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In this gripping episode of The Dark History Podcast, we dive deep into one of the most chilling and overlooked forms of human trafficking in history: shanghaiing. From the mid-1800s to the early 20th century, thousands of men were abducted from port cities like Portland, San Francisco, and Liverpool—drugged, beaten, or tricked into signing forged contracts, only to wake up trapped aboard ships bound for Asia.

This wasn’t just the work of shady criminals in back alleys. It was a full-blown industry. Crimps, saloon keepers, hotel owners, and even police officers played their part, all for a quick payout. Some victims were lured by the promise of work or a warm bed. Others were dropped through trapdoors into underground tunnels and chained in holding cells until a ship was ready. Few escaped. Most were never seen again.

You’ll hear the real names behind the crimes, like the notorious “Bunko” Kelly, who once claimed to have sold a ship a crew of corpses. We'll uncover how this brutal system thrived in plain sight for decades, and how changing laws, technology, and public outrage eventually brought it down.

This isn’t the maritime adventure story you’ve been told. It’s about organised trafficking, greed, and the silent suffering of thousands who were stolen from familiar streets and forced into a life at sea. The legacy of shanghaiing lives on in the sealed trapdoors and forgotten tunnels beneath modern cities.

If you're fascinated by the dark undercurrents of history—the parts that rarely make it into textbooks—this episode is a must-listen.

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In this gripping episode of The Dark History Podcast, we journey back to 16th-century Germany and uncover one of the most terrifying uprisings in religious history — the Anabaptist Rebellion in Münster.

It’s 1534. The Protestant Reformation has split Europe apart, and in the city of Münster, a new nightmare is about to take shape. Led by self-proclaimed prophets Jan Matthys and Jan van Leiden, the city descends into religious extremism, brutal theocracy, forced polygamy, torture, starvation, and finally — total collapse.

This isn’t just a story about faith gone wrong — it’s about how hope, fear, and power can twist ordinary people into something unrecognisable. From mass executions to cannibalism, and from gold robes to rusted cages that still hang today, the so-called New Jerusalem became one of the darkest episodes in European history.

Whether you're into true crime, cults, religious history, or the strange and obscure, this episode has it all:

• Doomsday prophets and violent revolutions
• Fanatical leaders claiming divine visions
• Polygamy, torture, and mass starvation
• A siege so brutal it turned people into cannibals
• And the haunting legacy that still lingers in Münster’s skyline

Perfect for fans of: dark history, religious cults, historical rebellions, apocalyptic movements, Anabaptists, and medieval Europe.

⭐ Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it massively boosts visibility and helps us bring you more of the darkest stories history has to offer.

👉 Join us as we pull back the curtain on The Kingdom of the Damned — and discover just how far people will go when they think God is on their side.

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Whilst I continue with my recovery, I’m handing things over this week to the brilliant team at Midday Movies — part of the Umbrella Collective and one of the sharpest film podcasts out there.

In this episode, Stephen and Laura take a deep dive into Robert Eggers’ 2024 Nosferatu — a gothic vampire thriller and long-standing passion project from the director behind The Witch and The Lighthouse. Released over Christmas, this eerie retelling stars Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Willem Dafoe, and brings new life to one of cinema’s oldest monsters.

Expect a rich discussion covering not just the film itself, but the full legacy of Nosferatu — from the 1922 German expressionist original (A Symphony of Horror) to the historical roots of Dracula and the cinematic vampire as a whole. Stephen and Laura also get into Eggers’ obsession with historical accuracy, the film’s slow, creeping dread, and why this latest version stands out in an already crowded genre.

It’s not my usual format — but it’s dark, atmospheric, and steeped in film history. Perfect listening while I rest up. I’ll be back soon with new episodes.

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