Horror at the Milk Bar

What begins as desperation descends into calculated slaughter. Men, women, and children are hunted, drowned, stabbed, and silenced in the night. The sick are executed where they lie. The weak are deemed expendable. Entire groups are lured away and murdered, their deaths hidden beneath lies and shifting sands. Each day, the body count rises as Cornelisz tightens his grip, building a reign of terror fueled by paranoia, power, and the promise of piracy.This episode dives into one of the most horrifying chapters of survival history—a place where humanity fractures, morality vanishes, and the greatest threat is no longer the elements, but each other. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Batavia sets sail—packed with silver, secrets, and men with everything to gain… and nothing to lose. Beneath the promise of unimaginable wealth, tension brews as disease, filth, and power struggles take hold on the open ocean.As alliances form and dark ideas begin to surface and the seeds of mutiny are quietly planted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13,000 miles into her maiden voyage carrying around 330 people, the pride of the Dutch East India Company struck a reef off the coast of Western Australia. But the shipwreck was only the beginning of the horror. What followed was a sadistic reign of terror led by Jeronimus Cornelisz, a man history remembers as one of its most abhorrent psychopaths. We’re opening the books on the massacre at the Houtman Abrolhos islands. Welcome to Horror at the Milk Bar! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the astonishing conclusion to Gregory’s story so far. We pick up where we left off at the Tweed Heads Hospital, with a bag full of illicit materials. Gregory is about to experience a life-altering event that will reroute his entire life course, take his place among his ancestors, and lead him to discoveries that help him re-evaluate and confront his past. Strap on in!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we pick up where we left off. Gregory is atop Mt Goonengerry. The skies have opened in a torrent of monsoon rain, and Gregory is hunched beneath his Driza-Bone, covered in leeches, wondering if he should return to society or go deeper into the forest. Get ready—this is a spectacular trip into the unknown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first episode in our series tells the extraordinary true story of Gregory P. Smith, based on his powerful autobiography Out of the Forest. From a childhood marked by violence, institutional abuse, and survival on the streets, Gregory’s life spirals through addiction, crime, and self-destruction—before leading him into the Australian wilderness with nothing but the bare essentials and a will to survive. Raw, confronting, and deeply human, this is a story of resilience against impossible odds—and one you won’t forget. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final instalment, the last desperate plan to get Jan across the mountains to Sweden unfolds—while German patrols and brutal weather threaten to end his journey once and for all...... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this instalment, Jan’s fight for survival reaches its darkest moment. Alone in the mountains, suffering from gangrene and starvation, he endures weeks buried in snow and performs a desperate act to stay alive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our story takes place in Nazi-occupied Norway in 1943, in the frozen fjords and mountains of the Arctic north. It follows the almost unbelievable ordeal of Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian resistance fighter whose mission behind enemy lines goes catastrophically wrong. What follows is a desperate fight for survival across some of the harshest terrain on earth — a story of avalanches, frostbite, starvation, and one man pushed far beyond what should be humanly possible to endure. It is also a story about the courage of ordinary people, villagers and strangers who risked everything to help him stay alive while German forces hunted for him across the mountains.The main source for today’s story is the remarkable book We Die Alone by David Howarth, which reconstructs Jan’s journey in extraordinary detail using interviews with the people who helped him survive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 26 November 1983, armed robbers broke into a Brink’s-Mat security warehouse near Heathrow Airport in London expecting to steal cash. Instead, they discovered a vault holding 3,000 kilograms of gold bullion along with diamonds and money, worth about £26 million at the time.The gang escaped with the gold, which was later melted down and laundered through criminal networks, fuelling one of the largest money-laundering operations in British history. Much of the gold was never recovered, and the robbery became linked to years of organised crime and several mysterious deaths connected to the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2007, a series of brutal attacks in eastern Ukraine escalated into one of the country’s most disturbing criminal cases. As investigators worked to trace stolen property and identify those responsible, a graphic video filmed by the perpetrators surfaced online, drawing international attention. What began as scattered reports of violence quickly became a nationwide investigation involving thousands of officers — and a case that would leave a lasting mark on the region. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 1970, a powerful cyclone struck the low-lying coast of what was then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). A storm surge estimated up to ten metres high swept across islands in the Ganges Delta, submerging entire villages overnight. Between 300,000 and 500,000 people were killed, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone in recorded history. The disaster exposed major failures in relief efforts and intensified political tensions that would soon lead to the Bangladesh Liberation War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 2017, the death of Queensland man Bruce Saunders was first reported as a horrific workplace accident involving a woodchipper on a rural property near Gympie. But almost immediately, police sensed something was wrong.What followed was one of Queensland’s most disturbing murder investigations — a case involving betrayal, life insurance, staged evidence, and a brutal attempt to disguise murder as misadventure.This episode unpacks how investigators unravelled the truth, what the forensic evidence revealed, and how those closest to Bruce became the central focus of a chilling conspiracy that shocked the Sunshine Coast and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In June 2014, 28-year-old mother of four Tia Landers went to a suburban home in Brighton, north of Brisbane, to conduct what she believed was a routine drug transaction. She brought two friends with her. None of them expected what would unfold inside that house over the following hours.This episode examines the events surrounding Tia’s disappearance and murder, drawing on court records, sentencing remarks, and coronial findings. It traces the social and personal pressures in Tia’s life, the role of familiarity and misplaced trust, the coercion of eyewitnesses, and the long aftermath for her family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Halifax Explosion occurred on 6 December 1917 and remains one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. It was caused by a collision in Halifax Harbour between two ships, one of which was carrying a massive load of wartime explosives. The resulting blast devastated much of the city, killed nearly 2,000 people, injured thousands more, and reshaped emergency response, disaster planning, and urban safety standards worldwide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three tales that get significantly more disturbing as they go! Also, Thank you endlessly for your support, I'm not bloody joking around, this is serious, it means the world to met that you would take time out to listen in each week, especailly as the show has changed and grown (hopefully for the better), It's not easy but knowing you're there makes me so happy. Thankyou, sincerely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This true story became the inspiration for a 1.67 billion dollar film franshise! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A special two part episode today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Therese had struggled with alcoholism for over a decade and now things were getting scary and she desparateely needed a change, or she was sure, she would die and maybe take others along with her. The change came in the form of two unesxpected strangers and what came next is reminder that sometimes there are forces beyond our control, placing us exactly where we need to be at just the right point in time. This story is about one of those moments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Todays story, is truly devastating for the victims and personally I don't believe there was ever enough outrage over this case. Please listen with care, some details may be confronting for some listeners. Bless you x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christian Manga lived a quiet life in a town near the Nigerian Border in Camaroon, near lake Nyos. One night he put his family and animals to bed and awoke the next morning with a strong metalic taste in his mouth, a splitting headache and noticed an unnatural silence in the valley. Before long, Christian would realise that everyone and everything in his beloved had died, but how? And, why did he survive? Find out today on Horror at the milk bar..... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tonight’s episode is two stories. The first takes place deep in the woods, where a man camping alone came within arm’s reach of something he couldn’t see but will never forget. The second begins on a quiet backroad, where another man accepted a ride from a stranger on what should have been an ordinary drive home. Two different places, two different moments, but the same unsettling truth: both of them were much closer to death than they realized at the time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rafael and María set out for a guided trip through Egypt’s White Desert, permits in hand and everything fully planned. It was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. No one could have predicted what happened next........... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A mother and daighter take a trip to Bali to reconcile their lost relationship..... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A man struggles with something burrowing deep within him, causing phantom wounds, foul smells and digging up memories from a past he would rather forget. In the ashes of a Cambodia trying to rebuild in the 1990's, Sovann Kim was a casino worker trying his best to make a go of what little Cambodian life could offer. Things would soon shift, as he embarked on a terrifying journey of the psyche and the soul. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In May 2001, Leslie Preer’s life in Chevy Chase, Maryland, looked picture-perfect — a happy home, a steady career, and a close-knit family. But one ordinary weekday morning, everything changed. When Leslie didn’t show up for work, her husband and boss went to check on her — and found a scene that would haunt investigators for more than twenty years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the summer of 1974, the Cowden family — Richard, Belinda, and their two young children — decided to spend Labor Day weekend camping in the quiet mountains of southern Oregon. It was meant to be a peaceful getaway, a few days surrounded by pine trees, fresh air, and the sound of running creek water. But when friends came by to visit their campsite the next day, the family was nowhere to be found. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s true story takes place in Australia, in the early 1960s — a time when the country felt unstoppable.New suburbs were rising, families were buying homes, and people believed the future could only get better.But sometimes, the smallest choices — the ones that seem meaningless — end up rewriting everything.This is a story about that kind of moment.It starts with luck — a life-changing twist of fate — and ends with a nightmare that no one could have imagined. This story is about the finer details, and the notion that the smallest clues really do make the biggest differences Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s true story takes place at the crossroads of wealth and prestige, where the question of ‘enough’ is an unrecognisable concept. It is a cautionary tale and a reminder that Jealousy and greed truly do not discriminate based on wealth or worldly possessions...... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s story will be told in two parts… taking place in the lives of two men — both of whom fought in the First World War.These men did not serve together. In fact, they came from very different worlds, wore different uniforms, and carried different burdens. Yet both served the same country — Italy, a nation already fractured by the chaos of war, and soon to be haunted by something far stranger than battle.Through a series of coincidences, confusions, and cruelties that only the fog of war can offer… their paths would converge in a spectacular way.And none of it — not a single part — would take place on the battlefield.When their stories finally overlapped, the resulting scandal would capture the world’s imagination — a mystery so extraordinary that even a century later, historians still debate what really happened. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

María Luisa García thought it was just a cold. A little cough, some aches — nothing she hadn’t pushed through before. But within days, her body began to fail her. Her muscles locked, her chest burned, and her skin took on a strange, grey hue. In her small Madrid apartment, her husband watched helplessly as neighbours up and down the street fell ill with the same mysterious sickness. Hospitals overflowed. Children couldn’t breathe. Entire families were struck down overnight. No one knew what was happening — not the doctors, not the government, not the terrified people watching their loved ones waste away. Some blamed pesticides, others whispered of a new virus. But the truth was far more ordinary — and far more horrifying. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill Singleton was on his way to the American Legion convention in Philadelphia — a reunion he’d looked forward to all year. The city was buzzing with celebration, the hotels packed with veterans swapping stories, flags waving in the summer heat. But soon after he checked into the grand Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, something strange began to spread through the halls. Men who had marched through wars were suddenly struck by fevers, coughing fits, and crushing fatigue. Within days, dozens were dead — and no one knew why. Panic swept the city as rumours of poison, terrorism, and even government experiments filled the air. Doctors were baffled. The media called it the Philly Killer. And for months, no one could stop it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the misty plains of Venezuela and Colombia comes the terrifying legend of El Silbón — “The Whistler.” Once a spoiled young man who murdered his father, his cursed spirit now roams the countryside carrying a sack filled with his father’s bones. His eerie whistle drifts through the night — a haunting tune that rises and falls with the wind. They say if the whistle sounds close, you’re safe… but if it seems far away, death is near. Farmers, drunkards, and those who mistreat their families are his favourite prey. When the air grows cold and the dogs begin to howl, beware — for El Silbón is already walking behind you, counting your sins. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At Himeji Castle in Japan lies Okiku’s Well — a place steeped in sorrow and legend. The story tells of Okiku, a loyal servant falsely accused of losing one of her master’s ten precious plates. When she could not find the missing dish, she was thrown into the well and left to die. Ever since, her spirit is said to rise from the depths, counting in a trembling voice — “one… two… three…” — always stopping at nine before releasing a piercing scream that chills the night air. Locals say if you listen closely under a sliver of moonlight, you can still hear her counting… still searching for the tenth plate she never lost. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deep in the shadowy forests of North America lurks the Hidebehind — a creature said to stalk lumberjacks and wanderers who stray too far from camp. Described as impossibly fast and able to twist its body to remain unseen, it hides behind trees whenever looked at directly. Victims vanish without a sound, leaving only splintered tools and echoing whispers in the pines. For generations, loggers told tales of its long claws and hollow hunger — a reminder that in the deep woods, it’s not what you see that should scare you… it’s what’s standing just behind you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ghost of Frederick Fisher In 1826, Frederick Fisher — a farmer living near Campbelltown, New South Wales — mysteriously vanished. Weeks later, a local man named John Farley stumbled into the police station, pale and shaking. He claimed he’d seen Fisher’s ghost sitting on a fence by the creek, silently pointing toward a paddock down the road. When police searched the spot, they found Fisher’s body buried exactly where the ghost had indicated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Myling comes from Scandinavian folklore — the restless spirit of an unbaptised or unwanted child, often abandoned in the wilderness. Doomed to wander, these ghostly children are said to climb onto the backs of lone travellers at night, growing unbearably heavy as they demand to be carried to a proper burial ground. Their cries pierce the forest silence, and those who cannot bear the weight risk being crushed to death under the Myling’s grip. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Corpo-Seco is a terrifying figure from Brazilian folklore. His name means “the dried-out corpse,” and he’s said to be the restless remains of a cruel man who was so wicked that even the earth, heaven, and hell rejected him. Condemned to wander, his body became blackened, dried, and skeletal, and he haunts graveyards and lonely roads. People claim he attacks travellers, dragging them into the darkness with his sharp, claw-like hands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Caribbean folklore, especially Trinidad and Tobago, Douens are the spirits of unbaptised children who wander the forests. Small and childlike, they wear straw hats, have no faces, and their feet face backwards. They are said to lure living children into the woods by calling their names, never to return. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of Latin America’s most famous legends, La Llorona is the ghost of a woman who drowned her children and now wanders rivers and lakes crying “¡Ay, mis hijos!” (“Oh, my children!”). Said to lure the living to their deaths, her story—rooted in colonial history and Aztec myth—warns children to stay away from water at night and remains a powerful cultural symbol of grief and loss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Japanese urban legend, Kuchisake-onna is said to be the ghost of a woman with her mouth slit ear to ear. She approaches people at night, asking, “Am I pretty?” If they answer “no,” she kills them; if they answer “yes,” she reveals her wound and may mutilate them to look like her. The tale, with roots in older ghost stories, spread panic in Japan in the late 1970s and remains one of the country’s most enduring modern myths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 and easy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (2018) is Michelle McNamara’s true-crime book about her obsessive search for the Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and murderer who terrorised California between 1976 and 1986. The book blends meticulous research, survivor testimony, and McNamara’s own personal reflections. It re-branded the case with the now-familiar name “Golden State Killer,” reigniting public and police interest. Published posthumously after McNamara’s sudden death in 2016, the book became a bestseller and is credited with helping keep the spotlight on the case. Just two months after its release, Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested and later convicted of the crimes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 and easy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Borley Rectory, in Essex, England, was built in 1862 for Reverend Henry Bull and quickly gained a reputation as “the most haunted house in England.” Over the decades, residents and visitors reported ghostly nuns drifting across the grounds, phantom carriages rattling at night, mysterious writings appearing on walls, and objects moving on their own. The case drew national attention in the 1920s and 30s when famed paranormal investigator Harry Price studied the site, publishing accounts that cemented its reputation. Critics later accused Price of exaggeration or fraud, while skeptics pointed to drafty halls, trickery, and mass hysteria. Even so, the Borley Rectory legend has endured, making it one of Britain’s most famous and controversial haunting stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 and easy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Smurl Haunting took place in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, during the 1970s and 1980s. The Smurl family reported years of terrifying disturbances inside their duplex home, including foul smells, pounding walls, shadowy figures, levitating furniture, and even physical assaults. After living with the phenomena for more than a decade, they sought help from famed demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, who declared that a powerful demonic presence was responsible. Skeptics, however, argued the events could be explained by faulty plumbing, stress, or even fabrication. Whether true haunting or hysteria, the Smurl case remains one of America’s most unsettling and controversial paranormal stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 and easy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

El Fausto was a 14-metre fishing boat from the town of Tazacorte, on La Palma in the Canary Islands. In July 1968, it set out with four men on a routine trip between islands — but never returned. Despite being sighted twice and even given supplies for the journey home, the boat mysteriously vanished again and again, before finally drifting back into view months later with only a single body aboard. To this day, the fate of El Fausto remains one of the strangest maritime mysteries in Spanish history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 and easy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.