MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
The Strange, Dark & Mysterious delivered in podcast format.Follow the MrBallen Podcast on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish twice a week—every Monday and Thursday. Prime members can listen to new episodes 1-month early and all episodes ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.
Episodes
The Scheme
Some people will lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead, but today’s podcast features two wild stories where those so-called “master plans” fall apart in the most unexpected ways. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our ma…
The Receipt (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
On the afternoon of March 24, 2006, an employee at a moving truck rental company in Ohio opened his desk drawer and grabbed a wad of cash. It had been a slow day, so the employee was using his downtime to organize a few recent payments. The…
What's in the Basement?
Today’s story is one I told several years back on YouTube, but in 2024 during my live tour, I brought this one back out and gave it a complete overhaul and ended up telling it live, and the audience absolutely loved it.Story name, preview &…
The Late Shift (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
In June of 1980, a car jolted to a stop in a parking lot on the outskirts of a small Utah suburb. The car door opened, a man stepped out into the darkness, and he stumbled across the parking lot towards the large building where he worked. H…
Medical Mysteries - "No Reservations/The Bitter End"
This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.No Reservations:A Spanish marathon runner develops a mysterious obsession with gourmet food. But what seems like an innocent new passion may be more dangerous than he thinks.The…
The Watercooler (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
On a morning in early-1986 in Arizona, someone sat hunched over a desk, furiously writing a letter. And almost every line of this letter included a direct threat of violence this person was going to inflict on the recipient. They kept writi…
A Trail of Questions
Today’s podcast will feature 3 hiking horror stories that are still shrouded in mystery. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has been remastered for today's episode.Story names, previews & link…
Murder and Meditation (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
One September afternoon in 2003, a woman in Tucson, Arizona, heard a knock on her front door and answered it. She was surprised to see a Tucson police detective standing on her front steps, and even more surprised when the detective started…
No Way Out Vol. VII
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 from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today'…
Listen Now: Flesh and Code
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: she wasn’t human.Lily Rose is an AI companion. A digital soulmate designed to be everythin…
Tinseltown (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 didn’t contain the kind of evidence the lab normally tested. They were full of tinsel – which …
Follow the Leader
Today’s podcast will feature 2 horror stories about manipulative people who twisted others’ faith into fear. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been r…
Bad Blood (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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, dragging something heavy behind him. He reached the fence and paused, scanning the darkness to…
Diagnosis Vol. III
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 called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & link…
The Body in the Bathtub (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 back and forth to each other in a little notebook, and giggling. The girls were late for …
La Mussara
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, the town totally lives up to the hype.Story name, preview & link to original YouTube video…
MrBallen and the Art of Storytelling
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 art of storytelling in this never-before-seen Live Podcast Recording Presented by Audible…
Medical Mysteries - "She Haunts Me"
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 known as “the White Death.” When his doctor can’t help, the man’s neighbors propose a bizarr…
Forsaken Mission
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 remastered for today's episode.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -…
Death of a Dentist (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 that what she was about to do represented a breach of protocol – but that wasn’t going to s…
Stranger Than Fiction Vol. X
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And today’s podcast features 3 stories that demonstrate that. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remast…
You Can't Risk It (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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… can quickly turn out to be the worst thing ever.For 100s more stories like these, check out our ma…
The Dog and the Golden Gun (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 headlights, and he slammed on the brakes. He got out of his car. And there, in the lights, he s…
The Discovery
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories about terrifying discoveries people made that would change their lives forever. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has been remastered for today's episod…
The Red Sandals (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 noise coming from some bushes nearby, but he didn’t think much about it. This was a safe town, and …
Deadly Catch
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 our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's…
The Man Who Knocks At Windows (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 screams coming from down the hall. When they stopped, the silence that followed was far worse. …
Closer to God
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. But today’s story, which is about a missing hiker named Mike Turner – it just really upset me.…
Ballen Studios Presents: A Twist of History
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, join us - for the most heart pounding podcast in history. New episodes every Wednesday.Listen no…
Skin Deep (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 coming from somewhere above her. She stopped the printer she was working on so she could hear…
We Are Not Alone Vol. II
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 main YouTube channel and has been remastered for today's episode.Story names, previews & link…
You Can't Read This Book (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 shared with her boyfriend, Mike, in rural Colorado. She dialed Mike’s phone number again, and …
Medical Mysteries - "The Carancas Curse"
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, drawing curiosity seekers from miles around. Shortly after, people from the nearby town o…
Unbelievable
Today’s podcast will feature 3 unbelievable true stories. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & l…
The Piranha (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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, and then back at the woman, it was definitely her. He’d been tasked with finding this woman …
Camping Horror Stories Vol. V
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 been remastered for today's episode.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#…
The Promise Keeper (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 floor. Her first year of college had its ups and downs, but it was nights like these that s…
Defies Explanation
Today’s podcast will feature 2 stories about unexplainable phenomena. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story nam…
Death of a Salesman (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
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 awakened by a strange noise. It was unlike anything Kathy had ever heard – a faint, eerie, rattl…
The Job Offer
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, this is definitely a mature audiences only type of story. That said, it is a fascinating story, …