#FIRESIDEFRIGHTS VOLUME 32 #WeirdDarkness

The 1975 film that emptied the beaches was built on real horror — the 1916 Jersey Shore attacks that killed four, the unsolved disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, and the science of why great whites bite at all. EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/jaws READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/jaws FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: In June of 1975 we were exposed to one of the scariest movies ever made. For this podcaster, it’s just not Independence Day until I watch it – and you still can’t get me to swim in the ocean. We’ll look at what made ‘Jaws’ so successful… and so frightening. We’ll also look at the true story of a string of shark attacks in 1916 that inspired the novel and the film. And while 1975’s ‘Jaws’ was inspired by a series of shark attacks but greatly fictionalized, the film ‘Open Water’ from 2003 is based on a very real and terrifying story. But the truth behind the movie is a dark mystery that goes way beyond the horror of what you see in the film. We’ll look at several other real shark attacks that are almost too incredible to believe, and also try to answer the question as to why shark attacks don’t happen more often as you would expect them to, seeing as humans should be easy pickings. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding (My First Experience With a Horror Movie) 00:02:16.983 = Show Open 00:05:28.642 = The Real-Life Inspiration for “Jaws” 00:15:01.913 = The Horror of “Jaws” *** 00:40:05.165 = The True Darkness of “Open Water” *** 00:52:06.811 = Real Shark Attacks 01:04:18.086 = Why Sharks Attack Humans *** 01:23:44.579 = 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 True Darkness of Open Water” by Erin McCann for Ranker: https://tinyurl.com/y8vaqgra “The Real-Life Inspiration for ‘Jaws’” by Christopher Klein for History: https://tinyurl.com/yb5s35xc “The Horror of ‘Jaws’” by Jackie Flynn Mogensen for Mother Jones: https://tinyurl.com/y2mxf8us, Andrew Housman for ScreenRant: https://tinyurl.com/yae8ohh6, Meagan Navarro for Bloody Disgusting: https://tinyurl.com/y7p8q9lw, Tim Donnelly for the New York Post: https://tinyurl.com/y9twrcc7, and Rachel Paige for Hello Giggles:https://tinyurl.com/ycdlb6je “Real Shark Attacks” by Charles W. Bryant for How Stuff Works: https://tinyurl.com/y9scmg9x, and Lou Boyd for Mpora: https://tinyurl.com/y9e55t4u “Why Sharks Attack Humans” by Richard Gray for BBC:

A bored kid trapped in a powerless, sweltering house sneaks into his father's off-limits basement lab, where a machine that turns AI drawings into living creatures is about to make his worst summer unforgettable. 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 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Weird Darkness©, 2026 Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids™, 2026#MicroTerrors #WeirdDarkness

You ever get that feeling like you’re being watched when you’re out in the woods? Turns out, some people know they were — and what they saw was anything but normal. EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/ParanormalWilderness READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/zyutdd7j FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: There are numerous bizarre and creepy tales of people who have ventured into the woods to find not only the natural world, but perhaps the supernatural as well. (Weirdness In The Wilderness) *** Is it true that the Pentagon has been investigating bizarre creatures, poltergeist activity, invisible entities, orbs of light, and other strangeness at the Skinwalker Ranch? (UFOs, The Paranormal, and the Pentagon) *** Dino Bravo is a name that only a die-hard wrestling fan would know, as he never achieved stardom. So when Bravo was murdered, it did not receive much publicity.  Which might be part of the reason his murder has never been solved. (The Mysterious Death of Pro Wrestler Dino Bravo) *** Locking the doors in your home is usually a good idea – unless it’s an invisible entity locking you out of the house! Weirdo family member Brenda McDonald talks about the strange experiences she and her family dealt with when moving into a new home. (The Move) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding 00:00:52.894 = Show Open 00:02:33.875 = Weirdness In The Wilderness 00:25:28.664 = UFOs, The Paranormal, And The Pentagon *** 00:37:11.014 = The Mysterious Death of Pro Wrestler Dino Bravo 00:45:20.077 = The Move *** 00:47:58.646 = 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: “Weirdness In The Wilderness” by Brent Swancer: http://bit.ly/310woY9 “UFOs, The Paranormal, and the Pentagon” by Alejandro Rojas: http://bit.ly/2KtWpsK (more episodes with stories of the Skinwalker Ranch: http://weirddarkness.com/?s=skinwalker+ranch) “The Mysterious Death of Pro Wrestler Dino Bravo” by Josh Raibick :http://bit.ly/2WqJoaZ “The Move” by Weirdo family member, Brenda McDonald (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: January, 2021 Weird Darkness runs from shapeshifters in the American backcountry to a Pentagon program built around a Utah ranch, then to the unsolved execution of a professional wrestler and a spirit that locked a family out of its own home.It opens in the wilderness, where a wildland firefighter working as an...

A routine trip to claim an inheritance becomes a waking nightmare when a young couple discovers their own coffins waiting for them at a lonely, decaying estate. 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 Red Scarf” (March 07, 1978) ***WD 00:45:52.916 = The Strange Dr. Weird, “Dark Wings of Death” (February 06, 1945) ***WD 00:57:09.764 = The Eleventh Hour, “The Box” (ADU) 01:23:41.065 = Escape, “Snake Doctor” (August 18, 1949) 01:52:53.283 = Murder By Experts, “Dig Your Own Grave” (August 15, 1949) 02:22:47.621 = Exploring Tomorrow, “Stranger With Roses” (June 11, 1958) 02:40:30.113 = Dark Fantasy, “Funeral Arrangements Completed” (May 15, 1942) 03:04:28.637 = Fear on 4, “The Face” (February 21, 1988) 03:33:43.361 = Theater Five, “To Be Or No To Be, Maybe!” November 19, 1964) ***WD 03:53:12.113 = Future Tense, “Saucer of Loneliness” (May 30, 1974) ***WD 04:22:21.894 = BBC Ghosts From The Past, “A Warden For All Saints” (April 29, 1992) 05:05:59.571 = 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/WDRR0705

For a few terrifying hours in the summer of 1955, two Kentucky families emptied their guns into small, glowing creatures that swarmed their farmhouse and simply would not die — and to this day, no one agrees on whether they fought off aliens, owls, or something the mind conjured out of the dark. EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/kellyhopkinsville READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p86wb4m FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: It’s considered one of the most bizarre and convincing extraterrestrial events ever reported… we’ll look at the alien encounter in 1955’s Hopkinsville, Kentucky that was experienced by two terrified families. (The Hopkinsville Encounter) *** In the deep jungles of the Congo, natives tell of a giant creature that, once described, sounds exactly like a long-necked dinosaur. But how could this be? And is it pure legend? Perhaps not, as one noted biologist from the area saw it with his own eyes and reported it. We’ll look at the supposed real sighting of Mokele-Mbembe, the living dinosaur of the Congo! (Dinosaur Observed In The Congo) *** Running a club during prohibition was extremely lucrative… and extremely dangerous, as one Theodore Lakoff would’ve learned… had he been awake when he was murdered. (The Mysterious Death of Theodore Lakoff) *** Benjamin Franklin was known not just as one of the father’s of the United States of America, but also as an inventor, a womanizer, and a man with a bit of an ornery streak in him – as is evidenced by a series of letters he wrote to the New England Courant, where he pretended to be a woman. (Who Was Mrs. Silence Dogood?) *** The internet is a vital part of modern life. Without web access, all kinds of businesses and jobs would be unable to function. So, as you can imagine, there are plenty of people who would love to see the internet crumble. And many have tried. (Taking Down The World Wide Web) *** In 1983 sightings poured in from people on the California coast who claim they saw a sea monster. (The California Sea Monster) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding 00:01:10.244 = Show Open 00:03:40.994 = The Hopkinsville Encounter 00:13:15.837 = Dinosaur Observed in the Congo *** 00:27:07.561 = Taking Down The World Wide Web *** 00:36:42.752 = The Mysterious Death of Theodor Lakoff 00:43:15.319 = Who Was Mrs. Silence Dogood? 00:49:11.286 = The California Sea Monster 00:55:29.517 = 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 Hopkinsville Encounter” by Hannah Collins for Ranker.com’s Graveyard Shift:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yp8pnfx7 “Dinosaur Observed in the Congo” by Richard Greenwell for the ISC Newsletter: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yc3r3mpp “The Mysterious Death of Theodore Lakoff” by Kathi Kresol for HauntedRockford.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ku5x3cat “Who Was Mrs. Silence Dogood?” by Bipin Dimri for...