Scary Stories For A Rainy Night - Ep. 272 - "Treats and Tricks"

Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Host: Being Scared (Dane)
Release: October 28, 2025

Episode Overview

This chilling episode delivers a collection of true, unsettling encounters, blending atmospheric rain and calm narration. The stories, told either by the original victims or as recounted to the host, span from ominous childhood memories to harrowing adulthood confrontations with danger. The central theme: sometimes, what hides in the ordinary is truly frightening. From campgrounds and apartments to rural properties and road trips, each account explores how the mundane can quickly turn perilous.

Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. The Man in the Black Coat at the Campsite

[01:09 - 04:57]

• Summary: Two adolescent friends, Marie and the storyteller, cut through a wooded path to get ice cream at a lakefront campsite, only to be stalked by a man in a long black coat. They escape by renting a kayak and watching him circle the lake, terrified.
• Key Moments:
  • The fear and intuition shared between the girls (“Marie glances back and grabs my arm, urging me under her breath not to look back…” - 02:19)
  • The man’s disturbing appearance and suspicious action: “He had a terrible smirk... she swore that as he stopped running she saw him put something shiny away into his coat.” (03:45)
  • Relief upon rescue, but trauma lingers: "We got back safe and we thankfully never saw that man again." (04:50)

2. The Tall Stranger at the Bar

[04:57 - 08:38]

• Summary: In a rough neighborhood, a young woman encounters a silent, imposing man who later tries to enter her secured apartment, claiming “I know you. Open up so we can talk.” After alerting her landlord and the police, she's warned that he matches the profile of a man preying on women.
• Key Quotes:
  • “You may not know me, but I know you. Open up so we can talk.” (06:54)
  • Police reaction: "We've had reports of a man matching that description who has been preying on women. You should be very glad you didn't open the door." (08:09)

3. Locked in the Sauna

[08:39 - 16:16]

• Summary: As preteens, the narrator and her cousin are locked into a YMCA sauna by a lifeguard who suspiciously turns up the heat and ignores their desperate attempts to escape. Only another guest’s arrival saves them.
• Notable Points:
  • Suspicion builds: “I thought I saw her lock the door too, but I thought to myself, why would she lock the door when we might want to get out?” (12:23)
  • Panic and pain escalate: “We started screaming at the top of our lungs for her to let us out, but she just stared straight ahead.” (13:38)
  • A tense escape: “As the man was trying to walk in, we were trying to shove our way out. As we were going out, the lifeguard started trying to shut the door and push us back in.” (15:54)
  • Lingering trauma: "I'm 21 now, but I think about this interaction all the time. And when I'm in small spaces or when I get too warm, I still have panic attacks." (16:04)

4. The Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders - True Crime Segment

[16:17 - 28:14]

• Summary: The host shifts to narrator-mode to recount the wave of chilling and unsolved hitchhiker murders in Sonoma County, California, in the 1970s.
• Major Discussion Points:
  • Details of the victims, bizarre crime scenes, and the region’s seeming idyllic nature.
  • Investigation into possible suspects: the Hillside Stranglers, creative writing instructor Frederic Manali, Ted Bundy, and the Zodiac Killer, each ultimately ruled out.
  • The chilling forensic puzzle (e.g., “chipmunk hairs were found on all of the Santa Rosa hitchhiker victims and that Allen had been collecting and studying the same species.” - 25:50)
  • The notion that some mysteries remain: “Almost 50 years later, each murder remains distinctly clear just who was murdering hitchhikers in the hills around Santa Rosa, California.” (28:13)

5. Road Trip Encounter with ‘Joe’

[28:14 - 35:44]

• Summary: A young couple’s rest stop on a long drive becomes a nightmare when a disheveled stranger named “Joe” fixates on them, follows them for miles, and finally attacks with a knife. The narrator is wounded but manages to subdue Joe, who ends up in a coma.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • The chilling realization: “Joe may have been the strangest looking man I have ever laid my eyes on… His beard went all the way down to his stomach…you could see food particles in there.” (30:14)
  • Victim’s gut feeling: “The warning sign in my head went from flashing to high alert. I knew deep down that we were in some kind of danger.” (31:53)
  • During the confrontation: “There was an immediate understanding between the two of us at that moment. The understanding that he was out to do us harm and I was going to have to defend us.” (35:05)

6. The Garbage Can Watcher

[35:45 - 42:58]

• Summary: A college student begins noticing his elderly neighbor obsessively watching him take out the trash at all hours. The behavior escalates to the neighbor stealing empties and returning them, implying inexplicable motives.
• Key Insights:
  • “I started getting really creeped out…If I’m being honest with you, I don’t care how bored or unoccupied someone's time is. I don't think there's a person on earth that would go out of their way to watch their neighbor take out the garbage if there wasn't some kind of reason for it.” (40:50)
  • Disturbing revelation: “I noticed that the old man seemed to be less active... I don't know what he was trying to do, but it still freaks me out to this day.” (42:50)

7. The Cabin Stranger & Shooting in the Woods

[42:59 - 56:26]

• Summary: A group of friends on a rustic cabin getaway repeatedly spot a mysterious bearded figure lurking and ultimately find themselves under gunfire by someone presumably living off the land. The authorities search, but the person is never found, and the friends abandon their nature getaways forever.
• Notable Quotes:
  • First sighting: “I swore I could see the shape of a man standing completely still. From what I could tell, he was facing me, perhaps waiting to see what I would do.” (48:09)
  • The terror becomes real: “What I saw caused me to clench up so tight I could have snapped a steel rod with my sphincter… He was staring intently… almost like he was trying to bore through it with his eyes.” (50:08)
  • The final attack: “I was less than a second from saying three and pulling the trigger when the loud crack of another rifle filled the air, followed closely by a burst of wood and bark above my friend's head. It took a moment for it to register that someone was shooting at us.” (53:34)
  • Unanswered questions: “I wonder why our so called stranger seemed to focus so much of his anger onto my friend. And perhaps far more concerning, is he still out there waiting for his chance to finish what he began all those years ago?” (56:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [02:19]: “Marie glances back and suddenly grabs my arm, urging me under her breath not to look back.”
• [06:54]: “You may not know me, but I know you. Open up so we can talk.”
• [13:38]: “We started screaming at the top of our lungs for her to let us out, but she just stared straight ahead.”
• [28:13]: “Almost 50 years later, each murder remains distinctly clear just who was murdering hitchhikers in the hills around Santa Rosa, California.”
• [35:05]: “There was an immediate understanding between the two of us at that moment. The understanding that he was out to do us harm and I was going to have to defend us.”
• [48:09]: “I swore I could see the shape of a man standing completely still. From what I could tell, he was facing me, perhaps waiting to see what I would do.”
• [50:08]: “What I saw caused me to clench up so tight I could have snapped a steel rod with my sphincter…”

Key Story Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Story Title | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:09 | The Man in the Black Coat at the Campsite | | 04:57 | The Tall Stranger at the Bar | | 08:39 | Locked in the Sauna | | 16:17 | Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders (True Crime Interlude) | | 28:14 | Road Trip Encounter with ‘Joe’ | | 35:45 | The Garbage Can Watcher | | 42:59 | The Cabin Stranger & Shooting in the Woods |

Tone and Style

• Narration: Calm, deliberate, and atmospheric, with the ambient sound of rain. The stories are recounted in the first person, maintaining a sense of intimacy and authentic dread.
• Theme: Everyday places and events can unexpectedly become scenes of real-life horror. The episode’s selection showcases threats that emerge from both strangers and the seemingly mundane, unified by a tone of building unease.

Summary for the Uninitiated

Even for those who haven't heard the episode, this installment paints a vivid picture of how terror can find its way into the ordinary, be it through a menacing stranger, a trusted authority figure, or inexplicable neighborhood happenings. The stories remind listeners that trust in one's instincts can be lifesaving, and that even the most idyllic settings or routines can quickly become nightmarish. The episode is a masterclass in storytelling: concise, suspenseful, and deeply unsettling.