The Devil Within

🌙EPISODE 2 🕸 “The Mantis Man of the Musconetcong — Part Two: The River Keeps Its Secrets” In Part Two, we zoom out from my childhood river to the global phenomenon hiding behind the Mantis Man legend. Ancient mantis gods. Insectoid aliens. Evolutionary fears wired straight into our DNA. Biological impossibilities. Folklore that refuses to die. Then we return home — to the Musconetcong, to Jefferson, to the quiet bridge where something tall and translucent allegedly stepped out of the water and vanished into the trees. 📚 Chapters 4. 🪳 The Insect Gods 5. 🧠 Why Bugs Terrify Us 6. 🌫 The River Keeps Its Secrets A final reflection on childhood landscapes, memory, fear, and why certain places cling to the monsters we project onto them. 📣 CALL TO ACTION • 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @thedevilwithinpod • @eviocreative • @idesofaprilpod • ⭐ Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen • 📝 Leave a rating & review — it really helps • 👁 Share this episode with someone who loves folklore anthropology or hometown hauntings 💼 SPONSORS 🧥 QUINCE Luxury essentials at affordable prices. Free shipping + 365-day returns: www.QUINCE.com/MISCHIEF (http://www.quince.com/MISCHIEF) 📱 MINT MOBILE Premium wireless for just $15/month. Switch and get free shipping: http://www.mintmobil.com/DEVILWITHIN 🛰️ EXPRESSVPN Protect your data anywhere. Get up to 4 months free: www.ExpressVPN.com/DEVILWITHIN 🌿 MOOD CBD and THC gummies shipped nationwide. 20% off: http://www.mood.com/DEVILWITHIN 🐶 OLLIE DOG FOOD Real, fresh, human-grade meals for your dog. 60% off your first box: http://www.ollie.com/IDES 🔥 MONARCH  The only finance app you’ll ever need. For 50% off your first year: http://www.monarch.com/IDES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

🔥EPISODE 1 🕷 “The Mantis Man of the Musconetcong — Part One: The Thing in the River” This week, we head back to Jefferson Township — back to the lake, the spillway, and the narrow stretch of river where I spent my entire childhood swimming, boating, fishing… and apparently missing a seven-foot translucent praying mantis humanoid lurking just downstream. While I was buried in Tommy Sullivan and chasing the Jersey Devil through the Pines, a monster was hiding in plain sight — right where I grew up. In Part One, we break down the origin story of Mantis Man, the eerie local legend born from a handful of eyewitnesses who swear they saw something tall, thin, silent, and very unhuman standing in the Musconetcong River. 📚 Chapters 1. 🌊 Where the Water Comes From 2. 🎣 The Fisherman Who Didn’t Expect Company 3. 🚗 The Driver on the Bridge A hometown haunting. A river full of secrets. And a cryptid I cannot believe I never heard about until adulthood. 📣 CALL TO ACTIONS • 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @thedevilwithinpod • @eviocreative • @idesofaprilpod • ⭐ Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen • 📝 Leave a rating & review — it truly helps• 👻 Share this episode with someone who loves dark folklore & cryptids 💼 SPONSORS 🧥 QUINCE Luxury essentials at affordable prices. Free shipping + 365-day returns: www.QUINCE.com/MISCHIEF (http://www.quince.com/MISCHIEF) 📱 MINT MOBILE Premium wireless for just $15/month. Switch and get free shipping: http://www.mintmobil.com/DEVILWITHIN 🛰️ EXPRESSVPN Protect your data anywhere. Get up to 4 months free: www.ExpressVPN.com/DEVILWITHIN (http://www.expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN) 🌿 MOOD CBD and THC gummies shipped nationwide. 20% off: http://www.mood.com/DEVILWITHIN 🐶 OLLIE DOG FOOD Real, fresh, human-grade meals for your dog. 60% off your first box: http://www.ollie.com/IDES 🔥 MONARCH  The only finance app you’ll ever need. For 50% off your first year: http://www.monarch.com/IDES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

🕊The Death of the New America - Part One “THE RISE OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY” In the first installment of this two-part series, The Ides of April traces the origins of the Kennedy dynasty—its ruthless ambition, its early tragedies, and the extraordinary forces that shaped Robert F. Kennedy into the most unlikely moral voice of the 1960s. We begin with the unvarnished story of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and the empire he built through Hollywood maneuvering, shrewd investments, insider access, and political calculation. From there, we follow the family’s early ascent into American power—and their first devastating fall with the death of Joseph Kennedy Jr. in WWII. We then explore the partnership between Jack and Bobby, forged in crisis and defined by the Cuban Missile standoff, internal political strife, and the enormous emotional cost of holding up a crumbling world order. RFK’s transformation—from loyal strategist to grieving brother to emerging moral leader—sets the stage for his unprecedented rise in 1968. 📚 CHAPTERS 1. The House of Kennedy: Power, Fortune, and Tragedy 2. The Brothers and the Burden: From Cuba to Dallas 3. Bobby for President: A Nation Fractured, A Hope Rising ✨ WHAT TO EXPECT • A cinematic retelling of the Kennedy dynasty • RFK’s deep involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis • The emotional aftermath of JFK’s assassination • The explosive political climate of 1968 • RFK’s evolution into the frontrunning voice of a divided nation Quince — Luxury essentials at affordable prices 👉 https://www.quince.com/DEVILWITHINMint Mobile — Premium wireless for $15/month 👉 https://www.mintmobile.com/DEVILWITHIN ExpressVPN — Protect your data & access global content 👉 https://www.expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN Mood — THC-free gummies & botanicals 👉 https://www.mood.com/DEVILWITHIN (use code DEVIL) Ollie Dog Food — Fresh, personalized dog meals 👉 https://www.ollie.com/IDES Monarch— The all-in-one personal finance app 👉 https://www.monarch.com/IDES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE DEVIL’S LEDGER Week of December 8th Welcome back to The Devil’s Ledger — and happy holidays! This week we’re unwrapping a lineup that’s equal parts chilling, mysterious, and deeply fascinating. 🕯 The Creepiest Thing I Heard This Week: The Frozen Man of Colorado — the urban legend about the man supposedly found frozen solid who later thawed out and woke up. We explore how this story took root, why communities clung to it, and what it says about our enduring fear — and hope — that death isn’t always final. 👁 On The Devil Within: The Mantis Man — a bizarre New Jersey cryptid seen along the Musconetcong River… practically in Branden’s own childhood backyard. Tall, insectoid, translucent, silently watching… this one is almost too close to home. 📜 On The Ides of April: We launch a brand-new two-part historical series, The Death of the New America, examining the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy — his rise, his moral transformation, and how his sudden death altered the political soul of the nation. 🔪 On Criminal Mischief: It’s part two of our collaboration with Portland’s acclaimed true-crime podcast Murder in the Rain. They continue their coverage of serial predator Warren Forrest, featuring an emotionally gripping interview with our own Carolyn Ossorio, who chronicled the story in Stolen Voices of Dole Valley. 💎 On Taboo Treasures: We’re keeping this week’s feature a surprise — but trust us, you don’t want to miss it. 🎄 This Week in Horror Cinema: Silent Night, Deadly Night — December 12, 2025 (Theatrical Release) A savage reimagining of the 1984 slasher cult classic. Childhood trauma, Santa-suited vengeance, and a holiday bloodbath for a new generation of horror fans. 🔥 CLOSING THOUGHT The holidays are a time for comfort and light — but they’re also full of shadows, old stories, and things that won’t stay buried. Whether it’s a frozen man waking up, a cryptid lurking in a river, or the echoes of a fallen leader shaping our politics — this season reminds us: the past is never really gone. 📣 CALLS TO ACTION • Follow @thedevilwithinpod • Follow @eviocreative • Subscribe, rate & review wherever you listen • Share this episode with someone who loves a good seasonal scare 💼 SPONSORS 🧥 QUINCE Luxury essentials at affordable prices. Free shipping + 365-day returns: www.QUINCE.com/MISCHIEF 📱 MINT MOBILE Premium wireless for just $15/month. Switch and get free shipping: www.mintmobil.com/DEVILWITHIN 🛰 EXPRESSVPN Protect your data anywhere. Get up to 4 months free: www.ExpressVPN.com/DEVILWITHIN 🌿 MOOD CBD and THC gummies shipped nationwide. 20% off: www.mood.com/DEVILWITHIN 🐶 OLLIE DOG FOOD Real, fresh, human-grade meals for your dog. 60% off your first box: www.ollie.com/IDES 🔥 MONARCH The only finance app you’ll ever need. For 50% off your first year: www.monarch.com/IDES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

🕯️ THE DEVIL WITHIN: The Dover Demon — Part Two: The Thing That Left No Footprints Chapters 4–6 In Part One, the Demon walked. In Part Two, we discover why. From Abby Brabham’s chilling encounter on the bridge to the full investigative breakdown by Loren Coleman, Part Two explores the theories, the folklore, and the eerie geographic pattern the creature traced across Dover. Then — as suddenly as it appeared — the Demon vanished, leaving behind no tracks, no traces, no second act. A cryptid that doesn’t return is often more terrifying than one that does. 📌 CHAPTERS     4.    The Girl on the Bridge     5.    What Walks Between the Trees     6.    The Thing That Left No Footprints 📣 CALLS TO ACTION 🔔 Subscribe & follow ⭐ Review the show 📸 Instagram: @thedevilwithinpod 📧 Email: [email protected] 🎧 Check out other shows on the Evio Creative Network 💼 SPONSORS 🧥 QUINCE Luxury essentials at affordable prices. Free shipping + 365-day returns: Quince.com/DEVILWITHIN 📱 MINT MOBILE Premium wireless for just $15/month. Switch and get free shipping: MintMobile.com/DEVILWITHIN 🛰️ EXPRESSVPN Protect your data & unlock global content. Get 3 months free: ExpressVPN.com/DEVILWITHIN 🌿 MOOD Premium THC-free gummies & botanicals delivered discreetly. 20% off: Mood.com/DEVILWITHIN 🐶 OLLIE DOG FOOD Real, fresh, human-grade meals for your dog. 50% off your first box: Ollie.com/IDES 🔥 MONARCH MONEY The only finance app Branden actually uses. Get 60% off your first year: Monarch.com/IDES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices