Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

A restoration contractor who makes his living not asking questions takes a job scrubbing three and a half centuries of dried blood off the floors, walls, and fifty-foot ceiling of a boarded-up mansion, with one condition from the client – stay out of the rooms behind the barricades.

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/mitm-restoration

SOURCES and RESOURCES: “Restoration” by Jordan Eilbert (aka Devlin Riptide): https://tinyurl.com/yx3xb5bv

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.

Midnight In The Macabre (MITM), originally aired: September 08, 2026

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE HEARING? WEIRD DARKNESS posts episodes 7 DAYS A WEEK! Listen FREE wherever you get podcasts or visit https://weirddarkness.com/listen. • Paranormal • True Crime • Ghosts • UFOs • Cryptids • Unexplained • Want even more? Become an OFFICIAL WEIRDO for commercial-free episodes, bonus episodes, weeknight live chats, audiobooks & more at https://WeirdDarkness.com/OFFICIAL

From popes and painters to witches and bluesmen, these are the damned souls who bartered with the Devil — and paid in madness, torment, and blood.

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/SoulsForSale

READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yc3hvtnj

FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Five stories of real people who supposedly made deals with the Devil himself. *** In the summer of 1988, a terrifying creature began haunting the woods and little towns of Lee County, South Carolina – it quickly became known as Lizard Man. *** Governor Daniel G. Fowle ordered the construction of an oversized bed - but a later inhabitant of the governor’s mansion found the bed that gave Fowle such comfort to be the source of a strange series of encounters.

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00.00.000 = The Foreboding
00:01:06.860 = Show Open
00:02:29.690 = They Made Deals With The Devil: Pope Sylvester II
00:07:32.068 = They Made Deals With The Devil: Dr. John Fian
00:014:16.947 = They Made Deals With The Devil: Bernard Fokke
00:18:05.150 = They Made Deals With The Devil: Christoph Haizmann
00:22:16.516 = They Made Deals With The Devil: Tommy Johnson
00:27:10.619 = Lizard Man, 30 Years Later ***
00:36:13.875 = The Ghost In The Governor’s Mansion
00:40:42.478 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: 
Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps
*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*
SOURCES and RESOURCES:
BOOK: “Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster” by Lyle Blackburn: https://amzn.to/2Exqoga
BOOK: “North Carolina Legends” by Richard Walser: https://amzn.to/2H2MlFw
“They Made Deals With The Devil” by Erik: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/38fkm5us
“Lizard Man, 30 Years Later” by Nick Redfern: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/x4yy4m5w
“The Ghost in The Governor’s Mansion”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/57hwb5tp
(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.)

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
Originally aired: June 07, 2022
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE HEARING? WEIRD DARKNESS posts episodes 7 DAYS A WEEK! Listen FREE wherever you get podcasts or visit https://weirddarkness.com/listen. • Paranormal • True Crime • Ghosts • UFOs • Cryptids • Unexplained • Want even more? Become an OFFICIAL WEIRDO for commercial-free episodes, bonus episodes, weeknight live chats, audiobooks & more at https://WeirdDarkness.com/OFFICIAL

A merchant seaman on his first voyage walks out of a candlelit shop in Libya with a solid gold coin he can't pawn, sell, gamble away, or throw into the sea, and then a shipmate is found dead with the coin missing.

Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/OTR
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Show Open
00:01:30.028 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Devil’s Gold” (September 04, 1978) ***WD
00:47:43.536 = Barrie Craig, “Death And The Purple Cow” (December 12, 1951) ***WD
01:17:08.212 = BBC Radio 4/Radio 7 Ghost Story, “Midnight Express” (December 29, 1986)
01:30:06.504 = Night Beat, ‘Death Of Riley” (May 15, 1952) ***WD
02:00:25.506 = The Black Book/Man In Black, “The Price Of The Head” (February 02, 1952) ***WD
02:15:10.251 = Let George Do It, “Graystone Ghost” (March 24, 1952) ***WD
02:45:11.736 = Box 13, “Flash Of Light” (February 20, 1949) ***WD
03:12:23.023 = Calling All Cars, “The Chloroform Murders” (March 14, 1934) ***WD
03:41:44.552 = Casey Crime Photographer, “Grey Kitten” (February 06, 1947)
04:11:11.997 = CBC Mystery Theater, “The Old Nurses Story” (1966-1968) ***WD
04:39:49.689 = The Clock, “The Past Or The Present” (February 14, 1956)
05:05:27.883 = 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.
CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0767

In the woods of Chatham County, North Carolina, a 40-foot circle of bare dirt known as The Devil’s Tramping Grounds has grown nothing for nearly three centuries, and the soil scientist who tested it came away without an explanation.

HOUR ONE: A Weirdo family member relays a terrifying story of what is described as “El Nahual” in Mexico – a shapeshifter, that her dad barely escaped from! (El Nahual In The Avocado Grove) *** John George Haigh took the plunge into murder when he knocked out his old boss and dumped the body into acid – then set out to kill again. (Acid Bath Murderer) *** Only two percent of the population can hear it. A persistent, maddening sound that science has no explanation for, and the hearers have dubbed it, “The Hum”. (The Hum) *** The Tromp family fled their farm in 2016. There is still no explanation as to why, and one police officer calls it “the most bizarre case” he has ever seen. (The Tromp Family Fleeing) *** In Chatham County, North Carolina there is a 40-foot wide circle in the wilderness where absolutely nothing grows. Not only can scientists not explain it, but some believe Satan himself is responsible. (The Devil’s Tramping Ground)==========
HOUR TWO: It could be everyone’s ultimate fear. Not death… but being buried before death. Buried alive. It’s not just a trope of horror cinema and novels, it has truly happened on a few occasions – and we’ll hear stories from a few people who were buried alive, but survived to tell the tale. (I Was Buried Alive) *** But first… Reddit users share their own personal tales of how they became believers in ghosts and the paranormal. We’ll begin with those stories. (How I Came To Believe)
==========
SUDDEN DEATH OVERTIME: The circumstances of wrestling coach John du Pont’s bizarre crimes were portrayed in the critically acclaimed true crime drama film, Foxcatcher. Steve Carell was lauded for his performances as John du Pont, and the film was nominated for five Academy Awards. But how true is the film compared to the actual events? (The Real Story Behind The Movie Foxcatcher)
==========
SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM TONIGHT’S SHOW:
“How I Came To Believe” by Mick Jacobs: http://bit.ly/2KXUZH9
“I Was Buried Alive” by Lisa Waugh: http://bit.ly/2Zf2PEW
The Real Story Behind The Movie Foxcatcher” by MacKenzie Stuart: http://bit.ly/31rvNhv
“El Nahual In The Avocado Grove” submitted anonymously to https://WeirdDarkness.com/submit
“Acid Bath Murderer” by Steven Casale: http://bit.ly/2ZjRJxx
“The Hum” by Garret Harkawik: http://bit.ly/2HiiVCP
“The Devil’s Tramping Ground” by Zach Seemayer: http://bit.ly/2L0KbGP
“The Fleeing of the Tromp Family” by Jacob Shelton: http://bit.ly/30kzFRc
==========(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for material I use whenever possible. If I have overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it immediately. Some links 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®, WeirdDarkness© 2026
==========
To become a Weird Darkness Radio Show affiliate, contact Radio America at affiliates@radioamerica.com, or call 800-807-4703 (press 2 or dial ext 250).

Victor told his brother he would be dead by ten minutes after nine that morning, because half a century earlier, in a jungle after Tet, something wearing the shape of a child had told him the date, the hour, and the name of the brother who would be sitting beside him.

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/mitm-stygianchild

SOURCES and RESOURCES: “The Stygian Child” by Daren Salls: https://www.creepypasta.com/the-stygian-child/

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.

Midnight In The Macabre (MITM), originally aired: September 07, 2026

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE HEARING? WEIRD DARKNESS posts episodes 7 DAYS A WEEK! Listen FREE wherever you get podcasts or visit https://weirddarkness.com/listen. • Paranormal • True Crime • Ghosts • UFOs • Cryptids • Unexplained • Want even more? Become an OFFICIAL WEIRDO for commercial-free episodes, bonus episodes, weeknight live chats, audiobooks & more at https://WeirdDarkness.com/OFFICIAL