Tag: murder

#45 Stay with us [S4E13]

#45 Stay with us [S4E13]

The group talks about how the production pulled out all the stops on this final episode.

Chris reveals that Germany will make two new episodes of Beyond Belief for the twentieth anniversary of the original.

This is also the last chance for Chris to get all the stories correct. We will also find out who won season four and who throughout the entire season got the most stories correct.

Story 1: The Hand – In a bar called the Bloody Hand, named after a brutal murder of a woman whose only remains found were her bloody hand, a drifter finds the hand pointing at him.

  • Kyle doesn’t understand why the criminal doesn’t leave after the hand calls him out.
  • Jesse can’t get behind criminals just confessing to their crimes.
  • Tiffany thinks this is such an urban legend.
  • Chris doesn’t know if the ghostly rules apply here. Maybe it was just faulty robotics?
  • Maybe it was just in his head the whole time like the Tell Tale Heart.

Story 2: The Battered Doll – When a maid claims innocence after the death of her employer, one of the deceased’s prize possessions tells otherwise.

  • Kyle argues that Teddy Ruxpin could have recorded the murder.
  • Tiffany thinks the doll talking was just added in by the writers, but the rest seems true.

Story 3: Poker Justice – In the early 1900s three poker players need to win back a cheat’s earnings by using an honest poker player, but in the process, they get played themselves.

Story 4: Above the Clouds – A girl suffers from a reoccurring nightmare in a falling elevator, only to discover she needs to go to a birthday party at the top of a building.

  • There’s no interesting twist here, it’s just a coincidence.
  • She could have had the dream after the elevator and miss-remembered the sequence of events.
  • The group tries to figure out what would have made this story more interesting.

Story 5: Screen Saver – A year after breaking up and moving across the country, a couple cross paths when an odd screensaver shows up on a computer.

  • Tiff was waiting for the screensaver to be the supernatural element, instead of just a coincidence.
  • This story had one of our biggest laughs.
  • They discuss how her apartment had way too many plants in it

The story results are revealed.

  • And Chris didn’t get a hundred percent. BUT the coin did!
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

The season and series results are revealed.

  • For season four, Kyle won with a 70 percent average!
  • For the series:
    • Coin – 51%
    • Jesse – 52%
    • Tiffany – 53%
    • Kyle – 54%
    • Mark and Chris tie at 60%

#44 Frakes and geeks [S4E12 with Samm Levine]

#44 Frakes and geeks [S4E12 with Samm Levine]

Kyle is sitting out but we have guest-host actor and podcaster Samm Levine. Samm has watched the show before, and also had a neighbor who bragged about acting in an episode of Beyond Belief.

Samm is a hardline skeptic of all things supernatural. A big believer of known skeptic James Randy and the million-dollar challenge.

Samm has appeared recently on the show Movie Trivia Schmoedown.

Story 1: Witness To Murder – A ghost hunter who captured ghosts on film meets a mysterious end.

  • Samm tries to unpack Chris’s belief in ghosts.
  • In talking about the integrity of true stories in BB, Samm tells us the actual true story of Cool Runnings.
  • Most people find this story too be ridiculous and very writery.

Story 2: Roulette Wheel – A down on his luck gamboling addict finds himself on a mysterious winning streak.

  • Samm does not believe that odds could allow this to happen. Also, the pit boss would have thrown him out way earlier.
  • Chris thinks there are so many gambling stories that this could have happened.

Story 3: The Phrenologist’s Head – A doctor given a Phrenologist’s Head finds a smudge on it that leads to a miraculous discovery.

  • Samm explains that the doctors would have figured it out eventually upon surgery…And a lawsuit.
  • Chris believes that something could have happened to lead the doctor down the right path.
  • Jesse wonders if Freud’s ghost is involved in the smudging.

Story 4: The Bridge – A hiker crosses a shaky bridge and is helped by a mysterious woman who turns out to be more than she appears.

  • Jesse thinks the woman had her mom’s name in her subconscious and projected onto the woman.
  • Samm thinks it’s a single-source story where the woman miss remembered the events. points to Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink.

Story 5: The Cigar Box – A girl buys an antique, which turns out to belong to a neighbor.

  • This segment stars Campbell Lane, who does VO for the second half of BB.
  • Jesse thinks there are one too many coincidences.
  • Samm walks through how it could have happened – he was just a bitter old man who died after being denied his antique box by a little girl.

Friend of the podcast, Misty Stinnett (who has a new podcast Go Help Yourself) shares some self-help tips. But some are fact and some are fiction.

The story results are revealed.

  • Samm tells us a story of when he “met” Jonathan Frakes.
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#40 Leafing the witness [S4E8]

#40 Leafing the witness [S4E8]

We’ve returned with the back half of our fourth and final season. And if something feels oddly familiar about this week’s batch of stories… it’s because we watched this episode in the past and recorded an unreleased episode as a test pilot. And as a bonus, we will be releasing the pilot episode this Thursday in all it’s horrifying, awkward glory. Thankfully, we can barely remember what happened in last week’s episode, so this should be pretty fresh for us.

Story 1: Caitlin’s Candle – After being saved from a mugger by a candle with seemingly supernatural powers, a woman brings it home only to find out that it once belonged to her deceased mother.

  • Why would the mom hide jewelry in a candle? And WHY would a robber steal a candle?
  • Everyone thinks this is a ghost making elaborate plans. Kyle thinks maybe the mom did this all to teach the daughter to believe in herself.

Story 2: The Flower Jury – When a man is murdered in a flower shop, a detective uses an unconventional approach to solve the crime.

  • Chris and Mark have heard about plants being affected by positive and negative emotions.
  • Kyle thinks it’s ridiculous that we could believe in ghosts and spirits but not a plant.
  • Jesse thinks the detective made up the plant thing to trick the suspect into confessing.

Story 3: The Mentor – Magician brothers living in the shadows of Houdini attempt a new death-defying trick.

  • Jesse loved the unnecessary backflips in their routine.
  • Are these magicians real? No one knows. Maybe David Blaine was inspired by them?
  • The curse makes everyone feel like it could be written.

Story 4: The Old Bike – two brothers find an old bike and discover something mysterious inside the handlebar.

  • Everyone agrees hiding a note inside a handlebar is ludicrous.
  • Jesse thinks it’s mainly coincidental with some convoluted stuff added on.

Story 5: The Music Teacher – A renowned pianist has a creative block until he meets with his first piano teacher.

  • This is a classic dead the whole time story.
  • Everyone thinks the chocolate was added by the writers. Maybe he just had a mental block and the teacher used the chocolate to snap him out of it.

In lieu of a fake ad, for the remainder of the season, we’re asking the audience to be part of our show. Call or submit online your beyond belief stories. Or if you have any questions for us, ask away. Or just call and tell us you hate us. Anything goes! Leave us a voicemail at 818-254-9876, email us at info@beyondbeyondbelief.com, or send us a DM on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook @beyondbeliefpod.

The story results are revealed.

  • Chris gets an interesting score. The results are controversial.
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#38 Black belt ghost [S4E6 with Jamie Gaul & Joe Dolce]

#38 Black belt ghost [S4E6 with Jamie Gaul & Joe Dolce]

This episode we welcome two guest hosts: comedian Jamie Gaul from Upright Citizens Brigade and friend-of-the-podcast Joe Dolce. Regarding the world of supernatural, Joe is a skeptic while Jamie is a “boo-liever.” That’s not actually said in the show. I just thought of that right now.

Story 1: The Dorm – A girl in college finds that her dorm protects her in mysterious ways.

  • Tiff doesn’t understand why the girl didn’t inform the mom that her daughter’s spirit helped her.
  • Jamie doesn’t understand why the mom came back to the dorm at all.
  • No one understands why a woman can’t just defend herself. Nope, she has to be possessed.
  • Chris has never heard of a ghost giving someone a superhuman skill.

Story 2: The Child Artist – A child with an antique chalkboard scribbles a strange message.

  • Chris thinks the mom projected her ideas onto the chalkboard.
  • Jesse thought (hoped?) the mom was just sleeping with the neighbor.
  • Chris remembers his grandma telling a similar story.

Story 3: The Weatherman – A weatherman’s tries to boost ratings in a way that comes back to haunt him.

  • Jesse can see it being told, but not it actually happening.
  • Jamie thinks this all checks out.
  • Chris thinks, yet again, that he would have heard of this story.

Story 4: Sit-Down Comedian – A comedian who bullies his manager gets karmic retribution after a freak accident.

  • Tiffany thinks it ties up way too nicely.
  • No one believes that the manager would give up a profession as a successful comedian.

Story 5: Room 245 – A woman staying at a hotel with her sick mother stumbles into one of the strangest conspiracies ever.

  • Chris thinks that if this is fact, this is the craziest story Beyond Belief has ever told.
  • Jesse thinks maybe the woman just mixed up which hotel she was staying at. Jamie thinks maybe the woman just murdered her mother?
  • Tiffany thinks this could be an urban legend.

Part 6 of our Ouija experience:

  • On this week’s episode Mark, Jesse, and Kyle finally use set up the Ouija board and begin to reach out to spirits…

The story results are revealed.

  • Chris gets a surprising score. Joe gets an even more surprising score.
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#37 Critical hit [S4E5]

#37 Critical hit [S4E5]

The group compares Don Lafontaine and Campbell Lane’s voice over work on the show.

Story 1: House Of Shadows – A house sitter finds a strange video on the TV that seems to be coming from inside the house.

  • Everyone agrees this one was really creepy.
  • Tiffany feels it’s too trope’y.
  • They debate why the murder went to Europe.

Story 2: One Hand In The Till – A son desperate for money, gets a mysterious visit from his dad.

  • They agree there are too many Beyond Belief’y elements going on.
  • Jesse likes that it’s a fable of good vs. evil.
  • Kyle thinks maybe the dad just had a premonition.

Story 3: Teasdale’s Motor Car – A car enthusiast finally gets his dream car, but it comes with a catch…

  • Kyle thinks maybe the car was possessed.
  • Chris decides to go the opposite of what he’d usually vote
  • Mark thinks the writers just like to write car stories

Story 4: The Vision – A man tries to stop a bus, after having a vision of an accident.

  • Mark points out the writers probably just watched the movie Speed.
  • Most agree there are a ton of stories like this in the world.
  • They point out the unnecessary boss/secretary subplot.

Story 5: The Grave – A conspiring wife is tormented by guilt over her late husband.

  • Chris thinks maybe a ghost could kill grass.
  • Jesse doesn’t understand why the husband’s warning couldn’t have been more interesting.

Part 5 of our Ouija experience:

  • On this week’s episode, we interviewed modern sage Ian Sneed and asked: what are some tips and tricks for conducting a Oujia board night?

The story results are revealed.

  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#36 Pickle [S4E4]

#36 Pickle [S4E4]

The group discusses how great the all-female episode was. Tiffany realizes how hard it is to host the podcast (but is it really? Try doing these show-notes every week).

Story 1: Second Sight – A blind woman who received a corneal transplant can’t help but stare at a certain suspicious looking man.

  • No one believes this story.
  • Jesse thinks the guy has Skeet-Ulrich-from-scream-hair.
  • Tiffany thinks it could have just been a coincidence.
  • Chris thinks she may just have had a psychic intuition

Story 2: The Fine Line – When one sister is miles away her twin gets a bad feeling…

  • Jewel Staite from Firefly was featured in this story. Jesse points out that, more importantly, she was in Space Cases.
  • Is there a beyond belief twin rule? …No.
  • Jesse doesn’t feel like there was any interesting twists in this story.
  • Jesse thinks it could be a complicated rule story.

Story 3: The Wrong Turn – A mattress deliveryman swerves to miss an old lady and ends up saving a little kid. But where is the old lady?

  • Mark gives us the story recap…Kyle criticizes Mark’s recap…Chris rates Mark’s recap a 99/100.
  • Kyle proposes a plausible theory about how this story could have actually happened involving people taking lots of drugs.
  • Chris makes a connection to last week’s story, “Out of Service,” where someone who is alive projects themself as a vision to seek help.

Story 4: Who Was I – A man suffering from claustrophobia sees a hypnotist and digs far back into the cause of this illness.

  • The group discusses personal stories about hypnotism.
  • Kyle thinks he may have heard about this other man then just forgot.
  • Jesse points out through his knowledge of hypnosis, that it’s more likely that a hypnotist would plant the idea or belief in the patient.

Story 5: You Are Next – When a man’s luck is turned around he tries to call off a hit he placed on his wife.

  • Everyone wonders – who told this story?
  • Kyle loves this story.
  • Tiffany doesn’t understand why he would still take her to the restaurant. Kyle thinks since they probably got engaged at a Chinese restaurant he probably just didn’t want to mess up the anniversary.
  • Everyone points out how cool this guy’s chair is.

Part 4 of our Ouija experience:

  • A caller leaves a voicemail that influences the group’s decision to move forward with the Ouija experience.

The story results are revealed.

  • The group tied at 3 correct!
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#34 Uncomplicated playtime [S4E2]

#34 Uncomplicated playtime [S4E2]

The group discusses Frake’s use of illusions in the intro. Does he come up with them himself? They reminisce about Fox’s Breaking The Magician’s Code. And discover it was Valentino all along!

Story 1: Writer’s Agent—a slimy literature agent is haunted by a deceased client after he publishes her book.

  • Tiffany thinks maybe the whole thing was a sting by the police, including a phony book signing.
  • Kyle said he’s more or less played this scenario out in a game called Crack The Case.
  • Chris doesn’t believe any bit of this.

Story 2: Crypt Ghost—three kids find themselves in over their heads when they sneak into a cemetery to make a movie.

  • Jesse thinks the found footage element is just the writers ripping off The Blair Witch Project.
  • Tiffany thinks it sounds like an urban legend that kids could have believed in and then told.
  • Chris explains that ghostly markings are common and are on his list of The Ghostly Rules.

Story 3: The Doll—when Susan finally becomes an elementary school teacher she realizes one of the students may be someone from her past.

  • Kyle and Chris debate reincarnation.
  • Jesse and Tiffany don’t understand how this story got out. It’s a one-source story.

Story 4: Hubert’s Curse—when a construction worker doesn’t take a curse seriously, something strange starts happening to the tools.

  • The group thinks the ties to Merlin and the roundtable are ridiculous.
  • None of the hosts believe the curse is real, but they believe the carpenters believe it is.

Story 5: Shared Vision—a mysterious nurse diagnoses a sick child when all other hope is lost.

  • The group debates the supernatural logic. Is it a physic story, a ghost story, or a guardian angel story?
  • Jesse points out the writers are getting smart and tricked us by introducing the other elements first.
  • Tiffany thinks the nurse just noticed other subtle symptoms that the doctor missed.

Part 2 of our Ouija Adventure:

  • Chris and Mark decide to research Ouija boards by playing a game called Ouija or Noja. Real one-star reviews of Ouija boards are mixed in with fake ones, and it’s up to Kyle and Jesse to separate fact from fiction.

The story results are revealed.

  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#23 Ghosts, who dat? [S3E4 with Claire Berger & Christian Honce]

#23 Ghosts, who dat? [S3E4 with Claire Berger & Christian Honce]

 

Usual hosts Tiffany and Mark are out, but we have two guest hosts: returning champ/actor Claire Berger and screenwriter Christian Honce. Claire stars in a new movie Bad Exorcist available on iTunes or anywhere you watch cool movies. Christian explains that since he was a child he has nightmares literally every night. One in particular is about his mom with a creepy glowing figure behind her. Recently when visiting his mom, this vision came back to him and he grabbed her right before she backed up over their dog, nearly falling… fact or fiction?

Story 1: E-Mail—A couple buys a used computer and starts receiving mysterious emails from someone trapped in a tomb.

  • Jesse is yet again frustrated that there are so many female short haircuts.
  • Claire doesn’t understand why the story doesn’t focus more on husband’s unhealthy obsessed with the computer. Feels writery.
  • Jesse is annoyed that it’s never explained how the trapped man communicated with the new owners.
  • Christian thinks the man in the tomb was just emailing via a Blackberry.

Story 2: Blood Donor—after receiving a blood transfusion, a man finds that he can see murders as they happen.

  • Chris believes that if you hold onto a loved one’s possession after they’ve passed away you can often times connect with the them.
  • Jesse has a theory – he thinks the man who saved the woman was actually the murderer all along.
  • Christian thinks maybe the man is the murderer who has just repressed his memories.
  • Claire thinks there should be records of the blood transfusion if this is fact.
  • The group dissects the choice of naming a laptop a Renzlo Power 700.

Story 3: Epitaph—a gravestone craftsman is given orders to create an elaborate gravestone for a dead man against the wife’s wishes.

  • Jesse feels this is another case of Ghosts Make Elaborate Plans.
  • What’s the kernel of truth? Christian thinks it’s shady people taking advantage of people in emotional distress—the stone carver is so good at handwriting (since he does it for a living) that he forges the paperwork.
  • Quote of the story: “You know they say it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.” No one says that.
  • The southerner’s theory: Christian believes that if you change the characters to southerners, it can go a long way to explain how certain stories could have happened.

Story 4: Stitches in Time—a woman down on her luck has an odd dream of when her mother and her made a quilt together.

  • Jesse doesn’t understand why the grandmother would stuff a quilt with money and not tell anyone.
  • Claire argues that she is a woman who wants people to work hard and earn what they deserve.
  • Christian explains that if the money was in the quilt it would make noise when they used it.

Story 5: Soldier—a soldier in Vietnam is rescued from death by a strange man who turns out to be more than he seems.

  • Christian believes he’s heard this story before. But does that mean that it’s more likely fact or fiction? And is it possible it’s just an urban legend?
  • The group thinks maybe he had his dad’s dog tags the whole time and was just trying to impress a cute nurse.
  • For the most part, historical stories are fact based. Will it hold up?

Break: This week we play a game called TALL TALE TOMBSTONES, where we’re tasked to guess which bizarre tombstones are real and which are made up.

The story results are revealed:

  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime!

#22 The Lesco Desco connection [S3E3]

#22 The Lesco Desco connection [S3E3]

 

Turns out music doesn’t play a big part in Kyle’s life, but he like Phil Collins. Mark wants to redo his intro. And the group ponders why you always see only one shoe on a highway.

Story 1: The Find—a newlywed couple run across an old motorcycle with a cursed past.

  • Actor Constance Zimmer appears in this story, who’s known for such shows as UnREAL, Entourage, House of Cards, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and much more.
  • The group agrees that the paramedic cameo was the best part.
  • Chris thinks ghosts are just fucking with the couple.

Story 2: The Golden Cue—a stranger takes on a young pool hustler for a friendly game.

Story 3: The FBI Story—a small town cop with dreams of becoming an FBI agent mysteriously goes missing.

  • Chris thinks the realistic version is that the man just snuck into the bog to elude police, but did a bad job of it and just drowned.
  • No one knows if peat moss can preserve a body. Research after the episode reveals: oh yeah, “bog body” is a thing.
  • Some think it’s the ol’ complicated theory.

Story 4: The Gravedigger’s Nemesis—a cruel gravedigger is haunted by woman’s eerie song.

  • Everyone aggress this was a creepy one.
  • There’s no witnesses to this story.
  • Chris thinks it sounds like a convenient ghost story.

Story 5: Last Rites—a woman randomly steps into a funeral where no one else showed up and is questioned about it later.

  • Most think this is a very plausible story.
  • Jesse wonders why they needed to clarify the coffin as a funeral coffin.

Break: We ask the folks of Beyond Belief Fact Or Fiction to perform their talents in our first annual Beyond Beyond Belief’s Got Talent!

The story results are revealed:

  • Jesse voted all fact and got three out of five right!
  • Mark wonders if there’s always three facts per story (there are not).
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime!