THE TROUBLE WITH GHOST ORBS: Are Spirit Orbs Real, Or is Your House Just Dusty?

Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories

When mysterious orbs of light start appearing in photographs at haunted locations, a psychic medium claims they're messages from the dead — but paranormal investigators armed with science have a far less supernatural explanation that might burst your spiritual bubble.
Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate
IN THIS EPISODE: America’s foremost exorcist, Theophilus Riesinger, faced off with Lucifer himself in the grueling 1928 case of a demonic possession in a rural Iowa convent. (The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt) *** One of the greatest magicians of all time was Chung Ling Soo. So adept at illusion, slight of hand, and fooling others that he was able to lead a double life… before being shot and killed performing his own magic trick. (The Magician Who Lived a Double Life) *** John Dee claimed he was visited by angels presented him with a secret language just angels, and the ability to perform a new magic they called Enochian. We’ll look at his claims. (John Dee And The Language of Angels) *** A little boy goes fishing on a Spring day. He disappears. Another boy goes fishing nearby on the exact same day. He also disappears. A third child goes missing many years later in the same general area. What happened? (The Missing Fishing Boys) *** Venice's Poveglia Island was a quarantine center and mass grave for victims of bubonic plague – so it should come as no surprise it is considered one of the most haunted places in all of Europe. (Poveglia: The Island of Ghosts) *** It is one of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries… what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke? We’ll look at a few theories. (Lost Roanoke) *** You snap a selfie of the squad at brunch, but it’s covered with shapes and light that definitely weren’t present IRL. The whole thing is giving you major paranormal feels. Is it a loved one from the other side, making a cameo in your latest feed pic? Or a simple technological mishap? (The Trouble With Ghost Orbs)
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.
DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:02:08.974 = Show Open
00:04:50.757 = The Trouble With Ghost Orbs
00:29:31.470 = The Magician Who Lived a Double Life
00:36:31.821 = Lost Roanoke
00:43:34.993 = Poveglia: The Island of Ghosts
00:52:00.913 = The Missing Fishing Boys
01:05:43.078 = John Dee And The Language Of The Angels
01:12:39.451 = The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt
01:20:12.795 = Show Close
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
BOOK: “Ghosts on Film” by Troy Taylor: https://amzn.to/3ORYS14
BOOK: “The Prestige” by Christopher Priest: https://amzn.to/47ulw6O
FILM: “The Prestige” directed by Christopher Nolan: https://amzn.to/3DP1OVU
BOOK: “Finding Marjorie West” by Harold Thomas Beck: https://amzn.to/451zviR
BOOK: “Begone Satan!” by Fr. Carl Vogl: https://amzn.to/3rYIjHK
“The Trouble With Ghost Orbs” by Troy Taylor for American Hauntings Ink: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/443n228f; Vicki Carroll for Exemplore: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/pknn5n3r; Ann Massey for Spooky Isles: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9xp8t7; and Bonnie Page from the Sentinal & Enterprise:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y5w8h2m6
“Poveglia: The Island of Ghosts” by Genevieve Carlton for All That’s Interesting: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3byfnvhv
“The Magician Who Lived a Double Life” by Kaushik Patowary for Amusing Planet: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckvppfw
“John Dee And The Language of Angels” by Riley Winters for Ancient Origins: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yckupdm8
“Lost Roanoke” by Grace Felder for The Archive: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mtay6ns6
“The Missing Fishing Boys” by Crystal Dawn for LostNFoundBlogs: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/39xur8tf
“The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt” by Charlie Hintz for Cult of Weird: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3zdmbdfz
=====
(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.)
= = = = =
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
= = = = =
WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
=====
Originally aired: August 10, 2023
NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/GhostOrbs
#GhostOrbs #SpiritOrbs #ParanormalOrbs #GhostPhotography #ParanormalInvestigation #GhostHunting #SpiritPhotography #OrbsDebunked #CemeteryOrbs #HauntedPhotography #GhostOrbsExplained #ParanormalEvidence #OrbSightings #GhostCaughtOnCamera #ParanormalDebate #GhostHuntingTips #SpiritManifestation #ParanormalPhotography #OrbBackscatter #GhostOrbsTruth #ParanormalResearch #GhostPhotographyDebunked #SpiritOrbsRealOrFake #ParanormalSkeptics #GhostHuntingMyths #OrbsExplained #ParanormalPhotoAnalysis #SpiritPhotographyHistory #GhostOrbsOrDust #ParanormalCommunity