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Weird Darkness: Stories of the Paranormal, True Crime, Legends, Lore, Mysterious, Macabre, Unsolved

SPIRITUALISM: Mediums, Ectoplasm, and Floating Tables – America’s Forgotten Obsession With The Dead

Weird Darkness: Stories of the Paranormal, True Crime, Legends, Lore, Mysterious, Macabre, Unsolved

Darren Marlar

True Crime, History, Society & Culture, Documentary, Science, Religion & Spirituality

4.64K Ratings

🗓️ 7 June 2025

⏱️ 107 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

At a time when speaking to the dead was a national obsession, America’s séance rooms became theaters of mystery, manipulation, and maybe — just maybe — real contact with the other side.

Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate

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 thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.
DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
IN THIS EPISODE: A young wife, home alone with her husband in the military, begins experiencing strange happenings in their apartment. *** On a rainy night, a man begins to hear strange sounds from above that can’t be explained. *** A WeirdDarkness listener tells their story of being terrified by an entity… for over 21 years. *** A deceased relative saves the life of one woman – her husband tells us the story. *** An invisible friend decides to show up, uninvited, on a camping trip in an original story submitted by a WeirdDarkness subscriber. *** America… the home of baseball, apple pie, jazz, and… the birth of spiritualism. (Spiritualism) *** Was the legendary serial killer the Zodiac a hoax? (Zodiac: The Phantom Killer)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:00:44.845 = Show Open
00:02:01.113 = Spiritualism
00:15:22.415 = Apartment From Hell
00:26:19.681 = From Above
00:30:21.799 = Him
00:42:35.551 = My Deceased Nan Saved My Life
00:45:31.063 = The Camping Trip
01:05:19.277 = Zodiac: The Phantom Killer
01:41:44.891 = Show Close

SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Apartment From Hell” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Lacy T.
“From Above” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Sabby Ray (https://www.facebook.com/ray.saibal)
“Him” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Taylor Rydbom https://www.facebook.com/taylor.rydbom
“My Deceased Nan Saved My Life” submitted anonymously at WeirdDarkness.com
“The Camping Trip” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Michael
“Zodiac: The Phantom Killer”: https://theunredacted.com/zodiac-serial-murders-the-phantom-killer/
“Spiritualism” by Troy Taylor: https://www.facebook.com/authortt/posts/1875815915848719?__tn__=K-R
=====
(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 ©2025, Weird Darkness.
=====
Originally aired: November 03, 2017
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/Spiritualism

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

They've been here for thousands of years, making their presence known in the shadows.

0:06.0

They might be seen by a lonely motorist on a deserted road late at night, or by a frightened

0:12.0

and confused husband in the bedroom he's sharing with his wife.

0:16.0

Perhaps the most disconcerting part of this phenomenon boils down to this question.

0:21.9

Has the government been aware of their presence all along and is covertly working with

0:27.3

them towards some secret end?

0:30.7

In the audiobook, Rungs of Disclosure, what once was fringe is now reality.

0:36.7

While listening, you'll meet regular people just like you who have encountered something beyond

0:41.5

their ability to explain.

0:43.7

You'll also hear from people of great faith and deep religious belief who continue to

0:48.4

have these strange and deeply unsettling encounters.

0:52.8

Author L.A. Marzuli explores these ongoing incidents to discover the answers

0:56.9

to these questions. Who are they? What do they want? And why are they here? Can you handle the

1:06.9

truth? Listen to this audiobook, if you dare. Rungs of Disclosure, following the

1:13.3

Trail of Extraterrestrials and the End Times by L.A. Marzuli, narrated by Darren Marler.

1:20.2

Here are a free sample on the audiobooks page at weirddarkness.com.

1:26.4

I've always had an eerie feeling about this place because of its history and because

1:31.9

of how dark and quiet it gets.

1:35.1

Ironically, these are the same reasons I come here.

1:38.9

The moonlit sky made for a perfect nightlight, giving you just enough gray contrast to bring images to shape.

1:47.4

I dozed off into the night, into a deep sleep. Suddenly I was woken. Something was tapping on my

1:56.7

shoulder. I was startled when I opened my eyes and saw a black silhouette hovering above

...

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