Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown
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, when all they do is sit around and talk about skincare products and 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.
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Episodes
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Monday Oct 30, 2023
At 8:45pm on April 22, 1987, Chicago police received a call from Ruthie Mae McCoy, a 52-year-old black woman living on Chicago's South Side in the Grace Abbott Homes, part of the ABLA Housing Project. Ruthie cried for help saying, “They want to come through the bathroom.” Due to police negligence, racism, and a complete failure on the part of the Chicago Housing Authority at the time, Ruthie's cries for help were not given proper attention. Two days later she was found dead in her apartment. This story would later be referenced in the movie Candyman (1992 and 2021) about a hook-handed man that appears and kills you if you say his name five times into a mirror. This episode explores Ruthie Mae McCoy, her murder, the history of Chicago Public Housing, and how Candyman explores themes of racism, classism, and violence in the projects.
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Episode Sources:
“They Came in Through the Bathroom Mirror: A Murder in the Projects” by Steve Bogira, September 3, 1987, Chicago Reader
“How a tragic unsolved murder and a public housing crisis led to Candyman” by Aja Romano, August 27, 2021, Vox
“The True Story Of Candyman That Inspired The Horror Classic” by Morgan Dunn, Edited by John Kuroski, August 11, 2022, updated August 7, 2023, All That’s Interesting
“How a Real-Life Housing Project Inspired ‘Candyman’” by Shreejit Nair, October 16, 2022, Collider
“How Candyman Reclaims the History of Cabrini-Green” by Andrew R. Chow, August 27, 2021, Time
“Cabrini-Green” by The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, last revised and updated September 29, 2023 by J.E. Luebering, Encyclopedia Britannica
“About” section of the Chicago Housing Authority website
“Candyman (2021)” from iMDB.com
“Candyman (1992)” from iMDB.com
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Monday Oct 23, 2023
Monday Oct 23, 2023
CW: This episode focuses on the death of an innocent Black man at the hands of the LAPD
A Beverly Hills mansion, Halloween weekend, a costume party...all the ingredients for what should have been a fun and celebratory evening. And for Anthony Lee, it did start out that way. He was on top of the world having just wrapped an acting role on NBC's "ER" as well as becoming a leader in the Buddhist organization he'd been a part of for many years. But what began as an evening partying with friends ended with Anthony dead on the floor and conflicting reports as to what exactly happened.
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Episode Sources:
“Investigators: An Unexpected Turn” by David Kohn, 48 Hours, October 23, 2002
“Friends, Family Share Farewells for Slain Actor” by Nancy Vogel, LA Times, November 19, 2000
“Can-Do Guy -- Actor Anthony Lee Won't Let Any Obstacle Stand In The Way Of His Dream” by Misha Berson, The Seattle Times, October 14, 1993
“Anthony Lee's life was short, meaningful” by Misha Berson, The Seattle Times, October 31, 2000
“Friends outraged over police killing of Halloween partygoer” by Judy Lin, Herald-Journal, p. A-2, October 30, 2000
“Police Release Details of Party Shooting” by Josh Meyer, Sue Fox and Kurt Streeter, LA Times, October 31, 2000
“Officer’s Bullets Hit Actor in Back, Autopsy Finds” by Jeffrey L. Rabin, Kurt Streeter and Jean Merl, LA Times, December 5, 2000
“$100 Million Sought in Shooting of Actor” by Kurt Streeter, LA Times, December 12, 2000
“Accord Reached in Police Slaying” by Steve Berry, LA Times, February 6, 2003
“LAPD officer shoots, kills actor at party” by Bill Higgins, Variety, October 29, 2000
“Report on the Death of Anthony Lee” Justice System Integrity Division, Steve Cooley, District Atty.
“Slaying by Officer Is Ruled Justified” by Scott Glover and Matt Lait, LA Times, October 23, 2001
“Police shooting of costumed man upsets friends” by Judy Lin, Allegheny Times, p. D2, October 26, 2000
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Monday Oct 16, 2023
Monday Oct 16, 2023
"Every horrible day in history has a much happier day before it." --Andy Ostroy
On Halloween night in 2006, Adrienne Shelly was having a blast chatting with friends and helping little kids try to bust open the ghost-shaped piñata hanging in her NYC apartment. She and her husband Andy were hosting a party and enjoying the trick-or-treat holiday with their toddler, Sophie.
Adrienne was also waiting to hear if her most recent film, "Waitress," which she not only wrote and directed but also acted in, had been accepted into Sundance. Sadly, she would never find out. The next day...Adrienne was dead.
The Adrienne Shelly Foundation
DONATE HERE to The Adrienne Shelly Foundation
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Episode Sources:
“Adrienne” on HBO Max
“Greenwich Village Mystery” Oxygen True Crime: New York Homicide, Season 2, Ep. 15
“The mysterious killing of indie actress Adrienne Shelly: How a suicide turned into a murder” by Eva Guimil, February 22, 2022
“Who Was… Adrienne Shelly?” by Vanessa Zimmer, November 30, 2022
"Remembering Adrienne Shelly, the Feminist Filmmaker Murdered in Her New York City Apartment” by Nick Schager, November 15, 2021
“Actress’s Death Is Ruled Murder, and Worker in Building Is Charged” by Thomas J. Lueck, November 7, 2006
“Who is Adrienne Shelly’s daughter Sophie Ostroy?” by Amber Peake, December 2, 2021
“Indie Film Sweetheart Adrienne Shelly” by Timothy Rhys, August 1, 1996
“The Unbelievable Truth” by Gaby Wood, July 15, 2007
“With ‘Sudden Manhattan,’ Adrienne Shelly Writes and Directs Her Future” by Deirdre Guthrie
“Husband: Actress-wife's death suspicious” WABC
“Slay suit nixed” by Dareh Gregorian, July 7, 2011
“‘Adrienne’ HBO Documentary Explores Incredible Career And Tragic Death Of ‘Waitress’ Filmmaker Adrienne Shelly” by Risa Sarachan, November 29, 2021
“‘ROT,’ BASTARD!” By Laura Italiano, New York Post, p. 19, March 14, 2008
“Koch Removes Baden as the City's Medical Examiner” by Richard Severn, New York Times, Section A, pg. 1, August 1, 1979
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Monday Oct 09, 2023
Monday Oct 09, 2023
It's all about YOU today, Misfits! It's a Misfit Monday, which means we take a break from the Hollywood/celebrity/entertainment stories and instead focus on YOUR creepy tales. Today's batch of misfit stories involves a ghost who likes to mess with plumbing, a medium with special messages from loved ones, an old-timey shipwreck and a ghost girl in a pub. Hooray for spooky season!
That book from the story about the medium: "Faithful: A Spiritual Medium's Journey Beyond Fear" by Michelle Murnin-Paulson
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Monday Oct 02, 2023
Monday Oct 02, 2023
Picture it, the early 1900’s: booze, speakeasies, cigarettes, fancy dance clubs and silent films. Hollywood was on the up and up and the movie industry was booming! This era in film history gave birth to the first sex symbol, Rudolph Valentino. Roldolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d’Antonguolla was a famous Italian actor who was mainly known by his nickname "The Latin Lover" (even though he, uh, wasn't Latino). His story is a tumultuous one, passing away at the young age of 31. But his handsome ghost and the spirit of his doberman pinscher, Kabar, still haunt Los Angeles (and SEVERAL other locations).
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Episode Sources:
“Star of the silent-screen Rudolph Valentino dies” by History.com Editors, Published February 9, 2010, Updated August 17, 2022, A&E Television Networks, HISTORY
“Rudolph Valentino” from Turner Classic Movies
“Ars & Culture: Rudolph Valentino - American Actor” by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica, recently revised and updated by Pat Bauer on August 19, 2023, Britannica.com
“A Week to Remember: Rudolph Valentino” by Keith Chaffee, Librarian, Collection Development, Monday, May 4, 2020, Los Angeles Public Library
“Los Angeles Ghosts - The Spirit of Hollywood’s First Sex Symbol Rudolph Valentino” by Scott Markus, American Ghost Walks
“Rudolph Valentino” - Weird California
“Restless spirits” by Susan King, October 31, 2011, Los Angeles Times
“Kabar, the Doberman Pinscher Ghost” from National Purebred Dog Day ®, October 31, 2017, National Purebred Dog Day
“Blanca Errazuriz” - Wikipedia
“Rudolph Valentino IMDB Mini Biography” by Hala Pickford, IMDB.com
“Norman Kerry” - Wikipedia
“Rudolph Valentino” - Wikipedia
“June Mathis” - Wikipedia
“Meet the ghosts at LA’s most haunted hotels” by Bianca Barragan, October 10, 2019, Curbed Lost Angeles
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Monday Sep 25, 2023
Monday Sep 25, 2023
The Butcher of Elmendorf, The Bluebeard of South Texas, The Alligator Man...these are all nicknames for Joe Ball, a murderous man from a wealthy family who may or may not have fed his victims to his pet alligators. He also inspired the 1976 film "Eaten Alive" directed by Tobe Hooper of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" fame. As far as horror movies based on true stories go, this is perhaps one of the wildest.
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Episode Sources:
Hall, Michael (July 1, 2002). "Two Barmaids, Five Alligators, and the Butcher of Elmendorf". Texas Monthly. Texas.
“Joe Ball: The Butcher of Elmendorf” by David Lohr - Crime Library
“Chilling story about the man known as ‘The Butcher of Elmendorf’” by Erica Hernandez and Roslyn Jimenez
“THE HISTORY OF ELMENDORF” by Sandra L. Christian and Elsa Hernandez; Palo Alto College
Joe Ball The Butcher Of Elmendorf Documentary - YouTube
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Monday Sep 18, 2023
Monday Sep 18, 2023
Ghosts? Check. Fires that start and stop on their own? Check. A presidential assassin? Check...and yikes. The Savannah Theatre really takes the whole "all theatres are haunted" belief to a whole new level, which isn't surprising considering it's more than 200 years old and located in a city that is literally built on the dead.
Standing in Chippewa Square - the backdrop for some of Forrest Gump's most iconic scenes - the Savannah Theatre has played host to some of the world's most famous - and not-so-famous - performers, and some of them refuse to leave...
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Episode Sources:
Historic Savannah Theatre Paranormal Investigations
“Portals to Hell” - Season 3 Episode 7, available on Max
Overstreet, Robert Lane, "The History of the Savannah Theater, 1865-1906." (1970). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 1799 - lots of Savannah Morning News articles in this one
“The Colonial Park Cemetery (and the traces of the original cemeteries within)”
Colonial Park Cemetery
“Ghosts of Christmas Past” by Jessica Lynn Curtis
Truth In Evidence Haunted Tours
Chippewa Square
“The Savannah Theater: A Rich Heritage and Colorful History of Hauntings” by Chris Allen
“Yellow Fever at 200” by Jonathan M. Bryant
“Boo Business: The Savannah Theatre offers Christmas shows and a few paranormal performances” by Enocha Edenfield
“29 Things Nobody Tells You About Savannah, Georgia” by Lia Garcia
For further reading: https://savannahterrors.com/the-historic-savannah-theatre/
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Monday Sep 11, 2023
Monday Sep 11, 2023
“You are about to enter another dimension." No, but it feels like that when it comes to safety in the film industry in the 1980's. The Twilight Zone was such a HUGE hit in popular culture, an anthology movie aptly titled Twilight Zone: The Movie started filming in 1982 and was released on June 24, 1983. “Time Out,” the first segment in the movie, was the subject of much controversy in Hollywood at the time, and for good reason: the production led to the deaths of three people during filming…and it was all caught on camera.
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Episode Sources:
“Deaths on Location: How the ‘Twilight Zone’ and ‘Midnight Rider’ Tragedies May Influence ‘Rust’ Prosecution” by Pat Saperstein, June 21, 2023, Variety
“Father of 6-Year-Old Testifies in Film Deaths Trial” by AP, October 1, 1986, The New York Times
“‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’ and the Deadly Accident That Plagued It by Jason Bailey, June 25, 2023, The New York Times
“Safety of Actors Cited by Witness” by Special to the New York Times, December 4, 1986, The New York Times
“Director Standing Trial for Deaths on Film Set” by Judith Cummings, July 23, 1986, The New York Times
“All 5 Acquited in 3 Deaths on Film Set” by Judith Cummings, May 30, 1987, The New York Times
“Around the Nation; ‘Twilight Zone’ Studio and 3 Others Pay Fines” by AP, June 28, 1983, The New York Times
“‘Twilight Zone’ Trial Ends in Acquittals” by Lloyd Grove, May 30, 1987, The Washington Post
“Settlements Reported in Two Families’ Civil Suits Over ‘Twilight Zone’ Deaths” by Paul Feldman, Jun 3, 1987, Los Angeles Times
“John Landis (I),” IMDb.com
“Vic Morrow Biography - Mini Bio” by Tony Fontana, IMDb.com
“Actor Vic Morrow had chilling last words before dying in a helicopter accident on set of Twilight Zone” by Gregory Robinson, August 8, 2023, Unilad
“Twilight Zone: The Movie” IMDb.com
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