The Dinner Table: A Southern Cannibal Podcast

Episode 618: 6 TRUE Scary Encounter Stories
Date: September 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features six harrowing true stories of unexplained encounters, near-misses, and outright horrors submitted by listeners and narrated in Southern Cannibal’s recognizable style. Each account highlights the unpredictability and menace that can lurk in everyday places—college campuses, a seemingly safe neighborhood, a late-night hookup, and even the dark corners of nightclubs. The tone is conversational but deeply unnerving, underlining the real and lasting impact of these brushes with danger.

Key Stories and Discussion Points

1. The Man on the Winter Trail

[01:05–05:57]

• Story Details:
  A college RA, returning to a desolate, wintry campus during COVID, describes eerie solo walks along an isolated river trail. On one outing, she encounters a seemingly normal man whose mere presence triggers intense fear. Despite acting as if everything is normal, she senses that he’s following her. Her relief on meeting a woman with a large dog is palpable, and the follower vanishes. Subsequent attempts to report the incident are dismissed by Campus Safety, leaving her feeling vulnerable and unheard.
• Key Insights:
  • Instincts and “gut feelings” can be powerful warnings.
  • Institutions often mishandle reports, especially from young women of color.
  • Trauma lingers even without physical harm.
• Notable Quote:
  • “The scariest part wasn’t that anything happened. It was the feeling of being trapped, not being able to run, knowing he was right behind me.” (Narrator, 05:45)
  • “...as a brown girl, no one would bat an eye if I went missing.” (Narrator recalling parent response, 05:37)

2. Relentless Neighbors Turn Deadly

[07:01–15:59]

• Story Details:
  After years of harassment from their neighbors, a family moves to what they think is a safer small town—only to be tracked down by their tormentors, who break in and attack. The narrator’s father dies from his injuries. The narration is raw, touching on the failure of authorities, the consequences of digital footprints, and the trauma of realizing the attacker had been hiding in their home’s loft for weeks or months.
• Key Discussion Points:
  • The importance (and peril) of digital privacy.
  • How stalkers can use even minor online exposure to track victims.
  • Institutional negligence and corruption (bribery, failure to protect).
  • Lasting psychological trauma and vigilance.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “She also registered to vote, which automatically makes your current address public. Yeah, great system we have.” (Narrator, 15:44)
  • “...it was Steve all along. He must have been living up there before everything happened and used the ladder to get up and down from there.” (Narrator, 15:29)
  • “I still have nightmares about it. I just hope nobody else has to go through what I did.” (Narrator, 15:55)

3. Dating App Set-Up and Robbery

[16:31–22:54]

• Story Details:
  A man relates how a too-good-to-be-true date via PlentyOfFish ends in a textbook set-up and robbery. After meeting a woman far out of his league in Chester, Pennsylvania, he’s convinced to walk to a Wawa at 1am, where he is mugged by men who know her; police later confirm the robbers came from the woman’s own apartment. The aftermath leaves him shaken and forever wary of people walking behind him.
• Key Points:
  • Danger signals/red flags are often ignored until hindsight.
  • Predators can exploit digital dating’s vulnerabilities.
  • Even minor thefts can produce deep trauma.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Those guys who robbed me came from this bitch’s apartment. I’m pissed and astonished and felt every emotion.” (Narrator, 21:36)
  • “I hope you enjoyed the $40 and the lifelong PTSD you instilled in me for it.” (Narrator, 22:41)

4. The Unlocked Apartment

[22:54–23:46]

• Story Details:
  An apartment dweller tries to convince her roommate of the importance of locking doors—until a stranger strolls right in and heads straight for her bedroom. Fortunately, the roommate is able to scare off the intruder. The story is a simple but memorable reminder of how easily safety can be compromised by carelessness.
• Notable Moment:
  • “We both found it really scary how he seemed to know exactly where he was heading—my bedroom—and it still spooks me out to think how many times he entered our unit before without us knowing.” (Narrator, 23:37)
• Takeaway:
  Always lock your doors, even when you think you’ll be back in ‘just a minute.’

5. Midnight Forest Encounter

[24:19–29:46]

• Story Details:
  Two friends biking home at 3am witness suspicious behavior involving a red car and a strange girl being followed into a forest path by two men. They decide to investigate, have a tense encounter with a waiting car, and run for help when things get too creepy. When police arrive and start asking questions, the inconsistencies and the strange behavior of the girl suggest something more sinister; the narrator is left wondering if it was a trafficking setup.
• Key Points:
  • The behaviors and inconsistencies suggest coordinated predatory tactics.
  • Authorities can be dismissive even in potentially high-risk situations.
  • Gut instinct and rapid action (screaming, fleeing) likely saved them.

6. Locked In: The Club Bathroom Stranger

[29:46–36:52]

• Story Details:
  A narrator recounts being lured out of a Montreal nightclub by a friendly-seeming man offering cocaine. After following him back to his apartment, he becomes trapped inside, as the host locks the door from within. The man begins acting more erratically and makes unsettling requests to take “before” photos. The narrator’s realization of danger leads to a frantic escape by screaming for help—luckily, the host lets him leave without resistance.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • “...he was locking the door from the inside with a key above the regular lock. And in that moment, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of dread like I had never felt before.” (Narrator, 30:29)
  • “...all I can think about is Jeffrey Dahmer and all his Polaroids and what am I going to do?...every alarm bell is going off in my head now.” (Narrator, 33:12)
• Themes:
  • The vulnerability of party culture and trusting strangers.
  • The importance of noticing and acting on subtle (and not-so-subtle) warning signs.
  • The lingering self-doubt and “blaming oneself” after surviving a near-miss.

Timestamps & Notable Segments

| Time (MM:SS) | Segment / Quote | |------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:05–05:57 | College trail stalker story (“The scariest part...feeling trapped”)| | 07:01–15:59 | Deadly neighbor revenge and hidden intruder | | 16:31–22:54 | Plenty of Fish date robbery (“PTSD you instilled in me”) | | 22:54–23:46 | Roommate and the unlocked apartment (“...scary how he seemed to know...”) | | 24:19–29:46 | Potential trafficking or group danger in the woods | | 29:46–36:52 | Nightclub near-abduction (“...overwhelmed with a feeling of dread...”) |

Tone and Language

• Authentic and informal: The narrators often inject honesty, self-deprecating humor, or raw emotion even while recalling trauma.
• Direct warnings to listeners: Many stories end with advice or implicit reminders about personal safety, trust, and the importance of instincts.
• Emotionally resonant: Several stories highlight not just the events, but the long-term anxiety, paranoia, and self-doubt these events can induce.

Conclusion

This episode of The Dinner Table Podcast delivers chilling true stories with an intimate, conversational style, focusing on themes of vulnerability, danger lurking close to home, the failures of institutions, and the critical importance of trusting your instincts. The real-life experiences serve as both cautionary tales and windows into the resilience of survivors facing life-altering encounters.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes themes of stalking, home invasion, death, attack, and psychological trauma. Listener discretion is advised.