Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

Award-winning podcast of true stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, true crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained -- seven days a week! Hosted by professional voice actor Darren Marlar, named one of the “Best Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal.

Episodes

September 24, 2025 81 mins
From the chilling 1874 case that coined 'don't take candy from strangers' to Patty Hearst's transformation from heiress to bank robber, journey through true tales of kidnapping where victims outsmarted their captors, others never escaped, and some didn't want to. These are the abduction stories you've never heard—told by the survivors themselves and featuring cases of Stockholm Syndrome that challenge everything we think we know ab...
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Read the article: https://weirddarkness.com/doordash-hostage-sweetwater/

A routine delivery to a Texas motel turned into a rescue operation when a DoorDash driver's instincts about an unusual order proved terrifyingly accurate.

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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
#TrueCrime #DoorDashHero #TexasCrime #HostageRescue #CrimeNews
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Read the article: https://weirddarkness.com/zambia-witchcraft-trial-president-chameleon

A live chameleon in a bottle, mysterious white powder, and a political conspiracy led to Zambia's first presidential witchcraft trial.

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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
#ZambiaWitchcraftTrial #AfricanPolitics2025 #WitchcraftAssassinationPlot #Chamele...
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Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE for the ad-free version: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate

A man discovers that his favorite detective novels predict true crimes. Then he finds a book in the series that seems to indicate his own future. The novel tells of how his boss and his wife plan to kill him so they can marry. They discuss “How To Kill Rudy!” | #RetroRadio EP0518

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = S...
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There’s something deeply unsettling about the idea that your dead neighbor might climb out of their grave at night and knock on your door. But for communities across Europe and America throughout history, this wasn’t just a scary story – it was a genuine fear that drove them to take drastic action.

Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE for the ad-free version: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate

Take the WEIRD DARKNESS LISTENER SURVEY and help...
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On January 2, 1935, a young man checked into Kansas City's Hotel President under a fake name, insisting the maid leave his door unlocked while he sat alone in complete darkness. Three days later, he was found brutally tortured and murdered in Room 1046—and when someone mysteriously paid for his funeral with a note signed "Love forever, Louise," investigators realized they had no idea who the victim really was or who killed him.

Join...
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Read the article: https://weirddarkness.com/woman-sells-soul-labubu-dolls

A 26-year-old Moscow woman signed away her eternal soul in blood for trendy collectibles, sparking condemnation from the Russian Orthodox Church.
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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
#LabubuDollSoulSelling #WomanSellsSoulForToys #RussianOrthodoxWarning #BloodContract...
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When novelist Lyman Clinth retreats to an isolated cabin to finish his latest thriller, the jealous villain he's writing begins appearing outside the manuscript—with deadly intentions toward Lyman's wife. Now Lyman must convince Hazel the danger is real before his own creation completes a murder scene he never wrote! Hear the tale from the Hermi...
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A stockbroker lives in two worlds: One where he murdered his wife and one where he didn't. Problems start when the two worlds collide. | #RetroRadio EP0516

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Man Who Couldn’t Get Arrested” (November 29, 1976) ***WD
00:45:38.161 =...
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Read my deep-dive article on the website: https://weirddarkness.com/Jonestown44Minutes

Jim Jones started the Peoples Temple preaching racial equality and winning civil rights awards, but by 1978 his Jonestown compound had become an isolated nightmare of beatings, forced labor, and "suicide rehearsals" where followers practiced drinking poison. On November 18th, when a congressman's investigation threatened to expose the truth, Jones...
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Read the article: https://weirddarkness.com/jack-ripper-identity-dna-aaron-kosminski/

A bloodstained shawl hidden in a police filing cabinet for over a decade has finally yielded the genetic evidence that names history's most notorious serial killer.
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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
#JackTheRipper #AaronKosminski #WhitechapelMurders #T...
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#WDRadio Week of Sept 21, 2025: When desperate believers sold everything they owned to follow self-proclaimed prophets promising salvation, they discovered a horrifying truth: the line between divine vision and madness was written in poison, prison bars, and the hangman's noose. From miracle eggs inscribed with holy messages to a 65-year-old virgin claiming to carry the Messiah, this is the disturbing pattern of religious mania tha...
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Harvey Crane woke up at the edge of a world that shouldn't exist—with a pink sky, triangular trees, and a beautiful woman who could erase his spaceship with a wave of her hand. But when she begs him to wake up and claims to be his wife back on Earth, Harvey must face a terrible question: is this strange paradise his new reality, or is he still trapped in his ship, lost forever in the moment he broke the light barrier?

“World Edge” b...
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When a mysterious stranger appeared from nowhere to push her car out of danger, she turned to thank him—but he had vanished into thin air. From near-death experiences to deathbed visions, these are the true stories of people who believe they've encountered their guardian angels in moments when they needed them most.

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Something extraordinary happened in Jerusalem that Friday afternoon. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs throughout the city cracked open. But the truly unsettling part came three days later, when witnesses reported seeing dead people walking through the streets.

SERMON TRANSCRIPT… https://weirddarkness.com/cotu-zombies

Hear previous #ChurchOfTheUndead messages at https://WeirdDarkness.com/Church

Weird Darkness® and Church O...
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When the Russian schooner Demeter drifted into Whitby harbor with its dead captain lashed to the wheel and its entire crew missing, the ship's log revealed a horrifying truth: something ancient and evil had been hunting them one by one across the dark waters. The final entries, written in the captain's trembling hand, chronicle the crew's descent from unease to terror as they realize their cargo of fifty earth-filled boxes conceals...
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Deep in the forests between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, witnesses have reported encounters with a seven-foot-tall bipedal wolf creature that the Shawnee claim is the spirit of an ancient shapeshifting shaman. From French trappers in the 1700s to college students in the 1970s, the Beast of the Land Between the Lakes has left a trail of mutilated livestock, terrified campers, and unexplained disappearances that local authorities ...
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As strange black letters spread through town like a plague, Lily watches her friends become entranced by the mysterious messages they read – and how they act strangely when doing so.

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,...
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Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE for the ad-free version: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate

When test pilot Major Bill Westfall pushes his experimental rocket past Earth's outer limit in 1965, he has exactly ten minutes of fuel to return—but something intercepts him at the edge of space. He makes it back against all odds, carrying an impossible warning about humanity's future and a fuel gauge that proves his journey should have killed ...
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Fifteen percent of humanity carries blood that kills its own offspring when mothers and babies don't match, a deadly trait that appeared suddenly 40,000 years ago and clusters mysteriously among the Basque people who speak Earth's only language with no known origin. Ancient texts worldwide describe beings from the sky who interbred with humans to create giants with six fingers and double rows of teeth, and disturbingly, people with...
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