Come join me by the fireplace.

In this episode, we return to Camp Crystal Lake, right in the middle of winter, to revisit Friday the 13th and unravel why this date still gives us chills.

We start with a nostalgic slasher classic: summer camp counselors, bad decisions, and a mother’s revenge. We'll dig into why this simple film still works—and why campfire stories are so popular.

From there, we step off the screen and into the fear itself.

Why does Friday the 13th feel cursed? Is it myth, history, coincidence, or something darker? We explore the origins of the superstition, from Norse mythology and biblical symbolism to the Knights Templar and the psychology behind paraskevidekatriaphobia. We examine real-world crimes associated with the date, including the haunting murder of Kitty Genovese and the ripple effects that helped create 911. We even look at disasters, defiance of superstition, and the people who dared to mock bad luck itself.

We close out with a Final Fright rooted in summer camp folklore. Ghosts in the woods, phantom cabins, porcelain dolls (absolutely not), and the real-life tragedy that may have inspired one of horror’s most iconic stories.

Is Friday the 13th truly cursed…
or do we just keep giving it reasons to be?

Join Kristin in the Dark Academy Library as we unwrap the chilling legacy of Black Christmas. The cult classic that gave us our first final girl and killer POV just in time for the holidays. After we explore the urban legends and true crime story that influenced the movie, we'll go to another snowy location where a killer known as the Vampire Rapist prowled. Also, Christmas is the most wonderful time of year, but not for everyone. We'll discuss the fear some have in our final freight. So grab your blankets, and join me by the fire for some dark and chilling tales.

Chapters

0:00 Intro Story

4:35 Warning

5:15 Welcome

5:50 Black Christmas

8:00 Origin Story

11:01 Vampire Rapist

18:43 Final Freight - The Fear of Christmas

20:17 Farewells

Join Kristin at the Dark Academy clearing for a chilling journey through the origins of Halloween. From ancient Celtic rituals and headless horsemen to Victorian love charms and modern mischief, explore the eerie, fascinating, and sometimes deadly traditions that shaped our favorite spooky holiday. Along the way, encounter folklore, haunted histories, and strange customs that reveal how Halloween evolved into the celebration we know today. Gather ‘round the fire, grab a marshmallow, and beware… by listening, you are now an Inductee of Dark Academy.

Welcome to the West Wing inside Dark Academy, where tonight’s exploration takes us into the drawers of the Inanimate Souls Surveillance Initiative. Within these files, we study the Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper, a man towering in stature and in horror. Was he a brilliant but broken mind seeking redemption, or simply a vessel for something darker that moved him to violence? The ISSI sought answers but found only shadows. Now it is our turn to open the file and see what looks back.

Not all invitations arrive by mail. Some find you in the margins of a forgotten book, tucked inside an antique store and mysteries in whispered folklore.

In this special lore episode, I finally share how I found the Dark Academy, or how it found me? From the haunted legend of a local witch in Northeast Florida to the discovery of a mysterious note leading to a location no map dare mark.

Join me as I follow the trail that led through the portal and into the mountains surrounding the Academy’s long-abandoned halls. This is the beginning, not of its story, but of ours. I wasn’t just invited. I was summoned. WE were summoned.

Welcome to the Chapel of Shadows at Dark Academy. Tonight, we gather beneath the shadowed arches to honor my dear friend and former podcast cohost, Rebecca, on the eve of her wedding. But before she may pledge her vows to the world, the Academy demands a secret ceremony to avoid a fate darker than death itself.

Join me as we unearth chilling wedding lore — from jilted brides seeking revenge, to haunted bridal chambers, to corpse brides doomed to walk eternity alone. True crime tales of love turned lethal will serve as grim reminders of what happens when warnings go unheeded. And at the heart of it all, a spectral bride lingers... whispering to any Inductee brave enough to say "I do" without the Academy’s blessing.

Time is running out. Choose wisely... or be bound forever.

Welcome to the Midnight Library inside Dark Academy, where tonight’s we’re descending into the shadowy caves where creatures linger, spirits stir, and explorers never return the same, if at all.

From haunted tunnels and restless souls to a chilling disappearance in the Arctic wilds of Northern Canada.

Join me in the Library as we discuss The Descent, cave creatures, feral men, Floyd Collins, haunts of Mammoth Cave, Anjikuni Lake, and more

Welcome to the Forbidden Archives inside Dark Academy, where tonight’s we’re exploring the whispered legends of vast hidden worlds beneath our feet, lost civilizations, subterranean cities, and ancient beings that watch from the shadows. Could there be truth to the Hollow Earth Theory? In this episode, we open THE FORBIDDEN ARCHIVES to explore historical accounts, alleged government cover-ups, and eerie journal entries that hint at something lurking below. From Admiral Byrd’s mysterious expedition to the Nazi obsession with Agartha, we follow the trails of those who dared to seek the truth and uncover the chilling reasons why their discoveries may have been buried.

Join me as we descend into the unknown. But be warned… some doors, once opened, can never be closed.