Heart Starts Pounding: Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries
Heart Starts Pounding is a horror podcast that collects scary stories, hauntings, and mysteries to keep listeners on edge. It features creepy and thrilling content for fans of the spooky and supernatural. The podcast also offers ad-free listening and bonus content through its Patreon. Listeners can submit their own horrifying tales for potential inclusion in episodes.
Episodes
185. Shipwreck: A Tale Of Survival and Cannibalism
In 1864, two ships wrecked on opposite ends of Auckland Island. A frozen, abandoned archipelago south of New Zealand. The Grafton's five-man crew built a cabin, held elections, and taught each other languages for eighteen months. Twenty miles away, the Invercauld's twenty-five-man crew collapsed into starvation and cannibalism, and the one sailor who fought to keep them alive was erased from every
184. Alpine Divorce Horror: Husbands Who Leave Their Wives To Die On Hikes
Dark Summer Merch Is Here! Get your Tour Tee, Scrapbook Tee or Bandana at https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/Today we’re exploring the term that has been circulating online for the last few months, Alpine Divorce, and two cases where these “divorces” of sorts were life-threatening. In 2012, Toni Henthorn fell from an off-trail ledge in Rocky Mountain National Park. Her husband Harold said she s
183. Honeymoon Cruise Disappearance: George Smith
A newlywed couple boarded a Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon. Five days later, a teenager photographed blood splattered across a lifeboat canopy, and the groom was gone. His bride says she blacked out. Four men were the last to see him alive. What happened to George Smith puzzled his family for years until they finally started pulling at the threads.TW: Mention of SADark Summer Merch Is He
182. Backwoods Horror: The Creatures Appalachians Still Fear
Across Appalachia, thousands of people keep reporting the same thing: a massive black cat in the woods that screams like a woman being murdered. The government says it doesn't exist, there are NO official reports of big black cats in the area.
But the Cherokee had a name for what lives in those mountains, and its story is far older, and far more wicked, than a misidentified panther.
Today, we’re
181. Mount Everest Horror: The Khumbu Icefall Avalanche
On April 18th, 2014, a 14,000-tonne block of ice broke free above the Khumbu Icefall and killed sixteen Sherpa guides. It was the deadliest single disaster in Mount Everest's history. What followed wasn't just a rescue. It was a reckoning: a fight over $400 funeral payments, a historic strike, and the first time in ninety years that the world's most famous mountain went silent.
TW: Mass death, des
180. Two Cold Cases Police Thought Would Never Be Solved (And How They Were Cracked This Year)
They call it the golden age of DNA testing, and this year, two cases that police thought would never be solved finally cracked open. But the answers were nothing anyone expected.August 1990, Houston. A white Honda Civic sits abandoned at the end of a cul-de-sac on the city's edge. The keys are in the ignition, a woman's purse is on the floorboard, and blood is smeared down both doors. What detecti
179. How Reddit Shut Down the Worst Troubled Teen School in America
In 1970, a man with no clinical training opened a "therapeutic boarding school" in the Maine woods. For forty-one years, students inside were subjected to organized beatings, forced fight rings, and psychological torture while journalists, state investigators, and even Congress failed to shut it down. Then, in 2010, one anonymous Reddit post did what none of them could.TW: Child Abuse, mentio
Introducing Family Lore
Family Lore is a weekly narrative podcast that celebrates and investigates ancestral mystique. Each episode begins with a guest sharing a fascinating family legend, followed by a historical deep-dive to uncover the truth and meaning behind the tale. Available now.
https://link.pscrb.fm/f0281/FLFD
178. The Crash: The Mackenzie Shirilla Case (Going Beyond The Netflix Doc)
In July 2022, 18-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla drove her car into a brick wall at nearly 100 miles per hour, killing her boyfriend Dominic Russo and his best friend Davion Flanagan. What looked like a drug-fueled accident unraveled fast, and the Netflix documentary only tells part of the story. This week, we go deeper: the details left on the cutting room floor, the recorded prison call that changed
177. Backrooms Horror: The Creepiest Levels and Darkest Lore
In 2019, an anonymous photo of a yellow hallway turned into one of the biggest creepypastas of a generation. Millions of people have since built out the Backrooms. Hundreds of levels, from an infinite black ocean hiding a planet-sized creature to a children's birthday party run by entities that wear your skin. With a new A24 film bringing the Backrooms to the big screen, we're going no-clipping in
176. Backwoods Horror: Why Do People Keep Disappearing in Nome, Alaska?
To find out how you can get involved and provide advocacy and support, visit the website for the Data for Indigenous Justice organization at www.dataforindigenousjustice.org and click on “Resources” in the top left menu.In 2003, 19-year-old Sonya Ivanoff was walking home from a friend's house in Nome, Alaska when a witness saw her get into a vehicle marked 'Nome Police Department.' Her body was fo
175. Terrifying True Urban Legends: A Toilet Stalker, a Demon Camel, and a Cursed Mansion
Today, we're covering three terrifying true urban legends: a South African schoolyard legend called Pinky Pinky with an unnerving connection to a real case in Japan, the history of Summerwind Mansion, which reveals more about its owners than the house itself…and the true origins behind the Red Ghost. TW: Stalking, mention of child abuse threatsShow Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/e
174. Reddit Scary Stories: Stalkers, Setups, and a Serial Killer (feat. Psychopedia)
Today. Slater and I are reading Reddit scary stories about close encounters with people who were not who they said they were. A man offers a woman her dream job, but the company doesn't exist!? A friendly neighbor starts knowing things he was never told. A first date takes a deliberate detour. And a hitchhiker carrying a small child through a Montana blizzard may have been one of the most dangerou
173. The College Students That Cracked A 34 Year Old Cold Case
In September 1991, a young mother in Arlington, Texas, Cynthia Gonzalez, left for a late-night appointment and never came home. Her car was found 40 miles away, and the investigation that followed would consume a legendary detective's entire career through serial killer suspects, failed polygraphs, and confessions that went nowhere.
Thirty-four years later, a college classroom full of students at
172. Dark Mysteries of the Florida Everglades: The Flat Tire Murders, Missing Planes, and The Skunk Ape
In the summer of 1975, the bodies of young women began surfacing in canals along the edge of the Florida Everglades. To make matters worse, investigators blamed the victims for their own deaths. Today, we will cover many things the Everglades have swallowed. From serial killers to a doomed jetliner pulled from the sky, to a creature with over 600 documented sightings. The deeper you go, the strang
171. Three Real Imposter Nightmares: Fake Uber Drivers, The Tourist From Hell, and more
A college student gets into what she thinks is her rideshare. A speech therapist spends years pretending to be someone's mother. And a backpacker in Singapore accepts a stranger's offer to split a hotel room…then never calls home.Three stories about the people who slipped through the cracks. By the time anyone realized something was wrong, it was already too late.TW: Descriptions of Dismemberment,
170. The Mysterious Disappearance of Leah Roberts
In March 2000, 23-year-old Leah Roberts left a note for her roommate and took off on a solo cross-country trip. Nine days later, her wrecked Jeep was found by hikers at the bottom of a ravine in upstate Washington and Leah was not inside. What initially looked like a crash started to feel more sinister as the investigation continued. More than 25 years later the questions surrounding what ha
Presenting True Crime News: The Podcast
True Crime News: The Podcast is your weekly dose of real-time updates on the most gripping true crime stories, current cases, investigations, scams, and schemes. Host Ana Garcia is joined by crime experts, police officers, defense attorneys, and other leading authorities in their fields as they cover murders, scams, investigations, and unsolved crimes from across the country. Join us each week as
169. Real Scary Stories: A Cursed Church Camp, An Eerie Ranch, and The Deep Woods (Feat. Morgan Absher)
Your terrifying stories are back, and they did not disappoint! From deep inside the Michigan woods, to a haunted church camp, to the backroads of Argentina, and a 2am parking lot encounter. Morgan from Two Hot Takes is joining us to read through tales that range from something inhuman in the trees to a dream that may have saved someone's life, as we try to figure out what is going on with you guys
168. The Scariest Reddit Stories We’ve Heard (feat. Kris & Celina from Can't Sleep)
Today, we’re reading Reddit's scariest stories with KallMeKris and CelinaSpookyBoo. From glitches in the Matrix that defy all sense of logic, haunted houses full of vengeful ghosts, and a man showing up at someone’s door at 2am knowing way too many intimate details about them. Some of these have explanations. Some of them don't. And honestly? The ones with answers are scarier.
Find Kris and Celina
167. Something’s Lurking In The Woods: Terrifying Tales of Crawlers
Why have so many people described seeing the same scary entity in the backwoods of Appalachia? Something that looks human, but not quite? Today, we’re talking about the terrifying entity people have been seeing in the woods for generations. “Crawlers”Our Small Business Spotlight this week is Coco and Duckie! Shop their store here: https://cocoandduckie.com/
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspoun
166. Feral Children: The Wolf Girl of Devils River, The Ukrainian Dog Girl, and The Kellogg Experiment
Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off your first order.
Feral Children used to be the stuff of legends, but their stories are shocking, devastating, and real. Today, we're diving into multiple stories of feral children: the girl who was raised by her dog when her parents forgot about her, the legend of the wolf girl of Devils River, and the human experiment where a scientist tried
165. Terrifying True Urban Legends: A Haunted Forest, The Elevator Game, Britain’s Hannibal Lecter
When villagers in a remote Thai forest heard screams echoing from the woods every hour for three straight days, they were convinced the legends of ancient spirits haunting those trees had come to life. In Taiwan, a woman and her young daughter walked into an elevator, rode to the top floor of an 11-story building, and seemingly vanished, feeding into the internet's most haunting urban legends, “Th
164. Backwoods Horror: The Mysterious Disappearances of Amy Bechtel & Polly Melton
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One summer, a 24-year-old runner parked her car on a remote Wyoming road, left behind a to-do list with one uncrossed item "run" and was never seen again. Across the country, another woman was walking with friends on a well-traveled trail in the Great Smoky Mountains, went off ahead of her friends, and vanished without a trac
163. Reddit Scary Stories: Djinn, Doppelgängers, and Imaginary Friends (feat. Two Girls One Ghost)
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A face drawn in the fog of a bathroom mirror that looks exactly like you. A husband standing in the doorway who doesn't speak, doesn't move — and swears he was never there. From djinn that fall in love through reflecti
162. How Reddit Solved a Cold Case // Lyle Stevik
In September 2001, a housekeeper discovered an unidentified man's body in a remote Washington motel room, no ID, no belongings, and a fake name scrawled in the guest book. For 17 years, detectives hit dead ends while an obsessive online community became consumed by one haunting question: who was the man in room five? This is the story of how thousands of strangers refused to let him be forgotten.
161. The Mysterious Murder of An Aspen Socialite
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In February 2014, Aspen socialite Nancy Pfister was discovered murdered in the closet of her mountainside home, sending shockwaves through one of America's most exclusive communities. This is a case of wealth, betrayal, a shocking confession, and lingering questi
160. Lost Media: Tapes Too Dark For The Public
Today, I want to look at two pieces of “lost media” with you all. One piece is lost because it was deemed too dark for the public to ever hear, and the other was lost when it was intentionally destroyed by the US government. That’s right, we’re going over the case of Timothy Treadwell aka Grizzly Man, and the Cavalese Tapes. So roll up your sleeves and let’s dive into the darkness together.
TW: An
159. The Mystery of The Setagaya Family Murders
One of my most terrifying fears is the idea that someone is watching me without me knowing about it. Or worse, that someone is inside my home watching me without me knowing about it. If that freaks you out as well, this might be a tough episode for you. Because today we are going to tell you about one of Japan’s most horrifying mysteries, but at its core was a family who got a really bad feeling t
158. Inside the World's Most Haunted Castles | True Ghost Stories
This week, we're exploring three of the world's most haunted castles—and the dark histories that made them that way. At Windsor Castle in England, we'll encounter the ghost of a beheaded king who appears whole. In Austria's Moosham Castle, we explore the only male dominated witch trials. And finally, we visit Himeji Castle in Japan to meet Okiku, the servant girl whose ghost inspired one of the mo
157. "Something Is Mimicking My Sister" and Other Terrifying True Stories From Listeners
Can listening to Heart Starts Pounding attract paranormal activity to your home? Today I'm reading the spooky stories YOU sent me, and they're absolutely terrifying. From haunted houses with dark figures and hidden tunnels, to roads that exist outside of time, to something that can perfectly mimic the people you love...these listener tales will make you question every shadow in your hallway.
Music
156. Lost Media Vol. 2: Missing Holiday Media
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What happens when beloved holiday entertainment crosses the line? From Disney's The Santa Clause hiding adult Easter eggs that horrified parents, to the 1997 Macy's Day Parade disaster NBC tried to erase, to Vincent Price's final grief-stricken performance that Disney deemed "unusable". These aren't just missing tapes; they're
155. Vanished At Christmas: Two Mysteries That Will Make You Question Everything
Today, I want to tell you about two winter mysteries that have haunted New York for over a century. The first is about Dorothy Arnold, who disappeared on a cold December day in 1910 after leaving a bookstore in Manhattan. And the second is about a devastating Christmas night fire in Staten Island in 1843, and the legend of the witch who started it.
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/e
Presenting: Otherworld | Zaza
Otherworld tells real stories of people who have experienced something paranormal or unexplainable. Host Jack Wagner takes an open minded and journalistic approach to the subject matter and aims to uncover some of the biggest mysteries of the world and how people react to it.
154. Christmas Horror Folklore: Krampus, Frau Perchta & The Other St. Nick
Today I want to tell you about the dark origins of Christmas, before Santa Claus ever existed. We're diving into Frau Perchta, a Christmas witch who visited homes with iron scissors and a taste for porridge...whether she had to cut it out of you or not. We'll also cover the real Saint Nicholas and his disturbing miracles, and the demonic Krampuses who worked alongside him to drag sinners straight
153. Cold Cases Solved This Year
Cold cases can sit on shelves for years without answers, but this year we’ve seen some amazing advancements in cases that police thought would never get solved. I want to tell you about three of them today, with twists that no one saw coming. We'll cover the Yogurt Shop Murders, and the shocking discoveries that led to arrests in the murders of Aliza Sherman and Doris Worrell.
Show Notes: https://
152. Reddit Scary Stories: Terrifying Cult Encounters With Amanda Montell
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Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/HSPPOD #rulapod
Today, we're discussing real terrifying encounters that people had with alleged cults. We’re talking Scientology, people from a “church” showin
151. Mount Everest Horror: The Lost Climbers of the Death Zone
Last year, a group of adventurers with National Geographic were hiking Mount Everest when they saw a human foot sticking out of the ice. Now, it is not rare to see dead bodies on the mountain, there are at least 200 of them scattered around Everest, and many of them act as markers for trails, frozen forever in time where they fell
But this human foot in particular, had been on the mountain for 100
150. Terrifying True Urban Legends: Cropsey and The Missing Children
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HSP at https://www.oneskin.co #oneskinpod
Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off your next order
Today, I want to tell you about a horrifying urban legend that haunted a community nearby the ruins of the abandoned Willowbrook State School in Staten Island for decades. Eventually, children started really disappearing from this community, so let's e
149. Skinwalkers, Stalked In The Backwoods, And Other Terrifying True Stories From Listeners (feat. Morgan Absher)
A strange whistling in the desert. A suspicious man lurking for young hikers. A timeslip. A house whose inhabitant might not be living. And More. The spooky tales we received from listeners like you, with special guest Morgan Absher from Two Hot Takes!Listen to our other spooky collab!In Our Spooky Era.. || Two Hot Takes Podcast || Scary Reddit Stories https://youtu.be/3qKr1ms2FuM?si=lrh3tbYYKklk5
HSP Presents: The Timekeeper Ep. 4 "Win Or Die."
Charlie and Zoe race against the clock as they confront the true horror of Shady Pines and learn the truth behind Fairchild’s death.
The Timekeeper, features Judah Lewis as Charlie, Chandler Kinney as Zoe, and Arjun Athalye as Gama.
The Timekeeper was created, written, and directed by Matthew A Brown.
Sound Design, Scoring and Mix by Jeff Schmidt
Original Score composed by Joshua Zimmerman
Addi
147. The Werewolf: H.H Holmes and His Murder Castle // MONSTERS SERIES
Step inside the legend of H.H. Holmes and the chilling labyrinth he built during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. We'll follow a string of disappearances through the “Murder Castle” he built: a three story building with the sole purpose of killing as many people as discreetly as possible. Was Holmes a criminal mastermind, or has time twisted the tale?
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.c
HSP Presents: The Timekeeper Ep. 3 "Shady Pines. "
Charlie, Zoe and Gama head toward the coordinates Tim wrote down while he was playing the game, hoping to find him alive. Charlie keeps playing and finding more keys, but he can feel the Timekeeper closing in as his clock ticks down.
The Timekeeper, features Judah Lewis as Charlie, Chandler Kinney as Zoe, and Arjun Athalye as Gama.
The Timekeeper was created, written, and directed by Matthew A
145. The Boogeyman: Hinterkaifek, The German Family Slaughtered By A Stranger // MONSTERS SERIES
Imagine you hear a strange sound coming from your attic one evening. What is scarier? That it’s paranormal? Maybe a ghost haunting your space? Or that it’s a person, an unknown intruder watching you from inside your own home? That is a question that a family in the German countryside had to ask themselves a hundred years ago. But we would never know their answer, because after hearing strange soun
Spooky Listen! Jack the Ripper | CLUES Podcast
**There is no ad-free version of this episode since it's not part of Heart Starts Pounding **
Today I’m sharing a special bonus episode from Clues, where Morgan Absher and I dig into the chilling mystery of Jack the Ripper.
In 1888, a brutal killer stalked London’s Whitechapel district, leaving behind mutilated victims, taunting letters, and a mystery that still grips the world. Jack the Ripper cl
HSP Presents: The Timekeeper Ep. 2 "He's Always Watching."
Episode 2 of 4
After the video game behaves weirdly, Charlie and Gama pay a visit to Zoe (Chandler Kinney) to try and figure out how it works. Charlie storms out when Zoe’s boyfriend arrives, but calls on them for help once he comes to believe The Timekeeper is somehow watching him play.
The Timekeeper, Episode 2 features Judah Lewis as Charlie, Chandler Kinney as Zoe, and Arjun Athalye as Gama.
142. The Siren: Belle Gunness, The Husband Luring Serial Killer // MONSTERS SERIES
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Heart Starts Pounding is a Signal Awards Finalist! Go to https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2025/shows/genre/paranormal-or-horrorby October 9th to cast your vote for the Listener's Choice Award.
What would happen if you read an ad in a newspaper for your dream partner. They’re rich, they’re beau
HSP Presents: The Timekeeper Ep. 1 "It's Just a Game."
Episode 1 of 4
17-year-old Charlie (JUDAH LEWIS) shows up to his job at Funland to find his co-worker, Blake, dead and the building on fire with an ominous message scratched into the break room door: Tick Tock. Believing the message may be connected to the 13 Keys video game Blake was playing, Charlie tries to learn more about Jacob Fairchild, the game’s creator. He and Gama (Arjun Athalye) discov
140. The Vampire: Peter Kurten, the Blood Sucking German Serial Killer // MONSTERS SERIES
Heart Starts Pounding is a Signal Awards Finalist! Go to https://vote.signalaward.com/ by October 9th to cast your vote for the Listener's Choice Award.
In 1929, bodies were turning up all over Dusseldorf, Germany with one horrifying thing in common. It looked like someone had bitten their necks, and in some cases, tried to drain them of blood.
Immediately word of a vampire spread throughout
139. Reddit Scary Stories: Reddit Stories That Could Be True Crime Docs (feat. Annie Elise)
Heart Starts Pounding is a Signal Awards Finalist! Go to https://vote.signalaward.com/ by October 9th to cast your vote for the Listener's Choice Award.
Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off your next order.
From a woman's mother in law attempting to kill her with latex gloves, a near child kidnapping where the biological parents were doubted, to having to take matters into your
138. Tortured Live on Stream: The Death of Jean Pormanove
At 4:47 AM on August 18th, 2025, after 280 hours of torture streamed live to thousands of viewers, Jean Pormanove died in his sleep while on camera. The official cause of death was cardiac arrest. But what really killed him was a system perfectly designed to monetize human suffering, to turn degradation into content, to transform a vulnerable man's destruction into entertainment. The streaming con
137. Lost Media You'll Never See: The Nickelodeon Tapes, Children's Program Hijacks and more
Head to https://www.tryfum.com to start with Zero.
Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off on your subscription for a limited time
Lost media, TV urban legends, and the moments kids’ networks never wanted you to see. This episode investigates the rumored Nickelodeon “destroyed tape” from Legends of the Hidden Temple, real broadcast signal hijackings (including the infamous Handy Ma
136. Reddit Scary Stories: True Camping Horror Tales (feat. National Park After Dark)
From a recent and tragic double murder in Devil's Den State Park, to a hiker entering a time warp, to unknowingly encountering a serial killer while camping, today we're talking through all the terrifying and mysterious national park stories.
Make sure to follow our guests of today's episode @NationalParkAfterDarkPodcast
Episodes Mentioned:
110. Backwoods Horror: Unexplained Disappearances in t
135. How Did This Yacht Crew Vanish Into Thin Air? The Kaz II Disappearance // DARK SUMMER VOL. 2
The idea of a “Ghost ship” -- a ship that is floating completely off course with its crew mysteriously gone or dead, has become more ridiculous over the years. Sure, maybe back in the day, with a lack of GPS tracking and communication a whole crew could vanish, but that could never happen today. Right?
The Kaz II which has been coined “The Ghost Yacht,” perhaps a more modern version of a ghost shi
134. The Mysterious Disappearance of The Beaumont Children: Australia’s Most Puzzling Unsolved Mystery // DARK SUMMER VOL. 2
In 1966, three children vanished without a trace in Australia, and no one knows what happened. It’s a mystery that still plagues the country to this day, and may credit it as the reason people started locking their doors there.
But today, we have a much clearer picture of the crime, who might have been responsible, and there’s even been updates on the case as of this year.
TW: mention of child ab
133. What Was Hiding in Germany's Göhrde Forest? The Göhrde Murders // DARK SUMMER VOL. 2
Match cakes, cookies, and candy in thousands of fun puzzles, when you download Cookie Jam today using the link: http://jamcity.me/HeartStartsPounding
Official Göhrde Police Investigation Website: https://www.pd-lg.polizei-nds.de/startseite/kriminalitaet/deliktsbereiche/cold_cases/ermittlungsgruppe-goehrde-113732.html
This story starts with a police officer who was investigating a suspect in a mis
132. Abandoned Amusement Parks: Hauntings, Disasters, and more // DARK SUMMER VOL. 2
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Head to https://www.tryfum.com/HEART and use promo code HEART to get your free gift with purchase and start the Good Habit today!
Summer is the perfect time to visit an amusement park, but for every park that’s open and bustling during the warmer months, there’s one that’s fallen into disrepair and si
Introducing: Campus Files
College holds a mythic place in American culture, but behind the polished campus tours and glossy brochures lies a far more complicated reality. Each episode of Campus Files uncovers a new story that rocked a college or university. Consider this your unofficial campus tour.
131. The Mysterious Disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon // DARK SUMMER VOL. 2
In 2014, while looking for two missing hikers, Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, in Panama, officials came across a digital camera in the forest that they believed belonged to one of them.
The photos they found on that camera were disturbing, to say the least. And they held terrifying clues as to what happened to the missing girls.
Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of
130. Reddit Scary Stories: Terrifying Encounters (feat. Investigator Slater)
From dodging serial killers, to fake ride share drivers, to finding someone in your room in the middle of the night, today we're talking all about terrifying close encounters.
Find Psychopedia and Slater on Socials!
@investigatorslater @psychopediapod
Psychopedia Episodes Mentioned:
EP42: Sex Parts: Severed and Stored
EP130: Greyhound Bus Beheading
EPS 113 & 114: Pinup Predator: Serial Kill
129. Unsolved Mysteries of The Great Lakes: Ghost Ships, Lost Crews & Ancient Curses // DARK SUMMER VOL. 2
Mysterious disappearances, lost shipwrecks, the Lake Michigan “Stonehenge”, strange lights above Lake Erie and more.
There’s something strange happening in the great lakes. These lakes in North America are much bigger than you would ever imagine, they hold about a fifth of the entire world’s freshwater. But they also hold some of the greatest unsolved mysteries. They are quite literally full of
128. Rebecca Coriam: The Cruise Employee Who Vanished // DARK SUMMER VOL. 2
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In 2011, a 24 year old woman vanished from a Disney Cruise that was heading back to LA. And what at first seemed like an open and shut “man overboard” case quickly started to seem like something much darker. Leaving us with the question, does Disney know more than they
127. Camping Horror Stories // DARK SUMMER VOL. 2
A young girl vanishes without a trace in the Alaskan wilderness. A camper loses 10.5 hours on his camping trip with no memory of what occurred in that time. And a young couple goes to a secluded part of a camp site, only to run into someone they’re not expecting.
Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as
126. Annabelle’s Tour of Terror
Dark Summer Merch is HERE! Shop now: https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/
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The internet freaked out last month when the haunted doll Annabelle was taken on tour around the country. Stories started circulating of buildings burning down in her wake, prisoners escaping, and even that she went missing at one point.
But what was really going on, and wh
125. Zombie Illnesses: Rabies, Parasites and Prions
What kind of illness turns deer into stumbling, soulless shells of themselves—bodies wasting away, but never truly dying? Or drives healthy young men into violent frenzies that leave them strapped to hospital beds, terrified of water? This week, we’re diving into the terrifying world of zombie illnesses—real diseases that hijack the brain and erase what makes us human.
Show Notes: https://www.hea
124. The Mysterious Death of Cindy James Part 2
In 1989, the body of a woman was found hog tied off the side of a road in Richmond British Columbia.
What followed was one of the longest coroners inquest in Canadian history. An inquest that would say the woman had died by an unknown event.
Although she was found with her hands and feet tied with nylon behind her back, although she had told police that for 7 years she was being harassed by an u
123. The Mysterious Death of Cindy James Part 1
Go to https://kachava.com and use code HSP for 15% off on your subscription for a limited time.
In 1989, the body of a woman was found hog tied off the side of a road in Richmond British Columbia.
What followed was one of the longest coroners inquest in Canadian history. An inquest that would say the woman had died by an unknown event.
Although she was found with her hands and feet tied with n
122. Appalachian Trail Horror: Strange Encounters, Feral People, Mysterious Lights, and more
A strange man stalks two women on their camping trip. A strange dog has been caught on a loop for hundreds of years at the foot of a mountain. And lights that have no source, and no explanation. Today we're taking a trip through the Appalachian trail. Bring your flashlight.
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/feralpeople
Get stickers! https://shop.heartstartspounding.com/
121. The Ghosts of Kadena Air Base
Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, isn't just the largest U.S. military installation in the Pacific—it's also one of the most haunted. From shadowy figures trying to enter through the gates to abandoned buildings that drive occupants to the edge, and the chilling laughter of ghostly children, Kadena’s legends are as eerie as they are enduring. But are the hauntings rooted in the base itself… or in
120: Reddit Scary Stories: Feral People, Hospital Hauntings, Close Calls with Killers,, and more (Feat. Morgan Absher)
Today, Morgan and I share our favorite scary stories from Reddit. Which ones haunt you the most?
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Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as well as other perks. And members of our High Council on Patreon have access to our after-show called Footnotes,
119: The Burari Deaths: One Family, Eleven Bodies
In 2018, 11 people in the Chundawat family were found dead from what looked like a ritual sacrifice. It left the public with questions: was the family corrupted by a evil guru? Was this a robbery gone wrong? Or was there something even darker at play?
TW: Suicide, child death
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/burarideaths
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118. Brazilian Horror Folklore: Animated Corpses, Old Hags, and Backwoods Creatures
Let's look at three of the scariest legends from Brazilian Folklore: Corpo Secos that rise from their graves, Pisadeiras that creep into your room at night, and the mighty Mapinguari that stalks the rainforest
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/brazilianfolklore
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117. America's Most Notorious Baby Thief: Georgia Tann
For 20 years in Tennessee, Georgia Tann ran American's biggest black market for children, trafficking over 5,000 kids. We cover how she built her business, and how some children eventually found their families.
TW: Kidnapping, child death, reference to sexual assault, reference to pedophilia
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/georgiatann
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The Murder of Laci Peterson | CLUES Podcast
Check out the first episode of CLUES, a Crimehouse podcast that I'm hosting with Morgan Absher of Two Hot Takes. You can find future episodes of Clues on Youtube or wherever you get your podcastsWhen Laci Peterson vanished on Christmas Eve in 2002, the nation watched closely — but what investigators uncovered was darker than anyone imagined. Morgan and Kaelyn break down Scott Peterson’s suspicious
116. She Said She Was a Social Worker. Then Children Started Disappearing.
For 20 years in Tennessee, a mysterious woman appeared on the doorsteps of single mothers, claiming to be a social worker. She would then disappear with their children.
TW: Kidnapping
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/tennesseekidnappings
Subscribe on Patreon for bonus content and to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society. Patrons have access to bonus content as
115. Deathbed Confessions: Small Town Murder // I Am DB Cooper
A In 1957, a man approached a young girl in Illinois and asked if she wanted a piggyback. That was the last time she was seen alive
And in 1971, a man known as "DB Cooper" hijacked a plane, stole $200,000, and disappeared without a trace.
Both of these cases involved shocking confessions that were made with dying breaths.
TW: child death, kidnapping, reference to sexual assault
Show Notes:
114. Ghosts on the Appalachian Trail, Creature Encounters in The Backwoods, and more Listener Stories
A man sees someone who might not exist on the Appalachian Trail. Someone is lead into the
forrest by strange lights, and one woman smells something decomposing coming from a closet
on her campus…
These are Listener Stories, sent in from you guys.
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/appalachiantrail
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Subscribe on Patreon fo
113. North Sea Horror: Terrifying Creatures, Lost Cities, and Submersible Disasters
The North Sea has the internet talking about how scary it is, but did you know people have been terrified of the sea for Centuries? Let's take a morbid tour through the history of the North Sea and talk about creatures from legends, the lost city that supposedly sits at the bottom of it, and the disaster known as the Byford Dolphin Incident.
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episod
112. Morbid Medicine: Spontaneous Human Combustion
On December 22nd, 2010, a man named Michael Faherty was found in his home nearly burned to ash. Nothing else around him had been touched by the fire, however. The official coroners report read: Spontaneous Human Combustion
But what is SHC, and why does it happen? Let’s take a morbid little tour through history
Show Notes: https://www.heartstartspounding.com/episodes/michaelfaherty
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111. Has The Martin Family Been Found? Case Updates And Answering Your Darkly Curious Questions // My Mailbag
Has the Martin Family's car been found in the Columbia River? What happened to the Brazilian poisoner who tried to kill her husbands family? What is Hantavirus, the incredibly rare illness that killed Gene Hackman's wife? I'm opening my mailbag today to ask some of your burning darkly curious questions
TW: references but not not descriptions of the following- Suicide, child abuse, sexual abuse, a
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