The Cabinet Podcast

The rules of the haunted house are changing. That traditional Halloween tradition is moving online. Instead of a dark trail or a transformed school gym, the haunted attraction is now digital with developers imaginations running wild. Gamers can even watch their favorite streamers shriek in terror as they try to make it to the end of these virtual worlds. Follow one streamer in this adaptation of the creepypasta, the Theatre, as he buys a ticket to a haunted movie he'll never forget.

A video game journalist needs his next great story. An obscure game from Japan with a creepypasta worthy legend promises just that. Yet, a dark presence haunts the game and threatens to drive this gamer mad. This Grindhouse feature presentation, worthy of the best of Japanese horror, is adapted from a story presented to us by Relic: The Lost Treasure Podcast. Welcome to the Island of Red Pinwheels.  

It's vampires versus aliens as Bounty Hunter Samus Aran teams up with Vampire Hunter Simon Belmont. Dracula begins mixing demon blood with the Metroids in this Grindhouse mashup from the Cabinet Podcast. Welcome to Metroidvania.

Dark magic sends Yoshi on a journey to rescue Baby Mario before the future of the Mushroom Kingdom is altered forever. Yoshi's Island gets a horror makeover in this Grindhouse trailer from the Descent Podcast.

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong face off against King K. Rool and his army of ninja lizard men. All the bananas are on the line in this Kung Fu inspired Grindhouse trailer from Opening a F---ing Book. 

Marcus Fenix leaves a trail of alien entrails as he cuts his path of vengeance after the Locust burst forth on Emergence Day. Lit Gaming Arena gives this classic Xbox franchise the Grindhouse treatment. Featuring the music of Mecha Maiko.

A horrible lab experiment gives life to a hideous mutant bandicoot. Boxes will be broken as this classic Playstation game is given the Grindhouse treatment. Trailer by the Invasion of the Remake podcast.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph face down thugs, aliens, and robots as this classic video game is reimagined as a noir thriller worthy of the Grindhouse. Presented by the Descent Podcast.

It's Halloween and magic happens inside the Cabinet. One quarter transports you to the wonder years of B movie cinema-- The Grindhouse. Come see our collection of video game horror schlock from our friends in podcasting. Gore, popcorn, monsters... it's the Grindhouse, baby!!!   Part of All the Horror 2020.   Featuring the Descent Podcast, Lit Gaming Arena, Invasion of the Remake, Open a F---ing Book, and Relic: The Lost Treasure Podcast. Music provided by Sean Faust, Mecha Maiko, and Apple Loops.

Man, this seems familiar. A kid in Pacific Northwest is going for a video game record, but this is the Cabinet Podcast. You know it's not going to end well. We do, after all, feature cursed video games. They take a life for a score. Now, I know I've heard that somewhere before!!!

An infection rages across the world. People are quarantined in all the major cities. The Playstation 3 masterpiece The Last of Us has some eerie similarities to the current situation faced by many regions in the world struggling to fight the COVID 19 virus. This episode of the Cabinet Podcast examines the science behind the fungal infection that ravaged the United States in the game's alternate reality. Host Tim Gibson also takes the time to reflect on the fresh perspective he gained while playing a game about a pandemic during a real life pandemic.

Fresh faces, new blood. That's what your town needs after you forgot to give it some tender loving care. However, one villager is not happy with the changes you're making. You sunk all your time into Animal Crossing New Horizons for Nintendo Switch during the Corona Virus quarantine, but let's go back to the original game for Gamecube. Meet Brutus the Bulldog in the Season 3 premiere of the Cabinet Podcast. Let's hope you and your town survive his wrath.

Arcades didn't start with video games. The penny arcade was the first and only place people of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century could catch a quick movie. As you will see, those ancient arcades were not immune to the Cabinet's curse when a young thief tries to spend his ill-gotten gains on some quick entertainment. You can't escape death when you steal the pennies from a dead man's eyes.

Mysterious voices are coming from your Xbox. They don't sound human. There's only one explanation. ALIENS!!!

The monster wears a fedora and hides in the shadows. The gray man has invaded your dreams. Nobody knows what this digitized stalker wants from you. Conquer your nightmares as this shadowy figure pursues you in the obscure Playstation title LSD: Dream Emulator.

THE TURKEYS. The turkeys are attacking. Oh, the humanity!!! Can anybody stop the onslaught of mutant-robot turkeys in the 1984 lost arcade title Turkey Shoot? Let's hope someone can save Thanksgiving and bring the bird back to the table. The Cabinet Podcast serves up a heaping-helping of weird video game goodness in this short Thanksgiving episode.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE WARNING: The following episode contains scenes of violence. Mainly, a depiction of suicide based on the real world events surrounding this episode's subject matter. It is not suitable for children. Some adults may even find this episode disturbing. Please use discretion if you believe you may be negatively affected by this content. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or self-harm, we encourage you to seek help. You can start by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Episode description: They call it a game, but it's deadly serious. The Russian government says evil adults are targeting its children to commit horrific acts through the Blue Whale Challenge. Is that what's really happening, or is this an online urban legend that has grown out of control? The Cabinet Podcast dives into the sea of despair that is Blue Whale.

There's more than microchips and motherboards inside that classic Nintendo game. A few, quick turns of the screws and you've found clues leading to an international criminal conspiracy. It's tidbits of true crime in this episode of the Cabinet Podcast as we explore the contraband found in video game cartridges.

Legend has it, that on a foggy Halloween night a mysterious arcade fades in from the dark and opens its doors to anyone who accepts a quarter to play. The game is a Haunted Video Game Cabinet that shows you a supernatural truth about the world around us.  This year, that machine has prepared five excursions into virtual reality for you. Tales so real, you'll believe that even You're Not Real. Level 1: Firefight by Bill V., a Cabinet listener from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Level 2: Polybius II: What is Real? by 2 Girls on a Bench the Podcast Level 3: Guitar Heroes by Karaok Big E Level 4: Private School for Boys by Ann Fox, horror content writer for All the Horror 2019 Level 5: The Vessel by Tim Gibson, Host of the Cabinet Podcast

He's trapped. Trapped in the box. The spirit of a young boy haunts the new owners of a thrift store Nintendo Entertainment System. Follow the spirt of this boy as he journeys from home to home just looking for someone to play video games. Find out the secrets of this possessed NES in this ghost story based on the true life accounts and research of those who lived it. 

Do you treat your video games bad? Did that last cliff jump make your character sad? You better turn your avatar's frown upside down. If you don't, the clown will come to town.

It's Valentine's Day and the Cabinet Podcast is getting sexy. Tomb Raider is known for its strong and beautiful heroine, Lara Croft.  According to an infamous urban legend, there's a special code for the game that lets gamers see more of Miss Croft than they ever imagined. Does the Tomb Raider nude code exist? If it does, what does it say about the gamers who have tried it?

Pokemon are weapons of mass destruction. That's according to one popular fan theory about Nintendo's powerhouse series. Prepare for an epic adventure as one Pokemon trainer learns about the devastating war that shaped his country and tore his family apart. It's the Great Pokemon War.

In the Season 2 premiere of the Cabinet Podcast, the show gets back to its roots with a tale of another haunted arcade cabinet. NBA Jam is a classic of the early 1990s. The cartoony graphics, over the top plays, insanely popular catchphrases of its color commentator, and the biggest names in the NBA at the time made this a go to machine to spend your quarters. However, beyond the bright colors and Looney Tunes action is a dark secret. One basketball great may still be playing the game after his death inside the digital world of NBA Jam. 

Apologies for the Christmas Special delay, but I, the Haunted Cabinet, had to lock Little Timmy Gibson away. Now that the Gruesome Game Machine is on the loose, prepare for some sick rhymes in the style of Dr. Seuss. It's a holiday tale in the style of true crime about some hackers who tried to steal Christmas and ruin everyone's good time. Ladies and gentlemen, this is how the Cabinet steals Christmas.    

How far would you go for the latest game console? A mother of three enters herself in what seems like an innocent contest in order to obtain a Nintendo Wii for her children. However, what seems like harmless fun soon turns deadly. 

Paranormal activity in games is not limited to the digital realm of video games. Supernatural games have been played with simple household items for years. The One True Cabinet returns with a haunted tale about a game that simply needs a dark place and a match. No console or P.C. needed. It's another Bonus Round as Little Timmy Gibson's Haunted Cabinet takes over the story telling duties. Prepare for the Tale of the Matchstick Man.

A time, a place can tell a bigger story than a well scripted cut scene in a game. The images of the Old West is filled with the desolate landscapes and ghost towns where supernatural creatures are free to lurk in the dark corners of your mind. Gather around the campfire as The Cabinet spins a tale of spirits haunting an abandoned town in Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption.

The land is scarred from the bombs dropped in the Great War. The fires of nuclear war engulfed the landscape and forged a new world. A lone wanderer hunts a monster, a wolf that preys on the children of New Vegas. He is the Courier. Join the Cabinet on a journey into the world of Fallout. (Songs featured in this episode are “House of the Rising Sun” as performed by Clarence “Tom” Ashley and “Black Betty” as performed by an unknown Texas prison choir. Both are currently in the public domain.)

Halloween's not over yet. Time for one last treat. While Little Timmy Gibson is away, I, the One True Cabinet, Technological Terror Incarnate, will weave three tales of a twisted vision of the digital realm. Don't think I'm limiting myself to just stories about video games like that other host. HAPPY HALLOWEEN, GAMERS!!!

It's a video game urban legend so big one podcast couldn't tell the whole story. You're in for a Halloween treat, gamers, as four other shows join the Cabinet Podcast to tell the story of Polybius. This is Arcade Anthology: Polybius Rises featuring the Cabinet Podcast, Conspeared, 2 Girls on a Bench, Karaok Big E, and the Totally Unreal Book Club. When the screens go dark, Polybius rises. Trick or Treat, gamers. (Part of the All the Horror collaboration.)

Ignore the messages on the screen. Once you answer the texts on your phone, you're already playing her game. There is no winning against the monster MoMo. The creepy mutation of chicken and woman will only accept one outcome from her challenge: your death.

Don't call it a video game. It's more than that. It's a gateway to a dark dimension. It's an eye looking towards the future. Your path to become a warlock of the highest order. At least, that's how one lonely boy saw what many gamers call the most boring Nintendo game ever made. He became so obsessed with Rare's Taboo: The Sixth Sense that he formed a cult around it. Learn more about Little Dwayne's strange obsession on this episode of the Cabinet. (Listen at the top of the podcast for a special announcement.)

There's always a price. A video game from the 1980s promises riches untold to one gamer who solves its complicated riddles. The prize buried beneath the white moonlight instead will leave a dark spot on his soul for the rest of his life. Sit back, gamers, as the Cabinet weaves the tale of the classic creepypasta Pale Luna and examines the truth behind the story. (***Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of murder and violence. Listener discretion is advised.***) Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon

They don't call it Super Luigi Brothers. Luigi has always lived in the shadow of his older, more successful brother. However, Luigi's luck is about to change. He's just inherited a luxurious mansion in the Mushroom Kingdom countryside. Just as things are looking up for our favorite plumber in green, Mario goes missing. Oh, and his mansion is haunted with swarms of ghosts. You wouldn't think those things are connected, but they are. Time to go on an adventure to save Mario and uncover the dark secrets of Luigi's Mansion as Luigi sets out to prove that Mario Isn't Dead. The Cabinet Podcast Patreon Twitter: @thecabinetcast Facebook Instagram

It's third and long. The whole game is on the line. It would be a lot easier if our star running back was on the field. Too bad he took the offer to be the cover athlete for that Madden football video game. The curse got him. Snapped his ankle like a twig. Now, the whole team is paying for that decision. We're all victims of the Madden Curse now. The Cabinet Podcast Patreon Twitter: @thecabinetcast Facebook Instagram

The dark origins of Chuck E. Cheese are revealed along with a tragic ghost story. Join the Cabinet Podcast on its radical paranormal journey in Part Two of this two part series on the famous 1980s family arcade. Enjoy your Adventures in the Haunted Child Casino. Just beware. You may bring home more than a stuffed Chuck E. Cheese doll and plastic ring from your trip.

A robot rodent invites you to his arcade wonderland to share a slice of pizza over a round of video games. However, the neon lights of Chuck E. Cheese fade to give way to a dark story of murder and loss. Don't miss Part 1 of this two part episode as the Cabinet spins the first of two creepy tales surrounding this 1980s-1990s childhood icon.

A comfort from home can mean the world to a soldier deployed during war. During Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s, one United States soldier chose to bring his Gameboy as his reminder of home. However, an attack on his barracks leaves the device damaged. On this July 4th episode of the Cabinet, hear the miraculous tale of how the War Gameboy came through the fire and survived the Persian Gulf War to make it home to America.

The SimCity games allow gamers to create a world in their own image.  One gamer tried to push limits of this PC game and ended up creating a twisted, dark vision of urban planning. Join the Cabinet Podcast as it takes you on a tour of one artist's dystopian nightmare created with SimCity 3000.

Xbox's Kinect had its moment in the sun after it was unveiled at E3 2010, but that moment has passed. Gamers now consider it dead technology and are looking to new horizons like virtual reality and 4K high definition gaming. However, the Xbox motion controller is rising from the grave, resurrected by paranormal researchers hoping to catch evidence of ghosts. On this episode of the Cabinet Podcast, see how ghost hunters are hoping to use video games as a way to reach out and touch the paranormal.

The Corrupted Blood Plague is tearing the mythical land of Azeroth apart. The body count for the Alliance is rising faster than any of the old wars with the Horde. Out of the chaos, a dwarf and elf form a bond as they try to save what they love about the World of Warcraft. Join the Cabinet in this fantasy epic that explores the legend behind this accidental, digital epidemic.

You're not alone on your Xbox. There's a ghost hiding in Halo 2, and he's hunting you. Stalking you with no mercy across the snowy corridors of Lockout. Join the Cabinet Podcast as we search for the origins of the white armored, spectral Spartan hiding in the Halo franchise.  

They live to play their video games. The most extreme cases die during extended play sessions. They are the Marathon Men, young men who binge on their desired digital worlds for hours or even days on end. However, one country's answer to the problem is more dangerous than the behavior it tries to fix. On this episode of the Cabinet, you'll find that reality can be more frightening than any ghost story we can tell.

A tragic plane crash claims the lives of six video game developers. It seems like their game will be lost to the sands of time. All they want is for gamers to acknowledge their last earthly deeds. Can they convince executives at Sony's Playstation headquarters to release their last four levels with a ghostly message from beyond the grave? On this episode of the Cabinet, the story behind how a burned letter signed by six spirits lead to the release of Twisted Metal Black's Lost Levels on PS2.

An old, dusty Ms. Pac-Man cabinet was the perfect addition to their family room. However, a Boston couple learned their retro video game came with an unexpected feature, a literal ghost in the machine. You may know Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Sue, but it's time to gather around the Cabinet to meet Ms. Pac-Man's Fifth Ghost in this chilling ghost story.

Stone walls. Green acidic pools. Names written in blood. Not exactly what you would expect to find in spreadsheet software. Inside Microsoft's Excel 95 hides this digital room of horror. Was it just a clever video game hidden inside the program for marketing purposes, or was it, as some claimed, a representation of Hell itself and its dark ruler? The Cabinet is taking you on a journey through time, gamers, back to 1995, to find Microsoft's dreaded Hall of Tortured Souls.

We're safe. The monsters in the game will stay on the other side of the screen. That is until they don't. Gamers who have been experimenting with a mod for the P.C. version of the Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind are being stalked by something sinister. It's in their dreams. It's in the dark hallways. It's standing over them while they sleep. Is it hallucination, a figment of a disturbed imagination, or did the players will this creature into the real world? Take a deep breath, gamers, as you look inside the Cabinet for the Assassin from Morrowind's JVK mod.

Shall we play a game? How about Global Thermonuclear War! The opponent: Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein. In his arsenal, about 4,000 Playstation 2s to build his nuclear arsenal. How was he planning to use Sony's video game console to conquer the planet? Time to look inside the Cabinet to find out.

Pokemon is one of the most kid-friendly video games out there. Trying to catch and collect Pikachu and his little monster buddies on Nintendo's Gameboy is designed to get kids hooked. Then you have the merchandising: stuffed animals, t-shirts, action figures, card games. However, the franchise may hold a dark secret in its soundtrack, a song that can cause illness and insanity in children. Time to listen to the Cabinet, gamers, to see if you hear Pokemon's mysterious Lavender Tones.

You have one play-through. Once you beat this obscure, Cold War video game, there's no going back to learn about its secrets. That's because it deleted itself. Nothing left but a blank floppy disk. Step up to the Cabinet to learn about Killswitch, a self-destructive game with a dedicated fanbase.