Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

May 31, 2026: They say the fires at Caledonia Mills started on their own, but anyone who spent a night there knew something far more sinister was at work.
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HOUR ONE: “The Witching Hour of 3AM” *** You don’t have to go to a cemetery or haunted house to experience the supernatural. You don’t need to drive a cursed road to encounter a ghost. Sometimes the paranormal takes place on military bases. (The Military And The Mysterious) *** The corpse of a murderer winds up doing advertising for a drug store. (The Murder of Maggie Walker) *** In 1922, an otherwise unremarkable farmhouse in Novia Scotia was the site of alleged poltergeist activity which made headlines all over Canada and the United States. A poltergeist that liked to set fires. (The Fire Spook of Caledonia Mills)
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HOUR TWO: Claiming to audibly hear from God either makes you crazy, or a prophet – and only time can tell which is true. If you claim things are going to happen because God says they will – and then they don’t happen – that means you’re cray cray, and a false prophet. That also makes your followers a bunch of dupes. Sadly, the 19th and 20th centuries were full of crazy false prophets with mindless sheep worshipping them. (Creating False Prophets) *** Headline: “Exciting Wake!” When you see the words “exciting” and “wake” in the same headline, you can make a guess that someone is not resting in peace! (Exciting Wake)
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SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME: A smitten fan falls in love with a talented actress, and convinces himself she loves him in return. This sounds very much like a story out of today’s entertainment magazines – but this tale of unrequited love took place in the 1880’s. (The Lunatic James Dougherty) *** The terrifying Aswang is the most feared creature of Philippine folklore—and with good reason. I’ll tell you why. (The Deadly Aswang) ** Reports have been coming in from people claiming to see full-sized African lions not in the Savannah or in the wilderness – but in North America. But is there any truth to the their claims? (Phantom Lions of North America)
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SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM TONIGHT’S SHOW:
BOOK: “Mysterious America” by Loren Coleman: https://amzn.to/3lZIviB
BOOK: “Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology”: https://amzn.to/3m2Re3k
DOCUMENTARY: “The Aswang Phenomenon”: https://amzn.to/3jQrNjC
“Creating False Prophets” by Dr. Romeo Vitelli for Providentia: https://tinyurl.com/y5bqt97p,https://tinyurl.com/y26vpmga, https://tinyurl.com/y6tgpcl3, https://tinyurl.com/y2jy3eqf
“Phantom Lions of North America” by Brent Swancer for MysteriousUniverse.com: https://tinyurl.com/yygdg3eh
“Exciting Wake” from the Huntington, IN “Daily Democrat”, reposted on the Strange Company website: https://tinyurl.com/y5cy4ksa
“The Deadly Aswang” by Professor Geller for Mythology.net: https://tinyurl.com/yxhcrcxc
“The Witching Hour of 3AM” from Paranormality Magazine
“The Fire Spook of Caledonia Mills” by Hammerson Peters for MysteriesOfCanada.com: https://tinyurl.com/y43ug999
“The Lunatic James Dougherty” by Robert Wilhelm for MurderByGaslight.com: https://tinyurl.com/yxkxo8b6
“The Military and the Mysterious” by Brent Swancer for MysteriousUniverse.org: https://tinyurl.com/y46jdmks
“The Murder of Maggie Walker” posted on the website Murders In History: https://tinyurl.com/y2qw2rup
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Join the Weird Darkness Syndicate: https://weirddarkness.com//syndicate
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.
==========PODCASTS I HOST:
Weird Darkness: https://weirddarkness.com/listen
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 ©2026, Weird Darkness.
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In 1956, Italy's most opulent ocean liner went down off Nantucket after a head-on collision in the fog, taking 46 lives and earning a place among the worst maritime disasters in history. But the dying didn't stop there — in the seven decades since, the wreck dubbed the "Mt. Everest of Wreck Diving" has claimed roughly 18 more souls, swallowing the divers drawn to its depths and feeding whispers that something down there is cursed.

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

FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Movies like Shaun of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, World War Z, and TV shows like The Walking Dead, have made the subject of zombies a fairly popular topic over recent years. And while we all know these undead creatures are purely make-believe, the idea of the zombie has been around for thousands of years… and in the Voodoo culture, they’ve found a way to make zombies a real, horrifying thing. (The Disturbing Truth Behind Voodoo Zombies) *** In July of 1956, the SS Andrea Doria collided with another ship and quickly sank to the bottom of the ocean. Today it is a tourist destination for brave divers who not only want to see something hauntingly beautiful, but who also dare to investigate a wreck that has been deemed by many to be cursed – and for good reason. (The Cursed Remains of the SS Andrea Doria) *** Paranormal author and researcher G. Michael Vasey tells of a personal incident that took place recently where he saw what could be described as a “peripheral person”. (Peripheral People) *** Sir Clive Sinclair might have been a man ahead of his time. The late inventor created all manner of strange and wonderful gadgets – most of which you’ve likely never heard of. But that doesn’t mean you can say they were failures. (The Inventor of Weird Contraptions) *** If the legends are to believed, you’ll want to avoid driving down Nan Tucks Lane in East Sussex - unless you don’t mind coming into contact with a vengeful ghost. (The Witch of Nan Tucks Lane) *** Where in the bible do we see the story of fallen angels sleeping with women to produce a breed of giants? Most would point to the book of Genesis – but in the unincluded book of Enoch, it tells a more-detailed account, worthy of a horror movie. (The Story of Giants and Fallen Angels) *** Some people collect baseball cards, others coins, and others Pokemon. There’s no telling what someone might find enough of an interest in to begin collecting. And collecting books is one of the most common – but when your collecting becomes a compulsion and you can’t stop yourself, it can get out of hand. Just ask Thomas Phillipps… the man who was addicted to books… to an extreme level. (The Man Who Was Addicted To Books)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:03:02.691 = The Man Who Was Addicted To Books
00:16:01.182 = The Cursed Remains of the SS Andrea Doria ***
00:24:02.882 = The Disturbing Truth Behind Voodoo Zombies
00:36:21.496 = Peripheral People ***
00:38:29.738 = The Inventor of Weird Contraptions
00:45:10.163 = The Story of Giants and Fallen Angels ***
00:57:10.346 = The Witch of Nan Tucks Lane
01:00:03.285 = 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 Story of Giants and Fallen Angels” from Anomalien: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/akvusfjf
“The Man Who Was Addicted to Books” from Strange Company: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/uysau9d7
“The Cursed Remains of the SS Andrea Doria” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y67su94a
“Peripheral People” by G. Michael Vasey: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/py9xu4n4 (RELATED VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxpTsDeH-p0)
“The Disturbing Truth Behind Voodoo Zombies” by Christopher Myers for Graveyard Shift: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/u6vthjn6
“The Inventor of Weird Contraptions” by Mike Reddy for The Conversation: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4uez883r
“The Witch of Nan Tucks Lane” by Jocelyne LeBlanc: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/t28azc3k
(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: March 18, 2019

Two American relic hunters ignore every warning and dig their way into a flooded Yucatán cavern the locals swear belongs to the dead — who, as it turns out, keep very careful inventory.

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 Lost Tomorrows” (December 05, 1977) ***WD
00:47:01.586 = Big Town, “Fatal Joke” (March 01, 1949) ***WD
01:16:27.616 = Hall of Fantasy, “The Judge’s House” (April 03, 1947) ***WD
01:42:44.816 = Harry Lime, “Clay Pigeon” (August 17, 1951)
02:09:25.917 = BBC Haunted Tales of the Supernatural, “The Liberated Tiger” (July 21, 1984)
02:36:33.133 = The Haunting Hour, “If The Shoe Fits” (April 28, 1945) ***WD
03:00:48.355 = The Hermit’s Cave, “House of Purple Shadows” (November 10, 1940) ***WD
03:25:16.362 = Mystery Is My Hobby, “Case of 65 Women” (1945-1950) ***WD
03:49:48.832 = Sherlock Holmes, “Darlington Substitution Case” (January 04, 1947)
04:19:03.800 = House of Mystery, “Haunters and Haunted” (June 13, 1945) ***WD
04:33:24.744 = Incredible But True, “The Wanderer” (1950-1951)
04:37:02.657 = Inner Sanctum, “Silent Hands” (May 13, 1944) ***WD
05:01:38.945 = 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/WDRR0676

A friendship gift from across the Iron Curtain rode into orbit with five American astronauts, and the only thing that came back was the teddy bear.

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, “Teddy Bear” (November 30, 1977)
00:44:19.048 = The Eleventh Hour, “The Bitter End” (1963-1965)
01:09:54.163 = Escape, “The Fourth Man” (July 07, 1949)
01:38:40.425 = Everyman’s Theater, “This Precious Freedom” (October 04, 1940) ***WD
02:05:55.966 = Murder By Experts, “Two Coffins To Fill” (July 04, 1949)
02:35:22.121 = Exploring Tomorrow, “Time Traveller, aka Meddler’s Moon” (May 21, 1958)
02:53:02.191 = Faces In The Window, “Black Cat” (November 22, 1952) ***WD
03:16:42.212 = Dark Fantasy, “Edge of Shadow” (April 10, 1942) ***WD
03:41:21.216 = BBC Fear on 4, “The Beast With Five Fingers” (January 31, 1988)
04:10:16.659 = Future Tense, “The Parade” (May 27, 1974) ***WD (LQ)
04:36:17.087 = BBC Ghosts From The Past, “Black Stockings / Broken Mirrors” (April 08, 1992)
05:19:57.526 = 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/WDRR0675

On a remote ridge in Washington sits a nine-foot pit that has no measurable bottom, swallows everything thrown into it without ever filling, plays decades-old music through any radio brought near it, and—according to those who've used it to dispose of their dead—occasionally gives the dead back, alive and walking out of the forest still wearing the collars they were buried in. (LAST STORY IN THE EPISODE)

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

FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: The next time that you hear a conspiracy theory, take the time to investigate before you decide that it’s too impossible to be true. (Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True) *** The Black Knight satellite. Is this satellite nothing more than a Russian attempt at signal jamming or spying? Or is there something more sinister behind it? (Black Knight Satellite Conspiracy) *** A man starts to fall asleep at the wheel – but gets a supernatural shakeup from an unusual police squad car. (Guardian Angel Speed Trap) *** In a quiet Virginia cemetery is a peculiar tomb that has mystified visitors for nearly two hundred years. Nobody seems to know who is buried there. (The Grave of the Female Stranger) *** A man is knocked unconscious and while being so, he lives an entirely different life. (A Parallel Life) *** “I do not suppose that any man and wife lived more happily and wished each other better than we.” Strange last words from a man who murdered his wife due to a love triangle. (Neal Devaney) *** Did a strange race of albino, sun-fearing people used to roam the Appalachian Mountains? (Moon Eyed People) *** She can kill a man just by sucking all the blood from his body out through his nose. She can slip out of her skin at night to terrorize the countryside. Those who believe in hoodoo call her the Boo Hag. (The Boo Hag) *** A rash of attacks took place in India’s New Delhi back in 2001 – and the attacker was described as having monkey-like qualities. Who or what was the Monkey Man of New Delhi? (Monkey Man of New Delhi) *** Bizarre secrets are said to hide somewhere in the bottomless depths of Mel’s Hole. The hole definitely exists… but it appears that Mel himself may never have been real. (Mel’s Hole) *** The old hag, the succubus, whatever you call it – it’s a paranormal nighttime encounter with erotic overtones. Erotic – but more terrifying and mentally scarring than enjoyable. (The Old Hag Revisited)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:03:00.772 = The Black Knight Satellite Conspiracy
00:05:43.919 = Guardian Angel Speed Trap
00:09:53.004 = Grave of the Female Stranger
00:14:50.756 = Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True
00:26:36.438 = The Old Hag Revisited ***
00:33:31.099 = The Boo Hag
00:41:49.846 = A Parallel Life ***
00:45:23.733 = Neal Devaney
00:50:00.024 = The Moon-Eyed People
01:00:25.240 = The Monkey Man of Delhi ***
01:05:22.088 = Mel’s Hole
= 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 Black Knight Satellite Conspiracy”: https://tinyurl.com/r3wxu6s
“Guardian Angel Speed Trap” submitted by Weirdo family member Blackfire Wolf
“Grave of the Female Stranger” by Orrin Grey: http://ow.ly/7cVz30nf1Di
“Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True” from Occult Museum: (website no longer exists)
“A Parallel Life/Awoken By a Lamp” posted anonymously to Reddit: http://ow.ly/kgX130ncj11
“Neal Devaney” by Robert Wilhelm: https://tinyurl.com/ycsf7nqz
“The Old Hag Revisted: Nighttime Terrors” from the book, “Basic Instinct: Erotic Paranormal Encounters”: https://amzn.to/4vjKbX0
“The Moon Eyed People” by Brent Swancer: https://tinyurl.com/vgdmen7
“The Boo Hag” from North Carolina Ghosts: (link no longer valid)
“The Monkey Man of Delhi”: https://tinyurl.com/rq488nu
“Mel’s Hole” by Maggie Clendenin for Ranker: https://tinyurl.com/u9lzy78
(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: March 16, 2022