

MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
Ballen Studios
MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories is a true crime and mystery podcast that presents strange, dark and mysterious content delivered in story format. The program is hosted by John Allen a.k.a. MrBallen.
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Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes 7-days early and ad-free. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 20, 2023 • 27min
Workplace Horror Stories Vol. III
Today's podcast features 3 workplace 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 & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Scavenger" -- A sailor goes missing right before departure (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ8EGOEc7uw)#2 -- "Wrong Door" -- A black cloud was spotted outside of a building (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFf4QGj0kY)#1 -- "Bones" -- Electrician is lured into abandoned tunnel (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6IgVVi8TtI)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 17, 2023 • 41min
The Puppet Master (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
On December 13, 2001, 35-year-old Tracey Roberts was running a bath upstairs in her house in the rural town of Early, Iowa. But then, Tracey heard the front door open and footsteps downstairs. And when she walked into the hall to see what was happening, she saw two men rushing upstairs towards her. So in a panic, Tracey ran to her bedroom, but one of the men grabbed her from behind and started strangling her. But Tracey fought him off, grabbed a gun she kept in her room, and fired at her attackers in the dark. One of the men would die, but the other would get away, and the search for that second attacker would lead police into a web of lies and deception that would take almost ten years to unravel.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 13, 2023 • 30min
Against All Odds
Today's podcast features 3 stories about people who, by all accounts, should be dead. The audio from all three 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:#3 -- "The Void" -- One of the greatest survival stories of all time (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPE84ZJBJWk&list=PLgRgJrlop--N6fsOHUHVHSatGDo5k7zO9&index=4)#2 -- "Bats" -- A race so brutal runners must sign document accepting they may die (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U36jtuJVBjQ&list=PLgRgJrlop--N6fsOHUHVHSatGDo5k7zO9&index=3)#1 -- "Head in the Clouds" -- Like flying a plane, without a plane (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qYqpyVZOH4)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 10, 2023 • 39min
In the Red (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
On the night of January 12, 2003, 85-year-old millionaire Anna Mae Branson heard a knock at the door of her home in Madisonville, Kentucky – a place residents had nicknamed “The Best Town on Earth.” So, Anna Mae opened the door, and smiled at her visitor. But before Anna Mae knew what was happening, the visitor entered the house and started shouting at her. Anna Mae tried to get them to leave, but the visitor kept shouting, and chased Anna Mae through the house and down into the the basement. And what the police discovered the next day would threaten the reputation of “The Best Town on Earth,” tear Anna Mae’s family apart, and lead authorities on a chase from Kentucky to Costa Rica.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 6, 2023 • 51min
Fan Favorite - "The Man in the Bowler Hat"
This story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 50.In the late 1800s, a very strange hotel was constructed in Chicago, Illinois. From the outside, it looked perfectly normal, but the inside of the hotel was anything but. Hallways were a maze of twists and turns, and there were trap doors, sliding walls and secret stairwells everywhere. But the shock factor of this hotel was part of its allure. Walking around and getting lost could actually be kind of thrilling. But, what guests didn't know was that every time they got lost in that hotel, they might never find their way out again...For 100s more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @MrBallen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 3, 2023 • 36min
Fan Favorite - "Found Footage"
This story is a fan favorite that was previously published as Episode 40.Around 2:00 am on April 6th 2018, a mysterious person walked down a snowy suburban street in Wadsworth, Ohio. At some point, this person came to a stop in front of a modest two story home and then looked around to make sure no one was watching them. Feeling satisfied no one was, this mystery person turned away from the road and walked down the driveway toward the backyard of the property. What they did next was unspeakably cruel... and it was caught on camera.For 100s more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @MrBallen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 29, 2023 • 28min
What Lurks Below
Today's podcast features 3 stories that will make you never want to go swimming again. The audio from all three 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:#3 -- "What Lies Beneath" -- Something lurks below this hospital (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6IgVVi8TtI)#2 -- "What Lurks Below" -- One of the most dangerous jobs in the world (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8swB7qMU7gk)#1 -- "Thalassophobia" -- Predator in the deep ocean comes up to say, "hi" (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toswhS4ehRw)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 26, 2023 • 37min
The Bearded Man (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
On the night of May 31, 2003, a short bearded man was sitting in his car, holding a rifle, in the parking lot of the Green Iguana Bar and Grill in Rocky Point, Florida. The man opened the window, aimed the rifle at the back door of the bar, and waited for his target – a 37 year-old bartender named Sandee Rozzo. Then suddenly, Sandee stepped outside, so the man took a deep breath and FIRED, but he missed. And in a panic, he threw the rifle in the backseat, hit the gas, and drove away. But he wouldn’t stop hunting Sandee Rozzo. And when police finally tracked him down, the bearded man’s identity would shock them, and their investigation would expose the truth about a violent criminal.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 22, 2023 • 37min
Stranger Than Fiction Vol. II
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 remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Double Plot Twist" -- As the name suggests, there are 2 big reveals in this story... considering how insane they are, it's shocking how few people know about this (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q86aQiINdyo)#2 -- "The Lamp" -- One of the most fascinating Reddit submissions ever (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUxAsyLN4yI)#1 -- "Real Life Super Hero" -- A genius makes a series of bad decisions (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHjDgOSur5c)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 19, 2023 • 36min
The Sunshine State (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
On the morning of July 18, 2014, in a wealthy neighborhood in Florida, a married couple in their 70's were sitting on their couch, trying to figure out how to use their brand new iPad. As they did this, suddenly, coming from the property next door, they heard a loud popping sound. The man got up off the couch and walked over to the window to see what was going on, and he saw a car he didn't recognize peeling out of his neighbor’s driveway and speeding off down the street. Not sure what to make of this car or the loud sound, the man walked outside and headed over to his neighbor’s house just to make sure they were okay, and when he got to his neighbor’s driveway, he saw their garage door was open and their car was parked inside and was still on. At first, this made the man think that everything was fine, that clearly the neighbor was in their car sitting in their garage, and maybe that loud noise was just the sound of that other car backfiring. But when the man walked forward a few steps and got a look inside the running car, he knew immediately that everything was NOT fine. Moments later, the man stumbled back inside his own house where he frantically grabbed for his phone to call 911.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


