Monsters Among Us S20 Ep2 Summary

"Phantom music, sasquatch and West Coast dogman"

Host: Derek Hayes
Date: October 16, 2025
Podcast Theme:
A chilling collection of first-hand reports from listeners describing encounters with the paranormal, including ghosts, UFOs, cryptids like Bigfoot and Dogman, and other unexplained phenomena. The episode weaves first-person witness reports with Derek's context, commentary, and related research.

Episode Overview

Derek Hayes guides listeners through a stormy night of supernatural stories from across the U.S., focusing on phantom music, strange orbs, Sasquatch in the Northwest, and a deep dive into a string of West Coast Dogman (werewolf-like creature) sightings. The episode’s tone remains suspenseful and empathetic, amplified by atmospheric music and Hayes’ evident enthusiasm for the supernatural.

Key Stories and Insights

1. Phantom Music Box in a North Carolina Plantation Home

Caller: Angela from North Carolina
[03:01–06:40]

• Story Summary:
  Angela recounts occurrences in a historic, Civil War-era plantation home in Winnebow, NC, owned by her husband's family. While preparing the house for Airbnb rental, her skeptical husband hears and tracks down an old, long-broken music box playing for two minutes on its own. Later, a guest logs in the guestbook that she periodically hears unexplained music, which always stops upon investigation.

• Family History:
  Every family member who stays there has experienced something.

• Host Context:
  Derek shares a similar legend of a haunted music box at Larundel Asylum in Australia and even plays a purported recording of its spectral tune.

• Tone:
  Empathetic, intrigued—setting the night's eerie mood.

• Quote:

  "Hearing disembodied music is one thing, but to hear disembodied music coming from a tiny child's music box—well, that's another thing altogether.”
  — Derek Hayes [06:40]

2. Metallic Orbs over Ventura County, California

Caller: Anonymous
[12:24–13:56]

• Story Summary:
  Caller sees a 5-inch metallic sphere launch behind a mountain in broad daylight. Frustrated at missing a photo, she later provides examples. Derek contextualizes the sighting in Ventura County's UFO-rich history, citing the 1959 “basketball-sized orb” police account, and draws connections to military or even alien explanations.

• Notable Quote:

  “Just picture a chrome basketball hovering in the air.”
  — Derek Hayes [13:56]

3. Indoor Flash of Light: Orb Phenomena

Caller: Brittany
[18:14–22:12]

• Story Summary:
  Brittany, south of the Mason–Dixon, describes two separate late-night incidents a year apart: a blinding, unnatural flash of light appears in her pitch-black bedroom. She exhaustively rules out environmental or technological causes. She ponders whether it’s paranormal, possibly even her deceased sister (though the timeline doesn’t fit).

• Host Context:
  Derek draws a line between metallic UFO orbs (previous story) and Brittany’s “ball of energy,” suggesting the latter may be ghostly in origin.

• Quote:

  “It was like the equivalent of an LED headlight in pitch black... but it was in my house, in my room.”
  — Brittany [18:38]

4. Eerie Camping Incident: Leash Severed

Caller: Annette from Oregon
[24:48–27:01]

• Story Summary:
  In her 20s, Annette camps in Oregon’s Cascades. After a nap, both dogs’ ropes are precisely cut, allowing them to roam. No people seen, atmosphere is deeply unsettling.

• Host Insight:
  Derek highlights the unlikelihood of both ropes being severed by accident:

  “That’s sus, as the kids would say.”
  — Derek Hayes [27:05]

5. Central Washington Bigfoot Sighting

Caller: Nick relaying stepdad’s account
[27:44–31:10]

• Story Summary:
  Nick’s stepdad recalls, with rare clarity (despite dementia), seeing a Bigfoot atop an embankment in 1990, which leapt down, stared, then disappeared into the woods. Local loggers confirm similar encounters.

• Quotes:

  “Bigfoot’s looking back at him… Then Bigfoot jumps off… landed right in front of him.”
  — Nick [29:03]

  “As soon as you start moving...he just takes off.”
  — Nick, relaying loggers’ advice [30:30]

6. Brush with a Skinwalker/Dogman?

Caller: Greg from Southern California
[32:26–33:51]

• Story Summary:
  Driving at night near Idaho-Oregon border, Greg and his wife feel their truck hit something like a coyote. At the next stop, there's no physical evidence—no dent, blood, or fur. Greg wonders: did he hit a skinwalker or dogman?

• Host’s Fascination:
  Derek relishes discussing stories of “dogmen, werewolves… ethereal beasts.”

7. Generational Haunting: The Little White Entity

Caller: Tina from Northern California
[36:17–43:38]

• Story Summary:
  Tina shares her late grandmother’s lifelong nightmare of a child in white following her. Family members (including Tina) report actually seeing such a small, white figure in the house, hearing unexplained footsteps, and even witnessing toys moving on their own (notably, a Pee Wee Herman doll turning its head). When the house changed ownership, new residents also encountered the spirit until a priest blessed the home.

• Notable Moment:
  Tina’s cousin visits the old house and is told by the new occupant:

  “Oh, you mean the little entity?”
  — New Homeowner (as relayed by Tina) [43:16]

• Host's Reflection:
  Derek ponders: did the entity present itself differently to different people (grandmother vs. others)?

8. Dogman Sighting in Inland Empire, California:

Caller: Joe from Michigan (story from Rubidoux, CA)
[45:10–49:24]

• Story Summary:
  Joe describes seeing a towering, werewolf-like creature just outside his childhood bedroom window (late 1990s, Rubidoux, CA). Despite living in a city, the creature's snout, ears, and size haunt him to this day. He questions whether he hallucinated, but remains unsettled.

• Host Context and Deep Dive:

  • Derek connects this account to similar inland empires and Southern California "Dogman" sightings—including police radio chatter of someone in a werewolf mask peering in windows, and witness reports of large canine creatures.
  • He shares from his personal life, even referencing movie props from his work on the "Underworld" series for comparison.
  • Several other local run-ins (e.g., Devore, Redlands) are cited for similarities: the creature’s canine head, unnatural movement, peering into windows, and vanishing after being struck by vehicles.

• Quote:

  “Could someone in the SoCal region be peering in windows wearing a werewolf mask? ...No, I'm not going to close things out here with some dude in a werewolf Halloween mask. We can end on a much spookier note than that.”
  — Derek Hayes [54:42]

9. “Missing Time” While Driving

Caller: Sandy from Virginia
[62:45–64:32]

• Story Summary:
  Sandy describes dozing off for a second driving at night—only to “wake up” 20 miles ahead, having no memory of the intervening drive. She compares her story to a previous episode’s mention of “jumping.”

• Host's Relatability:

  “...a small version of this has happened to all of us. At some point we’ve sort of zoned out on our way home...”
  — Derek Hayes [64:32]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• [06:40] Derek Hayes:
  “Hearing disembodied music is one thing, but to hear disembodied music coming from a tiny child's music box—well, that's another thing altogether.”

• [13:56] Derek Hayes:
  “Just picture a chrome basketball hovering in the air.”

• [18:38] Brittany:
  “It was like the equivalent of an LED headlight in pitch black... but it was in my house, in my room.”

• [27:05] Derek Hayes:
  “That’s sus, as the kids would say.”

• [29:03] Nick:
  “Bigfoot’s looking back at him… Then Bigfoot jumps off… landed right in front of him.”

• [43:16] Homeowner to Tina’s cousin:
  “Oh, you mean the little entity?”

• [54:42] Derek Hayes:
  “Could someone in the SoCal region be peering in windows wearing a werewolf mask?...We can end on a much spookier note than that.”

• [64:32] Derek Hayes:
  “...a small version of this has happened to all of us. At some point we’ve sort of zoned out on our way home...”

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 03:01 – Phantom music box in North Carolina (Angela)
• 12:24 – Ventura County metallic orb UFO (Anonymous)
• 18:14 – Blinding indoor light/orb (Brittany)
• 24:48 – Camping, dogs’ leashes cut (Annette)
• 27:44 – Sasquatch in Whistling Jacks, WA (Nick)
• 32:26 – Collision with possible skinwalker (Greg)
• 36:17 – Generational haunting, entity in white (Tina)
• 45:10 – Childhood Dogman encounter, Rubidoux, CA (Joe)
• 54:26 – Palmdale “werewolf mask” police report (clip)
• 56:05 – Devore Dogman “run/gallop” account
• 57:46 – Redlands Dogman, hit by car (Adventure Guide, YouTube)
• 62:45 – “Missing time” on road, Virginia (Sandy)

Episode Highlights & Tone

• Listener-driven: Authentic first-person call-ins are the backbone.
• Host as both curator and investigator: Derek provides not just transitions but deep context, cross-referencing legends, history, and area reports.
• Atmospheric and suspenseful: Stormy SoCal night, references to horror movies, and local legends layer the mood.
• Empathy: Derek always respects skepticism and wonder, never ridiculing or dismissing callers' experiences.
• Engaging narrative arcs: Especially strong in the Dogman segments, with Derek’s research and personal anecdotes providing depth and connection.

Final Thoughts

For listeners, the episode delivers a satisfying blend of firsthand terror, thoughtful research, and community-building. Especially notable is Derek’s dogged pursuit of connections between disparate stories of Dogman and werewolf-like creatures in the California region, making for a memorable and spooky West Coast edition of Monsters Among Us.

For more details, support, and story submissions:
Visit monstersamonguspodcast.com