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Loreplay
Dayna Pereira
20 episodes
3 days ago
Dayna Pereira is the sarcastic solo host of Loreplay, serving up paranormal stories, haunted history, creepy folklore, and weird legends with a playful twist. Equal parts storyteller and skeptic, she blends dark humor, spooky vibes, and a love for the bizarre into binge-worthy episodes for fans of ghost stories, urban legends, and true crime with a paranormal twist.
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All content for Loreplay is the property of Dayna Pereira and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Dayna Pereira is the sarcastic solo host of Loreplay, serving up paranormal stories, haunted history, creepy folklore, and weird legends with a playful twist. Equal parts storyteller and skeptic, she blends dark humor, spooky vibes, and a love for the bizarre into binge-worthy episodes for fans of ghost stories, urban legends, and true crime with a paranormal twist.
Show more...
Personal Journals
Society & Culture,
History
Episodes (20/20)
Loreplay
The Red Barn Murder

In early 19th-century England, scandal traveled faster than truth—and women paid the price for both.

This episode of Loreplay dives into the infamous Red Barn Murder, the brutal killing of Maria Marten, a young woman from Polstead, Suffolk, whose disappearance was blamed on shame, gossip, and her own supposed moral failings… until her body was discovered buried beneath the floor of a blood-red barn.

Maria had been involved with William Corder, a serial liar, emotional manipulator, and walking red flag in breeches. Pregnant and under immense social pressure, Maria was persuaded to meet Corder at the Red Barn under the pretense that they would elope. She was told to disguise herself as a man to avoid scandal—a choice that would later be twisted into suspicion against her.

She was never seen alive again.

For months, Corder sent letters to Maria’s family claiming she was safe, married, and living happily elsewhere. Meanwhile, her stepmother began having vivid dreams—dreams that repeatedly pointed to the Red Barn as Maria’s final resting place. When authorities finally searched the barn, they uncovered Maria’s remains, wrapped and buried beneath the floor.

Corder fled, was captured, and put on trial in 1828. The case became a full-blown media frenzy: courtroom drama, pamphlets, ballads, stage plays, souvenirs, and public spectacle. After his execution by hanging, Corder’s body was dissected—and in a final macabre twist, portions of his skin were reportedly used to bind a book documenting his crime.

This episode examines the murder itself, the circus that followed, and the deeper truth beneath the sensationalism: Maria Marten was not careless or foolish—she was trapped by class, gender, and a society that offered men exits and women dead ends.

The Red Barn didn’t kill Maria.

It just became the place where everything that failed her finally met.

Show Sources:
BBC News – The Red Barn Murder: England’s most notorious killing
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0wrdleer2o

Wikipedia – Red Barn Murder
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Barn_Murder

Mental Floss – The Chilling Story of the Red Barn Murder
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/569826/red

Historic UK – The Red Barn Murder
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Red-Barn-Murder/

The British Library – Crime broadsides & execution ephemera related to the Red Barn Murder
https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/crime-broadsides

Show more...
3 days ago
26 minutes

Loreplay
Krampus

Forget cozy cocoa and wholesome carols—this episode of Loreplay drags Christmas straight into the Alps and leaves it screaming.

In this darkly festive deep dive, host Dayna Pereira unwraps the chilling folklore of Krampus, the horned, chain-rattling nightmare who shows up every December not to deliver gifts—but to dish out consequences. Long before Santa became a jolly capitalist mascot, Krampus was roaming Alpine villages, terrorizing children, beating the naughty with birch rods, stuffing the worst offenders into his sack, and, depending on the legend, dragging them off to hell… or something arguably worse.

This episode explores the brutal folklore behind Krampusnacht, the cultural role of fear in child-rearing, and why European Christmas traditions were historically less “holiday cheer” and more “behave or be taken into the mountains.” We dig into centuries-old stories of children who vanished after misbehaving, the symbolism behind Krampus’ animalistic appearance, and how pagan winter spirits survived Christianization by simply putting on a festive disguise.

Along the way, we examine Krampus’ possible connections to older Alpine figures like Frau Perchta, unpack the rise (and chaos) of modern Krampuslauf celebrations, and ask the most important question of all:
Why was everyone in history so comfortable terrifying children at Christmas?

Dark, creepy, historically grounded—and just unhinged enough to make you grateful your parents only threatened to call Santa—this episode proves once again that the holidays used to be feral.

So light a candle, lock your doors, and remember: Santa watches…
But Krampus acts.

Sources:
National Geographic – The Dark History of Krampus

Smithsonian Magazine – The Alpine Origins of Krampus

Britannica – Krampus: European Folklore

Jacob Grimm – Teutonic Mythology

Alpine Folklore Archives (Austria & Bavaria)

University of Innsbruck Folklore Studies

Hilda Ellis Davidson – Roles of the Northern Goddess

Maria Tatar – The Hard Facts of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales

Show more...
2 weeks ago
21 minutes

Loreplay
Frau Perchta

n this episode of Loreplay, host Dayna Pereira ventures into the snowy, unsettling heart of Alpine folklore to meet one of Europe’s most iconic winter figures: Frau Perchta—a goddess, witch, and domestic compliance auditor who absolutely did not come to play.

Known for roaming the countryside during the Twelve Nights of Christmas, Perchta rewarded the diligent, punished the lazy, and allegedly slit open the bellies of naughty children to stuff them with straw and rocks. Festive! But beneath the gore and goat-footed nightmare fuel lies a fascinating story of pre-Christian goddesses, household rituals, seasonal transition, and the Church’s long tradition of demonizing powerful women.

This episode explores Perchta’s many forms—from radiant White Lady to grotesque belly-slasher—her connection to spinning, fertility, and the Wild Hunt, and how she slowly morphed from respected folkloric figure into holiday horror icon. Along the way, we unpack why medieval Europe was so obsessed with winter demons, why chores were apparently a matter of life and death, and how Perchta may have helped inspire figures like Krampus, Frau Holle, and even the concept of Santa’s “naughty list.”

So grab a warm drink, finish your spinning, and prepare to be judged—because Frau Perchta is coming, and she will be checking your vibes.

Sources & Further Reading

  • Grimm, Jacob. Teutonic Mythology. (1883)
  • Lecouteux, Claude. Phantom Armies of the Night: The Wild Hunt and the Ghostly Processions of the Undead
  • Lecouteux, Claude. The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices
  • Hutton, Ronald. The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles
  • Barber, Elizabeth Wayland. Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years
  • Österreichisches Museum für Volkskunde (Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art) archives
  • Encyclopaedia Britannica – entries on Perchta, Frau Holle, and Alpine folklore
  • Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology
  • Kvideland, Reimund & Henning K. Sehmsdorf. Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend
Show more...
3 weeks ago
29 minutes

Loreplay
The Green Children of Woolpit

Tonight on Loreplay, we’re diving deep into one of the most fascinating, eerie, and unexplained medieval mysteries ever recorded: The Green Children of Woolpit. This legendary twelfth-century case from Suffolk, England, has baffled historians, folklorists, and paranormal researchers for centuries. Two mysterious green-skinned children appeared out of nowhere near a wolf pit in Woolpit, speaking an unknown language, wearing unfamiliar clothing, and describing a twilight world unlike anything in recorded English folklore.

In this episode, we explore the historical accounts from medieval chroniclers William of Newburgh and Ralph of Coggeshall, examine the children’s strange behavior, and unpack the girl’s chilling description of her homeland — a dim world known as the Land of St. Martin where the sun never shines and everyone has green skin.

We break down the most compelling explanations behind this unsolved historical mystery, including:

  • Flemish refugee theory
  • Fairy folklore and British supernatural traditions
  • Parallel dimension theories / interdimensional slip
  • Time anomalies and medieval “thin places”
  • Nutritional and environmental explanations for green skin

Was this a case of misunderstood medieval immigration? A brush with the fairy realm? A supernatural phenomenon? A glitch in reality? Or one of the earliest recorded examples of interdimensional travelers in British history?

If you’re obsessed with unsolved historical cases, English folklore, paranormal mysteries, fairy lore, or stories that make you go “What the actual medieval hell did I just listen to?”, this episode of Loreplay is going to be your new favorite rabbit hole.

Step into one of the strangest folklore mysteries ever documented: the Green Children of Woolpit, a real historical event recorded by twelfth-century chroniclers that continues to stump historians, folklorists, and paranormal researchers today.

In this Loreplay episode, we uncover the truth behind the mysterious green-skinned children who appeared in Woolpit, England, speaking an unknown language and claiming to come from a land of eternal twilight. Was this bizarre medieval event rooted in fairy folklore, a parallel dimension, a hidden isolated community, or a supernatural glitch in the fabric of reality?

Perfect for fans of: weird history, folklore podcasts, paranormal podcasts, unsolved enigmas, English legends, mysterious children legends, and medieval supernatural encounters.

Keywords: Green Children of Woolpit, folklore podcast, paranormal podcast, supernatural folklore, weird history podcast, medieval legends, mysterious children story, English paranormal history, fairy realm folklore, historical mysteries explained.
Primary Medieval Sources

  • William of Newburgh — Historia Rerum Anglicarum (Green Children of Woolpit account)
  • Ralph of Coggeshall — Chronicon Anglicanum (firsthand documentation of Woolpit mystery)

Folklore & History Scholarship

  • John Clark, “The Green Children of Woolpit” — Folklore Journal
  • Jacqueline Simpson — British Folklore and the Supernatural
  • Ronald Hutton — Pagan Britain & The Stations of the Sun
  • Thomas Keightley — The Fairy Mythology

Modern Analyses

  • Fortean Times — “Children From the Dark: The Woolpit Mystery”
  • Suffolk Archaeological Society Papers
  • Medical research on chlorosis & hypochromic anemia
  • Geological surveys of Suffolk chalk caves & cavern acoustics
Show more...
1 month ago
31 minutes

Loreplay
The Pendle Witch Trials

Tonight on Loreplay, we’re headed straight into the misty hills of Lancashire to unravel one of the most infamous witchcraft trials in history — the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials.

This episode dives into the crumbling social order of early-17th-century England, where famine, disease, political paranoia, and neighborly grudges created the perfect storm for witchcraft accusations. We unpack the lives of Demdike, Chattox, Alizon Device, Old Mother Nutter, and the rest of the so-called witches who were swept up in a tale of curses, confessions, and good old-fashioned government fearmongering.

From “soft torture” in the Lancaster Gaol, to a ten-year-old child testifying against her entire family, to King James I obsessively hunting witches like he was trying to complete some kind of satanic Pokémon set — this story has everything.

It’s eerie. It’s tragic. It’s wildly human.
 And in true Loreplay fashion, I’ll make you laugh at least twice before you gasp out loud.
Primary & Historical Sources

  • Thomas Potts, The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster (1613).
    The official contemporary account of the trials. Biased and prosecutorial, but essential.
  • James I, Daemonologie (1597).
    The king’s witch-hunting bible that set the tone for the era.

Academic Books & Articles

  • Sharpe, James. The Lancashire Witches: Histories and Stories. Manchester University Press.
    A deep academic look at the social and political context.
  • Barstow, Anne Llewellyn. Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts.
    Helpful for understanding the larger witch-hunt framework.
  • Goodare, Julian. “The Scottish Witch-Hunt in Context.” Manchester University Press.
    Contextualizes James I’s influence and policy shaping.
  • Essex, Helen. “Re-evaluating Confessions in the Pendle Witch Trials.” (Essex Open Access Research).
    Discussions of coercion, interrogation, and credibility.

Modern Summaries & Museum Resources

  • The Lancashire Museums / Lancaster Castle official archives
    Context for the gaol, conditions, and trial procedures.
  • The Pendle Witch Visitor Centre & Official Pendle Witches Trail
    Modern historical interpretations, maps, and family histories.
  • BBC History: “The Pendle Witches.”
    A concise overview of events with standard UK scholarship.

Secondary Sources / Journalism

  • The Guardian: “Pendle witches: the story”
    Modern analysis and historical re-evaluation.
  • History Today articles on 17th-century witchcraft and trial standards
Show more...
1 month ago
36 minutes

Loreplay
Cropsey and The Willowbrook State School

This week on Loreplay, your host Dayna Pereira drags you—lovingly, chaotically, and with a full set of trigger warnings—into one of New York’s darkest intersections of myth and reality. We’re talking Cropsey, Staten Island’s OG boogeyman… and the very real institutional nightmare that fed the legend: the Willowbrook State School.

From childhood dares in the woods… to abandoned tunnels… to unethical medical experiments… to the disappearances of multiple children… this episode unpacks how an urban legend stopped being folklore and started feeling uncomfortably real.

Dayna dives into:

  • The original pre–Andre Rand versions of Cropsey
  • The creation, collapse, and absolute hellscape of Willowbrook
  • The hepatitis experiments (aka: “science said WHAT?”)
  • Geraldo Rivera blowing the lid off the institution
  • The disappearances that shook Staten Island
  • Andre Rand’s crimes, accusations, and the cases still unsolved
  • How myth, trauma, and institutional failure fused into one terrifying narrative

Equal parts horror, heartbreak, and “holy-shit-how-was-this-real,” this episode is a reminder that sometimes the scariest legends are built on top of real places where real people were failed.

Turn off the lights. Lock your doors. And let’s go find the line where folklore ends… and monsters begin.

SHOW NOTES

Trigger Warnings:

This episode contains discussions of child abuse, neglect, institutional abuse, unethical medical experiments, kidnapping, and the deaths/disappearances of children.

Topics Covered:

  • History of the Cropsey urban legend
  • Early folklore origins of Cropsey (pre–Andre Rand)
  • Founding and deterioration of the Willowbrook State School (1947–1987)
  • Conditions inside Willowbrook
  • The hepatitis experiments conducted by Dr. Saul Krugman
  • Geraldo Rivera’s 1972 exposé
  • The disappearance cases of:
    • Alice Pereira (1972)
    • Holly Ann Hughes (1981)
    • Tiahease Jackson (1983)
    • Henry Gafforio (1984)
    • Jennifer Schweiger (1987)
  • The arrest and convictions of Andre Rand
  • The 2009 Cropsey documentary
  • Modern interpretations, hauntings, and how the legend persists

Sources & Further Reading:

(Note: these are clean, reputable sources suitable for show notes. No need for academic citation formatting.)

  • “Cropsey” (2009) – Documentary by Joshua Zeman & Barbara Brancaccio
  • Geraldo Rivera’s 1972 Willowbrook exposé (ABC/Local Eyewitness News)
  • New York State Archives – Willowbrook State School Records
  • The New York Times coverage of Willowbrook (1960s–1980s)
  • The Disability Rights Movement & The Willowbrook Consent Decree
  • New York Daily News & Staten Island Advance reporting on the Rand cases
  • Saul Krugman’s published hepatitis studies (1950s–1970s), archived medical journals

Support the Show:

If this episode creeped you out, educated you, or ruined your ability to walk near a storm drain ever again, leave Loreplay a 5-star review and share the episode with your favorite spooky-loving friend.

Send your WTF Wednesday stories to loreplaypod@gmail.com

Show more...
1 month ago
36 minutes

Loreplay
The Greenbrier Ghost

In this spine-tingling (and side-splitting) episode of Loreplay, host Dayna Pereira dives deep into the unbelievable true story of the Greenbrier Ghost—the only documented case in American history where a ghost’s testimony helped convict a murderer. Yep. Court of law. Sworn statement. Medium-grade Victorian drama. Full-body chills.

Travel back to 1897 in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, where newlywed Zona Heaster Shue dies under suspicious circumstances… and her mother refuses to buy the “it was natural causes” excuse that the town doctor offered while he was practically doing a speed-run autopsy in reverse. After four nights of bone-cracking ghostly visits, Zona reveals the truth: her husband killed her, and she wants justice.

This episode blends historical research, paranormal evidence, Appalachian folklore, and classic Loreplay humor, taking you through everything from the shady husband’s red flags to the séance-level mother-daughter determination that cracked the case wide open.

If you love haunted history, true crime with a paranormal twist, Appalachian ghost stories, or tales of women who refuse to be quiet even in death—this one’s a must-listen.

Perfect for fans of: ghost stories, historical hauntings, creepy folklore, murder mysteries, supernatural investigations, Appalachian legends, true crime meets paranormal podcasts.

📚 Sources for This Episode

Primary Historical Sources

  • Greenbrier Independent Newspaper (January–April 1897) – Original reporting on Zona Heaster Shue’s death and the trial of Erasmus Stribbling Shue.
  • West Virginia Archives & History: “The Greenbrier Ghost” – Comprehensive archival summary compiled from legal records, newspaper articles, and oral history.
  • Court Records of the State of West Virginia vs. Erasmus Stribbling Shue (1897) – Trial testimony, including depositions referencing Mary Jane Heaster’s ghost encounters.
  • Greenbrier County Historical Society – Local collected folklore and legal history of the case.

Books & Academic References

  • Deitz, Dennis. The Greenbrier Ghost and Other Strange Stories. – The most commonly cited narrative collection including the events surrounding Zona’s death.
  • Humphrey, Michael. Haunted West Virginia: Ghost Stories and Legends. – Contains a full retelling with historical context about Appalachian spiritual beliefs.
  • Ruth Ann Musick. The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales. – Canonical Appalachian folklore source referencing the cultural backdrop of the case.
  • Kenny, Hamill. West Virginia Place Names. – Provides regional and cultural context for the people, geography, and customs of Greenbrier County.

Articles, Essays & Museum Resources

  • Smithsonian Magazine – “The True Story of the Greenbrier Ghost” (feature on folklore, legal precedent, and the trial).
  • Appalachian History Journal – “How a Ghost Helped Solve a Murder in 1897.”
  • National Registry of Historic Places – Greenbrier County Listings – Locations relevant to the case (courthouse, historical sites).
  • West Virginia Folklore Journal – Entries referencing Mary Jane Heaster’s accounts and Appalachian ghost-belief traditions.

Local & Cultural Sources

  • Greenbrier County Convention & Visitors Bureau – Historical markers + local oral histories.
  • Meadow Bluff / Livesay’s Mill Region Historical Notes – Context for the Shue residence and community in the 1890s.
  • West Virginia State Folklorists’ Oral History Projects – Interviews with descendants and locals retelling the Greenbrier Ghost legend.
Show more...
1 month ago
33 minutes

Loreplay
The Blood Countess

The Blood Countess of Cachtice: Elizabeth Báthory — Monster, Myth, or Misogyny?

Hey hey, my lore-loving fiends — tonight we’re heading back to 16th-century Hungary, where leeches were skincare, torture was trending, and one noblewoman’s beauty routine allegedly involved… her staff.

Elizabeth Báthory — better known as The Blood Countess — has been called history’s most prolific female serial killer, accused of torturing and murdering hundreds of girls to preserve her youth. But how much of it is true… and how much was cooked up by jealous nobles, political rivals, and a patriarchal empire that didn’t love a woman with her own money and opinions?

In this full-bodied (and occasionally blood-soaked) deep dive, we unravel the legend — from her aristocratic upbringing and dark castle years, to the sensational trial that never was, and the centuries of myth-making that turned her into the world’s most infamous vampire countess.

Was she a monster? A myth? Or just a woman whose story bled out of control?
 Pour a glass of red — preferably cabernet, not chambermaid — and join host Dayna Pereira for a hilarious, horrifying, and historically accurate descent into the legend of Elizabeth Báthory.

Primary Sources:
• The Trial of Erzsébet Báthory (Hungarian State Archives, 1611)
• Letters of György Thurzó to King Matthias II (1610–1611)
• Jesuit tracts: Tragoediae Epistolae de Crudelissima Bathoryana (1729)

Secondary Sources:
 • McNally, Raymond T. — Dracula Was a Woman: In Search of the Blood Countess of Transylvania (McGraw-Hill, 1983)
• Craft, Kimberly L. — Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory (2009)
• Penrose, Valentine — The Bloody Countess (Creation Books, 1996)
• Nagy, László — A History of Hungary (Corvina, 1998)

Pop Culture & Media:
 • Countess Dracula (Hammer Films, 1971)
• The Countess (Julie Delpy, 2009)
• American Horror Story: Hotel (FX, 2015)
• Castlevania (Konami Series)

Show more...
1 month ago
35 minutes

Loreplay
The Dybbuk Box

You’ve heard of haunted dolls, cursed mirrors, and demons that slide into your DMs — but few haunted objects have ever captured the world’s attention like the Dybbuk Box.
A simple wooden wine cabinet turned viral nightmare, this thing went from folklore-inspired hoax to a full-blown paranormal phenomenon involving Ghost Adventures, Post Malone, and the internet’s collective fear of “what’s in the box.”

In this episode of Loreplay, Dayna Pereira dives deep into the origins of the Dybbuk legend in Jewish mysticism, the true story behind Kevin Mannis’s eBay listing, and the chaos that followed — from Jason Haxton’s museum hauntings to Zak Bagans’s on-camera meltdown and the infamous Post Malone curse.

We break down the folklore, the fear, and the fine line between cultural myth and collective psychosis — because when enough people believe in something, even the internet can make it real.

Mannis, Kevin. Original eBay Listing for “Haunted Dybbuk Box.” (2003, archived on paranormal-collector forums and Wayback Machine)

Haxton, Jason. The Dibbuk Box. Truman State University Press, 2011.

Ansky, S. The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds. (1914; English translation, 1926)

The Jewish Virtual Library. “Dybbuk (Dibbuk).” JewishVirtualLibrary.org

Zak Bagans. Ghost Adventures: Quarantine — Episode 4, “Dybbuk Box: The Opening.” Discovery+, 2020.

Bagans, Zak & Haxton, Jason. Interviews via Las Vegas Review-Journal (June 2020).

Post Malone on Late Night with Seth Meyers. NBC, Oct. 2018.

Snopes.com. “Was the Dybbuk Box a Real Jewish Relic?” (2021).

LiveScience. “The Science of Haunted Objects and the Nocebo Effect.” (2022).

Haaretz. “The Real Story of the Dybbuk and How Pop Culture Got It Wrong.” (2019).
Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dybbuk_box

Show more...
2 months ago
26 minutes

Loreplay
The Hammersmith Ghost Murder

Hey hey, my lore-loving weirdos… grab your lanterns, your lace bonnets, and your emotional support gin — because tonight, we’re heading back to 1803 London, where a ghost panic got so real it ended with an actual murder trial.

Before the Tube, before streetlights, and definitely before therapy, the sleepy village of Hammersmith found itself haunted — not by one restless spirit, but by a whole lot of mass hysteria.

It started with an elderly woman scared literally to death near the churchyard… then a brewer’s servant named Thomas Groom who got hands-on with the ghost (and lived to tell the tale)… and a pregnant woman whose brush with the apparition nearly sent her into early labor.

Cue the fog, the fear, and a full-blown neighborhood patrol of armed ghost hunters.
 One of them, Francis Smith, set out to catch the phantom — and instead, shot a very real man named Thomas Millwood.

Welcome to one of England’s strangest true crimes — the first time someone in court tried to argue:

“I thought it was a ghost.”

From hysteria to homicide, from gossip to the Old Bailey, we’re unraveling how superstition, fear, and a good old-fashioned case of “maybe don’t shoot the undead” turned London upside down.

So grab your torches, charge your crystals, and let’s step into the fog… because this is Loreplay: where haunted gets hot and bothered with history.

📜 Show Notes & Sources

🧩 The Real Story

  • The Hammersmith Ghost panic began in late 1803, when reports surfaced of a white-shrouded figure haunting the Hammersmith churchyard in West London.
  • The Elderly Woman reportedly collapsed in terror after seeing the apparition and died days later (The Times, Jan 1804).
  • Thomas Groom, a brewer’s servant, claimed the ghost grabbed him by the throat while walking with a friend near the churchyard (Annual Register, 1804).
  • The Pregnant Woman was said to have been attacked by the ghost, collapsing in fright and falling dangerously ill — possibly going into early labor (Morning Chronicle, Jan 1804).
  • Night Watchman William Girdler later chased the ghost down Beaver Lane, claiming it “threw off its shroud and disappeared.”
  • Francis Smith, believing he was protecting the town, fatally shot Thomas Millwood, a 29-year-old bricklayer wearing white work clothes — mistaking him for the ghost.
  • The case went to the Old Bailey in January 1804, where Smith was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
    • His sentence was later commuted to one year of hard labor, after public outrage.
  • The verdict led to ongoing debates about “mistaken identity” and the legal definition of intent, influencing English criminal law for decades.

📚 Primary & Historical Sources

  • The Times (London), January 1804
  • The Morning Chronicle, January 1804
  • Annual Register of 1804: “Extraordinary Occurrences”
  • Old Bailey Proceedings Online (Trial of Francis Smith, 1804)
  • London’s Ghosts: Strange Tales from the Capital by Peter Ackroyd (2007)
  • Curious Cases and Ghostly Tales of Old London by Charles Mackay (1858)
  • The Hammersmith Ghost and the Law of Murder — The Criminal Law Review (1958)

💀 Loreplay Deep Dive Topics

  • Victorian ghost panics & moral hysteria
  • Early 19th-century policing in London (pre-Metropolitan Police)
  • The legal concept of “malice aforethought”
  • Ghost lore in the Age of Enlightenment
  • The class tension behind “working men with guns”
  • The legacy of the Hammersmith case in modern criminal law

🔮 Fun Facts

  • Some historians believe the “ghost” was actually a shoemaker named John Graham, who confessed to dressing up in a white sheet to scare apprentices.
  • The story inspired numerous stage plays and penny dreadfuls in the 1800s.
  • The Hammersmith ghost legend was revived again in the 1820s — because London loves a sequel.
Show more...
2 months ago
27 minutes

Loreplay
The Pollock Twins

In 1950s England, tragedy struck the Pollock family when their two young daughters, Joanna and Jacqueline, were killed in a horrific car accident. A year later, Florence Pollock gave birth to twin girls — and that’s when things got weird.

The twins, Gillian and Jennifer, began recalling memories, places, and experiences they couldn’t possibly have known. They recognized landmarks in a town they’d never visited, talked about “their other lives,” and one even bore the same birthmarks and scars as her late sister. Was this the most compelling modern case of reincarnation — or a story shaped by grief, coincidence, and a father’s desperate need to believe?

In this episode of Loreplay, we head across the pond to Hexham, England, where science, spirituality, and straight-up spooky collide. We’ll dig into the documented accounts by psychiatrist Dr. Ian Stevenson, the skepticism that followed, and the unnerving details that still stump researchers today.

Grab your tea, maybe light a candle (or an incense stick, if you’re feeling metaphysical), and prepare for one of the strangest tales of déjà vu the afterlife ever wrote twice.

🔍 Show Notes & Sources:

(For listeners who love a good rabbit hole — these are the primary and reputable sources used in the research for this episode.)

  1. Stevenson, Ian (1966). Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation. University of Virginia Press.
    • Chapter 6 documents the Pollock Twins case in detail, based on Stevenson’s direct interviews with the family in the 1960s.
  2. Playfair, Guy Lyon (2006). The Indefinite Boundary: An Investigation into Psychic Phenomena.
    • Includes references to British reincarnation reports, including Hexham.
  3. BBC Archive (2003). “The Pollock Twins: Reincarnation in Hexham.” BBC Radio 4, Beyond Belief.
    • Broadcast discussing the case with theologians and psychologists.
  4. Bowman, Carol (1997). Children’s Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child.
    • Discusses parallels between the Pollock twins and other child reincarnation cases studied globally.
  5. Journal of Scientific Exploration (Vol. 12, No. 3, 1998). “Reincarnation Research: An Overview.”
    • Scholarly analysis of Stevenson’s methods and criticisms from contemporary researchers.
  6. The Hexham Courant (1957–1960 archives).
    • Local reports on the Pollock family’s accident and community response, preserved in regional historical records.
  7. The Society for Psychical Research (SPR).
    • Archives include correspondence and investigation notes referencing the Pollock case.
  8. Extrasensory Podcast
Show more...
2 months ago
31 minutes

Loreplay
Half Hangit Maggie

When the hangman fails, history gets juicy.
 This week on Loreplay, host Dayna Pereira dives into the true, twisted, and totally unbelievable 18th-century story of Maggie Dickson — the Scottish fishwife who was hanged… and then walked away alive.

From the gallows of Edinburgh’s Grassmarket to the birth of her legend as “Half-Hangit Maggie,” this episode blends dark history with gallows humor (literally). You’ll learn how a young woman’s secret, a botched execution, and a very loose understanding of “death” turned her into one of Scotland’s most enduring folk heroines.

Was it divine intervention? A medical fluke? Or just the universe saying, “Not today, Satan”? Grab a pint and find out why this ghost story isn’t about death at all — it’s about defiance.

Tune in to Loreplay — where haunted gets hot and bothered with history, and the dead don’t always stay quiet.

Primary Historical References

  • “The Trial and Execution of Margaret Dickson” – The Scots Magazine, 1724 archives
  • National Records of Scotland: Criminal Trials and Sentences, Edinburgh, 1723-1724
  • Edinburgh Grassmarket Historical Society, “Public Executions and Folklore of the Gallows” (local history publication, 2019)
  • Old Edinburgh Tales by Robert Chambers (1858)
  • Scottish Criminal Cases: The Curious Case of Half-Hangit Maggie, BBC Scotland History Archives, 2017
  • The Scotsman – “How Half-Hangit Maggie Survived the Gallows,” May 2020 feature
  • VisitScotland.com — “Maggie Dickson’s Pub, Grassmarket”

Supplementary Reading & Tourism Sources

  • Edinburgh City Archives: Grassmarket Gallows Map (18th-century execution records)
  • Haunted Edinburgh by J.A. Brooks (Amberley Publishing, 2015)
  • The Ghosts of Scotland by Peter Underwood (Borgo Press, 1992)
  • Oral folklore interviews collected by The School of Scottish Studies Archives, University of Edinburgh

Music & Sound Credits (if applicable)

  • Ambient market sounds and gallows atmosphere: Epidemic Sound
  • Historical reenactment voice clips: Public domain / Creative Commons

🔗 LINKS

🎧 Listen to all episodes at loreplaypod.com

📸 Follow @LoreplayPod on Instagram & TikTok
🍺 Visit Maggie Dickson’s Pub, Grassmarket, Edinburgh — and toast to the woman who refused to stay dead.

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2 months ago
33 minutes

Loreplay
OG Exorcist

In this episode of Loreplay, Dayna Pereira dives deep into the real-life horror story that inspired The Exorcist. Forget the spinning heads and pea soup—this is the true 1949 case of Roland Doe, the boy whose alleged demonic possession terrified priests, shook the Church, and changed how America viewed exorcisms forever.

From Cottage City, Maryland to St. Louis, Missouri, follow the chilling (and occasionally ridiculous) journey of a family haunted by unexplained scratches, flying furniture, guttural voices, and a bed that wouldn’t stop shaking. Meet the real priests behind the ritual—Father Albert Hughes, Father Raymond Bishop, and Father William Bowdern—and discover how one terrified teenager became the blueprint for Hollywood’s most infamous horror film.

Was it true possession, psychological trauma, or the most dramatic case of grief-fueled chaos in suburban history? Dayna unpacks it all with her signature mix of dark humor, history, and sass in this must-listen deep dive into the original exorcism that started it all.
Show Notes / Sources:

  • Thomas B. Allen, Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism (1993) – Primary narrative source using Father Raymond Bishop’s diary notes from the 1949 St. Louis case.
  • Father Raymond J. Bishop, S.J., Diary of the 1949 Exorcism – Archival source referenced by St. Louis University archives and Jesuit historical summaries.
  • St. Louis University Archives (Jesuit Historical Institute) – Timeline and background on the priests involved and the documented exorcism events.
  • Washington Post, “The Exorcist’s Real-Life Inspiration Dies at 85” (Oct. 2021) – Report linking Roland Doe’s true identity to NASA engineer Ronald Edwin Hunkeler.
  • Smithsonian Magazine, “The Real Story Behind The Exorcist” (2013) – Historical overview of the case’s cultural impact.
  • The New York Times Archives, coverage of The Exorcist (1973) release and public fascination with the real 1949 possession.
  • Catholic News Agency, “The Real Exorcism That Inspired The Exorcist” (2019) – Clerical records and Vatican commentary on the St. Louis case.
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3 months ago
38 minutes

Loreplay
Amityville Horror

Episode Title: The Amityville Horror: Haunted House or Hoax?

What really happened inside the most famous haunted house in America? In this episode of Loreplay, host Dayna Pereira digs into the chilling story of the Amityville Horror—where true crime meets the paranormal.

First, we revisit the shocking 1974 DeFeo family murders that left six dead inside 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. Then we dive into the terrifying claims of George and Kathy Lutz, who lasted only 28 days before fleeing the house in fear. From swarms of flies in winter, to walls that oozed slime, to a demon pig with glowing eyes, the Amityville haunting became one of the most infamous paranormal cases in history.

But was the Amityville Horror real—or the ultimate haunted house hoax? We’ll explore the books, movies, court cases, and investigations by Ed and Lorraine Warren, skeptics, and reporters that turned this Long Island murder house into a global phenomenon.

If you love haunted house stories, true crime murders, creepy paranormal encounters, and spooky legends that blend fact with fiction, this episode is for you.

📚 Sources for Show Notes

  • Anson, Jay. The Amityville Horror. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1977.
  • Kaplan, Stephen & Kaplan, Roxanne. The Amityville Horror Conspiracy. Belfry Books, 1995.
  • Hans Holzer. Murder in Amityville. Belmont Tower, 1979.
  • Osuna, Ric. The Night the DeFeos Died: Reinvestigating the Amityville Murders. 2002.
  • Cromarty Family Interviews (owners after the Lutzes who disputed hauntings). Reported in Newsday, New York Times, and various Long Island papers (1977–1979).
  • “High Hopes: The Amityville Murders” documentary, 2020.
  • Amityville Horror (1979 film) and The Amityville Horror (2005 remake) for cultural influence.
  • News reports: New York Times archives (Nov–Dec 1974, coverage of the DeFeo murders and trial).
  • Court documents from People v. Ronald DeFeo Jr. (1975 trial transcripts).
  • Interviews with George & Kathy Lutz (e.g., Good Morning America, 1979).
  • Gerald Brittle. The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren. iUniverse, 1980s (for Warren’s perspective).
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3 months ago
43 minutes

Loreplay
Mothman: Sky Daddy of Doom

West Virginia, 1966. Four terrified teenagers tear down a dark back road in a Chevy Bel Air with something massive chasing them through the sky — glowing red eyes, a ten-foot wingspan, and a story that would forever haunt Point Pleasant. Over the next thirteen months, dozens of locals reported the same winged figure, strange lights in the sky, prophetic dreams, and even creepy Men in Black knocking at their doors. And then, in December 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed, killing 46 people and cementing Mothman’s place in American legend.

In this episode of Loreplay, your host Dayna Pereira dives deep into the Mothman flap — from the Scarberry and Mallette chase to Marcella Bennett’s porch-side nightmare, to John Keel’s “high strangeness” theories. Was Mothman a bird, an alien, a government oopsie with wings, or a harbinger of doom? Buckle up, buttercups — we’re making deep eye contact with West Virginia’s sexiest cryptid.

Show Notes

What you’ll hear in this episode:

  • The November 1966 Scarberry–Mallette sighting that started it all
  • The strange fate of Newell Partridge’s dog, Bandit
  • Marcella Bennett’s chilling close encounter at the TNT Area
  • Dozens of witness reports through late 1966 and 1967
  • The arrival of journalist John Keel and his “ultraterrestrial” theories
  • Prophetic dreams that eerily foreshadowed the Silver Bridge collapse
  • Theories: misidentified bird, mass hysteria, government experiment, alien, harbinger of doom, or cursed omen
  • Connections to other “disaster cryptids” like the Black Bird of Chernobyl and the omen of Fukushima

Sources & References:

  • Keel, John A. The Mothman Prophecies. New York: Saturday Review Press, 1975.
  • Wamsley, Jeff. Mothman: Facts Behind the Legend. Point Pleasant: Mothman Museum Press, 2002.
  • Wamsley, Jeff & Donnie Sergent Jr. Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes. Mothman Museum, 2005.
  • Coleman, Loren. Mothman and Other Curious Encounters. Paraview Pocket Books, 2002.
  • “Couples See Man-Sized Bird … Creature … Something.” Point Pleasant Register, November 16, 1966.
  • “Silver Bridge Tumbles, Toll 7 Dead, 41 Missing.” Point Pleasant Register, December 16, 1967.
  • Derenberger, Woodrow. Visitors from Lanulos. 1971.
  • Various newspaper archives, local interviews, and accounts collected at the Mothman Museum (Point Pleasant, WV).

Follow & Connect:
🎙️ Subscribe to Loreplay wherever you get podcasts
📧 Share your spooky sightings: loreplaypod@gmail.com

📲 TikTok/Instagram: @LoreplayPod

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3 months ago
35 minutes

Loreplay
Black Eyed Children

In this chilling episode of Loreplay, host Dayna Pereira dives deep into the terrifying urban legend of the Black Eyed Children — the mysterious paranormal figures with solid black eyes who knock on doors and beg to be let inside. From journalist Brian Bethel’s 1996 encounter in Abilene, Texas to spine-tingling reports in Portland, Oregon, Vermont, and the UK, we explore the most infamous Black Eyed Kid stories that have fueled decades of fear. Listeners will hear how these eerie children are tied to legends of demons, vampires, changelings, ghosts, alien-human hybrids, and government experiments, and why the rule is always the same: never let them in. We also unpack the rise of creepypasta, the explosion of TikTok horror videos, and how thousands of people online swear the Black Eyed Kids are real. Are they paranormal entities, energy parasites, or just an internet-born myth that refuses to die? Join us for a spooky, sassy, and laugh-out-loud funny exploration of one of the internet’s most enduring pieces of paranormal folklore.

Whether you’re a fan of creepypasta legends, obsessed with TikTok urban myths, or just love haunted history mixed with comedy, this episode of Loreplay has it all: terrifying encounters, bizarre theories, and Dayna’s signature comedic take on the world’s weirdest lore. Subscribe, share, and remember — when the knock comes, don’t let them in.

Site Sources 

  • Wikipedia: Overview of the legend, origin, and folklore context
    Wikipedia
  • Atlas Obscura: Deep cultural analysis and lasting impact
    Atlas Obscura
  • Historic Mysteries: Early coverage on Brian Bethel’s account
    Historic Mysteries
  • USC Digital Folklore Archives: Folk meaning and comparative legends
    USC Digital Folklore Archives
  • Medium - Horror Hounds: Visual descriptions, storytelling tone
    Medium
  • So Supernatural Podcast: Anecdotes and patterns in personal tales
    Wave AI
  • Fandom / Creepypasta Files: Community lore structure and tropes
    creepypastafiles.fandom.com
  • Kickstarter / Film Listings: BEKs in indie films like Sunshine Girl
    Wikipedia
  • Business Standard: International folklore coverage and narrative patterns
    The Business Standard
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3 months ago
28 minutes

Loreplay
Haunted History of The Winchester Mystery House

Step inside one of America’s strangest and most haunted mansions—the Winchester Mystery House. Built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune, this sprawling, bizarre labyrinth in San Jose, California is filled with staircases that lead to nowhere, doors that open into walls, and enough ghostly legends to keep paranormal investigators buzzing for over a century.

In this episode of Loreplay, Dayna Pereira dives deep into the history, heartbreak, and haunted lore behind Sarah Winchester and her endlessly expanding Victorian mansion. Was she cursed by the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle? Or was she simply a grieving genius with too much money and not enough therapy? We’ll unravel the facts, the myths, and the sheer chaos of the most famous haunted house in California.

For this episode, we drew from historical accounts, scholarly resources, and paranormal folklore archives:

  1. Official Winchester Mystery House Website – winchestermysteryhouse.com

  2. Mary Jo Ignoffo, Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune (University of Missouri Press, 2010)
  3. Pamela Haag, The Gunning of America: Business and the Making of American Gun Culture (Basic Books, 2016)
  4. National Park Service – “Winchester Repeating Arms Company” historical summary
  5. San Jose Mercury News archives on Sarah Winchester and the mansion’s construction
  6. “The Haunted History of the Winchester Mystery House,” Smithsonian Magazine
  7. Ghost Adventures, Travel Channel episode featuring the Winchester Mystery House
  8. Winchester Mystery House museum tour archives and official press material
  9. USGHostadventures https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/why-the-winchester-house-is-
    haunted/#:~:text=The%20Pardee%20family%20was%20close,had%20a%20very%20loving%20marriage.
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Winchester#Superstition_and_madness
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4 months ago
27 minutes

Loreplay
The Bell Witch

Welcome to Loreplay—the comedy-paranormal podcast where haunted history meets hot takes. In this episode, host Dayna Pereira dives deep into one of America’s most infamous ghost stories: The Bell Witch of Adams, Tennessee.

From John Bell Sr.’s mysterious illness to Lucy Bell’s eerie protection, and from Kate Batts’ petty neighbor drama to the witchy shenanigans that terrified Andrew Jackson himself, this story has everything: curses, poltergeist activity, demonic sass, and enough Tennessee gossip to fuel a century of spooky sleepovers.

With a mix of historical research, folklore, and laugh-out-loud commentary, we unpack why the Bell Witch still haunts our imaginations today—and why she’d absolutely run a chaotic TikTok account if she were alive now.

Whether you’re here for the true crime-style timeline, the paranormal chaos, or just the comedic meltdown of a host who relates way too much to a vengeful spirit, you’re in for a ride.

📚 Sources for Loreplay Episode: The Bell Witch

  • Ingram, M.V. An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch. (1894).
  • Bell, Richard Williams. Our Family Trouble: The Story of the Bell Witch of Tennessee. (Written in 1846, published 1934).
  • Nickell, Joe. Entities: Angels, Spirits, Demons, and Other Alien Beings. Prometheus Books, 1995.
  • Johnston, Charles Bailey. The Bell Witch: A Mysterious Spirit of the Cumberland. (1930s pamphlets, later collected).
  • Radford, Benjamin. “The Bell Witch Haunting: The Real Story.” Skeptical Inquirer (2012).
  • Bell Witch Cave official site & tourism information: bellwitchcave.com

  • Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture – Entry on The Bell Witch Legend
  • Local oral traditions, legends, and retellings preserved in Adams, Tennessee historical society archives.

👉 Keywords: Bell Witch, Tennessee ghost stories, haunted history podcast, paranormal comedy, Loreplay podcast, American folklore, John Bell, Kate Batts, Bell Witch Cave, haunted Tennessee, spooky legends, ghost podcast, paranormal podcast funny.

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4 months ago
29 minutes

Loreplay
Raggedy Annabelle

In this episode of Loregasm, we explore:

  • The 1970 haunting of Donna and Angie and the disturbing Annabelle Higgins spirit backstory.
  • The infamous “Help Us” and “Help Lou” notes — and why no physical evidence exists.
  • Lou’s violent scratching and claims of demonic attack.
  • The psychic medium’s misread and the Warren investigation.
  • Annabelle’s decades in the Warren Occult Museum and the blessing rituals meant to “contain” her.
  • Real-life Annabelle curse stories — accidents and deaths linked to mocking her.
  • Annabelle’s tour appearances at haunted prisons, plantations, and paranormal conventions.
  • How Matt Rife and Elton Castee became Annabelle’s legal guardians in 2025.
  • Skeptical perspectives: was Annabelle a demon… or a PR stunt?

🔗 Sources & References

  • Warren, Ed & Lorraine. The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren. iUniverse, 1980.
  • Spera, Tony. NESPR archives & public statements.
  • “Annabelle: The True Story of a Demonic Doll.” Warrens.net.
  • CT Insider – Annabelle the doll is going on tour

  • CT Insider – Matt Rife, Elton Castee become legal guardians of Annabelle doll

  • EW.com – Matt Rife buys Warren’s Occult Museum house

  • I95 Rock – Annabelle Doll Left the Connecticut Museum

  • US Ghost Adventures – The Wrath of Annabelle Continues Through the U.S.

  • Times of India – Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera dies during Annabelle tour

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4 months ago
26 minutes

Loreplay
Loreplay, Haunting Soon!

Do you love spooky—but not like emo, turn it into your entire personality spooky? Do you make jokes at wildly inappropriate times just to cover up your crippling social anxiety? Then Loreplay might be for you.

I’m Dayna Pereira, your tour guide down a rabbit hole of lores, myths, ghost stories, and haunted history. But like, make it fun. Some of these tales you’ve definitely heard before, some you definitely haven’t—but I promise you’ve never heard them like this.

Check out Loreplay—where haunted gets hot and bothered with comedy, and their foreplay… is Loreplay. Subscribe, rate, and review—because validation from strangers on the internet is the only thing keeping us podcasters going.. Loreplay drops September first.. and what better way to kick it off then covering the doll that is definitely going to kill off Matt Rife. So Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts

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4 months ago
1 minute

Loreplay
Dayna Pereira is the sarcastic solo host of Loreplay, serving up paranormal stories, haunted history, creepy folklore, and weird legends with a playful twist. Equal parts storyteller and skeptic, she blends dark humor, spooky vibes, and a love for the bizarre into binge-worthy episodes for fans of ghost stories, urban legends, and true crime with a paranormal twist.