Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown

The Questionable Death of Bessie Poole

**If you are looking for ways to help the LA fire victims, here are a few reputable sources providing aid:
Mutual Aid L.A. Network (Google spreadsheet with info on shelters, volunteer and donation opportunities)
World Central Kitchen (providing meals for those in need)
Save the Children (specifically working to meet the needs of children and families)
This is by no means a complete list. We encourage you to do your research and help if you can.
 
An affair with a *technically* married celebrity, an illegitimate child, a barroom brawl...all things that would define the life - and death - of dancer Bessie Poole. But what really happened at the Chez Florence nightclub on October 6, 1928? Was she murdered? Was it an accident? Or did she die from natural causes? Hard to say, since some witnesses are lying, some can't be found, and some end up changing their stories.
 
Episode Sources:
“Lillian Lorraine: The Life and Times of a Ziegfeld Diva” by Nils Hanson
“Night Club Death Cleared” The New York Times, Oct 16, 1928
“The Hard Drink Mixups of the Soft Drink Millionaires” Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan 20, 1929, p. 127
“Bessie Poole Burial” The Boston Globe, Oct 10, 1928, p. 9
Bessie Poole - W.C. Fields’ Lover
“Girl’s Night Club Death Still Mystery”
“Dancer Left $7,000” The New York Times, Nov. 20, 1928
“A Shallow Dive Into the Life of Bessie Poole, Paramour of W.C. Fields” by Trav S.D., Travalanche
“W.C. Fields’ Dirty Secret” by Trav S. D., Travalanche, Aug 15, 2023
Bessie and Hattie
“An Interview with WC Fields' 94 year old son” May 29, 2012
 
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The Unsolved Murder of Christa Helm

Christa Helm was an aspiring actress and model who sought stardom in the 1970s Hollywood spotlight. Known for her beauty, charisma and connections to some of the most powerful men in the entertainment industry, Christa kept a secret diary rumored to contain explosive details about her high-profile relationships. But her rise to fame was tragically cut short in 1977 when she was brutally murdered in West Hollywood—a case that remains unsolved to this day.
 
Episode Sources:
“Who Killed Christa Helm?” by Jamey DuVall
“The Unsolved Murder of 1970’s Hollywood Starlet Christa Helm” by Steve Thompson and John O’Dowd © 2007 with an Intro by the daughter of Christa Helm
“Christa Helm” on IMDb
“48 Hours: The Last Take” by CBS News, April 26, 2008, updated October 3, 2008
“Christa Helm: The Murder of a Hollywood Starlet” by Jessi Dillard, Narrated by Richard Porter, April 3, 2017 on Audible
 
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*Patreon Freebie!* The Rosenheim Mansion, aka The Murder House

*Hey, Misfits! We hope you're having a lovely holiday season. Enjoy this episode we did for the Patreon at the start of this year.
Despite the title, this episode is not as gruesome as it sounds. We're easing into the new year with a little history and hauntings. We've got ghost nuns! We've got demon emojis! We've got...mayonnaise? We'll have some real murdery episodes for you soon. In the meantime, enjoy this story about a historic haunted(?) house. 
And if you have your OWN story about a real-life haunted house experience, send it to us! We want to feature you on one of our Misfit Monday episodes. Happy New Year!
Episode Sources:
Film at the Rosenheim Mansion 
“In Honor of 10 Years of AHS, Here Are 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Real-Life ‘Murder House’” by Margeaux Sippell, MovieMaker Magazine, Oct. 5, 2021 
“We Went to the ‘Murder House’ to Learn About its Ghosts” by Juliet Bennett Rylah, We Like L.A., Oct. 30, 2020 
“The Owners of the American Horror Story "Murder House" Are Suing the Sellers for Their Unwanted Tourist Problem” by Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, Feb. 23, 2018 
“American Horror Story Murder House: The True Story That Inspired Season 1” by Shannon Lewis, Screen Rant, Apr. 12, 2023 
“Horror comes home” by Michael Idato, Sydney Morning Herald, Nov. 10, 2011 
“'American Horror Story's Evan Peters: 'It Just Gets Worse’” by Rennie Dyball, People, Nov. 16, 2011 
“We went inside the ‘American Horror Story’ Murder House ahead of virtual Halloween event” by Kelli Skye Fadroski, Los Angeles Daily News, Oct. 26, 2020 
 
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Gremlins: It's a Wonderful Lizard of Oz in Hell

Happy Holidays from Horrorwood!
We're talking about the 1984 holiday classic "Gremlins." We've got WWII fighter pilots, inspiration from Playboy, and lots of mice and cockroaches. Who knew?
Episode Sources:
“Gremlin Trouble!: The Cursed Roald Dahl Film Disney Never Made” by Jim Korkis
“Creature Feature: The Oral History of ‘Gremlins’” by Alan Siegel, The Ringer, Jun 6, 2024
“Sexual Anxiety? Racism? The Vietnam War? No One Knows What ‘Gremlins’ Is a Metaphor For” by JM McNab, Cracked, May 23, 2023
“The 50 Most Racist Movies” Complex, May 9, 2012
“Roald Dahl, Author of Gremlins Book, Visits The Walt Disney Studios” by Lucas Seastrom, WaltDisney.org, Dec 9, 2021
“Why Gremlins Didn't Use Monkeys To Create The Special Effects” by Gregory Wakeman, CinemaBlend, Jun 22, 2015
“Chris Columbus on why 'Gremlins' is a Christmas movie — and the dark Santa story the studio wanted to cut out” by Kevin Polowy, Yahoo! Entertainment, Dec 18, 2020
"'Gremlins' Writer Chris Columbus on His Hard R, Darker Original Script” by Adam Chitwood, Collider, Nov 24, 2020
All the Right Movies Podcast
“21 Crazy Facts Behind The Making Of The Gremlin Movies” by Christopher Hodges, Screen Rant, Aug 24, 2018
“The True Origin of Disney’s Gremlins” by Jim Korkis, Mouse Planet, Apr 5, 2017
“Protecting the Gremlins” by Jim Korkis, Mouse Planet, Jun 27, 2018
“Gremlins Week: The Evolution Of Gizmo” by Nick De Semlyen, Empire, Jun 30, 2014
“Gremlins' Director Had A Wild Theory For The Mogwai Origin” by Murray Ferguson, Screen Rant, Dec 13, 2021
 
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The Murder of Scott Amedure

What started as a playful reveal of a secret crush spiraled into a tragic series of events that rocked the nation and sparked debates about media ethics, the 'gay panic' defense, and accountability. Dive into the story behind the infamous 'Jenny Jones Show' episode that never aired but led to a murder trial.  
 
Episode Sources:
“Michigan outlaws the 'gay and trans panic defense' in criminal trials” by Isabel Yip, July 24, 2024, NBC News
“Scott Bernard Amedure” on Find A Grave
Trial By Media Re-Examines the Murder of Scott Amedure After a Talk Show Appearance” by Lauren Kranc, May 11, 2020, Esquire
“'Trial by Media' on Netflix: Where Is Jenny Jones Now and What Has She Said About the Murder of Scott Amedure?” by Samuel Spencer, May 13, 2020, Newsweek
“Amedure v. Jenny Jones Show (1999)” on CourtTV
“The Jenny Jones Show Killer Released from Prison” by BTL Staff, August 24, 2017, Last Updated August 14, 2023, PrideSource
“Trial By Media Revisits Jenny Jones Show Murder: Man Killed Guest Who ID'd Him as Same-Sex Crush” by Jeff Truesdell, May 12, 2020, People
“The Story Of Scott Amedure, The Gay Man Who Was Murdered Because Of His Appearance On ‘The Jenny Jones Show’” by Bernadette Giacomazzo, Edited by Erik Hawkins, Published May 23, 2022, Updated May 24, 2022, All That’s Interesting
“Talk-Show Guest Is Guilty Of Second-Degree Murder” by Keith Bradsher, November 13, 1996, The New York Times
 
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Rerun: Everything You Didn't Need to Know About 'Home Alone'

**Misfits, Covid has reared its ugly head over here at Horrorwood HQ. While Kate sleeps for the next four days straight, enjoy this episode from last year's holiday season.**
CW: This episode discusses child abuse, domestic abuse and sexual assault.
You probably weren't expecting a content warning on an episode about 'Home Alone', but this is Horrorwood, remember? The film might be a holiday treasure, but behind the scenes things weren't so jolly. The cast of the Christmas classic seemed to have it all: Arrests? Check. Drug addiction? Check. A murder-for-hire plot? Yep, that too. Get cozy, ya filthy misfits, we're diving deep.
 
Episode Sources:
WTF with Marc Maron - Macaulay Culkin, Jan. 22, 2018
Bunny Ears website
“Junior” by Macaulay Culkin, Miramar, Mar. 14, 2007
“Macaulay Culkin to Receive Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame” by Jen Juneau, People, Nov. 27, 2023
“Home Alone secrets revealed in Netflix show ‘The Movies That Made Us’” by Andrew Bucklow, Dec. 4, 2019
“How John Hughes Came Up With ‘Home Alone’” by Lily Rothman, TIME, Nov. 16, 2015
“Chris Columbus Directed Home Alone Instead of Christmas Vacation Because He Met Chevy Chase” by Ira Madison III, Vulture, Nov. 10, 2015
“Holy Cow, Home Alone Is 25!” By James Hughes, Chicago Magazine, Nov. 10, 2015
Reviews - ‘Home Alone’ - Roger Ebert, Nov. 16, 1990
Reviews - ‘Home Alone' - by Owen Gleiberman 
“'Home Alone' Is My Holiday Connection To Post-Communist Poland” by Nicholas Mizera, HuffPost Canada, Dec. 24, 2018
“Home Alone in Poland: An Unexpected National Tradition” by Bartosz Staszczyszyn, Dec. 20, 2013
“‘Home Alone’ Actor Devin Ratray Under Investigation for Rape” by Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, Aug. 24, 2022
“‘This is how you die.’ Actor who played Buzz in ‘Home Alone’ faces charges for allegedly trying to strangle girlfriend while in Oklahoma City” by Hicham Raache / KFOR, Dec. 22, 2021
“Devin Ratray, ‘Home Alone’ actor, under investigation for alleged rape” by Chloe Melas, CNN, Aug. 24, 2022
“Home Alone actor’s case headed to trial in Oklahoma County” by K. Querry-Thompson / KFOR, Jan. 19, 2023
“'Home Alone' Dad John Heard Various Narcotics in System ... At Time of Death” Jan. 8, 2018
“HEARD GUILTY OF PHONE MISUSE, TRESPASSING” The Washington Post, Mar. 21, 1997
“Joe Pesci says he got "serious burns" to his head in iconic "Home Alone" scene” by Li Cohen, CBS News, Dec. 1, 2022
“Macaulay Culkin: ‘No, I was not pounding six grand of heroin a month’” by Rhik Samadder, The Guardian, July 18, 2016
“The Talk of Hollywood; It Seems the Father Of the Child Star Is the Enfant Terrible” by Bernard Weinraub, NY Times, Nov. 1, 1993
“4 KILLED FLEEING BLAZE IN HIGH-RISE” by Susan Sachs, NY Times, Dec. 24, 1998
 
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*PATREON FREEBIE* Kevin's Christmas Horror Movie Recs!

Hey Misfits! We hope you enjoy this Patreon episode from last year.
The holidays are upon us! And it wouldn't be a Horrorwood Christmas without Kevin recommending some spooky, scary holiday movies. From a haunted advent calendar to a crazy French baby-stealer and some bitch-ass kids in a lodge, these are Kevin's top 5 Christmas horror movies.
 
Episode Sources:
“The Advent Calendar (2021)” - IMDb.com
“Reviews: The Advent Calendar” by Peter Sobczynski, December 2, 2021, RogerEbert.com
“Inside (2007)” - IMDb.com
“Inside (2007 film)” - Wikipedia
“A Christmas Horror Story (2015)” - IMDb.com
“A Christmas Horror Story” - Wikipedia
“The Lodge (2019)” - IMDb.com
“The Lodge (film)” - Wikipedia
“Black Christmas (1974)” - IMDb.com
“Black Christmas (1974 film)” - Wikipedia
 
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The Agonizing Death of Martha Mansfield

On Thanksgiving Day in 1923, 24-year-old actress Martha Mansfield was working on her latest film, a Civil War drama. The media predicted her role as the leading lady would catapult her into the next level of stardom. Tragically, she never got to finish her scenes that day, and within 24 hours Martha was dead.
 
Episode Sources:
“Dangerous Curves Atop Hollywood Heels: The Lives, Careers, and Misfortunes of 14 Hard-Luck Girls of the Silent Screen” by Michael G. Ankerich, (2010) 
“Making Over Martha” by Delight Evans, Photoplay Magazine, 1920
“Martha, the Beautiful” by Lillian May, Motion Picture Magazine (Aug 1920 - Jan 1921) pgs. 56-57, 108
“The Movie Star Named After Mansfield” by Timothy Brian McKee, Richland County History
“‘The Century Girl’ A Huge Success” The New York Times, Nov 7, 1916
"Martha Mansfield Left All to Her Mother In "Partial Return" for Care Given Her” New York Times, p. 1, Sep 26, 1924
“Martha Mansfield, Movie Star, Dies As The Result Of Burns” Meriden Morning Record, Dec. 1, 1923
“Martha Mansfield, Film Star, Dies of Burns Caused by Costume Fired by Smoker's Match” New York Times, Dec. 1 1923
“Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars” by Eve Golden
 
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