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What started as a night when Celts genuinely believed the dead could drag the living into the spirit world, has transformed into children dressed as superheroes demanding fun-size Snickers. What happened?

IN THIS EPISODE: The night is coming. Porch lights and decorations won't change what moves through the darkness on October 31st. Every plastic skeleton dangling from a suburban tree, every polyester witch costume hanging in a store window, every carved pumpkin glowing on a doorstep - they're echoes of something that began long before any of us were born, something older and more terrifying than most people realize.
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00 .000 = Lead-In
00:02:44 .639 = Show Open
00:04:00 .391 = Part One: The Night Between Worlds
00:19:16 .974 = ***Part Two: The Great Candy Panic
00:45:54 .099 = ***Part Three: Hollywood’s Dark Magic
01:06:40 .243 = ***Part Four: Digital Ghosts
01:27:35 .158 = Part Five: American Monsters
01:33:53 .550 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break
PRINT VERSION to READ or SHARE (Includes Resources):
https://weirddarkness.com/HalloweensHeinousHistory

=====(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: October 13, 2025
EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HalloweensHeinousHistory
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.
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