Havoc Town – Episode 4: Demaris

Podcast: Havoc Town
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping fourth installment, “Demaris”, the narrative toggles between Abbesstown's haunting past and its present-day echoes. Corinne Abbas and Sylvie Harris embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind a mysterious plague; a story that traverses 19th-century vampire panic, personal family histories, and a diary that may hold vital answers. The episode delves into the terrifying symptoms of the so-called “blood fever”, the superstitious frenzy it sparked in the past, and unsettling parallels with the contemporary outbreak gripping modern-day Havoc (formerly Abbesstown).

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Plague’s Superstitions and Reality

• Rumors and Fears (00:26)
  Damaris Daniel Ernesto recalls rampant rumors: townsfolk speaking in tongues, children acting feral, and whispers about demonic influences. Ordinary skepticism gives way to genuine dread as events intensify.
  • Quote:
    “Even the hardest skeptic in Abbesstown turned violently toward a horrible sort of belief that we were at long last coming to the very end of days.” — Damaris Daniel Ernesto (00:26)

2. Corinne and Sylvie’s Quest: Meeting the Academic

• En Route to Professor Bradshaw (01:54–04:27)
  Corinne and Sylvie, playfully bantering, travel to consult a folklore scholar about a recently recovered box of vampire-hunting tools and disturbing events in town.
  • Notable Exchange:
    • “You do not see a lot of these in the wild.” — Professor Bradshaw, on the vampire kit (05:05)
• The Vampire Panic, Explained (05:10–07:47)
  Professor Bradshaw contextualizes the New England vampire panic, debunking myths linking it solely to tuberculosis while highlighting the unique, more violent symptoms in Abbesstown’s outbreak.
  • Quote:
    “It was something else. Victims experienced disorientation and fever, then sudden, violent rages, and finally...bleed from the eyes and nose and even the pores. It more closely resembled Poe’s Red Death…than TB.” — Professor Bradshaw (06:49)

3. Uncovering the Past: The Diary of Damaris Abbess

• Discovery & Significance (08:10–09:18)
  Bradshaw produces “A Terrible Thirst”, the lost diary of Damaris Abbess, a rare first-hand account of the Abbesstown Vampire Panic.

  • Quote:
    “It’s all the more chilling because of how it...abruptly ends.” — Professor Bradshaw on the diary (09:18)

• Context: Vicious Family History (09:28–10:12)
  Corinne learns of her ancestor, Josiah “the mad preacher” Abbess, associated with infamous local violence and suspected murder.

• A Scholar’s Caution (10:12)
  Bradshaw offers a parting insight:

  • Quote:
    “From personal experience, I’ve found that sometimes that’s where the truth lies.” — Professor Bradshaw, on the value of myth (10:12)

4. Reading the Diary: 1817’s Fall into Panic

a. The Arrival of Jury Havoc

• Atmosphere and Introduction (11:06–14:30)
  • The church's first service is interrupted by Jury Havoc, whose unsettling arrival—despite courteous words—immediately unsettles Father Josiah.
  • Quote:
    “His bright eyes shone as he took in the house of worship…They so thoroughly seemed to find the center of me.” — Damaris Daniel Ernesto, on Jury Havoc (13:09)

b. The First Attack and the Escalation

• Violent Onset (17:50–18:56)
  A young boy, Nathaniel, suddenly attacks Mrs. Harris in a blood-fueled rage, exhibiting disturbing symptoms and leading to a town-wide crisis.

• Symptoms and Death (19:22–22:58)
  Detailed account of Nathaniel’s frenzied illness, imprisonment, and death: sudden onset of fever, bleeding from orifices and pores, fits of rage—so extreme that the clergy suspect supernatural evil.

  • Modern Parallels:
    Corinne and Sylvie note eerily similar symptoms occurring in the present day (23:02).

c. The Outbreak Spreads

• Contagion and Desperation (23:19–25:54)
  The affliction spreads to Mrs. Harris and Constable Fellows, both bite victims, sparking widespread fear and a call for communal religious fortitude.

  • Quote (Sermon):
    “Do not walk in fear, my friends. Put your faith in him and his light will banish the darkness…” — Father Josiah Abbess (24:15)

d. Secret Measures & Superstition

• Practical Exorcisms (25:54–27:21)
  Father Josiah, joined by his son Noah, secretly conducts aggressive nightly exorcisms on the afflicted—blurring lines between spiritual discipline and violence.

• Rising Paranoia and Curfews (27:21–29:51)
  The town imposes curfews and retreat into prayer, while Josiah rallies his flock to resist the “devil” and avoid further contamination.

• Desecration at the Grave (29:51–32:22)
  Damaris discovers disrupted earth at Nathaniel’s grave; Josiah and Noah exhume the body.

e. The Uneasy Corpse

• Discovery (32:22–34:00)
  The body, far from decomposed, appears lifelike: flushed cheeks, red lips—fueling suspicions of vampirism. Josiah prepares to destroy the corpse, echoing New England vampire folklore.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Diary:
  “I didn’t know there’d been a diary.” — Corinne (08:39)

• On the Fever:
  “He set upon the bars with a sort of madness that Noah described as inhuman, even infernal.” — Damaris Daniel Ernesto (21:34)

• On Faith vs. Fear:
  “We must remain vigilant, yes, but we must also retain our faith as our strongest defense.” — Father Josiah Abbess (24:15)

Important Timestamps

• 00:26 — Damaris introduces the town’s descent into panic
• 05:10 — Professor Bradshaw explains the vampire panic
• 08:31 — The diary of Damaris Abbess is revealed
• 10:12 — Bradshaw: “Myth is where the truth lies”
• 11:06–15:17 — First entries of the diary read aloud; Jury Havoc’s arrival
• 17:50–18:56 — The Chandler boy’s attack at the market
• 21:34 — The boy’s inhuman turn in the jail cell
• 24:15 — Father Josiah’s sermon to reassure—and warn—the townsfolk
• 29:51 — Corinne finds Nathaniel’s grave disturbed
• 32:14 — Opening Nathaniel’s coffin: uncanny signs of vampirism
• 34:00 — Josiah readies to destroy the corpse

Final Segment: Present-Day Tensions

• A call from modern-day Jury Havoc interrupts the diary reading (34:08), inviting Corinne to the famous Havoc house—suggesting the intertwining of past and present is far from over.

  • Quote:
    “That’s not too forward, is it? I promise I’m not gonna murder you in the bathtub. Like to put that chapter of our family's shared history behind us, yes?” — Jury Havoc, lighthearted yet portentous (34:50)

Tone and Style

The episode balances eerie historical detail with lively, often darkly humorous interactions between Corinne and Sylvie. The historical narrative is somber and intense; the present-day tone feels skeptical yet increasingly unsettled as past horrors resurface in the modern town.

Takeaways

• “Demaris” intensifies the series’ central mystery, heightening parallels between past and present outbreaks.
• Listeners are left with chilling accounts of mass hysteria, supernatural suspicion, and the lengths to which decent people will go when gripped by fear.
• The allusion to the present-day epidemic suggests history may be repeating itself—or that darker forces are at work in Havoc Town than anyone dares to admit.