SCARED TO DEATH: Real Cases of People Who Literally Died From Fright

Read my deep-dive article about people literally dying of fright:
https://weirddarkness.com/scared-to-death-true-cases/

From thunder and burglars to fake ghosts and even tree frogs, newspapers throughout history documented thousands of cases where people literally dropped dead from terror. These disturbing accounts reveal how the human body can turn fear itself into a fatal weapon, with victims ranging from soldiers frightened by practical jokes to children scared by animals looking through windows.

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IN THIS EPISODE: It has been scientifically proven that we can truly be scared to death – but some of the situations of people dying of fright might surprise you. We’ll look at a few newspaper headlines and stories from the past where people were deemed to be scared to death. (Incidents of Death By Fright) *** The tragic death of 11-year-old Darius Flinders could quite possibly be one of the strangest deaths ever recorded. It wouldn’t seem so at first, but it gets that way as the possible explanations come forth. (The Strange Death of Darius N. Flinders) *** Last month a group of disgruntled TikTok witches reportedly got together and combined their online powers to cast a negative spell on the moon. Not a sentence I thought I’d ever read aloud, but that’s just the kind of year we’re having, isn’t it? (Disgruntled Witches Curse the Moon) *** Weirdo family member Chris Harrell feels something hop onto the end of his bed… and it wasn’t his dog. (Zombie Paralysis) *** Philadelphian Dorothy Cooper Forstein appeared to be happily married, comfortably well-to-do, a loving mother, and well-liked. She was, in short, one of the last people anyone would imagine as a victim of one of the creepiest disappearances in American history. (The Disappearance of Dorothy Forstein) *** Allan Pinkerton started the nation's first P.I. firm, saved Abraham Lincoln's life, and led Union spies behind Confederate lines during the Civil War. We’ll look at the formation of the Pinkerton Agency. (America’s First Private Eyes)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:00:52.954 = Show Open
00:03:21.591 = Incidents of Death By Fright
00:30:10.366 = Strange Death of Darius N. Flinders
00:39:00.697 = Disgruntled Witches Curse The Moon
00:41:41.540 = Zombie Paralysis
00:45:19.265 = Disappearance of Dorothy Forstein
00:50:19.739 = America’s First Private Eyes
00:56:24.791 = Show Close
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Incidents of Death by Fright” by Chris Woodyard for The Victorian Book of the Dead: https://tinyurl.com/yyojesk6
“The Strange Death of Darius N. Flinders” by Jennifer Jones for The Dead History: https://tinyurl.com/y2ulwdfv
“The Disappearance of Dorothy Forstein” posted at Strange Company: https://tinyurl.com/y295teyk
“Disgruntled Witches Curse The Moon” by Rob Schwarz for Stranger Dimensions: https://tinyurl.com/y4etwyck
“Zombie Paralysis” by Weirdo family member Chris Harrell: https://tinyurl.com/yydgjgye
“America’s First Private Eyes” by Grace Srinivasiah for The Line Up: https://tinyurl.com/yxo4akj3
=====(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 ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: August 08, 2020
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/ScaredToDeath
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