MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
Episodes
No Way Out Vol. VII
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast features 3 stories that involve people who were trapped – with “no way out.” The audio from all three stories has been pulled ...
Listen Now: Flesh and Code
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Travis never thought he’d meet someone like Lily Rose. She was kind, passionate, beautiful. The woman of his dreams. There was just one small detail...
Tinseltown (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In December 2007, a lab technician sat at a table covered in dozens of evidence bags. The technician wasn’t sure where to start, because the bags di...
Follow the Leader
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 horror stories about manipulative people who twisted others’ faith into fear. The audio from both of these stories ...
Bad Blood (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a chilly night in March 2012, a wiry, 56-year old man with a patchy beard trudged through a backyard in rural Iowa with his coat pulled tight, drag...
Diagnosis Vol. III
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 medical horror stories. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just...
The Body in the Bathtub (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the morning of January 13, 2010, two twin girls nicknamed Tas and Jas stood at the kitchen counter in their home in Conyers, Georgia, writing notes...
La Mussara
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s story is about a group of friends who travel to this supposedly haunted abandoned town up in the mountains in Spain, and when they get there...
MrBallen and the Art of Storytelling
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Start listening to Audible today when you sign up for a free 30-day trial at https://www.audible.com/mrballenJoin my sister and me as we dive into the...
Medical Mysteries - "She Haunts Me"
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.In the late 1800s, a young man in rural New England comes down with a deadly illness kn...
Forsaken Mission
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 military horror stories. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has been ...
Death of a Dentist (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One day in the spring of 2006, a detective stood next to a refrigerator in her police station, holding a little container full of evidence. She knew t...
Stranger Than Fiction Vol. X
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And today’s podcast features 3 stories that demonstrate that. The audio from all three stories has bee...
You Can't Risk It (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special bonus episode of "You Can't"Today, I’m going to tell two stories about how an idea that might seem brilliant in the moment…...
The Dog and the Golden Gun (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a cold winter night in 1999, a man drove down a dark street towards his house in a small Iowa town. Suddenly, he saw something glowing in his ...
The Discovery
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories about terrifying discoveries people made that would change their lives forever. The audio from all three stor...
The Red Sandals (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1984, in a small city in northeastern China, a security guard stood outside of a warehouse, working an overnight shift. The guard heard a nois...
Deadly Catch
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 horrifying stories that both take place on the open sea. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from ou...
The Man Who Knocks At Windows (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A seven-year-old boy cowered in the closet of his family’s suburban home in Florida. He was buried beneath jackets and sports gear, listening to scr...
Closer to God
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every now and again, I’ll find a story that’s just really upsetting to me. Now, obviously a lot of the stories I cover are all quite distressing. ...
Ballen Studios Presents: A Twist of History
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The course of history never follows a straight line. These are the epic stories that have shaped the world we now live in. From Ballen Studios, j...
Skin Deep (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a summer morning in 2007, a woman was working in the printing shop she owned in a suburban strip mall. Suddenly, she heard a loud banging noise com...
We Are Not Alone Vol. II
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories that reveal we may not be alone in this universe. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our m...
You Can't Read This Book (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special bonus episode of "You Can't"One night in 2020, a woman named Beth Van Oss paced back and forth in a small room in the house she...
Medical Mysteries - "The Carancas Curse"
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.In September 2007, a meteor strike leaves a massive crater in the high Peruvian desert,...
Unbelievable
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 unbelievable true stories. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which...
The Piranha (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2011, a police officer spotted a woman on a busy street in Japan, and he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He looked at a photo on his phone, ...
Camping Horror Stories Vol. V
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 camping horror stories. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has be...
The Promise Keeper (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a night in 1984, a college freshman listened to the music blaring through a night club. She grabbed her date’s hand and rushed out onto the dance...
Defies Explanation
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 stories about unexplainable phenomena. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube cha...
Death of a Salesman (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a June night in 1997, Kathy Peters was asleep at her home in Mirror Lake, a quiet neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida. Around 3:45 AM, she was awaken...
The Job Offer
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s story comes out of China, and it is a brutal story. There’s just no way to tell it without being sort of graphic, so with that in mind, th...
The Good Neighbors (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It was a frigid December day in a small logging town in Maine, roughly an hour’s drive from the US-Canadian border. And despite the falling snow, Ch...
Stranger Than Fiction Vol. IX
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And today’s podcast features 3 stories that demonstrate that. The audio from all three stories has bee...
Listen Now: Don't Cross Kat
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kat Torres has the insta-perfect life. She is rich, gorgeous and not ashamed to share it. Her posts about witchcraft and “alien baths” drew in ove...
You Can't Cross That Line (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special bonus episode of "You Can't"I’m going to tell two stories that prove that no matter what we think science can tell us about t...
Ice and Fire (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a night in March of 2017, a bonfire lit up the yard at a house party in Youngstown, Ohio. A group of friends in their 20s and 30s sat around the fi...
Unsolved
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 borderline unbelievable stories that remain a mystery to this day. The audio from both of these stories has been pull...
The Crawlspace (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a cold winter day in 2013, police officers rushed through the dense woods outside of a small town in Kentucky. They weaved their way through the tr...
Medical Mysteries - "Blood Feast"
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.One night in 1944, over 300 patients at a mental hospital in Oregon become violently si...
The Business of Death (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2002, two days after Halloween, a police officer stepped out of a house in the small town of Navasota, Texas. He shielded his eyes from the early m...
Open Sea
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 sailing horror stories. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is ...
Listen Now: Scam Factory
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You know those messages that you get all the time, the ones that pop up out of nowhere? They could be real, but something about them seems fishy. You ...
Murder on Steroids (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a summer night In 2013, newlyweds Joe and Olga Connell walked into their condominium in Wilmington, Delaware. Joe flipped on the light and sat...
Vanished
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories about people who vanished without a trace. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our mai...
You Can't Leave That Way (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special bonus episode of "You Can't"Today's story is about a woman who goes missing from a psychiatric hospital in 1900. Now at first, ...
Helium Road (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a night in 2013, a woman in her 30s named Erin heard loud banging on her front door. She opened the door and saw her best friend Robin standin...
Under the Bricks
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s story, you very likely will at some point go, “Okay, I know where this is going." But you won’t. Because the ending to this story is ...
Ballen Studios Presents: Late Nights with Nexpo
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Ballen Studios, welcome to Late Nights with Nexpo, the official podcast of YouTube creator, Nexpo, featuring the most bizarre and chilling true s...
The Mutant (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a day in 2001, a veteran homicide detective put on his gloves and stepped into a cluttered bedroom. He’d been working a murder case for mont...
The Creature
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 horror stories about people’s run-ins with unidentified beings. The audio from all three stories has been pulled fr...
Goodbye Uncle Jack (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Late one afternoon in the summer of 2014, a pawnshop owner was updating his inventory logs when the bell above the front door jingled. A young couple ...
Something is in the Woods
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 horrifying stories that will make you wonder who or what may be lurking in the forest. The audio from all three stori...
Sick Day (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a morning in 2002, a man in Indianapolis, Indiana woke up in a cold sweat. His hands shook as he tried to block out the images he’d seen in ...
Stranger Than Fiction Vol. VIII
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And today’s podcast features 3 stories that demonstrate that. The audio from all three stories has bee...
You Can't Run From This (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special bonus episode of "You Can't"I’m going to tell two stories about two very different haunted places. And even though these stor...
Medical Mysteries - "A Rare Bird"
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.In 2020, a career-driven young woman in Ohio begins to hallucinate strange sounds and f...
Do Not Enter
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories about places people were never meant to venture. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from o...
Texas Shootout (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On an early morning in 2018, a woman in her 50s stood in the doorway of her bedroom in Austin, TX – firing off shots from her .357 revolver into the...
The Witching Hour
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 stories about people who have sinister intentions. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main...
A Dead Body for Christmas (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Christmas morning of 2010, snow fell on a quiet suburb in South West England. But just after 9:00 a.m., the quiet was shattered by the sound of pol...
Diagnosis Vol. II
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 medical horror stories. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just...
The Butcher (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At 3:45 a.m. on a morning in 2003, police cars raced down a street in a small, sleepy English village. A Detective Inspector stepped out of his c...
For the Love of Money
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 stories that prove that money is the root of all evil. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our ...
You Can't Hide Here (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special bonus episode of our new format called, "You Can't"On a dark fall night in 2010, two detectives stood in the street in an upscale su...
Trick-or Treat-or-Die (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Halloween night in 1957, a group of children ran towards a brand new house in a suburban neighborhood outside of Los Angeles, California. This hous...
Pure Evil
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 acts of pure evil. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just call...
The Stranger (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the fall of 2003, two detectives were in the middle of a year-long homicide case, involving the brutal murder of a 19 year-old girl. And for the fi...
No Way Out Vol. VI
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast features 3 stories that involve people who were trapped – with “no way out.” The audio from all three stories has been pu...
A Shot in the Dark (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a spring morning in 2017, a mother of three in Evansville, Indiana logged onto Facebook and noticed a story in her news feed that made her heart st...
Medical Mysteries - "A Change in Fortune"
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.On a hot September day in 1986, a family in Goiania, Brazil, suddenly begin feeling sic...
One of Their Own (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a fall night in 1987, a young woman was walking down the middle of a dark street in a rural Kentucky town. She heard a car turn onto the stree...
The Ingenues
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Several years ago, prank videos were huge on YouTube. Basically, a Prank YouTube channel would go out in public, and they would do something to some u...
Head for the Hills (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In January of 2012, a police truck parked on a trail in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California. A member of the K-9 Unit opened the door, and a poli...
The City of Death
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of my former teammates from back when I was a Navy Seal had one of the most insane stories you will ever hear. He gave me permission to tell his s...
Murder on the Answering Machine (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a fall night in 1998, a woman walked into her kitchen after being out all day and tossed her keys onto the counter. She saw the light on her answer...
Stranger Than Fiction Vol. VII
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And today’s podcast features 3 stories that demonstrate that. The audio from all three stories has bee...
Square Dance of Death (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a cold December night in 2013, a 59-year-old widow stood on stage at a square dance club in Arkansas, watching some of her closest friends dance to...
An Unforgettable Fare
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s story is a good old fashioned spooky story. It’s about a missing person in Taiwan, and it takes a totally bizarre turn, and I will say mos...
The Lipstick on the Wall (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a summer morning in 2001, a woman in Alabama woke up in a cold sweat – like she’d just had a nightmare. But the woman knew what she saw while s...
Ghost Town
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 stories about ghost towns. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which ...
In the Weeds (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a Monday afternoon in 1986, medical staff at a clinic in San Antonio, Texas were starting to get worried, because their most respected nurse had no...
Clinical Lycanthropy
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The crime at the center of today’s story is considered one of the most disturbing and heinous of all time.Story name, preview & link to original...
Listen Now - REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Behind the closed doors of government offices and military compounds, are hidden stories and buried secrets from the darkest corners of history. Each ...
Big Bang (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a fall evening in 1996, a young detective sped through the streets of Tucson, Arizona towards an upscale country club. All he knew was that so...
From Beyond
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 2 spooky stories about messages from beyond. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube...
Underworld (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a Monday afternoon in December 2001, a pair of police officers walked in the side door of a big old farmhouse in the woods in Loudoun County, Virgi...
Diagnosis
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 medical horror stories. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just...
Swap Meet (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In April 2009, in a crowded shopping center in broad daylight, a young woman was walking to her car, when suddenly a strange-looking man came out of s...
Monsters Among Us Vol. III
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories that will make you wonder how many monsters you may have encountered in your life. The audio from all th...
Medical Mysteries - "Common Ground"
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.A boy in Minnesota is rushed to the emergency room with one of the worst food poisoning...
Daydreamers
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our lives, all of us have to make really difficult decisions from time to time. Sometimes we make the right call, and other times we don’t. Today...
The Phantom of the Met (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a summer night in 1980, the audience in New York’s world famous Metropolitan Opera House rose to their feet and applauded at the end of an intern...
Butterfly Effect Vol. II
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories that all demonstrate how one seemingly small action can have massive ripple effects on the future. The a...
The Bounty Hunter (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the day after Thanksgiving in 1998, a police officer responded to a 9-1-1 call at an apartment in a Florida beach town. But the 9-1-1 call had been...
Into the Wilderness
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 4 stories that will remind you to take caution before your next outdoor adventure. The audio from all four stories has ...
Murder by the Slice (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a spring night in 2009, a middle aged married couple was closing up the local pizza place they ran in a small Virginia mountain town. The husb...
'Til Death Do Us Part
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 horrifying stories about couple’s romantic vacations. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our mai...
Coach Killer (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a February night in a secluded suburban neighborhood, a man sat down to eat at his dining room table. When suddenly, he heard a "POP, POP, POP" com...
The Unexplained
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories of missing people that we just can’t explain. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our mai...