Scary Stories and Rain — Ep. 239: "Pumpkin Heads"

Host: Being Scared
Date: September 25, 2025

Episode Overview

Episode 239 of Scary Stories and Rain, hosted by Being Scared, delivers a collection of unsettling, true stories, each relayed with the show’s signature calm narration and a soothing rain ambiance. The episode, subtitled "Pumpkin Heads", features a chilling lineup: from childhood encounters with bizarre threats to close brushes with possible abductions and haunting supernatural occurrences. Each tale explores a different facet of real-life horror, ranging from innocent games turned sinister, to the aftermath of bringing something paranormal home.

Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. The Bunny Man in the Woods

Time: [01:29–12:10]
A narrator recalls a nightmarish game of sardines at a friend’s rural birthday party.

• Setting: A large, semi-rural property bordered by forest; a birthday party with about 30 kids.
• Events:
  • Five kids hide at the top of a wooded hill, backs to the dark forest.
  • One friend, Jay, hears rustling; soon, all see a tall man in a full Easter bunny suit inside the tree line.
  • The bunny man runs at them. As the group flees downhill, he grabs Jay, but Jay (the football player) breaks free.
  • Chaos erupts as they race back to the house, only to realize Sadie, the birthday girl, is missing.
  • Boys split into search groups; Sadie is found, unharmed, having hidden in the barn under hay.
  • Later, Sadie mentions she heard two "seekers" searching the barn minutes after the commotion, but everyone knows no one else was outside — suggesting the bunny man nearly found her.
• Aftermath:
  • The kids realize how isolated the ranch is; the attacker couldn't have been a local prankster.
  • The intruder, never found, haunts the memories of the narrator.

Quote:

"Standing about 15 yards into the woodline stood a grown man... wearing a bunny suit, a full on Easter bunny type bunny suit. It took a second or two for me and my friends to process what we were seeing and right when we were done processing he started running towards us." (03:10)

Memorable Moment:

"Sadie wasn’t close to being caught by us. Sadie was close to being caught by whoever was in that bunny costume." (10:08)

2. The Haunted School Bathroom (Philippines)

Time: [14:09–17:45]
A third-grader experiences a supernatural event in a school's dilapidated bathroom.

• Summary:
  • Alone in the restroom, the narrator hears a faucet running in the empty third stall.
  • Attempts to leave, but the already-broken door is inexplicably jammed.
  • Panicking, she screams until a teacher and librarian open the door without difficulty and dismissively help her back to class.
  • Hears similar stories of school hauntings, local rumors about the grounds being former dumping grounds for bodies.
• Aftermath:
  • The memory remains profoundly traumatic nearly two decades later.

3. Grocery Store Stalker — The Blue Coat Woman

Time: [17:45–24:00]
A routine grocery run devolves into a harrowing chase.

• Events:
  • After refusing to give change to a desperate woman in a blue coat, the narrator witnesses her growing agitated with the store owner, then disappearing.
  • As the narrator leaves, he sees the woman duck behind his car; soon after, a white van appears, driven by a menacing man with the woman inside.
  • The van aggressively tails the narrator through side streets and highways.
  • A quick-thinking maneuver allows the narrator to escape.

Quote:

"The look of anger in their eyes is what haunts me the most." (20:23)

Memorable Moment:

"I hatched my plan to trick the driver into thinking I was surrendering, but in truth, I was going to make a daring escape..." (22:30)

4. Thanksgiving Party Nightmare

Time: [24:00–33:42]
A vulnerable 22-year-old attends a mysterious party, invited by an older bar patron.

• Summary:
  • Narrator attends a wild, uncomfortable party after an argument with their father.
  • After feeling drugged from a drink, is assisted by a concerned stranger who informs the host.
  • The host, Jerry, reluctantly agrees to drive narrator back, but passes their house and refuses to respond to pleas.
  • At a red light, the narrator escapes by jumping from the car, returning to their friend's house in distress.

Quote:

"There was only one option for me to escape. I had to jump out of the car." (32:15)

5. Warehouse Creeper — The Man with the Covered Face

Time: [33:42–38:30]
A shipping worker’s early morning routine is interrupted by a bizarre man in a white down jacket.

• Events:
  • Sees man pacing far away in poorly lit lot.
  • Man rushes the narrator with jacket pulled over his head, breathing angrily.
  • Standoff ends with the man saying, "What are you doing?" before running off.
  • Narrator wonders whether he narrowly escaped a robbery or worse.

Quote:

"His white down jacket was pulled all the way up over his head. Let me be clear. His thick jacket was pulled up over his head, covering his entire face. I don't know how he could see anything when he was sprinting to me." (35:40)

6. Locked Out and the Man at the Window

Time: [38:30–43:15]
A teen, locked out after curfew, spends the night in her car and witnesses an attempted break-in by an escaped convict.

• Events:
  • Hears footsteps while in car, spots man snooping around her house.
  • Accidentally honks, alerts mother, leading to man’s disappearance.
  • Police reveal nearby prison break; suspects not captured until weeks later.

Quote:

"I am so thankful my mom locked me out of that house that night. I can't imagine what would have happened if we both had been inside and asleep." (42:40)

7. The Pale Man in the Woods

Time: [43:15–47:45]
A shortcut through the forbidden woods almost turns disastrous.

• Summary:
  • Against parents’ warnings, teen cuts through woods at dusk, chased by something.
  • Sees a pale, black-eyed man crawling on all fours.
  • Keeps seeing the figure from her window afterwards, too frightened to tell parents.

Quote:

"I saw a pale white faced man on all fours crawling slowly back into the woods. Dead black eyes staring right, right into my soul." (46:25)

8. The Thing I Brought Home — A NOLA Ghost

Time: [47:45–64:48]
After a ghost tour in New Orleans, a woman believes she’s been followed home by something supernatural.

• Events:
  • Takes photos in an old Jewish cemetery, snapshot shows a strange spectral streak.
  • That night, felt physically pushed at a haunted bar, blamed boyfriend, then realized it wasn’t him.
  • Back home, lights and devices act strangely, culminating in sightings of a shadow figure.
  • Experiences escalate: air conditioner cover yanked out, nightmares, guttural howls at 3am, locked bathroom.
  • Biggest shock: Awakens to videos on her phone of herself whimpering, crying, and screaming unbeknownst to her, filmed as if by someone (or something) else. Three videos titled with ominous numbers.
  • Moves out after last incident, but bizarre events persist.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• On haunted NOLA:

  "My step Grandmother... always told me that I have a beacon aura and that I've always been a magnet for things not of this world. Great thing to tell an 8 year old, huh?" (48:35)

• On the phone videos:

  "Whoever or whatever was holding my phone and recording me was right directly above my face... The third one was the exact same, only I was screaming bloody murder in this one and the TV was up very loud in the state I found it when I woke up earlier." (61:21)

• Closing reflection:

  "Just be careful what you bring home. Whether it be a stray animal, a stray one night stand, or a stray ghost. Pleasant dreams." (64:40)

Memorable Quotes

• On Childhood Fear:

  "You'll just have to take my word for it." (01:29)

• Regarding the Uncanny:

  "His breathing was so, so angry and full of rage, like he was getting ready to charge me." (36:25)

• On Survival Instinct:

  "I knew I had to find an exit and find one quick because the last thing I wanted was for my parents to start worrying and for the roads to start getting more vacant." (21:45)

• On Hauntings:

  "I constantly feel watched and hear random noises and not being able to find the source." (63:55)

Episode Structure — Timestamps for Important Segments

• The Bunny Man — [01:29–12:10]
• School Bathroom Ghost — [14:09–17:45]
• Grocery Store Stalker — [17:45–24:00]
• The Thanksgiving Party — [24:00–33:42]
• Warehouse Creeper — [33:42–38:30]
• Locked Out, Locked In — [38:30–43:15]
• Pale Man in Woods — [43:15–47:45]
• Haunted by NOLA — [47:45–64:48]

Final Thoughts

Episode 239 stands out for the diversity of its true horror stories — from the visceral fear of a physical threat to the psychological dread of the supernatural. Each narrator’s voice, paired with the steady rainfall, lends an authenticity and intimacy that lingers long after the episode ends. As always, the show embodies its tagline: “True, unsettling accounts told with calm narration and immersive rain ambience for sleep, study, and late-night chills.”

Not listening with the lights on? This episode might just change that.