Monsters Among Us – S20 Ep45: Peach State Paranormal: Spooky tales from Georgia

Host: Derek Hayes
Date: March 31, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Monsters Among Us dives into the eerie and supernatural side of Georgia, the Peach State. Host Derek Hayes curates a collection of firsthand accounts from listeners, exploring haunted locations, shadowy beings, UFO sightings, and other high strangeness. Each tale comes straight from those who experienced it, offering a chilling exploration of Georgia's paranormal landscape—from historical battlegrounds and asylums to suburban homes and lonely highways.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Central State Hospital Hauntings

• [02:55] Cody’s Experience: Cody and his husband explore the abandoned Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, the largest insane asylum in the world at its peak. They recount hearing unexplained footsteps and a gate slamming, later discovering a chilling voice on their recording saying, “get out” after the gate slammed—despite no one being around.
  • Notable Quote:

    "You just know, carried on...we heard what sounded like the gate...slam shut. Immediately we turned off all of the flashlights and stopped recording and ran out of there." – Cody [04:58]

2. Haunted Civil War Grounds

• [09:47] Heather’s Story: Growing up in a house built on former Civil War hospital grounds, Heather describes glowing eyes in a soldier’s painted portrait, objects moving or vanishing, and a recurring apparition she called “Uncle Steve”—a Confederate soldier who would sometimes materialize in her room.
  • Notable Quote:

    "I could see a figure in the corner watching me...I genuinely thought that was Uncle Steve in the corner. And when I whispered Uncle Steve, he just faded into the corner." – Heather [11:15]

3. Shadow Person Encounters

• [13:53] Nia’s Story: As a teen lost on Georgia’s backroads, Nia witnesses a 3D shadow figure racing past her car and later repeatedly sees it in her home—culminating with it charging at her down a hallway. She wonders if her lack of fear made it eventually “bored” and leave.
  • Notable Quote:

    "This shadow thing appeared at the opposite end of the hallway and it charged straight at me...just before it was about to reach me, it disappeared in its usual fashion." – Nia [16:35]

  • Host Insight:

    "Your shadow seemed dead set on capturing your attention. For what reason I do not know, and frankly I shudder to imagine." – Derek Hayes [17:19]

  • Discussion of "ghost frequency" (inaudible tone at 19 Hz causing feelings of dread).

4. UFOs and Starlink

• [18:29] John’s Orb Sighting: While outside west of Atlanta, John sees 10–15 solid white orbs in a single file line crossing the sky. Derek explains this is likely Starlink satellites, a frequent source of modern UFO reports.
  • Notable Quote:

    "I'm a truck driver at night…never seen anything like this before." – John [19:33]

  • Host Response:

    "It's Starlink...they're tethered together using a cable, sometimes 20 to 30 units strong, all in a line, just as John reported." – Derek Hayes [19:43]

5. Haunted Homes of Georgia

• [21:55] Felicia’s Sliding Door Incident (Savannah): She describes hearing her locked glass sliding door audibly open as her dogs stare, the curtain flaps moving, but the door remains locked and unmoved—a classic haunted house experience.
  • Notable Quote:

    "I hear the sliding glass door...I thought to my head, someone's breaking in...but the door was closed completely. The flaps are still moving a little bit." – Felicia [23:24]

  • Host Note:

    "You can't fool the pets. They always seem to know what's going on." – Derek Hayes [25:29]

• [27:56] Chris’s Haunted Door Alarms (Atlanta): While watching a horror film, two brand new, boxed battery door alarms inexplicably sound, one after the other.
  • Notable Quote:

    "I go to see what's going on...it switched off, but yet it's going off. So I take batteries out, and then immediately after I take the batteries out, the other one goes off." – Chris [28:05]

• [30:04] Anonymous Caller’s Lifelong Hauntings (Hazlehurst): Several childhood encounters—seeing faces in mirrors, green glowing eyes staring at her, and recurring shadow people during sleep paralysis.
  • Notable Quote:

    "Ever since then, off and on, I have sleep paralysis. And I see the shadow people from time to time." – Anonymous [32:18]

6. High Strangeness & Unexplained Phenomena

• [34:24] Jesse’s ‘Lizard Man’ & Black-Eyed Stranger (Atlanta): On lunch break, Jesse sees a man on a bike flick a long tongue like a snake, then at another red light, locks eyes with a reclining man whose eyes are completely black.
  • Notable Quote:

    "I saw what looked like a long snake's tongue flick out of his mouth quickly and go back in...his eyes were black, like one big pupil." – Jesse [35:00]

• [37:24] Emma’s Twin Glowing Orbs (Backroads): On a dark drive from Statesboro to Athens, Emma and a friend see two huge, silent, glowing orbs fall, burst, and light up the landscape—awe-inspiring, not frightening, and still a mystery years later.
  • Notable Quote:

    "These balls of light burst...the light spilled out onto everything around it and then it was gone." – Emma [39:00]

• [43:08] Anonymous UFO Sighting while Tripping (Moultrie): A group on psychedelics witness a metallic lipstick-tube-shaped UFO glide between storm clouds—everyone confirms they saw it independently. Caller questions: shared hallucination or a true encounter?
  • Notable Quote:

    "We were not all on the same substance and we all saw the exact same thing, the exact same, exact same time." – Anonymous [44:25]

7. Haunting and Haunted Objects

• [47:19] Bonnie’s Sentient Balloon (Savannah): Mylar balloons from her daughter's recovery act unusually, with one seemingly navigating the house purposefully even after others deflate.
  • Notable Quote:

    "This balloon was so weird. It would cross the room...and it would be going up and down and across and across." – Bonnie [48:15]

• [50:58] Lucy’s D&D Ghost Encounter (North GA): During a Dungeons & Dragons gathering at a friend’s plantation farmhouse, Lucy stays over and feels a cold, intelligent entity grip her shoulder as she lies on the couch.
  • Notable Quote:

    "I feel clear as day this hand reach out and hold onto my shoulder. It scared me so bad, and I just knew not to turn around." – Lucy [53:20]

• [55:01] Nicole Marie’s Modern Ghost in JNCOs (Atlanta): Nicole, who collects haunted objects, shares an encounter with a haunted doll. The associated spirit “Jake” finally appears to her in the mirror—sporting late-90s JNCO jeans, striped polo, and a choker.
  • Notable Quote:

    "And there's this boy...he's wearing JNCOs, striped long sleeve polo, shaggy haircut...straight out of the late 90s, early 2000s...and I just stare at him in the mirror..." – Nicole Marie [58:19]

  • Host Callback:

    "A ghost in JNCO jeans. Now, once you've laid eyes on this unique apparel, imagine getting killed wearing a pair of them—now that's your ghost outfit for the rest of eternity." – Derek Hayes [58:47]

8. Hosts’ Interludes and Chilling Context

• Haunted Places in GA ([25:59])
  • Old Pink House (Savannah), Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta), Heritage Hall (Madison).
  • Ghostly Civil War roll calls, apparitions, mysterious marks, and legends abound.
• Georgia UFO Hotspots ([41:18])
  • Top reporting cities: Atlanta, Marietta, Savannah, Lawrenceville, and more (as per National UFO Reporting Center; link in show notes).

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On ghost frequency:

  "It's about 19 hertz if you're curious. And I'd play a section but you wouldn't be able to hear it, though you probably would feel it." – Derek Hayes [17:19]

• On the persistence of folklore:

  "If these ghostly entries are any indication, then the state of Georgia is chock full of haunted houses. But does that really surprise anyone?" – Derek Hayes [32:34]

• On the perils of haunted objects:

  "Perhaps the move does drain whatever magic is held within, or it severs the connection to the entity causing the issue." – Derek Hayes [59:30]

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | Speaker | Topic/Story | |-----------|---------------------------------------------|------------------|---------------------------------------------| | 02:55 | Cody’s Experience at Central State Hospital | Cody | Haunted asylum explorations | | 09:47 | Heather’s Civil War Home Haunting | Heather | Glowing eyes, "Uncle Steve" | | 13:53 | Nia’s Shadow Person | Nia | Shadow person roadside/home encounters | | 18:29 | John’s UFO/Starlink report | John, Derek | White orbs in a line | | 21:55 | Felicia’s Sliding Door Incident | Felicia | Haunted door, dogs uncharacteristically quiet| | 27:56 | Chris’s Haunted Door Alarms | Chris | Door alarms inexplicably triggered | | 30:04 | Anonymous – Haunted Home in Hazlehurst | Anonymous | Faces, glowing eyes, shadow people, sleep paralysis | | 34:24 | Jesse’s “Lizard Man” & Black-Eyed Stranger | Jesse | Snake-tongued cyclist, black-eyed man | | 37:24 | Emma’s Glowing Orbs in the Mountains | Emma | Massive glowing orbs, peaceful encounter | | 43:08 | Anonymous UFO Sighting on Psychedelics | Anonymous | Shared UFO sighting while tripping | | 47:19 | Bonnie’s Haunted Balloon | Bonnie | Balloon displaying willful behaviour | | 50:58 | Lucy’s D&D Ghost Encounter | Lucy | Ghost’s icy grip during sleepover | | 55:01 | Nicole Marie’s Ghost in JNCOs | Nicole Marie | Haunted doll, modern-dressed apparition |

Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Chilling, storytelling-rich, and nostalgic. Several entries blend local folklore, personal terror, and humor (especially around haunted JNCO ghosts).
• Host’s style: Affable, inviting, occasionally irreverent (like the JNCO commentary), always respectful of callers’ experiences.
• Atmosphere: Spooky, but playful and inclusive—a safe place to share the "strangeness" of Georgia.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In:

If you've never listened to Monsters Among Us, this episode's Peach State special is packed with diverse, atmospheric stories from asylums, highways, haunted homes, and night skies. The host balances credible context and skeptic curiosity with open-mindedness, and every caller’s voice adds to the complex picture of Georgia's truly weird and haunted side. Whether you believe or not, these tales are sure to keep you looking over your shoulder—and make you wonder what lingers in the shadows of the South.

Remember:
"Choose your outfits carefully each and every day. I guess that's the lesson to take away here." – Derek Hayes [58:47]