Detailed Summary: Otherworld – Episode 144: The Yellow-Eyed Boy (Nov 3, 2025)

Podcast: Otherworld
Host: Jack Wagner
Guests: Mitch and Austin
Runtime Key Content: ~02:20 to ~45:07

Overview

In this episode of Otherworld, host Jack Wagner explores the chilling story of Mitch and his brother Austin, who grew up in rural Oregon in a devout Mormon household. The two share their experiences with a sinister, paranormal entity: a boy with glowing yellow eyes, whose appearances seemed to coincide with Mitch’s internal struggle with faith and identity. As the brothers recount their escalating encounters, the episode weaves together themes of vulnerability, belief, and the mysterious ways our deepest fears manifest.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Mitch’s Background and Vulnerability

• [04:42] Mitch introduces his background: a Mormon upbringing in rural eastern Oregon, with family roots stretching deep into Mormon history.
• He describes being a “squeaky clean Mormon boy,” repressing his identity as a gay teenager and feeling immense pressure to appear perfect.
• Quote: “I was very, very focused on not making mistakes. So I was a very high strung little kid... I tried to come out to my family when I was 14. That didn't really work out. So I just kind of like sucked it in...” – Mitch [05:59]

2. First Signs: The Handprints and the Yellow-Eyed Boy

• [07:20] Mitch describes unexplained child-sized handprints appearing repeatedly on the basement sliding glass door.

• No clear explanation, and both he and his brother Austin initially dismissed it.

• Mitch begins having an intensely vivid dream:

  • Both brothers are in their parents’ room when a young boy, “maybe five or six... intense golden yellow, ambery eyes, like glowing jaundice eyes,” silently tries to join them. Mitch instinctively feels the need to protect his brother, repeatedly telling the boy, “No, you can’t be here.”
  • The dream turns nightmarish when he encounters a corpse and then the yellow-eyed boy staring at him from the bathtub. He jolts awake—only to see the figure at his bedside in waking reality.

• Quote: “I roll over in my bed, open my eyes, and there he is... shadowed silhouette of the small boy with his glowing yellow eyes standing right at the side of my bed.” – Mitch [13:57]

3. Desperate for Support and Parental Disbelief

• [14:00–17:30] Overcome by terror, Mitch flees to his parents’ room, sleeping at their feet. He seeks help through a priesthood blessing, despite his waning faith.
• His parents, however, dismiss his fears, assuming it’s an overactive imagination.
• Quote: “I remember asking my dad for a priesthood blessing... but my dad brushed me off. You know, he said I was being... dramatic.” – Mitch [16:39]

4. The Haunting Escalates: Shadow Figures and Sleep Paralysis

• [17:57] Despite attempts to ignore it, Mitch’s experiences intensify.

  • Shadowy “pioneer people” appear in his room; Mitch speculates they could be “angry Mormon ancestors.”
  • The yellow-eyed boy reappears at his doorway, and other menacing presences, including a tall “hat man” and a creature he dubs the “bed goblin,” manifest.
  • Classic sleep paralysis symptoms: held down, mouth forced open, unable to move.

• Quote: “I would hear something in my room and I would open my eyes and I would see these shadow people just walking around my bed. They looked like pilgrims... What’s wild is...I didn’t know if they were... angry Mormon ancestors...” – Mitch [18:15]

• Quote: “It continued to escalate to where I felt like my mouth was being held open... this very large figure with a large hat and the yellow eyed boy standing next to him right outside of my bedroom door...” – Mitch [20:30]

5. Coping Alone & The Powerlessness of Evil

• [22:30–25:00]
  • Mitch increasingly feels isolated and mentally strained, receiving little support from friends or family.
  • Reflects on Mormon teachings: evil entities ultimately “have no power over you”—a comfort that helps him weather the haunting.

6. The Cycle Resumes: Austin’s Experience & the Street Messenger

• [32:45] Two years later, Austin—now still living in the family home—has a similar experience.
• The brothers discuss the yellow-eyed boy for the first time. Mitch, attempting to minimize his brother’s fear, suggests the entity might just want to “play” and perhaps has innocent motives.
• That same day in Portland, a homeless woman randomly approaches Mitch, seizing his arm and uttering:
  • Quote: “The yellow eyed boy is trying to get in. Don't let him in. Don't let him in.” – Homeless woman [36:31]
• Mitch, stunned by this odd corroboration, immediately warns his brother not to engage.

7. Austin’s Perspective: Fear, Possession, and Release

• [37:20] Austin shares his version:
  • He too first noticed the handprints.
  • Dreamt of a tall shadow figure in a hat, accompanied by “a small kid with bright yellow eyes.”
  • Experiences a terrifying sleep paralysis episode: a hand over his mouth, a sense it wanted “a little piece of your soul.”
  • He copes by praying, but eventually submits, convincing himself to “let something go” so it will leave.
• Quote: “I don't know, just afraid I was going to be possessed or whatever. And I remember...the thought that I had was like, oh, it just wants, like, a little piece of your soul, that's all.” – Austin [39:33]
• Quote: “I am scared about that, yeah. I don't know. I really wonder about that.” – Austin [40:57]

8. Sibling Protection and Reflections on Control

• [41:42+] The brothers reveal their mutual attempts to protect each other by withholding frightening details.
• Mitch recounts his mother’s later apology for not supporting him. Now as an adult, Mitch stresses that the “narrative is yours”—one can assert boundaries even in the face of the inexplicable.
• Quote: “Things that go... bump in the night, things that scare you, things that do seem insurmountable... are within your ability to control the narrative...these things can't hurt you.” – Mitch [44:06]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mitch on faith & vulnerability: “It was that misalignment that really kind of did cause just a lot of emotional strife...I was just really vulnerable at that time...” [07:00]
• The Yellow-Eyed Boy appears while awake: “There he is... shadowed silhouette... with his glowing yellow eyes standing right at the side of my bed...” [13:57]
• On the parents’ non-response: “I needed what he knew and what I grew up with, knowing that like... this is what I need... But my dad brushed me off.” [15:35]
• The mysterious street warning: “She grabbed my arm and said, the yellow eyed boy is trying to get in. Don't let him in. Don't let him in.” [36:31]
• Austin, on terror: “I just remember, like, being frozen in terror of. I don't know, just afraid I was going to be possessed...” [39:30]
• Hopeful conclusion: “It gets easier the more you don't put up with it... that, like, really is my takeaway.” [44:58]

Important Timestamps

• [02:20] Host’s introduction of Mitch and the case overview
• [04:42] Mitch’s background and Mormon upbringing
• [07:20] Discovery of the handprints and start of strange dreams
• [13:57] The waking vision of the yellow-eyed boy
• [17:33] Parental disbelief and absence of support
• [18:18–21:40] Escalation: shadow people, hat man, “bed goblin”
• [25:40] Experiences eventually stop
• [32:45] Two years later: Austin’s encounter and call with Mitch
• [36:31] The homeless woman’s warning
• [37:20] Austin’s account and perspective
• [41:42] Sibling reflection and adult perspective
• [44:58] Mitch’s final reflections and advice

Host’s Closing Thoughts

• [45:07] Jack Wagner draws parallels to previous “Hat Man” stories and remarks on how family disbelief can deepen fear and isolation. The mysterious warning from the street woman remains unexplained but served a pivotal role in steering the brothers’ actions.
• Jack concludes that regardless of belief, it’s wise never to “invite” such presences into one’s life.

Engaging Takeaway

The tale of the Yellow-Eyed Boy stands out not just for its chilling imagery and escalation, but also for its emotional core—two brothers navigating both the supernatural and the deeply human struggle for safety, belief, and mutual protection in an uncertain world. Mitch’s ultimate message—that you can resist and reclaim power over your narrative—is a hopeful one, even when facing the inexplicable.