#FIRESIDEFRIGHTS VOLUME 32 #WeirdDarkness
30 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
#WeirdDarkNEWS | A Gettysburg Ghost Tour, A General's Cannibal Claim, And More
Twenty-two stories, starting with a tourism official's glowing photo on a Gettysburg ghost tour and running through a Ugandan general's cannibal claim, white-powder letters to Congress, a 17th-century Polish grave with a padlock and a sickle, and a congressman's search for footage of pale, human-looking bodies. SOURCES, LINKS, AND PRINT VERSION: http://weirddarkness.com/gettysburg-ghost-tour No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness. More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.
1 hour 1 min
29 October Finished
THE FIRST FATAL UFO ENCOUNTER: Pilot Thomas Mantell’s Deadly Chase Over Kentucky
In January 1948, Captain Thomas Mantell chased a huge metallic object across the Kentucky sky in his P-51 Mustang and kept climbing after both of his wingmen turned back, and nearly fifty years later, an Air Force investigator who'd been at his crash site said the trees around the wreckage were undamaged and that he believed the plane had been placed there. READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5hyxhtbf FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Most of us would say it’s difficult to understand how someone who was responsible for deliberately killing hundreds of people could be elevated to the status of a hero. However, those who speak in favor of Gulia Tofana say her motives and actions were justified. (She Poisoned 600 Men) *** During the last 300 years, at least 200 cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion have been registered around the world. What is causing this to happen, and can it be stopped? (The Unexplained Phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion) *** Can an ambulance be haunted? The story I share with you might convince you it is. (Ambulance Turmoil) *** What led Captain Thomas Mantell on a chase to his death? (The Thomas Mantell UFO Encounter) *** Does something evil reside in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles? (Hollywood Forever) *** The U.S. civil war was the bloodiest of all American wars – but the bloodiest was a Confederate prison holding Union soldiers. (Hell Hole of the Confederacy) *** Barbara Forrest and Mary Ashford lived in different centuries, but they died in chillingly similar ways. (The Eerie Similarities of the Erdington Murders) *** Is it possible that Bill Ramsey is, in fact, a real life werewolf? (The Southend Werewolf) *** AND MORE! CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding 00:02:13.380 = Show Open 00:04:28.402 = The Unexplained Phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion 00:09:57.484 = Ambulance Turmoil 00:11:58.908 = The Thomas Mantell UFO Encounter 00:20:55.145 = The Woman Known As “E” 00:28:53.257 = The Poisoned 600 Men 00:35:22.937 = Hell Hole Of The Confederacy 00:54:47.308 = Hollywood Forever 00:57:52.951 = The Eerie Similarities of the Erdington Murders” 01:02:15.368 = Bill Ramsey, The Southend Werewolf 01:12:08.469 = Show Close *** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break *No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast* SOURCES and RESOURCES: “She Poisoned 600 Men” by Ellen Lloyd for AncientPages.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y5pkrmdh “The Unexplained Phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion” posted at MessageToEagle.com: (link no longer exists) “Ambulance Turmoil” from the GhostsNGhouls website (link no longer exists) “The Thomas Mantell UFO Encounter” by Les Hewitt for HistoricMysteries.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2ayxysc “The Woman Known as E” by George Boggs, dedicated to Ginny (ElviraDark6) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/willythewave “Hell Hole Of The Confederacy” by unknown author (link no longer exists) “Hollywood Forever” posted at YourGhostStories.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ndfwpx3r “The Eerie Similarities of the Erdington Murders” posted at TheLineUp.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5h46wywn “Bill Ramsey, The Southend Werewolf” from Paranorms.com...
1 hour 15 mins
29 October Finished
THE SHOCK OF HIS LIFE: One Jolt From The TV And He Knew Every Winner | #RetroRadio
A Queens bar owner takes a jolt from his TV set that stops his heart, then wakes up able to read tomorrow's front page in his head, and the first thing he does is call his bookie. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Shock Of His Life” (February 19, 1979) ***WD 00:46:46.815 = X Minus 1, “The Lights On Precipice Peak” (March 13, 1957) 01:08:44.881 = ABC Mystery Time, “Four Fatal Jugglers” (1957) ***WD 01:33:26.820 = Appointment With Fear, “The Clock Strikes Eight” (May 18, 1944) ***WD 02:03:10.532 = Arch Oboler’s Plays, “History of Mug” (August 09, 1945) 02:33:43.616 = Barry Craig, “Fatal Appointment” (January 16, 1952) 03:03:35.906 = Ghost Story, “The Linen Mill” (October 24, 2005) 03:19:18.098 = Night Beat, “Taste of Peaches” (July 17, 1952) ***WD 03:49:23.611 = The Black Book, “Vagabond Murder” (March 02, 1952) ***WD 04:05:14.111 = Box 13, “Tempest In A Casserole” (April 03, 1949) 04:32:35.789 = Calling All Cars, “Murder Of A Soul” (June 13, 1934) 05:01:53.368 = 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. More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.
5 hours 2 mins
28 October Finished
THE SILVER LINE: The Only Lights For Sixty Miles | #MidnightInTheMacabre
Lost in a Colorado snowstorm, a man who's fallen behind on his child support pulls into a roadside diner called The Silver Line just as it's closing, and the huge, cheerful man inside lets him in and locks the door behind him. SOURCES and RESOURCES: “Hospitality” by Erik Peabody: https://www.creepypasta.com/hospitality-2/ WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness. Midnight In The Macabre (MITM), originally aired: October 28, 2026 More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.
40 mins
28 October Finished
THE MISSING DAY: A Twenty-Minute Drive Home That Took Twenty-Four Hours | #RetroRadio
A man who runs a plant that builds nuclear reactors calls his wife to say he'll be home in twenty minutes for their anniversary dinner, walks in a full day later with wilted flowers in his hand and sure it's still Tuesday, and the next morning a truckload of uranium whose schedule only he knew is found hijacked beside the highway. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Missing Day” (February 14, 1979) ***WD 00:46:41.949 = The Saint, “Case of Lonesome Slab” (January 22, 1950) ***WD 01:15:27.653 = 2000 Plus, “Giant Walks” (November 08, 1050) ***WD 01:45:11.323 = The Unexpected, “Revenge” (1948) ***WD 02:00:52.339 = Unsolved Mysteries, “Indian Fakir” (February 17, 1944) ***WD 02:15:32.547 = Dark Venture, “Elizabeth Is Frightened” (July 22, 1947) 02:46:27.292 = Weird Circle, “Knightsbridge Mystery” (October 17, 1943) 03:14:55.705 = The Whistler, “Deadly Innocent” (July 02, 1945) 03:46:26.717 = Strange Wills, “Dance Director” (November 16, 1946) 04:17:24.458 = Witch’s Tale, “Graveyard Mansion” (March 06, 1933) ***WD 04:48:29.881 = Incredible But True, “Footprints In The Sand” (1950-1951) 04:52:03.249 = Strange Adventure, “The Peace Maker” (1945) 04:55:21.485 = Tales of the Frightened, “The Vampire Sleeps” (1963) 05:00:09.335 = 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. More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.
5 hours 1 min
28 October Finished
SECRETS OF SEANCE CHARLATANS: How Victorian Mediums Fooled the World With Ghost Tricks
Grieving families in the Victorian era paid good money for a few minutes with their dead, and the mediums who took that money had help, from props hidden up their sleeves to assistants who gathered details about each sitter before the séance began. EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/victorian-seance-tricks READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdd96bh3 FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Victorian era séances – where mediums claimed to bridge the living and the dead with mysterious rituals and eerie phenomena. But they had some elaborate tricks and illusions up their sleeves, all with the intention of misleading millions with the promise of communicating beyond the grave – and lining their own pockets, of course. (Secrets of the Seance Charlatans) *** Underneath the Nevada desert a 13-year-old Marc Brooks was exploring – and encountered the unknown. A secret chamber, a mysterious artifact, and a chilling humanoid creature defies explanation. What lies underground in the desert? (Reptile Men And Underground Bases) *** From charitable beginnings to centuries of cruelty, Bedlam – England's first mental hospital – has a shocking history. It’s dark past of inhumane treatments and public spectacles are such well-known atrocities that we’ve eventually come to use the word “bedlam” to describe uproar and confusion. We’ll take a look at the chilling stories of the hospital that started it all. (Nightmare at Bedlam) *** The 1976 Chowchilla school bus kidnapping saw 26 California children abducted, buried alive, and held for ransom — then they miraculously escaped. (The Chowchilla Kidnapping) *** Spells, magic and curses have captivated the human imagination from the beginning of time. From ancient Egyptian tombs to modern-day superstitions, beliefs in the supernatural have shaped history, influenced cultures, and continue to fascinate us today. Why does magical misfortune still hold such an interest for us? (Magic, Curses and Supernatural Spells) *** A man almost crashed an entire country's economy by tricking a bank into printing real money for him? It was one of the most audacious schemes in financial history, flooding Portugal with millions in genuine but unauthorized banknotes. It was great while it lasted – but the crash was brutal! (The Man Who Almost Broke a Country) *** Urraca Mesa is a mysterious table mountain in New Mexico where compasses spin wildly, and ghostly blue lights dance in the night. It’s full of stories of vanished ancient tribes and terrifying supernatural encounters with evil spirits. It’s a hotspot for unexplained phenomena and those who seek it. We’ll learn some of the eerie secrets of the Urraca Mesa. (The Urraca Mesa Portal) *** AND MORE! CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding 00:03:21.893 = Show Open 00:06:46.207 = Secrets of the Seance Charlatans 00:17:16.895 = Nightmare At Bedlam *** 00:25:39.431 = Reptile Men and Underground Bases 00:32:21.868 = The Chowchilla Kidnapping *** 00:36:12.454 = Magic, Curses and Supernatural Spells 00:44:50.503 = The Man Who Almost Broke a Country’s Economy *** 00:51:48.689 = The Urraca Mesa Portal 00:58:06.908 = Bizarre Name Changes *** 01:05:31.975 = Show Close *** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break *No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast* SOURCES and RESOURCES: “Reptile Men And Underground Bases” source: Marc Lowth at UFOInsight.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/64vrrh66 “The Chowchilla Kidnapping”...
1 hour 7 mins
28 October Finished
