Episode Summary: Otherworld – Episode 134: Theater 3
Release Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Jack Wagner
Guest: Sam
Overview
In this episode of Otherworld, Jack Wagner shares Sam’s chilling first-person account of a series of paranormal encounters experienced while working at an old movie theater in rural Maryland. Unlike the usual urban legends that circle old theaters, Sam’s detailed story involves a uniquely terrifying and personally-attached entity. Sam recounts multiple encounters with this shadowy figure, both in and out of the theater, and reflects on how these experiences shaped her beliefs about the unexplained.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. Haunted Theaters: A Universal Phenomenon?
- [02:16] Jack Wagner introduces the episode by reflecting on the prevalence of haunted theater stories, suggesting that their age, emotional resonance, and unique atmosphere might contribute to their reputation:
“Haunted theaters are just something you hear about all the time...they're kind of just places that seem haunted.”
- Jack shares his own, more mundane movie theater work experience, emphasizing the rarity of firsthand haunting accounts.
2. Sam’s Background & Family Beliefs
- [05:05] Sam reveals a background combining evangelical Christianity and inherited superstitions, including elements of Santeria and witchcraft:
“My mom's family practiced Santeria and what her mom has called witchcraft…for generations, they practiced…before converting to Christianity.”
“So I was always taught to protect myself and not to put myself in a position where I might invite any unwanted spirits.” - Sam developed a cautious but agnostic approach toward the supernatural during adolescence.
3. Establishing the Theater’s Ghostly Reputation
- [08:00] Sam describes the layout and ordinary feel of the theater, later introducing local ghost legend:
- Rumor of an old man occasionally spotted in the projection booth, operating outdated film projectors.
“If you looked up into the projection booth…you could see an old man operating the film projectors…this guy definitely didn't exist.”
- After switch to digital projectors, sightings dissipated, joked about among employees.
- Flickering flashlights in the booth became a running gag.
4. Early Personal Experiences: Shadows in the Theater
- [11:40] Sam and coworkers witnessed what looked like a shadowy figure mimicking patrons, e.g., drinking from a soda cup, with corroborated experiences:
“At the end of the movie, the lights came up, and there was nobody there…my coworker said, ‘Did you see that? That was really weird.’”
- These apparitions were more unsettling than frightening; Sam thought, “Whatever this is…they're here to watch movies.”
5. The Encounter in Theater 3
The Core Paranormal Event
- [15:49] Alone late at night, tasked with checking Theater 3, Sam immediately senses an “anxious…cold” presence:
“It was like I was just anxious and, like, my chest felt tight and it felt cold…that feeling that you get in your body, like, oh, I need to get out of here.”
- Sam finds a dark, crouched, inhumanly tall and thin figure in the back corner, its face reduced to a smudge:
“Its face looked like…someone had taken their thumb and just smudged it in a circle until there was nothing left.”
“It looked like a real thing was there. Like, I could reach out and touch it.” - She is gripped by terror, feeling as if the entity is actively constricting her breathing:
“I couldn't breathe. Like…something was strangling me. I knew it was trying to kill me.”
- Sam quickly flees to the manager for help, who refuses to hear details due to fear and sends her home:
“Just go home.”
Aftermath
- [22:38] Family reaction is divided: sisters find it fascinating, parents reinforce spiritual caution, coworkers are skeptical but intrigued.
6. Recurring & Escalating Encounters
Second Sighting (Projection Booth)
- [28:52] Weeks later, Sam sees the figure again in the projection booth, but is “too busy” to process or react:
“I don't have time for this right now…I just closed the door and went to the other projection booth.”
- This leads her to feel the entity is attached directly to her rather than the theater itself.
Menacing Presence at Home
- Wakes in the night with overwhelming dread, convinced the entity is peering in through her window, though she does not see it:
“Absolute knowledge…I knew that it was out there, that that creature was sitting out there with its face against my window looking at me.”
The Final Encounter (Daytime, with Date)
- [35:24] On a date, Sam sees the figure, now standing and extremely tall, at the back of the theater:
“It was very tall, like maybe 8ft tall…its hands were super long and it had these like long pointed fingers.”
- As Sam passes by, the figure loses solidity and dematerializes:
“As I kind of got closer…by the time I was past it, it was basically gone…just the shadow of a shadow of something.”
- Sam interprets this loss of “weight” and fear as a pivotal shift:
“It almost felt like I had overcome it or…that it lost its hold on me or maybe lost interest in me.”
- She never sees the entity again.
7. Aftermath, Belief & Long-Term Impact
- Sam stays at the job for four more years, admitting to heightened vigilance but no more direct fear after the final encounter.
- Later hears from a coworker that a new hire spotted a tall, shadowy figure and quit shortly after, hinting the phenomenon may not be unique to her.
- The experience pushes Sam into a deeper exploration of the supernatural and occult:
“I definitely got kind of obsessed with paranormal things and the occult for a while…not only did I see this thing, but I interacted with it.”
- She experiments with “harmless” spells, encountering odd, possibly related results.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- [15:49] Sam: “It was crouched. It was super thin, very tall…its arms were very long, its legs were very long...its face looked like…someone had taken their thumb and just smudged it in a circle until there was nothing left.”
- [19:44] Sam: “I couldn't breathe. Like, I felt like it was like something was strangling me...it was going to strangle me psychically or something…I was just going to stop being able to breathe and die.”
- [28:52] Sam on her second encounter: “I don't have time for this right now…I just closed the door and went to the other projection booth and got whatever I needed.”
- [36:50] Sam regarding the final encounter: “It was nearly translucent. Just the shadow of a shadow of something…that weight felt like it was being lifted.”
- [43:36] Sam reflecting on her changed beliefs: “I'm very open to the ideas that, like, there is something out there that we can't explain. I've seen something that I know I saw.”
Host’s Reflections
- [45:41] Jack Wagner:
“Everybody assumes that when they experience something like this, life would just stop…in reality, I think sometimes life has to keep moving. You have to keep working. And sometimes you need to ignore the ghost that's in the projection room.”
Key Timestamps
- [05:05] Introduction to Sam’s religious and cultural background
- [08:00] Local theater ghost legend and flickering flashlight experiences
- [11:40] First shadowy apparition witnessed with coworkers
- [15:49] The primary encounter with the menacing figure in Theater 3
- [19:44] Sam describes the sensations of terror and physical constriction
- [22:38] Aftermath: family and coworker reactions
- [28:52] Recurring experiences, including at home and during a busy shift
- [35:24] Final encounter during the day, feeling of overcoming the entity
- [43:36] Long-term impact on beliefs and later experiments with occult practices
- [45:41] Jack Wagner’s closing thoughts
Conclusion
This episode stands out for the specificity and emotional intensity of Sam’s account—a haunting rooted less in folklore and more in personal confrontation. Her story traverses suspicion, skepticism, terror, and ultimately, a sense of empowerment and openness to life’s mysteries. Both unnerving and introspective, “Theater 3” is a rare firsthand glimpse into the way unexplained experiences can shape, challenge, and expand personal belief.