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Horror Fuel

Billy Milligan…And 24 Others – The True Story That Inspired “Split”

Night Shyamalan movies have frankly been a little flat lately. He had some great films with Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and a smattering of others (Check out his 2010 film Devil) but for the most part in his recent history it has been flub after flub. However, I am extremely intrigued and interested in his new movie Split which is about a man navigating through a life of 23 multiple personalities. This film is loosely based on the life of William (Billy) Stanley Milligan who was also an influence for the 1996 thriller Primal Fear. Mulligan is the first person to be acquitted of multiple major crimes by claiming that his other personalities – and therefore, other people – committed the crimes. Billy Milligan was born in 1955 in Ohio to Dorothy Milligan and Johnny Morrison. The unwed couple had three children and did not create a good environment for their little family. Johnny drank a lot, was in gambling debt,

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 29, 2017
Horror Fuel

Hans Schmidt – The Demonic Priest

Before recent history, priests were deemed as holy patrons who helped their followers into salvation. The reputation of the priesthood has been sullied somewhat with heinous crimes, but priestly sin has a history that dates through centuries of history. There are, of course, holy man and women who have stayed true to the straight and narrow…but there are some who crimes and sins that are horrific on their own, but magnified due to the calling of the offender. 1881 marks the birth year of Hans Schmidt. He was born in Aschaffenburg Germany and ordained a priest in 1906. This vocation was not surprising as Schmidt immersed himself in religious practices as a child and earned the nickname The Little Priest. The religious fascination was bound with a fascination with sacrifices and young Schmidt would spend hours watching animals get butchered. Schmidt immigrated to Louisville, Kentucky in the USA in 1909 and was assigned to St. John’s Parish. An unknown issue

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 24, 2017
Horror Fuel

The True Story That Inspired The Film ‘The Axe Murders Of Villisca’

Tony E. Valenzuela’s paranormal thriller, ‘The Axe Murders of Villisca’, is now available in select theaters, on VOD, and on Digital HD, as of January 20th. The haunting film was inspired by the true story of the viscous, unsolved murder of an entire family. The Crime Sometime around midnight on Sunday, June 9, 1912, a killer or killers entered a home in Villisca, Iowa, and slaughtered eight people in their sleep. The victims included two adults and six children from the ages of 5 to 12. The night before the murders, the family had spent the evening in church, then walked the 3 blocks to their home. Sometime after midnight one or more killers entered the residence, one armed with the father’s ax and bludgeoned to death each person in the home. By 8:00 am on the 10th, the father’s brother Ross arrived at the house. Upon entering he saw Joe and Sarah Moore’s bodies covered by a bedsheet. Ross

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 22, 2017
Horror Fuel

‘Slender Man’ Movie And Documentary Obtain Release Dates

We are getting not getting one, but two films about the legend of Slender Man. The first, a film from Screen Gems titled ‘Slenderman‘, will begin filming this Spring under the direction of Sylvain White (Hawaii Five-O, I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer). The film is set to release on February 2, 2018. Per Deadline: Sylvain White has been set to direct Slender Man, the Screen Gems thriller that will begin production by the spring. White made his feature directing debut with Screen Gems on the sleeper hit Stomp the Yard, and also directed The Losers. Scripted by David Birke, Slender Man revolves around a tall, thin horrifying figure with unnaturally long arms and a featureless fact, who is reputed to be responsible for the haunting and disappearance of countless children and teens. It was hatched as a multi-platform property, and Screen Gems last year acquired the screen rights from Mythology Entertainment, Madhouse Entertainment, and No Dream Entertainment.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 5, 2017
Horror Fuel

Jack the Stripper – Not a Typo

Everyone knows the name Jack the Ripper. The serial killer who was never captured from the 1800s in London; however, there is a much less publicized killer from England dubbed Jack the Stripper. Like his near-namesake, he slaughtered prostitutes, was never captured, and the killings ceased on their own for an unknown reason. Between the years 1964-1965 The Stripper murdered 6-8 women and deposited their bodies near the River Thames. His victims were not sexually abused, but they were left nude and horrifically mutilated for the public to discover. No connection between the victims was ever confirmed, but it was highly thought that they were all prominent members of the underground pornography scene in London. John Du Rose, the chief of Scotland Yard at the time, searched vigilantly for the killer, and a list of over 7,000 suspects were interviewed…but to no avail. Then Du Rose had another plan. He held a news conference where he announced that he list

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 3, 2017
Horror Fuel

The Grimm Sleeper – A Modern Serial Killer

I have thought about how to close out this year of absolute insanity. So many deaths! Musicians, actors, politicians…nobody was safe from 2016! So I thought that instead of a list of bests or worsts (although those are always fun and interesting) I will focus on the umbrella theme of this year: death. There was a very high profile serial killer sentenced to death this year. I knew nothing about it until researching for this article. He is horrific enough that he will surely join the lore of killers we read about in books and see in film adaptations. His story involves multiple victims, picture-trophies, possible countless other victims, and spreads over three decades. Lonnie David Franklin Jr. was born on August 30, 1952 in California. He was married, had two children and served a term in the U.S. Military. His neighbors described the man as “friendly and quiet” and he would often chat with them as he worked on

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Dec 29, 2016
Horror Fuel

Unsolved Mysteries Coming To Streaming And Digital HD Platforms

Few things spooked me as a kid like the true tales of murder and mystery on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’, hosted by Robert Stack. The stories features on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ were very real, making the series much more terrifying than any horror film I came across. They explored cold cases, unsolved crimes, murders, missing persons, criminals on the run, and reports of paranormal activity. FilmRise has acquired the worldwide rights to the show. The series is finally headed to Digital HD and streaming platforms, as early as this month. We’re pleased to be releasing this celebrated series to a large audience of fans both old and new,” The CEO of FlimRise, Danny Fisher stated. “Unsolved Mysteries is an American tradition that FilmRise is excited to preserve.” One of the reasons that I find ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ so frightening is that one of the cases on the series hit close home. In fact, it made the local news. When I was younger, the series

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 18, 2016
Horror Fuel

Scott Foley To Play A Killer In The True Crime Film Final Vision

Scott Foley has appeared in several successful series including ‘Scandal’, the medical comedy ‘Scrubs’, and the vampire series ‘True Blood’ . He also had a major role in Wes Craven’s 2000 sequel ‘Scream 3’. Now, Foley is making his return to the genre in the upcoming true crime film ‘Final Vision’ as real life killer Jeffrey MacDonald. ‘Final Vision’ is the first of a five-part true crime series from Investigation Discovery and Lincoln Square Productions. In the film “MacDonald, who was convicted of brutally murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters in the middle of the night. The television movie will be told through the eyes of bestselling author Joe McGinniss (Dave Annable, 666 Park Avenue) who was asked by MacDonald to write a book about his “personal nightmare” as he claimed he was falsely accused and was about to go on trial. The film begins as a story about an innocent man being railroaded by a flawed legal

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 6, 2016
Horror Fuel

Slenderman – The Modern Terror

A simple contest on June 10, 2009 by the internet forum Something Awful created a modern and unique monster. The contest challenged people to take everyday photographs and make them appear paranormal. Complete with comments from faux eye –witnesses, forum poster Victor Surge used images of groups of children and inserted a man. This man was tall, thin, white-faced and wearing a dark suit with a red tie. As this man stood ominously over the children, a phenomenon was born. Slenderman was not developed from ancient myths, or fairy tales. He is not found in a book and merely brought to life via media or film. This man is a wonderful piece of modern folk-lore. Generations from now, Slenderman will be included in the cannon of horror along with gremlins, trolls, the boogieman and everything else that goes bump in the night. One of the scariest things about Slenderman — and it was absolutely intended by his creator — is

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Nov 25, 2016
Horror Fuel

Ed Gein…The Man Who Made his Own Furnishings

Back in 1998 I watched my first actual horror movie. I had always had a secret love of terror and an unaccepted fascination with horrors, but hid them from public until that night. I slipped the DVD of the classic: Psycho into the DVD player and was mesmerized for the entire 109 minutes. Watching Norman Bates changed my life. I delved into everything I could get my hands on! I knew that I had a lot of catching up to do for missed years of macabre immersion. I watched Silence of the Lambs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, House of 1000 Corpses and other horror movies. Imagine my absolute cryptic delight when I realized that one man, one real-life man, served as the inspiration for all of these villains. Ed Gein. One of the truest, most horrific villains ever to stain ground red with blood. One of two sons born to a religiously fanatic mother and an abusive, leather-tanning father, Ed grew

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Nov 17, 2016

More from true crime

Horror Fuel

Billy Milligan…And 24 Others – The True Story That Inspired “Split”

Night Shyamalan movies have frankly been a little flat lately. He had some great films with Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and a smattering of others (Check out his 2010 film Devil) but for the most part in his recent history it has been flub after flub. However, I am extremely intrigued and interested in his new movie Split which is about a man navigating through a life of 23 multiple personalities. This film is loosely based on the life of William (Billy) Stanley Milligan who was also an influence for the 1996 thriller Primal Fear. Mulligan is the first person to be acquitted of multiple major crimes by claiming that his other personalities – and therefore, other people – committed the crimes. Billy Milligan was born in 1955 in Ohio to Dorothy Milligan and Johnny Morrison. The unwed couple had three children and did not create a good environment for their little family. Johnny drank a lot, was in gambling debt,

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 29, 2017
Horror Fuel

Hans Schmidt – The Demonic Priest

Before recent history, priests were deemed as holy patrons who helped their followers into salvation. The reputation of the priesthood has been sullied somewhat with heinous crimes, but priestly sin has a history that dates through centuries of history. There are, of course, holy man and women who have stayed true to the straight and narrow…but there are some who crimes and sins that are horrific on their own, but magnified due to the calling of the offender. 1881 marks the birth year of Hans Schmidt. He was born in Aschaffenburg Germany and ordained a priest in 1906. This vocation was not surprising as Schmidt immersed himself in religious practices as a child and earned the nickname The Little Priest. The religious fascination was bound with a fascination with sacrifices and young Schmidt would spend hours watching animals get butchered. Schmidt immigrated to Louisville, Kentucky in the USA in 1909 and was assigned to St. John’s Parish. An unknown issue

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 24, 2017
Horror Fuel

The True Story That Inspired The Film ‘The Axe Murders Of Villisca’

Tony E. Valenzuela’s paranormal thriller, ‘The Axe Murders of Villisca’, is now available in select theaters, on VOD, and on Digital HD, as of January 20th. The haunting film was inspired by the true story of the viscous, unsolved murder of an entire family. The Crime Sometime around midnight on Sunday, June 9, 1912, a killer or killers entered a home in Villisca, Iowa, and slaughtered eight people in their sleep. The victims included two adults and six children from the ages of 5 to 12. The night before the murders, the family had spent the evening in church, then walked the 3 blocks to their home. Sometime after midnight one or more killers entered the residence, one armed with the father’s ax and bludgeoned to death each person in the home. By 8:00 am on the 10th, the father’s brother Ross arrived at the house. Upon entering he saw Joe and Sarah Moore’s bodies covered by a bedsheet. Ross

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 22, 2017
Horror Fuel

‘Slender Man’ Movie And Documentary Obtain Release Dates

We are getting not getting one, but two films about the legend of Slender Man. The first, a film from Screen Gems titled ‘Slenderman‘, will begin filming this Spring under the direction of Sylvain White (Hawaii Five-O, I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer). The film is set to release on February 2, 2018. Per Deadline: Sylvain White has been set to direct Slender Man, the Screen Gems thriller that will begin production by the spring. White made his feature directing debut with Screen Gems on the sleeper hit Stomp the Yard, and also directed The Losers. Scripted by David Birke, Slender Man revolves around a tall, thin horrifying figure with unnaturally long arms and a featureless fact, who is reputed to be responsible for the haunting and disappearance of countless children and teens. It was hatched as a multi-platform property, and Screen Gems last year acquired the screen rights from Mythology Entertainment, Madhouse Entertainment, and No Dream Entertainment.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 5, 2017
Horror Fuel

Jack the Stripper – Not a Typo

Everyone knows the name Jack the Ripper. The serial killer who was never captured from the 1800s in London; however, there is a much less publicized killer from England dubbed Jack the Stripper. Like his near-namesake, he slaughtered prostitutes, was never captured, and the killings ceased on their own for an unknown reason. Between the years 1964-1965 The Stripper murdered 6-8 women and deposited their bodies near the River Thames. His victims were not sexually abused, but they were left nude and horrifically mutilated for the public to discover. No connection between the victims was ever confirmed, but it was highly thought that they were all prominent members of the underground pornography scene in London. John Du Rose, the chief of Scotland Yard at the time, searched vigilantly for the killer, and a list of over 7,000 suspects were interviewed…but to no avail. Then Du Rose had another plan. He held a news conference where he announced that he list

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 3, 2017
Horror Fuel

The Grimm Sleeper – A Modern Serial Killer

I have thought about how to close out this year of absolute insanity. So many deaths! Musicians, actors, politicians…nobody was safe from 2016! So I thought that instead of a list of bests or worsts (although those are always fun and interesting) I will focus on the umbrella theme of this year: death. There was a very high profile serial killer sentenced to death this year. I knew nothing about it until researching for this article. He is horrific enough that he will surely join the lore of killers we read about in books and see in film adaptations. His story involves multiple victims, picture-trophies, possible countless other victims, and spreads over three decades. Lonnie David Franklin Jr. was born on August 30, 1952 in California. He was married, had two children and served a term in the U.S. Military. His neighbors described the man as “friendly and quiet” and he would often chat with them as he worked on

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Dec 29, 2016
Horror Fuel

Unsolved Mysteries Coming To Streaming And Digital HD Platforms

Few things spooked me as a kid like the true tales of murder and mystery on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’, hosted by Robert Stack. The stories features on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ were very real, making the series much more terrifying than any horror film I came across. They explored cold cases, unsolved crimes, murders, missing persons, criminals on the run, and reports of paranormal activity. FilmRise has acquired the worldwide rights to the show. The series is finally headed to Digital HD and streaming platforms, as early as this month. We’re pleased to be releasing this celebrated series to a large audience of fans both old and new,” The CEO of FlimRise, Danny Fisher stated. “Unsolved Mysteries is an American tradition that FilmRise is excited to preserve.” One of the reasons that I find ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ so frightening is that one of the cases on the series hit close home. In fact, it made the local news. When I was younger, the series

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 18, 2016
Horror Fuel

Scott Foley To Play A Killer In The True Crime Film Final Vision

Scott Foley has appeared in several successful series including ‘Scandal’, the medical comedy ‘Scrubs’, and the vampire series ‘True Blood’ . He also had a major role in Wes Craven’s 2000 sequel ‘Scream 3’. Now, Foley is making his return to the genre in the upcoming true crime film ‘Final Vision’ as real life killer Jeffrey MacDonald. ‘Final Vision’ is the first of a five-part true crime series from Investigation Discovery and Lincoln Square Productions. In the film “MacDonald, who was convicted of brutally murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters in the middle of the night. The television movie will be told through the eyes of bestselling author Joe McGinniss (Dave Annable, 666 Park Avenue) who was asked by MacDonald to write a book about his “personal nightmare” as he claimed he was falsely accused and was about to go on trial. The film begins as a story about an innocent man being railroaded by a flawed legal

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 6, 2016
Horror Fuel

Slenderman – The Modern Terror

A simple contest on June 10, 2009 by the internet forum Something Awful created a modern and unique monster. The contest challenged people to take everyday photographs and make them appear paranormal. Complete with comments from faux eye –witnesses, forum poster Victor Surge used images of groups of children and inserted a man. This man was tall, thin, white-faced and wearing a dark suit with a red tie. As this man stood ominously over the children, a phenomenon was born. Slenderman was not developed from ancient myths, or fairy tales. He is not found in a book and merely brought to life via media or film. This man is a wonderful piece of modern folk-lore. Generations from now, Slenderman will be included in the cannon of horror along with gremlins, trolls, the boogieman and everything else that goes bump in the night. One of the scariest things about Slenderman — and it was absolutely intended by his creator — is

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Nov 25, 2016
Horror Fuel

Ed Gein…The Man Who Made his Own Furnishings

Back in 1998 I watched my first actual horror movie. I had always had a secret love of terror and an unaccepted fascination with horrors, but hid them from public until that night. I slipped the DVD of the classic: Psycho into the DVD player and was mesmerized for the entire 109 minutes. Watching Norman Bates changed my life. I delved into everything I could get my hands on! I knew that I had a lot of catching up to do for missed years of macabre immersion. I watched Silence of the Lambs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, House of 1000 Corpses and other horror movies. Imagine my absolute cryptic delight when I realized that one man, one real-life man, served as the inspiration for all of these villains. Ed Gein. One of the truest, most horrific villains ever to stain ground red with blood. One of two sons born to a religiously fanatic mother and an abusive, leather-tanning father, Ed grew

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Nov 17, 2016
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