Burned Alive, Boozy Ghosts, and a Touch That Kills

A Haunted Bar, a Historical Tragedy, and a Possibly Syphilitic Spirit

Season 2, Episode 9 – “Burned Alive” | The Dead Files Review

In this week’s episode of The Activity Continues, we return to the glory days of early Dead Files episodes—back when moody lighting was mostly just bad lighting and video footage looked like an overexposed soap opera. The episode in question? Burned Alive, set in Seattle, Washington at the historic (and very haunted) Merchant Cafe and Saloon.

Our hosts Amy and AP dig deep into the layers of history, hauntings, and hilarity surrounding this one, complete with haunted wine racks, misty murder ghosts, and a woman named Mary whose touch can literally kill you. So yeah… standard Tuesday.

🥃 Welcome to the Merchant—Come for the Booze, Stay for the Bacteria

The Merchant Cafe isn’t just a bar. It’s one of the oldest restaurants in Seattle (circa 1890s) and comes with all the trimmings: a speakeasy-style basement, seven owners in eight years, and more paranormal red flags than Steve Di Schiavi has one-liners.

Owner Darcy sank her life savings into this place (check off your Dead Files bingo card), only to discover that the spirits don’t just want to party—they want attention. Bottles get launched, guests report apparitions, and employees are quitting shifts because they refuse to go downstairs. One employee even left because a glass slid across the bar. (Was it paranormal or just physics? We discuss.)

Oh, and Darcy herself ended up hospitalized with bacterial pneumonia and sepsis. Coincidence? Mold? Demonic mist creatures? You decide.

🔬 Science, Syphilis, and Amy’s Sudden Accent

While Steve dives into the dark past of the Merchant—fires, brothels, mob violence, and a tragic case of neurosyphilis—Amy encounters more entities than she’s ever seen in one location at that point in the series. She’s overwhelmed, sounding progressively stuffier as the walk continues, and describes everything from a religious ghost who prays and punishes women… to little black mist creatures that are apparently filled with vengeful rage. Delightful.

We also learn about FX Schreiner, the original brothel-running owner of the place, and his wife Mary, a devout and bitter woman who hated her husband’s choices. She died of consumption (as they always do), but her ghost remains—and she’s not here to help. Amy says Mary can touch you and “make you f*cking die.” Again, delightful.

Mary’s spiritual successor in the management department might be Otto Hink, a bartender who caught syphilis, developed dementia, and possibly became the very angry ghost Amy now sees throwing people down stairs. There’s even a sketch—which looks suspiciously like Bill Murray in a derby hat. Just saying.

🎤 Highlights & Deep Dives

Here are some of our favorite topics from the episode:

• The actual history behind Seattle’s Great Fire and Panic of 1893 (spoiler: infrastructure overreach and railroad greed).
• The haunting of bar bathrooms and the perils of misheard phrasing (no, the ghost wasn’t going to the bathroom, she was going into the bathroom).
• Personal stories about mold, sepsis, and why you should always see a doctor before you blame ghosts.
• Our mutual confusion over the logistics of “ghost mist children” and whether Empress Gin changes color based on vibes.

🎧 Behind the Mic

This episode also featured a healthy dose of behind-the-scenes chaos, including editing nightmares when recording software lost the last 8 minutes of a track. (Shoutout to Amy for wrangling corrupted audio and syncing ghostly footage like a champ.)

We also celebrated the magic of Empress 1908 Gin, discussed our haunted house vs. current house situations, and dipped into Top Chef nostalgia, because why not?

🪦 The Reveal

Amy recommends Darcy cleanse the space, honor the fire victims with a proper funeral and blessing, and deal with Mary the Malevolent via a medium who’s also a counselor. Darcy says she’ll do it all. She does not. Surprise!

As of the episode’s end, Darcy’s health is declining, and she’s seeking a priest for a full-blown exorcism. So maybe take ghost advice seriously next time.

🥴 Final Thoughts

This one was a ride. A haunted historic bar, creepy mist children, ghost-induced pneumonia, and Steve’s excellent “Is he a bodybuilder?” moment. What more could we ask for?

Would we still go have a drink at The Merchant? Probably. Would we go alone into the basement? Absolutely not.

📺 Next Time…

Next week, we’re heading to Covington, Louisiana for Season 5, Episode 7 – “Afflicted”, an episode so disturbing someone on Reddit said it convinced them to get sober. So… buckle up.

Until then: grab your shaky lime, avoid Mary at all costs, and join us—where The Activity Continues.