Weird Darkness: Stories of the Paranormal, True Crime, Legends, Lore, Mysterious, Macabre, Unsolved

Darren Marlar
  • 4.6 (3.7K)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • UPDATED DAILY
Weird Darkness: Stories of the Paranormal, True Crime, Legends, Lore, Mysterious, Macabre, Unsolved

Award-winning podcast hosted by voice artist Darren Marlar who narrates true stories of crime, the unexplained, and paranormal. * Ranked #2 in Podcast Magazine‘s “Best True Crime and Horror” podcasts for 2020 * Named one of the “Best Storytellers in Podcasting” in 2019 by Podcast Business Journal * Darren Marlar’s narration of “The Tell-Tale Heart” won Bronze at HEAR NOW 2020 Podcast Palooza * Reached #5 worldwide on the “HOT 50” chart for November 2020 by Podcast Magazine * Finalist for”Storyteller-Drama” award for the “People’s Choice Podcast Awards” in 2019

  1. “THE CARNIVAL OF DESIRES” and More Short Fiction Horror Stories! #WeirdDarkness #ThrillerThursday

    14H AGO

    “THE CARNIVAL OF DESIRES” and More Short Fiction Horror Stories! #WeirdDarkness #ThrillerThursday

    Somewhere deep in the woods, there’s a place that only appears when called — a place that promises everything you desire… but takes more than you ever expected. Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate IN THIS EPISODE: It’s #Thriller Thursday! “The Room Where The Stars Live” *** “The Trunk” *** “Eight O’Clock In The Morning” *** Wonderland (Carnival of Desires) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Show Open (Coming Up In This Episode) 00:02:18.112 = Wonderland, Part 1 00:17:14.822 = Wonderland, Part 2 00:45:18.219 = Wonderland, Part 3 01:04:50.017 = Eight O’Clock In The Morning 01:18:55.789 = The Room Where The Stars Live 01:31:57.520 = The Trunk 01:58:15.520 = Show Close, Verse, and Final Thought SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Wonderland” by Riley Vanderlip: https://www.creepypasta.com/wonderland-2/ “Eight O’Clock in the Morning” by Ray Nelson: (Link no longer available) “The Room Where The Stars Live” from Quiet Please: https://tinyurl.com/y6nedu5t “The Trunk” by J.M. Cennamo: https://tinyurl.com/yyt88343 ===== (Over time links seen above 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: November 19, 2020 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/CarnivalOfDesires

    1h 60m
  2. The STRANGE BURIAL of Alexander Jordan: #RetroRadio EP0363 #WeirdDarkness

    14H AGO

    The STRANGE BURIAL of Alexander Jordan: #RetroRadio EP0363 #WeirdDarkness

    A wealthy elderly man harbors an obsessive fear of being buried alive. Hear the tale from Creeps By Night! CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:02:00.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Frammis” (November 28, 1975) ***WD 00:47:18.979 = Night Beat, “Old Blind Pop” (August 07, 1950) ***WD 01:16:42.269 = Creeps By Night, “Strange Burial of Alexander Jordan” (July 13, 1944) 01:46:23.549 = Nightfall CBC, “Angel’s Kiss” (March 20, 1981) ***WD 02:15:32.419 = Mr. and Mrs. North, “The Norths Get Wired For Sound” (July 19, 1944) 02:45:26.329 = Origin of Superstition, “Lost Wedding Ring” (1935) ***WD 02:57:35.039 = The Price of Fear, “To My Dear Saladin” (June 06, 1983) ***WD 03:27:05.839 = Adventures of Ellery Queen, “Message In Red” (November 07, 1945) 03:56:47.079 = Quiet Please, “Never Send to Know” (March 08, 1948) 04:26:17.149 = Radio City Playhouse, “Soundless” (September 18, 1948) ***WD 04:55:46.526 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing. Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library = = = = = "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. = = = = = CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0363

    4h 57m

  3. 1D AGO

    WITHOUT A TRACE: Unraveling the Enigma of the MISSING 411 Mystery #WeirdDarkness

    A series of mysterious disappearances in the wilderness defy logic, with eerie patterns and bizarre clues left behind  -  is something hiding in our national parks?   Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate IN THIS EPISODE: Thousands of people have vanished without a trace from America's wilderness areas, leaving behind baffling clues that defy conventional explanation. From children who disappear within seconds while picking berries to hikers in bright clothing who seem to evaporate from marked trails, these cases share disturbing patterns that suggest something beyond ordinary misadventure. What is happening in our national parks? And what strange forces might be responsible for those who seemingly step off the face of the earth? CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Lead-In 00:01:59.189 = Show Open (Coming Up In This Episode) 00:03:21.368 = National Parks and Scent Trails 00:11:26.820 = The Berry Picking Connection 00:20:43.579 = The Bright Clothing Connection 00:31:58.729 = The Granite Connection 00:34:00.407 = Additional Risk Factors 00:35:53.001 = When Bodies are Found 00:40:04.308 = Theoretical Explanations 00:44:59.452 = The Enduring Mystery 00:49:28.498 = Show Close, Verse, and 2 Final Thoughts SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… https://weirddarkness.com/Missing411 (Over time links seen above 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: March 26, 2025

    51 min
  4. “THE GREAT AIRSHIP HOAX OF 1909: History’s Non-Existent Flying Machine” #WeirdDarkness

    1D AGO

    “THE GREAT AIRSHIP HOAX OF 1909: History’s Non-Existent Flying Machine” #WeirdDarkness

    In 1909, all eyes turned to Worcester, Massachusetts, as a well-dressed businessman claimed he’d built a flying machine — and the world wanted to believe him so badly, they saw it in the sky whether it was there or not. IN THIS EPISODE: We’ll look at the crazy story of the Great Worcester Airship Hoax of 1909! *** We’ll meet a cat that must have more than nine lives, as it survived three World War Two shipwrecks and lived to meow about it! (Unsinkable Sam) *** UFO crash stories are somewhat ubiquitous, with most immediately pointing to Roswell, New Mexico… or Aurora, Texas… or even the so-called “Battle Over Los Angeles”. But there are many other stories of flying saucers crashing to Earth – and we’ll look at one that took place in Bolivia, in 1978. (The Bolivia UFO Crash) *** A hidden artifact found in a mysterious hill in Oklahoma reveals a terrifying story! (Oklahoma’s Mysterious Hollow Hill) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Lead-In 00:01:11.625 = Show Open (Coming Up On The Show 00:02:48.020 = The Great Worcester Airship Hoax of 1909, Part 1 00:14:33.313 = The Great Worcester Airship Hoax of 1909, Part 2 00:24:56.421 = Unsinkable Sam 00:33:05.275 = Oklahoma’s Mysterious Hollow Hill 00:47:57.747 = The Bolivia UFO Crash 00:53:15.369 = Show Close, Verse, and Final Thought 00:54:28.426 = Bloopers SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Oklahoma’s Mysterious Hollow Hill” by Ellen Lloyd for AncientPages.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/44s54rmp,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p86uyt7 “Unsinkable Sam” by Natasha Ishak for AllThatsInteresting.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8j9nkz “The Bolivia UFO Crash” posted at Anomalien.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3f4b2rr7 “The Great Worcester Airship Hoax of 1909” from SlightlyOddFitchburg.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2adehevb,https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckp2hh9 ===== Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate Info on the next LIVE SCREAM event. https://weirddarkness.com/LiveScream Info on the next WEIRDO WATCH PARTY event. https://weirddarkness.com/TV ===== (Over time links seen above 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: March, 2022 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/AirshipHoax

    55 min
  5. An ASTRONAUT Goes BACK IN TIME To Meet Himself And GET RICH!: #RetroRadio EP0362 #WeirdDarkness

    1D AGO

    An ASTRONAUT Goes BACK IN TIME To Meet Himself And GET RICH!: #RetroRadio EP0362 #WeirdDarkness

    An astronaut utilizes a black hole to travel back in time. Encountering his past self, they devise a plan to secure their financial future. Hear the story from MindWebs in “Singularities Make Me Nervous!” CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:02:00.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Dead, Dead Ringer” (November 27, 1975) ***WD 00:47:24.759 = MindWebs, “Singularities Make Me Nervous” (September 15, 1978) 01:14:13.388 = Ellery Queen Minute Mysteries, “Genuine Article” (1965) ***WD 01:15:23.370 = Starlight Theater, “Man Hires Hit Man To Kill Him” (ADU) ***WD 01:43:14.219 = Molle Mystery Theater, “Murder in City Hall” (April 05, 1946) 02:12:48.429 = Mr. District Attorney, “One Slip Meant Death” (May 07, 1947) ***WD 02:42:21.119 = Murder at Midnight, “Man Who Died Yesterday” (June 30, 1947) ***WD 03:08:59.259 = The Black Museum, “The Telegram” (February 26, 1951) ***WD 03:33:53.999 = Mysterious Traveler, “They Struck It Rich” (March 16, 1948) 04:03:26.109 = Mystery House, “Death Is An Accident” (1944-1946) 04:29:13.759 = CBC Mystery Theater, “The Old Nurse’s Story” (1966-1968) 04:56:50.279 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing. Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library = = = = = "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. = = = = = CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0362

    4h 58m
  6. “MONTAGUE SUMMERS: The Priest Who Hunted Vampires, Witches, and Werewolves” #WeirdDarkness

    2D AGO

    “MONTAGUE SUMMERS: The Priest Who Hunted Vampires, Witches, and Werewolves” #WeirdDarkness

    Dressed like a 17th-century priest and armed with a library of ancient texts, Montague Summers devoted his life to proving that witches, vampires, and werewolves weren’t just folklore — they were terrifyingly real. IN THIS EPISODE: Can a priest believe in witches, werewolves, and vampires? The answer is yes – and his name was Montague Summers. Was he a kook, or was he seeing the truth that others ignored? (Montague Summers Believed in Monsters) *** He smiled without speaking, appeared alongside UFOs, and promised to return – who, or what, was the mysterious Indrid Cold? (The Grinning Man – The Legend of Indrid Cold) *** Somewhere out there, another version of you made a different choice – that’s the multiverse theory. And the key to proving it could lie in changing someone else’s history. (Visiting Our Neighbors in a Parallel Universe) *** Anatoli Bugorski accidentally stuck his head in the world’s most powerful particle accelerator in 1978; he saw a flash brighter than a thousand suns, and somehow lived to tell about it. (The Man Who Survived An Atomic Blast Through His Skull) *** In 1971, a massive glowing sphere hovered silently over a U.S. Navy carrier — and for twenty minutes, the entire ship went dark. (Code Black: The USS Kennedy UFO Incident) *** She was a Houston socialite raised like royalty, but Joan Robinson Hill’s glittering life came to a mysterious end – followed by affairs, secret autopsies, a sensational trial, and a murder that still raises more questions than answers. (Murder in Texas: The Strange Death of Joan Robinson Hill) *** Imagine calling 911 because a perfectly healthy and alive loved one insists they’re dead – and wants to be taken to the morgue to join the other corpses! (Walking Dead: The Syndrome That Makes You Think You Are Deceased) *** Locals whisper about witches and shadows at Blood’s Point Cemetery, but the real horror lies in a forgotten tragedy no ghost story could match. (The Witch, The Shadow, and the Secrets of Bloods Point)} CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Lead-In 00:01:39.364 = Show Open 00:04:20.538 = Montague Summers Believed In Monsters 00:13:40.980 = Visiting Our Next Door Neighbors in a Parallel Universe 00:18:03.622 = Code Black: The USS Kennedy UFO Incident 00:29:32.196 = Murder in Texas: The Strange Death of Joan Robinson Hill 00:38:35.685 = The Man Who Survived An Atomic Blast Through His Skull 00:41:51.270 = Walking Dead: The Syndrome That Makes You Think You Are Deceased 00:48:25.647 = The Witch, The Shadow, and the Secrets of Bloods Point 00:54:15.478 = The Grinning Man: The Legend of Indrid Cold 01:07:57.727 = Show Close, Verse, and Final Thought SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Code Black: The USS Kennedy UFO Incident”: https://rense.com/ufo/kennedy.htm,https://www.ufoinsight.com/ufos/cover-ups/the-1971-bermuda-triangle-ufo-incident “Visiting our Next Door Neighbors in a Parallel Universe”: https://weirddarkness.com/visiting-our-next-door-neighbors-in-a-parallel-universe/, https://www.space.com/the-universe/could-we-travel-to-parallel-universes “The Man Who Survived An Atomic Blast Through His Skull”: https://weirddarkness.com/the-man-who-survived-an-atomic-blast-through-his-skull/br...

    1h 9m
  7. CATTLE MUTILATIONS: The Connection To BIGFOOT, ALIEN ABDUCTIONS, and MIND CONTROL #WeirdDarkness

    2D AGO

    CATTLE MUTILATIONS: The Connection To BIGFOOT, ALIEN ABDUCTIONS, and MIND CONTROL #WeirdDarkness

    Alien abductions, cryptid creatures, secret government programs, portals to other worlds, cattle mutilations – the San Luis Valley may be the strangest and most terrifying place you’ve never heard of. IN THIS EPISODE: We’ve had several episodes before about mysterious locations that are host to strange, paranormal activity. Skinwalker Ranch, for example, or The Bennington Triangle, or even the harsh terrain of Alaska. Perhaps one of the locations that appears to persistently slip under the radar is the San Luis Valley in Colorado. The region is home to very much the same variety of paranormal activity as other apparent hot spots. UFO sightings here are in abundance, for example. As are cases of cattle mutilation, sightings of strange creatures, and even alien abduction. In short, the San Luis Valley could be one of the most interesting locations in the world. SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “The Paranormal, Extraterrestrial, and Otherworldly Explanations for Cattle Mutilations” by Marcus Lowth for UFOInsight.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/66a64hu5, https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/vhykeezp ===== Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate ===== (Over time links seen above 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: March 2022 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/CattleMutilations

    1h 49m
  8. Trapped Inside THE HOUSE OF PURPLE SHADOWS!: #RetroRadio EP0361 #WeirdDarkness

    2D AGO

    Trapped Inside THE HOUSE OF PURPLE SHADOWS!: #RetroRadio EP0361 #WeirdDarkness

    A man returns to his long-abandoned house following his wife’s death. Upon entering, he becomes trapped by a mysterious force that renders him invisible and confines him within the house, surrounded by ominous purple shadows. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:02:00.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Lap of the Gods” (November 25, 1975) ***WD 00:46:56.429 = The Hermit’s Cave, “The House of Purple Shadows” (November 10, 1940) ***WD 01:11:36.189 = Mystery Is My Hobby, “Hit Plan Gone Astray” (June 20, 1945) ***WD 01:35:26.819 = Sherlock Holmes, “The Case of the Accidental Murderess” (November 26, 1945) 02:04:05.019 = Inner Sanctum, “Terror By Night” (September 18, 1945) 02:33:21.799 = The Line Up, “The Check Killer Case” (March 06, 1951) 02:59:20.099 = Macabre, “Final Resting Place” (November 13, 1961) ***WD (LQ) 03:26:54.229 = Philip Marlowe, “Dancing Hands” (March 19, 1949) 03:56:42.089 = The Black Mass, “Imp of Perverse” and “Ms Found In a Bottle” 04:32:15.709 = Beyond Midnight, “Take Your Partners” (August 29, 1969) 05:02:04.728 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing. Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library = = = = = "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. = = = = = CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0361

    5h 3m
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    4.6
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    3,730 Ratings

    About

    Award-winning podcast hosted by voice artist Darren Marlar who narrates true stories of crime, the unexplained, and paranormal. * Ranked #2 in Podcast Magazine‘s “Best True Crime and Horror” podcasts for 2020 * Named one of the “Best Storytellers in Podcasting” in 2019 by Podcast Business Journal * Darren Marlar’s narration of “The Tell-Tale Heart” won Bronze at HEAR NOW 2020 Podcast Palooza * Reached #5 worldwide on the “HOT 50” chart for November 2020 by Podcast Magazine * Finalist for”Storyteller-Drama” award for the “People’s Choice Podcast Awards” in 2019

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