Horrifying History

Imagine for a moment that you are a freelance journalist, and you finally get your big break - an interview with a well known inventor and entrepreneur.  He invites you to interview him while taking you for a ride in his privately built midget submarine.  You would likely be thinking to yourself that this is an opportunity of a lifetime.  When Kim Wall got this invitation; she thought so too, but in actuality it was an invitation that would result in her death. So pull up a chair my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the story of a young woman who went to an interview, but ended up in the submarine from hell.  But before we get started today, I want to give you all a heads up.  Today we will be talking about a graphic murder, and sexual assault.  Listener discression is advised. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

A few months ago; I was asked to be on the podcast “The Wall of Unusual”, where we discussed the Ted Bundy case.  Host Chris and I both live in the Canadian province of Ontario, and after the episode we started to talk about some to the dark tales that our country had to offer.  That discussion led to the episode that you are about to hear.   So…buckle in my spooky friends. Today Chris and I are taking you for a trip down  Creepy Lane in our own version of a Canadian ghost tour. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

America’s Most Wanted was an American tv show that debuted on February 7, 1988 that was hosted by John Walsh.  John had gained publicity and became a crime advocate after his own son was kidnapped and murdered in 1981.  The show featured crime reenactments and interviews with those who were involved, with the goal to get tips that could eventually solve the crime.  This show was the longest running crime reality show in the history of Fox Broadcasting Company, and it contributed to the arrest of more than 1000 fugitives.  One of those fugitives was living in suburbia, and was known as a loving husband who worked as an accountant.  When those who knew him learned who their mild mannered neighbour really was; it made headline news across the country. So settle in my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the story of a mass murderer, who was caught with the help of an artist and a syndicated tv show Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

Next to graveyards and drafty old castles; theatres are often talked about as a site for paranormal activity.  With the amount of drama, superstition, and ego in these locations, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that theatres are a supernatural hotspot.   So listen in my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the stories of some of the most ghost ridden performance spaces around the world. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

From french twist nails to strawberry makeup; there are many different beauty trends that have taken hold this year.  Trends seem to form easily, and soon they are out of sight and out of mind.  But not all trends are good or healthy for a person to try.   So turn up the volume my spooky friends.  You are about to hear about some of the strange things that people would do for beauty Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

Female friendships are very special.  Many times these bonds are shown to last longer than other bonds in a woman’s life whether they are romantic, family, or otherwise.  But sometimes; one of the two in a friendship starts to become jealous of their friend for various reasons, and this can develop into a sort of competition between the two which results in the two becoming frenemies.  Researchers have studied this phenomenon, and claim that these toxic relationships have three prominent characteristics.  The first is being competitive, which is when one views the other more as a rival to outdo than a friend to support.  The second is jealousy in the terms of social connections, or material possessions.  And the third is distrust, which is actually a lack of respect and care within the friendship.   In the case of Doris Duke and Barbara Hutton; they took this to a whole new level. So settle in my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the crazy tale of two rich women who started out as friends, but their relationship spiralled into being the original frenemies. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

We have all heard it at least once in our lives…don’t take candy from strangers.  Adults have been saying this to children for years in the hopes to protect them from being kidnapped, and it is believed that this phrase originated from one of the most famous missing person cases in history that is also believed to be America’s first ransom kidnapping.   So get comfortable my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the sad tale of the kidnapping of Charley Ross, and about another famous case that at the time was compared to Charley’s case. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

In legends; vampires are fanged creatures that prey on the living.  Their desire to feed off human blood is all consuming, and they are said to roam the world at night searching for they prey.  But there was a man that gained the nickname of the Vampire of Dusseldorf that is more terrifying than any mythical vampire could be. So settle in my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of Peter Kürten, who’s deeds were so horrific that he was beheaded in 1931.  But before we get started, I would like to give you all a heads up.  Today we will be talking about some very dark crimes including domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, bestiality, cannibalism, and murder.  Listener discretion is advised. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

When I was a young child; my mom would drop me off at my grandparent’s house while she ran her errands.  Grandma would plunk me down on the living room couch, and give me her newspapers to read.  But my grandma’s newspapers were not the ones that you likely read as a child.  Her’s were tabloids on their best day, and had titles like The National Inquirer, The National Examiner, and The Weekly World News. It was in one of these that I saw a picture that mesmerized me.  A photographer allegedly captured an image of a ghost, and this became one of the most famous spirit photography images of all time.   So settled in my spooky friends.  You are about to hear a story about a woman who is said to haunt her former home, and became famous because of it.  But before we get started…I want to give you all a little heads up.  Today we will be talking about a graphic crime scene.  Listener discretion is advised Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

Very few women in history stand out in the way that Agrippina the Younger does.  She was the granddaughter of the first Roman emperor Octavian, and was a great niece to Emperor Tiberius.  She was Emperor Caligula’s sister, the wife of Emperor Claudius, and she was the mother of Emperor Nero.  This pedigree allowed for her to have immense power, but even so - Agrippina lived in a society ruled by men.  Because of this, she had to fight, scheme, and possibly murder to gain her power.   She was the first woman to transcend the role of the emperor’s wife, as she ruled alongside her son Nero.  But her ambition and need for power led to her downfall. So buckle up my spooky friends.  You are about to hear story about the first true empress of Rome, who’s need for control resulted in her death. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

Robert Pickton, who is known as the Pig Farmer Killer, confessed to killing forty nine women between 1995 and 2001.  His crimes sparked widespread outrage, and this resulted in the Canadian government acknowledging the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.   Robert died on May 31, 2024 in a way that many think that he deserved, but his death brought up a lot of questions about his crimes and who else may have been involved. So get comfortable my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of a very dark man, but before we start - I need to give you all a heads up.  In today’s episode we will be talking about violence against women, sexual assaults, and graphic deaths.  Listener discretion is advised. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

On April 10, 1834; firefighters smashed through a padlocked attic door of the burning home of a high society couple: Delphine and Louis Lalaurie.  What they found is now a dark legend that have been circulating for over 150 years.   So get comfortable my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of the woman that the press once called “Mad Madame Lalaurie”, but before we get started I wanted to give you all a heads up.  Today we will be talking about slavery, abuse, torture, and about ghastly atrocities.  Listener discretion is advised Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

Whether they are tiny amebas or little green men, aliens never fail to capture our imagination.  Now seventy seven years after Roswell, aliens still are in our collective psyche.  Today, we brought in one of our favourite podcast hosts, Noelle from Creepy Confidential, to help me tell you some tales that will make you wonder…are we really alone in the universe? So get ready my spooky friends.  Today is alien takeover day Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

In December of 2021, we released an episode called “The Edmonton Dexter Wannabe” that tells the tale of Mark Twitchell.  He murdered a man after being inspired by the fictional tv character Dexter Morgan.  Dexter was the antihero of a book series by Jeff Lindsay that was developed into a tv show by the same name. In both the books and tv series; Dexter is a forensic blood spatter analyst who works for the Miami-Metro police.  In his spare time, Dexter is a vigilante serial killer who targets other murderers who evaded the justice system.  Mark Twitchell was inspired by this, but he did not target evil doers.  He targeted an innocent man. But Jeff Lindsay didn’t just make Dexter’s story up.  He was inspired by a man that has been called “the perfect psychopath”, who murdered at least seventy people.  This serial killer stands out from all the rest, since it was he that inspired the character of Dexter Morgan. So get comfortable my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of Pedro Filho, the Brazilian Dexter.  But before we get started today; I want to give you all a heads up.  Today we will be talking about graphic murders, child abuse, sexual assault, and cannibalism.  Listener discretion is advised Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.    

The 1960s are known for many things, like free love and Woodstock.  But for some; it meant control, sexual abuse, and the apocalypse. So turn up the volume my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the story of the Children of God cult, and how their message of hope turned into a nightmare for some of their followers.  But before we get started today; I want to give you all a heads up.  Today we will be speaking about physical, mental, and sexual abuse of both adults and children.  Listener discretion is advised. Our website is the one stop spot for everything spooky!  Go to https://horrifying-history-shop.fourthwall.com to watch our history videos, find our social media links, read our spooky blog, get yourself some great creepy merch, and to join our fan club! If you are a member of our fan club - you will receive a permanent discount in our store while you are a fan club member.