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
When 26-year-old Jean Spangler left her home on the evening of Friday, October 7, 1949, she had no idea she wouldn't be returning. She told her sister-in-law she was working that night...but there was no record of her employment for that date. What was she up to? Where did she really go? This episode has Kirk Douglas, the Black Dahlia killer and "That 70s Show" star Laura Prepon. It's a doozy, folks.
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On Halloween night, 1992, Britain’s BBC 1 presented one of the most talked about programs in television history. The program was called "Ghostwatch" and it would eventually become one of the great “do you remember” moments of British television. The controversial airing left the public terrified and allegedly contributed to the suicide of an 18-year-old boy and PTSD in other children and adults. Today it is consid...
In the mid-’80s, Jon-Erik Hexum was a rising star with movie-star looks and major charisma, known for his breakout roles on Voyagers! and Cover Up. But just as his career was taking off, everything came to a sudden and shocking halt due to a tragic on-set incident—one that would leave Hollywood reeling and spark questions about how productions handle safety.
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Season 13 of American Horror Story premieres September 24, 2026, so we rummaged around our vault and found this episode (previously for subscribers only) on the Rosenheim Mansion, aka "the Murder House," which has been featured multiple times in the AHS franchise.
And in case you missed our social media post, we are taking a slight mental health break (2-3 weeks) so that we can reset and recharge before we gear up for our favorite ...
Famed singer Sam Cooke's life ended in a Los Angeles motel in December 1964, but the questions surrounding his death have never disappeared. An investigation quickly ruled the shooting justified, yet many believe the full story was never uncovered. Decades later, the mystery continues to spark debate and speculation.
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Sam Cooke changed American music with timeless hits, great record business success, and a very powerful voice for the Civil Rights Movement. His rise from gospel prodigy to soul legend seemed unstoppable until a late-night encounter at a Los Angeles motel ended in one of music's most controversial deaths.
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Critics called him the next Clark Gable. His rugged good looks and womanizing ways made Steve Cochran Hollywood's favorite bad boy. With a life as colorful as his it's only fitting his death make just as big a "splash."
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In 1954, hundreds of cast and crew members traveled to the deserts of southern Utah to make what was supposed to be Hollywood's next epic adventure movie: The Conqueror. The film starred John Wayne as Genghis Khan and was backed by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. What was meant to become the next blockbuster ended up becoming one of the deadliest movies ever made, all thanks to a nuclear testing site just a few dozens miles fr...
When a deceased cameraman was found slumped in his car outside the Hollywood post office, police were certain jealousy was the motive. Or was it robbery? Either way, the killer must have been a man. Or maybe a woman? Yeah, police didn't have a clue, despite, well, all the clues.
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It's officially summer and to celebrate we've got a brand spankin' new round of Misfit Tales! We're reading stories written by YOU about things you've experienced. Today's tales have been brought to you by Anonymous, Melody MacKay, Lexi and Maria. We've got a real-life possibly criminal case, a ghost truck, a visit from the afterlife and, as the title of this episode suggests, ghost fingers.
Keep sending us your stories!
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When Yoko Ono lost contact with her daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, she had no idea it would be more than two decades before they would see each other again. After a bitter custody battle, Kyoko's father, Anthony Cox, disappeared with the young girl and eventually brought her into an allegedly secretive religious cult that kept them hidden from the outside world.
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In 1994 during a solo trip to New Orleans, 23-year-old Ylenia Carrisi - the granddaughter of Hollywood icon Tyrone Power - walked out the front door of the hotel where she was staying and never returned.
If you have information on the whereabouts of Ylenia Carrisi, you are urged to contact the New Orleans Police Department at 504-658-5315, case number A-36564-94.
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For more than a century New York City's Palace Theatre has stood at the heart of Broadway, hosting some of the biggest names in entertainment. Alongside its remarkable history, the theatre has also earned a reputation as one of Broadway's most haunted venues, with stories of ghostly acrobats, mysterious children, and even the lingering presence of Judy Garland.
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David Huffman stopped by the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego to bring his castmates cookies. It was a gesture of goodwill since he was leaving the production a week early to start work on a TV miniseries. Unfortunately he didn't make it to the start of the series. He didn't even make it to that evening's performance at the Old Globe. Minutes after dropping off the cookies and leaving the theatre, David Huffman was dead.
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Gagandip Singh was a young Sikh TV entrepreneur in London who seemed to have his whole future ahead of him. But one late-night visit to a student house in Brighton set off a chain of events that ended with one of the most disturbing murder cases Britain had seen in years. Behind the headlines was a tangled story involving friendship, grief, infatuation, religion, and revenge that still sparks debate more than a decade later.
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*Claudine Longet died yesterday, May 14, 2026. We covered her case back in January 2023 and are re-releasing that episode in case you missed it the first time around. It's a wild one!
**I just want to note that in this episode I mention Claudine admitted to pulling the trigger. I misspoke. ACTUALLY, she only admitted to shooting him. There is a difference. ;)
This episode has quite the cast of characters: a French showgirl-turned-a...
Deep in the hills near Adams, Tennessee, the legend of the Bell Witch grew from a terrifying family haunting into one of America’s most famous ghost stories. For over 200 years, the tale has inspired books, paranormal investigations, and horror films like An American Haunting, leaving people still wondering what really happened on the Bell family farm.
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CW: This episode contains discussion of suicide.
Lee Sun-kyun was already a household name in Korea when the critically acclaimed film "Parasite" took home the Oscar for Best Picture. Korea has strict moral standards when it comes to their citizens, and a celebrity who is constantly in the spotlight is sure to have their every move examined under a microscope. Such was the case for Lee Sun-kyun when a pair of opportunists decided t...
Gemma McCluskie was a former EastEnders actress who vanished from her East London home in March 2012. What began as a missing person case quickly turned into something more complex with unsettling discoveries in Regent’s Canal. As investigators worked to piece together what happened, attention shifted closer to home.
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The year: 1931. The place: New York City. Despite that the country was in the throes of the Great Depression, life seemed unaffected for the employed performers of the Ziegfeld Follies. During a weekend of summer fun and relaxation, five of the cast members were joined by a chauffeur and boat captain on a private yacht. Then tragedy stuck.
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