Letter read on air: Red stain and handprint in a Santa Barbara shower
Art Bell reads a message he says came from a listener named [name withheld] in Santa Barbara. [name withheld] reports returning home shortly before the broadcast to find the bottom of their shower and tub red with what they describe as looking like blood. There was also a red handprint-shaped stain on the shower wall. The writer says they live alone and have been there about a year with nothing similar before. The writer is shaking, could not reach their landlady, and is thinking of going to a motel. The host advises the writer to call 911 rather than assume a Halloween prank.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1997.mp3”, starting at 3:16:21). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The host opens by saying he has just received a message from [quote withheld] and reads it on air. According to the letter, the writer is in Santa Barbara, lives alone, and had just gone into their bathroom fifteen minutes before the show began. The writer reports that the bottom of their shower, described as [quote withheld] was red with what looked like blood. There was also a red stain shaped like a handprint on the wall in the shower. The writer states they have been living there about a year and have never had or seen anything like this before. The writer says they do not know what to do, that they are shaking, and that they are not sure they will stay in the place that night. The writer asks the host to put the question to listeners for advice. The writer says they have tried to call their landlady with no answer and are thinking of going to a motel, and that the motel has a radio so they can still hear the show. The writer closes by wishing the host a good and safe Halloween. The host responds that if the shower really is covered with blood and there really is a bloody hand stain on the wall, his advice is to call 911. Before concluding it is a Halloween prank, he would get hold of the police, who would quickly tell him whether there is blood on the wall and in the shower. The host then moves on to the phone lines. No outcome or follow-up from the letter writer is given.
Reported events, in order
- 0:09
The host says he has just received a message from [name withheld] in Santa Barbara and begins reading it on air.
- 0:25
The letter writer reports that the bottom of their shower and tub was red with what looked like blood.
- 0:38
The writer reports a red handprint-shaped stain on the shower wall.
- 0:48
The writer says they have lived there about a year and never had or seen anything like it before.
- 0:51
The writer says they are shaking and are unsure whether they will stay in the place that night.
- 0:57
The writer asks the host to ask listeners for advice on what to do.
- 1:05
The writer says they tried to call their landlady with no answer and are thinking of going to a motel.
- 1:26
The host advises calling 911 before concluding it is merely a Halloween prank, so police can determine whether there is blood.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:25
The writer reports the bottom of their shower and tub was red with what looked like blood.
- observation· 0:38
The writer reports a red stain shaped like a handprint on the shower wall.
- observation· 0:48
The writer says they have lived there about a year and have never had or seen anything like this before.
- observation· 0:51
The writer reports they are shaking and may not stay in the place that night.
- host statement· 1:40
The host advises the writer to call 911 if the shower really is covered with blood and there is a bloody hand stain on the wall.
- host statement· 1:45
The host suggests the event could be a Halloween prank, to be ruled out by calling police.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The story is a short written message read on air by the host, reporting a concrete but unverified discovery in a bathroom, in hedged wording. It is internally coherent, but an ordinary explanation (a prank or a mistaken substance) fits easily, and no examination or second source is reported.
Evidence for and against
- A concrete place is given (Santa Barbara), and the spot within the home is described (shower and tub, and shower wall).
- The sequence and circumstances are stated: they went into the bathroom before the show, live alone, have lived there about a year, could not reach their landlady, and are considering a motel.
- The writer hedges rather than overclaims: [quote withheld]
- The story reaches the audience only as a letter read by the host. The writer never speaks on air.
- A common explanation (a prank or a mistaken household substance) fits readily, and the host himself raises the prank possibility.
- No verification, examination, photographs, or documentation are reported, and no outcome is given.
- Some lines inside the letter are labeled as coming from someone other than the host, so who is speaking where is not fully reliable.
- The time of day and the writer's age are not stated.
- 0:25
- 0:48
What the model inferred (not said on air): Source proximity is treated as the letter writer's own experience (firsthand), but it is reduced because the message is written, brief, and relayed by the host. The alternative-explanation and calibration components are judged from the hedging in the text, not from the writer's delivery, which is unavailable.
The only support is the writer's own word in a letter. A first name, a city, and a described physical trace are given, but nothing was examined, documented, or confirmed on air. A claimed second person (the landlady) never appears and is not reported to have seen anything.
Evidence for and against
- Specifics that could in principle be checked are given: a first name and city, and an approximate length of residence.
- A physical trace is claimed to exist in the home at the time of writing.
- No photograph, sample, record, or report is mentioned or examined.
- No second witness speaks on air, and the writer states they live alone.
- The physical trace was short-lived and, by the transcript, never inspected by anyone.
- Whether the substance or stain still existed after the letter is not stated.
- Which lines of the letter come from a single writer is uncertain because of the labels showing who is speaking.
- 0:38
- 0:51
What the model inferred (not said on air): Placed at the low end of the 11 to 25 band because the “checkable specifics” are a first name and city with no documentation, and the claimed physical mark was never examined or recorded.
A red substance said to resemble blood covering a bathtub floor, with a handprint-shaped stain on the shower wall, is an intrusion into a private, supposedly empty home, and it is left unresolved. It is unsettling but brief, with no figure, threat, or growing menace, and it ends with the host's practical advice.
Evidence for and against
- The setting is a private bathroom in a home where the writer says they live alone.
- A handprint-shaped stain implies a presence in the shower.
- The writer says they are shaking and may not stay the night, and the outcome is never given.
- No figure, voice, touch, or direct threat is reported.
- The host's response is ordinary advice to call police, which frames the dread rather than raising it.
- The story is very short, which limits sustained tension.
- No time of day or duration is stated.
- Whether the material was actually blood is unknown to the listener.
- 0:38
- 1:05
What the model inferred (not said on air): The score reflects the image of a bloody handprint in a personal shower and the unresolved ending, tempered by the absence of any figure, threat, or growing menace.
A bloody handprint is a familiar horror image. Here it appears as a reported physical trace in a bathtub and shower with no accompanying figure, and it is delivered as a request for practical advice rather than as a ghost story. That combination is a familiar pattern with a distinctive detail in how it is framed.
Evidence for and against
- Unusual presentation: the story is a listener's appeal for advice read by the host, not a told encounter.
- The strange event is a stain and a handprint-shaped mark rather than a figure or sound.
- The core image (a blood-like substance and a handprint) is a common horror motif.
- The story has no distinctive sequence, escalation, or resolution.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is not made here. The score is my provisional judgment.
- 0:38
- 0:57
What the model inferred (not said on air): Rated mid-range because the imagery is stock, but the advice-letter framing and the absence of any figure are less common in ghost stories.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: Letter text read on air by the host (as transcribed).; The host's on-air advice in response.; The writer's stated living details (lives alone, about a year there, a landlady).. The originality score blends the model's score (50) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A prank or someone else's action in the home, timed to Halloween. · The host raises the possibility of [quote withheld] and the letter closes with a Halloween greeting.
- A household substance mistaken for blood (for example, rust, paint, dye, or food residue). · The writer hedges with [quote withheld] and states no test or examination was made before writing.
What stands out
The story is framed as a request for practical advice rather than as a ghost story. The strange event is a physical trace (a red substance said to resemble blood and a handprint-shaped stain), with no figure, sound, or presence reported. The host's response is to recommend calling the police rather than offering a paranormal interpretation.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.