“THE BILLIARD BALL” by Isaac Asimov #WeirdDarkness #ThrillerThursday #Darkives

From the 1981 Boston sightings, to Steven King’s monster, to John Wayne Gacy's horrific murders, we have plenty of reasons to loath these nightmare entertainers. Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate IN THIS EPISODE: Why do clowns creep us out? We’ll look at some of the reasons. We’ll review real creepy clown sightings – it happens a lot more than you might think! Plus, we’ll also look at some true cases of clowns committing crimes… and sometimes killing. ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “The Tamarac Square Clown” posted at DarkStories.org: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yck74etk “Why So Serious About Clowns?” by Frank T. McAndrew for The Conversation: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9cd2hp; and Beth Forrester for Spirit Halloween:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8s8m3h “Creepy Clown Sightings” by Matthew Dessem for Slate.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5fdppc8j; Nina Young for Kidspot.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p852r3b “Clowns of Crime” by Lauren Tousignant for The New York Times: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8thetd; Maggie Panos at PopSugar.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p87t7hh; and from iHorror: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/7byrxnmv “John Wayne Gacy: Killer Clown” by Katie Serena for All That’s Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yc7465z8 ===== (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.) = = = = = "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes...

A terrified woman claims a demon with a face is behind a grisly axe murder — but the truth is far more horrifying! Hear the tale from Stay Tuned For Terror! | #RetroRadio EP0458 Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:50.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Forty-Five Minutes to Murder” (June 28, 1976) ***WD 00:46:28.130 = Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, “Dunder Rock” (1930) ***WD 00:47:27.946 = Sam Spade, “Chargogagog” (September 25, 1949) 01:15:33.756 = The Sealed Book, “Welcome Home” (May 20, 1945) ***WD (LQ) 01:39:21.724 = The Shadow, “The Precipice Called Death” (January 21, 1940) 02:04:42.383 = Sleep No More, “Evening Flowering of Strange Orchid” (April 24, 1957) 02:33:46.830 = BBC Spine Chillers, “Absolute Silence” (1984) 02:47:54.064 = Stay Tuned For Terror, “Lizzie Borden Took An Axe” (July 23, 1945) ***WD 03:02:33.180 = Strange Wills, “Seven Flights to Glory” (August 03, 1946) 03:32:29.594 = Strange, “Deja Vu In France” (1955) 03:47:35.602 = Suspense, “A Friend To Alexander” (August 03, 1943) 04:17:23.652 = Tales of the Frightened, “The Vampire Sleeps” (1963) 04:22:25.883 = The Saint, “Terrible Tintype” (November 26, 1950) 04:52:11.282 = Theater Five, “Echo of Madness” (October 07, 1964) 05:14:13.458 = Theater 1030, “The Thing In The Hall” (1968-1971) ***WD 05:43:47.290 = 2000 Plus, “Alone” (November 15, 1950) 06:14:26.864 = The Unexpected, “Solid Citizen” (1940) 06:29:13.253 = Unit 99, “Disturbance Call” (April 11, 1958) 06:52:53.535 = Unsolved Mysteries, “Indian Fakir” (February 17, 1944) ***WD 07:06:42.571 = Escape, “Bloodbath” (June 30, 1950) 07:34:41.966 = The Weird Circle, “Bell Tower” (1944) 08:02:06.940 = The Whistler, “Patients For Doctor” (November 21, 1943) 08:31:46.821 = X Minus One, “Star Bright” (April 10, 1956) 09:00:05.392 = ABC Mystery Time, “Suicide Club” (June 07, 1956) ***WD (LQ) 09:22:02.945 = Strange Adventure, “Runaway” (1945) 09:25:31.625 = Appointment With Fear, “My Fate Cries Out” (December 04, 1976) ***WD 09:53:05.540 = 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. Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. = = = = = "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46 = = = = = WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness. = = = = = CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0458

A mysterious black goo oozing from a ship’s rudder turned out to be a previously unknown life form — because of course it did. Say hello to ShipGoo001!  READ or LISTEN to this #MindOfMarlar article: https://weirddarkness.com/mm-shipgoo001 MindOfMarlar™, WeirdDarkness®, Copyright ©2025 NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.

In 1896-1897, thousands of Americans across 19 states witnessed mysterious airships with strange occupants, bright lights, and impossible technology – decades before the Wright Brothers' first flight and 50 years before Roswell – in what became history's first documented mass UFO sighting. Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate IN THIS EPISODE: When students at a Catholic primary school in Uganda began exhibiting mass possession symptoms — crawling on their bellies, barking, and chanting their teacher's name — an enraged mob burned down the accused educator's home and killed his livestock, pointing at him as the cause of the demonic possession. (Uganda’s Demon Possessed Primary School) *** New research suggests that time travelers would return from their journeys with completely wiped memories due to the reversal of entropy, making it impossible to remember or prove they ever traveled through time at all. (Time Travel Memory Loss) *** When Austrian soldiers bought schnapps from local traders one night in 1788, a drunken dispute among the troops escalated into full-scale panic that caused 100,000 soldiers to attack not the enemy, but themselves in history's most absurd friendly fire incident. (The Friendly Fire Defeat of Karansebes) *** In separate South African hospitals, two physically disabled men vanished from their beds only to be discovered dead in inaccessible ceiling spaces days later, leaving investigators with an impossible mystery and families without answers. (Dead Patients In The Ceiling) *** Between 1896 and 1897, thousands of Americans reported seeing mysterious flying machines in the skies – decades before powered flight was supposed to exist. (The 1897 UFO Wave) ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Lead-In 00:02:32.628 = Show Open 00:04:48.093 = The 1897 UFO Wave 00:28:07.168 = Uganda’s Demon Possessed Primary School 00:36:47.713 = Time Travel Memory Loss 00:43:41.956 = The Friendly Fire Defeat of Karansebes 00:59:23.253 = Dead Patients In The Ceiling 01:10:24.250 = Show Close SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… The 1897 UFO Wave: https://weirddarkness.com/americas-first-ufo/ Uganda’s Demon Possessed Primary School: https://weirddarkness.com/mazibaschool/ Time Travel Memory Loss:

A lonely teenage girl invents an imaginary friend to cope with isolation. As real-life companions enter her world, the imaginary friend turns hostile — manifesting physically and attacking to preserve its existence in her make-believe realm. Hear “Child of Fate” from CBS Radio Mystery Theater! | #RetroRadio EP0457 Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:50.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Child of Fate” (June 24, 1976) 00:46:33.864 = Theater Five, “Last Land Rush” (October 06, 1964) 01:06:33.079 = Theater 1030, “The Sandman” (1968-1971) ***WD (LQ) 01:33:45.605 = 2000 Plus, “Giant Walks” (November 08,1950) ***WD 02:02:52.238 = The Unexpected, “Birthday Present” (1947) 02:17:48.203 = Unit 99, “Meet Citizen at 26th and D” (April 04, 1958) 02:41:23.539 = Unsolved Mysteries, “Toll Bridge” (1936) ***WD 02:56:01.041 = Columbia Workshop, “Carmilla” (July 28, 1940) (LQ) 03:25:39.220 = Dark Venture, “Elizabeth Is Frightened” (July 22, 1947) 03:55:46.286 = The Weird Circle, “Ghost’s Touch” (September 17, 1944) 04:23:20.796 = The Whistler, “Mirage” (October 03, 1943) 04:52:48.926 = X Minus One, “How To” (April 03, 1956) 05:21:24.474 = The Zero Hour, “The Blessing, Part 1” (November 19, 1973) 05:51:34.005 = The Zero Hour, “The Blessing, Part 2” (November 20, 1973) 06:21:42.496 = The Zero Hour, “The Blessing, Part 3” (November 21, 1973) 06:51:34.674 = The Zero Hour, “The Blessing, Part 4” (November 22, 1973) 07:21:38.573 = The Zero Hour, “The Blessing, Part 5” (November 23, 1973) 07:51:43.168 = ABC Mystery Time, “Success Story” (1957) ***WD (LQ) 08:15:55.236 = Strange Adventure, “The Code of Honor” (1945) ***WD 08:19:26.159 = Appointment With Fear, “Morning Glory” (July 18, 1943) ***WD (LQ) 08:46:14.603 = BBC Ghost Story, “The Crowd” (1986-1987) 09:00:45.796 = Beyond The Green Door, “Alfred Porter, Ghosts, Vampires” (1966) 09:04:44.649 = The Black Book, “Different Readings, Part 1” (November 21, 1951) ***WD 09:21:44.794 = The Black Book, “Different Readings, Part 2” (November 21, 1951) ***WD 09:30:21.834 = All Star Western Theater, “Ghost In Little Deer Canyon” (November 29, 1947) 09:58:50.632 = 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. Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. = = = = = "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46 = = = = = WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness. = = = = = CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0457