Monsters Among Us – Season 19, Episode 48: Cornfield UFOs, Horse-Headed Entities, and More Mirrored Men

Host: Derek Hayes
Date: September 25, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Derek Hayes curates a chilling collection of firsthand paranormal stories from listeners, featuring a tour through haunted caves, disturbing UFO encounters, an eerie horse-headed trio reminiscent of the “mirror men,” and unsettling domestic hauntings. Special guest Sapphire Sandalo joins to discuss Filipino folklore creatures and her upcoming film, tying listener calls to global supernatural traditions. The episode blends haunting narrative, folkloric analysis, and the signature spooky storytelling that defines Monsters Among Us.

Key Stories & Insights

1. The Haunted Colossal Caves (Arizona)

[03:06-06:39]

• Caller: Anonymous, Arizona
• Summary: While touring the Colossal Caves with his wife, the caller felt a distinct poke in his lower back, as if someone was urgently trying to get by. Turning around, he saw no one, and this triggered an intense sense of dread and chills.
• Derek’s Commentary: There are multiple legends about the Colossal Cave, including that of a “lady in white,” buried treasure, and the restless spirit of Frank Schmidt, one of the cave’s developers. Derek suggests paranormal activity is expected in such places, but pinning down the who remains impossible.

Quote:
“I can still remember that poke to this day that basically said, hey, you’re in the way. And there was nobody, there was nobody.”
— Arizona Caller [06:39]

2. Legal Doppelganger (North Carolina)

[11:15-13:10]

• Caller: John, North Carolina
• Summary: In college, John received a call from the administration claiming he owed money, but upon closer inspection it turned out someone with nearly identical identifying information (only one SSN digit different) was the actual debtor.
• Derek’s Commentary: Derek dubs this scenario a “legal doppelganger,” marveling at the coincidence and recognizing how easily records can become tangled.

3. UFOs: Spinning Lights and Mirroring Stars

• A. Spinning Light UFO (New Brunswick, Canada)
  [15:25-16:44]

  • Caller: Sam, New Brunswick
  • Summary: Sam recounts a childhood memory of witnessing a point of light moving in fast, repetitive circles before shooting directly into space, distinctly unlike any satellite.
  • Significance: Sam found validation years later when others reported similar sightings.
  • Derek’s Take: Spinning UFOs are rare but powerful in witness testimony.

• B. Moving Star UFO (Lake Austin, Texas)
  [26:23-27:33]

  • Caller: Travis, Texas
  • Summary: On Lake Austin, Travis observed a “star” detach from the Little Dipper, zigzag, and flash like a camera, echoing other “moving star” UFO reports.
  • Derek’s Take: The motif of UFOs “disguised as stars” recurs in the show and remains unnerving.

Quote:
“It went around in a circle…then shot into space, not across the sky like a satellite… and vanished. And I’ve never forgot it.”
— Sam [15:44]

4. Domestic Hauntings and Disturbing Sounds

[17:50-21:10]

• Caller: Crystal
• Summary: While home alone, Crystal heard a man cough loudly and clear his throat in her smoke-filled kitchen, immediately after burning food. She checked the security cameras and house; no one was present.
• Derek’s Commentary: Raises both the paranormal implication and the frightening possibility of a hidden intruder, referencing real-life cases of unexpected squatters.

Quote:
“As soon as the smoke started filling the air… I heard clear as day, a man cough three times and clear his throat. I turned off the water immediately. I froze.”
— Crystal [18:42]

5. Cornfield UFO and Family Confirmation (North Carolina)

[29:09-31:28]

• Caller: Andrew
• Summary: Andrew recounts his uncle chasing a glowing, beach-ball-sized orb through the fields at night, with another family across town confirming a similar sighting that same night.
• Derek’s Commentary: Suggests UFO, but considers alternate explanations like crop-circle activity, emphasizing the strength of multiple-witness cases.

6. Idyllwild Shadow Figure (California)

[32:35-34:58]

• Caller: Chris, Los Angeles
• Summary: During Covid isolation in a remote Idyllwild cabin, Chris saw a robed, hooded figure between the trees amid thick fog. He later found no evidence such as footprints, but did snap a photo (available in show notes). Friends who doubted him were convinced by the photo.
• Derek’s Take: Idyllwild has a diverse catalogue of local legends, and Chris’s sighting doesn't neatly fit any known, adding to the area's mysteries.

7. Closet Entity: Ventriloquist-Doll Face (Iowa)

[37:52-40:51]

• Caller: Callie, Iowa
• Summary: While putting her baby to bed, Callie glimpsed a 4½-ft tall face staring at her from the closet. She describes it as a cross between a human and a ventriloquist doll, and was later shocked to learn her fiancé has seen the same face since childhood.
• Derek’s Thought: Parent-witnessed childlike apparitions are rare and especially distressing; he urges her fiancé to call with more detail.

Quote:
“It was like a human and a puppet, like a ventriloquist doll… the freakiest thing I had ever seen.”
— Callie [39:03]

Notable Guest Segment

Interview: Sapphire Sandalo Discusses Horse-Headed Entities and Mirror Men

[42:29-55:56]

• Context: TJ from England reports seeing three figures with horse heads in unison, evoking the “mirror men” motif.
• Sapphire’s Input:
  • Draws parallels to the tikbalang from Filipino folklore (horse-headed, man-bodied trickster spirits).
  • Connects other global tales: Le Segua (Central America), Mari Lwyd (UK tradition).
  • Notes that perception may be culturally influenced: spirits may appear as familiar (horse-like) due to our expectations.
• Derek’s Lore Recap: Mirror men are typically three identical men, moving in perfect sync, often with missing time and strange weather.
• Film Plug: Sapphire discusses Breeder, her horror short starring a tikbalang, currently in post-production and fundraising; links in show notes.

Quote:
“So what TJ is describing kind of reminds me of this creature in Filipino folklore called a tikbalang. So they kind of look like BoJack Horseman… they’re trickster entities… usually in forests or the woods.”
— Sapphire Sandalo [49:15]

Mirrored Men on a Bus (North Dakota)

[60:01-61:43]

• Caller: CJ, North Dakota
• Summary: CJ witnessed three elderly men board a bus, move and act in perfectly matched timing, and then turn to look at him in unison—so unsettling it made CJ immediately disembark.
• Derek’s Analysis: Lacks some hallmarks of classic mirror men encounters (missing time, rural setting), but shares their unnerving, synchronized behavior.

Quote:
“Their heads turn in unison together… They look back at me and I’m just like, nope, nope. I am out.”
— CJ [61:20]

Memorable Quotes

• “You know, I’m standing there listening to these jokes… and I feel like someone poked me right in my lower left back… and there was nobody standing there.”
  — Arizona Caller [06:39]

• “I heard clear as day, a man cough three times and clear his throat. I turned off the water immediately. I froze.”
  — Crystal [18:42]

• “It was like a human and a puppet, like a ventriloquist doll…”
  — Callie [39:03]

• “So they kind of look like BoJack Horseman… trickster entities… forests or the woods.”
  — Sapphire Sandalo on the tikbalang [49:15]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|:--------------:| | Haunted Colossal Caves | 03:06 - 06:39 | | Doppelganger Data Error | 11:15 - 13:10 | | Spinning Circle UFO (Canada) | 15:25 - 16:44 | | Domestic Haunting: Disembodied Cough | 17:50 - 21:10 | | Lake Austin Star-Moving UFO | 26:23 - 27:33 | | Cornfield UFO & Family Confirmation | 29:09 - 31:28 | | Idyllwild Robed Figure | 32:35 - 34:58 | | Closet Entity: Puppet Face (Iowa) | 37:52 - 40:51 | | Horse-Headed “Mirror Men” & Interview | 42:29 - 55:56 | | Mirrored Men on a Bus (North Dakota) | 60:01 - 61:43 |

Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

Derek maintains his trademark warmth, humor, and skepticism, blending comfort and spookiness:

“Keep it spooky and you have yourselves a good night.”

The episode stands out for its global range of legends (from Arizona caves to Filipino forests, English village traditions and the plains of North Dakota), demonstrating how certain paranormal motifs—three mysterious figures, strange lights, shadowy watchers—surface around the world, crossing boundaries of culture and folklore.

Listeners are encouraged to keep an open mind, share their own encounters, and, perhaps most importantly, lock their doors at night.

For more content, show notes, and Sapphire’s film fundraising, visit MonstersAmongUsPodcast.com.