Morbid Podcast – Listener Tales 108: 90s Tales!

Hosts: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
Date: March 26, 2026
Theme: A trip back to the 1990s with true crime, paranormal, and weird listener tales, all with the hosts’ signature banter and dark humor.

Episode Overview

In this 90s-themed Listener Tales episode, Ash and Alaina celebrate all things 90s with costumes inspired by the iconic film Scream and a slew of stories sent in by listeners that span true crime close calls, cryptid encounters, precognitive dreams, haunting visits, and more—all tinged with the nostalgia, snacks, and fashion of the decade. The episode is lighthearted but packed with some genuinely chilling stories and hilarious tangents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. 90s Nostalgia & Scream Costumes (04:00–08:00)

• Ash and Alaina are decked out in Scream-inspired costumes: Ash as Casey Becker, Alaina as Gale Weathers.
• Banter about costumes becoming a “morbid costume store,” but neither wants the hassle of running a business.
• Mini 90s fashion show; they gush over accessories, jackets, and even Ash’s fake intestines made from hot-glued curlers and wire.
• Memorable moment: Repeated jokes about Nicholas (the ghost in their studio? prop? friend?) and “intestines falling out.”
• "Costumes are kind of our thing. It's Halloween every day here." – Alaina (03:04)

2. Listener Tale 1: McMiracle – Happy Meal vs. Paul Bernardo (09:00–19:13)

• Tale shared: A listener recounts a terrifying encounter with Paul Bernardo (the “Ken” of the “Ken and Barbie Killers”) in early 90s Ontario.
• The narrator and her friend Allison are nearly cornered by Bernardo while hosting a children’s play program at a park. He asks disturbingly pointed questions.
• Critical moment: The arrival of the narrator’s boyfriend with McDonald’s Happy Meals unintentionally interrupts what may have been a potential abduction. Bernardo flees.
• Their accurate description of the van later aids police.
• Discussion about 90s McDonald’s toys and Happy Meal culture.
• Quote: "Sometimes even life's darkest moments need to be served with a side of humor to make them a bit more palatable." – Listener (18:10)
• Ash and Alaina express awe at how close the listener was to true crime horror, blending humor and horror: "A fucking Happy Meal had saved Allison from the clutches of a serial killer, and the irony was too much for any of us to bear." (19:10)

3. Listener Tale 2: Yeeted by the Jersey Devil (20:27–32:16)

• Morgan’s tale: Growing up in South Jersey, Morgan’s dad stages a cryptid prank while the family is out for ice cream. The car seemingly breaks down in the spooky, isolated “Jake’s Landing” and dad fakes a battle with the Jersey Devil to spook the kids.
• The story shifts from childhood horror to family joke as Morgan reveals the trick—her dad just put the car in neutral.
• The hosts lose it laughing at the twist and Morgan’s brother instantly accepting his new role: "Well, I'm the man of the house." (29:14)
• Quote: "Your parents are just turd buckets who like scaring their children for the lulls of it all." – Morgan (30:28)
• “Keep it that weird, I think.” – Ash, delighted by the story’s playful spirit. (32:11)

4. Listener Tale 3: The Dream That Saved My Best Friend’s Wife (36:44–43:13)

• Dennis’ tale, Part 1: Dennis, a self-professed skeptic, recounts a vivid dream wherein his friend Diane is nearly killed in a car accident while following their group to a club.
• The dream prompts Dennis to attend the outing last minute, ultimately making Diane arrive at the fateful intersection at a different, safe moment. The vehicle ahead of her is hit instead.
• This event leads to Jack and Diane starting a relationship—they are still married with kids, and Dennis becomes their child’s godfather.
• Quote: "That was a divine message." – Ash (42:39)
• "You can't explain that." – Elena (42:44)

5. Listener Tale 4: Ghostly Children at the Peter Shields Inn (44:28–50:26)

• Dennis’ tale, Part 2: While staying at the (historic and beautiful, but apparently haunted) Peter Shields Inn, Dennis hears children giggling and running in the halls after a wedding, but finds out the next day no children were present.
• The ghost is said to be Earl, the 15-year-old son of the inn’s founder, tragically killed in a hunting accident.
• The hosts are thoroughly creeped out and impressed by Dennis’ open-minded skepticism.
• "What a wonderful attitude you have. Yeah, I like it’s like I can't explain them and that's cool. If you can, even better." – Alaina (35:13)
• Hosts fawn over the cosplay photos Dennis sends, especially Ham Solo and Chewy the guinea pigs.

6. Listener Tale 5: The Little Man on the Crib – Poltergeist Childhood (52:04–65:25)

• Alicia’s tale: Raised in a haunted 100-year-old house, Alicia and her brother both recall seeing and interacting with a “little man” with red eyes and horns (first in her brother’s infancy, then Alicia as a toddler/child). The hauntings escalate with appliances turning on, phantom animals, and recurring dreams of a ghost girl in the house.
• After a priest blesses the home, the worst of the manifestations stop, but the house remains haunted—subsequent residents also report activity.
• The hosts are deeply spooked: "You said that so casual. I'm going to fall again." – Ash (58:09)
• "My mom used to see a noose hanging in the doorway." (58:02)
• "Maybe one day I'll send in the story about my dad and how he worked at the building in St. Louis… where they kept the real-life boy from The Exorcism". The hosts beg for this story to be sent in.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On 90s nostalgia:
  "We had wood paneling. We had car phones, lit up jeans, no cell phones. A lit up Jesus. Happy Meals with collectible toys. We had it all." – Ash (65:42)
• On the proximity of evil:
  "To almost be abducted by [Paul Bernardo]…to actually interact with them and have, like, a weird moment with them and have it be like, that could have been us next. And to know that Kristen French was alive—well, that's just at the park…It really is so scary." – Ash (19:51)
• Ash’s running joke:
  "Sorry I didn't answer your call. I don't have any minutes left." (66:44)
• On parents pranking kids:
  "Your parents are just turd buckets who like scaring their children for the lulls of it all." – Morgan (30:28)
• On ghosts/creepy childhood homes:
  "My mom used to see a noose hanging in the doorway." (58:02)

Timestamps to Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Story | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:00 | Hosts intro, 90s Scream costumes & nostalgia | | 09:00 | Listener Tale 1: McMiracle – Paul Bernardo close call | | 20:27 | Listener Tale 2: Jersey Devil prank | | 36:44 | Listener Tale 3: The dream that saved Diane | | 44:28 | Listener Tale 4: Peter Shields Inn haunting | | 52:04 | Listener Tale 5: The little man on the crib – poltergeist | | 65:36 | Hosts reflect on 90s culture and fashion |

Host Tone and Vibe

The hosts are their usual blend of darkly funny, irreverent, and supportive, alternating between cackling at their own jokes, expressing deep empathy for listeners with serious stories, and going on lively tangents about 90s toys, food, and culture. They revel in the weirdness, encourage listeners to "keep it weird—but not that weird," and remind everyone that blending humor with horror is their favorite coping mechanism.

For New Listeners: Why This Episode Works

• Engaging storytelling: The tales told span genres and moods, mixing true crime, creepiness, and pure childhood chaos.
• 90s themes: From Happy Meal toys to flip phone minutes, the episode drips with nostalgic references and asides.
• Signature Morbid humor: Ash and Alaina are as funny as they are empathetic, making even the creepiest stories bearable.
• Listener community: The hosts’ warmth towards their fans—reading full tales, shouting out to listeners’ families, and riffing off shared cultural memories—makes you feel part of the “weird” Morbid family.

Keep It Weird — But Not That Weird

The episode closes with a lively yearning for the weird and wild 90s, a reminder to embrace the bizarre (but maybe not the demonic crib-side poltergeist type of weird), and a promise for more listener tales in the future.

Final Words:
“We hope you keep listening, and we hope you keep it weird, but not so weird that you throw off your wig at the end of the tale. Bye!” – Ash & Alaina (66:51)