Morbid Podcast: The Hinsdale House Haunting

Hosts: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
Date: November 3, 2025
Episode Theme:
A deep dive into the chilling and infamous haunting of the Hinsdale House in upstate New York—the Dandy family’s attempt at rural bliss derailed by relentless paranormal phenomena. Mixing meticulous research and personal anecdotes with signature dark comedy, Ash and Alaina chronicle the strange occurrences, failed exorcisms, and lingering mysteries that make this one of America’s most notorious haunted homes.

Episode Overview

The hosts discuss the history and haunting of the Hinsdale House, centering on the Dandy family’s harrowing experiences with everything from swarms of bees and chilling poltergeist activity to spectral sightings and escalating violence. Throughout, Ash and Alaina intersperse their own humor, parenting conversation, and culinary tangents, but mostly maintain the episode’s "creepy history" focus. The chilling lack of resolution leaves both hosts unsettled and vowing to visit the site themselves.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Cozy Fall Vibes & Halloween Prep (01:29–13:05)

• The episode opens with the hosts chatting about autumnal nostalgia, rough weeks, pastina cures, and their elaborate Halloween food prep for their kids.
  • Memorable Quote:
    "This bitch is giving Pinterest mom, but she’s the gothiest goth." — Ash (05:43)
• Baking tips, spooky lunches, and Halloween plans set a homey tone before the transition to the haunting.

Introduction to the Hinsdale House (13:05–24:27)

• The story is set: In 1970, Clara and Phil Dandy move their growing family from Buffalo, NY, to rural Hinsdale, seeking peace but instead inheriting a house with a sinister past.
  • Notable Detail:
    The house, over 100 years old and situated on 8 acres, includes a mysterious crawl space that instantly unnerves Clara.

Early Signs: The Swarm of Bees & Rural Menace (24:27–29:29)

• On move-in day, the Dandys are greeted by an unnatural infestation:
  "Almost every room in the house was swarming with bees, so many you couldn't even see out the windows." — Alaina (25:38)
• The exterminator’s verdict: Swarming bees at that time of year is highly abnormal.
• Soon after, neighborhood dangers escalate as the children are shot at while playing in the fields—barely believable rural drama that the police dismiss.

Ghostly Encounters Begin (29:29–36:13)

• Mike and other local kids spot a “tall teenage boy with a gun” in the woods; neighbors identify him, nonchalantly, as a local ghost.
  • Notable Quote:
    "Oh, no, that’s that ghost that lives around here and is, like, known to walk up and down the road." — Alaina recounting (29:42)
• Casual lore-sharing becomes a running joke for the hosts.
• Different children describe the apparition variously—a farmer to some, a “charred” (blackened) boy to another—deepening the episode's unsettling vibe.

Clara’s Woods Experience & Escalation (32:42–36:13)

• Clara herself hears simultaneous chanting “from all directions” during a walk.
• When investigated by the kids, the phenomenon culminates with a woman’s piercing scream from the woods:
  • Reaction:
    "That’s got to be one of the scariest things to hear out of nowhere." — Alaina (34:45)
• The hosts agree: These patterns of distress point to something far beyond “kids’ imaginations.”

Haunting Ramps Up: Fatalities, Theft & Disturbances (36:13–43:33)

• The house develops a tragic lethality—pets die inexplicably in one child’s room, objects vanish even from locked boxes, doors slam with no one present, and valuables are untouched.
  • Quote:
    "She started to feel like they weren’t wanted in the house." — Ash on Clara (37:14)
• Ransacked rooms, blinding unexplained lights, and flying board games become regular.
• Ghostly footsteps, especially at night, torment the family—mirrored by the hosts’ haunted house stories.

Seeking Help: Priests & Paranormal Experts (43:33–55:12)

• Clara turns to two priests: Father Bob and the delightfully-named Father Alphonsus.
  • The comic banter about his name provides a brief levity.
  • Quote:
    "If your name is Alphonsus... what are you doing going by Al?" — Ash (42:24)
• Father Alphonsus initially suspects a poltergeist, blaming adolescent “energy.”
  • Clara objects: “Poltergeists have no motives... and this seems to have motive.” (45:16)
• After a superficial blessing, activity briefly subsides—before coming back stronger.

Direct Spectral Encounters (48:29–54:14)

• Clara and Beth both witness a mysterious girl in a flannel nightgown with “filthy hair”—first on the stairs, then reflected in a bedroom mirror.
  • Memorable Quote:
    "All she remembered were her big dark eyes and her filthy hair." — Beth, relayed by Alaina (52:44)
  • The hosts are revolted: "Why is your hair dirty? It’s full of secrets... It’s full of darkness.” (52:46)
• Lights flicker, disembodied scratching moves from upstairs to the crawl space. When opened, bricks are stacked in odd little piles—a disturbing echo of a foreshadowed massacre.

Psychic Medium Alex Tanous & The House’s Bloodstained History (55:12–58:28)

• Renowned medium Alex Tanous tours the home “cold,” immediately announcing:
  “Did you know you had a mass murder here?”
• Tanous identifies seven spirits, each with a violent backstory (stabbings, hangings, drownings, beatings), including a recently deceased elderly woman—possibly the prior resident.
• He speculates the property once hosted a waystation where travelers were murdered and briefly hidden in the crawl space under the stairs.
  • Quote:
    "I saw bodies piled up, like stacks of firewood." — Alex Tanous, as relayed by Ash (57:51)

The Haunted Legacy: Hopelessness and Aftermath (58:34–65:58)

• Despite efforts from clergy and psychic, the haunting persists.
• The stress inflicts grave psychological and physical costs, culminating in Mike’s near-fatal car accident and Beth’s stress-induced ulcers.
• The family, financially and emotionally defeated, lists the house at a loss and eventually separates.
  • Hosts reflect:
    "My favorite thing is when there’s a haunt and there's no resolution... The ghost said, 'I'm here to stay.'" (67:32)

The Hinsdale House Today (65:58–67:50)

• The legacy continues: Future owners and visitors to the property report ongoing activity—apparitions, screams, and the oppressive atmosphere.
• The house is now an active haunted attraction, and Ash & Alaina vow to visit.
  • Hosts joke:
    "He said, honey, the tired." — Ash, on the medium refusing to return (66:44)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "It didn't take long for them to get settled in... but the move-in got underway, and things actually went smoother after that. And Clara was like, yeah, I should have known it was too good to be true. Especially after the bees." — Ash (27:30)
• "Casual lore drop will get me every time." — Alaina (30:33)
• "For me, it’s really the charred teenager. And then the filthy haired girl. The filthy haired girl takes the cake." — Ash (66:49)
• "Keep it weird... but not so weird that you’re a ghost with filthy hair. Wash your hair in the afterlife. God damn." — Ash (67:58)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:29–13:05 | Fall nostalgia & Halloween food | | 13:05–24:27 | Hinsdale House background & Dandy family arrives | | 24:27–29:29 | Swarm of bees & initial rural scares | | 29:29–36:13 | First ghost sightings & woodland horror | | 36:13–43:33 | Haunting becomes more aggressive: deaths, theft, disturbances | | 43:33–55:12 | Attempts at exorcism: blessings & poltergeist theories | | 48:29–54:14 | Spectral girl appears to family – hair horror, direct poltergeist | | 55:12–58:28 | Medium Tanous reveals mass murder past & new psychic investigations | | 58:34–65:58 | Family collapses, haunting continues, house’s afterlife as attraction | | 65:58–67:50 | Modern-day legacy, hosts plan a visit |

Final Thoughts

Ash & Alaina deliver a chilling, detail-rich retelling of the Hinsdale House haunting, balancing dark humor with genuine dread and empathy. The episode stands out for its immersive storytelling, memorable "casual lore drops," and the hosts’ palpable discomfort at the story’s unresolved conclusion.

If you want more:

• Future owners and ghost hunters continue to report activity at the site.
• The house remains a must-visit (or avoid!) for lovers of American haunting lore.

Bottom line:
If you’re a fan of true paranormal tales that refuse easy endings, this one will haunt you long after the episode is over.

Keep it weird—but not so weird that you’re a ghost with filthy hair wandering through someone’s farmhouse.