MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories is a true crime and mystery podcast that presents strange, dark and mysterious content delivered in story format. The program is hosted by John Allen a.k.a. MrBallen. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes 7-days early and ad-free. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Episodes

February 19, 2026 28 mins

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories about people who headed into the extreme cold, and never returned. 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 -- "Over the Horizon" -- A morbid discovery was made on an oceanic voyage in the 1800s (Original YouTube lin...
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Today, I’m going to tell you two stories about people who wanted to do something impressive – and came up with a really ambitious plan. But they overlooked one crucial detail that became the difference between life... and death.

 

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...

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Just after midnight on May 12, 2006, a man woke up in his quiet London suburb to the sound of pounding on his front door. He answered it and found his neighbor standing outside, looking shocked. The neighbor said something had happened to the man’s sister. The man immediately ran down the street, towards his sister’s house. He was afraid of what he’d find, because he was always warning her to be more careful, but she never listened...

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February 12, 2026 28 mins

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories that will make you wonder how many monsters you may have encountered in your life. 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 Home Gym" -- A family gets ready for a normal Friday, but little did they know their...
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February 11, 2026 25 mins

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 ...

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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...

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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...

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February 5, 2026 27 mins

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...
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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...

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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...

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January 30, 2026 30 mins

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...

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January 29, 2026 31 mins

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...
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January 28, 2026 40 mins

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...

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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 ...

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January 23, 2026 43 mins

Joining me is the amazing Rosie Grant! Rosie is the creator behind Ghostly Archive on Instagram & TikTok, where she researches and re-creates recipes found on gravestones.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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January 22, 2026 32 mins

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:

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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 ...

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January 16, 2026 36 mins

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...

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January 15, 2026 26 mins

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...
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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...

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