Podcast Summary: The Dinner Table: A Southern Cannibal Podcast
Episode 617 – 7 TRUE Scary Intense Horror Stories
Date: August 19, 2025
Host: Southern Cannibal
Episode Overview
This episode features seven true horror stories, each recounted in vivid, unvarnished detail by different narrators. The tales cover a range of settings—from eerie city streets and dangerous workplaces to disturbing encounters in seemingly safe spaces. Southern Cannibal brings together submissions from listeners, amplifying the unnerving reality behind each incident and showcasing the unpredictable terror lurking in everyday life.
Story 1: The Man on the Pink Bike – London, 4am
[01:06 – 06:55]
- Setting: A chilly, early morning in suburban London.
- Narrative: After a late-night video game session, the narrator heads out for a McDonald’s run. While walking, they're approached by a man riding a child’s pink bicycle, who starts trailing and then matching pace with them.
- Events: The man makes a demand: “Give me your phone.” The narrator’s fear peaks as they contemplate whether he’s armed. Suddenly, a car passes by, scaring off the would-be mugger, who pedals away.
- Aftermath: The narrator takes a noisier, busier route back, shaken but unharmed.
- Notable Quote:
“It wasn’t a slow, dawning realization, more like a sudden plunge into ice water... Give me your phone.” (Narrator, [03:35]) - Insight: The smallest oddities—a man on a pink bike, a routine walk—can spiral into life-threatening danger in seconds.
Story 2: Craigslist Horror – A Dangerous Rendezvous
[06:55 – 16:44]
- Setting: Piedmont, North Carolina, 2011.
- Narrative: A 21-year-old seeks excitement through a Craigslist personal ad. After a brief online exchange, he’s lured to a dilapidated house by a woman who asks if he’s “generous.”
- Events: The inside is a nightmarish mess, with a silent, intimidating man present. The woman, not matching her photo, demands payment. When the narrator tries to leave, the man blocks the exit, threatening him unless he pays.
- Resolution: Threatening police involvement gets the narrator released unharmed.
- Notable Quotes:
“She gestured for me to sit beside her. I took one hesitant step in, still unsure how to exit without escalating things.” (Narrator, [10:45])
“It’s either you pay for the time you wasted or I’ll take the payment from you, little man.” (Man, [12:28]) - Insight: Online anonymity can cloak real-life dangers; instinct and quick thinking can be life-saving.
Story 3: Murder on the Factory Line – Workplace Horror
[16:44 – 24:07]
- Setting: An unnamed car manufacturing plant, c. 15 years ago.
- Narrative: The narrator describes factory processes and introduces Christy, a cruel supervisor, and Armando, a quiet immigrant worker whom Christy relentlessly harasses.
- Events: After a particularly harsh insult, Armando traps Christy in a high-temperature chemical washer, leading to her horrific death.
- Aftermath: Armando is sentenced to life in prison; the company folds.
- Notable Quotes:
“I look over and I see Christy in one of those plexiglass windows of the high pot washer screaming and banging on the door as the hot Sikka is being sprayed on her.” (Narrator, [20:26]) - Insight: Toxic workplace cultures and unchecked harassment can incubate unimaginable violence.
Story 4: The Creepy Paralegal – Work Stalker in New Orleans
[24:07 – 37:08]
- Setting: A New Orleans law firm.
- Narrative: A new female attorney becomes the focus of Anthony, an awkward paralegal whose behavior escalates from odd to obsessive.
- Events: After a series of uncomfortable interactions (lingering, following, acting erratic at work events), Anthony crosses boundaries: possibly photographing her in the shower and claiming—falsely—to be dating her.
- Aftermath: Despite corroboration from one coworker, management dismisses her claims; Anthony continues his creepy behavior with calls, letters, and stalking.
- Notable Quotes:
“Do not give a man like that any reason to think you’re easy to walk on because it’ll be a stray dog situation and no one will believe you.” (Melanie, [27:54])
“He has sent love notes to my address, called my cell phone from private numbers and would breathe on the line.” (Narrator, [36:48]) - Insight: Workplaces aren’t immune to predatory behavior, and victims often struggle for institutional support.
Story 5: The Burger King "Tom" – Co-worker with A Hidden Past
[37:08 – 39:40]
- Setting: Burger King, 2005.
- Narrative: The narrator describes the discomfort around a coworker known as Tom, who exhibits unsettling behavior.
- Events: Tom disappears suddenly; later it's revealed that his real name was not Tom, and he was a wanted child predator, with the narrator nearly fitting his target age group.
- Notable Quote:
“He would give me these creepy dead-eyed smiles and try to be near me whenever he could.” (Narrator, [37:54]) - Insight: Trust your instincts—uneasy feelings about people sometimes have a very real, dangerous basis.
Story 6: Newark Nightmare – A Mother's Close Call
[39:40 – 44:37]
- Setting: Newark, New Jersey.
- Narrative: The narrator recounts two disturbing incidents experienced by their mother in a single workday: a near-miss car accident and later, seeing a dead, bloody body dragged off the road while driving home.
- Events: The first event is a chaotic crash narrowly avoided; the second is the traumatic sight of a corpse surrounded by shouting bystanders.
- Notable Quote:
“She had just heard shouting... met with the gruesome sight of a dead corpse ridden with blood on the road right in front of her.” (Narrator, [43:37]) - Insight: Even in familiar environments, sudden and graphic violence can erupt, leaving lasting trauma.
Story 7: The Stalker Bartender – Clara’s Obsession
[44:37 – End]
- Setting: A restaurant/bar, unspecified town.
- Narrative: Reed, a bartender, describes the slow escalation of a colleague’s infatuation from awkward to deeply disturbing.
- Events: Clara’s unwanted advances include repeated invitations, giving a phone number, showing up off-shift to silently observe, leaving disturbing notes (“I know where you live, Reid. I’ll be there soon.” [54:09]), and stalking outside of work.
- Resolution: Management fires Clara after seeing evidence; Reed leaves the job, his sense of safety shattered.
- Notable Quotes:
“I started to feel trapped, like I was walking a tightrope, unsure when she’d cross the line between friendly and, well, something else.” (Reed, [49:09])
“We’re meant to be together, Reed. I know you feel it too.” (Note from Clara, [52:59]) - Insight: Stalking isn’t gender-exclusive. Even settings that feel routine or familiar can incubate crippling fear.
Memorable Moments & Takeaways
- The raw vulnerability in the 4am London street mugging, magnified by the tiny pink bike, underscores how calculated predators can appear ridiculous, even surreal.
- The Craigslist story turns the lure of excitement through anonymity into a lesson on danger and unseen predators ("‘Generous’ was code. This wasn’t a hookup. This was a transaction." [11:37]).
- Detailed, horrifying workplace violence (as in the car plant story) demonstrates a buildup of despair and resentment that simply explodes.
- The law firm scenario illustrates institutional apathy toward female victimization, magnified by gaslighting from authority figures.
- “Tom” at Burger King is a stark reminder: some monsters hide in plain sight.
- The Newark mother’s back-to-back brushes with death and violence hammer home how chaos can invade the mundane at any time.
- Reed’s narrative closes the episode on a note of unresolved anxiety, as he admits that some traumas never quite fade.
Conclusion
Southern Cannibal’s curation of these narratives crafts not only a tapestry of modern horror but also a sobering look at the dangers—both mundane and extraordinary—that people face daily. From surreal street encounters and workplace nightmares to the dangers hiding right beside us, the episode’s stories urge vigilance, trust in intuition, and the importance of standing up—even when nobody believes you.
For more chilling true stories, check out The Dinner Table Podcast on YouTube.