Castle of Spirits True Ghost Stories

On a lonely road at night, a stranded driver is pursued by a man-sized figure with goat legs and shiny black hooves. Outside a forest near a stretch of road called Mystery Mile, two fearless ghost hunters encounter a horrifying presence. And on a dark staircase in the bowels of an aging movie theater, a young usher comes face to face with a tragically lost soul. Also: podcast listener Jeff writes...

Curious children are terrorized by an angry ghost in "The Last Bedroom." Ancestral spirits are awakened and wreak havoc on "Life in Guam." And vacationers aboard a private yacht encounter maritime phantoms in "Ghost on the Gulf." Stories: The Last Bedroom Life in Guam Ghost on the Gulf (bonus link) Charing Village Ghosts   Music: “Ossuary 6 – Air” Kevin MacLeod (incom...

The Ghostkeepers return with a fistful of frights guaranteed to spoil a sound night's sleep. In "A Place of Sickness," two friends are physically affected by a malicious entity. An ambitious property owner meets a "Mysterious Gardner" who's not too thrilled with the renovations. A midnight storm serves up more than wind and rain in "The Howler in the Storm."...

It’s not unusual for children to develop imaginary friends. Playing games, holding entire conversations, and even blaming the imaginary friend for wrongdoings is commonplace. Many child development experts believe that these actions help a child practice and hone social skills and are typically nothing to worry about. But what if it seems it’s not all in the child’s imagination? What if it seems t...

Urban folklore is rife with terrifying tales of bizarre, mysterious disappearances. But did you know that three of the most oft-repeated stories are actually fictional pieces written by author Ambrose Bierce in the late 1800s? In this bonus EXTRAsode of the Castle of Spirits Paranormal Podcast, we read all three—The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, An Unfinished Race, and Charles Ashmore's Tra...

In October of 1888, three articles about strange, unsolved disappearances were published in the San Francisco Examiner. In the first, a slave owner in Alabama vanishes into thin air right before a group of eyewitnesses. In the second, a drunk Englishman takes a bet he can’t run to the next town without stopping and vanishes without a trace after stumbling, nearly falling, but never hitting the gro...

Attics can be terrifying places. Especially those inhabited by the spirits of the dead. In this bonus episode, we share three true stories from the Castle of Spirits archives about haunted attics, their otherworldly residents, and those unfortunate enough to have strayed into their paths. Stories: Panting From Under the Bed (submitted by Henry, Minnesota, USA) It Started with a Sound (submitted by...

A young married couple encounters a disembodied entity in the Castle of Spirits classic "A Voice in the Attic"—a true ghost story experienced, written, and told by show hosts Vince and Jane Font. Story: A Voice in the Attic (submitted by Vince and Jane, Utah, USA) Links: Shadows on the Page (book written by Vince Font, illustrated by Jane Font) More Shadows on the Page (book written by V...

A driver in a small Australian Outback town has a near collision with the past in "Time Slips." In 1999 Oregon, a mysterious presence arrives on the heels of a "Missing Time" episode. And listener Ron R. shares his chilling true story of a brush with the unknown in "Let Me In, Booger." Links: Time Slips (submitted by Lyn, SA, Australia) Missing Time (submitted by Anon...

On August 10, 1901, Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain paid a visit to the Palace of Versailles just outside Paris, France. What they experienced on that day forever changed their lives and secured their places on the roll call of early twentieth-century paranormal luminaires. Join us as we discuss the grandfather of all modern-day time slip legends, an occurrence known far and wide as th...

An intrepid safety inspector makes contact with a restless spirit in "The Old Lady in the Nursing Home." A couple vacationing in Los Angeles encounter a "Strange Man" that just might not be human.  And ghostkeeper Jane performs a special reading of the short horror story "The Snow Devil" by Vince Font (from the book "More Shadows on the Page"). Stories: The...

There's a charming old house in Nyack, New York, that's unlike any other in the country. Sure, it's haunted. But that's not all. It also bears the distinction of being the first "legally haunted" house in U.S. history. Built in 1890, the home once owned by George and Helen Ackley was the subject of a legal precedent now commonly called "the Ghostbusters ruling,&q...

The denizens of a rural village in Thailand are terrorized by a hideous, zombielike "Little Old Lady Creature." On the other side of the world, a child receives an unwelcome midnight visit from the "Figure on the Porch." And a young woman unwittingly initiates a frightening game with an unseen entity in "The Ghost That Said Boo." Three ghost stories, all true, plucked...

In the late 1990s, journalist Brian Bethel documented a frightening encounter with what he termed "black-eyed kids": mysterious beings resembling children that carry with them an aura of malevolence and can be identified by their monotone voices and pitch-black eyes. In writing about his experience, Bethel unwittingly brought into existence one of the most persistent and terrifying urban...

An eerie shoreline apparition puts the kibosh on summer camp fun in "A Ghostly Scene from my Sleeping Bag." The "Spectre of Spanish Lake" emerges from its watery grave to prey upon an unsuspecting couple. Four teens on an afternoon drive stumble across "The Vanishing Church." And a woman has a close encounter with the mysterious "Disappearing People." Storie...

Everyone knows houses can be haunted. But what about bodies of water? In this episode of the Castle of Spirits Paranormal Podcast, we dive deep into a handful of legendary lakes that are as renowned for their storied histories as they are for the ghosts that dwell beneath their surfaces. Links: SS Edmund Fitzgerald (Wikipedia) The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot (video) Meet Old...

A child hears ghostly voices coming from inside his wardrobe, asking to be let out. A girl is terrorized by a nightmarish creature trapped inside her mirror. An heirloom clock marks more than just the passage of time. And a young camper comes face to face with a ghastly visage. Discover these and thousands more true ghost stories in the Castle of Spirits library. Links: Voices in the Wardrobe (sub...

Paranormal lore is rife with tales of haunted objects, and in this episode we dig deep into the historical record to cover four cases of physical items said to be possessed of the supernatural, including: a doll that requires frequent haircuts, a mirror that reflects the faces of its past, a painting that emits the voice of a weeping man, and a positively homicidal three-hundred-year-old chair. Pl...

Take a detour into the unknown with four true paranormal stories featuring vanishing hitchhikers and a phantom car. "The Lady in White" terrifies a group of travelers. A "Ghostly Hitch-Hiker" marks the anniversary of his death by catching a ride home. "The Hitchhiker Who Wasn't There" makes an appearance on a desert highway. And a man's encounter with a &quo...

From Resurrection Mary to the phantom of Blue Bell Hill, the phenomenon of vanishing hitchhikers dates back hundreds of years. And while folklorists insist the stories are only urban legends born of fertile imaginations, there is no shortage of accounts from credible people relating first-person encounters with mysterious roadside entities. In this episode of the Castle of Spirits paranormal podca...

An unearthly cry heralds the death of a matriarch in "A Banshee in Our Family." A married couple must choose between flying bullets and paranormal activity in "Haunted Apartment in Hollywood." And a man channels his inner Ambrose Bierce to document his encounter with a mysterious childlike being in "Visitations or Manifestations?" Stories: A Banshee In Our Family (sub...

Some call Hollywood the city of broken dreams. But if urban legend is to be believed, it's really the land of restless souls and unforgiving curses. In this episode of the Castle of Spirits Podcast, we cast the spotlight on four true stories—the ghost of the Hollywood sign, James Dean's "Little Bastard," the haunting of Pickfair estate, and Jean Harlow's cursed home—that m...

A levitating girlfriend puts the kibosh on long-term love in "The Haunting of Sara." A teenage boy learns that "Betsy the Seldom-Seen Ghost" isn't as docile as he's been led to believe. And a group of spook hunters accidentally summon a screaming demon in "Ouija Board Smoke." Settle down, kill the lights, and listen in as the Ghostkeepers read three all-new...

The name Amityville literally translates to “friendship village”—but because of the tragic murders that took place in that Long Island community in 1974, and because of the bestselling book and blockbuster movie that followed, that name has taken on a definition with decidedly sinister connotations. Now, when people hear “Amityville,” they think “horror.” But is that association warranted? Was the...

In "Headless Ghost," college students pay a visit to a neighborhood apparition who's all shoulders. A motorist plays a game of chase with the "Summerville Light." And two friends have a close encounter with a ghostly cemetery globe in "The Blue Light." Ghostkeepers Vince and Jane crack open the Castle of Spirits ghost story archive to bring you three true stories...