Verbal Echo | Episode 67, Part 1: Slenderman

He has no face, no origin, and no fixed form. He exists at the treeline, at the edge of photographs, just beyond what you can fully see. And in 2009, he was invented by one guy on an internet forum trying to win a photoshop contest.

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, we trace the birth of Slenderman — from a single thread on the Something Awful forums to a sprawling global mythology built by thousands of anonymous hands, none of whom ever agreed on the rules. We talk about how a fictional character with no official canon, no single author, and no fixed description became one of the most recognizable horror figures of the 21st century inside of five years. H.P. Lovecraft enters here.

Then we follow that myth all the way to a park in Waukesha, Wisconsin. May 31st, 2014. Three twelve-year-old girls, a birthday sleepover, and a plan that had been months in the making. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured their friend Payton Leutner into the woods and stabbed her nineteen times. When investigators asked why, they said they did it for Slenderman. That he would kill their families if they didn't. That afterward, they planned to walk to his mansion in northern Wisconsin. Payton Leutner survived — barely — and that case has never fully closed.

We also get into the part of this story that I find the most fascinating — the tulpa. A concept from Tibetan Buddhism about entities created and sustained by collective thought, introduced to the Western world by a French explorer named Alexandra David-Néel who claimed to have accidentally built one and spent months trying to dissolve it. Because here's the thing: by August of 2009, just two months after Slenderman was created, people on those same forums were already asking whether they were doing exactly that. Whether thousands of people simultaneously imagining the same faceless figure was enough to give it something like existence.

It's a question that sounds easy to dismiss. It gets harder the longer you sit with it.

This one goes deep. Settle in.

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Thank you for listening to this podcast and helping us grow by sharing it with a friend!

Thank YOU!!! Do you want to tell your story on this show? Reach out, Send an email to verbalecho@gmail.com

Read Monica's stories on the Medium Publication

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Music Artist credits for this podcast:

Season 1: Ikoliks

Season 2: Amoeba Crew, Dagored, and Salinski Music, and Licensed music through ASYNC

Season 3: Async sponsored Artists - Song "I Have You" episode 62 by Marigolde; Song "Unbreakable" by Aeris Moon, episode 63.

Legal Disclaimer: As always, this podcast is for entertainment only, and the views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are solely their own. Always consult with medical professionals or your physician.

A haunted hotel in the Colorado Rockies helped inspire one of the most famous horror novels ever written...The Shining.

This week, Monica explores the history, hauntings, and enduring legends of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado—the location that inspired Stephen King's The Shining. We discuss King's stay at the nearly empty hotel, how it became the foundation for the fictional Overlook Hotel, and the personal struggles with addiction that influenced much of his writing during that period of his career.

Along the way, we examine reports of paranormal activity at the Stanley, the stories that continue to attract ghost hunters from around the world, and why this iconic mountain hotel remains one of America's most famous haunted destinations.

From literary inspiration to ghostly encounters, we explore the strange intersection of history, creativity, and the paranormal.

Content Warning: This episode does discuss the addictions of author Stephen King, but ultimately it is a story of resilience and how an author overcame his substance use to rise above his struggles.

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Thank you for listening to this podcast and helping us grow by sharing it with a friend!

Thank YOU!!! Do you want to tell your story on this show? Reach out, Send an email to verbalecho@gmail.com

Read Monica's stories on the Medium Publication

Try Sara's Bloody Seasoning and Follow along on her adventures - Shop Now!

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Follow us on Patreon for even more content about our episodes and see video episodes before they are uploaded to our audio podcast. We share even more content on Patreon. Join today, it's FREE to join - be a founding member on our Patreon Channel where you get even more content.

Join us! Verbal Echo Podcast on Patreon

Music Artist credits for this podcast:

Season 1: Ikoliks

Season 2: Amoeba Crew, Dagored, and Salinski Music, and Licensed music through ASYNC

Season 3: Async sponsored Artists - Song "I Have You" episode 62 by Marigolde; Song "Unbreakable" by Aeris Moon, episode 63.

Legal Disclaimer: As always, this podcast is for entertainment only, and the views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are solely their own. Always consult with medical professionals or your

We're BACK! Creepy Dive into a host of missing persons cases in the Bennington Triangle of Vermont.

People vanished without a trace. No answers. No bodies. No explanation.

In this part of our Bennington Triangle series, Sara examines the mysterious disappearances that helped turn a remote stretch of Vermont wilderness into one of America's most enduring unsolved mysteries. From hunters and hikers to local residents who seemingly vanished into thin air, we explore the cases, theories, and strange patterns that continue to fuel speculation decades later.

Were these tragic accidents, criminal acts, or something far stranger lurking in the shadows of the Green Mountains?

The deeper you go into the Bennington Triangle, the harder it becomes to explain what happened there.

The Bennington Triangle is a loosely defined area in southwestern Vermont, centered around the town of Bennington Triangle and the wilderness surrounding Glastenbury Mountain.

The area generally includes:

Bennington

Woodford

Shaftsbury

Glastenbury

Glastenbury Mountain

Portions of the Green Mountain National Forest

The term "Bennington Triangle" was coined in the 1990s by author and folklorist Joseph A. Citro, who noticed similarities among several unexplained disappearances and strange reports from the region.

----------------

Thank you for listening to this podcast and helping us grow by sharing it with a friend!

Thank YOU!!! Do you want to tell your story on this show? Reach out, Send an email to verbalecho@gmail.com

Read Monica's stories on the Medium Publication

Try Sara's Bloody Seasoning and Follow along on her adventures - Shop Now!

---------------------------------------------------------

Follow us on Patreon for even more content about our episodes and see video episodes before they are uploaded to our audio podcast. We share even more content on Patreon. Join today, it's FREE to join - be a founding member on our Patreon Channel where you get even more content.

Join us! Verbal Echo Podcast on Patreon

Music Artist credits for this podcast:

Season 1: Ikoliks

Season 2: Amoeba Crew, Dagored, and Salinski Music, and Licensed music through ASYNC

Season 3: Async sponsored Artists - Song "I Have You" episode 62 by Marigolde; Song "Unbreakable" by Aeris Moon, episode 63.

Legal Disclaimer: As always, this podcast is for entertainment only, and the views and opinions expressed by hosts and guests are solely their own. Always consult with medical professionals or your