Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling

One hundred episodes and nearly two years ago, we took a run at one of the strangest local legends that we have ever come across, but we were new! It was our very first episode! While we quickly found our feet in the podcasting waters, that first attempt has always irked us, so we decided to take another crack at it! Join us as we take a true deep dive into the Wolf Girl of Devil’s River and the f...

This week, we offer you a preview of our Patreon-exclusive content. Lights Out is a weekly exploration in audio horror. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this journey into the macabre.  Subscribe to Patreon:   patreon.com/campfiretalesofthestrangeandunsettling Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling is created for adult audiences only. The content and discussion in this show will necessarily engage...

Directly after her release from a mental health facility in April of 1998, Diane Augat vanished without a trace. A series of bizarre clues seemed to lead family, friends, and the authorities in increasingly confusing circles. Could her history of mental health issues be the precipitating factor in her vanishing? Could she have found herself in the crosshairs a predator? Could what we’re calling a...

This week, we are continuing our theme of the Bell Witch. We sat down with a very special guest, Heather Moser, to discuss the legacy of the Bell Witch legend and the mythos that has been built around the cave found on the property. The Bell Witch Cave has become something of a mecca for those who have studied the history and paranormal enthusiasts in general. As someone who has visited the locati...

This week, we’re exploring a classic bit of American folklore. From 1817 to 1821, the Bell family of Red River, Tennessee experienced one of the most bizarre and terrifying stints of poltergeist activity ever recorded. In fact, it is generally agreed upon that this story is the source point for a large portion of the tropes that we associate with poltergeists to this day. From unexplained noises a...

This week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with author, co-host of the Mothboys Podcast, and dear friend of the show, Matthew Schang. We discuss divisions in the paranormal community, the role of skeptics, and the magic of Appalachia, but above all, we discuss their recently released book,  The White Monsters Of Sherman, New York.  Go and support Matt and the Mothboys in everything they do. Yo...

One of the most terrifying homes in the US is purportedly the Bellaire House in Ohio. Residents, guests, and neighbors have made allegations of paranormal phenomena such as apparitions, curses, psychic assaults, and ghoulish brutality almost since it was built in 1847. This week, we’re diving in with both feet into one of the most notorious hauntings in the history of Ohio. Enjoy!   Campfire: Tale...

This week, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Monique and Katrina, hosts of the Stay the Night Podcast. We discuss the unique experience of podcasting with your sibling, generational changes in the reaction to potentially traumatic media, and the role of horror films, paranormal tv, and parental aversion in the development of their obsessions with spookiness. Stay the Night is a truly fantas...

This week, we’re discussing the truly tragic death of Cindy James. After seven long years of supposed stalking, a series of brutal assaults, and near-constant harassing phone calls, she was found dead behind an abandoned house in Richmond, British Columbia. Unfortunately, the torment that she was enduring was systematically ignored by the police. It is a truly fascinating case study on the effect...

This week, we are continuing our experiment with ChatGPT’s ability to compose short horror stories. With the theme of alien abduction in mind, we set out to get the most interesting stories we could. Join us as we ride the spaceship of artificial intelligence into the literary cosmos! These stories are works of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictit...

Nome, Alaska has a population of only 3,500. Since 1960, 24 people have vanished from their shores without a trace. This week, we’re doing our absolute best to make sense of the shocking frequency that this has taken place. Speculation has run rampant over the decades. Everything from alien abductions to Nome’s very own serial killer. So, what is the key to these remarkable vanishings? Join us and...

This week, we had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with one of the show’s closest friends. She is the head researcher for Small Town Monsters, the mastermind behind STM Publishing, and a contributing writer to The Feminine Macabre. In addition to all of the professional and academic accomplishments that the scene knows her so well for, Heather Moser also happens to be an extremely dedicated g...

Join us as we return to one of our favorite stories to date, the Kentucky Goblins. We have cleaned up the original episode, added sound design, made it easier to follow and provided a more modern and exciting approach. Don't miss it. In a story investigated by Project Bluebook in the summer of 1955, a Hopkinsville family spent most of a day in an armed conflict with a gang of extraterrestrial...

This week, we sat down for a riveting conversation with the host of one of our favorite new podcasts, Haunts. Courtney Hayes is a writer and paranormal researcher who has visited some amazing, haunted locations. This time, we discuss the time that she spent as a guest at the infamous Stanley Hotel. Not only is this place the inspiration for the setting of Stephen King’s The Shining, but it is also...

In 1982, Darren Evans and his then-girlfriend found an Ouija board buried below a house being remodeled along with a series of jars containing the remains of unidentified blackbirds. After bringing the board into their home, a strange series of events slowly took over their lives. Was Darren’s obsession with the board simple addiction or demonic possession? We’ll discuss the origins of this purpor...

This week, we’re offering a special treat; a rare glimpse into the bizarre and wonderful world of the Campfire Club over on Patreon. Lights Out is a fully immersive short horror experience. Prepare yourself and, if you find yourself drawn to the darker side of the human imagination, the Campfire Club is something that you should not be living without. Lights Out is only a small fraction of the ski...

This week, we’re discussing a tale from deep in the heart of the Siberian wilderness. In 1961, a team of soviet paratroopers were sent on a search and rescue mission for a downed plane that had been spotted two days before. Thousands of miles off the nearest flight path, the mysterious abandoned craft created far more questions than answers. Do these circumstances point to a clear example of extra...

Fireside Chats: Creepy Hot Girl Shit with Codie Crowley   This week, we had the honor of sitting down with author and host of the YouTube show, Graveyard Dirt, Codie Crowley. Codie is without a doubt brilliant, fascinating, and wildly creative. Come for the entrancing Jersey accent and stay for the mind-bending theories on everything from the influence of Pangean land formations on the development...

This week, we’re discussing another home-state legend. In 1899, (or 1901, depending on which source you reference), Dr. John and Jessie Gibbons purchased the house from the original owners, Dr. George and Sarah White. Dr. John and Jessie Gibbons reportedly adopted abandoned/orphaned children. One of these children, a 10-year-old girl named Rachael, started a fire in the front parlor, being badly b...

This week, we decided to experiment with AI. Each of us sat down with ChatGPT and attempted to create the scariest stories possible. And so, we have for you two terrifying tales generated by our future overlords. Our first story, Beneath the Surface: The Horrors of Ashford, follows a young woman as she attempts to fit into a small town with more secrets than she would ever imagine.  Our second tal...

The indigenous people of the DRC and other parts of West Africa have, for generations, passed down blood-curdling tales of the J'ba Fofi. Also known as the Congolese Giant Spiders, it is an enormous species of arachnid that is said to inhabit the forests and prey on wildlife as well as villagers. Strap in for a skin crawling ride. Seriously. We’re still checking under our beds and in our shoes...

This week, we had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with the author of  A Place Between Time and Space: A true story of Ghosts, UFOs, and Florida's Strangest Home  and  Paranormal Expeditions: Hunt for the Friendship  and Paranormality Magazine mainstay, Chaz CMP. We discuss the childhood experience that first lit the Fortean fire under him and discuss what it is that has kept him in the g...

Since ancient times, the vast Lake Baikal has been known as deeply mysterious, but in the closing years of the Soviet era, and since, it has been the location of a number of alleged sightings of aliens and UFOs. Even more, sightings of bizarre beings who have come to be known as the Lake Baikal Swimmers. Nine-foot-tall silver-clad beings who have been sighted swimming in the frigid waters unflinch...

This week, we had a great time sitting down with solo paranormal investigator Laura Jean Lehmann. We take a deep dive into some very strange occurrences from her childhood, her spooking-than-average upbringing, and some of the most spine-tingling tales from her experiences exploring haunted locations on her own! Go support Laura in all that she does.    Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettlin...

This week, we’re sitting down to listen to a series of three incredible and terrifying listener stories. Our first tale comes from an ICU nurse who encounters a seemingly cursed room in her unit and the mysterious entity that appears to occupy it. Our second story comes to us from rural Wisconsin where a young couple, just trying to enjoy a rare fair-weather day, encounter a horrifying figure that...