Midnight Snacks: Stories to Binge After Dark
Join our crew as we evaluate a curation of bizarre and troubling stories from Dan McDowell’s eclectic Midnight Snacks collection. You’ll want to binge these after dark for extra chill factor.
Episodes
Tom Henderson, a steady Algebra II teacher, snaps after decades of ridicule from his students. Tired of being teased for his "coke bottle glasses" and "pooched belly", he devises a meticulous new curriculum. His subject is not math, but consequence. The lesson is about to begin, and three former students are about to learn the price of their past cruelty.
#midnightsnacks #mathematicalhell #shortstories #midnightfuel
When a writer meets an old friend for coffee, a simple conversation about creativity ends with an old book changing hands. After a shocking loss, the writer struggles with guilt contemplating if his intent to inspire is a gift or a curse.
For Coach Len Harrows, the past is a weapon. His obsession with winning is tested when a chilling demand forces him into a strange partnership. As the final buzzer approaches, Harrows realizes the trophies he worships may exact a debt greater than any championship can repay.
A youth group's camping trip takes a terrifying turn when a volunteer leads a late-night hike. While an occult group performs a ritual nearby, the boys stumble upon a scene of cloaked figures dancing around flames in a bizarre ceremony. The encounter leaves the boys and their guide shaken, highlighting unexpected horrors that can lurk in the dark.
Meet Henry Levells, a man whose premature baldness accidentally became his greatest strength—and his biggest secret. When an invitation to his twenty-year high school reunion arrives, his fragile confidence shatters. Then, a strange little man appears in his garage, offering an impossible deal to restore his youth. Henry must choose: face his past as his true self, or pay an unseen price for perfect confidence.
Join Jonny Haltom, a conspiracy theorist recovering from surgery, as he finds himself obsessed with the new, secretive data center across the street. While nursing his injuries, he uncovers strange trucks and curved construction materials. His wife, Lisa, is annoyed by his "research," but soon realizes something genuinely strange is happening in their quiet Texas neighborhood. Tune in to find out what the massive corporation is tru...
Pastor Eric Rallow is on a controversial mission: using a technical instrument and his knowledge of "dead languages" to hear the afterlife. What he hears—screams, songs, and silence—drives him to prove the existence of heaven and hell. But his exploration of an ancient pit in Widow’s Cave brings him face-to-face with a choice that could cost him everything.
Join us for a special Halloween edition of Midnight Snacks, where the full short story is available and dramatized. After a prank gets John Garrowitz fired from his nineteen-year corporate job, his life takes a strange turn when a chanting voice leads him to an eccentric dummy named Dewey. The pair form a chaotic, fast-talking partnership and return to John's old office for a disastrous attempt at revenge and a new career. John qui...
Six years ago, the punk rockers of Smart Mouth ended in cursed disaster. Now, frontman Harris Roberts is ready with new material, sober, and set to reclaim the stage with Eagle and Skelter. But the band's new, explosive sound is built on a dangerous lie. A deleted master recording and a chilling conspiracy leave them questioning if their failure— and their resurrection are all part of the system's plan?
A chilling, meta-commentary on media control and artificiality. The host, Rick Evans, reveals their voices and studio are artificial and perfectly controlled, comparing the setup to news media. He asserts their power, embracing the potential for unpredictability and existential horror.
An introverted writer is pulled into a quieter than usual SuperCon event where he dreads attention. A humiliating encounter with a forgotten TV star leaves the actor obsessed with recognition and offering the writer a path to unexpected success. The price: an intensely personal collaboration based on two mysterious, non-negotiable conditions that threaten the writer's entire identity.
This chilling tale introduces Nick Hornsby, the steady, third-shift security guard at a city quarry, known for his glass eye. His quiet routine is shattered by the arrival of an unfamiliar truck and its too-perfect driver. A simple check turns into a mind-bending confrontation about a forgotten past and a terrible secret, blurring the line between reality and an endless nightmare.
#nightmarefuel #midnightsnacks #scarystories #of...
Lee Randles treasures his perfect backyard sanctuary until a gate squeak and damaged path spark intense anxiety and suspicion. His escalating frustration and accusations isolate him from his wife. Forced outside, he confronts the chaos of nature and realizes the true source of his discontent.
#nightmarefuel #midnightsnacks #scarystories #offbeatcreepy
In "Twisted Hacks," Greg Preakle is desperate to avoid eviction after losing his job as a pool man. With his power shut off and debts piling up, he answers an advertisement for a "cutting edge game show" promising a potential gateway to "greater opportunities".
Read the full version of the story in Dan McDowell’s award winning Pool Man: A Nightmare in Riverton novel.
#nightmarefuel #midnightsnacks #scarystories #offbeatcreepy
...Jerald Wellins, known for never flinching during his annual Halloween horror marathon, hosts a screening of a mysterious, un-titled film. Labeled "For Jerald Only," the grainy footage shows unsettling, distorted views of his own house. The movie, which affects his friends, is only the prelude to a series of psychological terrors that challenge Jerald's profound disbelief in fear. Something has finally shifted.
#nightmarefuel #mi...
A freelancer named Matt Lebell believes Simple Minds' "Alive and Kicking" is the true anthem of the 80s. His intense connection to the music transports him to another reality. His obsession leads to eccentric behavior, catching the attention of both a police officer and a fast-food employee. Discover the extraordinary lengths he goes to for a trip to his perfect world. The story explores the allure of musical escape and the cost of...
Weebo Jabilson has a deep, lifelong obsession with his childhood home. After years of saving and dreaming, he finally gets a chance to sneak back into the seemingly "sacred" space. What he finds is not the channel to his memories, but a completely unrecognizable, modern nightmare that challenges his lifelong fixation.
#nightmarefuel #midnightsnacks #scarystories #offbeatcreepy
A homeowner of a 1900-built house discovers a bizarre presence beneath his pier and beam foundation. What starts as a skinny black cat soon begins to grow, morphing into something else entirely. Driven by a need for connection, the man begins a secret, junk-food-fueled relationship with the creature, which his wife finds increasingly suspicious.
#nightmarefuel #midnightsnacks #scarystories #offbeatcreepy
Jeff Ellison brings home a portable air conditioning unit leaving it untouched for a year. After setting it up, he begins filming as the appliance exhibits bizarre behavior, creating a strange link between him and the unit. The unexpected encounter with a small silver figure escalates, leaving the strangest scene captured in recent times.
#nightmarefuel #midnightsnacks #scarystories #offbeatcreepy
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