Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

Today would have been my good friend and talented author Richard Morgan’s birthday.

Rest in peace, Richard 🖤 I love you.
January 24, 1983 – April 14, 2024

Today, we pause to remember Richard Morgan—also known to many of you as Wentz Hesselman—a gifted author, collaborator, and dear friend whose absence is still deeply felt.

Richard was far more than a contributor to our audio adaptations. Over the years, he became a close confidante, a trusted creative partner, and a constant source of inspiration. He was a consummate professional and a genuinely kind soul—someone whose way with words, whether written or spoken, never failed to leave an impression.

His stories carried something rare: a sense of humor tempered by quiet spirituality, and an underlying belief in a brighter, better future that came through in every conversation and every tale he told. That perspective resonated deeply—not just with me, but with countless listeners who visualized and lived inside the worlds he created through our adaptations.

Richard brought joy and peace to those who knew him personally, and to tens of thousands more who encountered his work through audio. His writing—and his friendship—left an indelible mark on my family and me, and on everyone fortunate enough to cross his path.

It’s still difficult to accept that we won’t have another conversation here on Earth, where we once forged stories and shared a creative destiny together. But I remain grateful beyond words for the time we did have, and I hold onto the belief that we’ll meet again someday—somewhere beyond pain and doubt—where we’ll finally understand just how deeply loved we are, and how many lives we’ve touched.

Richard, you were a talented, amazing, gifted, and deeply sympathetic gentleman. You touched far more people than you ever realized.

In honor of his birthday, I’m sharing a playlist of Richard Morgan’s stories that we were privileged to adapt to audio—a small way to keep his voice alive and to celebrate the legacy he leaves behind:

🎧 Richard Morgan Audio Adaptations Playlist:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

A note for those who want to know more about Richard: while his obituary offers a brief glimpse into his life, it doesn’t even come close to capturing the depth of his spirit, his kindness, or the quiet impact he had on so many. A full list of links to Richard’s existing social media and creative spaces can be found in the description of the playlist above.

You can also support Richard’s work by picking up his anthology, published under his pen name, Wentz Hesselman, available through Barnes & Noble:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chattering-in-the-hallway…

Until we meet again—God bless you, Richard.
You are missed. You are remembered. You are loved.

For those wishing to view his obituary, it can be found here:
www.vancilmurphy.com/obituary/richard-morgan

Thank you, everyone, for sharing in Richard's life with me in this post today.

Craig M. Groshek
Creator, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, and (Forever) Richard Morgan's Biggest Fan

5 days ago | [YT] | 710

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

A quick update on Evil Idol, our annual voice acting competition: Round 2 entries will resume next week. Twenty-five talented competitors are still duking it out for a spot in Round 3.

Despite the recent delays following my father’s passing, we fully intend to see this contest through to the very end. Thank you sincerely for your patience, kindness, and understanding during this time—it truly means more than I can say. 🖤

#EvilIdol #VoiceActing #VoiceActors #VoiceOver #VOCommunity #AudioDrama #HorrorCommunity #IndieCreators #CTFDN #EvilIdol2025 #Competition #Contest #Update #Announcement #Horror

1 week ago | [YT] | 332

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

A Final Update on My Father's Passing & A Thank You

Hello, everyone,

I wanted to share one final update and, above all, offer my sincere thanks to everyone in the Chilling Tales for Dark Nights listening and fan community for the kind words, condolences, well wishes, prayers, and offers of support over these past weeks. Every message was seen, and many brought comfort during an incredibly difficult time.

The visitation on Thursday, January 8, 2026, went very well. Dozens of my father’s friends and relatives, along with many of my own, came to pay their respects. It meant a great deal to see so many familiar faces, including CTFDN voice actor Jesse Cornett and his wife Evelyn, as well as friends, bandmates, and members of my church family. The outpouring of support was humbling.

The funeral on Friday, January 9, was equally meaningful. Several Chiefs from my Fire Department drove over an hour to attend, which nearly brought me to tears. My two older children participated directly in the service to honor their grandfather, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. All three of my boys did a great job throughout the process. As a family, we also came together to assemble the photo boards for my dad—something I took the lead on. Spending several days scanning and restoring decades-old photographs stirred up a lot of memories and emotions, but I truly feel we did the best we could to honor him. I also prepared his obituary, which can be found here: www.shudafuneral.com/obituaries/Paul-Peter-Groshek…

I’m still grieving and nowhere near 100%. Other work understandably took a backseat while we handled everything surrounding my father and his funeral. I’m not someone who throws myself into work as a coping mechanism, and I haven’t really had a chance to rest since this all began. That said, duty calls—both for Chilling Tales for Dark Nights and for my Fire Department responsibilities. Emergency Medical training begins this week, and my department shifts also resume.

As always, I deeply appreciate everyone’s patience, understanding, and grace as I ease back into things.

There has, understandably, been a financial impact on the company due to slowed content production, and we now have a fair amount of catching up to do. If anyone wishes to help offset shortfalls caused by this time away, donations are welcome at HelpChilling.org, where our ongoing GoFundMe fundraiser remains active.

Alternative link: gofund.me/a0a8077a8

You can also support us in other meaningful ways—by sharing our new releases with friends and family, spreading the word on social media, commenting and liking videos, subscribing and enabling notifications, and by submitting stories for consideration.

Thank you again—for your kindness, your patience, and for standing with me and my family during this time. It has meant more than I can adequately express.

I love you all.

— Craig Groshek
Creator, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,534

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

It is with profound sadness that I must share that my dear father, Paul, passed away peacefully and quietly yesterday—New Year’s Eve 2025—at approximately 2:30 in the afternoon.

He was surrounded by all four of his children, including me, along with our spouses, right to the end. Everyone had the chance to say their goodbyes, to hold his hand, and to tell him how deeply he was loved.

Paul was an amazing, kind, and generous man. He had a lifelong passion for golfing and was a competitive player, winning several tournaments both individually and while representing his company. He also loved music—especially polka—and played both the concertina and the drums. He adored his children and his siblings with his whole heart.

He worked most of his career at a paper mill, but on the side he ran more businesses than I can count: sprinkler installation, well drilling, Christmas tree sales, rental properties—you name it. He played baseball in his youth until an ankle injury sliding into first base brought that chapter to a close. He was a diehard Wisconsin sports fan, especially the Packers and the Brewers.

Paul was a lifelong hunter—both bow and gun—and an avid fisherman. He loved tending to his many acres in the Wisconsin countryside and frequently hosted barbecues at his rural home, affectionately known to family and friends as “Da Castle.”

He was also an excellent cook. Frying fish, grilling, making soups—he did it all. On more than one occasion, he shot a turkey in his own backyard and served it for Thanksgiving. Take that, Butterball.

He supported my goals as a musician and creator, and he was genuinely amazed by what Chilling Tales for Dark Nights became. He was baffled by most technology and never sent a text message in his life, but he got a real kick out of seeing what I built—especially our animated logo. I still remember when voicemail machines became widespread. He hated every moment of it. LOL.

Paul married my mother, Agnes, on July 31, 1965. They shared many years together and raised four children. My mother passed away nearly fifteen years ago to the day, and I take great comfort—and joy—in knowing he has now been reunited with her, with his departed brothers, and with his parents, in heaven.

Please continue to keep Paul and our family in your prayers as we celebrate the life of this truly wonderful man.

Thank you all for your love, support, and kindness during this time. It has meant more to us than you could possibly know.

— Craig Groshek
Creator, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 3,579

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

After much deliberation and many difficult conversations with my siblings and the doctors caring for my father, Paul, we have made an impossible decision.

In accordance with my dad’s wishes, medical recommendations, and his worsening condition and dire prognosis, we have decided to remove his breathing tube tomorrow morning. He is expected to pass shortly after.

There are no words that truly capture how devastating this is for our family.

To the thousands of people who have reached out with sympathy, concern, prayers, and messages of support—thank you. Truly. My family and friends have read every message we’ve been able to, and many of them have brought us to tears and offered comfort beyond anything we could have imagined during this situation.

Thank you as well for your patience, understanding, and for sharing your own stories of loss. As isolating as grief can feel, you’ve reminded us that we are not alone in it. We really are in this together.

As far as work is concerned, I’m not someone who throws myself into it as a distraction. That said, I am grateful for all that lies ahead, and I look forward to continuing to entertain and create for all of you in 2026 and beyond.

Bless you all, and thank you again for walking with us through this.

— Craig Groshek
Creator, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,530

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

Three days ago, I shared an update about my father’s condition following his stroke and emergency brain surgery. I wanted to follow up now with new information, as many of you have been kind enough to ask and to keep us in your thoughts.

The tumor removed from my father’s brain—initially believed to be benign—has since been biopsied. We’ve learned that it was cancerous, originating from his prostate cancer, first diagnosed in 2014. Despite surgeries, injections, medications, and years of treatment intended to prevent spread, the cancer metastasized to his brain.

As a result, my father now has stage IV cancer. Doctors have told us that, even if he were to recover from his other medical issues, he would likely have no more than six months to live. He remains unconscious and continues to show no response to pain stimuli. At this point, doctors cannot identify a specific cause for his lack of consciousness, and by all accounts, he should have shown some signs of awareness by now.

Given his age and current condition, chemotherapy is not an option.

My siblings and I are now facing conversations no family ever wants to have, including discussions around end-of-life care and timing.

If you are the praying type, please continue to pray for my father, Paul—but also, especially, for my siblings, our extended family, and close friends as we navigate this incredibly painful and exhausting period.

Thank you sincerely for the compassion, prayers, messages, and patience you’ve shown us throughout this ordeal. They have meant more than I can adequately express.

Although there have been some content delays due to this and other personal matters, I want to reassure everyone that we’ve been working hard behind the scenes all month. A strong influx of new episodes will be releasing shortly, along with new Evil Idol Round 2 entries. We have no plans of stopping the tournament.

— Craig Groshek
Creator, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,307

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

🔥 New Episode Alert for Patrons! 🔥

The latest episode of Drew Blood’s Dark Tales is now available ad-free and exclusively in our Patrons Area!

👉 Join here:
www.chillingtalesfordarknights.com/join-now/

🎧 Existing Patrons, listen now:
www.chillingtalesfordarknights.com/patrons-area/dr…

This week, we bring you “Them Devils” by Sam Morris — a grim, backwoods folk-horror tale of a man trying to get sober, get right with God, and get his life back on track… only to cross paths with something ancient, secretive, and violently devoted. As belief hardens into fanaticism and rituals unfold beneath the winter sky, one bad night threatens to become a reckoning no one was prepared for.

Dark, brutal, and soaked in dread, this is a story about redemption, corrupted faith, and the terrible things that wait just beyond the firelight.

#HorrorPodcast #ChillingTales #DrewBlood #CTFDN #AudioHorror #FolkHorror #ScaryStories #SamMorris #ThemDevils #DarkFiction #DBDT #DarkTales

1 month ago | [YT] | 212

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

Edit: I am so overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayers, well wishes, and thoughtful comments on behalf of my father and the work we've done here on the channel and podcasts. I like to think I made my father proud. Thank you all. I can't stop crying now. You're all amazing. (2025-12-29)

***********

Just before Christmas, my father suffered a severe stroke and was hospitalized. On December 22nd, he underwent an emergency, life-saving four-hour brain surgery.

Regrettably, several days after being taken off sedation, he remains unresponsive to pain stimuli and has not regained consciousness. Officially, he is in a coma. While my family and I remain cautiously optimistic, this has been a devastating and exhausting experience that has deeply affected our family, our plans, and our mental health.

If you are the praying type, please keep my father, Paul, and our family in your thoughts and prayers.

To the extent that content or responses have been delayed due to this and other personal matters, I sincerely apologize and appreciate your patience and understanding.

Thank you all.

I love you, Dad.

— Craig Groshek
Creator, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,385

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

Hey everyone — I wanted to take a moment to address the recent slowdown in releases and thank you for your patience and concern.

First and foremost, please know that Chilling Tales for Dark Nights is not going anywhere, and I have no intention of slowing down long-term. That said, the past several months have required a lot of careful juggling. Due to budget cutbacks, our staff has been reduced to essentially me, our incredible voice talent, and a small handful of dedicated producers. I no longer have administrative help, which means many of the behind-the-scenes tasks now fall directly on my shoulders.

If you’ve noticed more original material coming from me lately, that’s no accident. I’ve been writing a great deal in preparation to release my own books after more than 10 years — something I’m deeply committed to seeing through.

On a personal note, my firefighting journey has been going very well. I was honored this week to be recognized at a company meeting for having logged the most training hours in 2025 across both of our fire stations. And starting next month, I formally begin training for the Emergency Medical Response portion of my fire service career.

Being part of the fire service exposes you to a level of trauma and life-or-death reality that most people never encounter, and it changes the way you think. Balancing that responsibility alongside creative work has been rewarding—but also, at times, exhausting. I’ll be honest: I’ve been a bit burned out lately. Still pushing forward, just doing my best to manage everything responsibly and sustainably.

Thank you, truly, for continuing to support us, for your patience, and for caring enough to ask. It means more than you know.

Here’s to a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a 2026 full of horror—the make-believe kind, preferably. 🖤🎄🔥



Bless you,


Craig Groshek
CTFDN Creator, Author, and Proud Public Servant

1 month ago | [YT] | 606

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

🔥 New Episode Alert for Patrons! 🔥

The newest episode of Drew Blood’s Dark Tales is now available ad-free and exclusively in our Patrons Area!

👉 Join here: www.chillingtalesfordarknights.com/join-now/

🎧 Existing Patrons, listen now: www.chillingtalesfordarknights.com/patrons-area/dr…

This week, we bring you “Balzar’s Last Act” by Jason Fischer — a gripping tale of terror that begins with a father jolted awake by an intruder standing over his sleeping daughter. But this is no ordinary home invasion. The painted stranger wants something hidden deep inside a museum’s dusty exhibit—something tied to the final, forbidden performance of a long-lost magician. As desperation mounts and reality bends, the truth behind Balzar’s legacy reveals a nightmare more twisted than any stage illusion.

Step inside… the curtain is rising.

#HorrorPodcast #ChillingTales #CTFDN #DrewBlood #DBDT #ChillingTalesForDarkNights #CreepyStories #BalzarsLastAct #JasonFischer #AudioHorror #ScaryStories #creepypasta #horror #HorrorStories #Clowns #CreepyClowns

2 months ago | [YT] | 120