The Zodiac Killer’s reign of terror might be one of America’s greatest mysteries, but beneath the chilling letters and unsolved murders lies a web of speculation, contradictions, and the haunting possibility that the truth is far more elusive than we imagine.

Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate
Info on the next LIVE SCREAM event. https://weirddarkness.com/LiveScream
Info on the next WEIRDO WATCH PARTY event. https://weirddarkness.com/TV

IN THIS EPISODE: A man starts to dig a swimming pool in his backyard – and unearths numerous human corpses. The resulting story is so incredible that it inspired the film, “Grave Secrets”. The true story behind the “Black Hope Horror”. (Black Hope Horror) *** America… the home of baseball, apple pie, jazz, and… the birth of spiritualism. (Spiritualism) *** From the spirits of famous female historical figures, to the girlish ghouls of urban legend, female ghosts are some of the scariest spirits out there. (Ghoulish Ghost Girls) *** Was the legendary serial killer the Zodiac a hoax? (Zodiac: The Phantom Killer) *** A hundred years ago, the Spanish Influenza epidemic ripped through the United States, with fatalities reaching as high as 1,000 per week. We’ll look at what happened. (The Epidemic That Brought America To Its Knees) *** A young girl, dealing with the trauma of her parents getting a divorce, is traumatized even more when staying at a friend’s house that appears to be haunted. (A Haunted House, Sleep Paralysis, and Shadow People) *** Joan Crawford’s daughter exposed her sadistic behavior – but how truthful were those accusations? (The Claims of Christina Crawford) *** Along with sightings of Bigfoot, extraterrestrials, ghosts, and shadow people, there is a growing number of reports of entities which appear to be wearing futuristic armor, or high-tech suits. Could these be inter-dimensional beings? Extraterrestrial spacemen? Time-traveling soldiers? What is it people are seeing? (Armored Phantoms)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Cold Open
00:03:08.818 = Show Intro
00:05:53.050 = Zodiac: The Phantom Killer
00:43:05.803 = Spiritualism in America
00:49:47.284 = Ghoulish Ghost Girls
00:57:45.123 = Armored Phantoms
01:20:52.239 = The 1900s Epidemic That Brought America To Its Knees
01:29:17.637 = Haunted House, Sleep Paralysis, and Shadow People
01:39:29.343 = The Claims of Christina Crawford
01:45:34.576 = The Black Hope Horror
01:53:28.736 = Show Close

SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Zodiac: The Phantom Killer”: https://tinyurl.com/s39qy65
“Spiritualism in America” by Troy Taylor: https://tinyurl.com/s48kes8
“Ghoulish Ghost Girls” by Carolyn Cox: http://ow.ly/AysF30mi5HS
“The 1900s Epidemic That Brought America To Its Knees” by Troy Taylor: https://tinyurl.com/wpvaes2
“Haunted House, Sleep Paralysis, and Shadow People” by Rachel Grace: https://tinyurl.com/talccxq
“The Claims of Christina Crawford” by Gina Dimuro: https://tinyurl.com/ydcy3lmj
“Black Hope Horror”: https://tinyurl.com/rvdsk2l
“Armored Phantoms” by Brent Swancer: https://tinyurl.com/qusshmn
Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library.
= = = = =
(Over time links seen above 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: October 19, 2018
SOURCES PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/UnmaskingTheZodiac
TRANSCRIPT: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4e52fun2