Although the Going Dark Theatre podcast has been on hiatus since May 2021 due to me writing my first two books about haunted history and folklore, the stories of the darker side of humanity throughout time will resume in this podcast beginning

3.11 The Tale of the Waxwork Woman, Part 2

May 4th, 2021 39m 23s

Key West, Florida, 1933 - Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos Mesa died in 1931 at the age of twenty-two. Carl Tanzler, the so-called doctor who was obsessed with her in life, continued his obsession after her death, visiting her every night in the to

3.10 The Tale of the Waxwork Woman, Part 1

Apr 16th, 2021 52m 18s

Key West, Florida, 1931 - In the island paradise of Key West, there lived a beautiful young Cuban woman named Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos Mesa. Abandoned by her husband after a miscarriage, she came under the obsessive eye of a supposed doctor

3.9 The Tale of the Skull in the Library

Jan 15th, 2021 52m 12s

The DelMarVa Peninsula, 1769-1829 - Patty Cannon may be the first female serial killer in the United States. She also led a gang that created a Reverse Underground Railroad for thirty years, selling free Black men, women, and children South int

3.8 The Tale of the Christmas Portrait

Dec 22nd, 2020 1h 13m

Germanton, North Carolina, 1929 - Two weeks before Christmas 1929, Charlie Lawson took his wife and their seven children to town, buying them all new clothes and then having a family photograph taken. By the end of Christmas Day 1929, all membe

3.7 The Tale of the Rockwood Revenants

Nov 24th, 2020 53m

Wilmington, Delaware, 1851-1972 - Imagine if Downton Abbey, inhabited by several generations of a wealthy family and their faithful servants, was a haunted house with a ghost in nearly every room. That is the tale of the the Rockwood Mansion, w

3.6 The Tale of the Chateau Poltergeist

Oct 31st, 2020 53m 56s

In this special Halloween episode of the podcast, I talk about the history of All Hallow's Eve and then tell a tale of a terrifying haunting that occurred in a 19th century French chateau. Translated for the first time into English by Morgan He

3.5 The Tale of the Swamp Monster

Oct 26th, 2020 30m 12s

Sussex County, Delaware, 1780-Present Day - Sussex County, Delaware, where I grew up, is a place filled with legendary superstitions. There are tales of spirit boards and witches killed by silver bullets, ghosts, and a creature known as the Bur

3.4 The Tale of the Frightening Fort

Oct 7th, 2020 53m 53s

Pea Patch Island, Delaware, 1814-1865 - Fort Delaware is regarded as one of the most haunted places in the world, as I can attest from personal experience. Featured in my upcoming book of Delaware ghost stories, this island boasts a dark and cu

3.3 The Tale of the Headless Chicken

Sep 28th, 2020 18m 51s

Fruita, Colorado, 1945 - A human head can remain conscious for twenty seconds after being decapitated, but did you know there was once a chicken who lived for eighteen months after being beheaded? Mike's tale is a prime example of truth being m

3.2 The Tale of the Madness of Mary Lum

Sep 17th, 2020 30m 8s

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1758-1815 – When she was eighteen years old, Mary Lum married Stephen Girard, who would become one of the richest men ever to live in the United States. Mary is remembered primarily for being his wife, and for going

3.1 The Tale of the Fiddler's Bridge

Aug 19th, 2020 30m 29s

St. Georges, Delaware, 1800's - I am currently writing a book on the ghost stories and legends of my home state of Delaware for The History Press. This is one of the state's most famous ghost stories, a spooky legend born from some of the most

2.15 The Tale of the Black Dahlia

May 24th, 2020 55m 29s

Los Angeles, California, 1947 - Elizabeth Short wanted to either become a famous actress in Hollywood or marry a military man. Instead, she became famous as one of the most haunting murder victims in history. But who was she really? This is the

2.14 The Tale of the Terror in Room 1046

May 15th, 2020 49m 21s

Kansas City, Missouri, 1935 - A man checks into a hotel under the name Roland T. Owen. Over the next few days, hotel staff witness many strange and unsettling events, eventually finding the man dead. Who was he, and who killed him? This is an u

2.13 The Tale of the Hinterkaifeck Slaughter

May 7th, 2020 56m 13s

Waidhofen, Germany, 1922 - During a snowy winter’s night, five members of the Gruber family and their maid were murdered one by one in the barn of an isolated farm. Investigators uncovered unsettling details that paint a haunting portrait of th

2.12 The Tale of the Borden Tragedy, Part 6

Apr 30th, 2020 46m 24s

Fall River, Massachusetts, 1893 - After the trial of Lizzie Borden ended in acquittal, what happened to those involved? This episode deals with the events following the trial, culminating in the deaths of Emma and Lizzie Borden in the twentieth

2.11 The Tale of the Borden Tragedy, Part 5

Apr 23rd, 2020 57m 48s

Fall River, Massacusetts, 1893 - The trial of Lizzie Borden enters its second week as the Prosecution rests its case. It is now up to the Defense team to prove Lizzie's innocence, and her older sister Emma Borden takes the stand as a star witne

2.10 The Tale of the Borden Tragedy, Part 4

Apr 18th, 2020 44m 1s

Fall River, Massachusetts, 1893 - After spending nine months in jail, the trial of Lizzie Borden began on June 5, 1893. This episode, using words from the actual court transcripts, covers the first five days of the trial as the prosecution begi

2.9 The Tale of the Borden Tragedy, Part 3

Apr 13th, 2020 35m 26s

Fall River, Massachusetts, 1892 - In the days following the murders of Abby and Andrew Borden, police observe many strange events. Finally, Lizzie Borden is arrested for the brutal slaying of her father and stepmother, setting the stage for the

2.8 The Tale of the Borden Tragedy, Part 2

Mar 17th, 2020 31m 49s

Fall River, Massachussetts, 1892 - At 11:15am, Lizzie Borden discovers the body of her father Andrew, murdered with a hatchet. Family friends, doctors, and police flock to the house, and the corpse of Abby Borden is found upstairs. The investig

2.7 The Tale of the Borden Tragedy, Part 1

Feb 29th, 2020 39m 59s

Fall River, Massachussetts, 1892 - In a quiet New England town, Abby and Andrew Borden are murdered with a hatchet on a hot summer's day. The prime suspect is the youngest daughter, Lizzie Borden. What was happening in the Borden house in the y

2.6 The Tale of the Whitechapel Women, Part 6

Feb 15th, 2020 52m 41s

London, England, 1888 - After Mary Jane Kelly's murder, the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper vanishes into the shadows of history. Who was he? What was known? In the end, it doesn't matter. The lives of these six women continue to echo do

2.5 The Tale of the Whitechapel Women, Part 5

Feb 8th, 2020 43m 48s

London, England, 1888 - After the double murder of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, the investigation intensifies, and a chilling letter is received "From Hell." The next part of this dark tale is devoted to the life of Mary Jane Kelly,

2.4 The Tale of the Whitechapel Women, Part 4

Feb 1st, 2020 40m 47s

London, England, 1888 - Only 45 minutes after the murder of Elizabeth Stride, another woman of Whitechapel, Catherine Eddowes, is found dead and horrifically mutilated. This episode is devoted to the tale of Catherine's life before her death at

2.3 The Tale of the Whitechapel Women, Part 3

Jan 26th, 2020 37m 57s

London, England, 1888 - Within a little over a month, three women have been killed in Whitechapel by a serial killer known today as Jack the Ripper. This episode relates the life of Elizabeth Stride, the first of two women to be murdered on Sep