Strange Matters Podcast

This episode of Strange Matters covers the dark and disturbing series of deaths known as the Bridgend Suicides. Over the course of several years, dozens of people, mostly young adults and teens, would suddenly and without warning take their own lives. Almost of all these deaths were caused by hanging. The story of the Bridgend Suicides spread globally due to the heavy media involvement, as news spread across the world of the mysterious and deadly trend that was plaguing this small Welsh town.

Starting in early 2007, a number of teens were found dead, apparently from hanging themselves in areas around Bridgend, located in South Wales. No one could figure out why the suicides continued one after another. Worried parents grew concerned about their children, scared that they could be next. Making matters worse, the media stirred up more attention and popularity for the events that were occurring in Bridgend, to the point of nearly glamorizing the deaths and making the recently deceased famous in the area. Some believe that all this attention from the media may have led to even more suicides.

Over the years, many have wondered at the cause behind the deaths. Some blame an internet death cult of some kind. Others state the boredom caused by the small town caused depression in the youth. Still more came up with more outlandish explanations. Whatever the cause, the deaths at Bridgend remain one of the most infamous suicide clusters in the modern world.

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In this episode we discuss a number of legendary and infamous cults, and the terrible atrocities they are known for.

The People’s Temple, lead by the notorious Reverend Jim Jones, was a socialist minded, tightly knit religious congregation. Though the People’s Temple and Jones himself was initially known for striving for social equality, this cult would unfortunately go down in history for a more sinister event. Jim Jones would lead his dedicated, or brainwashed, followers into what he called an act of ‘revolutionary suicide’ against the cruelties of the outside world. He convinced over 900 people to “drink the kool-aid,” in reality a mixed concoction of poison, resulting in the largest instance of mass suicide in modern history.

The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments was a strict religious cult that was based of the Roman Catholic church. The Movement was what is known as a doomsday cult, known for predicting the apocalypse and preparing its members for it. When the date of the end times came and went, the leaders of the movement were forced to make a new plan to prevent their mass of members from fleeing. Instead of admitting they were wrong, those in command would set plans in motion that would see that all of their followers would perish in a fiery trap that would claim the lives of over 300 innocent people.

The Order of the Solar Temple was a secret organization that traced its origins to the Knights Templar. This group celebrated a bizarre mix of ceremonies borrowed from Christianity, UFO religions, and the Freemasons. Just as this group was starting to unravel from the inside, a tragic series of suicides and murders would cause it to leave its mark as one of the strangest cults in history.

Scientology is a current religious group that has reached popularity over the years for its celebrity members and strange science fiction like beliefs. The darker side of this religious cult is its supposed use of brainwashing, fraud and financial means to force its members into submission and complete loyalty.

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This episode of Strange Matters talks about a weird weather phenomenon that happened in 1994. In a small city in the state of Washington, the people were surprised by what happened during some rainstorms. Instead of seeing the familiar regular rain, the folks of Oakville had to deal with the sky opening up and dropping “blobs” on them. What these blobs were has remained a mystery for decades now. This episode presents the details of what happened when the blobs starting to rain down, and the possible theories that have been put forth by the Oakville citizens to try and make some sense of this strange event.

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Fate. Death. The Fox. The various nicknames signed by a man who sent out ransom notes regarding the kidnapping of a twelve year old girl named Marion Parker.

This episode of Strange Matters discusses the terrifying and disturbing events surrounding an infamous kidnapping case that took place in Los Angeles in 1927. A young girl named Marion Parker was abducted by a smooth talking man, right from her own school. Meanwhile, her father would be contacted by the same man demanding ransom money. This individual would become commonly known as The Fox. This disturbing case would ultimately be referred to at the time as the “Crime of the Century.” This episode goes over all the details of the kidnapping, the investigation of the police trying to figure out who the Fox was, and the tragic outcome of this dark crime.

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This episode of Strange Matters presents a particularly disturbing crime that took place in the early 20th century, in France. The story involves two sisters who worked as maids for an upper class family. The Papin Sisters had been employed by the family for seven years, and had been described as idyllic workers. Things weren’t as perfect as it seemed, however. A sudden and gruesome act by the sisters would shock the country of France, and would be regarded as one of the worst crimes committed in the century. This episode will go over the history and background of the Papin Sisters, the details of their terrible crime, and the aftermath of the event that would quickly become the top story of its time.

Click here to check out Strange Matter’s episode on the condition known as Shared Psychosis.

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