Havoc Town

Podcast: Havoc Town
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Episode: 5 | The Mad Preacher
Date: September 9, 2025

Episode Overview

This chilling episode of Havoc Town plunges listeners into the historical depths of Abbesstown, NH, as a devastating and mysterious plague—marked by fever, vomiting blood, and nightmares—ravages the village in 1817. Reverend Josiah Abbess, gripped by a belief that something infernal is at work, enacts brutal rites to combat what becomes the “Abbesstown Vampire Panic.” Through the eyes and voices of Damaris, Noah Abbas, and Father Josiah, listeners are brought face to face with acts of desperation: grave desecration, the burning of hearts, and community hysteria.

Meanwhile, seeds of the present-day storyline are planted with the entrance of Jury Havoc, who challenges the violently superstitious methods of the past, raising questions about the fine line between faith, madness, and leadership in crisis. The episode is immersive and atmospheric, full of moral tension, horror, and the cracks in faith during calamity.

Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. The Horrific Rites Begin (02:58–07:25)

• Damaris narrates the evisceration of a corpse under the direction of Father Josiah, who is convinced that burning the hearts of the dead will stop the blood fever.

  • She describes Father Josiah’s resolve and its cracks:

    “Noah had gone quite pale, and even Father Abbas seemed for a moment to doubt his decision.” (03:20)

  • The ritual is both brutal and bizarrely tender:

    “He carefully wrapped the slick red heart. It was careful, loving, almost a tender moment from a man not usually prone to tenderness.” (05:30)

• The burning of the heart by the church’s hearth is witnessed as an act of supposed cleansing, infusing the episode with tension between faith and horror.

2. Doubts, Fear, and Secret Wars (07:25–11:20)

• Over dinner, Noah expresses trepidation about their actions and confronts his father:

  • Noah Abbas: “How did you come to the conclusion that desecrating the Satterwhite boy’s body was the correct course of action?” (08:35)

  • Josiah alludes to correspondence with another priest about vampirism, refusing to elaborate in front of Damaris.

• The town’s illness seeps into every home. Mrs. Harbour arrives seeking help for her fever-crazed husband, and Josiah and Noah prepare for another dread-laden night.

3. The Village Descends—Death, Madness, and Murder (11:20–21:12)

• Damaris records the deepening of the plague and the growing graveyard, as local superstition and fear rise:

  • “One could indeed believe that creatures stalk the night. The air is so thick with suspicion.” (12:15)

• An especially gruesome scene unfolds as Noah recounts the Satterwhite family murders:

  • “There, naked and huddled over a carcass, was James Satterwhite… pulling out and eating his entrails.” (16:48, Noah Abbas)

• Noah struggles with the morality of his actions—whether mercy, punishment, or survival—as Father Josiah insists on disposing of the bodies by fire, not burial, and rebuffs the idea of seeking outside help.

4. Public Reckoning—Spectacle and Showdown (24:56–31:47)

• Damaris witnesses the grim spectacle outside the jail: the crowd, the hanged and mutilated body of James Satterwhite, and Father Josiah addressing the people:

  • Father Josiah Abbas: “Friends, friends. Let us remain level headed… It is the bite of the infected that causes the blood fever. Should you be bitten… turn yourself in. And if you see someone who is infected, turn them in.” (26:35)

• Jury Havoc confronts Father Josiah, igniting a debate over religion versus medicine:

  • Jury Havoc: “Is that common enemy Madness, Reverend, how dare you?” (29:35)

  • “None of the angels in heaven intervened on this night. The Lord himself turned a blind eye.” —Noah Abbas (19:38)

  • The town is split between science and superstition, with Josiah threatening Jury should evidence of evil lead back to him.

• Damaris sums up the tension:

  “These two men… stood face to face, eyes full of malice, and the world ground to a halt around them.” (30:23)

5. The Church Becomes a Hospital for the Condemned (31:47–35:57)

• The church is repurposed into a macabre sanctuary—now housing the bound and raving sick, cared for by exhausted townsfolk.

  • Damaris: “Noah has been relegated to disposing of their emaciated corpses, driving a stake through their hearts before burying them in a common grave that grows larger and larger, as if it is hungry.” (33:04)

• Damaris’s compassion for Noah is palpable as he shoulders the town's suffering and guilt.

6. Infection Strikes Home—Personal Horror (35:57–38:06)

• In a moment of ultimate horror, a supposedly dead child attacks Noah, biting him.

  • Damaris: “The small body… became suddenly animated, thrashing like a wild animal, and sunk its teeth right into Noah’s neck.” (35:57)

• Noah, resigned to his fate, prepares Damaris for the worst:

  • Noah Abbas: “Damaris. It is already done. You are going to need to be brave now. You are going to have to take the boys and go far away.” (37:35)

• Damaris refuses to leave him, stating her intention to remain to the bitter end.

Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• “Noah had gone quite pale, and even Father Abbas seemed for a moment to doubt his decision.”
  —Damaris (03:20)

• “He carefully wrapped the slick red heart. It was careful, loving, almost a tender moment from a man not usually prone to tenderness.”
  —Damaris (05:30)

• “How did you come to the conclusion that desecrating the Satterwhite boy’s body was the correct course of action?”
  —Noah Abbas (08:35)

• “There, naked and huddled over a carcass, was James Satterwhite…”
  —Noah Abbas (16:48)

• “Friends, friends. Let us remain level headed… Should you be bitten, it is your moral responsibility to turn yourself in. And if you see someone who is infected, turn them in.”
  —Father Josiah Abbas (26:35)

• “Is that common enemy Madness, Reverend, how dare you?”
  —Jury Havoc (29:35)

• “Noah has been relegated to disposing of their emaciated corpses, driving a stake through their hearts before burying them in a common grave that grows larger and larger, as if it is hungry.”
  —Damaris (33:04)

• “The small body… became suddenly animated, thrashing like a wild animal, and sunk its teeth right into Noah’s neck.”
  —Damaris (35:57)

• “Damaris. It is already done. You are going to need to be brave now. You are going to have to take the boys and go far away.”
  —Noah Abbas (37:35)

Atmosphere, Tone, & Engagement

• The episode balances period-accurate superstition and faith with an unyielding, grim realism—despair, hysteria, and rare threads of tenderness are palpable.
• Tension builds through contrasting perspectives: Father Josiah’s religious zeal, Noah’s anguish and doubt, Damaris’s empathy, and Jury Havoc’s challenge of reason.
• Memorable moments include graphic descriptions of ritual violence and the confrontation between Josiah and Jury, as well as the deeply personal moment when Damaris realizes her own husband is now at risk.

Key Segment Timestamps

• Evisceration Ritual: 02:58–07:25
• Noah Confronts Father Josiah: 08:25–09:15
• Satterwhite Family Murders: 13:32–21:12
• Public Hanging & Town Address: 24:56–31:19
• Church as Hospital for the Condemned: 31:47–35:57
• Noah Bitten, Final Scene: 35:57–38:06

For New Listeners

This episode is a showcase of historical horror storytelling, blending small-town dynamics with supernatural panic and moral ambiguity. Listeners are drawn into both individual tragedy and unfolding mass hysteria, setting the stage for present-day echoes and mysteries in Abbesstown.

Expect:

• Graphic, atmospheric narration
• Complex familial and community relationships
• Explorations of faith versus science in crisis
• Haunting questions about the origins—and cost—of evil