The Viper Room: Debauchery, History & an Unsolved Mystery | Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown

To say the Viper Room was vibing would be an understatement. The Viper Room WAS the vibe. It’s where bands played to try out new music. It’s where celebrities went to hang out away from the flashes of cameras. It’s where Johnny Depp threw parties for his famous friends. But it also played host to a slew of tragic events, most notably the death of Academy Award nominee River Phoenix. The building itself is packed with history dating back more than a hundred years, when Sunset Blvd. was just a dirt road. This episode has a little bit of everything: mobsters, ghosts, even Johnny Cash. Kate takes us on a journey through the venue’s history, as well as a dive into one of the biggest unsolved mysteries surrounding the club: the disappearance of co-owner Anthony Fox. Let’s get wild, Misfits.

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Episode Sources:

“The History (and Future) of the Sunset Strip’s Viper Room” by Chris Epting

“The Viper Room: Hollywood Murder Mystery” - Death by Misadventure

“The debauched 30-year history of iconic LA hotspot The Viper Room” by Lillian Gissen

“Messed Up Things that Happened at the Viper Room” - Grunge

“The Hollywood Ghosts of the Legendary Viper Room” - BuzzFeed Unsolved

“Her House of Cards” by Molly Bloom - Vanity Fair

“The Viper Room Curse” by Nick Harding

The Charley Project: Anthony Vivien Fox

“Amber Heard hired private investigator to dig up dirt on Johnny Depp” by Pritha Paul

“Johnny Cash: the unplugged album that saved a country legend’s life” by Johnny Black