DID THE CIA TURN AN ENTIRE TOWN INTO WEREWOLVES? The Pont-Saint Esprit Incident

Take the WEIRD DARKNESS LISTENER SURVEY and help mold the future of the podcast! https://weirddarkness.com/surveyIn 1951 an entire French town suddenly believed they were werewolves — but CIA documents suggest the real monster might have been scientists conducting a top-secret mind control experiment that went horribly wrong.Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateIN THIS EPISODE: In 1856, two young children – Joseph and George Cox – disappeared in the Allegheny Mountains. The story is tragic… and it also has a bizarre ending. (Lost Children of the Alleghenies) *** Is he an elf? A troll? Not only is it hard to classify Latin America’s El Duende – but it’s even difficult to know if he’s good, evil, or just a mischievous menace! (Duende The Menace) *** Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery just outside of Chicago is a mystery. No one knows exactly how it got its name; no one is sure when the first burial there took place or why it has since been abandoned; there is no explanation for the strange lights that are often seen there, or the ghostly lady, or the phantom horse and rider. (Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery) *** A man is found in a graveyard with a bullet to his skull, barely alive. He died later – but what exactly happened to him is a bit of a mystery. Our guess though is that it had something to do with him being a grave robber. (A Grave Robber’s Fate) *** Forensics has come a long way over the years, making it harder and harder for criminals to get away with crimes – particularly brutal crimes where DNA is usually left behind because of a struggle or physical assault. But despite technological advancements, there are still those cases that remain unsolved – and we’ll look at a few murders of women whose cases still can’t be closed. (Unsolved Female Murders) *** How’s the saying go… “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?” That’s good advice for the living – but probably even more apropos when dealing with female ghosts! (Famous Female Phantoms) *** Imagine you’re in a small town and suddenly you begin seeing people around you starting to change into beastly creatures. They begin attacking those around them, ripping them apart, eating like wild animals. Then suddenly you begin the transformation yourself… you are becoming a werewolf. But you were never bitten by a monster, nor were the townsfolk. How could this be happening? This actually happened in a small town in France… and one of the theories as to how it happened will not only surprise you, but have you wondering if it will happen to you someday. (The Town That Turned Into Werewolves)ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Lead-In00:01:36.046 = Show Open00:04:54.580 = The Town That Turned Into Werewolves00:20:56.054 = Famous Female Phantoms00:26:56.085 = Unsolved Female Murders00:40:28.889 = Duende The Menace00:47:24.319 = Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery00:53:08.584 = A Grave Robber’s Fate00:56:37.209 = The Lost Children of the Alleghenies01:02:40.627 = Show CloseSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…BOOK: “Hunting The American Werewolf” by Linda Godfrey: https://amzn.to/45p1poXBOOK: “A Terrible Mistake – The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments” by H.P. Albarelli Jr.: https://amzn.to/3OD2RgRBOOK: “Forbidden Archeology’s Impact” by Michael A. Cremo: https://amzn.to/45nqwbEARTICLE: “El Duende – San Pedro Folklore” by Angel Nunez: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckmmwvj“The Town That Turned Into Werewolves” by Nick Redfern: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckmamyj; and ViralNova.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckv3xfh“Famous Female Phantoms” by Carolyn Cox for The Line Up: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ye2zatz7“Unsolved Female Murders” by Selme Angulo for List Verse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/5f9jzc3e“Duende The Menace” by Dean Traylor for Owlcation.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/b3aswdu“Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery” by Kathi Kresol for Haunted Rockford: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdkj9323“Lost Children of the Alleghenies” by Orrin Grey for The Line Up: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/nayey92p“A Grave Robber’s Fate” by Robert Wilhelm for Murder By Gaslight: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3xvtu6k4=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: August 14, 2023NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/CIAWerewolves#PeterStubbe #BedburgWerewolf #WerewolfHistory #PontSaintEsprit #CIAConspiracy #MindControl #MKUltra #FrankOlson #LSDExperiments #ErgotPoisoning #MassHysteria #1951France #GovernmentCoverUp #ColdWarSecrets #ClinicalLycanthropy #Werewolves #Shapeshifters #TrueCrimeHorror #HistoricalMysteries #ParanormalHistory #SerialKillerHistory #16thCentury #MedievalHorror #OccultHistory #EuropeanFolklore #RealWerewolves #UnexplainedEvents #ConspiracyTheories #SupernaturalCrime #FortDetrick #CIAExperiments #FrenchMystery #WerewolfSightings #GovernmentExperiments #DarkHistory