Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

When two girls ignore the whispered warnings about the haunted woods at the edge of their neighborhood, they come face to face with proof that some legends are far more than legend.

Look for this podcast on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and numerous other podcast apps. Get the full list of options 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

While science offers an explanation for sleep paralysis, the haunting tales of shadowy figures, demons, and unearthly whispers remind us that, in the dead of night, the line between reality and nightmare blurs.

Look for this podcast on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other apps. Get the full list of options here: https://pod.link/1078714736

*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

IN THIS EPISODE: It feels like a demon trapping you inside your own body. For some, it’s a faceless entity trying to suffocate them. For others, it’s a creepy old witch with long, dirty claws. Others believe it’s alien abduction, and some even see the face of dead relatives during these attacks. However it happens, whatever is seen or felt, whatever the truth of the phenomenon may be… sleep paralysis is always terrifying. (Stories of Sleep Paralysis) *** It was the single most destructive fire in American history, on October 8, 1871 a large portion of the midwest burned to the ground… but this wasn’t the Great Chicago Fire. (The Great Peshtigo Fire) *** You could say their story is a long and fishy tail… mermaids have been in folklore and myths throughout history, and with stories of them being found worldwide. (Mermaid Mythology)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:00:56.194 = Show Open
00:02:43.892 = Stories of Sleep Paralysis, Part 1
00:24:37.070 = Stories of Sleep Paralysis, Part 2 ***
00:43:30.403 = Mermaid Mythology
00:50:26.607 = The Great Peshtigo Fire ***
01:13:11.745 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

HELPFUL LINKS & RESOURCES…
https://WeirdDarkness.com/ALBUMS = Songs and Videos by our Weird Darkness punk band, #DarkWeirdness
https://WeirdDarkness.com/STORE = Tees, Mugs, Socks, Hoodies, Totes, Hats, Kidswear & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/HOPE = Hope For Depression or Thoughts of Self-Harm
https://WeirdDarkness.com/NEWSLETTER = In-Depth Articles, Memes, Weird DarkNEWS, Videos & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/AUDIOBOOKS = FREE Audiobooks Narrated By Darren Marlar

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/sleepdemon

SOURCES and RESOURCES:
Episode Page at WeirdDarkness.com: https://weirddarkness.com/SleepParalysis
“Stories of Sleep Paralysis” by Christoper Shultz for Ranker: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckmrapk; and US Ghost Adventures: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/72p3x994
“The Great Peshtigo Fire” by Troy Taylor from the book “And Hell Followed With It”: https://amzn.to/3HdyOci
“Mermaid Mythology” by Louise Pryke for The Conversation: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9bzzsx
(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 in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.

Originally aired: January 09, 2024

A brazen 13-ton candy heist, a Formula 1-shaped chocolate getaway, and new research suggesting the perpetrators may have stumbled onto the world's most delicious life-extension scheme.

PRINT VERSION OF THIS STORY: https://weirddarkness.com/kit-kat-caper

Look for this podcast on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and numerous other podcast apps. Get the full list of options here: https://pod.link/1078714736

*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

“The Man In The Black Hat”: A gambler down on his luck gets the surprise of his life when a stranger with cold gray eyes hands him the keys to a brand-new car — no strings attached, no explanation given. From that moment on, nothing but good fortune follows him. But so does the man in the black hat. No matter where he goes, no matter what happens, that same gray-eyed figure keeps turning up — watching, waiting. Who is he? What does he want? And why can't anything seem to stop him? | #RetroRadio #WeirdDarkness | EP0625

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Thousand and First Door” (July 29, 1977)
00:47:20.330 = Screen Guild Theater, “The Maltese Falcon” (September 20, 1943)
01:15:59.326 = The Sealed Book, “Death Laughs Last” (September 02, 1945)
01:45:34.035 = The Shadow, “The Shadow Challenged” (January 19, 1941) ***WD
02:14:35.283 = Sleep No More, “Over The Hill” and “The Man In The Black Hat” (December 05, 1956) ***WD
02:37:55.162 = BBC Radio 4 Spine Chillers, “Falling To Pieces” (April 2006)
02:50:12.599 = Stay Tuned For Terror, “The Bogey Man Will Get You” (October 01, 1945) ***WD
03:04:45.016 = Strange Wills, “Black Interlude” (June 22, 1946)
03:34:37.800 = Strange, “The Ghost Train” (September 18, 1955)
03:48:16.621 = Suspense, “Locked Room” (January 27, 1944)
04:17:35.994 = Tales Of The Frightened, “Call At Midnight” (1957)
04:22:22.192 = Tales of Tomorrow, “The Other Now” (January 22, 1953)
04:52:16.501 = 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/WDRR0625

Hidden deep in the Czech countryside, Houska Castle wasn’t built to protect anyone—it was built to trap something far more sinister within.

Look for this podcast on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other apps. Get the full list of options here: https://pod.link/1078714736

*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

IN THIS EPISODE: Constructed near Prague in the 13th century, Houska Castle has housed mad scientists, Nazis, and perhaps even "demons." (Houska Castle And Its Gateway To Hell) *** In the 1980s, Theresa Knorr brutally murdered her two daughters—with the help of her sons. (The Murder Of The Knorr Daughters) *** Due to the fact that they are homes for children who are unwanted, abandoned, or orphaned… orphanages are naturally sad places even when shown in the light of day. But in the dark, the sadness can turn to terror as a whole different crowd of children make themselves known… the ghosts of those who died there. (Ghost Stories From Orphanages) *** Hannah Upp was a teacher who developed a severe and rare form of amnesia – she disappeared twice, but was located each time. But then she disappeared again in 2017 and is still missing today. What happened to Hannah? (The Teacher With Amnesia Who Disappeared Forever)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:00:35.051 = Show Open
00:02:23.702 = Houska Castle And Its Gateway To Hell
00:09:34.611 = Murder Of The Knorr Daughters ***
00:24:55.644 = Ghost Stories From Orphanages ***
00:37:40.870 = The Teacher With Amnesia Who Disappeared Forever ***
00:48:46.830 = Show Close
00:49:58.898 = Bloopers
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

HELPFUL LINKS & RESOURCES…
https://WeirdDarkness.com/ALBUMS = Songs and Videos by our Weird Darkness punk band, #DarkWeirdness
https://WeirdDarkness.com/STORE = Tees, Mugs, Socks, Hoodies, Totes, Hats, Kidswear & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/HOPE = Hope For Depression or Thoughts of Self-Harm
https://WeirdDarkness.com/NEWSLETTER = In-Depth Articles, Memes, Weird DarkNEWS, Videos & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/AUDIOBOOKS = FREE Audiobooks Narrated By Darren Marlar

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HouskaCastle

SOURCES and RESOURCES:
HAVE YOU SEEN HANNA UPP? Call the Virgin Islands Police Department at 340-772-5605
BOOK: “Mother’s Day” by Dennis McDougal: https://amzn.to/3vnGypv
“Houska Castle And Its Gateway To Hell” by Marco Margaritoff for All That’s Interesting:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mw2kus5z
“The Murder Of The Knorr Daughers” posted at The Line Up: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3wkt93r4
“Ghost Stories from Orphanages” by Elle Tharp for Graveyard Shift: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yjhkvhs7
“The Teacher With Amnesia Who Disappeared Forever” by Stephen Morin for Unspeakable Crimes: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mwaweaad
(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 in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.

Originally aired: January 03, 2024