Scary Stories For A Rainy Night - Ep. 278 - The Dead Pour

Podcast: Scary Stories and Rain
Host: Dane ("Being Scared")
Release Date: November 3, 2025

Episode Overview

In this haunting episode, listeners are treated to a series of deeply unsettling, real-life-inspired scary stories, all told in Dane’s signature calm, immersive style set against the gentle backdrop of rain. This episode’s tales explore the fears of childhood, brushes with the supernatural, and trauma-fueled encounters with the unknown. Racous childhood dares, rural hauntings, a grief-stricken father's encounter with Death, and the chilling reality of an almost-abduction highlight the spectrum of horrors—both natural and supernatural—that lurk in the darkness and in the rain.

Story 1: The Legend of Mr. Hinkle

[02:09–13:30]

Key Discussion Points

• Childhood memories of the narrator growing up in a close-knit 1980s neighborhood, recalling daring adventures and urban legends about "mean old man" Mr. Hinkle.
• The escalation from rumors about Mr. Hinkle, to actual dares, to an incident where a friend is physically grabbed by the old man.
• The children's fascination is eventually replaced by fear after a cane-wielding Mr. Hinkle attacks them with surprising aggression during a candy-filled encounter before Halloween.
• The sudden death of Mr. Hinkle just before Halloween, and the shared nightmare all of the kids experience afterward, blurring the lines between supernatural and psychological terror.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "It was like seeing Bigfoot or the Wolfman and outrunning them. Seeing such a feeble and slow old man made us feel that he couldn't do anything to us." —Dane, [04:00]
• "Thwack. Thwack. He laughed as he began wailing on all of our heads with his cane… Mr. Hinkle yelled and laughed as he swung the cane wildly, trying to hit us again." —Dane, [09:52]
• "I woke up to a loud thunderstorm… and when I was lying in bed, I could see outside, lightning flashed and Mr. Hinkle was staring at me through my window… 'You got some candy, didn’t you, you dirty little girl?'" —Dane, [11:10]
• "The day after this happened, all my friends talked about the terrible nightmare they had all had… Every single one of us experienced the same thing." —Dane, [12:30]

Tone & Atmosphere

• Nostalgic yet deeply unsettling, drawing on both the innocence of childhood adventures and the primal fear of lurking dangers.

Story 2: Haunted Homestead – The Crawly Boy

[13:30–25:00]

Key Discussion Points

• The narrator moves to rural southwestern Ontario, where local belief in the paranormal runs deep.
• Experiences shared by the narrator's girlfriend’s family: apparition of an old woman, a towering male presence, and an entity called "the Crawly Boy."
• Firsthand encounters with unexplained phenomena: shadowy wisps, vibrating rooms, the unnerving sense of being watched.
• The most chilling experience: seeing a putrefied, thin, pale arm retreating under the couch.
• A local child's casually horrifying remark about having seen "a man without legs… crawling past our house."

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "It was as if the room itself and all of its contents were vibrating and that vibration caused everything to just wiggle." —Dane, [16:30]
• "A thin, pale arm with what I can only describe as silvery, putrefied skin as it skulks back further under the couch." —Dane, [18:50]
• "One time I saw a man without legs, and he was crawling past our house from over by the hospital toward the church." —Girlfriend’s son (relayed by Dane), [24:00]

Tone & Atmosphere

• Somber, rural, and deeply haunted, blending skepticism, awe, and growing dread.

Story 3: The Bus Ride — Grief, Vengeance, and Death

[25:00–51:00]

Key Discussion Points

• From rural spooks, the episode shifts to a modern tale of trauma and vengeance: A father plans to murder the young man acquitted for his daughter's brutal slaying.
• A mechanical breakdown and the encroaching storm force the narrator to a mysterious bus stop, where he meets a strange, knowing boy.
• The boy reveals unnerving insights, calling the narrator by name and probing his grief, guilt, and desire for revenge.
• The boy, increasingly revealed as a psychopomp-like figure, takes the narrator on a surreal bus journey—through visions of what would become of his family should he give into vengeance.
• The encounter delivers a devastating, transformative message: That unchecked rage and grief can destroy not just oneself, but everyone you love.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "I'm afraid no bus can take you to where you want to go, John." —Boy, [30:10]
• "Murder will not bring her back. Mara is gone." —Boy, [33:40]
• "Your wife found her after you were taken away. The little girl could not cope anymore and hung herself in Mara's room. Your wife was unable to handle the strain and had a breakdown. She is currently forcibly restrained in an asylum two hours away..." —Boy, [44:45]
• "Do you know why she refused to come with me, John? ...Out of love." —Boy, [48:45]
• "Are you Death?" —Narrator; "The boy grinned as the door slowly slid closed." —[51:00]

Tone & Atmosphere

• Philosophical, darkly poetic, meditative on grief, loss, and fate, tinged with encouragement toward hope and restraint in the face of pain.

Story 4: The Man at the Back Door

[51:00–55:09]

Key Discussion Points

• Personal account of a childhood near-miss: A young girl, home at night with her mother and brother, becomes the target of a possible intruder.
• The terrifying moment as she encounters a man on her porch, wearing only a shirt—peering inside and reaching for the door.
• She narrowly escapes by running to her mother, with the man vanishing into the night.
• Discovery of broken beer bottles on the porches of other townhomes the next day leads to chilling suspicions about the maintenance man.
• The memory leaves the narrator unsettled for life.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "A weird breathing sound coming from the back porch… as I got to the sliding screen, a man stepped right in front of me. Not only was this man standing there looking down at me, he was only wearing a shirt… nothing below." —Dane, [53:00]
• "I’ll never know. Thankfully, no one knows. Nothing was ever done. Nothing was ever reported. I’m not even sure if my mom believes me... But I know what I saw. It will forever be burned into my memory." —Dane, [54:40]

Tone & Atmosphere

• Immediate, real-world terror; deeply personal; a reminder that the scariest monsters are sometimes all-too-human.

Memorable, Atmospheric Moments

• Mr. Hinkle’s cane-wielding attack—transitioning from legend to menace ([09:52]).
• Shared nightmares of Mr. Hinkle after his death ([12:30]).
• The “Crawly Boy” both as a literal and figurative rural ghost story ([18:50], [24:00]).
• The bus stop encounter’s existential, otherworldly dialogue on the cost of hate and the meaning of death ([33:40–48:45]).
• The silent tension and sickening realization as the narrator faces a nearly-nude prowler on her porch ([53:00]).

Thematic Threads & Tone

• An exploration of the boundary between urban legend and reality, childhood and adulthood, supernatural and psychological terror.
• Frequent interplay between group experiences and isolating fear—whether, as children, friends, family, or lone mourners.
• Calm, even soothing narration contrasting with mounting dread and raw emotional honesty.
• Emphasis on unresolved questions, mysterious forces, and the haunting persistence of traumatic memory.

Final Thoughts

This episode is characteristic of "Scary Stories and Rain": a reminder that horror is found not just in the supernatural, but in the unexplained, the haunted mind, and the frightening moments that shape us. Through intimate narration and immersive sound design, Dane invites listeners to question the nature of fear, the reality of the paranormal, and the human cost of vengeance and dread.

Episode Timeline

| Segment | Time | |-----------------------------------|--------------| | Opening Story: Mr. Hinkle | 02:09–13:30 | | Haunted Homestead: Crawly Boy | 13:30–25:00 | | The Bus Ride – Death & Grief | 25:00–51:00 | | Childhood Home Intruder | 51:00–55:09 |

(Timestamps correspond to non-advertisement sections, skipping promotional breaks and intros/outros.)