Southern Cannibal's Scary Stories

Episode 621: 30 TRUE Scary Stories From The Internet
Release Date: October 13, 2025
Host: Southern Cannibal

Episode Overview

In this chilling episode, Southern Cannibal narrates 30 “true scary stories” sourced from listeners, viewers, and Reddit submissions. The central theme is the frightening potential for danger and darkness lurking in everyday places: forests, trails, neighborhoods, small towns, and even within relationships. The episode spans a variety of unsettling encounters—creepy strangers in the wild, stalkers close to home, brushes with killers, unnerving neighbors, and moments when gut instincts proved lifesaving.

With a trademark calm but eerie delivery, Southern Cannibal guides listeners through harrowing experiences that demonstrate just how thin the line between ordinary life and horror can be.

Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Encounters in the Wilderness

• Hiking Horror in Olympic National Forest (00:05–07:00)

  • Solo hiker far from civilization feels their dogs acting out of character.
  • A note about a problem bear, plus mountain lion tracks, primes danger.
  • “My dog was seemingly trying to separate me from something up there.” (04:43)
  • Adrenaline, paranoia, and survival instincts kick in as the hiker sees a man in a makeshift ghillie suit, miles from nowhere.
  • Later discovers others had equally disturbing experiences on the same trail, including mysterious deaths.

• "There was a man crouched about 75ft directly in front of me..." (06:10)

  • Chilling, silent standoff in the wilderness.

• Disturbing Discovery With a “Helper” (07:01–13:10)

  • Storyteller recounts accepting help from a socially awkward man (“Sherwood”)—initially for errands, then a hike.
  • Sherwood leads her off trail—shows her a dead body, acting disturbingly nonchalant.
  • “It felt like he wasn't just showing me a dead body, but also revealing this darker side of himself.” (11:07)
  • Smart navigation: uses her friend for a safety check-in, gets a stranger to walk them to the parking lot.
  • Ultimately, the police arrest someone else but the uncertainty lingers, highlighting the importance of trusting gut feelings.
  • Memorable Moral: "Trust your instincts."

• Bizarre Ritual in Carson National Forest (13:11–18:11)

  • Two sisters discover a bloodied, nearly naked man in the forest, with “ritualistically” arranged deer entrails.
  • Sisters revert to survival skills drilled into them by their father—decide not to show fear, back away, then are stalked and harassed by the man, who barks and growls at them.
  • “Do something that's going to take the other person by surprise. Don’t do what they expect you to do.” (16:09)
  • Later learned he may have been squatting in the forest and their encounter could have turned much worse.

• Urban Trail Turned Stalker Zone (18:12–23:45)

  • Young woman enjoys urban isolation until two disturbing encounters with a man who follows her into secluded pine plantations—twice.
  • “I feel a wave of terror and dread... But it's so calm, and it feels so mundane.” (21:12)
  • Realizes she’s being stalked; man learns her route and follows her out of the park, circling out in his car.
  • “Nothing bad happened, but I think that was more because I was able to escape and lose him.” (23:10)

• The Man With the Bell—Deep Woods Terror (23:46–29:50)

  • Listener describes hearing a heavy bell and seeing a badger’s decapitated body in the remote forest near home.
  • Upon return, finds the body strung up, senses being watched, then is chased by a tall figure ringing a bell.
  • “That’s when I saw what was in the forest with me. A tall figure creeping in my direction at the very end of the clearing...” (29:00)
  • Family barely rescues her—her father and police become involved, but the trauma remains.

2. Creepy Encounters on the Open Road

• Stalkers on America’s Highways (29:51–36:05)

  • A hitchhiking adventure takes a turn for the worse with a predatory couple following a hiker for hundreds of miles.
  • Stealth, whispering outside tents, circles of footprints, and mysterious disappearances—culminating in a terrifying forest chase.
  • “All I could think was, this is messed up. This is so messed up. Damn it.” (32:11)
  • Authorities acknowledge numerous thefts, but not the terror—the would-be assailants disappear.

• Gas Station Directions to Nowhere (1:21:29–1:28:12)

  • Solo woman cross-country in a U-haul finds herself stymied in a tiny Texas town, gas station attendant tries to send her 17 miles into the desert toward a meth family’s enclave.
  • Rescued by a kindly local ("Texas man"), reinforcing the value of trusting intuition.
  • “I decided I didn't give a crap if this town seemed like something dropped out of the Twilight Zone. I was going to drive around until I found my way out.” (1:23:59)

• The Red Hooded Figure at the Rest Stops (1:11:17–1:17:36)

  • Recently discharged Army veteran on a long drive encounters a hooded figure at two picnic stops.
  • Flyers at stop warn of missing persons fitting the man’s description; an attempted setup by multiple men is narrowly escaped.
  • “He was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and green tennis shoes...I believe it was a machete.” (1:15:09)

• Predators on the Tracks (1:36:10–1:39:18)

  • Teenage boy’s routine walk home along train tracks turns dangerous as footsteps in the dark give way to a hooded stranger refusing to respond—a brush with the possibility of abduction or attack.

3. Small Town Chills & Neighbors from Hell

• Body in the Garbage Truck (36:06–41:25)

  • Listener sees someone dumping large trash bags in an unsecured city lot—follows their gut and discovers they were unwittingly the witness to a gruesome body dump.
  • “What is it? I asked. ‘It’s a body.’” (38:49)
  • Feels paranoia knowing a killer may still be in the community.

• Slow-motion Horror at Home (41:26–50:01)

  • Woman new to the Southwest is plagued by the feeling of being watched—footsteps, figures, and noises around her home, despite lights and cameras.
  • “I feel like I’m in a slow motion horror movie.” (46:39)
  • The local landlady, suspicious neighbors, and unexplained events keep her on constant edge.

• The Stalker on the Trail (50:02–54:37)

  • “Beth” recounts being stalked by a drifter-turned-local who learns her routine, leaves notes, and escalates to direct confrontation.
  • “You weren’t supposed to stop coming.” – 'Chuck'/Bradley, (53:11)
  • Pepper spray and quick-thinking joggers save her; finds out later he has a long, disturbing history with other women.

4. Family, Friends, and ‘Helpers’ Gone Wrong

• Strange Houseguests and The Danger of Kindness (13:01–13:10 and 1:33:25–1:35:08)

  • Narrators discuss how people offering or receiving help—from odd ex-gangsters, rooming with strangers, to taking in homeless youth—can lead to unsafe or deeply unsettling situations.
  • From drug-fueled violence, creepy stares, to chilling confessions, these stories explore the shadow side of misplaced trust.

• Serial Killer Proximity (1:30:11–1:33:24)

  • Listener relates a chilling night spent at a trailer of a bar acquaintance, years later identified as Ronald Dominique, convicted serial murderer.
  • “Seven years later, I realized that the man was Ronald Dominique... I often struggle with guilt...should I have done something?” (1:32:41)

5. Childhood Experiences & Narrow Escapes

• Predators Lurking Around Kids (various, e.g., 1:39:19–1:46:20)

  • Multiple stories center on children's narrow escapes from attempted abductions, both in urban and rural environments.
  • Neighborhood “weirdos” turn out to be far more sinister than originally thought.
  • Innocent tasks like getting the mail, walking to school, or riding bikes turn into moments of terror: “I felt the energy coming from this otherwise normal looking person who looked like a dad.” (approx. 1:43:57)

• Dogs as Defenders (1:01:49–1:04:48)

  • In at least two stories, vigilant canines prove lifesaving—alerting kids to hidden threats, scaring off would-be attackers, or buying time for help to arrive.

6. Urban Decay & Life Among the Dangerous

• Trailer Parks, Outlaw Bikers, Meth Labs, and Predators (Multiple Stories)
  • Several submissions dwell on the gritty and sometimes lawless reality of America’s trailer parks and rural low-income communities—gangs, undercover cops, meth cooks, and predatory adults all blend into the background.
  • “You never really know what's going on in the head of the man next to you.” (53:19)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Wilderness Stranger:
  “There was a man crouched about 75ft directly in front of me, wearing no camo clothes, but some raggedy crap with a hood that blended into the environment perfectly.”
  – Storyteller, Olympic hike (06:10)

• Gut Instincts:
  “The thing that still creeps me out to this day...is when I get home and start reading reviews of the same hike I was on. Other people had similar experiences.”
  – Storyteller, Olympic hike (07:00)

• Survival Lessons:
  “My dad had always taught us...do everything in your power to try to take full control of the situation. Do something that's going to take the other person by surprise. Don’t do what they expect you to do.”
  – Storyteller, Carson National Forest (16:09)

• Stalker Realization:
  “Nothing bad happened, but I think that was more because I was able to escape and lose him before anything happened.”
  – Storyteller, Conservation Area (23:11)

• Dead-eyed Hitman:
  “He confessed to me that he was still in fact part of the gang...Then he proceeded to go and tell me that he was actually a hitman for the gang.”
  – Storyteller, Alabama date (1:09:16)

• Small Town Alarm:
  “It’s a body.”
  – Police Officer, body discovery (38:49)

• Predatory Red Hooded Figure:
  “He was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and green tennis shoes. For some reason I thought his shoes looked odd...I believe it was a machete.”
  – Veteran, Texas rest stop (1:15:09)

• Serial Killer Encounter:
  “Seven years later, I realized that the man was Ronald Dominique, who was eventually convicted of 23 murders...”
  – Storyteller, chance stay at a killer’s home (1:32:41)

Episode Timeline / Timestamps (selected)

• 00:05 – Olympic National Forest: canine alarm, stalker in the wild
• 07:01 – "Sherwood" and the body in the woods
• 13:11 – Blood-soaked man with ritual deer circle, sisters in danger
• 18:12 – Conservation area stalker, two close encounters
• 23:46 – Man with the bell: badger head, family rescue
• 29:51 – Pacific Crest Trail: Predatory couple, whispered midnight terror
• 36:06 – Body discovered in town’s garbage truck
• 41:26 – Southwest home: footsteps, watchers outside at night
• 50:02 – Beth and “Chuck”: small town, stalker on the trail
• 1:01:49 – Dog saves 13-year-old from a lunging man
• 1:11:17 – Army veteran at Texas rest stops: repeated encounters with a potential murderer
• 1:21:29 – Woman nearly misdirected into a death trap in Texas
• 1:30:11 – Ronald Dominique: story of a night with a future serial killer
• 1:39:19 – Children, stalkers, and harrowing near-misses

Summary & Takeaways

• Trust Your Instincts: Nearly every storyteller who avoided catastrophe did so by listening to a gut feeling and taking evasive actions, whether in the woods, at home, or on the road.
• Danger Hides in 'Normal': Even safe-seeming areas—parks, forests, neighborhoods—can become scenes of horror.
• Evil Can Hide Anywhere: From outwardly helpful acquaintances (Sherwood), to friendly-seeming strangers, and even community members—danger can wear many faces.
• Awareness and Preparation Save Lives: Knowing self-defense, carrying simple deterrents (pepper spray, dogs, awareness of surroundings), and communicating plans were often decisive.
• Sometimes There Are No Answers: Many stories end with unresolved feelings—no police closure, killers unidentified, or predators never apprehended.

Southern Cannibal’s closing sentiment:
Even in a world full of shadowy figures and near-misses, listeners are urged to “stay safe, watch your back, and always trust that sixth sense. You never know what’s out there—even right outside your door.”

[End of episode content summary. Non-story content, advertisements, intros, and outros omitted.]