New Jersey Nightmares – The Dead Files Episode That Haunts Us Still

Podcast Episode 148 | The Activity Continues

This week on The Activity Continues, we (Amy & Megan) took on one of the darkest episodes of The Dead Files we’ve ever seen: Season 10, Episode 1 – “Taken.” And let’s just say… we were not ready.

Set in Mahwah, New Jersey (yes, we were both today-years-old when we learned it’s north of NYC, not south), the story centers around a sweet, tight-knit family being slowly dismantled by forces they can’t see—but definitely feel. Jen and Gary live in a seemingly normal house with their four children. Unfortunately, their home has a not-so-charming history of suicide, grief, and a Hungarian count with a flair for dramatics and bad decisions.

👻 What’s Haunting This House?

As Amy Allan does her walkthrough, it becomes clear that this haunting isn’t your run-of-the-mill “there’s a cold spot in the hallway” situation. Instead, we’ve got:

• A manic male spirit who doesn’t know he’s dead and affects electricity and moods.

• An angry woman who likes to sharpen her ghost fingernails (???) and strangle people in their sleep.

• A group of shadowy, blob-like entities targeting the children, especially Joseph and little Samantha.

• And oh yeah… a ghost bear. That tiptoes. Because apparently that’s a thing now.

This case includes talk of possessions, electrical fires, mysterious bruises, and intense mood swings. And just when we thought it couldn’t get more terrifying, we learn that 6-year-old Samantha has already been possessed since birth. So yeah. It’s a lot.

🎙️ What We Loved (and Raged At)

If you’ve listened before, you know we don’t just recap—we react. Which means:

• Amy wonders if Rudolph wasn’t referencing geopolitical turmoil… but was just hungry. (Hungary. Get it? Megan didn’t. But that’s okay.)

• Megan deeply relates to Jen’s emotional exhaustion—and we both wanted to reach through the screen to hug her.

• Steve does his usual “maybe your husband rolled over and bruised you in the night” bit and we… had thoughts.

• The sketch artist low-key looks like Shanice from Uncle Buck. You had to be there.

⚠️ Content Warning

This episode discusses death by suicide, child loss, and other heavy topics. We talk about them with care, honesty, and yes, the occasional gallows humor—but please skip any parts that don’t feel right for you.

💫 The Ending That Gave Us Chills (The Good Kind)

Without giving away every detail, we’ll just say: not all Dead Files episodes have a happy resolution. But this one? This family listened. They followed the advice. They brought in spiritual support. And for once… the activity ended.

We needed that. They needed that.

🔗 Listen now:
Episode 148 – New Jersey Nightmares is available wherever you get your podcasts.

So grab your ghost-proof teddy bear and a sandwich in case you’re just Hungary—and join us where The Activity Continues.