“THE ANT PEOPLE AND THE ANUNNAKI” and More Creepy True Stories! #WeirdDarkness

Alcatraz was meant to be inescapable, but that didn’t stop desperate prisoners from trying – some disappearing without a trace. IN THIS EPISODE: We’ll find out what life was like as an inmate of Alcatraz. We’ll look at the numerous escape attempts that failed and where the escapees went wrong. And we’ll learn about a few other prisons that are even more terrifying than Alcatraz – all located in the United States. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Lead-In 00:01:40.319 = Show Open 00:02:47.813 = Being An Alcatraz Inmate 00:21:04.040 = The Impossibility of Escaping Alcatraz 00:41:54.806 = Prisons More terrifying Than Alcatraz 00:54:41.312 = Show Close, Verse, and Final Thought SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Being An Alcatraz Inmate” by Melissa Sartore for Ranker.com’s Weird History: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/535vhu7n “The Impossibility of Escaping Alcatraz” by Melissa Sartore for Ranker.com’s Weird History:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdfj2ypt “More Terrifying Than Alcatraz” by Michelle Nati for Ranker.com’s Unspeakable Times:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3jwhh268 ===== 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: February, 2021 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/alcatraz

From the vengeful Bell Witch to the lingering spirits of Gettysburg, America is packed with haunted spots that refuse to let go of their ghosts – whether it’s eerie voices in old asylums, shadowy figures in historic mansions, or phantom footsteps in forgotten graveyards. If you’re looking for a brush with the supernatural, these legendary (and lesser-known) locations won’t disappoint. SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “America’s Most Haunted Places” by Troy Taylor and April Slaughter for AmericanHauntingsInk.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/582mh58k (used with permission) “America’s Not-So-Famous Haunted Houses” by Troy Taylor for AmericanHauntingsInk.com:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p979tsv (used with permission) ===== 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: January, 2022 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/ExploreHauntedAmerica

Two counterfeiters establish their operation in an abandoned house, unaware that it’s haunted by the ghost of the man who owned it a century earlier. Hear the tale, “The Money Makers” in CBS Radio Mystery Theater! CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:02:00.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Money Makers” (November 14, 1975) ***WD 00:46:52.719 = Mystery House, “A Case of Homicide” (ADU) ***WD 01:12:23.059 = CBC Mystery Theater, “The Monkey’s Paw” (May 05, 1938) ***WD 01:39:46.819 = Night Beat, “City At Your Fingertips” (July 31, 1950) ***WD 02:04:13.879 = Creeps By Night, “The Final Reckoning” (July 12, 1944) ***WD 02:32:22.029 = CBC Nightfall, “The Room” (March 06, 1981) 03:00:52.469 = Mr and Mrs North, “The Norths Are Invited To Murder” (May 24, 1944) ***WD 03:30:37.239 = Obsession, “Ted Brandon’s Old House” (1950s) ***WD 03:54:49.799 = Origin of Superstition, “Itching Palm” (Early 1950s) ***WD 04:09:28.899 = The Price of Fear, “The Ninth Removal” (April 20, 1974) 04:38:13.049 = Adventures of Ellery Queen, “Nick Knife” (August 01, 1945) ***WD 05:02:13.262 = 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/WDRR0355

What if the people around you – your coworkers, neighbors, even your closest friends – aren’t human at all, but something else hiding in plain sight? IN THIS EPISODE: Have you ever felt like something was off about someone you met? What if the truth was more bizarre than you could imagine - that aliens walk secretly among us, perfectly disguised? (Mimic In The Mirror) *** The short story “Eight O’Clock In The Morning” by Ray Nelson – the inspiration for the movie “They Live!” *** Left-handedness: once a mark of the devil, now a unique trait celebrated across the globe. From the Salem Witch Trials to modern-day challenges with spiral notebooks, left-handers have been forced to navigate a world designed for righties, despite the historical stigmas, surprising advantages, and the evolving recognition of left-handers in combat, culture, and commerce. (Left-Handers Are In League With The Devil) *** In the shadow of Switzerland's majestic Eiger mountain, 29-year-old Aidan Roche vanished without a trace during a solo hiking trip. Despite an unlocked camper-van and one last eerie messages sent from the trail, his disappearance remained shrouded in mystery. Months later, a grim discovery brought more questions than answers. (The Disappearance of Aidan Roche) *** In the summer of 1948, a series of inexplicable fires ravaged the Willey farm near Macomb, Illinois, destroying the family's home and barns. Despite the efforts of local authorities and the U.S. Air Force, no logical explanation could be found for the hundreds of mysterious blazes that seemed to start spontaneously. At the center of this baffling case was 13-year-old Wanet McNeil, whose alleged confession to arson left many unconvinced. Was Wanet truly responsible? Could she have been starting the fires with her mind? (The Macomb Firestarter) *** In 1991, 63-year-old Vasile Gorgos left his home in Romania to visit a cattle market and never returned, leaving his family to believe he had met a tragic fate. But 30 years later, Vasile shocked everyone when he mysteriously reappeared, wearing the same clothes as the day he vanished and carrying an unused train ticket from 1991 in his pocket. With no memory of where he'd been for three decades, Vasile's strange case has left people wondering if his disappearance could be tied to supernatural phenomena like portals, alien abduction, or shifts in time and space itself. (The Mysterious Vanishing of Vasile Gorgos) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and “Eight O’Clock In The Morning” (short fiction) 00:12:56.437 = Show Open 00:16:17.428 = Mimic In The Mirror (Are Aliens Among Us?) 00:26:35.300 = Left-Handers Are In League With The Devil 00:33:31.717 = The Disappearance of Aidan Roche 00:39:55.288 = The Macomb Firestarter 00:50:15.736 = The Mysterious Vanishing of Vasile Gorgos 00:57:42.799 = Show Close, Verse, and Final Thought SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “Eight O’Clock In The Morning” by Ray Nelson: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mu7tmynm “Mimic In The Mirror” source: Sean Casteel at Spectral Vision: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckjpyz8 BOOK: “Mimics – The Others Among Us” by Sean Casteel and Tim R. Swartz: https://amzn.to/3Ws07IJ BOOK: “Sky Crash Throughout Time (A Cosmic Conspiracy)” by Philip Kinsella and Brenda Butler: https://amzn.to/3WlE2v2 “Left-Handers Are In League With The Devil” source: Baiily Benningfield at Ranker’s Graveyard Shift:

A simple act of kindness on the open road can turn into a nightmare – these true stories of hitchhiking horror will make you think twice before picking up a stranger… or thumbing a ride yourself. IN THIS EPISODE: The open road is a beautiful place where you can make friends that you’d otherwise never meet and have adventures that will change your life. But there are also extreme dangers to traveling with strangers on highways and backroads. No matter how trustworthy or well-intentioned a driver might seem, it's nearly impossible to tell if they are actually a predator or murderer, preying upon innocent hitchhikers. Creepy, true hitchhiker stories can make you think twice before picking up that stranger at the side of the road - or trying to "thumb it" yourself. SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “The Hitchhiker” original story at the beginning of this episode was written by HoneyBunny00: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8b53e2 “Hitchhiking Horror Stories” by Isadora Teich for Ranker.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3yj8t3ka, by Jacob Shelton for Ranker.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2s4a2wkz, Eric Redding for ThoughtCatalog.com:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/hk8pn8rf, and from ScaryCarries.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2aead59t “Phantom Hitchhikers” posted at Anomalien.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y4dxkv7m, Kelly Agan for Medium.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/36wucpzm, Paul Adams for The History Press:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8z538u, and Krystal DeCosta for ScientificAmerican.com:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mr29nkpa ===== 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: January, 2021 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HitchhikingHorrors