148: New Jersey Nightmares
Dead Files episode recap: Season 10, Episode 1 – “Taken.” Set in Mahwah, New Jersey.
This week, Amy and Megan dive headfirst into one of the darkest and most disturbing Dead Files episodes yet: Season 10, Episode 1 – “Taken.” Set in Mahwah, New Jersey (which yes, is north of NYC—who knew?!), this case features shadow people, child spirits, and one truly unnerving ghost bear creeping through the house… on tiptoes.
The haunting centers on Jen, her husband Gary, and their four kids. What starts as “we think the house might be haunted” quickly escalates into “multiple demonic entities are trying to possess our children.” It’s heavy, it’s heartbreaking, and somehow we still find time to make jokes about Switzerland, snack breaks, and John Candy.
Topics include:
👻 Ghosts that affect electricity and moods
🐻 A ghost bear that tiptoes like it’s late for bedtime
💀 Historical suicides, tragic mothers, and cursed real estate
🧒 The sweetest possessed teenager you’ve ever met
🕯️ An exorcism plan that includes tar water, Jewish mediums, and annual land blessings
We show what little we know about what languages other countries spoke in the late 1800s.
Content warning: This episode discusses sensitive topics like death by suicide and child death. We handle it gently, but feel free to skip ahead if you need to. Your wellbeing matters.
So grab your ghost-proof teddy bear and a sandwich in case you're just Hungary—and join us where The Activity Continues.
Chapter Markers
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:57 Hello and Content Warning
00:03:12 Overview
00:04:45 Segment One – The Set Up
00:30:21 Segment Two – Diggin’ Tru – this is where all the yucky stuff is
00:52:01 The Sketch
00:53:39 Segment Three – The Reveal
01:14:00 Outro/Disclaimer
Episode links:
Sheriff’s name was not Bob, and he was not a great guy. https://abc7ny.com/sheriff-michael-saudino-racist-bergen-county-phil-murphy/4304466/
The Dead Files Official Podcast: https://pod.link/1642377102
https://shows.acast.com/the-dead-files/episodes
The Activity Continues is a paranormal podcast where soul friends, Amy, Megan, and AP chat about true crime, ghost stories, haunts, dreams, and other paranormal stuff including the TV show, The Dead Files. Our recaps are full of recurring jokes about recurring tropes.
We also occasionally do interviews with people from the paranormal world, with the goal of learning from others. We think you’ll really benefit from the things these people have to say.
Sometimes we get a little scientific. We enjoy trying to come up with possible explanations for some of the things that the clients experience. But this by no means indicates that we do not believe the clients or are invalidating their experiences. We do believe.
This episode was recorded on May 26, 2025 and released on June 26, 2025.
Disclaimer:
This podcast is in no way affiliated with Warner Brothers, HBOMax, the Travel Channel, Painless TV, or the TV show The Dead Files or any of its cast or crew. We’re just fans who love the show and want to build a community of like-minded people who would enjoy hanging out and discussing the episodes and similar content.
Credits:
Hosted by: Amy Lotsberg, and Megan Simmons
Production, Artwork, and Editing: Amy Lotsberg at Collected Sounds Media, LLC. https://www.collectedsounds.com/
Theme song. “Ghost Story” and segment music by Cannelle https://melissaoliveri.com
Background music: “Beyond the Stars” by Chris Collins
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