Death Kissed Traveler

About Death Kissed Traveler

Death Kissed Traveler dives into the dark history of theme parks, carnivals, circuses, and roadside attractions—where joy turned to tragedy, and the dead may still linger. From deadly ride malfunctions to haunted midway games and circus disasters, each episode uncovers the chilling true stories amusement tried to bury.

Publisher

Marissa Benson

Category

history · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Jun 2025

Latest episode

9 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

66 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Oct 2026

   Behind the Mask: The Darks Side of Scare Acting

   What really happens behind the mask? In this episode of Death Kissed Traveler, we dive into the dark side of scare acting — the world of haunted houses, Halloween events, horror attractions, and the people paid to terrify you. From Halloween Horror Nights scare actors and haunted attraction performers to abusive guests, injuries, panic, burnout, and the psychological toll of working in extreme horror environments, this episode explores what audiences rarely see once the fog clears and the lights come on. We’re talking about the reality of working inside some of the world’s most intense haunted houses, theme park Halloween events, scare zones, horror mazes, and immersive attractions — including the risks performers face from drunk guests, aggressive visitors, physical contact, exhaustion, and unpredictable crowd behavior. We also look at why some guests become violent, what kinds of people scare actors hate dealing with, and the strange line between entertainment and real fear. If you love Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios, haunted attractions, scary theme parks, horror history, dark tourism, true crime, amusement park history, or behind-the-scenes theme park stories, this episode takes you beyond the costumes and into the reality behind the screams. Because sometimes the scariest thing inside a haunted house isn’t the monster. It’s the guest. Listen now to Behind the Mask: The Dark Side of Scare Acting on Death Kissed Traveler. Produced by Sun-Kissed Traveler. Visit sun-kissedtraveler.com for a free vacation quote and show sources. Written by Marissa Benson. Music and Sound Effects Epidemic Sound. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deathkissedtravelerpodcast/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deathkissedtravel?_t=ZT-90F2Dn2tEU9&_r=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Da6bkCo3o/?mibextid=wwXIfr

2. 

   2 Oct 2026

   Whispered Crimes: The Carnival Cult

   In September 1991, 21-year-old carnival worker William “Tony” Ault disappeared from the DeKalb County Free Fall Fair in Indiana. What investigators eventually uncovered was far darker than a simple missing-person case. Tony had become involved with a small group of traveling carnival workers connected by secrecy, occult beliefs, and a disturbing past. One of those men, Jimmie Lee Penick, had already committed murder in Ohio just weeks earlier—and Tony knew about it. Believing he was being invited to join the group, Tony agreed to take part in a private initiation after the fair closed. Instead, he was taken to an isolated farm building outside Auburn, Indiana, where the night turned into a brutal, carefully planned murder. In this episode of Death Kissed Traveler, we follow the full timeline of the case: Tony’s life on the traveling midway, the carnival workers surrounding him, Penick’s previous murder, the events of September 25, 1991, Tony’s disappearance, the discovery of his remains, the arrests, the investigation, the court cases, and the sentences that followed. This true crime story combines dark carnival history, murder, traveling carnival culture, cult-like behavior, Satanic practices, ritual violence, amusement industry history, unsolved details, criminal investigation, and one of the darkest crimes ever connected to the American midway. If you love true crime podcasts, dark history, carnival history, creepy amusement park stories, bizarre murders, cult cases, disturbing historical crimes, and real-life horror, this episode is for you. Step beyond the lights of the midway and into the true story of The Carnival Cult Murder. Death Kissed Traveler — horror, history, hauntings, and the dark side of the amusement world. Produced by Sun-Kissed Traveler. Visit sun-kissedtraveler.com for a free vacation quote and show sources. Written by Marissa Benson. Music and Sound Effects Epidemic Sound. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deathkissedtravelerpodcast/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deathkissedtravel?_t=ZT-90F2Dn2tEU9&_r=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Da6bkCo3o/?mibextid=wwXIfr

3. 

   25 Sept 2026

   Guests Gone Wild: Disney & Universal Studios

   Theme parks are supposed to be magical… until the guests completely lose it. In this episode of Death Kissed Traveler, we’re diving into some of the wildest guest behavior to come out of places like Disney and Universal — fights, drunken chaos, bizarre confrontations, security getting involved, and those moments that make everyone nearby stop and stare. I’m also sharing one of my own craziest theme park stories, involving Halloween Horror Nights, an argument in the crowd, security, and a night that ended with police involved. From entitlement and bad decisions to full-blown theme park meltdowns, this episode proves that sometimes the scariest thing in the park isn’t the ride or the haunted house… It’s the guests. deathkissedtraveler.com Produced by Sun-Kissed Traveler. Visit sun-kissedtraveler.com for a free vacation quote and show sources. Written by Marissa Benson. Music and Sound Effects Epidemic Sound. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deathkissedtravelerpodcast/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deathkissedtravel?_t=ZT-90F2Dn2tEU9&_r=1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Da6bkCo3o/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

17 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 34 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

56

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Death Kissed Traveler

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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