WEIRD DARKNESS: Paranormal & True Crime
A solo narrative podcast where a professional voice actor performs curated true stories of crime, paranormal legends, and macabre history.
A daily, single-host narrative show where host Darren Marlar performs stories of the strange and macabre. Episodes are a mix of long-form deep dives into paranormal lore, urban legends, and historical mysteries, and shorter '#WeirdDarkNEWS' segments that cover recent, bizarre true-crime events. Marlar also narrates classic horror fiction from authors like H.P. Lovecraft and listener-submitted tales.
“The show's primary distinction is Marlar's professional voice-over delivery, which, combined with sound effects, creates a highly atmospheric and theatrical listening experience. Its daily publishing cadence, mixing long-form tales with short news updates, is also unusual in the genre.”
Who hosts this show
Weird Darkness is a daily podcast created and hosted by professional voice actor Darren Marlar. Since 2015, Marlar has narrated true stories of the paranormal, supernatural, crime, and the unexplained, delivering them in a style reminiscent of classic radio dramas like "The Twilight Zone" or "Unsolved Mysteries". The show began on YouTube before becoming a podcast-first production in 2017, and now publishes seven days a week. It has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the "20 Best Storytellers in Podcasting" by Podcast Business Journal.
Credentials & credits
- Professional Voice Actor
- Named one of the “20 Best Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal
- People's Choice Podcast Awards Finalist (Storyteller/Drama & True Crime)
- Bronze Winner at HEAR NOW Podcast Palooza for narration of “The Tell-Tale Heart”
- Excellence in Broadcasting Award, Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (2014)
Other ventures
- Marlar House (Voiceover Production)
- Syndicated Radio Show
- Substack Newsletter
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01“The Russian Sleep Experiment” Creepypasta, plus 4 TRUE Horrors!Jun 28, 2026 · 44 min
- 02“THE HAUNTER OF THE DARK” by H.P. LOVECRAFT (Classic Horror)Jun 28, 2026 · 1h 07m
- 03
- 04Nancy Guthrie's Ransom Notes Now Tied to Her Abductor | #WeirdDarkNEWSJun 27, 2026 · 6 min
- 05The Jellyfish Drones an F-15 Pilot Saw Before Ejecting Over Iran | #WeirdDarkNEWSJun 27, 2026 · 11 min
- 06DubBot, Dublin's Robot Cop, Retires After Zero Arrests | #WeirdDarkNEWSJun 27, 2026 · 6 min
- 07Whitewater’s Haunted History | Supernatural to Second SalemJun 27, 2026 · 1h 08m
- 08“WHEN THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN” and “THE ALONE SHOW COVERUP” | Horror FictionJun 27, 2026 · 53 min
Notable episodes
- 01“The Russian Sleep Experiment” Creepypasta, plus 4 TRUE Horrors!
Showcases the show's format of blending well-known internet urban legends (creepypasta) with multiple, lesser-known true tales of the strange and paranormal.
- 02The Jellyfish Drones an F-15 Pilot Saw Before Ejecting Over Iran | #WeirdDarkNEWS
An example of a unique, speculative news story presented as a future event, demonstrating the show's willingness to explore fictional and futuristic 'weird news'.
- 03Hiram Carrero Sentenced for Setting a Sleeping Homeless Man on Fire | #WeirdDarkNEWS
A representative example of the short-form '#WeirdDarkNEWS' segment, which provides quick, narrated updates on recent and bizarre true-crime stories.
- 04“THE HAUNTER OF THE DARK” by H.P. LOVECRAFT (Classic Horror)
Highlights the recurring feature of narrating classic public domain horror stories, appealing to fans of literary horror as well as paranormal folklore.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is a solo narrative show that does not feature guest interviews. The host narrates pre-written stories, sometimes citing experts or sources within the narrative, but does not conduct conversations.
This is a solo narrative show with no interviews or guests. Host Darren Marlar uses his deep, resonant voice and deliberate pacing to build suspense and atmosphere. Episodes typically open with the signature greeting, "Welcome, weirdos," and close with the outro, "Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness." Shorter episodes, branded as #WeirdDarkNEWS, focus on a single recent news story.
Signature segments
- · "Welcome, weirdos."
- · "Bolt your doors, lock your windows..."
- · #WeirdDarkNEWS
- · Narration of classic horror fiction
- · Retro Radio (rebroadcasts of old-time radio shows)
Topics covered repeatedly
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast appears to use dynamically inserted advertising and also promotes direct listener support through its 'Official Weirdo' membership on the show's website.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of Weird Darkness?
- The host and creator is Darren Marlar, a professional voice actor.
- Is Weird Darkness still producing new episodes?
- Yes, the podcast publishes new episodes seven days a week.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is a solo narrative podcast. The host narrates true stories, legends, and fiction without guests or interviews.
- Are the stories real?
- The show features a mix of true crime, historical events, paranormal legends, urban myths (creepypasta), and classic horror fiction. The host provides sources for the stories on the episode's blog page on weirddarkness.com.
- What are the #WeirdDarkNEWS episodes?
- These are shorter, daily episodes that focus on a single recent news story related to crime, the paranormal, or other strange events.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Weird Darkness Official Websiteweirddarkness.com
- [02]Weird Darkness - KGRA Digital Broadcastingkgraradio.com
- [03]Darren Marlar | Character & Commercial Voice Over Artistdarrenmarlar.com
- [04]Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories - Podnewspodnews.net
- [05]Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [06]Darren Marlar - The Wicked Librarythewickedlibrary.com
- [07]Weird Darkness - Radio Americaradioamerica.com
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