Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

The story was written as a serial, published one chapter at a time from October 1921 to June 1922 in the amateur publication Home Brew. And because it was written during this time, you will hear language not considered politically correct today – particularly that of words used to describe people of color. But as I have done in the past, I am leaving it all intact to preserve the author’s words in their original form, and so we never forget our sometimes horrible history.

ABOUT THE STORY: It’s a classic tale from H.P. Lovecraft entitled “Herbert West: Reanimator”. Herbert West is perhaps the best-known of Lovecraft’s human characters. Most people upon hearing the word “Reanimator” will automatically think of the film from 1985 of the same name – based upon the story you’re about to hear. But loosely based. Very… loosely… based. They went more in a comedy direction with the film. Some believe Lovecraft did intend his originally story to be a parody of Frankenstein. But it doesn’t really feel like a parody. At least, to the extent that parodies are supposed to be funny. Also, Herbert West is the antithesis of Victor Frankenstein. Whereas Mary Shelley’s scientist is mad only to the extent he is prone to wild flights of passionate emotion and expressing himself in florid romantic speeches, Herbert West is hyper-rational, dispassionate, amoral, and unsentimental. Where Frankenstein is wracked with debilitating guilt, West is a sociopath, driven by a desire to prove his theories correct no matter what the cost. Maybe Lovecraft’s point was that if anyone was going to bring dead bodies back to a kind of “life,” it would be a ruthless and unemotional scientist, not someone who sounds suspiciously like a lovesick poet. And, I guess he’s probably right. Still, if you’re after the big laughs like what was in the movie, “Herbert West: Reanimator” is not the place to find them. It’s a story in six parts, but each part is essentially the same as the others: West reanimates a corpse. Reanimated corpse starts wrecking everything. West and the narrator conceal their involvement. Rinse and repeat. The story was written as a serial, published one chapter at a time from October 1921 to June 1922 in the amateur publication “Home Brew”. And because it was written during that time, you will hear language not considered politically correct today – particularly that of words used to describe people of color. But as I have done in the past, I am leaving it all intact to preserve the author’s words in their original form, and so we never forget our sometimes horrible history. 
EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/reanimator
SOURCES and RESOURCES: “Re-Animator: Tales of Herbert West” by H.P. Lovecraft: https://amzn.to/3Oc1V2s
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
Midnight In The Macabre (MITM), originally aired: September 27, 2026
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE HEARING? WEIRD DARKNESS posts episodes 7 DAYS A WEEK! Listen FREE wherever you get podcasts or visit https://weirddarkness.com/listen. • Paranormal • True Crime • Ghosts • UFOs • Cryptids • Unexplained • Want even more? Become an OFFICIAL WEIRDO for commercial-free episodes, bonus episodes, weeknight live chats, audiobooks & more at https://WeirdDarkness.com/OFFICIAL

Left alone at a Ninth Avenue bus stop on the day a U.N. ambassador is kidnapped, a detective's girlfriend picks up a ringing pay phone and hears a stranger tell her the ransom is on its way to the pickup.

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 Sound of Terror” (October 27, 1978) ***WD
00:46:38.792 = 2000 Plus, “Robot Killer” (August 30, 1950) ***WD (LQ)
01:15:05.861 = The Unexpected, “Finale” (1947-1948)
01:30:44.877 = Unsolved Mysteries, “Mystery of the Zombie” (1936) ***WD
01:45:15.177 = Dark Venture, “Miser” (December 09, 1946)
02:15:10.870 = The Weird Circle, “Declared Insane” (July 22, 1943) ***WD
02:42:16.034 = The Whistler, “Murder Is Blind” (June 04, 1945)
03:12:50.864 = Strange Wills, “Penthouse Orphan” (October 26, 1946)
03:42:25.859 = Witch’s Tale, “King Shark God” (August 14, 1935) ***WD
04:08:31.299 = X Minus One, “Field Study” (February 20, 1957)
04:30:06.135 = Tales of the Frightened, “Man In A Raincoat” (1957)
04:35:04.428 = Beyond The Green Door, “Dr. James Neal And Bowler” (1966)
04:39:36.543 = ABC Mystery Time, “Sherlock Speckled Band” (May 01, 1956) ***WD
05:03:09.941 = 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/WDRR0785

At London's Highgate Cemetery, visitors report ghostly figures among the Victorian tombs, and in New Orleans, people say Voodoo queen Marie Laveau still walks the cemetery where she's buried. Some of the people who leave letters at the graves of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison in Paris's Père Lachaise Cemetery say they've sensed the men they came to visit. Why are so many cemeteries full of ghosts? 

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

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

FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Cemeteries are more than just resting places for the dead; they are steeped in history, emotion, and, some believe, paranormal activity. We’ll explore the eerie tales and scientific theories that make these hallowed grounds a focal point for ghostly encounters. (Unveiling The Secrets of Spirits At Cemeteries) *** Ever driven down a dark, winding country road and felt the hair on the back of your neck stand up? It’s very possible you did if you were traveling down Sleepy Hollow Road. This isn’t the Washington Irving tale of a hamlet in New York State – this is an infamous road in Kentucky with eerie legends of ghostly hearses, time warps, satanic rituals and haunted bridges. (The Sleepy Hollow of Kentucky) *** In the picturesque village of Bennington, Vermont, 18-year-old Paula Jean Welden disappeared on a chilly December afternoon in 1946. The case took many twists, including a fruitless search in the wilderness, misleading clues, and even the formation of the Vermont State Police due to criticism of the investigation. To this day, Paula's fate remains unknown. (Vanished: The Unsolved Disappearance of Paula Jean Welden”) *** In 1968, Spain experienced an unprecedented wave of UFO and humanoid sightings that left many mystified, terrified… and mesmerized. From encounters with mysterious figures in homes, to bizarre sightings outdoors, 1968 had the entire country of Spain talking about aliens from outer space. (1968: The Year Of High Strangeness) *** Despite humanity's efforts to control nature, sometimes the natural world pushes back in unexpected and chaotic ways. From a pigeon poop-induced blackout in Japan to a squirrel terrorizing a Welsh town, animals can disrupt our lives… and sometimes in humorous ways. (Man Vs Nature – When Animals Wreak Havoc) *** On a stormy night in April 1893, two condemned prisoners at Sing Sing Prison blinded a guard with pepper spray, and executed a daring escape down the Hudson River that left authorities baffled and the public enthralled. (The Great Escape From Sing Sing) *** You seemed to like my new film noir story idea, so I have another Murder Noir tonight – based on a true case from Halloween Day, 1981 when 11-year-old Karl Heikell told his parents he was going for a walk in Calumet, Michigan. He never returned home. (Murder Noir: The Case of the Vanishing Trick-or-Treater) *** Did pterosaurs, the ancient flying reptiles, truly vanish millions of years ago, or do they still soar through our skies? We’ll look at claims of modern-day sightings, some controversial theories, and a tantalizing photograph that challenges their extinction. Could these prehistoric flying giants still be among us in hiding?
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:00:46.290 = Show Open
00:04:10.752 = Unveiling The Secrets of Spirits In Cemeteries
00:15:47.037 = The Great Escape From Sing Sing ***
00:20:30.562 = Vanished: the Unsolved Disappearance of Paula Jean Welden
00:26:47.119 = The Sleepy Hollow of Kentucky
00:35:17.677 = 1968: The Year of High Strangeness ***
00:42:16.336 = Man Vs Nature – When Animals Wreak Havoc
00:53:36.056 = In Search Of Living Pterosaurs (links to photos below) ***
00:57:27.925 = 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:
“In Search of Living Pterosaurs” by David Albaugh for BasementOfTheBizarre.com (used with permission):https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yjvb29mr
PHOTO OF PTEROSAUR FROM CIVIL WAR: https://weirddarkness.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PterosaurPhotoFromCivlWar.png
PHOTO OF PTEROSAUR FROM OLD WEST, NAILED TO BARN: https://weirddarkness.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PterosaurPhotoFromOldWest.png
“Unveiling The Secrets Of Spirits In Cemeteries” sources: ***Encyclopaedia Britannica:https://www.britannica.com/topic/burial-death-rite; ***The World History Encyclopedia:https://www.worldhistory.org/burial/; ***Ecobear: https://ecobear.co/resources/dying-and-death/history-of-cemeteries/; ***ThoughtCo: https://www.thoughtco.com/death-and-burial-customs-1421757; ***Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial
“Vanished: The Unsolved Disappearance of Paula Jean Welden” by Gary Sweeney for The-Line-Up.com (used with permission): https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p853yzu
“The Sleepy Hollow of Kentucky” source: Todd Atteberry, GothicHorrorStories.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/e57rjdm8
“1968: The Year of High Strangeness” source: Brent Swancer, MysteriousUniverse.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckpzv8m
“Man Vs Nature – When Animal Wreak Havoc” source: George Wilson, ListVerse.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/nkc5nyr6
“The Great Escape From Sing Sing” source: Robert Wilhelm, MurderByGaslight.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yc2mj26d(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: June 07, 2024
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE HEARING? WEIRD DARKNESS posts episodes 7 DAYS A WEEK! Listen FREE wherever you get podcasts or visit https://weirddarkness.com/listen. • Paranormal • True Crime • Ghosts • UFOs • Cryptids • Unexplained • Want even more? Become an OFFICIAL WEIRDO for commercial-free episodes, bonus episodes, weeknight live chats, audiobooks & more at https://WeirdDarkness.com/OFFICIAL

Gwen Archer's new house has crooked shutters, cracked windows, and dozens of bent nails in her bedroom wall where the girl who lived there before hung her paintings and photos. That family packed up every bit of it when they moved out, everything except a doll named Darcy. A doll that lives in the attic.

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/1655277373

Find more family-friendly frights and creepy games to play on our website at http://MicroTerrors.com!

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/microterrors

Other stories, novels, and more from author Scott Donnelly: https://amzn.to/3LymHaU

Other narrations, podcasts, and audiobooks from voice artist Darren Marlar: https://WeirdDarkness.com

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Weird Darkness©, 2026
Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids™, 2026#MicroTerrors #WeirdDarkness

Dr. Homer Green used his invention, a perfect regeneration treatment that lets your body always heal any damage to it perfectly, on himself. That was on September 11, 1943. Now it's August 4, 2170 – more than 200 years later. He looks exactly as he did on the date he gave himself the treatment – no aging whatsoever – his body always repairs any damage perfectly. His tissues are invariant. There is only one catch.

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

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

Midnight In The Macabre (MITM), originally aired: September 26, 2026

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE HEARING? WEIRD DARKNESS posts episodes 7 DAYS A WEEK! Listen FREE wherever you get podcasts or visit https://weirddarkness.com/listen. • Paranormal • True Crime • Ghosts • UFOs • Cryptids • Unexplained • Want even more? Become an OFFICIAL WEIRDO for commercial-free episodes, bonus episodes, weeknight live chats, audiobooks & more at https://WeirdDarkness.com/OFFICIAL