In the summer of 1963, a mysterious crater, eerie lights, and a baffling military response turned the quiet town of Charlton, England into the center of a UFO controversy that still refuses to be neatly explained.<br /><br />EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources and full transcript): <a href="https://weirddarkness.com/CharltonCrater" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://weirddarkness.com/CharltonCrater</a><br /><br />FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Did someone steal from you? There's an ancient curse for that. A rival stressing you out? There's a curse for that, too. As it turns out, cursing one's adversaries is pretty timeless, and I’ll share a few real curses you might consider using against your own enemies.  (Curses To Use Against Your Foes) *** “I never would have believed that Viola could do such a thing. She never had much to say and always did what she was told. She went to church regular, loved gospel music and was a hard worker.” That’s what one of Viola Hyatt’s relatives said after she committed a bloody double murder. (The Alabama Ax Murderess) *** In the early morning hours of July 16th, 1963 a Charlton police officer gasped at the sight of an orange light streaking across the sky. At the same time, a farmer heard a loud boom in the distance. Then several hours later another man found a huge crater near his farm. Was the Charlton crater UFO incident a genuine alien landing, or an elaborate hoax? (The Charlton UFO Landing Site)<br /><br />CHAPTERS &amp; TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…<br />00:00:00.000 = Show Open<br />00:01:59.269 = The Charlton UFO Landing Site<br />00:14:58.271 = The Alabama Ax Murderess ***<br />00:38:35.660 = Curses To Use Against Your Foes ***<br />00:48:42.019 = Show Close<br />*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break<br /><br />LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: <br />Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: <a href="https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps</a><br />*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*<br /><br />SOURCES and RESOURCES:<br />“Was The Charlton Crater UFO Incident a Genuine Alien Landing, or An Elaborate Hoax” by Marcus Lowth for UFO Insight: <a href="https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4trx23tm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4trx23tm</a><br />“Curses To Use Against Your Foes” by Melissa Sartore for Weird History: <a href="https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/k2pjf83x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/k2pjf83x</a><br />“The Alabama Ax Murderess” by Elton Camp for WritingRoom.com: (link no longer available)<br />(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.)<br /><br />WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.<br />Originally aired: February 24, 2023