Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

From cursed quarterbacks to ghostly gridirons, we explore the haunted history and supernatural legends that still linger on football fields across America. Download the FREE WORD SEARCH GAME For This Episode: https://weirddarkness.com/FootballPhantoms [https://weirddarkness.com/FootballPhantoms] Download the FREE CROSSWORD PUZZLE For This Episode: https://weirddarkness.com/FootballPhantoms [https://weirddarkness.com/FootballPhantoms] Get the Darkness Syndicate version of #WeirdDarkness: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate [https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate] 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. IN THIS EPISODE: It's the curious details of a murder case that transfix true crime obsessives. Some have elements that are particularly violent, bloody, gruesome, and unsettling. Worse, some slayings remain unsolved, meaning that the perpetrator continued to walk among us after the deed was finished. From the famous Black Dahlia murder and America's Jack the Ripper to a body found in a tree and a weird note left before one German man’s disappearance, in this episode I’ll share several mysterious, unsolved deaths that will chill you to the bone. But first, we’ll begin with a few hauntings related to the gridiron… American Football Phantoms! CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate and Only Accurate For the Commercial Version)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:36.123 = American Football Phantoms 00:14:27.187 = Unsolved Murders, Part 1 00:23:11.627 = Unsolved Murders, Part 2 00:46:05.893 = Unsolved Murders, Part 3 01:06:06.613 = Unsolved Murders, Part 4 01:27:42.021 = Unsolved Murders, Part 5 01:40:51.445 = Unsolved Murders, Part 6 01:46:29.237 = Show Close 01:47:37.910 = Outtakes SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Chilling Unsolved Murders” from The Line Up: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/foyleo4o [https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/foyleo4o] “Football Hauntings” by Giancarlo Ferrari-King for Bleacher Report https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2o64vefa [https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2o64vefa], YourGhostStories.com (link no longer available), and Sports Planning Guide: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/1ivxxh5l [https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/1ivxxh5l] ===== (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 included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.) = = = = = "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. ===== Originally aired: August 2018 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/FootballPhantoms [https://weirddarkness.com/FootballPhantoms]

When the FBI’s bullets stopped flying, the legend of Ma Barker’s last stand was just beginning — and some say her ghost still keeps watch over the blood-soaked hideout to this day. Download The FREE Word Search Puzzle For This Episode: https://weirddarkness.com/MaBarkerGhost [https://weirddarkness.com/MaBarkerGhost] Get the Darkness Syndicate version of #WeirdDarkness: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate [https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate] 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. IN THIS EPISODE: The Lingering Ghost of “Ma” Barker haunts the shores of Lake Weir in Florida. *** Sex with ghosts… is it erotic or horrific? *** An axe-wielding maniac stalked the streets of the Big Easy, and the only way to avoid slaughter was to play jazz. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Lead-In 00:01:11.112 = Show Open 00:02:21.878 = The Axman of New Orleans 00:10:32.292 = Ghost Sex: Erotic or Horrific 00:19:40.119 = The Axman of New Orleans 01:14:50.110 = Show Close SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Ghost Sex: Erotic or Horrific” written by G. Michael Vasey: http://amzn.to/2FQGHTV [http://amzn.to/2FQGHTV] “The Lingering Ghost of ‘Ma Barker”: https://tinyurl.com/y5pdb6rd [https://tinyurl.com/y5pdb6rd] “The Axman of New Orleans”: https://tinyurl.com/y46okmow [https://tinyurl.com/y46okmow] ===== (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 included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.) = = = = = "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. ===== Originally aired: January 24, 2021 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/MaBarkerGhost [https://weirddarkness.com/MaBarkerGhost] TAGS: Ma Barker, Barker gang, Lake Weir, Ocklawaha Florida, gangster history, haunted house Florida, FBI siege, Ma Barker ghost, true crime, Depression era gangs, public enemies, Alvin Karpis, Fred Barker, gangster hideout, haunted locations Florida, gangland shootout, Ma Barker legend, Lake Weir haunting, paranormal Florida, ghost stories, famous gangsters, 1930s crime, Barker-Karpis gang, haunted cottages, Ma Barker last stand, FBI history, true crime hauntings, Lake Weir ghost, haunted gangster hideout

A lonely writer rents a room in a crumbling old house — only to discover the whispers and songs of a girl no one ever sees. Hear the tale, “Clarissa” from Quiet Please! | #RetroRadio EP0404 Download The FREE Word Search Puzzle for this episode: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0404 [https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0404] Get the Darkness Syndicate version at https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate [https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate] CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate and for Commercial Version Only)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:50.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater “The Patient Visitor” (February 23, 1976) ***WD 00:47:36.919 = Adventures of Ellery Queen, “Man In The Street” (December 04, 1947) ***WD 01:17:15.429 = Quiet Please, “Clarissa” (April 19, 1948) ***WD 01:48:03.149 = Radio City Playhouse, “Five Extra Nooses” (December 06, 1948) 02:19:18.809 = Half Hour to Kill, “Audition – Never Aired” (October 29, 1946) ***WD 02:47:50.759 = Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, “Weaponless Duel” (1930) ***WD 02:49:05.565 = The Saint, “Baseball Murder” (September 03, 1950) 03:17:21.439 = Adventures of Sam Spade, “Betrayal In Bumpus Hell” (November 16, 1949) 03:41:50.559 = The Sealed Book, “Murder Must Be Paid For” (August 05, 1945) 04:11:26.989 = The Shadow, “The Inventor of Death” (November 12, 1939) ***WD 04:36:42.419 = Sleep No More, “Banquos Chair Coward” (February 06, 1957) ***WD 05:05:05.119 = 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 = = = = = "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/WDRR0404

On a lazy summer day, two boys feed the fish – but beneath the water is something sinister they cannot see. Download The FREE Word Search Puzzle For This Episode: https://weirddarkness.com/MT-FeedThemUp [https://weirddarkness.com/MT-FeedThemUp] Written by Fionna Cosgrove: https://www.fionnacosgrovewriter.com [https://www.fionnacosgrovewriter.com/] Narrated by Darren Marlar: http://DarrenMarlar.com [http://darrenmarlar.com/] Find more family-friendly frights and creepy games to play on our website at http://MicroTerrors.com [http://microterrors.com/]! Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/microterrors [https://www.facebook.com/microterrors] Other stories, novels, and more from author Scott Donnelly: https://amzn.to/3LymHaU [https://amzn.to/3LymHaU] Other narrations, podcasts, and audiobooks from voice artist Darren Marlar: https://WeirdDarkness.com [https://weirddarkness.com/] = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Weird Darkness©, 2025 Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids™, 2025 #scarystories #halloweenstories #halloweenkids #storiesforkids #kidsstories #scarystoriesforkids #microterrors

When terror takes hold of the mind, whole communities descend into madness—meowing like beasts, dancing to exhaustion, and vanishing into the grip of something seemingly paranormal and demonic. Download The FREE Word Search Puzzle For This Episode: https://weirddarkness.com/TrueCasesOfMassHysteria [https://weirddarkness.com/TrueCasesOfMassHysteria] Get the Darkness Syndicate version of #WeirdDarkness: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate [https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate] 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. IN THIS EPISODE: Nuns that meow like cats, people who can’t stop laughing maniacally, an entire high school begins twitching… even the Salem witch trials. Just a few of the 8 cases of mass hysteria I’ll be sharing with you. *** January 7, 1950, events began in what became one of the strangest disappearances of the middle twentieth century – the vanishing of a West Point cadet. *** Visitors to Calke Abbey have reported a strange atmosphere of sadness and foreboding and many have reported being scared by the sounds of a tin whistle. *** We’ve all heard of the Bermuda Triangle – but there are strange, anomalies worldwide – and one in Russia is known as the “M Triangle”. *** As far back as the 19th century, a hairy monster has been frightening guests of an Irish castle. *** When living in a home built in the 1800s, it might be expected to have something paranormal living with you. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Lead-In 00:01:13.141 = Show Open 00:03:19.677 = Whispering Ghost of Calke Abbey 00:07:03.615 = The M Triangle 00:16:54.708 = Hairy Monster Frightening Guests At An Irish Castle 00:21:55.288 = The Haunted Farmhouse 00:30:28.274 = The Vanished Cadet 00:57:24.932 = Strange Cases of Mass Hysteria 01:10:32.285 = The Rearview (Fictional Story) 01:16:19.799 = Betty Bites (Fictional Story) 01:19:39.546 = Show Close SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “The Whistling Ghost of Calke Abbey”: https://tinyurl.com/y53zgov3 [https://tinyurl.com/y53zgov3] “The M-Triangle”: https://tinyurl.com/y582ymo6 [https://tinyurl.com/y582ymo6] “Arkaim Anomalous Zone”: https://tinyurl.com/y465d3u7 [https://tinyurl.com/y465d3u7] “Hairy Monster Frightening The Guests Of The Irish Castle”: https://tinyurl.com/y5gbnbx2 [https://tinyurl.com/y5gbnbx2] “The Haunted Farmhouse”: https://tinyurl.com/yyncsbyo [https://tinyurl.com/yyncsbyo] “Strange Cases of Mass Hysteria”: https://tinyurl.com/y6ja9ezo [https://tinyurl.com/y6ja9ezo] “The Vanished Cadet”: https://tinyurl.com/y4h8et3p [https://tinyurl.com/y4h8et3p] ===== (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 included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.) = = = = = "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. ===== Originally aired: December 01, 2018 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/TrueCasesOfMassHysteria [https://weirddarkness.com/TrueCasesOfMassHysteria] TAGS: mass hysteria, collective delusion, dancing plague, meowing nuns, Salem witch trials, Tanganyika laughter epidemic, Muhnochwa, Halifax slasher, historical mass hysteria, bizarre true stories, paranormal events, unexplained phenomena, psychological horror, group psychosis, creepy history, strange epidemics, human mind mysteries, occult history, mass hallucination, supernatural events, weird true crime, haunted history, folklore and legends, spooky mass events