SECRETS OF SEANCE CHARLATANS: How Victorian Mediums Fooled the World With Ghost Tricks

Grieving families in the Victorian era paid good money for a few minutes with their dead, and the mediums who took that money had help, from props hidden up their sleeves to assistants who gathered details about each sitter before the séance began.

EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/victorian-seance-tricks

READ or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdd96bh3

FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Victorian era séances – where mediums claimed to bridge the living and the dead with mysterious rituals and eerie phenomena. But they had some elaborate tricks and illusions up their sleeves, all with the intention of misleading millions with the promise of communicating beyond the grave – and lining their own pockets, of course. (Secrets of the Seance Charlatans) *** Underneath the Nevada desert a 13-year-old Marc Brooks was exploring – and encountered the unknown. A secret chamber, a mysterious artifact, and a chilling humanoid creature defies explanation. What lies underground in the desert? (Reptile Men And Underground Bases) *** From charitable beginnings to centuries of cruelty, Bedlam – England's first mental hospital – has a shocking history. It’s dark past of inhumane treatments and public spectacles are such well-known atrocities that we’ve eventually come to use the word “bedlam” to describe uproar and confusion. We’ll take a look at the chilling stories of the hospital that started it all. (Nightmare at Bedlam) *** The 1976 Chowchilla school bus kidnapping saw 26 California children abducted, buried alive, and held for ransom — then they miraculously escaped. (The Chowchilla Kidnapping) *** Spells, magic and curses have captivated the human imagination from the beginning of time. From ancient Egyptian tombs to modern-day superstitions, beliefs in the supernatural have shaped history, influenced cultures, and continue to fascinate us today. Why does magical misfortune still hold such an interest for us? (Magic, Curses and Supernatural Spells) *** A man almost crashed an entire country's economy by tricking a bank into printing real money for him? It was one of the most audacious schemes in financial history, flooding Portugal with millions in genuine but unauthorized banknotes. It was great while it lasted – but the crash was brutal! (The Man Who Almost Broke a Country) *** Urraca Mesa is a mysterious table mountain in New Mexico where compasses spin wildly, and ghostly blue lights dance in the night. It’s full of stories of vanished ancient tribes and terrifying supernatural encounters with evil spirits. It’s a hotspot for unexplained phenomena and those who seek it. We’ll learn some of the eerie secrets of the Urraca Mesa. (The Urraca Mesa Portal) *** AND MORE!

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding
00:03:21.893 = Show Open
00:06:46.207 = Secrets of the Seance Charlatans
00:17:16.895 = Nightmare At Bedlam ***
00:25:39.431 = Reptile Men and Underground Bases
00:32:21.868 = The Chowchilla Kidnapping ***
00:36:12.454 = Magic, Curses and Supernatural Spells
00:44:50.503 = The Man Who Almost Broke a Country’s Economy ***
00:51:48.689 = The Urraca Mesa Portal
00:58:06.908 = Bizarre Name Changes ***
01:05:31.975 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break

*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

SOURCES and RESOURCES:
“Reptile Men And Underground Bases” source: Marc Lowth at UFOInsight.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/64vrrh66
“The Chowchilla Kidnapping” source: Jessica O’Connor at AllThatsInteresting.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/cxefxjks
“The Man Who Almost Broke a Country’s Economy” source: Kaushik Patowary at AmusingPlanet.com:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p94ykzw
“Magic, Curses and Supernatural Spells” source: Liz Leafloor at Ancient-Origins.com:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3yk42ksb
“The Urraca Mesa Portal” source: Zoe Mitchell at Anomalien.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4x2t99mc
“Secrets of the Seance Charlatans” source: Liv Pasquarelli at Ranker.com’s Graveyard Shift:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9x54v9
“Nightmare at Bedlam” source: Bipin Dimri at HistoricMysteries.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p93tt8c
“Bizarre Name Changes” source: Jeffrey Morris at ListVerse.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/29xt7j5u
(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.)
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
Originally aired: June 25, 2024

More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.