HOW TO CREATE AN URBAN LEGEND: From Campfire Tales to True Crime, The Psychology Behind Our Terrors
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Episode Description
From Slender Man to Bloody Mary, discover the dark psychology behind urban legends and the real murders, sightings, and crimes they've inspired.
Donate or learn more about our OVERCOMING THE DARKNESS campaign: https://weirddarkness.com/hope
IN THIS EPISODE: From monsters to ghosts, some scary urban legends and myths have been spooking out the masses for years — and for good reason, as they have backstories based on real figures and events. From Candyman to Slenderman, we’ll look at a few of the most terrifying urban legends that are based on true tales, and we’ll look into what it takes to create an urban legend of these magnitudes. (The True Stories Behind Terrifying Urban Legends) *** Unidentified Flying Objects have been around much longer than Roswell. Four centuries ago, before flying vehicles were known to even be possible, ancient Russia had quite a shock when they looked into the sky. (The Robozero Lake UFO of 1663) *** In St. James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia there is a grave that people say began to weep tears of blood when they got too close. (The Halloween Legend of Mary Meinert’s Grave) *** A man believes he hears the sound of a car crash – but it shouldn’t be impossible from where he lives. (The Unexplained Sound of a Crash) *** While serving a life sentence for the murder of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener, Lester Eubanks was granted a trip to an Ohio mall — then he vanished without a trace. (The Escape of Lester Eubanks)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:01:10.683 = Show Open
00:03:27.505 = True Stories Behind Terrifying Urban Legends
00:26:38.074 = ***(Possible Ad Break Insertion)
00:52:42.931 = ***What Makes An Urban Legend
01:06:16.516 = The Robozero Lake UFO of 1663
01:15:54.623 = ***Halloween Legend of Mary Meinert’s Grave
01:20:26.196 = Unexplained Sound of a Crash
01:24:24.135 = Escape of Lester Eubanks
01:34:30.779 = Show Close
*** = Chapter starts after ad break inserted at this time stamp
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The True Stories Behind Terrifying Urban Legends” by Marco Margaritoff for All That’s Interesting: https://tinyurl.com/y65pg596 and Jake Rossen for Mental Floss: https://tinyurl.com/yy8w7d56
“What Makes an Urban Legend” by David Robson for BBC.com: https://tinyurl.com/y44qhtxo
“The Robozero Lake UFO of 1663” by A. Sutherland for Message to Eagle: https://tinyurl.com/y6zh7fct
“The Halloween Legend of Mary Meinert’s Grave” by Jessica Ferri for The Line Up: https://tinyurl.com/yyrlku7u
“The Unexplained Sound of a Crash” by Ellen Lloyd for Ancient Pages: https://tinyurl.com/y6fyh9ae
“The Escape of Lester Eubanks” by Marco Margaritoff for All That’s Interesting: https://tinyurl.com/y4yvnfff
=====(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 26, 2020
PRINT VERSION (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/CreateAnUrbanLegend
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.
#WeirdDarkness #UrbanLegends #TrueCrime #SlenderMan #ScaryStories #Creepypasta #TrueHorrorStories #Paranormal #UnsolvedMysteries #HorrorStories
Donate or learn more about our OVERCOMING THE DARKNESS campaign: https://weirddarkness.com/hope
IN THIS EPISODE: From monsters to ghosts, some scary urban legends and myths have been spooking out the masses for years — and for good reason, as they have backstories based on real figures and events. From Candyman to Slenderman, we’ll look at a few of the most terrifying urban legends that are based on true tales, and we’ll look into what it takes to create an urban legend of these magnitudes. (The True Stories Behind Terrifying Urban Legends) *** Unidentified Flying Objects have been around much longer than Roswell. Four centuries ago, before flying vehicles were known to even be possible, ancient Russia had quite a shock when they looked into the sky. (The Robozero Lake UFO of 1663) *** In St. James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia there is a grave that people say began to weep tears of blood when they got too close. (The Halloween Legend of Mary Meinert’s Grave) *** A man believes he hears the sound of a car crash – but it shouldn’t be impossible from where he lives. (The Unexplained Sound of a Crash) *** While serving a life sentence for the murder of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener, Lester Eubanks was granted a trip to an Ohio mall — then he vanished without a trace. (The Escape of Lester Eubanks)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:01:10.683 = Show Open
00:03:27.505 = True Stories Behind Terrifying Urban Legends
00:26:38.074 = ***(Possible Ad Break Insertion)
00:52:42.931 = ***What Makes An Urban Legend
01:06:16.516 = The Robozero Lake UFO of 1663
01:15:54.623 = ***Halloween Legend of Mary Meinert’s Grave
01:20:26.196 = Unexplained Sound of a Crash
01:24:24.135 = Escape of Lester Eubanks
01:34:30.779 = Show Close
*** = Chapter starts after ad break inserted at this time stamp
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“The True Stories Behind Terrifying Urban Legends” by Marco Margaritoff for All That’s Interesting: https://tinyurl.com/y65pg596 and Jake Rossen for Mental Floss: https://tinyurl.com/yy8w7d56
“What Makes an Urban Legend” by David Robson for BBC.com: https://tinyurl.com/y44qhtxo
“The Robozero Lake UFO of 1663” by A. Sutherland for Message to Eagle: https://tinyurl.com/y6zh7fct
“The Halloween Legend of Mary Meinert’s Grave” by Jessica Ferri for The Line Up: https://tinyurl.com/yyrlku7u
“The Unexplained Sound of a Crash” by Ellen Lloyd for Ancient Pages: https://tinyurl.com/y6fyh9ae
“The Escape of Lester Eubanks” by Marco Margaritoff for All That’s Interesting: https://tinyurl.com/y4yvnfff
=====(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 26, 2020
PRINT VERSION (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/CreateAnUrbanLegend
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.
#WeirdDarkness #UrbanLegends #TrueCrime #SlenderMan #ScaryStories #Creepypasta #TrueHorrorStories #Paranormal #UnsolvedMysteries #HorrorStories