“THE VAMPIRE BEAST OF BLADENBORO” and More Creepy True Tales! #WeirdDarkness

When mysterious orbs of light start appearing in photographs at haunted locations, a psychic medium claims they're messages from the dead — but paranormal investigators armed with science have a far less supernatural explanation that might burst your spiritual bubble. Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate IN THIS EPISODE: America’s foremost exorcist, Theophilus Riesinger, faced off with Lucifer himself in the grueling 1928 case of a demonic possession in a rural Iowa convent. (The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt) *** One of the greatest magicians of all time was Chung Ling Soo. So adept at illusion, slight of hand, and fooling others that he was able to lead a double life… before being shot and killed performing his own magic trick. (The Magician Who Lived a Double Life) *** John Dee claimed he was visited by angels presented him with a secret language just angels, and the ability to perform a new magic they called Enochian. We’ll look at his claims. (John Dee And The Language of Angels) *** A little boy goes fishing on a Spring day. He disappears. Another boy goes fishing nearby on the exact same day. He also disappears. A third child goes missing many years later in the same general area. What happened? (The Missing Fishing Boys) *** Venice's Poveglia Island was a quarantine center and mass grave for victims of bubonic plague – so it should come as no surprise it is considered one of the most haunted places in all of Europe. (Poveglia: The Island of Ghosts) *** It is one of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries… what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke? We’ll look at a few theories. (Lost Roanoke) *** You snap a selfie of the squad at brunch, but it’s covered with shapes and light that definitely weren’t present IRL. The whole thing is giving you major paranormal feels. Is it a loved one from the other side, making a cameo in your latest feed pic? Or a simple technological mishap? (The Trouble With Ghost Orbs) ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Lead-In 00:02:08.974 = Show Open 00:04:50.757 = The Trouble With Ghost Orbs 00:29:31.470 = The Magician Who Lived a Double Life 00:36:31.821 = Lost Roanoke 00:43:34.993 = Poveglia: The Island of Ghosts 00:52:00.913 = The Missing Fishing Boys 01:05:43.078 = John Dee And The Language Of The Angels 01:12:39.451 = The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt 01:20:12.795 = Show Close SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… BOOK: “Ghosts on Film” by Troy Taylor: https://amzn.to/3ORYS14 BOOK: “The Prestige” by Christopher Priest:

A dead inventor leaves behind a mysterious scarlet satchel — and when it opens, death comes calling for those who betrayed him. Listen to Dark Fantasy with “The Man With The Scarlet Satchel! | #RetroRadio EP0461 Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Blood Red Roses” (July 12, 1976) 00:45:24.243 = Murder By Experts, “It’s Luck That Counts” (August 29, 1949) ***WD 01:14:53.901 = Exploring Tomorrow, “Stranger With Roses” (June 11, 1958) ***WD 01:33:02.835 = Faces In The Window, “Black Cat” (November 22, 1952) ***WD 01:56:42.856 = Dark Fantasy, “The Man With The Scarlet Satchel” (March 06, 1942) ***WD 02:21:21.323 = Diary of Fate, “Victor Wakeman” (June 29, 1948) ***WD 02:48:08.069 = BBC’s Fear on 4, “The Journey Home” (February 23, 2008) 03:16:31.596 = Five After The Hour, “Amid The Blaze of Noon” (June 20, 1945) 03:40:48.080 = 5 Minute Mysteries, “Broken Wheel” (1947-1950) 03:45:44.256 = Tales From The Tomb, “The Raven” (1960s) 03:55:10.518 = Future Tense, “The Seventh Victim” (May 06, 1974) ***WD 04:16:12.606 = Gang Busters, “Broadway Bandit” (March 20, 1948) ***WD 04:44:04.027 = Ava Maria Hour, “Benedict Patron St. Against Poison Witchcraft” (1939) 05:07:46.682 = The Green Hornet, “The Parking Lot Racket” (October 31, 1939) 05:37:28.102 = The Hall of Fantasy, “The Judge’s House” (April 03, 1947) ***WD 06:03:45.303 = Haunted Tales of the Supernatural, “Legal Rites” (February 17, 1982) 06:31:43.493 = The Haunting Hour, “Cat Man” (October 13, 1945) 06:56:42.058 = Have Gun Will Travel, “Young Gun” (July 12, 1959) 07:20:22.680 = The Hermit’s Cave, “The Blackness of Terror” (April 06, 1947) 07:44:50.794 = Mystery Is My Hobby, “Voice of Doom” (1947) ***WD 08:07:56.355 = Sherlock Holmes, “Camberwell Poisoners” (February 18, 1946) 08:36:56.449 = Incredible But True, “The One That Got Away” (1950-1951) 08:40:18.062 = Inner Sanctum, “Undead” (December 18, 1945) ***WD 09:07:12.135 = The Key, “Lost In The Amazon” (1956) ***WD 09:32:25.325 = Lights Out (Everyman’s Theater), “Baby” (March 28, 1941) ***WD 09:56:52.777 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more 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 ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. = = = = = "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/WDRR0461

Throughout history, humans have devised punishments so agonizing that victims would beg for death's mercy — from the Assyrians who draped flayed skin on city walls to Civil War soldiers forced to ride wooden horses until they split apart. Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate IN THIS EPISODE: If you are concerned about a family member’s excessive drinking, what do you do? Hold an intervention? Call Alcoholics Anonymous for advice? Perhaps confide in a close friend who might know what to do. In the case of teenaged sisters Sandra and Elizabeth Andersen, they were so frustrated with their mother’s drunken ways they decided to kill her. (Murderous Sisters) *** One reason people don’t like going to dentists is pain – even if there is no pain, just the idea of pain is enough to keep people away. But in the early 1900s there was a dentist so confident he could give you a painless tooth-extraction that he even changed his name to “Painless Parker”. But did his name live up to his claim? (A Dentist Named Painless Parker) *** Cliff Taylor reported seeing not just one, but two UFOs – and even more interesting, one of his sightings sounds like an extraterrestrial mothership… which appeared right next to his own house. And his was only a fraction of the hundreds of sightings that took place in 2008 just north of Philadelphia. (The Bucks County UFO Encounter) *** Of all the sites that are unexplained, the Bermuda Triangle is usually the first one that comes to mind. Located in the Caribbean, it is renowned for the ships and radio signals that have disappeared without explanation in recent years. Yet, there is another, perhaps lesser known region in which the inexplicable occurs. This location is often referred to quite simply as Mexico's Zone of Silence. (The Mexican Zone of Death) *** The definition of “punishment” is, “the infliction of some kind of pain or loss upon a person for a misdeed.” In most cases we look to serve punishment in proper proportion to the crime being committed – reserving the most severe punishments for the worst of the worst. But that has not always been the case – and there have been a lot of punishments doled out that we would consider worse than death – and for crimes we might not even consider crimes today. (Punishments Worse Than Death) ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Lead-In 00:01:15.011 = Show Open 00:04:20.335 = Punishments Worse Than Death 00:23:51.258 = Murderous Sisters 00:36:06.832 = The Mexican Zone of Silence 00:41:21.201 = The Bucks County UFO Encounter 00:56:45.356 = A Dentist Named Painless Parker 01:03:07.059 = Show Close SOURCES...

Stranded at a desolate station after dark, a group of travelers must confront chilling legends of a phantom train — and the deadly secret that rides with it. | #RetroRadio EP0460 Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Loser Take All” (July 01, 1976) 00:45:56.198 = BBC Ghost Story, “The Ghost Train” (January 24, 1988) 02:11:04.208 = The Black Book, “On Schedule” (February 17, 1952) ***WD 02:25:33.375 = Author’s Playhouse, “The Inexperienced Ghost” (December 04, 1944) ***WD 02:53:26.034 = Box 13, “The Treasure of Hang Li” (May 29, 1949) 03:19:56.264 = CBC Mystery Theater, “Champagne Safari” (1968) 04:29:28.167 = Chet Chetter’s Tales From The Morgue, “Elmer Verses The Invaders” (1991-1992) ***WD 04:56:36.046 = The Clock, “Ted And Cora” (August 11, 1947) ***WD 05:19:36.352 = Confession, “Esther Phillips” (August 02, 1953) ***WD 05:49:06.229 = Creeps By Night, “Strange Burial of Alexander Jordan” (July 13, 1944) 06:18:36.723 = The Crime Club, “Dead Man Control” (March 20, 1947) ***WD 06:46:54.316 = Sounds of Darkness, “Flameout FBI” (August 25, 1970) 07:12:28.331 = The Devil and Mr. O, “Hole” (December 03, 1971) ***WD 07:38:14.678 = Dimension X, “Veldt” (August 09, 1951) ***WD 08:08:21.635 = The Strange Dr. Weird, “Beauty And The Beast” (January 16, 1945) ***WD 08:19:54.678 = The Creaking Door, “Vagrant” (April 29, 1964) ***WD 08:49:10.185 = The Eleventh Hour, “The President’s Lady” (Mid 1940’s) 09:12:01.927 = Escape, “The Match” (May 16, 1948) 09:41:28.080 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more 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 ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. = = = = = "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/WDRR0460

Four elderly friends, given a miraculous second chance at youth by the mysterious Dr. Heidegger's fountain water, prove that some people are doomed to repeat the follies of their past no matter how many chances they get. SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” by Nathanial Hawthorne: http://www.public-library.uk/ebooks/30/33.pdf ===== (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: July 10, 2025