Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown
**2025 Ambie Award Nominee: Best Indie Podcast Hosts** Kate and Kevin met way back when they worked together at a (likely haunted) theatre and the two became fast friends. Skip ahead a few years to present day, where they mostly sit around and talk about true crime. From horrific homicides to unsolved mysteries, spooky haunts to behind-the-scenes secrets, these two are here to bring you all the drama - and trauma - of Tinseltown. Settle in, Misfits.
Episodes
A summer scare rooted in urban legend and real-life horror. From the hook-handed tale that haunted teenage lovers, to the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, to the film I Know What You Did Last Summer—and the chilling true story of author Lois Duncan’s murdered daughter. What begins as a cautionary campfire story spirals into a web of true crime, pop culture, and devastating personal loss. The truth behind the fiction is darker than you ...
Have you heard of the 'Superman' curse? We're not entirely convinced one actually exists, although the number of lawsuits, accidents, deaths and faltering careers would suggest otherwise...
Episode Sources:
Haing experienced extraordinary success in the entertainment industry after settling in the U.S., but did he make enemies along the way? Just as he pulled into his carport one evening, before he even had a chance to get out of the car, he was shot in the chest and killed. However, the gunman sped away without taking the thousands of dollars in cash Haing had on him at the time. Three men were charged with his murder...based on no p...
Haing Ngor's childhood in Cambodia was marked by political unrest leading up to the Cold War. As an adult, he survived the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime to build a new life in Los Angeles, CA. His career took a surprising turn when he became an award-winning actor, but his life was cut short when he was gunned down in 1996. Did fame play a part in his murder?
Episode Sources:
A beloved actress, model, and trailblazing trans icon in the country of Georgia, Kesaria Abramidze used her voice to speak out against domestic violence and injustice—right up until the moment it took her life. Just one day after a sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ law passed in Parliament, Kesaria was found brutally murdered in her home. Her story isn’t just about one victim—it’s about a country at a crossroads, and the danger of state-sanctio...
At its peak, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was one of the largest traveling shows in the country—until a tragic train wreck in 1918 brought it to a screeching halt. This story follows the rise of the American circus, the crash that claimed dozens of lives near Hammond, Indiana, and the haunting legacy of Showmen’s Rest, where many of the victims are buried. It’s a tale of spectacle, sorrow, and the circus community’s motto: the show...
When Frank Sinatra, Jr. checked into his motel room in Lake Tahoe, he never could have predicted the circumstances in which he'd be checking out. What ensued was a comedy of errors involving a snowstorm, a musical legend, and a hapless kidnapper with a heart of gold.
Episode Sources:
“The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra” hosted by John Stamos
“The True Story of the 1963 Kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr.” by Lauren Kranc, Esquire, J...
Garrett Warren was at the top of his game when he was gunned down in the doorway of his home - and in front of his mother, no less. But why would anyone want to murder a man described as a kind, generous friend and focused professional? This case has some wild twists and turns involving a pizza parlor, a picture taken at a party and...Home Alone's Joe Pesci???? And how did one misspelled word put the nail in the coffin, so to speak...
The infamous Annabelle doll may have become a Hollywood horror icon thanks to The Conjuring universe, but her real story is even creepier. Originally a possessed…ahem, manipulated…Raggedy Ann doll, Annabelle was investigated by paranormal legends Ed and Lorraine Warren in the 1970s. From her eerie beginnings with two nurses to her terrifying reputation for causing harm and death, Annabelle’s legend has only grown—especially now tha...
"There's trouble in Room 100." Those were the words muttered by a male caller to the man working the front desk of the Chelsea Hotel the morning of October 12, 1978. The "trouble" was that 20-year-old Nancy Spungen was dead in the bathroom from a single stab wound to her abdomen. Multiple people had been in and out of the room throughout the previous night, but only one was considered a suspect: Sid Vicious.
Episode Sources:
When we ended Part 1, Nancy had just moved from New York to London and met The Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious. In Nancy's opinion, Sid was an incredibly talented musician and wonderful boyfriend, but Sid had a violent side...
Episode Sources:
“In Search of Sid” - Radio 4 Documentary about Sid Vicious with Jah Wobble
“Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid and Nancy” dir. Danny Garcia, 2015
There was nothing simple about Nancy Spungen, punk rock fanatic and girlfriend of "The Sex Pistols" bassist Sid Vicious. Her life was a revolving door of psychiatric clinics, prescription-happy physicians and an undiagnosed mental illness stemming from a traumatic birth. The details of her death have remained a topic of discussion for decades. Police say it was a murder and Sid is the one to blame, but did he do it?
Episode Sour...
Welcome to the life of Benjamin Jonson—widely regarded as the second-best playwright of the Elizabethan era and ALWAYS in competition with Shakespeare. Before rising to literary fame, Jonson was part of the Admiral’s Men acting troupe in London, where he found himself caught in deadly dramas on and offstage. In 1598, he killed actor Gabriel Spencer in a duel—an encounter that turned fatal with a man already known for his violent st...
We're talking today about the beloved children's classic that features a demonic recluse who delights in the torture of children, while his enslaved factory workers are forced to sing and dance in unison. Believe it or not I actually love this film. Come with me, Misfits. It'll be a scrumdiddlyumtious good time!
Episode Sources:
As a teenager, Adriana Piñon took night classes in addition to her regular high school curriculum so that she could graduate early and focus on her acting and modeling career. At 17 she landed a gig as a recurring extra on "The Young and the Restless," and after her 18th birthday producers informed her they were upgrading her to a speaking role. Adriana was elated, but tragically someone robbed her of that dream before she got to h...
Pasinetta Prince was conquering the theatre world one starring role at a time. In February of 2006 she was in rehearsals for August Wilson's "Seven Guitars" at the esteemed John Beasley Theatre in Omaha - her hometown. Tragically, her life ended in a brutally violent way in her very own home.
Episode Sources:
“Suspect Arrested for Murder of Omaha Actress” by Meghan Youker, Fox42, June 23, 2009
Wow, Broadway in the 1920s was a VIBE. Flappers were flapping, mobsters were mobstering, and rich people were indulging in all sorts of debauchery in the hidden corners of seedy speakeasies. Today's episode focuses on one rich person in particular - Joseph Force Crater. Joseph was a judge who enjoyed the company of Broadway's young and beautiful chorus girls, but when the judge mysteriously went missing one hot summer evening, thos...
***Watch this VIDEO episode on Patreon, Spotify, Facebook or YouTube***
Misfits, we had such a blast at the Ambies Monday night so we thought we'd just share with you what our experience was like! Thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in each week, and your good luck wishes on social media. We love you guys!
CW: This episode contains discussion of SA.
Nine people attend a small house party. Eight make it out alive. How did 31-year-old Stuart Lubbock end up dead in the pool of one of the most famous entertainers in the UK?
Episode Sources:
Justice4Stuart Official Page - X https://x.com/justice4stuart
His Name Was Stuart Lubbock https://justice4stuart.wixsite.com/justice4stuart
His Name Was Stuart Lubbock - Podcast, Sep 2022 https://mu...
CW: This episode contains discussions of suicide and SA.
Imagine being eleven years old and told that you have what it takes to be a star. All you have to do to achieve this success is drop out of school, move out of your parents' house, go on a strict diet, train until you pass out, learn multiple languages, maybe get plastic surgery, possibly bleach your skin, never say the wrong thing, and be, well, "perfect." Oh, and you have t...
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