When surfing the internet you may come across your fair share of mysteries and true crime documentaries because they are everywhere. With a YouTube and TikTok following in the millions, this successful true crimes/mystery channel, MrBallen, has been able to find success in Podcasts as well. That’s why we are going to go over The Strange, Dark, And Mysterious Podcast today.

One of the more popular categories of podcasts that have risen to the top of popularity in the past few years is true crime and mysteries. The majority of channels typically talk about non-fictional events that have taken place in history and also current events that are either creepy or unable to be explained. That being said, the ability to grasp the listener’s attention and keep them hooked while telling the story has become an art form and no one does it better than Mr.Ballen.

Whether you are on the way to work or on your way to bed, Strange, Dark, and Mysterious is a podcast that makes binge-listening easy. John Ballen has a unique and captivating way of telling stories that makes it easy to visualize scenarios within the story.

To better understand details about the topics and stories on Strange, Dark, and Mysterious, let’s talk about what you can expect to hear while listening to the show.

The Mr. Ballen Podcast

The Mr. Ballen Podcast is a YouTube channel podcast that deep dives into the oddities of the strange and unusual stories of our times. Through the story format, Mr. Ballen talks about various cases and or subject matters that often have twists that the listener will not see coming. 

This and the fact that the host is an outstanding vocalist and great at telling stories makes for an amazing experience as a listener and is one of the reasons why the channel is so popular in the first place.

Who is the Creator Behind the Popular Podcast?

Mr. Ballen, who goes by John Allen, is a former Navy SEAL turned YouTuber and content creator that is now moving into podcasting. Having built up a fan base using youtube and TikTok, John was able to transition into podcasts quite easily, as the majority of his fanbase followed him to the new platform.

The Podcast, dubbed “Strange, Dark, and Mysterious” Started in February 2022 and has been a hit with people all around the world topping the charts on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify in the ”True Crime” category. 

John uses a similar tone of storytelling when compared to his youtube channel – so it’s really no surprise that it’s a total success!

Image source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrballen/

What Themes and Topics Are Covered In the Podcast?

For each podcast episode, you’ll first be greeted by John Ballen the host and narrator of the podcast. During the introduction, you’ll also be told a joke which also serves as a call to action, in which John reminds his audience and new listeners to subscribe.

He then proceeds to give a brief synopsis of what true crime cases he’ll be discussing in the podcast episode, or video, before jumping right into storytelling mode. Each true crime case is discussed in depth, with episodes sometimes focusing on one or more mysteries. 

• Debbie’s Last Dance

The story from this podcast episode is a fairly recent one, and it’s about a woman who decided she wanted to go on a hike in the woods. 

When she didn’t show up to work and was unresponsive to friends and family, everyone suspected that something had gone terribly wrong. The strange thing was that many people had reported having seen her in the area, either on the trails or in the forest. Yet these so-called encounters were anything but normal. 

• Caught in 4k

Tales of affairs, separation, and custody battles end in horror when Daniel is nowhere to be found. In this podcast episode, John Ballen tells the tale of a man named Daniel. 

While he was content, his wife soon became distant and speculation of her having an affair arose between the two. She would eventually file a lawsuit against Daniel which allowed her to gain full custody of their children at the same time as filing for divorce. 

It’s safe to say that the story unfolds with many ups and downs, but ultimately ends with murder. 

• Campfire Stories

This was a two-part podcast, but we’ll be focusing on the first one and saving the other one for you to listen to in your own time. 

In “The Capitol Theater Haunting” we’re told a story about how three police officers witnessed the same paranormal event independently from one another. 

At the time these men had no clue what they were looking at and the sightings were so credible that the last officer to witness the activity was convinced that there was a person in the church because there was no other logical explanation for what he had witnessed. 

Reach and Format of The Strange, Dark, and Mysterious

The Strange, Dark, and Mysterious podcast has 7.2 million subscribers on Youtube, 430k followers on the gram, and 8.3 million followers on TikTok. Which is pretty impressive, to say the least!

On Youtube, most of the analytics are available for all to see, and the average video gets anywhere between 2 million and 3 million views per episode.

Based on this analysis we estimate that the Strange, Dark, and Mysterious receives 100k to 400k listeners tuning in to each episode on Amazon Music, where John has an exclusivity deal. 

Image source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrballen/

Each episode of this podcast is typically between 25 and 45 minutes long, so it’s really enjoyable compared to most other podcasts. In some of the recent podcasts, Mr. Ballen has two stories to tell in each episode. He does a phenomenal job of capturing one’s attention with various sound bites that make for a more interactive and fun experience for listeners.

The format is pretty simple, John narrates the true crime stories going into the details of each case and storytelling in an unbeatable manner. 

Overview

Mr. Ballen’s podcast is definitely worth checking out if you enjoy scary and unsolved mysteries. 

You can find the podcast on Amazon and Youtube, and new episodes air each week.