Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown

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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The Vanishing of Adam Hecht

*Hey Misfits, we're pretty chatty at the top of this episode so if you'd prefer to get right to the story then skip ahead to about 10:15.
Adam Hecht is the son of wealthy Hollywood producer Harold Hecht. Adam’s life took a strange turn after befriending a man from L.A.’s unhoused community. What began as an act of compassion led Adam down an unexpected path, leaving behind questions, eerie encounters, and theories that don’t quite add up. Was it a search for meaning, a brush with danger, or something far darker? Join us as we dive into a story of privilege, mysticism, and a vanishing that still haunts Beverly Hills.
 
Episode Sources:
“Adam Hecht was the 24-year-old son of a famous movie producer, who inexplicably moved a homeless man into his apartment and promptly disappeared. [Unresolved Disappearance]” on the r/UnresolvedMysteries Reddit thread from desaparecidose, 7 years ago
Adam Hecht: Searching for Answers - UPDATE!, February 14, 2019, Missing Persons, Lost and Found Blogs
“Adam Arthur Hecht, Case Number 8904930“ from Cold Case Missing Persons section of the City of Beverly Hills government website
“Adam Hecht” from Unsolved Mysteries
“Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 3, Episode 5 - Full Episode” from Unsolved Mysteries - Full Episodes Channel on YouTube
“Adam Hecht” on Unsolved Mysteries Wiki, Fandom
“About: Harold Hecht” from DBpedia
“Oscar-Winning Producer Harold Hecht Dies at 77” by Deborah Hastings, May 28, 1985, Los Angeles Times
“568DMCA - Adam Arthur Hecht” from TheDoeNetwork
“Harold Hecht” on IMDb
 
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The Murder of Actor Peter Arne

Peter Arne was the type of actor who, though you might not recognize his name, you would recognize his face. His career really took off in the 1950s, appearing in array of plays, TV shows and films, including "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Antony and Cleopatra," "Victor/Victoria " and several "Pink Panther" movies. But his life was cut short in his early 60s when he was viciously attacked and murdered in his own home.
 
Episode Sources:
“Peter Arne, British Actor, 62, Is Found Murdered in London” The New York Times, Aug. 4, 1983
“The Avengers Forever: Peter Arne” by Pete Stampede
“Actor Murdered by Teacher” Westminster and Pimlico News, Oct 28, 1983, p. 7
Mary Renault
“$100,000 BOOK PRIZE IS OFFERED BY M.-G.-M.” The New York Times, Oct 12, 1943 p. 23
“Books: MGM” TIME Magazine, Nov 1, 1943
“The Tragic Death of Actor Peter Arne” by The Crime Reel, Jun 14, 2023
“1983 PETER ARNE a well known actor - Murdered for his kindness” - Museum of Crime, Sandy Kaye
 
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Misfit Monday 3

Hellooooo! It's been a while since we've done a Misfit Monday, where we read the true stories YOU have written in to us. We've got a ghost brother, a lady in white, a disembodied voice, and menstrual cramps caused by a hauntingly dark past. Settle in, Misfits, and keep sending in your stories!
 
Episode Sources:
YOU!
 
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Halloween Special: The Mothman Prophecy

Happy Halloween! We're covering your (well, Kevin's) favorite cryptid: MOTHMAN! With his glowing, red eyes and enormous wingspan, is Mothman just a clumsy bird or a harbinger of doom? Sightings of this alleged monster began in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1966. Some believe that Mothman was connected to UFO sightings in the area at the time along with a smiling, extraterrestrial man named Indrid Cold. This idea is explored further in the movie and book of the same title, The Mothman Prophecies. Mothman has not gone away, and many airport staff at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago have stories. Settle in for a special Halloween episode, misfits...chirp, screech, woooooosh!
 
Episode Sources:
“An Ode to a Hometown Creature: Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virgina” by Swen Mallow, June 7, 2021, Folklife“Meet The Mothman, The Horrifying Cryptid Of West Virginia Folklore” by Jaclyn Anglis, Edited by Maggie Donahue, August 13, 2024, All That’s Interesting“The Mothman Prophecies (2002)” on IMDb“The case of the Chicago Mothman” by Robbie Telfer, September 5, 2024, WBEZ Chicago“An Update on the Legendary Chicago Mothman” by Jennifer Greer, December 10, 2021, Medium“The Mothman of O’Hare: Winged Humanoid Sightings Haunt Chicago’s Skies” by Jack Sullivan, Hangar 1 Publishing“Unravelling the mystery of the Chicago Mothman: Experts reveal the truth behind the creepy red-eyed flying monster - as Netflix releases trailer for Unsolved Mysteries” by Jonathan Chadwick, July 21, 2024, DailyMail
“Festival FAQ” from Mothman Festival website
“The Mothman And The Silver Bridge Collapse” from November 3, 2023, All That’s Interesting“Mothman Statue” on RoadSide America
“The Mothman Revisited” episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix, Volume 4, Episode 5
 
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