Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

“The Man In The Black Hat”: A gambler down on his luck gets the surprise of his life when a stranger with cold gray eyes hands him the keys to a brand-new car — no strings attached, no explanation given. From that moment on, nothing but good fortune follows him. But so does the man in the black hat. No matter where he goes, no matter what happens, that same gray-eyed figure keeps turning up — watching, waiting. Who is he? What does he want? And why can't anything seem to stop him? | #RetroRadio #WeirdDarkness | EP0625

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Thousand and First Door” (July 29, 1977)
00:47:20.330 = Screen Guild Theater, “The Maltese Falcon” (September 20, 1943)
01:15:59.326 = The Sealed Book, “Death Laughs Last” (September 02, 1945)
01:45:34.035 = The Shadow, “The Shadow Challenged” (January 19, 1941) ***WD
02:14:35.283 = Sleep No More, “Over The Hill” and “The Man In The Black Hat” (December 05, 1956) ***WD
02:37:55.162 = BBC Radio 4 Spine Chillers, “Falling To Pieces” (April 2006)
02:50:12.599 = Stay Tuned For Terror, “The Bogey Man Will Get You” (October 01, 1945) ***WD
03:04:45.016 = Strange Wills, “Black Interlude” (June 22, 1946)
03:34:37.800 = Strange, “The Ghost Train” (September 18, 1955)
03:48:16.621 = Suspense, “Locked Room” (January 27, 1944)
04:17:35.994 = Tales Of The Frightened, “Call At Midnight” (1957)
04:22:22.192 = Tales of Tomorrow, “The Other Now” (January 22, 1953)
04:52:16.501 = 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/WDRR0625

Hidden deep in the Czech countryside, Houska Castle wasn’t built to protect anyone—it was built to trap something far more sinister within.

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

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

IN THIS EPISODE: Constructed near Prague in the 13th century, Houska Castle has housed mad scientists, Nazis, and perhaps even "demons." (Houska Castle And Its Gateway To Hell) *** In the 1980s, Theresa Knorr brutally murdered her two daughters—with the help of her sons. (The Murder Of The Knorr Daughters) *** Due to the fact that they are homes for children who are unwanted, abandoned, or orphaned… orphanages are naturally sad places even when shown in the light of day. But in the dark, the sadness can turn to terror as a whole different crowd of children make themselves known… the ghosts of those who died there. (Ghost Stories From Orphanages) *** Hannah Upp was a teacher who developed a severe and rare form of amnesia – she disappeared twice, but was located each time. But then she disappeared again in 2017 and is still missing today. What happened to Hannah? (The Teacher With Amnesia Who Disappeared Forever)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:00:35.051 = Show Open
00:02:23.702 = Houska Castle And Its Gateway To Hell
00:09:34.611 = Murder Of The Knorr Daughters ***
00:24:55.644 = Ghost Stories From Orphanages ***
00:37:40.870 = The Teacher With Amnesia Who Disappeared Forever ***
00:48:46.830 = Show Close
00:49:58.898 = Bloopers
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

HELPFUL LINKS & RESOURCES…
https://WeirdDarkness.com/ALBUMS = Songs and Videos by our Weird Darkness punk band, #DarkWeirdness
https://WeirdDarkness.com/STORE = Tees, Mugs, Socks, Hoodies, Totes, Hats, Kidswear & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/HOPE = Hope For Depression or Thoughts of Self-Harm
https://WeirdDarkness.com/NEWSLETTER = In-Depth Articles, Memes, Weird DarkNEWS, Videos & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/AUDIOBOOKS = FREE Audiobooks Narrated By Darren Marlar

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HouskaCastle

SOURCES and RESOURCES:
HAVE YOU SEEN HANNA UPP? Call the Virgin Islands Police Department at 340-772-5605
BOOK: “Mother’s Day” by Dennis McDougal: https://amzn.to/3vnGypv
“Houska Castle And Its Gateway To Hell” by Marco Margaritoff for All That’s Interesting:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mw2kus5z
“The Murder Of The Knorr Daughers” posted at The Line Up: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3wkt93r4
“Ghost Stories from Orphanages” by Elle Tharp for Graveyard Shift: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yjhkvhs7
“The Teacher With Amnesia Who Disappeared Forever” by Stephen Morin for Unspeakable Crimes: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mwaweaad
(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.)
"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: January 03, 2024

Mental institutions have a way of leaving their mark—whether it’s through the haunting tales of abandoned asylums, the horrifying experiences shared by patients and staff, or the disturbing reality of 19th-century facilities that turned human suffering into a spectacle.

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

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

IN THIS EPISODE: Mental Institutions, psychiatric hospitals, lunatic asylums… whatever you want to call them, they can do good work if given the right resources and staff, helping patients to live through or possibly even overcome mental health crises. But even in the more well-funded locations, nightmares still occur according to both staff and patients. And even when those institutions are abandoned and left to rot, many refuse to release the tormented souls who have somehow found themselves entrapped there in the afterlife. We’ll look at haunted asylums, we’ll hear some horrifying true stories from both patients and workers about what happens inside asylums that are still in operation, and we’ll learn about the horrifying reality of mental asylums in the 19th century acting almost like amusement parks for paying visitors. 

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:01:52.693 = Show Open
00:03:39.632 = Madness in the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
00:15:40.319 = The Buffalo State Asylum ***
00:22:43.987 = Athens Asylum
00:33:25.105 = Haunted Asylums
00:42:36.694 = Psych Ward Horror Stories ***
01:11:40.472 = Seeing The Sights at the Psych Ward ***
01:20:32.348 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

HELPFUL LINKS & RESOURCES…
https://WeirdDarkness.com/ALBUMS = Songs and Videos by our Weird Darkness punk band, #DarkWeirdness
https://WeirdDarkness.com/STORE = Tees, Mugs, Socks, Hoodies, Totes, Hats, Kidswear & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/HOPE = Hope For Depression or Thoughts of Self-Harm
https://WeirdDarkness.com/NEWSLETTER = In-Depth Articles, Memes, Weird DarkNEWS, Videos & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/AUDIOBOOKS = FREE Audiobooks Narrated By Darren Marlar

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/AsylumGhosts

SOURCES and RESOURCES:
“Madness In The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum” by Katie Serena for All That’s Interesting:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3k8t8far and Kathy Weiser-Alexander for Legends of America:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mryb2uv3
“Athens Asylum for the Insane” by Kathy Weiser-Alexander for Legends of America: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mvx5kr9z
“The Buffalo State Asylum” posted at The Scare Chamber: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2a5jacp3
“Haunted Asylums” by Christopher Myers for Ranker: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdt42kwa
“Psych Ward Horror Stories” by Duke Harton: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2a4avdvz and Isadora Teich: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/57t2z279 for Ranker
“Seeing the Sights at the Psych Ward” by Christy Box for Ranker: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mr3bn87b
(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.)
"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: January 08, 2024

The U.S. government is sitting on 46 classified military videos of unidentified objects filmed over war zones, military bases, and U.S. airspace — and Congress just issued a hard deadline to get them released.

PRINT VERSION OF THIS STORY: https://weirddarkness.com/congress-ufo-deadline/

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

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

The released 911 call from the wife of missing Air Force General William Neil McCasland reveals he took a gun, left everything else behind, and told her his brain was deteriorating — and she believed he planned to disappear.

PRINT VERSION OF THIS STORY: https://weirddarkness.com/mccasland-911-call/

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

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