Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

A 19-year-old hitchhiker had just 12 hours to live when she escaped through a bathroom window — her captor, a NASA engineer with top-secret Pentagon clearance, had already drained nearly half her blood.

IN THIS EPISODE: John Brennan Crutchley was no ordinary rapist and murderer. He added vampirism into his modus operandi. (The True Story of the Vampire Rapist) *** The spooklight phenomenon caused panic in a small Missouri community in the late 1800s – frightening many to the point of moving their family away. And today, the Joplin Spooklight is still a mystery that remains unsolved despite appearing several times a year. (The Mysterious Missouri Spooklights) *** Based on its name alone, you’d think the Gympie-Gympie plant is small, cute, and harmless. In reality, it’s one of the most dangerous plants in the world – and you’ll want to stay as far from it as possible. (The Deadly Gympie-Gympie) *** We’ll end the broadcast with one of the strangest funerals you’ve likely ever heard! (Polly Wanna Tombstone) 

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:01:13.146 = Show Open
00:02:53.503 = The True Story of the Vampire Rapist
00:14:52.231 = Mysterious Missouri Spooklights ***
00:19:13.226 = The Deadly Gympie-Gympie
00:25:25.117 = The Entity That Followed Me (from a Weird Darkness listener) ***
00:34:00.100 = Shared Worlds (from a Weird Darkness listener)
00:43:37.225 = Polly Wanna Tombstone
00:50:32.498 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

SOURCES and RESOURCES:“The True Story of the Vampire Rapist” by Cat McAuliffe for Unspeakable Times:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4erta5zb
“The Mysterious Missouri Spooklights” from TulsaWorld.com: (Link no longer valid.)
“The Deadly Gympie-Gympie” from TheScareChamber.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/skykszwa
“Polly Wanna Tombstone” by Chris Woodyard for The Victorian Book of the Dead: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/vcd6me3n=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: July 01, 2021
EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/VampireRapist
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all things strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold cases, conspiracy theories, and more. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “20 Best Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a blend of “Coast to Coast AM”, “The Twilight Zone”, “Unsolved Mysteries”, and “In Search Of”.DISCLAIMER: Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
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A Shanghai woman's battle against a "demon-revealing" traffic mirror led to a rash of car accidents, police intervention, and mirrors sealed in cement.

READ, PRINT, SHARE: https://weirddarkness.com/fengshui-traffic-mirror/

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.

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A Missouri man allegedly threatened to kill someone because he was denied access to a soft drink, proving that brand loyalty can be taken too far.

READ or SHARE: https://weirddarkness.com/pepsi-murder-threat

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.

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From mass ritual suicide to mass hysteria, unanimous elections to ancient manuscripts that proved the Bible's accuracy, February 4th has a body count — and a weirdness count — that spans centuries and continents. | The Morning Weird Darkness #MWD

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.

NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.

EPISODE PAGE: https://WeirdDarkness.com/MWD20260204

#WeirdDarkness #MorningWD #DarrenMarlar #MarlarInTheMorning #MWD #ThisDayInHistory #February4th #FortySevenRonin #SamuraiHistory #PattyHearst #EiffelTower #FranzReichelt #EmperorNorton #GeorgeRomero #DarkHistory #TrueStories #HistoryPodcast #StrangeHistory #DeadSeaScrolls #BloodyMary

A British filmmaker says a Trump insider leaked plans for a historic UFO disclosure speech timed to the Roswell anniversary — but the claim has more red flags than evidence.

READ or SHARE: https://weirddarkness.com/trump-ufo-july

WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.

#WeirdDarkness #WeirdDarkNEWS #UFO #UFOs #UAP #Aliens #Disclosure #Trump #Roswell #UFOdisclosure #Extraterrestrial #GovernmentCoverup #UFOnews #DavidGrusch #Whistleblower #AgeOfDisclosure #RendleshamForest #FlyingSaucer #NonHumanIntelligence #Pentagon