The Dark Folio

In the spring of 1897, a Pennsylvania newspaper began reporting something strange in the woods of Potter County. It stood upright. It reportedly beat its chest, screamed like a panther, jumped extraordinary distances—and, according to one witness, had enormous tusks. The Potter Enterprise gave the creature a name: the Potter County Nondescript. But even while the story was unfolding, people were q...

In 1891, a passenger train plunged from Bostian Bridge near Statesville, North Carolina, leaving behind one of the region's most devastating railroad disasters. Fifty years later, according to local legend, a woman witnessed the entire wreck happen again. She heard the whistle, saw the train fall, and encountered a mysterious railroad employee who wanted to know the time. But there's a problem wit...

Villisca Axe Murder House | True Crime Mystery & Phantom of the Rails In 1912, eight people were brutally murdered in the Moore family home in Villisca, Iowa. But was this horrific crime an isolated tragedy—or part of a chilling pattern of axe murders across the Midwest? In this episode of The Dark Folio, we explore: The haunting details of the Villisca Axe Murder House Similar murders in Monm...

In 1872, the Mary Celeste was found sailing the Atlantic without a single person aboard—but the evidence suggests her captain, family, and crew didn't simply vanish. They left the ship. So what convinced ten people to abandon a vessel that was still capable of sailing? May opens the file on the real Mary Celeste mystery, the theories involving water, alcohol and a missing lifeboat, and the lat...

Ships vanished. Five Navy planes disappeared. And somewhere along the way, the Bermuda Triangle became one of the most famous unexplained mysteries in modern history. May opens the file on Flight 19, the USS Cyclops, the rise of the Bermuda Triangle legend, and the books, television shows, movies—and even board games—that made an entire generation wonder what was happening out there. Some mysterie...

On August 21, 1955, a terrified family fled their farmhouse in Kelly, Kentucky, and arrived at the Hopkinsville Police Station with an unbelievable story. For hours, they claimed strange, small creatures with glowing eyes and long arms had surrounded their home. Gunfire didn't seem to stop them. They appeared at windows, moved around the property—and, perhaps most unsettling of all, seemed con...

Hey my kindred spirits, it’s May, and welcome back to your creepy little coffee break. This week marks exactly one year since we opened the pages of The Dark Folio. Right now, we are sitting just 63 plays away from hitting 1,000 total downloads. If you’ve enjoyed our trips to Roopkund Lake or hunting the Beast of Bray Road, I have a tiny anniversary favor to ask. Pick your favorite past episode, h...

Every castle has its secrets. But Belhurst Castle, perched above the dark waters of Seneca Lake in upstate New York, has one that refuses to stay buried. She is Isabella — a beautiful opera singer who fled her old life for a forbidden love, only to meet her end in a tunnel meant to save her. Tonight, The Dark Folio revisits her story: the desperate escape, the collapsed passage, and the white-gown...

Hey everyone — just a quick heads-up before we begin. Today's story involves a real historical murder. Nothing is graphic, but it does deal with some dark themes, including violence and crime. If you're listening with younger kids, you may want to preview this one first. You know your family best. Description: In 1932, a woman was found dead in her Stockholm apartment — and the details wer...

In April 1973, a quiet town in southern Illinois became the center of one of America's strangest cryptid encounters. When 10-year-old Greg Garrett claimed he was attacked by a mysterious creature, few believed him. But just thirty minutes later, Henry McDaniel opened his front door and came face-to-face with something he would never forget—a bizarre three-legged creature with glowing pink eyes...

 On December 29th, 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 went down in the Florida Everglades, killing 101 people. But for the crews who flew the aircraft that came after it… the tragedy wasn't over. In this Ghost File, we dig into one of the most documented paranormal cases in aviation history — the sightings of Captain Robert Loft and Flight Engineer Don Repo aboard other Eastern Air Lines jets,...

Deep in the Indian Himalayas, at over 16,000 feet above sea level, lies Roopkund — a small glacial lake with a gruesome secret. Every summer, when the ice melts, hundreds of human skeletons emerge from the water's edge. Discovered by a British forest ranger in 1942, the remains sparked decades of debate: Japanese soldiers? Victims of a medieval plague? A cursed royal pilgrimage? Then DNA analysis...

For decades, drivers on a quiet rural road outside Elkhorn, Wisconsin have reported seeing something they can’t explain. Tall. Upright. Wolf-like. Known as The Beast of Bray Road , this eerie figure has been described by multiple eyewitnesses since the late 1980s. Journalists documented the accounts, but no physical evidence was ever found. In this episode of The Dark Folio , we explore: • The ear...

Step aboard one of the most haunted ships in the world—the RMS Queen Mary. Once a glamorous ocean liner and later a WWII “Grey Ghost,” this legendary vessel now rests in Long Beach… but many say something on board never found rest. In this episode, May takes you deep inside the ship’s chilling history: • The tragic death behind Door 13 • The infamous Room B340 and its decades‑long closure • The my...

Five men leave a basketball game on a cold February night in 1978. They have plans for the next morning. Families waiting. Lives carefully mapped out. But they never make it home. What follows becomes one of the strangest unsolved mysteries in American history — a case involving a snowbound mountain road, a mysterious abandoned car, and questions that still haunt investigators decades later. In th...

In November 2007, a Fresno homeowner captured something impossible on security footage—two legless creatures walking through his yard. No arms. No bodies. Just pants... that walked. This is the true story of the Fresno Nightcrawlers, the cryptid that went from terrifying one man so badly he wouldn't leave his house, to becoming the internet's most beloved monster. We investigate the origin...

Step inside one of Arizona’s most haunted hotels in this chilling episode of The Dark Folio . We travel to historic Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff , nestled on Route 66 , where guests and staff report eerie encounters, unexplained knocks, phantom footsteps, and lingering spirits from the past. From the infamous Room 220 “Meat Man” and the rocking chair ghost in Room 305 , to the tragic murders in...

There's a moment every year where time feels thin—and for centuries, people believed what you did in that moment could shape everything that followed. In this episode of The Dark Folio, we explore New Year's folklore from around the world: the dangerous midnight hour, why you should never clean on New Year's Day, the eerie tradition of First-Footing, and why people ate specific foods t...

Not every visitor of the season wears red. Some wear horns… and carry bells through the winter night. Full Description: Step into the snow-covered shadows of Christmas as The Dark Folio explores the true folklore of Krampus , the horned figure who walks beside Saint Nicholas in Alpine legend. In this winter episode, host May unravels the ancient origins of Krampus, from pagan winter spirits to Kra...

The Sodder Children disappearance is one of America’s most disturbing unsolved mysteries. On Christmas Eve 1945, a house fire destroyed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. When the ashes cooled, five of the Sodder children were missing—and no remains were ever found. In this episode of The Dark Folio , host May explores the eerie details of the Sodder Children case:• The fire th...

Mercy Brown: The Last Vampire of New England | The Dark Folio Ghost File In 1892, a Rhode Island community exhumed 19-year-old Mercy Brown, believing she was a vampire feeding on her family from beyond the grave. What they found in her coffin sparked international scandal and may have reached the desk of Bram Stoker as he wrote Dracula. Tonight on The Dark Folio, we uncover the true story of tuber...

Step into the shadowed beginnings of American Spiritualism as May opens the Dark Ledger on the Fox Sisters , the teenage girls whose mysterious “spirit knocks” ignited a nationwide movement. From the haunted Hydesville farmhouse to their sold-out séance demonstrations, the sisters reshaped how a generation thought about ghosts, grief, and the great beyond. Were the Fox Sisters gifted mediums? Clev...

FULL SHOW NOTES WITH SOURCES Welcome to The Dark Folio — your 15-20-minute dive into eerie folklore, haunted places, and strange true stories. This episode:The Loveland Frogman: Ohio's Most Bizarre Cryptid | Monster File In 1972, two police officers in Loveland, Ohio encountered something impossible: a 4-foot tall frog-like creature walking on two legs. But the story began decades earlier—and it's...

Haunted Biltmore: The Vanderbilt Ghosts That Never Left America's Largest Mansion | The Dark Folio Step inside America's largest home—where elegance meets the unexplained. The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina isn't just a stunning 250-room mansion built by George Vanderbilt in 1895—it's one of the most haunted places in America. In this episode of The Dark Folio, we exp...

Pull up a blanket, light a candle, and join May for A Cozy Halloween Night with The Dark Folio . In this special Dear Darklings episode, May shares her favorite fall memories — from Gen X trick-or-treating adventures and homemade costumes to haunted sleepovers, Ouija boards, and the Halloween movies that still give her chills. It’s a nostalgic, story-filled evening of spooky fun, retro vibes, and...