Monsters Among Us – Season 19, Episode 45: "Don't Let Them In – Best of Black Eyed Kids"

Air date: September 16, 2025
Host: Derek Hayes | Audioboom Studios

Episode Overview

This chilling "best of" episode revisits some of the most unsettling listener-submitted encounters with the infamous Black Eyed Kids (BEKs), a paranormal phenomenon marked by the appearance of children—and sometimes adults—with entirely black eyes and eerie, manipulative behavior. Curated by host Derek Hayes, the episode draws on years of calls, recounting first-hand encounters from across North America that range from mildly unnerving to life-altering. Hayes frames the discussion within the lore and theories surrounding BEKs, touching on their possible connections to broader supernatural and cryptid phenomena.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Are Black Eyed Kids?

• BEKs are described as children (occasionally adults) with jet-black, featureless eyes and unnaturally pale or otherwise peculiar appearances.
• Encounters typically involve the BEKs begging to be let inside homes or vehicles or asking for help, often exuding a sense of dread, manipulation, or primal terror.
• Many witnesses report a psychic or hypnotic effect, lost time, and overwhelming fear.

Notable Encounters & Thematic Segments

1. The School Health Clerk's Nightmare

[03:45]
Caller: Anonymous

• A health clerk at a school reports a pale, black-haired child with pitch-black eyes approaches her during lice checks. She feels singularly aware of the child's presence; others don't notice him.
• The encounter matches a photo from a Black Eyed Children documentary ("That's it, that's the kid" - [05:00]).
• Memory around the rest of the event is blurred; caller notes subsequent shadow people sightings at home.

Derek Hayes:

"She got close enough to touch the thing, whatever it was, and, you know, I think I'd rather just have lice." ([06:00])

2. Columbus, Ohio: The Fifth Grade Visitor

[06:52]
Caller: Anonymous

• Early 1990s, walks home from school; sees a boy matching his age through the window—except for "the darkest, blackest eyes." ([07:30])
• Compares appearance to Beetlejuice movie masks ("it reminded me of that" [07:50]).
• Freezes in shock and instinctively hides; never investigates. The memory has stuck for life.

3. Jumping on the Bed – The Coon Rapids Incident

[11:40]
Caller: Cody

• 2015, living with grandmother. Two kids, dressed in old, "pilgrimy" clothes with black eyes, dash past him and jump on his bed, repeating, "Come play with us." ([12:52])
• Their behavior is teeter-totter-like and their eyes "so black... you can't even see anything inside there."
• In panic, he flees the house naked, not returning until family comes home. Now believes BEKs "invite the devil into your life."

Memorable quote:

"[They] go, 'Come play with us.' And I freaked out and dropped my towel... ran outside... butt naked into my truck… I would not return back… until my grandma called me." – Cody ([13:16])

4. Paranormal Cyclists: Black Eyed Kids on Bikes

a) Late-Night Bike Riders, Michigan

[14:27]
Caller: Charles

• Charles spots two young girls riding bikes under a street lamp at 1 A.M.—suspiciously late and riding unnaturally slow. They disappear when he tries to keep track of them.

b) Oklahoma Sunrise Encounter

[17:35]
Caller: Becky

• Early morning, post-run, sees a swaying, raggedly dressed boy on a bike. Overcome by an "intense terror and dread" on sight, especially after glimpsing his "big black holes" for eyes.
• "Everything in me yelled danger." ([20:43])
• Unable to explain why she never discussed it—even with her friend riding shotgun.

Derek Hayes:

"What is it with these black eyed children and their bicycles?" ([22:57])

5. Black Eyed Adults: They Grow Up

a) County Fair, New Jersey

[25:40]
Caller: Jay

• Spots three farmhand-looking men with "no pupil, just all black" eyes at county fair. One makes deliberate, chilling eye contact.

b) Subway Twins, Boston

[28:09]
Caller: Jean Patrice

• 2013, Boston subway: Sees identical twins, both with "completely black" eyes, interacting with a child.
• Looks up BEK phenomenon after returning home.

c) Other Black Eyed Adults

• Additional brief accounts:
  • A well-dressed Black man on a train in Oregon ([31:40])
  • A "lizard-like" bald man with black eyes in Portland traffic ([32:56])
  • An old woman with enormous black eyes and greenish skin, walking with a walker in Washington ([62:09])

Observation:
Hayes notes, "It only makes sense that these creepy children end up growing into even creepier adults." ([35:17])

6. Classic BEK Home Infiltration Scenarios

a) The 3 A.M. Knock in Apple Valley

[38:01]
Caller: Jennifer

• 2:33 AM, hears three knocks; dogs react with quiet attentiveness instead of barking.
• Disembodied child's voice demands, "Come outside." No one is visible through peephole.

b) The Crying Child Trap, Toronto

[40:38]
Caller: Kate

• Awakened by a chilling, pain-filled child’s cry during winter.
• Children safe, but instinctually feels "do not go to the front door."
• Tells the unseen entity it's not welcome—the crying ceases.
• Convinced this was a BEK seeking entry.

Memorable quote:

"There was no way I was opening that front door. No way... My gut, my soul was telling me, do not go to the front door." – Kate ([41:40])

c) Walmart Parking Lot, Texas

[44:58]
Caller: Leslie (on behalf of her mother)

• Her mother (unaware of BEK lore) is approached by "unnaturally young," pretty children whose eyes are "just wrong."
• Asked insistently for a ride home but is overwhelmed by primal fear and leaves.
• Leslie emphasizes her mother’s innocence of BEK legend, lending credibility.

7. Other Variants and Stranger Encounters

a) White-Eyed Kid, San Antonio

[56:28]
Caller: Sam

• At a grocery store, approached by a boy with solid white eyes who asks for a ride.
• Experiences lost time and disorientation; can't remember how she got on the highway, receives multiple missed calls from spouse.

b) Predatory Presence, Seattle

[62:09]
Caller: Derek

• 1990s, witnesses a woman with black eyes and grayish-green skin walking at night.
• "It was like it was presenting itself as something completely different than what it really was…" ([63:22])
• Felt a "predatory," not evil, vibe.

8. Speculation and Connections

[66:04]
Caller: Shawana

• Wonders if "men in black" could be the BEK parents, referencing stories where BEKs "call for their parents," who look like the men in black.
• Suggests possible correlation with "mirrored men" and speculates on a link with vampire lore.

Derek Hayes:

"Could the men in black be, in fact, the Black Eyed Kids' parents? And... if that is true, what does that make the mirrored men? Weird uncles, perhaps?"

Notable Moments & Quotes

• Cody's instinctive naked flight from the BEKs: "I freaked out and dropped my towel... butt naked into my truck and got dressed and left for work. I was two hours early to work..." ([13:04])
• Becky’s utter terror without rational explanation: "Everything in me yelled danger... I mean, just thinking about it creeping me out." ([20:41])
• Kate’s motherly intuition vs supernatural lure: "My gut, my soul was telling me, do not go to the front door..." ([41:40])
• Leslie’s mother’s primal fear: "As soon as she saw their eyes, she had this primal, primal instinct of absolute terror... Get out. Do not talk to them anymore. Do not let them in." ([47:44])

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:27] Introduction to BEK segment (“Tonight we’re talking about the infamous Black Eyed Kids…”)
• [03:45] School nurse encounter (Season 2, Ep. 5)
• [06:52] Columbus, Ohio door visit
• [11:40] Coon Rapids “Come play with us” incident
• [14:27] Michigan night cyclists (Season 18, Ep. 41)
• [17:35] Oklahoma swaying bike encounter (Season 17, Ep. 19)
• [25:40] New Jersey black eyed adults at fair (Season 14, Ep. 7)
• [28:09] Boston subway twins (Season 15, Ep. 15)
• [38:01] Apple Valley 3am kid at the door (Season 11, Ep. 2)
• [40:38] Toronto crying child trap (Season 18, Ep. 47)
• [44:58] Texas Walmart parking lot kids (Season 15, Ep. 2)
• [56:28] San Antonio white-eyed kid (Season 4, Ep. 5)
• [62:09] Seattle predatory old woman (Season 19, Ep. 26)
• [66:04] Speculation on BEK parents as men in black (Season 19, Ep. 38)
• [67:19] Show closing

Theories, Themes, and Recurring Patterns

• Common BEK Patterns:

  • Solitary or paired children/young teens.
  • Insistent requests for help/entry/ride.
  • Unnaturally calm or emotionless demeanor.
  • Overwhelming, inexplicable dread or "primal fear."
  • Adult witnesses often unable to recall full event or feel compelled not to talk about it.

• Lost time or altered states.

• Expansion to black-eyed adults and even “white-eyed kids.” Suggests possible evolution of the BEK entity or related phenomena.

• Possible connections to vampire lore, aliens, and Men in Black.

Conclusion

Derek Hayes knits together a tapestry of eerily similar yet distinctly personal encounters, hinting at a phenomenon that defies easy explanation: Are BEKs cryptids, aliens, demons, the result of collective psychological archetypes, or something else entirely? Listeners are left with more questions than answers—and a gentle reminder from Hayes: Whatever they are, "don't let them in."

Closing thought:

“From a distance, the phenomena is fascinating, but up close and personal, it appears to be life altering.” – Derek Hayes ([40:01])

Spooky takeaway:
Stay vigilant. And if you hear a knock late at night—or spot a kid with eyes that shouldn’t exist—heed your instincts. Don’t. Open. The. Door.

[For more chilling encounters, visit monstersamonguspodcast.com or follow the show on social media]