American Hauntings Podcast

In 1987, the Dardeen family’s quiet life in rural Illinois ended in unimaginable horror.A crime so savage, it left investigators speechless — and decades later, still haunted by questions that no one could answer.Cults. Serial killers. Satanic panic. Lies and legends.American Dread: The Dardeen Family Massacre — one of the most graphic and disturbing cases in Illinois history.Brought to you by American Hauntings Network. Our Sponsors:* Check out CBDfx and use my code HAUNTINGS for a great deal: https://cbdfx.com* Check out Shopify: https://shopify.com/hauntingsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Mark spent the night drinking beer with his friends and trying to pick up girls, passing most of his time in a cantina called Sgt. Peppers, and a honky-tonk called the London Pub. But when his friends are ready to call it a night, they can’t find him in either bar. They assumed he’d gotten lucky and went back to the hotel without him. But Mark Kilroy was never seen alive again.Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTLThis episode was written by Troy TaylorProduced and edited by Cody BeckOur Sponsors:* Check out CBDfx and use my code HAUNTINGS for a gre

The initial inspiration for the film was NOT based on a true story – it was based on an unfinished Edgar Allan Poe story that was also called “The Lighthouse.” Max Eggers began adapting the story but couldn’t figure out what to do with it so his brother jumped in to help, sourcing the plot from the story of a Welsh lighthouse tragedy, which for most people, would sound tame. It isn’t. And while the story of Thomas Howell, Thomas Griffith, and the Smalls Lighthouse isn’t a story of an unexplained disappearance, a mysterious death, or brutal true crime, it’s still a horror story that is worthy of Edgar Allan Poe. Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @Tro

It’s been called the “SCARIEST FILM ON NETFLIX” by critics and viewers alike. It’s a Spanish film that’s written and directed by Paco Plaza, who found fame a few years before it came out with the REC found-footage franchise. But even though we’ve often bragged that the true stories we’ve talked about this season are scarier than the films they’re based on, the reality of that is really up to you. This time, though, the actual story behind VERONICA manages to stand out. It’s a very real story of an actual case of paranormal activity that had terrifying, even deadly, consequences.Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us o

Check out the brand new podcast, American Dread, from Adam White.On Halloween 1992, 20-year-old Penny Timmons vanished in Decatur, Illinois, leaving behind a chilling note in a gas station restroom: “He has a gun in his pants! HELP! This isn’t a joke!”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

NEW PREVIEW OF OUR NEW SHOW ON PATREON!CANYON: THE TRUE STORY OF THE STARVED ROCK MURDERSAvailable ONLY by becoming a Patreon supporter of American Hauntings. Go to https://patreon.com/americanhauntings and get signed up now!On the cold, snow-covered morning of March 16, 1960, when the bodies of three women from the Chicago suburbs were discovered at Starved Rock State Park in Northern Illinois. The murders shocked the entire state and led to a manhunt that snared a confessed killer who spent the next 59 years in prison. It was a tragic, heart-wrenching case, but thankfully, it was over – or was it?Not only have the murders left ghost stories in their wake, but the man who confessed nine different times to the murders changed his mind behind bars and then spent the next six decades trying to get out of prison, declaring himself innocent.Was he guilty? Not guilty? Had the cops railroaded the wrong man? What really happened in 1960 -- and what didn't?This podcast will look at ALL sides of the story. We’ll p

Check out the brand new podcast, American Dread, from Adam White.Two winters. Two murders. Eighteen years apart.In Decatur, Illinois, the winters of 1942 and 1960 were marked not by snow and holiday cheer, but by the sound of shotguns shattering the night.In this episode of American Dread, we revisit two chilling cases: the Short Street double shooting of 1942, and the shotgun murder of Virginia Eades in 1960. Different killers, different motives—but each crime left the same lasting scar on the community.Step into the cold, walk the streets where it happened, and hear the true stories of tragedy and terror from the dark side of the American Heartland.Our Sponsors:* Check out Shopify: https://shopify.com/hauntingsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On October 26, 1965, a 16-year-old girl named Sylvia Likens died in Indianapolis from shock, malnutrition, and a brain hemorrhage. She had been tortured for three months and by the time she died, she could barely move or speak. She had been tortured, neglected, sexually humiliated, starved, beaten, and cut by her tormentors. Her autopsy later revealed 150 wounds on her body, including cigarette burns, skin brandings, and knife wounds.What had Sylvia done to deserve such torture? Nothing.Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTLThis episode was written

Check out the brand new podcast, American Dread, from Adam White.On a quiet May night in 1976, the city of Decatur, Illinois, was shattered by a brutal double murder that still echoes nearly fifty years later. Two young cousins, June and Marcella Freeman, were savagely stabbed to death and left discarded like trash on the side of West Center Street. Their killer, Michael Timothy Gibson, would soon be caught — but justice didn’t end the nightmare.In this debut episode of American Dread, host Adam White takes you deep into the horror of that night, the trial that followed, and the decades of pain that haunted the victims’ families and the Decatur community. With real crime statistics, eyewitness details, and chilling atmosphere, this story explores not just the crime itself, but the scars it left behind.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The true story of THE ENTITY doesn’t begin with Carla Moran coming home from work one night, it actually started with researchers Barry Taff and Kerry Gaynor from the Department of Parapsychology at UCLA visiting the home on August 22, 1974. A short time earlier, the two men had been discussing the paranormal in a local bookstore when they were approached by a woman name Doris Blither, who wanted to tell them about her haunted house. The pair agreed to meet Doris at her home, not realizing at the time how baffling and terrifying the case would turn out to be. Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @Americ

Enjoy this bonus episode about the history and hauntings of The Bell Witch Cave, including Troy's own firsthand tales of his times in the cave!Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTLThis episode was written by Troy TaylorProduced and edited by Cody BeckSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It was Easter Sunday, April 15, 1990, and Ray and Marie Thornton were driving along Snow Prairie Road, a rural highway about 12 miles outside of Coldwater, Michigan. Ray was at the wheel and Marie was next to him and the couple was playing a game they often played in the car to kill time on the road -- trying to make words and phrases out of the license plates they saw.But things were quiet along the secluded back road they were on that morning and they hadn’t seen another car in a little while. Suddenly, though, a green Chevrolet van appeared in the rearview mirror. It aggressively roared up behind them and then passed them at high speed.  Marie won that round of the game. Spotting the GZ on the van’s license plate, she remarked, “Geez, he’s in a hurry.”They laughed and would’ve thought no more about it if they hadn’t seen the green van again a short time later. As they passed an abandoned schoolhouse, Ray and Marie saw it parked on the side of the building – but that wasn’t all they saw.The driver was outsi

There’s no denying that there are so many similarities between JAWS and the 1916 shark attacks on the Jersey Shore as well as the disaster of the USS Indianapolis that it’s truly terrifying. If you decide to spend your summer vacation on a beach somewhere, you might want to remember what we’ve been telling you all season – “sometimes, it’s NOT just a movie.”Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTLThis episode was written by Troy TaylorProduced and edited by Cody BeckOur Sponsors:* Check out Shopify: https://shopify.com/hauntingsSupport this podcast at

This year we have some of THE BEST ghost stories from the Haunted America Conference attendees. Check 'em out! Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTLThis episode was written by Troy TaylorProduced and edited by Cody BeckOur Sponsors:* Check out Shopify: https://shopify.com/hauntingsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The legend of the Bell Witch is one of the greatest ghost stories in American history. It has all the elements of what we have come to think of as a Hollywood-style haunting – a vengeful spirit, flying objects, sounds that can’t be unexplained, a pretty young girl, and a violent death. It’s also one of the only hauntings in history in which a spirit is responsible for the death of one of the protagonists in the case.Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTLThis episode was written by Troy TaylorProduced and edited by Cody BeckOur Sponsors:* Check out S

There isn’t a lot that I can say about this film that you don’t already know – it’s a classic, there’s no two ways about that. It’s not only one of the greatest horror films of the 1980s but one of the great horror films of all time. But if you’re not old enough to have seen it in 1982 when it came out, you might be wondering why it was so scary to those of us who were. And for those who already know, it turns out there was another haunting that made news just before POLTERGEIST was written that’s even more terrifying – and hits a lot closer to home.  Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @AmericanHaunti

In 1986, the town of Southington, Connecticut, was in an uproar. Normally, a place known for its perfect small-town charm, it had been thrown into a frenzy of media chaos, thanks to a family that was reporting that their new house was haunted.A check of real estate records in town revealed that the house was indeed the former Hallahan Funeral Home. The idea of living in what was once a funeral home did cause some concerns for the Snedekers but what were they supposed to do? They were nearly broke and every cent they had was being committed to Phillip’s cancer treatment. It would be fine. It was just an old funeral home. What could go wrong?Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on

In 1981, a young man in Connecticut took the idea of the insanity plea to the next level. He claimed that he was innocent of the murder he’d committed – he’d only done it because he was possessed by a demon.While the previous two Conjuring films took the intrepid duo, Ed and Lorraine Warren, to haunted houses, this was a new kind of horror story for the pair. And while the film takes the demon plot and runs wild with it in the last half of the movie, the first half is loosely based on the real story of the first time that demonic possession was brought up as a defense in a U.S. court.Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollo

“It was chaos, things started flying around, people were screaming.” In 1977, hot on the heels of the publicity they received after the Amityville Horror case – which is show in the cold open of the film – the Warrens claimed that they investigated the happenings in Enfield, undoubtedly drawn there by all the press the case was getting at the time. Before they even arrived at the Hodgson home, several independent observers dismissed the case as a hoax carried out by "attention-hungry" children, but the Warrens would, of course, state that it was a case of demonic possession.Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow

This is, of course, based on a true story. But how true is this story? Well, as you’re just about to hear, NOT VERY. Truth, as they say, is often much stranger than fiction, but in some cases, you actually have to FIND the truth first. And when it comes to THE CONJURING – and with Ed and Lorraine Warren themselves – the truth is a very, very elusive thing.Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageFind out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.comFollow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTLFollow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTLThis episode was written by Troy TaylorProduced and edited by Cody BeckSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdve