Heart Starts Pounding: Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries
Hosted by Kaelyn Moore
Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.
In this Halloween special episode, host Kaelyn Moore welcomes guest Sylas Dean to share a collection of unsettling, true scary stories and listener submissions. The conversation covers a diverse range of harrowing encounters, including a terrifying bicycle trip through New Mexico with a menacing host, an intruder performing parkour and hiding in an antique shop, a haunting experience involving a spirit in a newlywed home, and a stalker lurking in a deserted movie theater. Blending dark humor with genuine frights, the host and guest examine what makes these real-life encounters so terrifying, from home invasions to unexplained paranormal sightings.
The episode opens with a commercial segment promoting Toyota vehicles.
A brief advertisement for Quince’s fall wardrobe items is presented.
Kaelyn Moore introduces herself and announces Sylas Dean as the guest storyteller.
Sylas recounts a terrifying camping experience involving a suspicious hitchhiker and a sinister old man.
Kaelyn shares a chilling Reddit story about a burglar who stalked her antique shop during Halloween.
The hosts reflect on the stories and the episode concludes with sponsor messages and final remarks.
Sylas tells a personal story of seeing a ghostly woman in his shower after moving into a new house.
The hosts discuss whether seeing ghosts can be reassuring rather than terrifying.
A Reddit user recounts a chilling experience watching a suspicious man at a lake during a pre‑wedding celebration.
A mother shares a disturbing Reddit story where her son speaks of a violent “bad mama” and a haunting presence involving his newborn sister.
A former projectionist describes a nightmarish encounter with a woman who stalks and possibly kills in an abandoned movie theater.
The hosts recount a ghost hunt at a Salem Airbnb where a Ouija board appears in a linen closet and a ghost seems to communicate through it.
A Sinister Invitation in New Mexicostory
Sylas recounts a friend's cross-country bicycle trip where a broken tire led to a harrowing encounter with a wealthy stranger who referenced the movie Deliverance.
The Antique Shop Intruder on Cameradata
Security footage reveals an athletic intruder wearing a makeshift mask who broke into an antique business and hid in the dark.
Face to Face with a Shower Spiritinsight
A listener details the terrifying moment she saw another woman's face peeking around her shower curtain in a house with a tragic history.
Crawling Through the Dark Movie Theaterstory
A teenage theater employee is stalked by an unstable woman who crawls on all fours through the dark auditorium after closing.
Uncovering a Ouija Board in Salemstrategy
During a ghost hunt at a historic Salem Airbnb, investigators find a hidden Ouija board that connects to reports of a spirit on the third floor.
Toddlers Remembering a Past Lifeinsight
A mother shares how both of her young children independently spoke about a 'bad mommy' who hurt them in a previous life.
“So when I was camping, we were like sitting around a fire and it was me.”
“It was what looked like a burglary kit, sitting in the middle of the floor.”
“It was a woman with her face right up against the curtain's edge, and I could only see one side of her face.”
“all took hours and by the end, all of us, including the police, were starting to lose our collective cool and freak out.”
“Per usual, Silas brought me some stories that made me want to absolutely crawl out of my skin.”
“When I was a few months pregnant with my daughter, before we knew that she was a girl, I was folding laundry while my son watched Care Bears in the living room. And out of nowhere, he starts sobbing.”
“I see something through the window, while looking down at the theater, that still gives me chills to this day.”
“I would start to be able to make out a hand stretching from beyond the doorway in the hall, from the right side of the door to the left.”
“It feels like she's trapped in the house.”
Open your SoFi Checking & Savings account today - head to https://sofi.com/HeartStarts to get started. A newlywed couple buys a house that’s way too cheap, only to later find out about the dark murderous curse that they inherited with it. A teenager working the late shift at a run-down movie theater falls asleep past closing and wakes up to someone sitting alone in the dark, facing a blank screen. Today, we have Sylas Dean with us as we try to scare each other with our best Reddit story finds for spooky season, and Sylas shares a campfire story like I’ve never heard before! You can Find Sylas Here! Socials: https://www.instagram.com/sylasdean/?hl=en & https://www.tiktok.com/@creeptime?lang=en https://www.tiktok.com/@creeptime?lang=en The Sinister Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TPaYb8hS9StH8hokGFvud http://open.spotify.com/show/2TPaYb8hS9StH8hokGFvud https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sinister/id1701665672 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sinister/id1701665672 Love true crime, horror, folklore, and the unexplained? Join us in the Rogue Detecting Society on Patreon. Start for free to stay up to date on all things HSP with our newsletter, bonus content, and more. If you want to dive deeper into a community of fellow darkly curious listeners, upgrade for ad-free listening, monthly bonus episodes with topics voted on by members, merch perks, and Patreon-only group chats. High Council members also get Footnotes, our weekly after-show where Kaelyn dives deeper into the episode, recent true crime news, theories, and other scary stories from around the internet. Join free or go paid: https://www.patreon.com/heartstartspounding
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