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
What began as a birthday celebration in Queens ended with a life cut short and a community reeling. When actor and musician Isaiah Stokes let a feud from that night fester, it set in motion a plan that would leave Tyrone Jones dead and his family heartbroken. From the party to the ambush to the tense courtroom battle, this story follows how a single grudge grew into something far more tragic.
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31-year-old Helen Mintiks (known professionally as Helen Hagnes) left the orchestra pit to get a drink. It was intermission for the Met musicians and Helen was hoping to speak with the lead dancer of the ballet whom she believed was relaxing in his dressing room. When the musicians returned to the pit to take their seats, Helen wasn't among them. Her body was found the next day.
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The Blair Witch Project redefined horror with nothing more than three actors, a few cameras, and a week in the woods—and the chaos didn’t stop when the film ended. Between its improvised shoot, eerie alternate endings, and ties to real Maryland legends, the movie left audiences guessing what was real and what wasn’t. Fan theories kept the mystery alive, while lawsuits and disputes proved that the legacy of Blair Witch was every bit...
The Lady of the Dunes remains one of Cape Cod’s most haunting mysteries, but years after her body was found in 1974, a surprising theory surfaced: could she have appeared as an extra in the movie Jaws? With the blockbuster filming nearby at the same time, author (and son of Stephen King) Joe Hill spotted a woman onscreen who seemed eerily similar to the unidentified victim. The idea sparked national fascination, especially when the...
UPDATE! The sudden death of paranormal investigator Dan Rivera during the “Devils on the Run” tour reignited rumors about the infamous haunted Annabelle doll. Just weeks later, comedian Matt Rife and YouTuber Elton Castee announced they had purchased/leased the Warrens’ former home and museum, including our Raggedy Ann girl. Yikes!
Episode Sources:
“Annabelle doll update: Comedian Matt Rife purchases haunted home and museum” by M...
*If you'd like to skip our banter in the beginning, fast forward about 8 minutes.
In 1988 Bob Samuels was busy working as a camera assistant on "Lethal Weapon 2," the latest in a long string of films for the 40-year-old. He seemingly had everything he'd ever wanted - the woman of his dreams, an adopted daughter, and a career in the film industry. But when he was found murdered in his home in December of '88, detectives were stumped...
Richard D. May was finally living his dream. He had just been cast in a professional production, ready to take the stage in Death of a Salesman at the African-American Shakespeare Company in San Francisco, CA. He had the talent, the drive, and a powerful presence that turned heads. But just hours before opening night, everything changed. This is the story of a rising actor and the heartbreaking twist that came too soon.
Episode S...
Carole Lombard and William Powell were lovers-turned-spouses-turned-exes-turned-lovers again-turned-exes for real this time-turned-BFFs. Together they starred in the 1936 screwball comedy "My Man Godfrey," and despite both of them shining on screen, behind the cameras each faced periods of darkness and tragic loss. Then at the age of 33, a person's mistake brought Carole's life to a horrifying end.
In the center of downtown DeKalb stands the Egyptian Theatre—an architectural tribute to ancient times. But this isn’t just a historic theater; it’s a place where the past lingers in more ways than one. Built in 1929, the Egyptian has survived economic collapse, near demolition, and decades of change. Today, it’s not only a beloved cultural landmark but also one of the most haunted buildings in Illinois, where stories of strange si...
Zhang Yiyang was known for writing and singing love songs, which helped him gain celebrity status in his home country of China. His fame only grew once he transferred his talents to the screen, performing in various shows and films. So imagine the shock of his fans when they learned he'd committed an act so vile that he was sentenced to death.
Episode Sources:
“China bans reality talent shows to curb behaviours of ‘idol’ fandoms”...
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...
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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?
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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.
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