MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Today's story is about a fiction writer who used her own life as inspiration – until her life took a tragic twist that no one would believe if she wrote it in a book. It’s a reminder that some stories... are better left untold.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter ...

In the early morning hours of March 27, 2003, a four-year-old boy was lying in bed in rural Ohio, when he suddenly heard his door open. He assumed it was just his great-grandparents checking in on him, and he pretended to be asleep. He heard the floorboards creaking as someone stepped into his room, and approached his bed. The boy peeked his eyes open just a tiny bit... and he saw a huge, green monster standing over his bed – point...

In today’s episode, we are doing something a little different. For the first time ever, I’m taking the "Strange, Dark, and Mysterious" stories outside to a literal campfire to bring you a tale that is as unsettling as it is historic.

Hundreds of years ago in what is now Richland County, Wisconsin, a search party from the Ho-Chunk Nation followed the tracks of three missing hunters deep into a remote ravine. What they found was a dar...

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories about acts so strange and unsettling, they blur the line between devotion and madness. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.

Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:

• #3 -- "Exit Interviews" -- One of the most infamous cult cases in history... (Original YouT...

Today, I’m going to tell you two stories about people who unknowingly risked everything to travel to their dream locations – and didn’t realize they were in danger until it was too late. Their stories remind us that careful planning is not always enough to keep us safe when we travel far from home.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/M...

In December 2005, a young woman walked down a sidewalk in New York City. There were Christmas decorations on all the buildings she passed – but as she walked by a newspaper stand, she saw something that was so shocking, she literally stopped in her tracks. Because right there, on the front page of multiple newspapers — was a picture of the one thing in her life, that she’d hoped she would never see again. Looking at it now, she kne...

Today's story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 318.

This story is about a woman who goes missing from a psychiatric hospital in 1900. Now at first, this story will seem like a pretty ordinary missing person case. That is, until you reach the very end. Lets just say, this story has one heck of a plot twist.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBall...

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories of missing people that we just can’t explain. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.

Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:

• #3 -- "The Yellow Smoke" -- A bizarre series of events leaves a family without any answers (Original YouTube link -- https://www.you...

Today, I’m going to tell you two stories about people who communicated with the right intentions, but didn’t fully think through the risks of what could happen when their message was heard. These stories remind us that sometimes, our zeal can lead us down a path we can’t turn back from.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube channel, just called "MrBallen" - https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen

If yo...

One morning in May 1993, a man living outside Chicago, Illinois, stepped out onto his front porch – and froze. There was a shoebox sitting there, with a note that said “To Sandra” – but no one named ‘Sandra’ lived at his house. The man’s heart started to race. There was a bomber on the loose, and the whole city was on edge – so he called 911. The box on his porch would turn out to be nothing, but until the bomber was found, nobody ...

Whether it's fame, fortune, or the thrill of adventure — none of it comes without a price, and today's 3 stories demonstrate that.

Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:

• #3 -- "Surge" -- A couple's dream vacation turns into a nightmare (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9en1PDgpAI)
• #2 -- "Stowaway" -- A runaway wants nothing more than to see the world (Original YouTube link -- https://www...

On July 4th, 2018, a paramedic was hurrying through a hospital in England when his supervisor flagged him down, looking worried. She asked if he had been one of the paramedics on a specific call a few days ago. Surprised, he said yes. The call had been pretty typical, so he didn’t understand why she was asking. But his supervisor said she’d explain in a minute – first, he had to take off all his gear right now. Because there was a ...

This story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 344.

In 1984, in a small city in northeastern China, a security guard stood outside of a warehouse, working an overnight shift. The guard heard a noise coming from some bushes nearby, but he didn’t think much about it. This was a safe town, and usually the hardest part of his job was staying awake. But suddenly, two thieves in ski masks emerged from the bushes, an...

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories about how a single decision changed the lives of the people in these stories, as well as millions of others lives around the world. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.

Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:

• #3 -- "One Man’s Trash" -- A woman finds somet...

Today, I’m going to tell two stories that highlight how the world around us – and even people’s own eyes – can play tricks on them. Sometimes, what people think they see isn't what's really going on at all. But once people have convinced themselves of something, it can be hard for them to change their minds... and that can lead them into deadly situations.

You can WATCH all new & exclusive MrBallen podcast episodes on my YouTube ch...

One night in December of 2009, a man dug through a pile of papers and photo albums inside an RV parked in Texas. This man had recently bought the trailer after its previous owner had died, and it was full of junk that he was now trying to sort. As he rifled through documents, he stumbled on a stack of old notebooks. He opened one, and started reading – and as he did, he felt his heartbeat pick up. Because the notebooks were diaries...

This story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 335.

In 2011, a police officer spotted a woman on a busy street in Japan, and he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He looked at a photo on his phone, and then back at the woman, it was definitely her. He’d been tasked with finding this woman and bringing her back home, it was a pretty basic task, but he’d managed to complete it way faster than he thought he wou...

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories that sound impossible – moments so unlikely, they shouldn’t exist… yet somehow, they do. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.

Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:

• #3 -- "Just a Bit Cramped" -- A horrifying accident that has a very unlikely outcome (Ori...