Midnight Snacks: Stories to Binge After Dark
- Daniel McDowell
- 2 days ago
- 12 min read
Midnight Snacks: Stories to Binge After Dark
A Podcast by Dan McDowell
50 episodes and counting!
Dig in to the podcast today!
I will keep this page updated and evolving. Stay tuned.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/midnight-snacks-stories-to-binge-after-dark/id1848027722
Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/Midnight-Snacks%3A-Stories-to-Binge-After-Dark-id6794372?country=us
Season 1
Write, Die, or Live
Don Solen is at an all time low when a strange visitor arrives at his isolated Crystal Springs, Nevada, home late on a Thursday night. Perhaps the timing is... providential in more ways than one…
Run time: 5m:30s
The Tunnel
An unidentified, disfigured man is discovered on a Tennessee state highway, sparking a local mystery. The story explores the chilling curiosity of a worker, Dave Halbert, who investigates a strange noise in a dark tunnel. His search uncovers an unsettling macabre operation. A dark tale of secrets, paranoia, and the high cost of human curiosity.
Run time: 5m:34s
Smart Mouth
"Smart Mouth" follows Harris Roberts, rhythm guitarist and vocalist, and his punk trio on the road in their 24-foot fifth-wheel. Celebrating over twelve years with the same lineup, the Albuquerque-based band gigs at the Jasper County Circus. But a meeting with a fortune-teller and an ominous warning might change everything for the finely oiled machine.
Run time: 5m:19s
MOTHER
The emotionally fragile Tom Lawrence, volunteers for a cutting-edge antisocial simulator called MOTHER. Developed by SmartCraft Industries, the program is meant to improve social skills but becomes an intense, aggressive psychological experiment. As Tom struggles with his own identity and the AI's increasingly harsh commands, the line between his virtual life and reality begins to terrifyingly blur.
Run time: 5m:28s
Sleeplessly… Sheepishly…
Battling sleepless nights, a bored but sheepish convenience store clerk gets an unexpected job offer selling a new snack: Mr. Hertzey’s Green Chile Pretzels. This unique opportunity comes with a secret and strict rules from a mysterious salesman. His life is about to change in a way he never imagined.
Run time: 5m:34s
Reality Bites!
After 48 years of bickering, Stoney and Jeannie's routine in their quiet Ohio home is upended when Stoney finds a shocking surprise in his shed. Their mysterious, watchful neighbor adds to the escalating tension as their lives take an unexpected and perilous turn.
Run time: 7m:28s
The Drifter
Jay Brokaw, an impulsive drifter, lives off the grid in an abandoned RV. His transient life takes a terrifying turn when the RV's owners, an unkempt old man and his spry wife, catch him trespassing.
Run time: 5m:06s
The Glow
A man notices a glow in his right hand, and it only continues to brighten. Unable to find an explanation online or in science books, he retraces his steps, considering everything from car battery changes to a cell phone crack. Join the quest as he drives back to the convenience store near Highway 90 to uncover the mysterious source.
Run time: 5m:30s
Rennzenstein
Step into the eerie holiday season in Biloxi, Mississippi, where Bill Helpson's meticulous tree selection at Uncle Abe’s Christmas Tree Lot leads to unnerving discoveries. Strange trees and disturbing dreams hint at a sinister secret. Uncover the mystery of "Rennzenstein" and the fireproof immortality it grants to certain Douglas firs, all leading to unexplained calamity.
Run time: 5m:28s
The Anxiety Artist
Tom Lester, a man plagued by anxiety, finds refuge in his imagination, which often overrides reality. After losing his seemingly ordinary job, he receives an epiphany for his next "project". Lester channels his anxieties into creating "characters" in his mobile home, using a growing collection of peculiar items. His struggles with the real world, his past, and an unusual passion begin to converge.
Run time: 5m:26s
Your Cup of Tea
In the cutthroat Special Services division at Corley Hines, employees face assignments with "strangely illegal and intrusive nature". Manager Bob expects risk-takers, but one employee, Stu, finds a task "just not my cup of tea". Unbeknownst to Bob, an artificial shield protects him from the consequences of his extreme management. The lines between company loyalty and self-preservation blur. Tune in for a tale of toxic office politics and dangerous secrets.
Run time: 5m:17s
Mister Perfect
"Mister Perfect" Jacob Lieber is the ultimate "stand-up" guy, but 38-year-old Addie Deager is determined to expose his flaws. As she stages scenarios to "crack" him, a secret past, and deadly intentions are revealed. Discover the shocking truth behind Jacob's perfection and Addie's obsessive pursuit..
Run time: 6m:01s
America of Tomorrow—Minnesota Gothic
A former reality TV contestant, fueled by bitterness and a desire for success, finds herself entangled in a shocking scandal and the desperate need to reclaim the spotlight. After a short-lived run on a political competition show, she hatches an intricate plan for revenge.
Run time: 5m:45s
Poisoned in Paradise
For single lawyer Ed Wiley, life in Bar Harbor, Maine, is a dream. But his recent triumph over a resort company, the BHBRC, may have put a target on his back. As Ed delves into a local family mystery, the pursuit of truth could become his unexpected nightmare.
Run time: 6m:38s
Laid to Rest
Morticians Steve Harris and Abel Nixon are friendly funeral home rivals who meet for coffee to share industry secrets. Their routine is shattered when a strange, recurring diamond branding appears on several corpses. As the unsettling mystery deepens and their personal lives become entangled, they must uncover the terrifying truth behind what it means to be laid to rest.
Run time: 5m:45s
MISTER ELECTRIC
Herb Wilks buys a MR ELECTRIC, a dubious gadget, hoping to impress his unhappy wife, Jennifer, and fix their home. Herb is anxious about the $499 purchase and the high-pressure sales pitch. The device, programmed to be "proactive" in electrical repairs, starts making unauthorized, yet technically "correct," adjustments throughout the night.
Run time: 5m:17s
The Local Pharmacy
Welcome to the story of Hopkins Pharmacy in Hondo, Texas. It’s a place where locals place great trust in their homegrown pharmacist. But years of stress lead Jesse Hopkins to make a questionable choice to help his wife, Trina, which sets off a chain of reckless actions. Discover how this family business becomes entangled in a small-town scandal and betrayal of trust.
Run time: 5m:45s
Terrific Thursday at Taco Town
In 1996, a Taco Town store’s night shift is interrupted by a bizarre drive-through visitor and a sudden power outage. Employees Terry, Gabe, and Willie are left alone and locked inside to deal with the strange situation. Fear and paranoia mount until a familiar voice starts banging on the back door. Find out what happens when they decide to open it!
Run time: 6m:49s
Grounded
Worn out by his career, Pete Sabarsky's world unravels when his past at a coffee company manifests as vivid, dark visions tied to the beverage. Driven by haunting guilt and a strange new ability, he starts confronting the hidden truths of his employees and strangers. Discover how far one man will go to feel truly grounded.
Run time: 5m:39s
Unit 27 and the Purple Ooze
Follow Mike Lumpkin, general manager of a Northern New Hampshire self-storage facility, as he prepares to evict a delinquent tenant from unit 27. This simple task leads Mike to confront the facility's disturbing history, which involves a family curse, strange hallucinations, and the haunting legacy of a past tragedy. Discover the secrets buried beneath unit 27.
Run time: 5m:39s
Speech Therapy
After a year of failed traditional therapy, Laura takes her son, Bobby, to an alternative speech therapist, B. Higgins. It only gets stranger from there...
Run time: 5m:58s
ELEVEN: The Yankee Cobbler Curse
Danny Wilkinson moves his insurance business to a new office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, an old Masonic building. He struggles to settle in, finding the office unwelcoming and obsessing over the mysterious recurrence of the number 11 in its architecture. This fixation on eleven leads to strange discoveries and unsettling encounters that hint at the building's dark and unusual past…
Run time: 5m:58s
Rooftop Nightmare!
Tim Maldonado takes a job at the Desperado Hotel’s Rooftop Restaurant despite his crippling fear of heights. His role is to maintain order at the 617-foot high-rise restaurant. However, the hotel owner, Rudy Roberts, and the unconventional chef harbor secrets that make Tim question the restaurant's strict rules and his own safety. Tim must decide whether to enforce the rules or uncover the truth before his nightmares come true!
Run time: 5m:45s
The Order
Uncover the secrets lurking beneath a seemingly normal suburban life. Thirteen years after a gruesome murder, the dark history of The Order of the Falcon resurfaces. Follow Jeff Jenkins as strange midnight visitors and his cat's peculiar behavior shatter his carefully constructed routine. This gripping tale of hidden identities, family feuds, and a deadly secret society reveals that the past is always close behind.
Run time: 6m:07s
Frontiers
Nine-year-old Jason and his father, Jerry, visit Frontier Land, a Wild West theme park in Wichita, Kansas. Jason, obsessed with locomotives and the Wild West, finally convinces his grieving father to take the trip. A strange encounter with a ride operator and an unmarked building lead to a bewildering and profound, life-altering experience for Jason.
Run time: 5m:58s
Season 2
The Last Laugh
An author soft-launches his dusted collection of stories using an accidental new art form: a true-crime-styled podcast with AI bot reviewers. The bots initially embellish the work, but soon change their tone. The battle for control over his own narrative begins.
Run time: 4m:25s
The Receipt
A man in a gray hoodie recounts a traumatic, bizarre event from 19 years earlier, grieving lost film footage. It involves two men, a secluded location, an ill-advised hunt, a frantic burial, and an unearthly encounter that changed one man's life forever. Obsessed with completing the story, he retools the remaining stylized footage.
Run time: 6m:38s
The Perpetual Summer of ‘98
Step into the bizarre, isolated world of Barry Lazman, a man whose life was kept in a time capsule—the perpetual summer of 1998. For two decades, a shocking web of deceit maintained his strange, analog existence, creating a crucial cover story for a much darker secret. Hear the moment the illusion finally shatters, forcing Barry into a brand new world.
Run time: 5m:23s
Ornocorp
Join us as we explore Ornocorp, a pristine corporate community offering a "prepackaged" life with no bills or chores. John and Macy Lozarino sold their home for this seemingly perfect, managed existence. But beneath the immaculate facade and guaranteed employment, residents follow strict rules and a mysterious corporate grind. Discover the cost of a life of "preservation".
Run time: 5m:23s
Get a Hobby!
In the year 2000, 63-year-old Jonny Gibson had a boring life. Encouraged by his wife to find a creative outlet, he buys a camcorder on a whim. He starts by recording the simple, mundane details of his home life. One night, intrigued by a new setting, he takes his camera into the dark garage leading to a mysterious discovery.
Run time: 4m:38s
Sticklo: The Awakening
Jeff Ellison brings home a portable air conditioning unit leaving it untouched for a year. After setting it up, he begins filming as the appliance exhibits bizarre behavior, creating a strange link between him and the unit. The unexpected encounter with a small silver figure escalates, leaving the strangest scene captured in recent times.
Run time: 5m:32s
Beneath the Floorboards
A homeowner of a 1900-built house discovers a bizarre presence beneath his pier and beam foundation. What starts as a skinny black cat soon begins to grow, morphing into something else entirely. Driven by a need for connection, the man begins a secret, junk-food-fueled relationship with the creature, which his wife finds increasingly suspicious.
Run time: 5m:04s
The Obsession of Weebo Jabilson
Weebo Jabilson has a deep, lifelong obsession with his childhood home. After years of saving and dreaming, he finally gets a chance to sneak back into the seemingly "sacred" space. What he finds is not the channel to his memories, but a completely unrecognizable, modern nightmare that challenges his lifelong fixation.
Run time: 5m:54s
Alive and Kicking: The Fragile Geometry of Escape
A freelancer named Matt Lebell believes Simple Minds' "Alive and Kicking" is the true anthem of the 80s. His intense connection to the music transports him to another reality. His obsession leads to eccentric behavior, catching the attention of both a police officer and a fast-food employee. Discover the extraordinary lengths he goes to for a trip to his perfect world. The story explores the allure of musical escape and the cost of chasing an idyllic dream.
Run time: 5m:32s
Jerald Wellins Doesn’t Flinch…
Jerald Wellins, known for never flinching during his annual Halloween horror marathon, hosts a screening of a mysterious, un-titled film. Labeled "For Jerald Only," the grainy footage shows unsettling, distorted views of his own house. The movie, which affects his friends, is only the prelude to a series of psychological terrors that challenge Jerald's profound disbelief in fear. Something has finally shifted.
Run time: 5m:50s
Twisted Hacks— A Pool Man’s Nightmare
In "Twisted Hacks," Greg Preakle is desperate to avoid eviction after losing his job as a pool man. With his power shut off and debts piling up, he answers an advertisement for a "cutting edge game show" promising a potential gateway to "greater opportunities".
Read the full version of the story in Dan McDowell’s award winning Pool Man: A Nightmare in Riverton novel.
Run time: 6m:09s
The Perfect Yard
Lee Randles treasures his perfect backyard sanctuary until a gate squeak and damaged path spark intense anxiety and suspicion. His escalating frustration and accusations isolate him from his wife. Forced outside, he confronts the chaos of nature and realizes the true source of his discontent.
Run time: 6m:25s
The Third Shift of Nicky Blue Eyes
This chilling tale introduces Nick Hornsby, the steady, third-shift security guard at a city quarry, known for his glass eye. His quiet routine is shattered by the arrival of an unfamiliar truck and its too-perfect driver. A simple check turns into a mind-bending confrontation about a forgotten past and a terrible secret, blurring the line between reality and an endless nightmare.
Run time: 6m:05s
Larry Heller and the Synergy of Shame
An introverted writer is pulled into a quieter than usual SuperCon event where he dreads attention. A humiliating encounter with a forgotten TV star leaves the actor obsessed with recognition and offering the writer a path to unexpected success. The price: an intensely personal collaboration based on two mysterious, non-negotiable conditions that threaten the writer's entire identity.
Run time: 5m:43s
“SCARE” — A Rick Evans podcast
A chilling, meta-commentary on media control and artificiality. The host, Rick Evans, reveals their voices and studio are artificial and perfectly controlled, comparing the setup to news media. He asserts their power, embracing the potential for unpredictability and existential horror.
Run time: 5m:47s
The Resurrection of Smart Mouth
Six years ago, the punk rockers of Smart Mouth ended in cursed disaster. Now, frontman Harris Roberts is ready with new material, sober, and set to reclaim the stage with Eagle and Skelter. But the band's new, explosive sound is built on a dangerous lie. A deleted master recording and a chilling conspiracy leave them questioning if their failure— and their resurrection are all part of the system's plan?
Run time: 6m:07s
John Garrowitz and the Dummy Dilemma (A Short Story)
Join us for a special Halloween edition of Midnight Snacks, where the full short story is available and dramatized. After a prank gets John Garrowitz fired from his nineteen-year corporate job, his life takes a strange turn when a chanting voice leads him to an eccentric dummy named Dewey. The pair form a chaotic, fast-talking partnership and return to John's old office for a disastrous attempt at revenge and a new career. John quickly realizes this dilemma is more than he bargained for.
Run time: 16m:01s
Fainting into Fiction: The Story of Lee Heigelman
This episode tells the story of Lee Heigelman, a good-natured man who suffered from severe, psychosomatic anxiety. After medication and therapy failed, Lee's wife encouraged him to get creative. He found his cure and calling in writing dark, imaginative stories. Discover how Lee’s internal crumbling led to a fulfilling life as a published author.
Run time: 5m:06s
The Pastor and the Pit (A Short Story)
Pastor Eric Rallow is on a controversial mission: using a technical instrument and his knowledge of "dead languages" to hear the afterlife. What he hears—screams, songs, and silence—drives him to prove the existence of heaven and hell. But his exploration of an ancient pit in Widow’s Cave brings him face-to-face with a choice that could cost him everything.
Run time: 8m:55s
Johnny Haltom and the Data Center (A Short Story)
Join Jonny Haltom, a conspiracy theorist recovering from surgery, as he finds himself obsessed with the new, secretive data center across the street. While nursing his injuries, he uncovers strange trucks and curved construction materials. His wife, Lisa, is annoyed by his "research," but soon realizes something genuinely strange is happening in their quiet Texas neighborhood. Tune in to find out what the massive corporation is truly building.
Run time: 19m:18s
Henry Levells and the Class Reunion (A Short Story)
Meet Henry Levells, a man whose premature baldness accidentally became his greatest strength—and his biggest secret. When an invitation to his twenty-year high school reunion arrives, his fragile confidence shatters. Then, a strange little man appears in his garage, offering an impossible deal to restore his youth. Henry must choose: face his past as his true self, or pay an unseen price for perfect confidence.
Run time: 18m:42s
Nightmare at Lebanon Springs Camp
A youth group's camping trip takes a terrifying turn when a volunteer leads a late-night hike. While an occult group performs a ritual nearby, the boys stumble upon a scene of cloaked figures dancing around flames in a bizarre ceremony. The encounter leaves the boys and their guide shaken, highlighting unexpected horrors that can lurk in the dark.
Run time: 7m:53s
The Trophy Room (A Short Story)
For Coach Len Harrows, the past is a weapon. His obsession with winning is tested when a chilling demand forces him into a strange partnership. As the final buzzer approaches, Harrows realizes the trophies he worships may exact a debt greater than any championship can repay.
Run time: 21m:39s
Musings of a Storyteller (A Short Story)
When a writer meets an old friend for coffee, a simple conversation about creativity ends with an old book changing hands. After a shocking loss, the writer struggles with guilt contemplating if his intent to inspire is a gift or a curse.
Run time: 17m:37s
The Henderson Method: The Road to Algebraic Hell (A Short Story)
Tom Henderson, a steady Algebra II teacher, snaps after decades of ridicule from his students. Tired of being teased for his "coke bottle glasses" and "pooched belly", he devises a meticulous new curriculum. His subject is not math, but consequence. The lesson is about to begin, and three former students are about to learn the price of their past cruelty.
Run time: 30m:33s
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