Scary Stories for the Soul

Happy Halloween everyone! The original horror story you’re about to hear is based off of a nightmare I had while researching this Halloween season’s batch of episodes. It’s a nightmare that followed me around for days, before I finally put it down on the page. It’s called “The Haunting of Pemberley Sanitorium.”

Disclaimer: This episode mentions suicide/self-harm.

Louisville, Kentucky is home to many great things. Bourbon, the Kentucky Derby, the largest manufacturing plant of disco balls - you can find it all in Louisville. But this amazing city is also home to what many consider one of the most haunted locations in the world, Waverly Hills Sanitorium and Hospital. *Disclaimer: This episode mentions instances of self-harm and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

In 1968, NBC reporter Bill Baldini walked through the halls of an asylum meant for the “feeble-minded and epileptic" and saw first hand the deplorable conditions that these patients were living in. He would later say that what he witnessed that day stayed with him the remainder of his career. Because the Pennhurst State School and Hospital, popularly known as the Pennhurst Asylum, haunts people, and it continues to do so to this day.

The Trans-Allegheny Insane Asylum in West Virginia is made primarily from blue sandstone, which is often associated with inner calm and overcoming emotional hurtles. But unfortunately, rather than becoming a place known for its positive patient outcomes, the Trans-Allegheny Insane Asylum became the home of the West Virginia Lobotomy Project.

High on a hill in Essex County, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, sit the ruins Overbrook Asylum. Patients were promised care, but what they got instead were unsafe living conditions and trauma that survived even when the asylum itself did not. The ghosts of Overbrook have a story to tell, and it seems as though reducing the building to rubble has not silenced them.

Every spooky season, Scary Stories for the Soul does one episode a week for the month of October, and this month we are focusing our attention on haunted asylums and sanitoriums. To kick off our Halloween season together, we are going to travel to Rolling Hills Asylum in East Bethany, New York. With over 1,700 documented deaths, Rolling Hills Asylum is considered one of the most haunted places in America.

El Silbón is a monster from Latin American folklore who roams the forests of Los LLanos. His whistle is a death omen to any who would hear it. But who was he before he was a dreaded monster? And did he deserve his fate?

One of the most mysterious figures in Hispanic and Latin American folklore is El Charro Negro; a handsome, demonic charro who roams the streets on a black horse, acting as an omen against the power-hungry and greedy. El Charro Negro is associated with the dark side of luxury and excess, and his backstory is a sad, cautionary tale.

La Planchada was a nurse who cared about her work, her patients, and her reputation. Compassion and care were her creed, and it looks as though now, even after her death, she is still nursing the sick back to health. Learn about Mexico's most famous ghost nurse!

Sirens, Selkies, and Mermaids are all mythological creatures that rule the oceans and seas. But where do they come from, and what do they want? Are they all friendly and curious? Or do they have a more sinister agenda when luring us into the water?

The Whaley House in San Diego is one of the most haunted houses in California. Long before the Whaley family lived and died in the home, the spot was an infamous hanging ground where murders and criminals met their end. Was the ground cursed before the Whaley's even got there? And could it have contributed to the tragic events that befell the Whaley family?

DISCLAIMER: This episode mentions suicide and self-harm.

In 1817 the Bell family fell victim to a violent spirits wrath after their daughter, Betsy Bell, became engaged to the love of her life. For years Betsy, and her father John Bell Sr., were physically and verbally abused by the spirit, who seemed to relish in their suffering. And even now, more than 200 years later, historians and paranormal researches are still trying to determine why it happened in the first place.

In 1676, Sister Maria Crocifissa wrote a letter that was never supposed to be read. It didn’t contain embarrassing confessions of love, or unfiltered views on an enemies appearance. No, Sister Maria Crocifissa’s letter contained a message delivered to her while in a state of possession - a message delivered by the Devil himself.

Nestled in a green, forested area of the Ozarks is The 1886 Crescent Hotel - a beautiful, castle-like resort surrounded by a tranquil forests where visitors can enjoy a star-filled view of the night sky. But The 1886 Crescent Hotel has a past so dark that it has been deemed America’s most haunted hotel.

Scary Stories for the Soul presents, “Torment at Cachtice," an original horror story about Katarina Papp, girl who was led to Elizabeth Bathory’s castle under false pretenses and endured indescribable pain.

Between 1590 and 1610, a small village nestled in the heart of Little Carpathia became the hunting ground for one of history’s most prolific serial killers. For the better part of 20 years Elizabeth Bathory, along with a crew of loyal followers, ruthlessly kidnapped, tortured, and murdered young women and girls, earning her the macabre moniker of “The Blood Countess.”

Let’s celebrate 100 episodes with an Espooky collaboration! Cristina, one of the hosts of Espooky Tales, joins us for a discussion about folklore, bonding over horror stories, and everything in between!

In preparation for 100 episodes, enjoy this special re-release of Episode 1 where we discuss the origin story of the Ouija board. The episode also features an original horror story about three girls who messed with a Ouija board, and lived to regret it.

Sometimes horrible things happen in the most mundane of places. The Cecil Hotel is an example of just this. By all intents and purposes, the Cecil should have been a run-of-the-mill hotel with swanky interior and even swankier guests. But a series of unfortunate events would turn this proposed haven for Los Angeles’s elite, into one of the most haunted hotels in the world.

WARNING: This episode mentions instances sexual assault and self-harm. Listener discretion of advised.

Would you give anything to reach your goals? Achieve your musical dreams? Have your desires of fame and talent granted?

Would you give up your soul, for the music?

Some say that Robert Johnson, famed Blues musician, did just - trading his soul to the Devil to become the greatest Blues musician in history.