The Chilling Podcast: Did it make me believe in demons?

As fate would have it, I had just finished the most recent podcast I’d been listening to and was wondering what to listen to next when I got an email about The Chilling. In part, it read:

I wanted to reach out because I think my story might be of interest to you!

I am the creator of The Chilling, a 13 part serialized podcasts about a true haunting. It currently has over 30,000 plays and has reached top 7 in 10 countries for the documentary podcast category. It is not only the story of my haunting, but is also full of eye witness testimony, as well as insights from specialists around the world.

The email arrived from a woman named Lindsey Brisbine. It would’ve been easy enough to disregard and delete since it wasn’t addressed to me personally, just to Haunt Jaunts in general. However, the little voice inside my head whispered, “Give the first episode a listen on your next podcast walk. Decide whether or not to respond after that.”

So the next day, I hit the trail and pushed play on episode 1, “The Skeleton in My Closet.” Which, come on. Skeletons? That seemed like a sign considering my penchant for them.

But seconds in, I knew the voice inside my head had been right. (Again.) Thankfully. If I’d deleted the email, I would’ve missed out on an incredible podcast. A really gripping, well-told, well-researched, smart podcast about the paranormal —not to mention a creepy AF one.

And, truly, that would’ve been unfortunate. I always lament the lack of quality paranormal TV content available these days. Not that The Chilling is a TV show. (Yet. I hope someone picks it up and turns into a documentary. Or even something akin to The Watcher.)

Anyway, the point is, something amazing came along, and I almost tossed it without even giving it a shot!

Luckily, I listened —to both my gut and episode 1— even though it ended up venturing into my least favorite of all territories: demons. I would’ve disregarded the email and not given the podcast a chance if I knew that’s where it was headed. But by the time I understood that, Lindsey already had me under her spell. I wanted to see where her story went, and not just because she’d agreed to speak with me but because I was already so engrossed.

The Chilling Is Just That…Chilling!

Lindsey’s intro begins: “In Kent, Ohio, there is a house where the veil between this world and the next is thin. It is a home where things really do go bump the night. It is a place where demons dwell, and a roof under which nightmares are real.”

The first time I heard it, I thought she meant demons figuratively or for dramatic narrative effect. Nope. I can’t remember now if it was the end of episode 2, but definitely by episode 3, it became clear this wasn’t just about a regular haunted house anymore, but a demon-infested one.

“Nooooo!” I cried out in my mind. (And maybe even out loud.) “Why does it have to be about demons?” Which made me think of my friend Scott Morrow.

“You may not believe in demons, but they believe in you,” he’d always admonish me when I’d dismiss the possibility of demons existing.

He’s no longer with us, which always makes me sad, but especially at times like these. He would’ve loved Lindsey’s podcast. And he would’ve been floored to hear me concede, “Okay, you know I don’t buy into demons, but after listening to The Chilling? It’s got me thinking about them in a different way.”

Demon or…?

I’m still not convinced demons exist, especially not the good versus evil Hollywood version. That kind makes no sense to me. At the end of the day, those demons are pretty weak, not to mention cowardly. Why waste their time on “normal” people when they could possess more powerful ones, like world leaders, and really wreak havoc? What do they get out of preying on regular people?

Sure, some say they feed on fear. But to what end? Just to lead to someone’s mental and/or physical decline seems like a very shortsighted and unsatisfying accomplishment. Especially possessed people in the movies, who usually end up unable to even leave their bedrooms —or beds— and are reduced to writhing in the filth of their most unfortunate bodily functions. Score one for the demons? What did it really win? Vomit-breath and shit-stained sheets? For all the effort they go to, that doesn’t seem like a very good prize.

Anyway, just to cause some random person so much torment for so little reward is why demons make no sense to me.

That said, Lindsey’s approach to them felt fresh and smart. She did her due diligence for her podcast. In addition to sharing her recollection of events, she does include eyewitness testimony from her roommates and friends at that time, including her then-boyfriend (now-husband).

She also researched history and folklore and shared her findings to connect them with her experiences. She also wove in expert opinions from people like Loyd Auerbach; demonologist Michael Salerno; retired professor David Hufford; folklorist Andrea Kitta; professor and neurologist Guy Leschziner; psychic medium Joe Perreta; Judy Tsafrir, MD; and historical Michelle Walker.

After listening, I definitely believe something is in that little house in Kent, Ohio. And it definitely seems to be a malevolent energy that fits with our current (but maybe misguided) definition of “demonic.”

But I’m still not sure what a “demon” is, and I definitely don’t subscribe to biblical interpretations of them. However, after listening to Lindsey’s podcast, I’m now at least willing to consider they could be some unseen species sharing Earth with us that we haven’t properly identified yet.

Why The Chilling Raises the Bar

What I liked most was that every time I questioned an experience Lindsey was talking about in an episode, she did too. She approached it from a skeptic’s point of view, trying to debunk it first.

That’s not to say she didn’t believe something was happening. Skeptics get confused with nonbelievers, which they’re not. As Sarah Ban Breathnach so sagely said, “Skeptics make the best seekers.” That’s what Lindsey did. She sought a logical explanation first before looking for an out-of-the-box or supernatural one.

Lindsey also went above and beyond in her research. Something that always irks me about places like the Amityville, Lizzie Borden, and Conjuring houses is that other people lived in them without incident both before and after the big stories that put them on the map. Which, for me, makes it more difficult to believe the hype.

However, in The Chilling, Lindsey tracks down past residents and discovers they have similar stories to tell about bug infestations, once outgoing roommates suddenly shutting themselves off, and being haunted by dreams of a woman in a white dress with long dark hair covering her face.

Which, yes, the second I heard the description, the ghoul in The Grudge and The Ring came to mind. As if she knew what people would think, Lindsey admitted it was an eerily close coincidence. But not entirely unexpected or unprecedented, as evidenced by the Woman in White phenomenon, which she examined in episode 8, “The Witch and Her Window.”

Overall, Lindsey approached telling her story in a smart, calculated, categorical way, and that’s why I think I both loved it and found her authentic and her story believable. That, and I just loved her voice. What a well-spoken, fantastic storyteller!

Chatting about The Chilling

For More Info

You can listen to all episodes of The Chilling on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

And to learn more, visit https://www.thechillingpodcast.com.

Check-In

What doesn’t ring right to you about demons? Anything?