Description
Meet Tarrare, the man whose endless appetite turned him into a walking legend—and a living nightmare for everyone around him.<br /><br />Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. <a href="https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate</a><br />Info on the next LIVE SCREAM event. <a href="https://weirddarkness.com/LiveScream" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://weirddarkness.com/LiveScream</a><br />Info on the next WEIRDO WATCH PARTY event. <a href="https://weirddarkness.com/TV" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://weirddarkness.com/TV</a><br /><br />IN THIS EPISODE: Tarrare, an 18th-century French showman, could eat enough to feed 15 people and swallow cats whole — but his stomach was never satisfied, even to the point, he was rumored, to consume human flesh. (Tarrare, The Insatiable Glutton) *** A sickly-sweet smell and then burning sensations, nausea, and partial paralysis. It began with one, then many in a small town in Illinois. It was a gas attack – but who was the culprit? Or even stranger – was it in everyone’s imaginations? (Who Was The Mad Gasser of Mattoon?) *** A baby begins screaming when her mother moves them into a new apartment. (Mother’s Helper) *** “Momo” may sound like a funny name – but it was no laughing matter to Missouri residents trying to track down the huge, black, hairy monster. (The Missouri Monster) *** A veteran claims a pastor was an alien involved in a conspiracy here on Earth, with members of congress, to enslave all humans – and that’s why he shot him in the head. (Aliens and Attempted Murder) *** Attention in Puerto Rico has recently turned to a recurring horror – a real life gargoyle attacking and sucking the blood from their chickens. (The Gargoyle of Puerto Rico) *** A hunter suddenly became the hunted of a mysterious creature in Wyoming. (I Faced A Wendigo) *** A man and his family experience strange and terrifying events in their home located next to a meteor crater. (I’ve Never Told My Story) *** Part bat. Part bigfoot. What has been unfortunately named “Batsquatch” sounds like a B-list villain in a DC comic taking on the Caped Crusader, but for some who live in Washington state near Mt. St. Helens, it’s not imaginary at all. (Bizarre Encounters With Batsquatch) *** If you mention gnomes to someone, most think of those tiny ceramic or concrete figurines people place in gardens or on their front doorstep to greet visitors. But in a certain portion of England, if you mention gnomes – you get the real thing. (The Mysterious Gnomes of Wollaton Park) *** We go back to a normal, sunny Tuesday morning in 2001 – when the world changed forever after a terrorist attack on the U.S., left families in despair, a country in fear, and spirits of those lost still wandering ground zero to this day. (The Ghosts of 9-11)<br /><br />CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…<br />00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Cold Open<br />00:01:59.729 = Show Intro<br />00:05:25.406 = Tarrare, The Insatiable Glutton<br />00:14:56.909 = The Gargoyle of Puerto Rico<br />00:19:23.465 = Mother’s Helper<br />00:22:44.878 = The Missouri Monsters<br />00:32:02.004 = I Faced a Wendigo<br />00:39:06.274 = Who Was The Mad Gasser of Mattoon<br />00:45:24.982 = Aliens And Attempted Murder<br />00:50:25.100 = The Ghosts of 9-11<br />01:01:30.367 = The Mysterious Gnomes of Wollaton Park<br />01:13:34.190 = I’ve Never Told My Story<br />01:43:46.961 = Bizarre Encounters With The Batsquatch<br />01:57:40.998 = Show Close<br /><br />SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…<br />“Who Was The Mad Gasser of Mattoon” by Doug MacGowan for Historic Mysteries: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/tgrhkfz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/tgrhkfz</a><br />“Aliens and Attempted Murder” posted at Aliens UFO Sightings: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/w55wfab" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/w55wfab</a><br />“Mother’s Helper” by an unknown author, originally posted at GhostsNGhouls.com: (website no longer exists)<br />“Tarrare, The Insatiable Glutton” by Mark Oliver for All That’s Interesting: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yjcnulhr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/yjcnulhr</a><br />“The Missouri Monster” by Troy Taylor: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/usyejwz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/usyejwz</a><br />“I Faced A Wendigo” by Artesthesia, posted at YourGhostStories.com: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ulurwdl" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/ulurwdl</a><br />“The Gargoyle of Puerto Rico” by Paul Seaburn for Mysterious Universe: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9xw7n3y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/y9xw7n3y</a><br />“The Ghosts of 9-11” by Charlotte Ikonen for the UK’s “Daily Star”: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/wby285j" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/wby285j</a><br />“The Mysterious Gnomes of Wollaton Park” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/t7bsg4f" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/t7bsg4f</a><br />“I’ve Never Told My Story” by John Smoker, submitted directly to Weird Darkness.com<br />“Bizarre Encounters With The Batsquatch” by Brent Swancer for Mysterious Universe: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ww4qlcf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://tinyurl.com/ww4qlcf</a><br />Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. = = = = =<br />(<i>Over time links seen above 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>)<br />= = = = =<br />"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46<br />= = = = =<br />WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.<br />= = = = =<br />Originally aired: September 10, 2018<br />SOURCES PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/tarrare<br /><br />
