Haunts and Haints is an immersive Afro-Folk Horror podcast set in Stantonville—a fictional city built for kinfolk (this ain't TN), where, as somebody's grandma once said, a hard head makes a soft a—. Every week, we'll hear stories of haints, hauntings, and hometown Stantonville lore.
Hosted by Giovanni Gibbons. Produced by Taylor Wright.
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This fictional podcast from the Stantonville Storyverse was created by Jae Gilyard and Free the Bold. All names, places, and stories are original. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
Some games don’t end when you walk away.
In the Season One finale of Haunts and Haints, Gio sits down with Stantonville native Trey Hagwood to unpack a childhood encounter deep in the Oak Grove woods—a meeting with a mysterious girl who played games with rules that carried lifelong consequences.
What begins as a local legend unfolds into something far more unsettling: a story about memory, loss, and the quiet ways identity can be taken piece by piece.
This is The Lurk. And once it knows you, it doesn’t forget.
Content Advisory: This episode contains themes that may be distressing for some listeners, including:
Psychological horror
Memory loss and identity erosion
Child endangerment
Familial estrangement
Emotional manipulation
Disturbing sound design and intense audio moments
Listener discretion is advised. Headphones recommended for full immersion—but remove if you need grounding.
7 Dec 2025
Episode 09: A Hit Dog Will Holler
In Newake, everyone knows the rules — don’t feed the strays, don’t rile the dogs, and whatever you do, don’t cross The Dog Lady.
When Tian calls in to share a story about a childhood friend who vanished after an argument, Gio uncovers the unsettling truth behind a neighborhood legend. What begins as a teenage fallout unravels into a chilling reminder that sometimes, monsters aren’t born, they’re made.
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free The Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places. Visual content has been sourced from stock photography sites (both free and paid), Pinterest, and personal collections; all images remain the property of their respective photographers and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended.
30 Nov 2025
Episode 08: Trouble the Water
Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed time of rest, relaxation and good food!
When an unexpected guest claiming to be Fanuke Everstone—the long-missing boy from Stantonville’s most famous lake legend—walks into Gio’s studio, the storm outside is the least of their worries.
Listener Warning:
This episode contains themes of parental physical abuse and fear of drowning/water trauma. It also includes intense auditory moments such as storms, choking, and underwater soundscapes. Please listen with care.
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free The Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places. Visual content has been sourced from stock photography sites (both free and paid), Pinterest, and personal collections; all images remain the property of their respective photographers and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended.
16 Nov 2025
Episode 07: Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil
Every year, Stantonville gathers under the full moon to honor the life of little Mister Grannit—the boy whose death gave rise to one of the city’s oldest traditions. But this year’s celebration comes with a twist: a surprise guest, Sami Patiece, talks with us to set the record straight about what really happened the night Mister Grannit died.
Listener Warning: This episode includes themes of child death, grief, and ancestral sacrifice. It also contains intense sound design elements such as ritual chanting, swamp ambiance, and unsettling laughter. Please listen with care.
10 Nov 2025
Episode 06: Haint What It Seems
Tonight, I sat down with Harriet Moore—a celebrated anthropologist in Afro-folklore—who swears her family’s encounters with the dead are not stories, but history. From whispered rituals to a night that changed her lineage forever, Harriet’s tale blurs the line between faith, ancestry, and something far more dangerous.
But when a voice note arrives from her old college roommate… everything we thought we knew about Harriet starts to unravel.
Listener Warning: This episode contains themes of grief, loss, and emotional manipulation through mourning. Please take care while listening.
2 Nov 2025
Episode 05: Caught Red-Handed 🔪
HAPPY ALL HAINT'S EVE!
Best experienced in Headphones🎧
When Kayleigh Murphy from Oak Grove joins Gio in the studio, what begins as a story about family turns into something far darker. A traveling circus. A woman called Mama Blackberry. And a “prize” goat that brings more than bad luck. Some stories bleed, and this one won’t stop.
Sound Warnings:
Sound warning: Flesh tearing and bone twisting (graphic body sounds)
Sound warning: High-intensity screaming and panic vocalizations
Sound warning: Disturbing animal sounds (goat bleating, struggling)
Discussion of an experience with alcohol abuser
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free the Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places.
Listen til the end.
12 Oct 2025
Bonus Episode 04: Dearly Beloved
Happy All Haints Month! It's time for a story from Gio...
When Gio returns to Stantonville for his cousin’s wedding, he expects family, food, and a little too much line dancing—not a haint story. But joy has a way of calling old spirits home. At the McCall Brooks Legacy Club, a second slice of cake appears on his plate...one nobody served.
That night, the scent of burnt sugar and tobacco follows him into his dreams. A haint drawn to celebration and sweetness that sticks shows up uninvited. Some things in Stantonville don’t bring death.
They bring desire—and that can be far worse.
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free the Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental.
4 Oct 2025
Episode 04: Something to Cry For
Best Experienced in Headphones 🎧
Happy All Haints Month!
A young girl spends the summer with her estranged grandfather on his secluded farm, where family folktales and night terrors begin to bleed into her waking world.
Sound warning: Intense vocalizations (high-decibel human screaming).
Sound warning: Disturbing child-related audio (supernatural haunting of children).
Sound warning: Possession themes (vocal and atmospheric cues of supernatural influence).
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free The Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places. Visual content has been sourced from stock photography sites (both free and paid), Pinterest, and personal collections; all images remain the property of their respective photographers and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended.
26 Sept 2025
Interlude: Who All Gon Be There? October in Stantonville
Best Experienced in Headphones🎧
You're not, but I've got you covered! While the entire state of Stantonville celebrates in various ways, I've highlighted some of my favorite events. Hope to see you out there, and remember.
Respect the season.
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free The Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places. Visual content has been sourced from stock photography sites (both free and paid), Pinterest, and personal collections; all images remain the property of their respective photographers and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended.
20 Sept 2025
Bonus Episode 03: Don't Call Me No More
Renee responds to her cousin Jamal's plea, and she ain't having it, especially after 15 calls from Esther.
12 Sept 2025
Episode 03: See with Your Eyes, Not Your Hands
When an out-of-town pianist and his wife have to crash at a local hotel, he's tempted to break the only house rule, which costs him the things he loves most.
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free The Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places. Visual content has been sourced from stock photography sites (both free and paid), Pinterest, and personal collections; all images remain the property of their respective photographers and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended.
5 Sept 2025
Bonus Episode 02: Sleep Paralysis? Not this time.
Esther, Gio’s new intern, is on a mission to uncover the truth about what really happened to Charlotte Dixon Rollings and her wife. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with sleep paralysis.
30 Aug 2025
Episode 02: Do You, BooHag
Best experienced through headphones.
A young woman learns a hard lesson about loving the skin she’s in.
Sound warning: Flesh tearing (dermal laceration sounds).
Sound warning: Bones breaking (osseous fracture sounds).
Sound warning: A scream that splits the dark (high-decibel human vocalization).
Sound warning: Body mutilation (severe disfigurement audio).
Sound warning: Cutting (incisional injury sounds).
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free The Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places. Visual content has been sourced from stock photography sites (both free and paid), Pinterest, and personal collections; all images remain the property of their respective photographers and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended.
22 Aug 2025
Bonus Episode 01: Call Me Back, Please
A voicemail confession reveals what Jamal saw when he called Mister Neuse—and what he’s still seeing.
16 Aug 2025
Episode 01: Watch Ya Mouf
When Angela and her friends call Trouble, it answers.
Sound warning: Somebody losing their breath (asphyxiation sounds).
Sound warning: Bones giving way (osseous fracture sounds).
Sound warning: A scream that cuts through the room (high-decibel human vocalization).
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free The Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places. Visual content has been sourced from stock photography sites (both free and paid), Pinterest, and personal collections; all images remain the property of their respective photographers and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended.
7 Aug 2025
Episode 00: A Word to the Wise...and The Foolhardy
You ever find yourself somewhere you weren’t supposed to be? That’s how Stantonville feels. (This ain't TN).
I'm Professor Giovanni "Gio" Gibbons, and at first, I came for the folklore and historical record. But after an...incident at my cousin's wedding, I'm back to explore all of the Haunts, Haints, and everything in between Stantonville has to offer because the people here know if you eff around...well, you know the rest.
In this opening episode, I speak with Daphne Loreaux of the Stantonville Historical Society, who offers a few necessary warnings before we begin. Looking forward to taking this journey with you. Welcome to Stantonville. Welcome Home.
Disclaimer: Haunts and Haints: Stantonville is a work of fiction created by Free The Bold Studio. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The stories, characters, and locations depicted are products of imagination and are not intended to represent real individuals or places. Visual content has been sourced from stock photography sites (both free and paid), Pinterest, and personal collections; all images remain the property of their respective photographers and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended.
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6 ratings
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