Horrifying History

Just off the coast of Cork sits one of Ireland’s most haunted landmarks.   Spike Island boasts a history dating back to the 7th century, and it has witnessed centuries of transformation.   From starting as a peaceful monastery to becoming a fortress of British forces, this place has been a location of strategic significance, incarceration, and death. So, lock your doors, my spooky friends.   You a...

In Victorian Britain, behind the lace curtains and polite manners, something monstrous was happening.   In crowded rented rooms and shadowed alleyways, infants were disappearing.   They were not being placed in the loving arms of new parents, but into filthy cribs and shallow graves.   So, turn up the volume, my spooky friends.   You are about to hear the tale of one of Britain’s biggest sins - th...

Every culture has its seekers of truth…those who look into the shadows and demand to know what waits beyond.   For many in the 20th century, the name Hans Holzer became synonymous with the paranormal.   He wasn’t simply a ghost hunter.   He was a researcher, writer, and pioneer who shaped the way the world talks about hauntings and spirits today. So, break out your EMF readers, my spooky friends....

Today, we are digging into the vault of The Compendium podcast , where they are exploring the life, crimes, and chilling legacy of Aileen Wuornos , one of the most notorious female serial killers in American history. From years of instability to the series of murders that stunned investigators, they break down the key moments that shaped this infamous case. Discover the full timeline of Wuornos’ c...

Deep in the rolling countryside of Angus, Scotland, stands a castle unlike any other. It seems to breathe with the weight of history. It is a place where kings once walked, where queens wept, and where whispers echo through its shadowed corridors. It is also the place where the dead are said to remain. So, break out your bagpipes, my spooky friends. You are about to hear the tale of what is consid...

Imagine for a moment that you just came back from a funeral of a loved one.   You decide to sit down and gather your thoughts while checking your email.   How would you feel if you got an email that was sent from your loved one’s account after they died? So, boot up your computers, my spooky friends.   You are about to hear the tale of grieving friends and family members who suddenly started to ge...

When someone dies, it is common for people to wish that they rest in peace.   But while some tell people that, they do not mean it.   Throughout history, people have found many reasons not to let the dead rest, especially if they are famous.   So, get your shovels, my spooky friends.   You are about to hear the tale of people whose body parts disappeared after their deaths. Our website is the spot...

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...

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, m...

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 th...

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 Studi...

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...

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 w...

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...

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 wa...

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 somethin...

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 sp...

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...

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 tal...

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...

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://horr...

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 ha...

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...

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 bac...

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....