Enjoy this special Christmas collaboration from all members of the Straight Up Strange Productions family! No matter what you celebrate, have a safe and happy holiday season, and we'll see you in 2020! To check out the other Straight Up Strange podcasts, please visit www.straightupstrange.com. "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" written by Clement Clarke Moore. Wish Background by Kevin McLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4......) Source...
Dec 24, 2019•4 min•Season 1Ep. 43
When Karen Silkwood blew the whistle on the nuclear power plant where she was employed in 1974, she ended up dead — killed in a fatal car crash. Was she murdered because of her actions against a large, powerful corporation? Was it a conspiracy, or a tragic accident? Stay with me as we discuss the mysterious death of American chemical technician, Karen Silkwood. Sources/Articles: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20140514STO47018/forsmark-how-sweden-alerted-the-world-about-...
Dec 10, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 41
The concept of Hell exists in almost every religion on the planet. From the fiery pits of Christian Hell to the shadowy pagan dimensions and complex Asian underworlds, Hell is generally thought to be a nether world where the wicked souls of the dead are sent to suffer everlasting punishment, misery and torture. While versions of the inferno differ from one belief system to the next, most cultures agree that it can be accessed by portals pockmarking our earth’s surface. Located in the Karakum Des...
Nov 26, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Happy Halloween, everyone! To conclude our special mini-series, 13 Nights of Halloween, we're releasing a third bonus episode! Jennifer, the host of Haunted Happenstance, narrates a horrifying, vivid nightmare she had of an inky black figure looming on the ceiling above her as she slept. Was this sleep paralysis or... something else? Her storytelling abilities and attention to detail really bring this terrifying tale to life. Have a happy, safe and spooky Halloween! Source: "My Kentucky Nightmar...
Oct 31, 2019•12 min•Ep. 39
H.P. Lovecraft has been called one of the most influential horror fiction authors of all time. Stephen King himself explained, "Now that time has given us some perspective on his work, I think it is beyond doubt that H.P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale." In today's special bonus episode as part of our 13 Nights of Halloween, Kris Rustic of Obscure Anomalies performs Lovecraft's short story, "Dagon." Settle in for a cr...
Oct 30, 2019•20 min•Ep. 38
In celebration of Halloween, and with the help of two of my sister podcasts from Straight Up Strange Productions, you’re in store for a unique show tonight. This episode ties together each of our three, very different podcasts and styles to cover one overlapping, and relatively dark topic: the phenomenon of crimes committed while sleepwalking (and not just any crimes, but heinous, sometimes fatal ones.) First up is a fictionalized storytelling by Jennifer from Haunted Happenstance, then followed...
Oct 28, 2019•41 min•Ep. 37
One spring night in a second-floor bedroom of an old creaky house in Benton, Maine, Alan Linnell lay terrified as he felt a presence sit on his bed. He then felt something cold touch his arm. That was just one of dozens of strange events the Linnell family experienced over 13 years beginning in 1964, a year after the family bought the home. The incredible stories might have been dismissed if not for a grisly discovery made in the walls of the home. Join us for another mini-episode as part of our...
Oct 28, 2019•6 min•Ep. 36
Long-time listener, Breanna, couldn’t believe it when she found out that her neighbor, Craig Duncan Nicholls, was a cold-blooded killer. It just goes to show that we may not really know the people around us as well as we think. The friendly neighbors we wave to every morning or throw summer barbecues with may be greedier, darker and more monstrous than we could ever realize. Join us as we discuss the heinous crime committed by Breanna's neighbor: the murder of Michael Boudrero. Sources: https://...
Oct 27, 2019•6 min•Ep. 35
From crumbling castles and ghoulish graveyards to misty mountains and chilling churches, Great Britain is full of truly paranormal places. Today’s episode will focus on a lesser-known but beautiful Victorian mansion in England that’s occupied by family friends, Brian and Sue. As you’ll hear, and as Brian and Sue soon found out, one of the former inhabitants of their new home didn’t seem quite ready to move out. Join us as we discuss the history behind Horton Hall, as well as the appearance of an...
Oct 26, 2019•8 min•Ep. 34
In today's mini-episode, we'll explore the legend of the haunted Goatman's Bridge in Texas. Our discussion will feature a personal experience from two of our long-time listeners at the notorious bridge, including a strange photo taken of a couple friends that night. The weird thing about the picture? Only two people posed for the snapshot, but, later, when the group looked more closely at the image, they saw not two, but three faces in the darkness. Source: https://wedentondoit.com/blog/2013/10/...
Oct 25, 2019•8 min•Ep. 33
Maritime history is full of stories of ghost ships and sea serpents. One of the most famous of these mysteries is the legendary Dutch freighter, S.S. Ourang Medan. According to the myth, a strange radio message was received by numerous ships traveling along the Straits of Malacca in 1847. Those that received this message, an SOS, insisted that it went: “All officers, including the captain, are dead. Lying in chartroom and bridge. Possibly whole crew dead. ...I die.” Rescuers on the scene found t...
Oct 24, 2019•9 min•Ep. 32
You know that creeping sensation you get when you think someone's watching you? Several scientific studies have found evidence to suggest that our minds have a mysterious capacity to sense what's happening around us, even if we’re not actually "seeing" it. But, is it all only in our minds? Do we have a sixth sense, something that tells us whether a stranger is near, watching us? Tune in to hear a true and terrifying story from Shailee, one of our long-time listeners, titled, “Someone Was Watchin...
Oct 23, 2019•8 min•Ep. 31
In the 1920's, Rudolph Valentino was a movie star. After purchasing a simple silver ring from a San Francisco shop, however, his career and his life would come to an abrupt end. As we'll see in this episode, the notorious ring brought misfortune to every single one of its owners. Do you believe in curses? https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/cursed-ring/ https://www.thescarechamber.com/the-cursed-ring-of-rudolph-valentino/ Comfortable Mystery 1 - Film Noire by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Cre...
Oct 22, 2019•8 min•Ep. 30
Nurses are supposed to help those under their care. They’re supposed to heal and protect us. Maybe that’s why so many of these individuals get away with murder for so long. No one suspects these caregivers of being capable of such heinous crimes. While history is littered with medical professionals who murdered their patients, on this episode, we discuss one nurse who is considered the most prolific serial killer in the history of peacetime Germany and perhaps the world. https://www.ranker.com/l...
Oct 21, 2019•8 min•Ep. 29
In this spine-tingling episode, we’re sharing a short but shocking sleep paralysis experience from Carlie, one of our long-time listeners. Our special mini-series, 13 Nights of Halloween, continues everyday leading up to October 31. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/what-you-should-know-about-sleep-paralysis This episode was written and produced by me, Jaden McKell. The theme song was created by Chuck Flyer....
Oct 20, 2019•7 min•Ep. 28
Creepypastas are scary stories and media shared over and over again on the internet. Kicking off Straight-Up Enigmas' special mini-series, 13 Nights of Halloween, is a bite-sized terrifying tale featuring at least two elements so popular in creepypastas: a haunted house and a man made entirely of shadow. https://www.reddit.com/r/freehorrorstories/comments/8hrd08/true_paranormal_my_grandmothers_haunted_house/ https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/movies/a24404636/creepypasta-scariest-stories...
Oct 19, 2019•12 min•Ep. 27
The legend of the “Croglin Grange Vampire” first appeared in the 1890s, written by English author Augustus Hare. Hare claimed that he was sharing a “really extraordinary” story from the family of his good friend, Captain Fisher. The tale takes place in Cumberland, England, but when it was discovered that no place called Croglin Grange actually existed in Cumberland, people began to question the validity of Hare’s tale. Is Croglin Grange based on a real location? Did the undead really attack the ...
Oct 01, 2019•18 min•Ep. 26
In 1954, 21-year-old Jean Marie (or Mary) Townsend, lived with her parents in South Ruislip, England and worked as a theatrical costumer in London's West End. On the night of September 14, 1954, she attended a social event in the West End, returning to Ruislip later that night on the last Central line train. Her body was discovered the next morning on waste ground to the north side of Victoria Road, and the autopsy report stated that she had been strangled with her own scarf. Who killed Jean Tow...
Aug 27, 2019•17 min•Ep. 25
Of all haunted Hollywood’s cursed film productions, one in particular is considered to have one of the worst movie curses of all time. The film tells the story of a man who accidentally adopts the Antichrist as his son, and the movie remains one of horror's most successful franchises. But what was it about the set that led producers to believe the film was really cursed by the devil himself? Join us to learn more about the horrifying 1976 film, The Omen . Theme song created by Chuck Flyer. Resea...
Jun 25, 2019•17 min•Ep. 24
In December 1945, five Navy bombers carrying 14 men took off from a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airfield to practice bombing runs over some nearby shoals. But with his compasses apparently malfunctioning, the leader of the mission, known as Flight 19, became hopelessly lost. All five planes flew aimlessly until they ran low on fuel and were forced to ditch at sea. What happened to Flight 19? Were any remains of the bombers ever recovered? What about the crewmen? Listen in as we take a closer look ...
May 28, 2019•17 min•Ep. 23
On October 7, 1949, American actress Jean Spangler left her home in Los Angeles to meet with her ex-husband about a late child support payment, but she was never seen again. The only clues left behind were a purse with a torn strap and a note assigned to a mysterious "Kirk." What happened to Jean Spangler? Was gangster Mickey Cohen involved? Did actor Kirk Douglas have anything to do with the young starlet's disappearance? Listen to this week's episode to find out! Articles Used in Research: htt...
Feb 12, 2019•16 min•Ep. 22
The story of the Enfield Poltergeist, which inspired the 2016 horror-film The Conjuring 2 , held the nation spellbound and became one of the most famous supernatural cases in history. It involved strange voices, levitation, flying objects, furniture being moved through the air, cold breezes and more—and while some call it a hoax, others consider it to be one of the most-witnessed cases of supernatural activity to date. Is it a hoax? Evidence of the paranormal? Listen to this week's episode to fi...
Feb 05, 2019•15 min•Ep. 21
In the summer of 1974, in the dunes of Provincetown, a coastal resort community on Cape Cod, a teenage girl walking her dog discovered the badly decomposed corpse of a young woman. The woman, eventually named the "Lady of the Dunes," was found lying face down on a beach towel, nude, with a bandanna and a pair of jeans folded beneath her head. Several theories have been made over the years in an attempt to identify the Lady of the Dunes. In 2015, writer Joe Hill, son of horror novelist Stephen Ki...
Jan 29, 2019•13 min•Ep. 20
The Basano Vase is made of carved silver and was most likely created in 15th century Italy as a wedding gift for an Italian bride. On her wedding night, the new bride was found lying on the floor, dying, and clutching the vase to her chest. With her dying breath, the bride promised to return and seek revenge. No one knows exactly how she died, but now, the legend goes that every person who has owned the vase since has died within a three-month period. Where is the vase now? Why has it killed so ...
Jan 22, 2019•14 min•Ep. 19
In Straight-Up Enigmas' first episode, we covered the story of Jonbenét Ramsey, a child beauty-pageant queen, who was found dead in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on Dec. 26, 1996. To this day, her case remains unsolved. New developments in the case, including a convicted pedophile's confession, will be discussed in this bonus episode. Theme song created and owned by Chuck Flyer. Comfortable Mystery 1 - Film Noire by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attrib...
Jan 19, 2019•5 min•Ep. 18
Cleopatra ruled Egypt for 21 years, during which she both married and killed her brothers, killed her sister, bedded Julius Caesar, and had a long-standing affair with Roman general, Mark Antony. Cleopatra is arguably one of the most recognizable female figures in history. But if her name is so famous and her story so well-known, then where is she? Cleopatra’s final resting place remains undiscovered to this day. How can someone so… legendary... just disappear? Was her suicide actually a religio...
Jan 15, 2019•14 min•Ep. 17
17-year-old high school senior, Debi Kent, went missing on the night of November 8, 1974 after leaving a school play with her parents. Investigators believe she was abducted and murdered by serial killer Ted Bundy while on his reign of terror in Utah. Bundy admitted to killing Debi just before his execution, but police were never able to locate her body. Was Bundy telling the truth? Was he the one responsible for Debi's disappearance? If so, where did he leave her body? Listen in as I discuss th...
Jan 08, 2019•12 min•Ep. 16
A mysterious surveillance video of Elisa Lam in the Cecil Hotel’s elevator shows that she might have suffered a mental breakdown before drowning herself in one of the hotel’s water tanks. Due to her strange behavior in the elevator, others think Elisa was running from an attacker—or worse—a demon of some kind. What really happened to Elisa Lam? Join us for this week’s episode to hear some of the strange circumstances and theories surrounding the enigma of Elisa Lam.
Dec 18, 2018•11 min•Ep. 15
Early on Christmas morning, 1945, a fire destroyed the home of George and Jennie Sodder, leaving five of the couple’s 10 children dead. Or were they? The many mysteries surrounding the fire have made the Sodder children the center of one of America's most infamous unsolved cases. Listen in as we discuss the enigma of the vanished Sodder children. Copyright info: straightupenigmas.home.blog.
Dec 11, 2018•11 min•Ep. 14
Sleep paralysis is a feeling of being conscious but unable to move or speak. One of the more frightening elements of sleep paralysis is seeing dark, shadowy figures floating toward you or hulking in the corner of your bedroom. Science has found a way to explain away the appearance of shadow people during sleep paralysis episodes, but what does it have to say about those who have seen shadow people during their waking hours?
Dec 04, 2018•19 min•Ep. 13
