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Monsters Among Us
S20 Ep6: Ghosts, goblins, witches and other Halloween haunts (Sn. 20 Ep. 6)
01:34:03
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- [00:53]
Derek Hayes
Good evening and welcome to Monsters Among Us. I am your guide, Derek Hayes. A good evening indeed on this, the spookiest of nights. They say Halloween is one night a year when the veil between our world and the next grows dangerously thin. Its roots stretch back over 2000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a night when villagers lit bonfires to ward off restless spirits set to wander the darkened countryside. When Christianity crept across Europe, the church repurposed the pagan rite in an attempt to commandeer the holiday, renaming it All Hallows Eve, a prelude to All Saints Day. But the dead, it seems, didn't get the message. They lingered in the traditions. In carved turnips meant to scare off demons. In offerings given to beggars praying for wandering souls. And the bats, cats, spiders, witches, ghosts and goblins that came along with the ancient holiday. Over centuries, this dark harvest ritual crossed the Atlantic, mingling with folk tales, frontier fears and American imagination, transforming the holiday into the candy coated costume clan celebration that we know today. But beneath the masks and the jack O lanterns, an ancient shadow still stirs, reminding us that Halloween has always been a night for the living and for the dead. And tonight I've assembled a lineup that's perfect for both. Stories that take place on Halloween, stories that involve Halloween staples, and stories that just flat out remind me of my favorite holiday. So grab a seat, pull up that bowl of candy your kids left out and turn down the lights. Things are about to get spooky. And to kick things off here tonight, we hear from a familiar voice. Please welcome Robin from California back to the program.
- [03:22]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
Hi, my name is Robin and I'm calling from Northern California North. Our house was built in the early 60s. It had one other owner before we moved in about three years ago. It was a couple that moved here with four children and they raised all their kids in this house. And they had wonderful memories. Well, the couple lived here until they ended up dying in our house at two separate times, obviously. But they had one grandchild, only one, and her name was Mary. And they loved her very, very, very much. She had her own room here at our house, you know, in later years, obviously after their kids were grown and gone. Mary's height is marked on her wall. Mary's name is written into the concrete in the front and the backyard. There are signs of Mary, the granddaughter, all over the house. And I know she was deeply, deeply loved. Well, interestingly enough, on Halloween night we had our little fire pit out in front of our house in our neighborhood. And us and some of our neighbors Were sitting around passing out candy, drinking our little cocktails and such like, when three young adults came up to trick or treat. And actually one of them ended up being Mary. Mary and her two best friends, who have all these wonderful, beautiful memories of being in this house. So she told us who she was, and I told her I was basically starstruck because seeing Mary for so long all over the house, we finally got to put a face to the name. Well, we invited them in, obviously. We gave them the full tour of the house. She spent some extra time in the room that used to be hers looking around, and just loved what we did with the house. They told us about such wonderful memories they had here and good times that were spent here. It was just a really, really special thing that happened. I loved it so much. Well, flash forward to the night of November 1, which was last night. So my oldest son, he lives in Mary's room. That's his room now. Well, he's been away at college for about a year, and he comes home periodically. Well, he came home for Halloween, so his room's all set up for him, and it was ready to go. And so he spent the night on Halloween night. And then last night, he was in there again, sleeping. Whenever he's home, our little dog sleeps in his room with him. Well, he said he woke up in the middle of the night because our little dog was standing on his bed looking over in the corner of the room, growling and barking and just acting very strangely, staring at this certain area. So my son got up, and he said he walked over to the area where the dog was staring and growling. He said as soon as he got over there, he felt a chill come over his body. He said the dog then started staring right at him. Followed him as he walked back towards his bed. Then my son felt another chill. And right then, the dog's eyes stopped following my son and followed something out the window right as my son felt that second chill. So I believe that Mary's presence here brought back her grandmother, and she came into Mary's room looking around, possibly to find Mary again. Anyway, I thought that was such a cool and sweet story, and the fact that it happened on Halloween night and the night after Halloween, I just thought that was super cool. Anyway, I love the show. Keep it spooky. Bye.
- [07:07]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Robin. See, folks, anything can happen on Halloween. And I can certainly see why you would make that connection, Robin. To suddenly have strange activity right after the infamous Mary stops by. I mean, how else are you supposed to perceive that? Now, there is a way to sort of test that theory. Robin Set up some cameras or sit in the room yourself for a couple of days just to pick up the general vibe. Then have Mary come back by then spend a few more days in the room. Then you should be able to tell if that base level has changed. Now the trickiest part of that little experiment is explaining it all to Mary. Thank you again Robin, as always for taking the time to share your story. Now folks, I have nearly double the normal call time for this episode, which means it's going to be a long one, so settle in. I have much more in store right after this.
- [08:28]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Climate change is the Biggest threat facing the Planet.
- [08:33]
Derek Hayes
The Holidays sneak up fast. It's not too early to get your shopping done now, especially if you have some tough to buy for people on your list. Uncommon Goods makes holiday shopping stress free and fun with thousands of one of a kind gifts you can't find anywhere else. Uncommon Goods looks for products that are high quality, unique, and often handmade or made in the us. Many are crafted by independent artists and small businesses, and because they're made in small batches, the best finds can sell out fast. A couple of things on their website caught my eye right away. For instance, there's a cryptid construction magnet fridge game. It would be perfect for my nephew. He would create and name his own cryptids and display them for all to see right there on the refrigerator. Well, Uncommon Goods really has something for everyone. Book lovers, history buffs, mixologists, foodies, sports fans, and even spooky weirdos like us. And I especially love that when you're shopping there, you're supporting artists in small independent businesses. Don't forget that handcrafted items are often made in small batches, so shop now before they sell out. And because it's the season for giving, with every purchase made at Uncommon Goods, they give back $1 to a non profit partner of your choice. They've donated over $3 million to date, so shop early, have fun and cross some names off your list today. Get 15% off your next gift. Go to UncommonGoods.com MAU that's UncommonGoods.com MAU for 15% off. Don't miss out on this limited time offer. Uncommon Goods we're all out of the ordinary.
- [10:33]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Yes know he's the best friend on the planet.
- [10:38]
Derek Hayes
Now there are many tropes to the holiday and one is that of the fortune teller, the psychic medium, or the tarot card reader. And it's the latter that we hear from. Next, from parts unknown, please welcome, Caroline, to the show.
- [10:58]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
Hi, my name is Caroline. So I was listening to the Best of 2024 specials, and the girl, Christine, had someone read her Fortune. So it just so happens that I was listening to Monsters Among Us in my vehicle, something I never do. I usually put headphones in to listen to it, but I just let it play. And strangely enough, Christine came on. So in 2002, my husband was deployed to Afghanistan. We were living in Alaska at the time, and he had moved from Fairbanks to Anchorage. So he gets deployed, and while he's overseas, I had a neighbor who does tarot card readings, and she was a little bit goofy, and I just let her do it. And she got the cards out, did everything that you're supposed to do. And she told me that I myself would have one marriage, but I would have three children and the third child would have a different father. At the time, I thought that that was just ludicrous. I think I was around maybe 19, and of course, I could never imagine, you know, separating or being without my husband. So fast forward to all these years later. My youngest was born in 09, and sure enough, me and my husband had separated for a couple of years and lived apart. And in that time period, I wound up accidentally getting pregnant and having a third child and getting back with my husband after. And like Christine, she had said some other stuff, and I don't recall it. The only thing that stood out in the conversation was her telling me that I would have three kids and one wouldn't be my husband, but I wouldn't get divorced. So I just thought that was a little bit bizarre. And hearing the story while usually never listening to your podcast in my truck. And I listen to your podcast every night while I sleep, and it's amazing. All right, y' all have a good day. Bye.
- [13:15]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Caroline. You know, I had to do a double take with this one. I could have swore I heard this story before. So much so that I stopped everything I was doing and went back and checked. But according to my records, this is a brand new call. It's just so similar to Christine's entry that it had me second guessing. Now, Christine's call was a bit too long to share here again tonight, but the gist of it is Christine was a lifeguard when she was 18. And one day while on duty, a strange man approached her and demanded that she let him, quote, unquote, read her palm. Christine reluctantly allowed him to do so. And that's when the man predicted that Christine was going to get married twice. But that the fortune teller could not tell if it would be by death or divorce. According to him. That part was unclear, but what was clear was that Christine would have three children, but one would die at a young age. Now, years later, like Robin, Christine's husband too is deployed to Afghanistan. For that reason, they decided to have a quick courthouse wedding, then a proper wedding sometime later after his deployment. And sadly, later that same year, Christine prematurely gave birth to a little girl that only lived a week. Both details fulfilling the strange man's prophecy. Just like Caroline here. Now, if you want to hear Christine's story in full, push play on season 18 episode 26 to hear the best of or season 17 episode 10 as it aired originally. A lot of eerie coincidences with these two, which makes them fit for this Halloween Eve pick. Thanks to both of those collars for taking the time to share. Now folks, if you have a story you would like me to share here on the program, give my hotline a call at 888-6089 or you can record your story as a voice memo on your phone and email it to me at monsters among us podcastmail.com Remember, true stories only one story per call. Call back. If you get cut off or run out of time, we'll splice it all back together. Only call a story in once, please. It gets very confusing on our end if there are several versions of the story floating around our library, so just one time will do. And lastly, call from a quiet place. It's the one and only way to ensure that your sound is crisp and clean. And don't forget about Monsters Among Us Junior, especially on a night like tonight. 833 MAU Kids. Or email us at monsters among us junior gmail.com and don't forget, you can catch new episodes every other Wednesday wherever you get your podcast. Now. This next entry is also a tale of psychic ability. Please welcome Sam, all the way from Indiana.
- [16:53]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Hey Derek. This is Sam from Southern Indiana. I just got told this story not too long ago by my mom. I'm 26. I've never heard this story before in my life. Her and my dad were out cruising around. I was really young in the backseat, I think maybe still an infant. I was in a car seat, however young I was. And I had fallen asleep back there and they were driving around and my dad smoked at the time. So they pulled over. My mama has always liked walking around like old cemeteries and they found this old cemetery, pulled over, got out, started walking around. I was asleep in the back. They cracked the windows and Everything. I don't know. Mom said it was, like, early evening, I think, and it was nice enough weather to be walking around and not worrying about, you know, your kid asleep in the backseat of the car. But they got out. Dad smoked a cigarette, walked around for a while. And while they were walking around, they found this family of gravestones. There was a mom and a dad in one, and then there were three smaller ones. They were all kids, and they all died about the same time, I think. Mom said none of them were older than maybe three or four, but that stuck out to him. And mom was, you know, talking to Dad. I wonder what happened. Wonder if they got sick. Blah, blah, blah. So dad finishes the cigarette, and they walk back towards the car. And as they get back to the car, mom opens up the back door to check on me. And her doing that woke me up. And she said I just nonchalantly as I could stretch, stuff my arms up in the air, and I yawned. And I just looked at her right in the eyes, and I said, those babies were sick. And she said, what, Sam? What did you just say? And I said, mom, those babies were sick. And she said it freaked her out so bad that she just looked over at my dad. My dad looked at her and just raised his eyebrows up, and she did not say a word. Just packed up in the car and left. Never said a word to me about it. Never mentioned it to me. But then, for whatever reason, two or three days ago, we were sitting around talking about Spooky, and she said that. And I just thought that was crazy. I'd never, ever heard that. That sent chills down me. Whenever she said it, man. It was crazy. Well, I appreciate it, Derek. You take it easy. Keep up the good work. Love the show. Loving the Tuesday episodes. Love the monsters among us kids. Everything you do is awesome. I appreciate you keep it spooky, brother.
- [19:34]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Sam, for supporting all our endeavors. And, wow, what a creepy one. Hearing details like that are bad enough. Anytime a child says something unnerving, the stakes seem to be elevated. But to find out that the words came from your very own mouth, as Sam here did, well, that's a unique angle that's sure to send a chill down anyone's spine. So did Sam somehow connect to the spirits? Did he hear his parents in his sleep and that altered his dream state? A dream he was still referencing as he slowly woke up? Or was he connected to his parents and able to read their minds as they grieved for the deceased child? And the fact that all of this takes place in a cemetery. That's not lost on me either. And how fitting is all of that for this Halloween eve? The cemetery or the graveyard is a staple in any good Halloween story. And I have a few more to share with you here this evening. But first, another quick word from tonight's sponsors. Hey, look all the drones over Maryland.
- [20:54]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Do you want to say that this is the most talented player Gamers, this.
- [20:58]
Derek Hayes
One is for you. You know I'm a huge fan of 80s horror. Well, this new PC game I'm about to tell you about called I A Prologue, aims to be a love letter to 80s and 90s horror. It's set in 1986 aboard an abandoned ship lost deep within the Bermuda Triangle. You play as Emily, a young teenage girl searching for her missing father. Emily is trapped in a terrifying time loop on the ship and must survive 13 loops to reveal the truth of what happened to her father and the crew. The game is described as a first person narrative psychological horror with a heavy emphasis on stealth and puzzle solving. There's no combat in the game. Your survival hinges entirely on stealth and evasion. There is a monster, however, a relentless beast that stalks you, engaging in a deadly game of hide and seek. The smarter you get in the game, the smarter the monster gets as well. In Ayur, players must find and use everyday items like walkie talkies, wind up alarm clocks to distract and outwit the monster. You need to utilize your environment by slipping into hiding spots and squeezing into vents. The game really gives you that nostalgic 80s and 90s horror vibe, telling a dark story from a child's perspective to amplify the tension. I think you'll all appreciate the immersive atmosphere and visuals as well as the full 3D audio that places you in a haunted soundscape that really brings the pressure. A Prologue was just released this week on October 28th, so it's available now for PC, voice, Steam and the Epic Games Store. And as the title suggests, this game serves as a prologue for the larger Iron Horror franchise, setting up the narrative and mysteries. So this is only the beginning. Again, that's ire. A Prologue out now for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. I also put a link down in.
- [23:15]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
The show notes circumstances happen to us when we're younger. I really the air will be less dense.
- [23:24]
Derek Hayes
Welcome back. Now how many of you have covertly snuck into a cemetery at night? Now how many of you have done it on Halloween? Well, that's pretty similar to the experience of this next caller. The only problem is when he finally decided to leave the graveyard, it seems that something went along with him. Please welcome James out of merry old England.
- [23:56]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Hi, Derek, I'm James from London, England. I have a story about a time where I went to an abandoned mental asylum graveyard in a town called Watford, which is in England. And apparently Jack the Ripple is buried.
- [24:14]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
There, but not really had any evidence.
- [24:17]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
For anything about it. Just hearsay. So story is that me and my friend went there and was doing some, like, ghost hunting and stuff. I'm an empath, so I'm very spiritual and all that stuff. And all of a sudden I saw this, like, stick moving, like waving up and down.
- [24:40]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
And then in the corner of my.
- [24:42]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Eye, I could see a woman with brown hair walking up and down. And then we got a EVP of something or someone telling us to get out and leave. We left after hearing that EVP.
- [25:03]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
And then every night at 3am, my.
- [25:08]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Sound bar used to go off. So again I thought, I'm getting followed. So he's followed me home from the graveyard and it's one particular night I woke up and all of a sudden I couldn't move. And I'll just keep saying this old woman coming over to me trying to attack me. And yeah, it scared the jeebies out of me. Love the podcast. Take care. Bye.
- [25:40]
Derek Hayes
Thanks, James, for ringing in Leavesden. Coincidentally, Leavesden Mental Hospital was closed permanently on Halloween night, October 31, 1995. So how is that for a coincidence? Now, cops, accidents and the living aren't the only hazards in a cemetery after dark. And if this tale from James is to be believed, those dangers can continue long after you've returned home. Now, James mentioned something in there that caught my ear. I'm not a big true crime fan, but I do have a bit of a fascination with Jack the Ripper and the killings there in Whitechapel back in the fall of 1888. So when James mentioned that Jack the Ripper is buried there at Leavesden, well, my ears perked right up. Especially since the Ripper murders have never been solved. Not officially anyway. Though many believe through both DNA evidence and detective work from Scotland Yard, that the true killer has actually been found. A Polish immigrant named Aaron Kaminsky. And although Kaminsky did serve time at Leavesden, according to my records, he is not actually buried there, but rather in Eastham Jewish Cemetery in East London. But does that fact really peel away and the spook factor of this place? I think James here can attest that it doesn't. The Ripper or not, the place certainly sounds Gnarly. Thank you again, James, for giving us the chills. No hopes. This next entry teaches us that on Halloween night, nowhere is safe. Giselle, welcome to the show.
- [27:45]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
Hi, Derek. This is Giselle in Niagara Falls. I'm a first time caller. Last night after your show, I remembered a Halloween story. When I was in my late teens, I belonged to a church group. And my girlfriend and I decided we were going to have a Halloween party for the other young teens in the group. So we got the keys to our church because it was afternoon, no one else was there, and we went in to decorate. Now you have to unlock the door to get in. And then we locked it immediately behind us.
- [28:15]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
And this is a big church, by the way.
- [28:17]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
So anyway, we went downstairs and we were decorating, and all of a sudden we heard footsteps above us. Now, directly above where we were was the sanctuary of the church. And it sounded like somebody was just walking around the outside of the sanctuary. Around and around and around. It kept going on. We were terrorized. The only way for us to get out of the church was to go past the door to the sanctuary to get to the outside door. So we went to the payphone. Yes, it was back in the days of payphones. And we called the police and they sent an officer over and we unlocked the door and we let him in. We locked the door behind him. We told him what happened and he searched the building. He started in the upper floor. He went through every room, came down, went through that sanctuary, looked in every row, like in case somebody was hiding. Went down the back hallway to the sanctuary. Then he went down the basement and there's a sub basement. He went in the sub basement. He went in the ladies room, the men's room. He went out in the alley and asked the trash men if they had seen anybody lurking about the building. There was no one. So we go back down to where we were setting up the Halloween party. And he was taking his notes. And as he was talking, I realized the footsteps had started again. And I was so terrorized, my eyes got big and all I did was point upward to the ceiling. And when he looked up and he saw me, he looked up and there was a big pause and he said, well, ladies, he shut his book. I don't know what you're gonna do, but I'm meeting. And we went, we'll go with you. And we all unlocked that door, we went out and we locked the door behind us. Now, I know somebody died there, but I don't know when. My father used to be an usher. And he would greet the people at the door as they came into the church and have them sign the guest book because they were new. So he had them do all that. And one day an elderly man came in that he had never seen before. And as he was signing the guest book, the man collapsed backwards. And he collapsed into my father's arms. My father was a scout master, and he said, I knew by the time I put him on the floor, he was gone.
- [30:49]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
He was just gone.
- [30:50]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
There's nothing to do. So I know somebody died there, but I have never been able to figure out if it was before or after this incident. Now, my father was also the scout master at that church, and he said stuff like that happened there all the time. So that's my Halloween story. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much. I love your show. I love all the people that call.
- [31:12]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Give their stories to.
- [31:13]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
Thank you.
- [31:16]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Giselle. I mean, I hate to call it out here, but ghost or no ghost, it's sort of Mr. Officer's job to go up there and investigate. I wonder what he was so afraid of. But there's no shame in you wanting out of there, Giselle. After all, if the man holding the gun runs, the smart thing to do is to run as well. Thank you again, Giselle, for sharing that fun little entry. Now, before we move on, this time of year isn't just huge for us paranormal content creators. It's big business all around. As much as $3.9 billion will be spent this year on Halloween candy alone in the United States. But the big money isn't just on candy. 4.3 billion will be spent on costumes as well. 4.2 billion on decorations. And even the greeting card business is getting in on the action, making an estimated 700 million this year alone. And finally, the haunted house attraction business brings in another $400 million. Anyhow, moving on, we can't have ourselves a Halloween special episode without a visit to a stereotypical haunted house. Please welcome Chris out of Texas to tonight's program.
- [32:55]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Hello, my name is Chris from Uzaldi, Texas. And here in town back in the day, there's an old house, kind of gothic looking house, and it's known as the Adams family house because this looks like the classic show, the original series looks like the house. Well, a friend of my brother's high school, junior high, they were in tennis together. But his parents, they were both doctors and they owned the town. Well, my brother told me just. I think he just stayed with them a couple of nights, sleep over it and all that kind of thing. But he had told me that they have a room. Not sure what floor, but there's a room where it's boarded up. It's boarded. He said there are dead bolts. They were chained. There was just everything. Nobody was allowed in that room because of how haunted it was. So they tried to keep everything in there. Well, he said throughout the day, the night always hear footsteps, stuff moving noises, scratches. There's always something inside that room. But his friends and if there's old life and he said he's never been in that room, he has always been blocked off. And I just thought that was kind of a neat thing. You know, sometimes I get things are able to get trapped. He didn't tell me of any other incidents in the house. Well, thank you.
- [34:30]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
Take care.
- [34:33]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Chris. You know, one of these days I'm going to move to New England, Vermont or Connecticut or something and I'll buy one of those old dilapidated Victorian mansions. I'll fix it up, state of the art. But then I'll give it the full Disney treatment. I'll make the outside look as if it's falling apart, decrepit and haunted. The goal of course, being that everyone in town knows not to go near that old place. Creating the kind of peace and quiet only a good haunting can provide. Isn't fall the best? It's spooky season. The air is crisp. The autumn colors and warm flavors just make everything feel comforting. It's a great time to reset and bring healthy habits back into focus. And with greenchef, the number one meal kit for clean eating, you can do just that. Green Chef makes it easy to spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the best time of year. And with the new heat and eat meals, I can enjoy a delicious meal in just under three minutes. Green Chef's recipes feature fresh organic seasonal produce and 100% responsibly sourced protein to help you feel feel your best. Enjoy salads that are ready in just five minutes, protein filled breakfasts or nutrient rich smoothies to fuel your day with 80 plus dietitian approved weekly meal options, Green Chef makes it easy to find the meals that fit your lifestyle. Pick from Mediterranean gluten free plant based, protein heavy. There are even gut and brain health and calorie smart options too. The recipes change every week and with week to week flexibility, you can adjust your plan to match your mood and your schedule. We love Green Chef's unique flavor combinations. We're never bored and it keeps us from getting expensive. Takeout so a win win for us. Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green chef. Head to greenchef.com 50 monsters and use code 50 monsters to get 50% off your first month. Then 20% off for two months with free shipping. That's code 5Z monsters@greenchef.com 50 monsters there's also a link in tonight's show notes.
- [37:08]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Before they had any sound that came.
- [37:10]
Derek Hayes
Over the PA system just.
- [37:15]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Now.
- [37:15]
Derek Hayes
How many of you out there are taking your kids trick or treating this year? The little village where I grew up is on the older side, 1832 if I remember correctly. And there was and still is a street on the north end of quote unquote town as we called it, that's still brick lined. And the houses, although not dilapidated Victorians, are still old and decorative. And I have fond memories of trick or treating on that stretch of street just blocks away from my grandparents place. I still remember the look and the feel. Very hocus pocusy, the yellow, orange and red maple leaves crushing under feet. The aroma of a crisp fall Ohio evening in a trash bag full of every candy imaginable. But the costume was always a big deal though. We always had to outdo each other and ourselves from the previous season. And apparently that trend continues today. Costumes continue to fly off the shelves. And here's how a majority of those costumes break down. 4.1 million kids dress as their favorite superhero 1.6 plan to dress as a witch 1.7 want to be their favorite princess. But it doesn't end with children. Many adults dress up as well. In fact, 3 million will dress as a vampire this year. 5.8 million will dress as a witch. And even the pets get involved. The most popular pet costumes are the pumpkin hot dog, bat, ghost and the bumblebee. And as luck would have it, these next couple of stories focus on this Halloween linchpin, the dawning of a costume. And to kick things off, we begin with Shawn out of the Bluegrass state of Kentucky.
- [39:26]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Hello, Derek, this is Sean from Kentucky. This story takes place back in January of this year, 2025. But what happened was I was loading steel on a flatbed truck at a steel mill in Huntington, West Virginia. And the steel mill basically touches the campus of Marshall University. So I was in a line of other trucks on a Saturday morning. It was overcast. It had been raining a lot recently in that I was lined up with other trucks waiting to get loaded. We were right next to one of the buildings. I believe it might have been the School of Engineering. I Can't remember exactly, but there was a car that pulled up, I believe it was an older Volvo. And the vehicle was parking on the other side of the road. And the occupant got out and went into one of the buildings. The reason I'm calling is the occupation. I don't want to say it was a woman. I will say it was feminine in its appearance. It was dressed pretty much how you would expect a frumpy female middle aged college professor to dress. The weird part was the face. The face seemed like just a white plastic shell and the person or thing or whatever had actually taken the time to apply makeup on the white plastic shell. It was just incredibly freaky. And maybe it was someone with some sort of medical condition or something, I don't know. But I do know that it gave me, I guess you'd say, the heebie jeebies. And I actually ended up walking my truck doors because I was so freaked out by the appearance of this entity. I don't know why, it just gave really bad vibes. But other than that, they behaved like just a person going into work on a Saturday morning. Well, that's my story. Thanks.
- [41:31]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Sean, for taking the time. I have to be a bit delicate here because there are many medical reasons why someone would have to wear a mask or protective covering. Something to shield the skin from the outside world. So I need to start by saying this very well could have been a scenario like that. Someone with a skin disorder recovering from a burn or healing from some sort of cosmetic surgery. But applying makeup to the outside of that mask, I will admit that seems to be rather odd. Now, it wasn't Halloween time when this experience occurred. Otherwise I'd just chalk it up to that, just a trickster in a mask. But instead we're left guessing and I suppose a little bit creeped out. So thank you Sean, for the warning and for giving us all cold shells. Now this next story too might be describing some sort of costume. At least let's hope that's what it is. From the state of Montana, please join me in welcoming the following anonymous caller.
- [42:50]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Anonymous from Montana. I was coming home from the movies, driving down the road, getting ready to turn left into my neighborhood. On the right hand side there's a cow pasture and a fence. And your show has always got me looking around now, jumping in shadows. But regardless, this is about a shadow. So just out of the corner of my eye on the right hand side, I saw what looked like someone, maybe in a black hoodie, ducking over a fence. You Know, we've had thefts in the neighborhood. So you kind of people look out. Well, it's kind of weird that it looked like a swishing shadow, kind of like a robe, you know. As I approached past the fence, more towards the cow field, about to turn left, I looked over. I didn't see anything. But I thought it was weird that it caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. And as soon as I turned left onto my neighborhood, you can't see until you turn the corner. There's a fire truck and an ambulance. And as I approached, there was an old man on their gurney being loaded into the ambulance. So coincidence? Grim reaper on the run? You tell me.
- [43:58]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, caller. I'm glad that you're keeping your eyes open, but I don't mean for you to be jumping at shadows. No one single person has ever called me saying they were killed by any of this activity. So I'm fairly sure you're safe. So, Grim Reaper, Just some punk kid. Either way, we thank you, caller, for including us in the mystery. Now, folks, I have one more story involving a mask. And for this one, we venture on down to Georgia. Joseph, welcome to the show.
- [44:41]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Hey, folks, Joseph here. So my story goes, although I'm 42, I live in Georgia. I grew up in Oklahoma, just about 20 miles north of Tulsa. My story begins around age 11 or 12. So I lived on the very edge of a small town next to fields and woods. And I've always, even as a kid, been a sleepwalker and a light sleeper and was prone to having nightmares, as kids do. The house I grew up in, the way that my bedroom was situated. When I opened my bedroom door to go to the bathroom, stay in the middle of the night, I could see directly across our dining room and to the sliding glass back door. Beyond that back door was a breezeway and then our garage. So I had this recurring dream that I would wake up in the middle of the night. I would open my bedroom door to go to the bathroom or to get some water, and I would see just this monster standing at the back door looking in, like, with its hands pressed up against the glass, you know, to shroud out the light so you can see through the glass. So one night I have this dream. I come out of my door and I see that monster standing there. And it notices me this time, and it reaches down and starts to open the door. So I freak out. I start heading off to the right, which, to the right goes to the front door. Monster in the dream sees me doing this and Just bolts in the same direction that I'm going, which leads you out around our sidewalk and then to the front door. I freak out. Now this is happening in real life and also what I think is a dream. I end up going out the front door, locking myself out of the house. This really happened. This physically happened in real life. I locked myself out of the house. It's about 2 in the morning. I have to ring the doorbell. My parents wake up. They come let me back in. I never had that dream again after that. Fast forward to last month. My mom is visiting me in Georgia and we get talking about my sleepwalking from years ago. And I said, do you remember when I locked myself out the house? She said, yeah. I told her about the recurring dream. Now, in the last five years, I've been listening to Cryptid podcast, Sasquatch, Dogman, yada, yada. So I thought maybe I was dreaming about a Sasquatch type creature. I'd seen Harry and the Hendersons, like all kids, Gen X kids. So I was thinking maybe I was. I wonder if that happened. Maybe I was dreaming of a Sasquatch. My mom got real silent and she said right around, she said, do you remember the monkey mask situation? I said, yeah. My little brother had looked out his window and saw what he told my parents was somebody with a monkey mask looking in his window, watching him. My mom thought it was one of my jerk friends. And I got in all sorts of trouble about it. None of my friends ever, they would have told me. None of the kids in my neighborhood ever knew about it or fessed up to it or any of that. So I'm putting all of these things together. As she's telling you this story, I don't know if I was dreaming. I do know that I locked myself out of the house because of what my mind saw at the back door. I know just from going on listening various podcasts and websites, there are Cryptids in Oklahoma. So to this day, I don't know if those two things are related, if I was dreaming or seeing an actual Sasquatch standing at the back door. Because as I, this is the only dream I remember from my childhood. I don't remember any other dreams, but I could. I could draw this out for you frame by frame as it happens. So take from that what you will. Love the podcast. Have a good one.
- [48:57]
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Joseph. You know, it's always unsettling when the line between the dream world and reality blurs and melds into one another. And to have a second person see what seems to be the exact same mask, or dare I say creature. That's awfully satisfying. But you know, it takes a lot of stones to stare inside someone's window with a monkey mask on, especially in a state like Georgia, because if you find yourself looking in the wrong window, it could also be your last. So I can't help but question if this really was someone in a mask or if that's just the first thing that a childlike mind thought of. Regardless, you couple those details with all the strange sleepwalking and you have yourself a mighty fine entry here, Joseph. We can't thank you enough for sharing it. Now it's time for another quick break, but when I come back, I'll tell you which topic we're going to discuss next. Don't move a muscle. Your 2025 monsters among us Halloween special will return right after this.
- [50:20]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
I'm watching some of the press conference.
- [50:30]
Derek Hayes
Now. There are few icons better associated with All Hallows Eve than that of the witch, be it the wart covered, frumpy, green skinned version or the haggard, grizzled, bog witch type. These stereotypes have long been a staple to the holiday and I have a couple of stories tonight that celebrate that connection, the first of which is Dave's entry out of that state up north.
- [51:01]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Hey Derek, this is Dave from Michigan. I've got a story my grandma used to tell me. She lived in the Appalachian Mountains down in Kentucky. And this is really, you know, off the grid place. A lot of spooky stories and stuff around there. But I believe she was born in like 1905. And she told me this was in the 30s, so she'd been in her like mid 20s. But she said she would get, you know, my grandpa, her husband off to work and then the kids to school. Then she'd go around the other side of the holler, you know, on the other fork, and she'd help her friend and her family, you know, with her kids. Some of the kids, she said, went to school back then, some didn't. Some stayed and worked in the fields. But you know, she said she'd go help them, you know, get things done around their home and then come back and get supper and stuff ready for when my grandpa and when the kids got out of school. But she said they noticed when she would go around and help that other family and sit with them and talk and chat and stuff, there was a turkey that would fly up and, you know, they didn't know whose it was. Nobody in the holler had a turkey, but there was a Turkey. So we figured just a wild turkey would fly up and perch in this tree and start, you know, gobbling and doing what turkeys do and just making a ruckus, a noise. And she said every time that would happen, they noticed his one daughter would get really sick, deathly ill. Like, sometimes it got to the point to where she said that man had so told him he thinks that turkey was a witch and he was gonna kill it next time it comes around. And she said she went around there one day and sure enough, there come that turkey. And it got up in the tree and started doing its thing and said he had went and told him he'd made a couple of silver bullets. You know, I've never heard of silver bullets in a witch before. I've heard of that for the werewolves. But this is what my grandma said, that he put a couple of silver bullets in his rifle and he went.
- [52:57]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
Up there and he shot it.
- [52:59]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
And my grandma said she noticed it went over the hill and out of sight towards the creek, limping, you know, it would try to fly. And so she said it was wounded. And he said, well, I'm going to go over and finish it. And the man went over the hill. And she said in a few minutes, he came back and said, hell, says I. I don't know what happened to it. He said, I can't find it. I don't know if it just got in a creek and floated away or what, but he said, it's not over there. And my grandma said it might have been 10 minutes after that happened. Some kids from the other side, you know, some of their neighbors came running, crying, screaming, saying their dad had been shot and he was cleaning the gun and accidentally shot himself. They went over there and they said by the time they got there, he was gone. But back then, my grandma did, like, a lot of things in the community. Midwives, you know, she'd go help them if somebody was sick and dying or something. She'd go sit with the family, cook them dinners and, you know, just be with them. And she prepped a lot of the dead, she said, back then, to help the community out, you know, she said they were so far back that a lot of times they just prep them, show them, and imperium, you know, she told me that they'd asked her to come up and help him prep him for showing. And she went and bathed the body and was getting a dress, and she overheard some of the family saying, what about he accidentally shot himself and had a silver bullet? And, you know, so that's an odd story, you know, but my grandma told me and I always asked her, I said, so you're saying he like shape shifted? She said, honey, I'm just telling you that I'm pretty sure he was that turkey, which is weird, you know, if I could shape shift. I don't know, Derek. Personally, I could think of a lot of the things I do rather than be a turkey. But anyways, that's my story. My grandma told me that different times and she always stuck to it. She said that she believed that dude was a witch, you know. Okay, thanks, Derek. Keep it spooky. Love the show and talk to you later. Bye bye.
- [54:56]
Derek Hayes
Thanks, Dave. A tale as old as time. I've heard this very story frequently over the years, but the monster in question, typically anything from a werewolf to a skinwalker, always seems to vary from story to story. But otherwise it always seems to end the same way. The creature is shot, and later a human with the very same wound dies or needs assistance. It's a great story, and might I say it gets even greater when the creature in this new version is a turkey. I love it. And it brings awareness to a major issue the field of cryptozoology has there are no turkey paste cryptids out there. I did an extensive search and I was not able to find a single mention anywhere of such a creature. And before you giggle and scoff at the idea, you need to know that turkeys can be monsters. They're little dinosaurs and I promised they would eat all of us if they could. So a nine foot tall turkey that glows in the dark with X ray vision or something would be downright terrifying. But it certainly would spice things up this coming Thanksgiving. No, it's a fun story, Dave. I suspect it to be a bit of a yarn, but it's fun nonetheless. And a lot of times, even the wildest of stories begin with a root of truth. So I guess we'll keep our minds open just a crack. Thank you again, Dave, for the call. Now here with another witchy entry is an anonymous source out of the Pacific Northwest.
- [56:57]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Hi, Derek, I'd like to remain anonymous and I'm calling from somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. So this takes place, I want to say, sometime in 2015. And I was the manager of a store. The only details that matter is that the store's name was a word with three letters and it was in another language that wasn't English. And I wasn't a very good manager, I'll be honest. And so one day I realized that I had not checked any of the voicemails on the store phone for a concerning amount of time. So it was one of those little, you know, handsets, and you go in and there's a little voicemail system. And so I was going through these old voicemails, and to be fair, very, very few of them were anything substantial. As if someone called when we weren't open, they could simply call during business hours the next day, or if the phone was busy or no one could pick it up, they could just call back later the same day during business hours. Probably someone would have picked up. So I'm going through all these messages, and there were a lot, because even if someone just hung up immediately when it went to voicemail, it still recorded that as a message. So I'd press a button, you know, play next message. Little voice would say that the message would play, then I'd press the button to delete it. But if it just recorded the nothing message of someone hanging up, then there'd be a little beep. So play next message. Beep, delete. Play next message. Beep, delete. So kind of hypnotic. I'm just getting in the rhythm of pressing these buttons. And of course, if there's a sudden pause or I start to hear someone's voice, then I know, okay, I better listen to this one. So I'm deleting lots of messages, and finally I hear a long pause. I go, okay, this is something. And there was a creepy old lady witchy voice, the best way I can describe it. And it just didn't say the name of the store. It spelled it out. And I'll do my best to do an impression, and it is kind of silly, but if the store's name was abc, then this voice went a B.
- [59:14]
Caller (e.g., Michaela, Anonymous)
See.
- [59:16]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Just like that. And so I. What was that? And so I went back and looked at the message details. And this call had been made in the middle of the night, like, 2, 3, 4am that kind of thing. So, okay, that's weird. And I took note of it. I think I didn't delete that message just because I was like, hang on, I need to, like, come back to this. Okay, that's weird. Probably a prank call or whatever. I keep going through my messages. So next message, beep, delete. Next message, beep, delete. I want to say it was about a week later, and it was on the same day of the week that this had originally happened, and there was another message from the same number at the same around weird time of night, and there was no voice this time. Like, no, no words spoken, but you could just kind of hear some rustling and grumbling in the background and that was it. Nothing else ever came of this. Nothing really weird ever happened at that store. But, you know, was it a prank call? Was it someone who was inebriated or mentally unwell? Who's to say? Realistically, probably not a spooky explanation, but I always kind of like to think about it, is if someone's mustering up all the energy to interact with an electronic device from beyond or wherever, what did they call the wrong number? And they just heard my dumb voice saying, here's the name of the store, leave a voicemail. And they didn't really know what to do with it. So hopefully you can use this. And yeah, thank you so much to you and Sarah and Delaney for all that you do. Bye.
- [61:03]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, caller. You don't have to tell me about creepy phone calls. It's my bread and butter. But this one was probably just a little bit spookier because it came out of nowhere. It was not the sort of message you would expect to hear on a corporate voicemail line. And as much as I love the story, the actual recording would have been better. It's a dang shame we don't have access to it, but at the very least, we're grateful to have heard the tale. So thank you again, caller, for reaching out. Just like stealing candy from the baby. Now, what plans do you have set up for the greatest of all holidays? Are you going to join 52% of Americans and decorate your home? Or are you going to be part of the 43% that carves a Jack O' lantern? Or the 29% that's either attending or hosting a Halloween party? Whatever you're doing this Samhain season, keep your eyes out for the devil and his demons. Please welcome Michaela, all the way from the UK.
- [62:37]
Caller (e.g., Michaela, Anonymous)
Hi, Derek, it's Michaela from the UK. I'm calling in my spooky story from Halloween two years ago. I hope you like was Halloween 2018, and our children were excitedly swarming around the neighbourhood, dressed in spooky costumes and vying to be the one with the most sweets in their green bucket. As the festivities calmed down and children were making their way to bed, I popped out to the local shop to buy a bottle of red wine to enjoy with my husband. Later. It was only about 9pm but was pitch black outside as I made my way back from the shop. As I walked past my neighbour's house, I saw a movement to my right. Out of the corner of my eye, as I turned my head, I saw a large shadow figure move across the fence paneling. It was pitch black and shaped a bit like a troll, with thin spindly legs, a thick midriff and large head bent forwards with no perceivable neck. Although it only lasted a couple of seconds, I saw the shape in detail. It walked right off the edge of the fence panel and disappeared into the night. Very surprised, but not too perturbed, I returned home to tell my husband and enjoy the bottle of wine. A couple of hours later, my husband and I were in the middle of watching a horror film when three loud knocks at the door made us jump out of our skin. We paused the film and I answered the door, fully expecting to see some kids running off down the street laughing. No one was there. Puzzled, I looked up and down the street and even went to the end of the garden to see if anyone was hiding behind the hedge. No one was around. As I walked back into the house, I was met by the sound of heavy footsteps running the length of our upstairs hallway. Presuming that our children had been woken up by the knocking, I shouted, it's ok, get back into bed. And ran upstairs to settle them back down. I was astonished to find that they were both fast asleep. A cold shiver ran down my spine. I went downstairs to tell my husband and looked at the clock on the mantelpiece. It read exactly 12 midnight. I have no explanation for the things that happened that night. My husband shrugged it off as he doesn't believe in the paranormal. But I do wonder whether the shadow person I saw came to play tricks on us. It was very unsettling, especially because it happened in my home. Nothing unto what happened last year, and we'll see about this year, I have the feeling that anything could happen, especially on Halloween.
- [65:41]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Mikaela. You know, that sounds like the beginning of a really good Halloween horror film. Exactly. With the protagonist is in the scenario. A dark demon, a shadow man, a ghost or the fae folk. Your guess is as good as mine. But per usual. We thank you Mikayla for taking the time to share the story. It was quite spooky, whatever it was. Now for something a little more devilish. Please welcome Jillian out of parts unknown.
- [66:25]
Caller (various, e.g., Robin, Caroline, Giselle, Jillian)
Hi, my name is Julian. I am from the southeast United States. So growing up my dad and I, we were super, super close. Like we had the best relationship. He really like showed me what it meant to be like, kind and loving. And he was just a really wonderful father. And then when I was 18, I moved to California, and our relationship started to change. And I started to drink a lot. And I didn't notice, and I didn't really realize it was a problem. Our relationship was still good. But I noticed that he started to get really, really hateful, and it made me really uncomfortable. We're from the south, so you can imagine what he's being hateful about. And it made me uncomfortable. And we started to argue. We eventually lost our relationship. Like, it just got really, really bad. And it still is bad. We try, but it's not great. And I was thinking about what it could be. So my dad is from New York, and he was raised super, super Catholic. My family is, like, Irish and, like, very religious. So when I was a teenager, my dad told me that when he was a kid, he made a deal with the devil. And I was like, what? So, like, what'd you make the deal about? And he wouldn't tell me. And he told me that he broke off the deal. And I was like, how does that work? Like, you broke a deal with the devil? And he was like, everyone breaks deals. And I was like, okay. And he, like, asked me if I'd ever seen anything, and I said no. And he told me that he, like, had had experiences in the house where something with a key attacking him and holding him down in the bedroom. And he was like, we fighting something. So he had experiences in the house that he still lives in, and now I am away, and he has turned into, like, an alcoholic, and it's, like, ruined our relationship anyways. So I was thinking, could this potentially be about, like, my dad's deal with the devil? Like, our falling out in our relationship? Like, is this, like, his consequence? I don't know. And I actually go and visit him soon. So, like, if you could get this on air and anybody could give me advice, anything, I would super, super appreciate it because it kind of scares me. And he's still drinking. I haven't seen him in, like, I don't know, like, two years. But yeah. Thank you so much. Bye. Bye.
- [68:45]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, Jillian. A Deal with the Devil. Now, you know the. This is a trope that we hear about all the time, but we very seldom see real world examples. Accused witches back in the day were said to have made a pact with the devil. The origin story of the infamous Jersey Devil is too set to involve a deal with Old scratch. In the 1930s, blues legend Robert Johnson famously made a deal with Satan at the crossroads. The story goes that Robert was relatively talentless growing up. Then he made considerable progress learning the guitar in a very short time, leading folks to suggest some sort of accord with the man downstairs. Now, coincidentally, Johnson died mysteriously at the age of 27, setting a trend in entertainment that continues to this day, the 27 Club folks call it. And the list of others that have also famously perished at the age of 27 include Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. And trust me when I say, the list is quite extensive. And of course, it can be found over in the show notes. So devils, demons and witches, we can't have Halloween without them and we can't have a Halloween special episode without them either. So a big thanks to you, Jillian, for sharing the story. Five dollar lineup. Well, folks, another phenomena associated with Halloween to watch out for is spectral animals, hellhounds, werewolves and big old cat. Please welcome y from Arizona to tonight's special episode.
- [71:09]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Hey. Hey. This is why I'm from Arizona. And that's where this story takes place kind of over the course of years. When I was younger, you know, at the age when in a small town, you can start walking around on your own without your parents hovering around, maybe you can bring your younger siblings with you to go do things. Walk down to the movie theater. We had a single screen. We would do that sort of in the evening, go and catch the early movie, which was usually for kids. And this is back in early 2000s before it burned down. We would walk down there, catch that early movie, and then walk home again. And our parents trusted us to do that if it wasn't maybe about half a mile back from the movie theater to home. And there was a portion of that walk where the street lights were a little bit less existent. It was a little bit darker. But being Arizona, you kind of still always have a little bit of starlight, a little bit of moonlight to see by. Anyway. But anyway, we're walking home, my brother and my two neighbors who were the same age as us, and we are getting pretty close. And I just feel, not even the feeling of somebody watching necessarily, but a gravity. And I look to my left and kind of in the shadows of this retaining wall is a dog shaped absence. A lot of other people have described the black dog as, you know, looking very specifically like a Doberman and very specifically black. But for me, it's black in the same way that looking at the night sky is black, that it's black because there's nothing there. I'm looking over at it and it's huge, like a mastiff. If you just Doubled it in size and it's staring right back at me. And it doesn't feel malevolent, it doesn't necessarily feel benign, and it's certainly not benevolent. But there was a degree to which it felt like I was being watched over. Like a very creepy and maybe not entirely safe guardian angel. So when I see that, I kind of start skedaddling. I cross the street and then make my way home. Get there, don't talk too much about what I had just seen. You know, mention it to my little brother, ask if he'd seen the dog. But he had. And I thought that that would be kind of the end of it. I was a super imaginative kid. Still a super imaginary adult. Seeing things in the dark was not really going to be a surprise. You know, that's the kind of imagination I had. But then it happened again. You know, a different walk, a different night, and the dog this time is standing. And again it's that same hair raising gravity of just being in the orbit of something that shouldn't be there. I see it. And once again, you know, standing, it's looking at me. It's gigantic. There's no sound coming from it. It's almost an absence of sound where it is. So just this void cutout of a massive dog. And again it starts happening periodically to the point that even mentioning the dog becomes a sort of taboo for me. I don't even like doing it now. Freaks me out. Anyway, we moved towns. We're now up in Prescott, Arizona. And at this point I'm probably 15 or 16, making this 2008, I'd say. So this black dog has been around me since at least, you know, age 10. And at 15 and 16, it's still there. And this time it's Halloween. We're doing, you know, silly Halloween things. And we go to one of the cemeteries in Prescott, Arizona and sort of do some quote unquote, orb spotting, which was more for my friends who were far more into supernatural things and far more into kind of believing supernatural things than I am. And of course, you know, a good portion of that sort of thing is really just scaring yourself. But we're there and we're looking around and joking. And that's when it happens again, this gravity. And I look over, I look around and finally turn around behind me and there's black dog. And this time he's walking, which I'd only ever seen him sort of statically standing or sitting, you know, some small body movements. This time he's walking and lights behind him are you know, disappearing as his body passes. Again, it's not something that you would confuse with a small dog or anything like that. You know, the only size comparison would be a very dog shaped horse. And again, it's just like, well, why is this thing following me specifically? There's nothing bad that happens afterwards. It doesn't feel like it's going to necessarily attack me, even though I'm afraid of it. But it's Halloween, so I write it off again. I've written it off every single time. I know I'm an imaginative person, so I say, well, probably just my mind making shadows into monsters. And that's that. Until a few years later. I'm now up in Flagstaff, Arizona. I'm going to college up there. And this weird thing happens where I'm telling my friends about Black Dog the night before and kind of laughing about how silly it is to be afraid of speaking about this thing. But I'm driving to campus the next day and for the first time ever, this is the only time it's happened. Something catches my eye and I turn and there is Black Dog in the middle of the day, running through the woods next to the car. And that was kind of the most supernatural moment I think I've ever had in my life and the one that really cemented something odd going on. And I've never figured out why Black Dog exists or what they're doing, but that was the last time I ever saw him anyway. Yeah, just a different sort of experience with the Black Dog phenomenon. Hope you enjoyed it.
- [78:29]
Derek Hayes
Thank you. Y. I guess I should have included Skinwalker in that list as well because that might very well be the best way to describe the entity that y spotted. He is in the correct area after all. But good God, a horse sized dog shaped creature. Imagine running into that in the dark. Or imagine running into that several times throughout your life. And for one of those sightings to fall on Halloween, well, that actually reminds me of a very famous, very similar experience that took place back in the early 90s. The setting is Bray Road, just outside of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Of course, now that area is synonymous with werewolves or dog men, as they're referred to here in the field. But back in 1991, that wasn't quite the case. At the time, it was just a road to cut through a farming community. But over the next few years, its reputation would begin to sour. And part of that legend began on Halloween night, 1991. Here is a retro clip from Inside Edition where the witness, Doris Gibson describes the experience in her own words.
- [80:02]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Like Doris Gibson, who'd seen it on Halloween night, 1991, driving down Bray Road. She had gotten out of her car when she thought she had hit an animal.
- [80:12]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
It was foggy out and I was.
- [80:13]
Derek Hayes
A little bit afraid and this big.
- [80:15]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
Thing come just like trucking, you know.
- [80:18]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Just trucking down the road at me, man.
- [80:20]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
I looked at it and I'm like, ah.
- [80:22]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
And I ran, I got back in.
- [80:23]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
The car, you know, and before I.
- [80:25]
Caller (various, e.g., Sam, James, Sean, Anonymous, Y, Michaela, Joseph, Dave)
Peeled off, that thing scratched the back of the car.
- [80:29]
Derek Hayes
Now, I'm certainly not saying that what Doris saw and what y continuously encountered is the that fact very same creature. But both descriptions do sound awfully similar to me and both seem to be active on Halloween night. So maybe you can see why I made that connection. Now, I sure can't tell you what it was, but I sure do appreciate you sharing the entry with us. Thank you again. Why for calling in. Now, folks, the holiday gift giving season is fast approaching and I know exactly where you need to shop for all the monsters in your life. Head to the Monsters Among Us. Shop by visiting monsters among us podcast.com and by clicking on the shop tab. Get a shirt, a hat, patch, pin or sticker. There's something for everyone down at the old MAU Corner store. Again, just visit Monsters Among Us podcast.com and smash that shop tab. Now for the last call of the main part of tonight's program. You can't have Halloween without cats. They may be one of the most prominent symbols of this sacred holiday. Please welcome a to the program.
- [81:54]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
Hey Derek, this is a from North Carolina. So this was about two or three years now and I was on delivery. This was at around 10:30-11. It was a full moon and after I dropped off the delivery at their door, I was walking back to my car when a kitten, probably about a year old, walks up to me and starts rubbing up on my legs. And I'm thinking, oh wow, a kitten. That's nice. And it's not really weird for me because this has happened to me several times. At one point a deer walked up to me and it ran off before I had a chance to pet it. So the cat, after it was done rubbing up on my legs, it decided to move away for a distance and then stopped and then look back, move away a little further, stopped and looked back. It was clear that it was telling me to follow it. So I figured I might as well. I don't have any other deliveries right now, so I'm just going to do that. And I followed it for a While and it kept stopping, making sure I was still behind it. So I figured it must have some reason for doing this. And I noticed that other cats started coming around as well. And I thought this was strange, but I wasn't going to complain because, like, not the first time multiple cats had run up to me. And I didn't notice until later on how many cats there were. So I was petting all these cats. They were rubbing off my legs as I was walking, and then all of a sudden they just all ran off in different directions. And that's when I noticed there were about seven to eight cats at the time. And they all ran off in several directions and they just disappeared. And I thought that was weird. And then I looked down and I realized there was another cat. It had very, very soft looking long gray fur, well kept all over. So I figured someone had to have owned this cat. Or someone recently gave this cat a bath. There were no signs of fleas. Its eyes were clean, its nose was clean. Everything about this cat just screamed that it was someone's pet. So I figured, oh, that's cute. I wonder whose cat this is. And it's about 50ft away from me, and I'm walking closer to it, and every step I take, it feels like someone is just standing on top of me. It feels like someone is pushing me down. And then the closer I get, the harder it is to move and even breathe at one point. And it was like an extremely oppressive feeling coming from all around. And when I'm about 10ft away from the cat, my body's just practically unable to move. And this cat has not moved. It hasn't flinched. It hasn't even stopped looking at me. And it has these glaring yellow eyes. They aren't glowing at this point. They're just piercing me, though. It's like they're looking through me and could see into me. And this cat has just been staring at my face this entire time. Something about it just looks off. Like it looked like a cat, but it didn't. Like it was the uncanny valley version of a cat. And it just sat there with its tail curled around its legs and it just stared at me. I don't think it was for a full minute, but it felt like it was a long time. And then for some reason, I was still drawn closer to it. And then a voice boomed in my head and kind of just went, stop. If you get any closer, you'll die. So I immediately stopped and I froze, freaked out, and I'm horrified, not sure what to do. So I just stand there. And then the voice goes again, and it says, turn around. Walk back to your car. So I turn around, then I start walking. And I realize I'm about 50 yards away from my vehicle. And it just dawns on me that as I'm walking, this oppressive feeling that I felt I was getting closer to the cat just increases exponentially faster than it did before. And I just felt like I needed to. It felt like I was in a panic mode. But then the voice came back and said, stop. If you run, it will know you're afraid. Don't turn around. Keep walking, or else you'll die. This is exactly how it sounds in my head. So I have to somehow stay calm, calm my breathing as I'm walking 50 yards to my vehicle. And I can't even turn around to see if this cat's still behind me. I can feel it staring at me. So when I get to my car, I get inside, and the car is facing the same direction as the cat. And I can tell now, for some reason, the cat's eyes went from just really bright yellow to glowing yellow, like they're gazing and glowing, actively emitting light, not reflecting it. And it's a completely different color than Tapetum lucidum. It's just staring at me with glowing yellow eyes. And I want to just peel out at that point, but the same thing's going in my head. It's not the voice anymore, but my head saying, just do the same thing that you just did and calmly drive out of the neighborhood. And as I'm driving out of the neighborhood, I'm looking at all of my rear view mirrors, and it just dawns on me that this cat's still staring at me. It has not taken its eyes off me or my car. Once I get out of the neighborhood, though, I peel out. I didn't care if there were cops around. I didn't even care if there was someone else ahead of me. At that point, all I could think was, I need to get out of here as soon as possible. Have a good night.
- [88:02]
Derek Hayes
Thank you. A. How about that? A creepy cat to close out our annual Halloween special episode. And what was the deal with that cat? Was it communicating with A? Or was there another presence in the area that was sending him telepathic warnings? And I'm dying to know what would have happened if A had not stopped and turned around. Exactly what was it that he should have been afraid of? Spooky stuff, eh? And we're much obliged that you took the time to call in. Well, gang. This is where we shift gears and transition to the after show, but more on that here in just a moment. First, Monsters Among Us podcast is written and produced by me, Derek Hayes, copyright Red Crow Media. Additional support is provided by Sarah Carter Hayes, Delaney Bowers and Connor Ryan. All media used in this production is done so under the protection of fair use. And if you would give the show a follow on social media, give us a like and follow on YouTube. Join our Discord server and leave us a rate and review wherever you can. Don't forget, you can catch the show every Saturday evening at 10pm Eastern on the unax digital network. Just visit on xnetwork.com to tune in. Tonight's score was provided by Iron Cthulhu, Apocalypse Code, HE Music and Carl Casey and Whitepad Audio. Now folks, our movie is a perfect Halloween. Watch, watch. Go to borregotriangle.com to tune in or search out shadows in the desert high strangeness in the Borrego Triangle. And don't forget to join us in the beyond. Just stick around for another minute or so to learn how to well folks, this is where the party ends for tonight. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. Hey, come here. Hey. Don't tell anybody, but a few of us are hanging back. We're gonna head up to Old Crooked Creek Cemetery, see if we can't summon a ghost or two. What do you say? Are you in? All you have to do is join us in the beyond. Five bucks a month gives you instant access. $1 a month gives you all the main content ad free and you can test either with either platform's free seven day trial. Just visit monsters among us podcast.com and click the Patreon tab. Join us directly directly on Patreon or click the Apple subscription button if you're using Apple. Either way, we'd love to have you this evening because I have several more Halloween themed stories to share with you and I don't think you're gonna want to miss it. Calls like the following that just so happens to explore another Halloween staple, Bloody Mary. Please welcome Anonymous out of parts Unknown.
- [91:40]
Caller (Anonymous)
Hey Derek. So this happened when I was about 10 or 11. As before I moved to Texas and I lived in Indiana. I was with my sisters in my house. As a new house got a few years back we were playing. It was me and my two younger sisters a couple years apart, Otis being like a couple years below me. Anyway, my bathroom was across the hall from the basement and the basement had stairs leading down and they lived in the basement, like, as a finished basement is real nice. Anyways, we decided to play Bloody Mary. What it was. So we all went in a bathroom, you know, together. We closed the door, turn off the lights, and we said, bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary. You know, and looked in the mirror and stuff. And they got scared, you know, which kind of made me scared, I think it was. We opened door and, like, was like, oh, ran out and stuff. And we opened the door, like, you know, down in the garage in the basement to their room. And we turned the light on, obviously, in my room. And we were playing. I don't know what. We were playing with his. A long time ago. And the light turned off. The actual light switch turned off. Okay? So a hand was on my shoulder, and a hand was on my sister's shoulder. We were scared to death. And the light turned off, the hand was on our shoulder. I was like, oh. And started going and, like, crying and stuff. And so I ran up the stairs. Vader too, obviously. And my dad asked what happened, and we told him whatever. And he's like, oh, my gosh, that's crazy. And he went and said something, you know, religious. And after that, nothing happened. But, like, this was pretty crazy, you know, because, you know, I've always believed in ghosts, I guess, since I was young. Maybe this helped me believe in. I've always watched shows and stuff. I think, you know, this was legit. And my sister, too. It was insane. So I'll call back later.
- [93:36]
Caller (various, e.g., A, Anonymous)
Bye.
- [93:40]
Derek Hayes
Thank you, caller. Somewhere out there, there are hundreds, if not thousands of young teens and kids huddled in a darkened bathroom muttering the words Bloody Mary. That was me once. Plus other games like Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, or Trying to make a candle flame grow with our minds.