Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown

Christina Grimmie was a YouTube sensation whose down-to-earth personality and huge vocals earned her quite a following. At just 16 years old she was on tour opening for Selena Gomez, and as a contestant on "The Voice" she got all 4 judges to turn their chairs. Her career was just taking off and she was poised to dominate the music industry, but tragically in the summer of 2016 an obsessed man took...

In 1939 an actress named Connie Kent vanished without a trace. Over the course of the next several years her home was searched multiple times for clues regarding her disappearance, but nothing turned up.  Then ten years after she went missing a whole-ass skeleton was found in her bedroom! Could this be the missing Connie? Or someone else altogether? And when did the skeleton start taking up reside...

Ronni Chasen was a behind-the-scenes badass. When it came to Awards season in Hollywood you could bet Ronni was working every red carpet event - even hosting some herself - to guarantee that her clients were front and center. When she was gunned down in 2010 while driving home from a premiere, her murder sent shockwaves through the industry. Was this a case of road rage? An attempted robbery? Or a...

“Something weird is going to happen in this trial. I can feel it.” Kassi is back in the Pod Suite today as Kate takes us through the aftermath of Dominique's murder and the trial of John Thomas Sweeney. We've got a scheduling mix-up at the church, a violent court outburst, a midday mugging and a Tom Cruise wanna be of a judge. Oh, and confetti.   Learn more about Justice for Homicide Victims and d...

"There was something creepy about this guy...but women liked him." Dominique Dunne was a beautiful young actress whose star was quickly on the rise. Barely out of college, she landed the role of Dana Freeling in the Spielberg-produced hit Poltergeist. Shortly after that she met one of the most prominent chefs in town, John Thomas Sweeney. John seemed to have a lot going for him and the two immedia...

It's another haunted theatre, misfits! Let's face it, ALL theatres are haunted, and the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia is no exception. Melbourne was boomin' in the 1880s. Thanks to the Victorian gold rush people had more money than they knew what to do with, and what better way to spend it than on a fancy night at the theatre? Frederick Federici was a fixture on the Princess s...

Jacqueline Avant was a FORCE in Hollywood. As a philanthropist and champion of the arts she devoted her life to serving those less fortunate. When it came to Black Hollywood she and her husband Clarence, a titan in the music biz, were at the center of it all, connecting the worlds of entertainment, sports and politics. Whether it was fundraising for Barack Obama or entertaining Quincy Jones, Jacki...

This episode has quite the cast of characters: a French showgirl-turned-actress, a legendary singer, an Olympian...even a Kennedy has a cameo. It was the magical time of the 60s and 70s when people were just VIBING. But the party would come to a screeching halt when one day Claudine Longet - the ex-wife of Andy Williams and girlfriend of skier Spider Sabich - was feeling a little "ringy" and shot...

Dorothy Stratten never thought of herself as beautiful, claiming she had a plain face and big hands. But Playboy would disagree. Dorothy's undeniable good looks and natural acting ability caught not only the attention of Hugh Hefner but folks all around the country. Kate takes us through Dorothy's path to success - from scooping ice cream at a Dairy Queen to Playboy's Playmate of the Year. Tragica...

In this conclusion of our Brittany Murphy episodes Kate gives us some background on Simon Monjack, including some disturbing patterns of behavior that should have red flags waving at every turn. She also discusses the 911 calls Sharon Murphy made for both Brittany and Simon and goes through the theories surrounding their deaths. It's a tragic tale made even more horrific by the fact that it was al...

Brittany Murphy had a range and fearlessness that even the most experienced performers can only dream of. Comedy? She’s hilarious. Drama? She should have received an Oscar nomination. Need her to play the tuba? Yeah, she can do that, too. In Part 1 Kate takes us through Brittany's early years in Los Angeles, highlighting her undeniable talent and magnetic personality that was irresistible to every...

Hello, Misfits! Thanksgiving is over and Kate isn't wasting any time getting back to all things dark and dreary. Today she walks us through the case of Monica Burgos - a striking, vibrant, successful woman who was found murdered while vacationing with her family in Cancun. The prime suspect? Her husband - reality TV producer and three-time Emmy nominee Bruce Beresford-Redman. Bruce wasn't exactly...

Since it's a holiday week we didn't want to dive into anything TOO dark for this one, but have no fear - this episode still involves plenty of mystery and spook. Kate kicks off a new series of haunted theatres with the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL. It first opened in 1889, then eventually fell into disrepair, but was restored decades later as part of Roosevelt University. It even obtained Nat...

Stephanie Moseley was the whole package: beautiful, kind, generous and goofy - she knew how to make you laugh. Not to mention she was insanely talented. Her resume in Hollywood seemed to be growing by the day - TV, movies, national tours - she was at the top of her game. The show she was on - "Hit the Floor" - had just been picked up for a third season, and her relationship with her husband, thoug...

Thomas Harper Ince was kind of a big deal. Known as "The Father of the Western" (because he made So. Many. Westerns.), Ince was instrumental in how the Hollywood studio system would eventually run. He built the first major film studio AND created the role of producer. His career was boomin' and he seemed on top of his game, which is why when he suddenly died after partying on a yacht people assume...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, MISFITS!!!! We are so excited for one of our favorite days of the year and to celebrate we wanted to give you a very special treat, so we are presenting this episode in video! To watch it, just head on over to our YouTube channel . Today we're talking about The Wizard of Oz and what an absolute nightmare it was to work on that set. At least four of the actors ended up in the hospi...

Peg Entwistle was talented AF, y'all. All she did was carry in a cup of poison in a Broadway production of Hamlet and the New York Theatre Guild was like, "That girl's got the goods!" Winning rave reviews in pretty much everything she did, Peg undoubtedly had a huge career in front of her - that is until lack of work during The Great Depression took a devastating toll on her mental health.   For f...

Joe Pichler was a child actor living his dream. Originally from Bremerton, WA, Joe spent most of his childhood in Los Angeles on various TV and film sets. He moved back home to finish high school but intended on returning to Hollywood as soon as he graduated...and got his braces off. However, no one saw Joe on screen again - or anywhere, for that matter - because one day in early January 2006 Joe...

October is finally here! That means it's officially spooky season (but let's be honest, we've been celebrating for weeks). We're starting this month off with the tragic murder of Rebecca Schaeffer. Rebecca was described by those who knew her as one of the nicest people you could ever meet. She was just at the start of what promised to be a very successful acting career when her life was cut way to...

It's Labor Day, misfits! September is here, and you know what that means... Spooky season is right around the corner! We're keeping this one fun and light for your holiday as Kate takes us through the origins of The Magic Castle. What started out as a private residence for Hollywood power couple Rollin and Katherine Lane evolved into a renowned destination for magicians worldwide. Even if you lack...

Christy Lee Giles and her friend Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola were two amazing twenty-somethings that had everything going for them. Christy, a successful model, loved animals, soccer and her husband, Jan. Marcela was a talented architect and designer who had just moved from Mexico to Los Angeles after accepting a new job. She was really close with her family and shared Christy's love of animals....

*Note: This episode was recorded prior to the news of Olivia Newton-John's passing, which is why her death is not acknowledged in the episode. This one is a real head-scratcher. In 2005 Patrick McDermott - the on-again, off-again boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John - boarded a sportfishing boat along with twenty-two other passengers. When the boat returned the next day it was unclear whether or not he...

It's here! After a myriad of tech issues and a bout of walking pneumonia, we are finally able to bring you the conclusion to our Marilyn Monroe series. This episode has it all: mobsters, the FBI, the CIA, wild sex parties, corrupt doctors, spies EVERYWHERE, a couple of Kennedys, missing organ samples, and a mysterious box at UCLA that is to remain sealed until 2039. This one is A LOT, misfits, so...

It's Part 2, Misfits! Now that our girl has ditched the Dougherty and taken on a whole new name, she's starting to see her star rise and make some hard-earned money. We already knew she was a kick-ass queen, but in this episode we find out just how far her badassery reaches when she comes face-to-face with an intruder. Kate also takes us through her marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, two...

It's our debut episode! We couldn't think of a better way to kick things off than with the one and only icon herself: Marilyn Monroe. Kate takes us on a DEEP dive into the legend's life, from her traumatic childhood to her rocky relationships, from her growing stardom to her untimely - and rather mysterious - death. No matter what you think you know about Marilyn, we guarantee you'll learn somethi...