Horrifying History

It is a story that has baffled law enforcement, fascinated UFO researchers, and divided skeptics for half a century.  A young logger vanishes in the Arizona woods, in front of six witnesses, only to reappear five days later - confused, dehydrated, and claiming he was aboard an alien spacecraft.  What really happened to Travis Walton?  Did he have an extraterrestrial encounter, or did he create an elaborate hoax? So, put on your tin foil hats, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of a man who claims that he was kidnapped by aliens and still suffers from lingering effects to this day. To listen to the episode about Betty and Barney Hill that we discussed in this episode, follow this link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0uYAczH1Fji64F42LwBb6 Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There is a hotel that is well known to fans of both horror movies and novels.  It was the inspiration for the novel “The Shining” by author Stephen King, and is world-famous due to the movie based on this book starring Jack Nicholson.  But the thing is, my spooky friends, this place isn’t just a cool movie location.  It is said to be filled with spirits of the dead.   So, pack your suitcases, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of a hotel that has embraced its haunted history and is now considered to be hallowed ground for horror fans.  Click the link to listen to the episode we spoke about in this episode: Haunted Hotels Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When a person has to be hospitalized, it can be a scary thing.  After all, they could be in pain or feel very unwell, and they have to put their trust in people that they don’t know.  But there is one thing that most patients believe, that the nurses and doctors taking care of them are doing their best to help them. That is not necessarily true.  Some intentionally harm or kill the people in their care.  In the case of Jane Toppan, she took this to a whole new level after admitting her goal in life was to kill more helpless people than any other man or woman that ever lived. So, go and get your stethoscopes, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of a woman whose evil deeds are unparalleled in any other similar case in history Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the center of the world’s most shocking secrets and nefarious organizations. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a Crime House Original powered by PAVE Studios. Follow the show now so you don’t miss a single story.  Listen and follow here: https://link.podtrac.com/c3ibvzne Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Imagine moving your family into a house that you find out is haunted.  Now, imagine if that house were filled with more than two hundred demons.  What would you do?So, break out your crucifixes, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of a woman who claims she and her family were possessed, and the battle they endured to break free.***In this episode, we discuss a DCS report.  You can find this report at: https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/1004899-intake-officers-report/Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Imagine for a moment that you are relaxing outside on a bright and sunny day.  All of a sudden, it starts raining, but it's not water that is falling from the sky.  It's meat. So get out your umbrellas, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of a day when meat fell from the sky Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Imagine for a moment that you are a police officer and have been working on a case of a missing young woman.  You arrest a man, and in questioning, he confesses to murdering the woman and many more.  You bring this man back to his cell, only for him to take his own life.  When you walk into the dead man’s cell, you discover something that makes you realize he was one of the most prolific serial killers in history.   So settle in, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of a serial killer who was on the loose for years, and no one knows for sure what his kill count was.  But before we get started, I want to give you all a heads-up.  Today, we will be talking about sexual assault, torture, and graphic murders.  Listener discretion is advised. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous book The Great Gatsby, there are two deaths.  The first was an accidental hit-and-run incident when character Daisy Buchanan hits a woman while driving main character Gatsby’s car.  Because of this, Gatsby takes the blame.  The second is when character George Wilson, husband of the woman who was run over by the car, shoots Gatsby.  George believes that Gatsby was responsible for his wife’s death, and shoots him before turning the gun on himself. It is believed that a murder and subsequent scandal may have inspired Fitzgerald’s book.  This scandal captivated a nation, but no one was ever brought to justice.  So put on some choir music, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale about the deaths of a minister and a choir singer that may have inspired a famous work of literature.  But before we start, here is a little heads-up.  Today, we will be talking about a graphic crime scene.  Listener discretion is advised. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever stopped at a fast food restaurant late at night?  You walk in and hear the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, and one or two exhausted workers are staring at you, waiting for you to order.  The silence is hanging in the air like a thick fog until the person at the till tells you the total of what you owe.  But for some customers in fast food places, they sometimes catch something out of the corner of their eye.  A shadow, a whisper, a presence that doesn’t belong. So put in your orders, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tales of haunted fast food places around the world, and I hope you’re not too hungry Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week. Here is the link for The Raccoon Incident that we spoke about in this episode: https://www.cbc.ca/player/video/1.6720665       Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the quiet heart of the Hungarian countryside lies a small village that, on first glance, appears sleepy and peaceful.  But behind this charm is a grim legacy.  It is soaked in arsenic and whispered secrets.  Between the years of 1914 and 1929, this tiny village became the unlikely stage for one of the most chilling mass murder conspiracies in European history. So put away your potions, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of the Angel Makers of Nagyrev Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Perched high above the Scottish capital, sitting on a rock ledge on Castle Rock, stands one of the most iconic and haunted fortresses in the world: Edinburgh Castle.  It has been a place of blood, betrayal, and brutal history.  It’s also a place where the cries of the past echo off stone walls, and the shadows of the dead are within your reach. So put on your crowns, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale of one of the oldest fortified places in Europe, whose past continues to shape the present. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There is one prison that is known around the world.  Alcatraz gained a reputation for being one of the most feared prisons in the United States.  It was known for housing the worst of the worst, and symbolized severe punishment and hopelessness.  Some of those who felt this despair died at Alcatraz and never left.   So break out your handcuffs, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the tale about a place that has been many things: a military fortress, a federal prison, a place of resistance, and, as some believe, a trap for the dead. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Randall Woodfield had it all. He was an excellent student and a star athlete. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and was chosen by Playgirl magazine as a candidate for their centrefold. Girls flocked to him, but he wasn’t interested in having a relationship with them. He wanted them dead. So get out your pens and paper, my spooky friends. You are about to hear the tale about a man who, on the outside, looked like he had the perfect life. But on the inside was a monster that filled every woman within his grasp with fear and terror. Before we start today, be forewarned, we will be talking about crimes against children, sexual assault and murder. Listener discretion is advised. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Imagine for a moment that someone knocks on your door.  It is the police, and they take your son away to give him to another family to appease them.  How would you react, and how far would you go to get your son back? So get comfortable, my spooky friends.  You are going to hear a tale that would be any parent’s worst nightmare Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My BFF and I have been friends since we were teenagers.  About a thousand years ago, he and I made a joking deal.  If he wanted to have someone killed, I would have to do it so he wouldn’t get implicated.  If I wanted someone dead, he had to do the same.  For years, whenever one of us has a bad day, we text each other saying things like, “You better go out and buy some garbage bags”.  This has been our running joke for what seems to be forever.  But in all seriousness, he and I are not killers or plan to ever be.  It is just a dark joke between spooky BFFs.  So, go out and buy some duct tape, my spooky friends.  You are going to hear about some people who show how far some will go for their friends Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week. To hear another episode about friendship gone wrong, check out our episode called Killing for Kicks: The Tale of Rich Boy Dellen Millard by clicking on this link.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We have a special treat for you all, my spooky friends!  Today, we are presenting an episode from the podcast Police Off the Cuff.  The host is former NYPD Sergeant Bill Cannon, who is discussing the Idaho College Case with several true crime experts: Mike Geary (retired NYPD Sergeant and Professor at Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut, USA) and Dr. Joni Johnston (Author, Forensic Psychologist, and host of the podcast Unmasking a Murder). The panel shares their insights from their law enforcement backgrounds to analyze this case, including the investigation process and the disturbing details of this crime that you haven't heard before, like the fact that Bryan Kohberger stalked and killed four students in a well-planned, well-researched attack speaks volumes about his psychology. They discuss the evidence of a deeply disturbed mind of Bryan Kohberger. This episode dives into the Idaho 4 murders, exploring the crime scene and some of the unusual clues found. Bill Cannon and other experts discuss various theories related to true crime and offer their analysis of the evidence and potential criminal profiles. Was it a psycho sexually motivated killer or something else?  You can find Police of the Cuff wherever you find your favourite podcasts or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/PpoliceofftheCuff/video Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In fiction books and fairy tales, many stepmothers range from being not nice to being evil murderers.  From Snow White’s envy-filled evil queen and Cinderella’s greedy Lady Tremaine, there is no shortage of these types of characters in literature.  At the minimum, these villains are painted as cold, devious, and uncaring.  A great example of this is Lady Tremaine, who forces Cinderella into back-breaking labour while encouraging her biological children to verbally abuse their stepsister.   Today, stepmothers are often thought of in a less favourable light than any other family member.  People make presumptions that they are less affectionate, unfair, and at times hateful.  Although blended families do face challenges and conflict that could reinforce some of these stereotypes, no evidence supports the idea of a wicked stepmother.  Research shows that stepmothers provide extra love and support for their stepchildren.  But the women that we are talking about today embrace the evil stereotype.   So light a candle and turn out the lights, my spooky friends.  You are going to hear about some mothers who redefine the term of evil stepmother.  But be aware, today we will be talking about child abuse and murder.  Listener discretion is advised. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week. To hear more stories about horrible family members, listen to our episode called The Real Story Behind the Movie 'The Orphan', click here.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Imagine for a moment that it is 1656, and your father just died from an illness.  As you and your family start to mourn, you find out that people believe that your father was not just a vampire.  He was the first vampire in Europe. So break out the stakes, my spooky friends.  You are about to hear the legend of a man who was the first person to be recorded as a vampire in historical documents. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week. If you want to learn more about vampires, listen to History of the Vampire by clicking here.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

She was a young actress and model who didn’t act or model.  She lived on the wrong side of town in an apartment she was about to be evicted from, because she couldn’t pay the rent.  Then she met a man thirty-six years older than her, whom she thought would fulfill all her dreams and help her live a stable life.   Fast forward a few years, and the woman was broke and at her breaking point.  She decided to blackmail her lover, telling him she was going to sell evidence of their affair if he didn’t pay up.  It wasn’t long afterwards that she ended up dead. So close the curtains, my spooky friends.  You are going to hear the tale about a woman who some say knew too little, and others say she knew way too much. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week. To hear another story of a woman who used the people around her, check out our episode on the murdering socialite Delphine Lalaurie by clicking on this link.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My name is Brenda. Welcome to Horrifying History, where you will hear about the unexplained and supernatural happenings that have stained the pages of history. It is said that a shadow-like entity has terrified people across different cultures, continents, and generations.  He goes by many names, but most know him as the Hat Man.   So settle in, and turn down the lights, my spooky friends.  You are going to hear about an entity that is said to feed on people’s terror around the world, so whatever you do, do not look too closely at the shadows. Our website is the 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 some great creepy merch, and 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 member, and get our episodes a week early.  You will also get a bonus episode each week. To learn more about creatures that are said to hunt us in our sleep, listen to our episode called Sleep and the Supernatural.  Click here to listen to this episode.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.