#FIRESIDEFRIGHTS VOLUME 32 #WeirdDarkness
31 August 2024 - 2 hours 17 minsIN THIS EPISODE: This is a Fireside Frights episode where all of the stories are sent in by you, the listeners of Weird Darkness. Plus, in these episodes I strip away all of the music, sound effects, and other fancy audio production… it’s just you, me, this campfire, and your stories. Send in your own true stories at https://weirddarkness.com/submit
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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 includ...
Series Episodes
The Knife-Wielding Specter That Stalked a Four-Year-Old's Bedroom Every Night | #RetroRadio
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
5 hours 3 mins
3 June Finished
Andrew Ure: The 1818 Scientist Who Tried to Reanimate a Hanged Murderer | The Real Frankenstein
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:
1 hour
3 June Finished
EXECUTION: The Nazis Tried to Hang Her But She Wouldn’t Die | #RetroRadio
In Nazi-occupied France, German officers repeatedly try to execute a young French woman by hanging — but each time, she returns alive. The woman becomes less a normal person than an allegorical embodiment of France/liberty/resistance: the Nazis can murder bodies, but they cannot kill the spirit they are fighting. 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 Death Slot” (December 14, 1977) ***WD 00:47:44.298 = The Key, “Dear John Letter” (1956) ***WD 01:12:44.958 = Lights Out, “Execution” (April 27, 1943) 01:42:40.945 = Lux Radio Theater, “Sorry Wrong Number” (January 09, 1950) ***WD 02:42:19.825 = Macabre, “Final Resting Place” (November 13, 1961) ***WD 03:09:51.480 = Philip Marlowe, “Long Arm” (February 07, 1950) 03:39:16.182 = Theater Royal, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (September 13, 1954) ***WD 03:59:23.539 = Black Mass, “All Hallows” (September 06, 1963) 04:38:13.336 = Michael Shayne, “Pirates in San Francisco Bay” (April 30, 1945) 05:07:46.083 = 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/WDRR0677
5 hours 8 mins
2 June Finished
His New Office Had a Fan, a Bad Chair and Spiders Creeping in the Vent and His Skin | Horror Fiction
A stressed-out new office worker's encounters with increasingly massive spiders takes a deeply disturbing turn when the creatures start following him home. EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/SpidersUnderYourSkin FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: If creatures with eight legs wig you out, the hairs of your body are going to stand straight up when I tell the story from Jonathan Byrd called “The Spiders Under Your Skin. But first, I’ll start with a short one. It’s written by Melody Grace, and it’s called “There’s Something Off About The Lights Next Door”. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:10.579 = There’s Something About The Lights Next Door (Fictional Story) 00:07:12.147 = Spiders Under Your Skin (Fictional Story) *** 00:32:36.771 = 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: “There’s Something Off About The Lights Next Door” by Melody Grace for Thought Catalog: (site no longer exists) “The Spiders Under Your Skin” by Jonathan Byrd for Thought Catalog: (site no longer exists) (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: May 14, 2020
33 mins
2 June Finished
ANCIENT GIANTS | Giant Bones, the Nephilim, and Noah's Strange Glowing Birth
The bones Spanish conquistadors pulled from the Ecuadorian earth were far too large to belong to any man they had ever seen, and the strange trail those giants leave behind runs straight back to the fallen Watchers of Genesis and the towering Nephilim they fathered. EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/AncientGiants READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mpmkprwy FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Ancient giants in Ecuador were supposedly killed by fire from the sky. Tales of giants in North America. The stories of giants living in the days of Noah. How much of these stories about giants can be believed – and how much should be considered tall-tales? CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Fictional giant story “Jack O’ Legs” 00:04:09.349 = Show Open 00:05:14.221 = Ancient Giants, Part 1 00:17:20.430 = Ancient Giants, Part 2 *** 00:36:02.900 = Ancient Giants, Part 3 *** 00:46:36.422 = 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:“Jack O’ Legs” by Ellen Lloyd for Ancient Pages: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/emv9rr46 “Giants of Yore” by GotQuestions.org: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/fu4dx579, and Ellen Lloyd for Ancient Pages:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5enmwfzb, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5c2w4xbb,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/tk4nr88n, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4bu4e4mh,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/76wab36r, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/8j5zympd, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/tfdf8jfn (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, 2022
47 mins
2 June Finished
The Fire Spook: Nova Scotia's Strangest Poltergeist Case | #WDRadio
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. ========== 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) ========== 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) ========== 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) ========== 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:
1 hour 59 mins
1 June Finished
