Who was the Westfield Watcher? While Derek Broaddus and his family maintains to this day that an unhinged and dangerous neighbor must have sent the unsettling letters, others believe that the Broadduses may even have created The Watcher themselves. Stay with us as we explore the terrifying letters of the neighborhood stalker known as the Westfield Watcher. Thank you to our sponsor, Best Fiends! www.bestfiends.com Special guest narration by Edward October of OctoberPod: https://www.octoberpodvhs....
Jul 20, 2021•35 min•Ep. 102
In September 2019, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Family members had heard nothing from them for months, but the children’s parents never reported the minors missing. Law enforcement visited the home of JJ and Tylee’s mother, Lori Vallow, that November to perform a welfare check on the children. Authorities later located Vallow and her husband, Chad Daybell, in Hawaii, where police finally arrested Vallow in February 2020 — mo...
Jun 29, 2021•23 min•Ep. 101
Frequency is everywhere — all things in our universe are constantly in motion, vibrating. Even the Earth hums at its own frequency. Knowing about frequency is fascinating, but also important for our well-being. It could impact our physical, mental, and emotional health. Some scientists think that frequency can explain life’s greatest mysteries, the reality or non-reality of ghosts and aliens — even the human consciousness. There are so many enigmas surrounding frequency. Join us as we explore th...
May 25, 2021•27 min•Ep. 100
What do TikTok and a 90s horror film have to do with the brutal unsolved murder of a woman in 1980s Chicago? Tune in to our new episode to find out! Promos: Reverie True Crime: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reverie-true-crime/id1492793721 Crimeatorium: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crimeatorium/id1530070753 Articles in Research/Narration: https://www.rd.com/list/true-urban-legends/ https://ghoulishmedia.com/candyman-origins/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABLA_Homes#Ruth_Mae_McCoy...
May 14, 2021•20 min•Ep. 99
Baby monitors are supposed to help give parents peace of mind — but are these devices safe? What happens when a baby monitor captures frightening sights and sounds from inside a child’s room? Are baby monitors a dangerous gateway, inviting both human and ghostly hackers into our homes? Join us as we explore some of the creepiest things ever captured on baby monitors. Thank you to our sponsor, Best Fiends! www.bestfiends.com Promo by Legendary Africa: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legenda...
Apr 13, 2021•31 min•Ep. 98
On May 16th, 1937, at around 6pm, a woman in her late 20s left a dance hall in Paris and walked quickly toward a bus stop. About 25 minutes later, she entered the metro station and took a seat in an empty first class car while the other passengers crammed into the second-class cars. When the car arrived at the next station forty-five seconds later, the doors opened on a crime scene: the woman, Laetitia Toureaux, sat slouched in her seat, bleeding heavily with a nine-inch dagger buried to its hil...
Mar 23, 2021•27 min•Ep. 97
Honored around the world on March 8th, International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, and political achievements of women. International Women’s Day attempts to bring women equal access to rights and opportunities like education, protection under the law, and freedom from violence. I thought one small way I can recognize the accomplishments of women around me is by sharing the incredible shows of lady podcasters! As podcasters and listeners, we should amplify women’s voices by active...
Mar 08, 2021•14 min•Ep. 96
A quick announcement for listeners and podcasters about our special International Women's Day episode! Email your promo to straightupenigmas@gmail.com or message us on social media with any questions at all. We're on Twitter as @StraightEnigmas and Instagram as @straightupenigmas. We're so excited for this one, and we hope you'll join us on March 8th to celebrate some pretty amazing women in the podcasting community!
Mar 02, 2021•2 min•Ep. 95
Starring George C. Scott, 'The Changeling' (1980) is one of the most acclaimed and terrifying horror films of all time. As frightening as the movie is, the true story of the house that inspired it is even creepier. 'The Changeling' is based on the paranormal events Russell Hunter supposedly experienced while living in an old home in Denver, Colorado, in the late 1960s. Did he really live through a haunting that would go on to inspire a horror movie? Did Hunter barely survive his ghost-infested h...
Feb 16, 2021•20 min•Ep. 94
Witnesses all over the globe have reported experiencing temporal oddities. Could the explanation be related to the paranormal? If someone really can be stuck in a time loop, it opens up countless questions about time and our reality that we have yet to understand. In celebration of Groundhog Day, stay with us as we explore several creepy and unexplained stories about time loops. Thank you to our sponsor, Memory My Way! Use promo code ENIGMAS to get $5 off your first month when you sign up at www...
Feb 02, 2021•23 min•Ep. 93
In the late 1980s, Don Decker was interviewed on the national television show, “Unsolved Mysteries,” for being known as “Rainman,” a man who could actually make it rain indoors, and the case is still a mystery to police in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Was Don Decker possessed by a demonic force? How did he make rain appear out of thin air? If it were all just a hoax, how could one man get away with deceiving nine eyewitnesses, several of which were police officers? Stay with us as we explore the h...
Jan 19, 2021•26 min•Ep. 92
In this unique episode, special guest Chris Williamson of Vanished joins us for an inside look at some of the biggest disappearance cases in all of history — including Amelia Earhart, Jack the Ripper, D.B. Cooper, John Wilkes Booth, and more. Chris hosts Vanished along with his co-host, Jennifer Taylor, as part of the Straight Up Strange podcast network. He's also the creator of Chasing Earhart, the world's only Amelia Earhart-dedicated podcast and forthcoming 14 part documentary series. We hope...
Dec 29, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 91
Join us for the chilling conclusion of M.R. James’ short story, "Lost Hearts!" Aired on Christmas Day in 1973 as a short television film on BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas, this terrifying tale is about an orphan boy, Stephen Elliott, who is sent to live with his cousin, Mr. Abney, at his remote estate in the country. Stephen will discover the fate of the two children who mysteriously disappeared from the property, as well as the awful secrets kept by his strange and eccentric elderly cousin. ...
Dec 22, 2020•16 min•Ep. 90
M.R. James’ short story, "Lost Hearts," aired on Christmas Day in 1973 as a short television film on BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas . This ghost story tells the tale of an orphan boy, Stephen Elliott, who is sent to live with his cousin, Mr. Abney, at his remote estate in the country. Stephen soon discovers that two other children, who had previously stayed at his cousin’s estate, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Part 2 of this ghostly tale will be published in our feed within the ...
Dec 16, 2020•19 min•Ep. 89
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for some, it’s an equally terrifying time of year. On December 6th, 1959, neighbors in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles awoke to the sound of Judye Perelson screaming and pounding on their door with blood-slicked hands. When police arrived on the scene at the Perelson's house, they found Lillian Perelson dead on the bed and her husband, Harold Perelson, also dead from a massive drug overdose — an apparent suicide. But even after Harold Perelson was ...
Dec 08, 2020•30 min•Ep. 88
Belle Gunness (also known as Lady Bluebeard, The LaPorte Black Widow, The Mistress of Murder Farm, and Hell’s Belle) was probably one of America’s most prolific serial killers. She might have killed between 25 and 40 people, including women and children, at the turn of the 20th century. Rumors circulated that Lady Bluebeard didn’t actually die in a mysterious fire and most likely faked her death. Did she die in the fire? Did she murder all those people? And did she set the fire to cover her esca...
Nov 17, 2020•32 min•Ep. 87
Whether or not the superstitions are real, several tragic and unlucky events have occurred on Friday the 13th, from the unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur and the bombing of Buckingham palace to deadly natural disasters and the birth of the KKK’s first Grand Wizard. In today’s special episode, we’ll explore one devastating plane crash that took place in South America on Friday, October 13, 1972. Was it the unlucky date that caused the catastrophe, leading to dozens of deaths and cannibalism among t...
Nov 13, 2020•20 min•Ep. 86
Happy Halloween, listeners! Today’s special episode is a creepy collaboration with several shows in the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network. Together, we narrate W.W. Jacob’s short story, “The Monkey’s Paw,” a terrifying tale reminding you to be careful what you wish for. We’ve got a lot of great voices in this crossover. Be sure to check out all these amazing podcasts by heading to straightupstrange.com. Thanks so much for joining us for the past two weeks for our 13 Nights of Halloween series!...
Oct 31, 2020•26 min•Ep. 85
In this chilling tale by Edith Nesbit, a man finds his beloved in a "desirable," mysterious home with her throat slit from ear to ear. But is it really her... or a vision of the future? Is there anything he can do to stop it? Listen wherever you find podcasts to find out! We hope you enjoy this terrifying tale as it's definitely been one of our favorites so far. We have one more special episode for you tomorrow (Halloween!), then we take a break until November 13. We hope you'll join us again! h...
Oct 30, 2020•12 min•Ep. 84
Posting an ad on Craigslist for black eyed kids to come and find you has a terrifying result (as we knew it would) for the author of this short story. Join us for today's minisode in our 13 Nights of Halloween series! Our next full-length episode will be on Friday, November 13. Source material: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/sunshine-girl/my-black-eyed-kid-encounter-by-jake/ https://tbsnews.net/splash/legend-black-eyed-children-55705 Music: The Children's Room by Audionautix is licensed under...
Oct 29, 2020•10 min•Ep. 83
As part of our 13 Nights of Halloween series, we've teamed up with the amazing Geek Freaks Podcast for today's special episode! Listen in as we discuss a few haunted and cursed video/arcade games. Articles/Research: https://www.gamesradar.com/terrifying-video-game-creepypastas-to-make-you-never-play-alone-again-from-demonic-sonics-to-haunted-minecrafts/ https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Polybius http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/03/25/from-polybius-to-sad-satan-the-five-most-haunted-video-games/...
Oct 28, 2020•33 min•Ep. 82
Black cats have long been associated with misfortune, fear, and death in folklore. But how exactly did these animals become such prevalent Halloween symbols? In celebration of National Black Cat Day, join us as we take a look at the centuries-old superstitions behind these handsome felines. Articles: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/10/31/the-spooky-history-of-how-cats-bewitched-us/ https://solidgoldpet.com/heres-actual-reason-witches-black-cats/ https://www.hartz.com/how-bla...
Oct 27, 2020•10 min•Ep. 81
In honor of National Pumpkin Day, we're discussing the spooky history of Stingy Jack and the origin of the jack-o'-lantern. If you like today's mini-episode, don't forget to subscribe and leave a five-star review wherever you're listening! Research Articles: https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-jack-o-lantern-irish-origins https://www.celticthunder.com/blog/2016/10/02/history-jack-o-lantern/#:~:text=In%20Ireland%20children%20carved%20out,to%20pay%20for%20his%20drink. https://www.mentalflo...
Oct 26, 2020•9 min•Ep. 76
In honor of National Chucky the Killer Doll Day, we discuss six freaky facts you might not know about the frightening Child's Play franchise. I leaned heavily on these two amazing articles: https://screenrant.com/childs-play-facts-trivia/ https://www.amc.com/talk/2014/10/six-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-childs-play-franchise Music: The Children's Room by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) Artist: http://audionautix...
Oct 25, 2020•9 min•Ep. 80
In this episode of our 13 Nights of Halloween mini-series, we bring you several short and shocking Creepypastas. Thank you for joining us this spooky season! Source: https://the-line-up.com/10-short-creepypastas Music: Measured Paces by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100164 Artist: http://incompetech.com/...
Oct 24, 2020•11 min•Ep. 75
Today’s mini-episode is a reading of Guy de Maupassant's short story, "The Hand," by Kris from Obscure Anomalies, an amazing podcast that’s part of our Straight Up Strange Network Family. A big thank you to Kris for contributing to our 13 Nights of Halloween series! If you like our show, you’ll really enjoy the creepy, spooky topics covered on Obscure Anomalies, so be sure to give them a listen too. "The Hand" by Guy de Maupassant: https://americanliterature.com/author/guy-de-maupassant/short-st...
Oct 23, 2020•16 min•Ep. 78
Have you heard of the Midnight Game? PLEASE do not play the game this spooky season (or ever). Nothing good can come from it! You... have been warned! Articles: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Midnight_Game https://theghostinmymachine.com/2014/03/31/the-most-dangerous-games-the-midnight-game/ https://www.ihorror.com/paranormal-games-the-midnight-man/ https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1e73fy/the_midnight_game_i_played_it_and_i_was_a/ Music: All songs are from Myuu’s YouTube channel: h...
Oct 22, 2020•15 min•Ep. 74
Today’s mini-episode is a reading of E. Nesbit’s “Uncle Abraham’s Romance” by Jennifer from Haunted Happenstance, an incredible podcast that’s part of our Straight Up Strange Network Family. A big thank you to Jennifer for contributing to our 13 Nights of Halloween series. If you like our show, you’ll really enjoy the spooky tales on the Haunted Happenstance audio drama, so be sure to give them a listen too. "Uncle Abraham's Romance:" https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Grim_Tales/Uncle_Abraham%27s_R...
Oct 21, 2020•11 min•Ep. 79
The small town of Kisilova, Serbia, was struck by a devastating case of vampire hysteria in 1725 when a peasant farmer rose from the dead and began murdering the villagers. In this mini-episode of our 13 Nights of Halloween series, we discuss the world's first recorded vampire. Articles used in research: https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Blagojević%2C+Peter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAinc3svOT0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB6iEKFJ1jU https://www.dictionary.com/browse/vampire ...
Oct 20, 2020•8 min•Ep. 73
Ankou, a frightening figure in Breton folklore, is known as the Harvester of Souls. Join us for the second mini-episode in our 13 Nights of Halloween exclusive series! This episode was written and produced by Jaden McKell. Research/Articles: https://occult-world.com/ankou/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G02hYLFo-o https://www.transceltic.com/breton/ankou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankou https://www.transceltic.com/breton/ankou-breton-halloween-story Music: Sounds effects from zapsplat.com. ...
Oct 19, 2020•10 min•Ep. 72
