What’s scarier than Michael Myers? Real people mistaken for Halloween decorations.

This Halloween, Dark Academy Pod is exploring the monsters we see on screen, and the ones who walk among us.

First, we’re returning to Haddonfield to revisit John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), the slasher classic that gave us Michael Myers and one unforgettable Halloween night.

Then the horror gets real. We’ll explore the chilling Pocatello babysitter murders and the disturbing case of Gary Alvord, before closing with three real-life cases in which people’s bodies were mistaken for Halloween decorations. Because sometimes, the most horrifying stories aren’t fiction, and the truth is far stranger than a movie.

If you love classic horror, unsettling true crime, and stories that stay with you after the credits roll, pull up a seat, and join us by the fire

Welcome back to the Library, Inductees. Class is in session.

Content warning: Discussions of murder, violence, sexual assault, and death.

Welcome to the Dark Academy Summer Drive-In.

Tonight’s feature is The Lost Boys. A movie filled with neon lights, motorcycles, leather jackets, and vampires

But Santa Carla isn’t entirely fictional.

The real Santa Cruz, California, has a darker history of its own. Once called the “Murder Capital of the World,” the city was home to notorious killers including Edmund Kemper, Herbert Mullin, and John Linley Frazier.

Then we’ll step back into the movie and visit the real places where The Lost Boys was filmed, from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to the abandoned location used for Grandpa’s house. We’ll look at what locations survived the devastating 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Our Final Fright takes us all over the Santa Cruz area to explore the myths and legends that round out the dark atmosphere of this California town: the Mystery Spot, haunted Brookdale Lodge, the mysterious Respini Mansion, the Lady in White, and the creepy lore surrounding the tunnels beneath the boardwalk.

A deadly hit-and-run. A fisherman with a hook. A killer who refuses to let the past stay buried.

Tonight at Dark Academy, we’re celebrating the Fourth of July with a ‘90s horror classic: I Know What You Did Last Summer. We revisit the coastal slasher that helped define a generation, discuss what still works, what makes us yell at the screen, and why the Hookman remains one of horror’s most recognizable killers.

Then we examine the heartbreaking true story of Tony Parsons, a charity cyclist whose fatal hit-and-run led to a cold blooded cover-up.

Next, we head to Virginia to untangle the still-mysterious Colonial Parkway Murders. Recent DNA evidence identified fisherman Alan Wade Wilmer as the killer in several cases, but lingering questions and unsolved murders continue to fuel speculation that another predator may still be part of the story.

Finally, we gather around the campfire for our Final Fright and trace the evolution of The Hookman urban legend. From 1940s Lovers’ Lane warnings to campfire tales, Hollywood slashers, and the age of AI, why has this story survived for nearly 80 years?

So grab a flashlight, stay with your friends, and whatever you do…

Don’t stop on a lonely road.

In this episode of Dark Academy, we gather in the Midnight Library to discuss all things Exorcist. The whole show is the Exorcist.

Join me as we journey from the ancient ruins of Iraq and the legend of the Mesopotamian demon Pazuzu to the streets of Georgetown, where a young girl’s possession would forever change the horror genre.

But the story doesn't end there.

The movie was based on real events. A real demon possession? You may ask. Yes! Or so they say. We’ll explore the claims, the exorcisms, the skeptical explanations, and the events that blurred the line between faith, fear, folklore, and reality.

Then step into the resulting American fear of the occult, demon possession, ouija boards and the rise of the Satanic Panic

Finally, we'll close with the strange and unsettling stories surrounding the production of The Exorcist itself. From mysterious fires and on-set injuries to deaths connected to the cast and crew, many came to believe the film was cursed long before audiences ever sat down to watch it.

Was Roland Doe truly possessed?

Did The Exorcist unleash a new era of fear?

And was the production really cursed?

Grab your candle and join me in the Midnight Library circle as we explore one of the darkest stories in horror history.

Topics include: The Exorcist, Roland Doe, Ronald Hunkeler, exorcisms, Pazuzu, demonology, Catholic exorcism rituals, Satanic Panic, paranormal folklore, horror history, and alleged curses.

Step into the woods… actually, don’t.

In this episode of Dark Academy, we gather in the Midnight Library to explore The Village, a film where fear isn’t just a feeling… it’s a system. A system designed to protect. To control. To keep people safe…

From “Those We Do Not Speak Of” to the quiet authority of those who claim to know what’s best, The Village forces us to ask a chilling question:

Can we trust the people who decide what we’re allowed to know?

We start with the film itself—its tension, its love story, its carefully constructed fear, and unravel the deeper horror beneath it: not monsters in the woods, but the stories we’re told to keep us in line.

Then we step beyond the screen.

Into the lies we tell children to keep them safe.

Into folklore and superstition designed to control behavior.

Into real-world beliefs that blurred the line between protection… and harm.

From childhood warnings to cultural traditions, and even true crime rooted in fear and belief, this episode explores how easily we accept what we’re told, especially when it feels like it’s for our own good.

Because sometimes the scariest thing isn’t the unknown…

…it’s trusting the wrong voice in the dark.

So the question is:

Would you rather know the truth…

or feel safe believing the lie?

Welcome back to Dark Academy.

Grab your candle.

Something is knocking in the woods.

In this episode of Dark Academy, we step beyond the firelight and into one of the most enduring mysteries in modern folklore, Bigfoot.

From the forests of Bluff Creek to whispered encounters deep in the wilderness, sightings of a massive, human-like creature have been reported for decades. Footprints appear overnight. Strange sounds echo through the trees. And those who claim to have seen it are left with more questions than answers.

But Bigfoot isn’t just a creature… it’s a test of belief.

Why do so many people accept something that has never been proven? What does it actually take for us to believe the unbelievable?

Tonight, we explore eyewitness accounts, famous evidence, psychological patterns of belief, and the theories that keep this legend alive—from scientific explanations to the truly unexplainable.

So grab a blanket, get close to the fire…

and listen carefully.

Because something might be listening too.

Come join me by the fireplace.

In this episode, we return to Camp Crystal Lake, right in the middle of winter, to revisit Friday the 13th and unravel why this date still gives us chills.

We start with a nostalgic slasher classic: summer camp counselors, bad decisions, and a mother’s revenge. We'll dig into why this simple film still works—and why campfire stories are so popular.

From there, we step off the screen and into the fear itself.

Why does Friday the 13th feel cursed? Is it myth, history, coincidence, or something darker? We explore the origins of the superstition, from Norse mythology and biblical symbolism to the Knights Templar and the psychology behind paraskevidekatriaphobia. We examine real-world crimes associated with the date, including the haunting murder of Kitty Genovese and the ripple effects that helped create 911. We even look at disasters, defiance of superstition, and the people who dared to mock bad luck itself.

We close out with a Final Fright rooted in summer camp folklore. Ghosts in the woods, phantom cabins, porcelain dolls (absolutely not), and the real-life tragedy that may have inspired one of horror’s most iconic stories.

Is Friday the 13th truly cursed…
or do we just keep giving it reasons to be?

Join Kristin in the Dark Academy Library as we unwrap the chilling legacy of Black Christmas. The cult classic that gave us our first final girl and killer POV just in time for the holidays. After we explore the urban legends and true crime story that influenced the movie, we'll go to another snowy location where a killer known as the Vampire Rapist prowled. Also, Christmas is the most wonderful time of year, but not for everyone. We'll discuss the fear some have in our final freight. So grab your blankets, and join me by the fire for some dark and chilling tales.

Chapters

0:00 Intro Story

4:35 Warning

5:15 Welcome

5:50 Black Christmas

8:00 Origin Story

11:01 Vampire Rapist

18:43 Final Freight - The Fear of Christmas

20:17 Farewells