The Devil's Backbone (Campfire)

The Devil's Backbone (Campfire)

Author: Night Owl Paranormal Research Society January 14, 2019 Duration: 49:29

“The Devil’s Backbone”Years ago, when they were only teenagers, good friends Brian, Seth, Ryo and McCall would spend many nights hanging out, playing video games, and getting high on sugar. Siblings Seth and McCall’s parents had decided to build a ranch home on an undeveloped plot of land in the Texas Hill Country that just so happened to be on the edge of a stretch of highway known as The Devil’s Backbone. Sightings, voices, and general strangeness was commonplace, but on one dark and stormy night on Seth’s 17th birthday, these four friends would experience a night they would never forget. Now, years later and all adults, they’ve come together to tell you about the many odd experiences they each had in this ranch home, and how they all believe they encountered something otherworldly during their time growing up on the edge of The Devil’s Backbone. “Man of My Dreams”When Jennifer got back from backpacking around the world, she needed a quick place to squat and recoup her finances in Austin, Texas. She was thrilled to find a cheap house on the East side of town with some roommates. However, when everyone else in the house slowly moved out, and she had the place to herself, she started to sense something wasn’t right. Jennifer shares a harrowing tale of her time living in alone in this East Austin home where an oppressive presence began entering her dreams and torturing her. It wasn’t until family and friends started reporting the same dream to her that she began to worry, and fear for her life. Photo Credit: Jake Blucker


There’s a particular chill that comes not from the air, but from a story told in a quiet voice by someone who lived it. The Night Owl: True Ghost Stories, from the Night Owl Paranormal Research Society, is built on those voices. Host Stephen Belyeu doesn’t just recount spectral legends; he journeys to the very places where they persist, weaving together history, personal journals, and firsthand accounts to understand why a memory might refuse to fade. This monthly series lives in the intersection of society, culture, and the deeply personal, treating each location and narrative with a researcher’s curiosity rather than simple sensationalism. You’ll hear from people who have encountered something inexplicable in their homes, on their travels, or in the shadows of historic sites. The result is an intimate and grounded exploration of the paranormal that feels less like a campfire tale and more like a conversation with a friend who’s piecing together a fascinating, unsettling puzzle. New episodes arrive on the last Monday of each month, offering a regular dose of authentic atmosphere and human connection to the unseen. It’s for anyone who wonders about the stories etched into old walls and the quiet moments that defy easy explanation.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 87

The Night Owl: True Ghost Stories
Podcast Episodes
Live Campfire Tales at the Spirit Social 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:04
On Halloween night 2025, inside a packed room in Austin, Texas, members of the Night Owl community stepped up to the microphone to share something deeply personal… their own encounters with the unexplained.In this specia…
Spirits of Moonshine - Part V [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:11:40
Returning for one final overnight inside one of Austin’s oldest and most haunted locations, the Night Owl team pushes deeper into Moonshine Bar & Grill — testing what’s emerged so far and introducing new experiments desi…
Spirits of Moonshine - Part IV [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:52:43
The investigation at Moonshine Bar & Grill continues as the team returns to one of Austin’s most storied locations. What began as fragments and impressions now deepens, as previous findings are tested, challenged, and ex…
Spirits of Moonshine - Part III [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:39:12
Tonight, the team returns to one of Austin’s oldest and most notoriously haunted locations, Moonshine Bar & Grill.After months of interviews, they’re finally handed the key and granted full access to the property.For the…
Spirits of Moonshine - Part II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:33
In Part II of this Moonshine investigation, the activity escalates. More voices come forward — current staff, former employees, and even contractors — each describing new incidents inside one of Austin’s oldest and most…
Spirits of Moonshine - Part I [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:38
Tonight, The Night Owl Podcast takes listeners inside one of Austin’s most storied and allegedly haunted landmarks — Moonshine Bar & Grill. Built on the foundations of the old Waterloo Compound and layered with nearly tw…
The Villisca Axe Murder House - Part III (Campfire) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:18
More than a century ago, in the quiet town of Villisca, Iowa… a horrifying crime shattered a sense of small-town innocence: two adults and six children were brutally murdered in their sleep with an axe. The case remains…
The Villisca Axe Murder House - Part II (Campfire) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:32
In Part I of this Campfire Series, you heard from a range of voices connected to the site of one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in American history — the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders.You heard from the current tour g…
The Villisca Axe Murder House - Part I (Campfire) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:30
Prepare yourself to venture into one of the most chilling true crime cases in American history — the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders.This is part of our Campfire Series — a storytelling format where we gather firsthand account…
Haunted Freddo ATX - Part III [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:07:19
In tonight’s episode, the Night Owl team returns once more to Freddo ATX — the historic Victorian café where unexplained activity continues to raise questions. In their last visit, three psychic mediums were brought in s…