“The CULT of COMETS and CASTRATION: Inside HEAVEN’S GATE” #WeirdDarkness

Heaven’s Gate wasn’t just another doomsday cult—it was a chilling fusion of sci-fi, Christian prophecy, and absolute control that led 39 people to their final, otherworldly exit. IN THIS EPISODE: Following an anonymous tip, police enter a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, an exclusive suburb of San Diego, California, and discover 39 victims of a mass suicide. The deceased–21 women and 18 men of varying ages–were all found lying peaceably in matching dark clothes and Nike sneakers and had no noticeable signs of blood or trauma. It was later revealed that the men and women were members of the “Heaven’s Gate” religious cult, whose leaders preached that suicide would allow them to leave their bodily “containers” and enter an alien spacecraft hidden behind the Hale-Bopp comet. *** PLUS, the creepy true-crime story of two men who were caught trying to steal the body of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. But that is by no means the end of this story full of twists, turns, myths, and conspiracies. CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Heaven’s Gate, Part 1 00:01:10.830 = Show Open 00:02:53.580 = Heaven’s Gate, Part 2 00:10:00.270 = Heaven’s Gate, Part 3 00:24:29.552 = Heaven’s Gate, Part 4 00:45:19.851 = Stealing Lincoln’s Bones 00:58:30.720 = Show Close, Verse, and Final Thought SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… Episode Page at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HeavensGate “Heavens Gate” by Rolling Stone: http://bit.ly/WeirdDarkness2D7tbeZ , Ranker: http://bit.ly/weirddarkness2UIsK4O , and History.com: http://bit.ly/WeirdDarkness2G3uqfN “Stealing Lincoln’s Bones” by Troy Taylor: https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/stealing-lincolns-bones ===== Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate Info on the next LIVE SCREAM event. https://weirddarkness.com/LiveScream Info on the next WEIRDO WATCH PARTY event. https://weirddarkness.com/TV ===== ( Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases. ) = = = = = "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46 = = = = = WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness. ===== Originally aired: November 28, 2021