 14, 1947) ***WD (LQ)
02:45:54.810 = Mystery Playhouse, “Adventure of Fallen Angels” (June 14, 1946) ***WD
03:10:54.656 = Philip Morris Playhouse, “Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse” (September 18, 1951)
03:40:22.498 = Price of Fear, “Family Album” (June 13, 1983) ***WD
04:07:31.598 = Adventures of Ellery Queen, “Foul Tip” (July 15, 1944) ***WD
04:34:28.750 = Quiet Please, “Summer Goodbye” (January 23, 1949) (LQ)
05:03:20.329 = 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/WDRR0650

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

People have been saying for decades that Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike, but what really keeps the theory alive are the eerie clues hidden in Beatles songs and album covers.

EPISODE PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/NowhereMan

IN THIS EPISODE: It’s one of the strangest conspiracy theories ever created by mortal man. Was Beatles legend Paul McCartney killed in 1966 and replaced with a look-alike? We look at the evidence for and against this bizarre rumor. 

SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Nowhere Man: The Paul McCartney Death Conspiracy” posted at The UnRedacted:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/paulisdead
=====
(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.)
= = = = =
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
= = = = =
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
=====
Originally aired: November, 2018

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

The dead girl from Frank Baring's woods comes back every night with the same request, and he's running out of ways to refuse her.

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 Wintering Place” (September 27, 1977)
00:45:49.645 = Tonight At Nine-Thirty, “Black Market Murders” (March 16, 1945)
01:15:18.993 = Mystery In The Air, “Queen of Spades” (September 11, 1947)
01:42:18.316 = Molle Mystery Theater, “Alibi For Murder” (March 22, 1946)
02:11:55.779 = Mr. Keen, “The Moonless Night” (January 06, 1944)
02:41:42.870 = Murder at Midnight, “The Line Is Dead” (April 07, 1947)
03:08:09.496 = Black Museum, “Length of Sash Cord” (September 02, 1952) ***WD
03:31:35.718 = Mysterious Traveler, “Christmas Story” (December 25, 1951)
04:00:12.369 = Mystery House, “Nothing But Proof” (January 27, 1946) ***WD
04:23:00.581 = Night Beat, “Otto, Music Man – aka Old Baldy” (June 15, 1951) ***WD
04:51:18.305 = 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/WDRR0649

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

Growing up is hard enough, but for the children of serial killers, the weight of their parents' horrific crimes is a shadow that never fades.

EPISODE PAGE (includes sources and transcript): https://weirddarkness.com/ChildrenOfSerialKillers

IN THIS EPISODE: Many people have claimed to see ghosts near the iconic “Hollywood” sign in California – but one particular ghost is seen more often than the others – and it comes with a sad story. *** Weirdo family member Andrew Horne tells of his ghostly experience in Gettysburg. *** Why did Nellie Blye intentionally check herself into an asylum for a harrowing ten days? *** Statistically speaking, you will walk past a murderer 10.76 times in your life. But what if you didn't just walk past a murderer - what if they were a part of your family and you didn't know it?

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:32.128 = The Children of Serial Killers
00:30:05.441 = Hollywood Sign’s Lady in White ***
00:33:57.435 = Ghosts In Gettysburg
00:38:10.085 = Nellie Bly’s Living Nightmare
00:42:29.147 = Show Close


SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The Children of Serial Killers” by Stefanie Hammond for Ranker: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/557775be
“The Hollywood Sign’s Lady In White” posted at RealParanormalExperiences.com: (link no longer valid)
“Ghosts In Gettysburg” by Weirdo family member Andrew Horne – submitted directly to Weird Darkness.
“Nellie Bly’s Living Nightmare” by Orrin Grey for The Line Up: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/nellie-bly
=====
(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.)
= = = = =
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
= = = = =
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
=====
Originally aired: November, 2018



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