Horror Fuel
☰ Browse the Crypt
Tag

true crime

113 stories
Horror Fuel

“Shock Docs” Explores The Life And Crimes Of Ed Gein This April

The iconic psychopaths featured in the blockbuster movies Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Psycho were not just fictitious villains, they were inspired by a real-life personification of evil – Ed Gein, s a convicted murderer and a grave robber who had a malicious obsession with human flesh. The next installment of the hit Shock Docs franchise will delve into the man who made a human body suit in Ed Gein: The Real Psycho, premiering on discover+ on Friday, April 9, 2021. The documentary includes a look at Gein’s horrific crimes, a paranormal investigation, archived media, and disturbing recreations. Sixty years after Gein’s arrest, documentary film producer and paranormal investigator Steve Shippy and world-renowned psychic medium Cindy Kaza travel to Gein’s hometown in Plainfield, Wisconsin, to conduct investigations of the most haunted locations connected to the infamous killer. For the first time in history, cameras are allowed on the Gein property where the gruesome evidence was first

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Mar 5, 2021
Horror Fuel

Get Your Copy Now Of The Remastered True Story Inspired Film ‘Who Put Ella In The Wych Elm’

The award-winning folk horror feature Bella in the Wych Elm, inspired by a true story, has returned in a spanking new remastered definitive cut in this special BLU+DVD set loaded with extras including a reversible sleeve, fold-out poster with brand new artwork commissioned by SLUDGEWORK, liner notes booklet, special silent movie edition with choice of 3 alternate scores and more! Now available for pre-order, the film is an unnerving look at the famous “Who put Bella in the wych elm” mystery which is local to the filmmakers serves as a love letter to Black Country heritage and the power of modern folklore and storytelling. In the real-life mystery, four children discovered the skeletal remains of a woman inside of a wych elm tree in Hagley Wood, Worcestershire, England in 1943. The victim is thought to have been murdered and placed in the tree two years earlier. Not long after the discovery, graffiti began to appear around the town asking the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 27, 2021
Horror Fuel

Sex, Satanic Cults, And Murder: New Epix Docuseries “Fall River” Debuts This May

Uncover a sordid story of sex, satanic cults, and murder in Blumhouse and Epix’s new four-part docuseries “Fall River“. In 1979, almost 90 years after infamous, accused murderer Lizzie Borden’s notorious acquittal – Fall River, Massachusetts would become home to another terrifying series of crimes. Three young women were brutally murdered. The police alleged a satanic cult was practicing human sacrifice. The cult leader, a man named Carl Drew, was captured and sent to prison for life without parole. Twenty years after the trial, the lead investigator Paul Carey became so haunted by inconsistencies in the stories that he re-investigated his own case after he retired. Evidence surfaced that brought the entire story into question. Now through exclusive interviews, including intimate conversations with Drew, new witnesses, and illuminating evidence, this documentary series will tell the true story of a town caught in the grips of the paranoia and fear around the 1980s Satanic Panic and will shed light on murders

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 24, 2021
Horror Fuel

Review: “Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House” Is Not For The Faint Of Heart

The tragic and terrifying events that occurred at the two-story house located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York have long been the subject of true crime fans and paranormal studies. There have been many investigations of the rumored haunting as well as many documentaries, so what makes “Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House” special? A lot. Discovery+’s “Shock Docs” series sets out to delve into the history of the most haunted house in America in their new special. It takes viewers back in time to November 13, 1974, at 3:15 am, when 23-year-old Ronald J. DeFeo Jr. brutally slaughtered his family in the middle of the night with a .35 Marlin rifle. He took aim and put a bullet into each of them as they slept. He then got dressed and went to work as nothing had happened then went to a bar pleading for help screaming that an intruder had wiped out his entire family. But it didn’t

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 24, 2021
Horror Fuel

Netflix Review: “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer”

Three decades after the story began, Netflix has now unleashed their new limited docuseries “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer” which delves into the investigation of the crimes committed by Richard Rameriez, the serial killer known as the “Night Stalker.” Director Tiller Russell takes us back into the 1980s world of the prolific killer and through his crimes without glamorizing Ramirez in any way or doing a disservice to the survivors or the relatives of Rameriz’s victims. He lays out the timelines for both the murders and assaults in a straight forward way while introducing us to the mindset of the investigators Gil Carrillo and the legendary investigator Frank Salerno in their own frank and sometimes brutally honest words. The fact that we hear so much testimony from so many involved with the case, including survivors and detectives, elevates its status above many other documentaries. The series gives true crime fans a ton of detail and information about

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 16, 2021
Horror Fuel

New Netflix Docuseries Explores The Mysterious Death Of Elisa Lam

Things don’t get much stranger than the unsolved death of Canadian tourist Elisa Lam who was found dead at the Cecil Hotel in L.A. back in 2013. The new Netflix docuseries “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” will delve into the mystery. Directed and executive produced by Joe Berlinger, who was also behind Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, the series attempts to deconstruct the night the 21-year-old Canadian tourist died. And features interviews with investigators, hotel employees, and other guests. “As a true crime documentarian, I was fascinated in 2013 when the elevator video of Elisa Lam went viral and legions of amateur detectives used the internet to try to solve the mystery of what happened to her,” Barlinger said. “So, when journalist Josh Dean, who is also a producer on the project, brought us his research into this case, we realized there was as an opportunity to do something different by not just telling the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer Dies The Day Before The Anniversary Of His First Kill

Leading the headlines today is the death of Samuel Little, called “America’s most prolific serial killer.” With a confirmed body count of 60, Little died in California Wednesday at the age of 80 of natural causes. The man, a career criminal, spent much of his adult life as a boxer and was in and out of prison before confessing to a Texas Ranger in 2018 that he was a serial killer. Over the years Little provided officials with dozens of paintings and drawings of his victims, sometimes including their names. years, and locations where he had dumped the bodies. In all, he confessed to 93 murders mostly occurring in Florida and Southern California between 1970 and 2005, with his first murder taking place on New Years’ Eve 1970 and his last happening in Mississippi in 2015. Almost all of his victims were women, many being prostitutes, drug addicts, and other people on the fringes of society. Little enjoyed strangling his

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 31, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Smiley Face Killers: Moodiness And Man Butt Win Out Over Horror

Director Tim Hunter’s true story inspired horror Smiley Face Killers has just been released, and I’ve always found the true crimes interesting, so I decided to check it out. What I found wasn’t good. The synopsis reads as followed: “a handsome young soccer player Jake Graham who believes he is going insane, unable to shake the feeling of being stalked by something, by someone.” The film takes its inspiration from a series of mysterious deaths linked by the smiley face graffiti found near the crime scenes. The victims are all killed by mysteriously being drowned and have been deemed nonaccidental. Unfortunately, the movie treats the killings as a secondary theme with Jake’s depression and body exploitation at the forefront. The majority of the movie is just watching Ronen Rubinstein go from scene to scene shedding his clothes and acting moody as hell. Sure, Ronen Rubinstein is a handsome guy but I was there to watch a horror movie, not a

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 20, 2020
Horror Fuel

Netflix’s “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer” Explores The Crimes & Capture Of Richard Ramirez

We’ve got a treat for our true crime fans. Netflix has just unleashed the new trailer for the limited serial killer docuseries “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer” that delves into the murders committed by Richard Ramirez. The series tells the spellbinding true story of how one of the most notorious serial killers in American history was hunted down and brought to justice. In the sweltering summer of 1985, a record-breaking heatwave hit Los Angeles, along with a series of murders and sexual assaults that at first seemed disconnected. The victims were men, women, and children ranging in ages from six to 82, no one was safe. They came from different neighborhoods, racial backgrounds, and socioeconomic levels. Never before in criminal history had a single killer been responsible for such a grisly array of crimes. Racing against the clock to stop this nocturnal monster was a young detective named Gil Carrillo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 16, 2020
Horror Fuel

Zodiac Killer’s Cipher Finally Broken After 50 years

In the 1960 and 70s, the Zodiak Killer left Californians gripped by terror. After many taunting letters were sent to The San Fransico Chronicle newspaper, a coded letter, known both as the “Zodiac Cipher” and the “340 Cipher” (named because it features 340 characters) arrived in 1969 and reportedly would reveal the real name of the killer if broken. As for how the Killer got his nickname, he signed his letters as the “Zodiac Killer.” Five decades later, a group of private citizens is now claiming that they have decoded the message after fourteen years of work. The team, spread across the globe, includes American software engineer David Oranchak, Australian mathematician Sam Blake, and Belgian programmer Jarl Van Eyeke. Law officials, including the FBI, have been unable to break the code. In a statement to CNN, Oranchack said, “It was incredible. It was a big shock. I never really thought we’d find anything because I had grown so used to

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 12, 2020

More from true crime

Horror Fuel

“Shock Docs” Explores The Life And Crimes Of Ed Gein This April

The iconic psychopaths featured in the blockbuster movies Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Psycho were not just fictitious villains, they were inspired by a real-life personification of evil – Ed Gein, s a convicted murderer and a grave robber who had a malicious obsession with human flesh. The next installment of the hit Shock Docs franchise will delve into the man who made a human body suit in Ed Gein: The Real Psycho, premiering on discover+ on Friday, April 9, 2021. The documentary includes a look at Gein’s horrific crimes, a paranormal investigation, archived media, and disturbing recreations. Sixty years after Gein’s arrest, documentary film producer and paranormal investigator Steve Shippy and world-renowned psychic medium Cindy Kaza travel to Gein’s hometown in Plainfield, Wisconsin, to conduct investigations of the most haunted locations connected to the infamous killer. For the first time in history, cameras are allowed on the Gein property where the gruesome evidence was first

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Mar 5, 2021
Horror Fuel

Get Your Copy Now Of The Remastered True Story Inspired Film ‘Who Put Ella In The Wych Elm’

The award-winning folk horror feature Bella in the Wych Elm, inspired by a true story, has returned in a spanking new remastered definitive cut in this special BLU+DVD set loaded with extras including a reversible sleeve, fold-out poster with brand new artwork commissioned by SLUDGEWORK, liner notes booklet, special silent movie edition with choice of 3 alternate scores and more! Now available for pre-order, the film is an unnerving look at the famous “Who put Bella in the wych elm” mystery which is local to the filmmakers serves as a love letter to Black Country heritage and the power of modern folklore and storytelling. In the real-life mystery, four children discovered the skeletal remains of a woman inside of a wych elm tree in Hagley Wood, Worcestershire, England in 1943. The victim is thought to have been murdered and placed in the tree two years earlier. Not long after the discovery, graffiti began to appear around the town asking the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 27, 2021
Horror Fuel

Sex, Satanic Cults, And Murder: New Epix Docuseries “Fall River” Debuts This May

Uncover a sordid story of sex, satanic cults, and murder in Blumhouse and Epix’s new four-part docuseries “Fall River“. In 1979, almost 90 years after infamous, accused murderer Lizzie Borden’s notorious acquittal – Fall River, Massachusetts would become home to another terrifying series of crimes. Three young women were brutally murdered. The police alleged a satanic cult was practicing human sacrifice. The cult leader, a man named Carl Drew, was captured and sent to prison for life without parole. Twenty years after the trial, the lead investigator Paul Carey became so haunted by inconsistencies in the stories that he re-investigated his own case after he retired. Evidence surfaced that brought the entire story into question. Now through exclusive interviews, including intimate conversations with Drew, new witnesses, and illuminating evidence, this documentary series will tell the true story of a town caught in the grips of the paranoia and fear around the 1980s Satanic Panic and will shed light on murders

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 24, 2021
Horror Fuel

Review: “Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House” Is Not For The Faint Of Heart

The tragic and terrifying events that occurred at the two-story house located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York have long been the subject of true crime fans and paranormal studies. There have been many investigations of the rumored haunting as well as many documentaries, so what makes “Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House” special? A lot. Discovery+’s “Shock Docs” series sets out to delve into the history of the most haunted house in America in their new special. It takes viewers back in time to November 13, 1974, at 3:15 am, when 23-year-old Ronald J. DeFeo Jr. brutally slaughtered his family in the middle of the night with a .35 Marlin rifle. He took aim and put a bullet into each of them as they slept. He then got dressed and went to work as nothing had happened then went to a bar pleading for help screaming that an intruder had wiped out his entire family. But it didn’t

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 24, 2021
Horror Fuel

Netflix Review: “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer”

Three decades after the story began, Netflix has now unleashed their new limited docuseries “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer” which delves into the investigation of the crimes committed by Richard Rameriez, the serial killer known as the “Night Stalker.” Director Tiller Russell takes us back into the 1980s world of the prolific killer and through his crimes without glamorizing Ramirez in any way or doing a disservice to the survivors or the relatives of Rameriz’s victims. He lays out the timelines for both the murders and assaults in a straight forward way while introducing us to the mindset of the investigators Gil Carrillo and the legendary investigator Frank Salerno in their own frank and sometimes brutally honest words. The fact that we hear so much testimony from so many involved with the case, including survivors and detectives, elevates its status above many other documentaries. The series gives true crime fans a ton of detail and information about

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 16, 2021
Horror Fuel

New Netflix Docuseries Explores The Mysterious Death Of Elisa Lam

Things don’t get much stranger than the unsolved death of Canadian tourist Elisa Lam who was found dead at the Cecil Hotel in L.A. back in 2013. The new Netflix docuseries “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” will delve into the mystery. Directed and executive produced by Joe Berlinger, who was also behind Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, the series attempts to deconstruct the night the 21-year-old Canadian tourist died. And features interviews with investigators, hotel employees, and other guests. “As a true crime documentarian, I was fascinated in 2013 when the elevator video of Elisa Lam went viral and legions of amateur detectives used the internet to try to solve the mystery of what happened to her,” Barlinger said. “So, when journalist Josh Dean, who is also a producer on the project, brought us his research into this case, we realized there was as an opportunity to do something different by not just telling the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer Dies The Day Before The Anniversary Of His First Kill

Leading the headlines today is the death of Samuel Little, called “America’s most prolific serial killer.” With a confirmed body count of 60, Little died in California Wednesday at the age of 80 of natural causes. The man, a career criminal, spent much of his adult life as a boxer and was in and out of prison before confessing to a Texas Ranger in 2018 that he was a serial killer. Over the years Little provided officials with dozens of paintings and drawings of his victims, sometimes including their names. years, and locations where he had dumped the bodies. In all, he confessed to 93 murders mostly occurring in Florida and Southern California between 1970 and 2005, with his first murder taking place on New Years’ Eve 1970 and his last happening in Mississippi in 2015. Almost all of his victims were women, many being prostitutes, drug addicts, and other people on the fringes of society. Little enjoyed strangling his

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 31, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Smiley Face Killers: Moodiness And Man Butt Win Out Over Horror

Director Tim Hunter’s true story inspired horror Smiley Face Killers has just been released, and I’ve always found the true crimes interesting, so I decided to check it out. What I found wasn’t good. The synopsis reads as followed: “a handsome young soccer player Jake Graham who believes he is going insane, unable to shake the feeling of being stalked by something, by someone.” The film takes its inspiration from a series of mysterious deaths linked by the smiley face graffiti found near the crime scenes. The victims are all killed by mysteriously being drowned and have been deemed nonaccidental. Unfortunately, the movie treats the killings as a secondary theme with Jake’s depression and body exploitation at the forefront. The majority of the movie is just watching Ronen Rubinstein go from scene to scene shedding his clothes and acting moody as hell. Sure, Ronen Rubinstein is a handsome guy but I was there to watch a horror movie, not a

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 20, 2020
Horror Fuel

Netflix’s “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer” Explores The Crimes & Capture Of Richard Ramirez

We’ve got a treat for our true crime fans. Netflix has just unleashed the new trailer for the limited serial killer docuseries “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer” that delves into the murders committed by Richard Ramirez. The series tells the spellbinding true story of how one of the most notorious serial killers in American history was hunted down and brought to justice. In the sweltering summer of 1985, a record-breaking heatwave hit Los Angeles, along with a series of murders and sexual assaults that at first seemed disconnected. The victims were men, women, and children ranging in ages from six to 82, no one was safe. They came from different neighborhoods, racial backgrounds, and socioeconomic levels. Never before in criminal history had a single killer been responsible for such a grisly array of crimes. Racing against the clock to stop this nocturnal monster was a young detective named Gil Carrillo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 16, 2020
Horror Fuel

Zodiac Killer’s Cipher Finally Broken After 50 years

In the 1960 and 70s, the Zodiak Killer left Californians gripped by terror. After many taunting letters were sent to The San Fransico Chronicle newspaper, a coded letter, known both as the “Zodiac Cipher” and the “340 Cipher” (named because it features 340 characters) arrived in 1969 and reportedly would reveal the real name of the killer if broken. As for how the Killer got his nickname, he signed his letters as the “Zodiac Killer.” Five decades later, a group of private citizens is now claiming that they have decoded the message after fourteen years of work. The team, spread across the globe, includes American software engineer David Oranchak, Australian mathematician Sam Blake, and Belgian programmer Jarl Van Eyeke. Law officials, including the FBI, have been unable to break the code. In a statement to CNN, Oranchack said, “It was incredible. It was a big shock. I never really thought we’d find anything because I had grown so used to

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 12, 2020
Next →