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Pretty Wicked
Pretty Wicked episodes
- 18: Murder Castle: The Tale of America’s First Urban Serial Killer
It's May 5th, 1893, and you are setting foot in Chicago’s Jackson Park to see for yourself what this whole “Chicago World’s Fair” thing is all about. At the time, you don’t know it, but this event will be called “the fair that changed America”. This is because, underneath the veneer of celebration, imagination, and bustle, a dark underbelly writhed, claiming the lives of the unsuspecting. Hidden in plain sight, a monster laid in wait, the likes of which America had never seen…
Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown.
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29 min - 17: Nightmare Death: The True Story That Inspired ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’
Picture this. It’s a Saturday night in 1984, you are dressed head to toe in denim and you and a group of friends are headed out to the movies to catch the newest supernatural slasher film, A Nightmare on Elm Street. The movie was a hit. It struck all the right nerves and left a lasting impression among horror aficionados and all moviegoers alike. Now, what if I told you that the Wes Craven slasher was actually inspired by a true series of events that unfolded in 1981, just a few years before the release of the film? It might be hard to believe, but it’s true. Today I’m telling you the tale of Nightmare Death: The True Story That Inspired ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’.
Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown.
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19 min - 16: Fearmongering on the High Seas: The Life of Blackbeard
Blackbeard has inspired generations of storytelling in his own right. From the 1718 novel On Stranger Tides to the 2015 Hollywood movie Pan - a stylized prequel to a better-known novel, J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. In the movie, the character of Blackbeard takes center stage, serving as the main antagonist.
One story, however, that seems to linger above all others in regards to Blackbeard's legendary life, is the existence of his so-called 'lost treasure'. But is there any truth to this claim, or is it simply tall tales? Today's story is on the life, death and legacy of Blackbeard.
Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown.
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27 min - 15: Ghosts of a Tragedy: The Hauntings of Fukushima
For the people of Fukushima Prefecture, in Japan, time stopped at 2:46pm on March 11th , 2011. This is the moment that the coastal region was rocked by the Tōhoku earthquake, the largest in Japan’s history. The quake lasted all of 6 minutes, and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, raising buildings and roads in the blink of an eye. Many human lives were lost in those few minutes. But the horror had only just begun. The quake created a tsunami, pummeling the Fukushima nuclear power plant. But the triple threat – earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster – engendered a fourth, and maybe less explored calamity. Shortly after the Fukushima disaster, reports started surfacing from the surviving family members of those who lost their lives…reports of apparitions.
Today, I will tell you the story of the ghosts of Fukushima.
Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown.
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28 min - 14: The Beast of Extermination: Gilles de Rais
Demon summoner. Sadist. Child murderer.
History is peppered with dark and disturbed characters. People who left unchecked, exercised untold horrors onto the unsuspecting, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. Often, these folks operated from positions of privilege and power, as we saw last week with our tale about the Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory. One man in particular – a precursor to Elizabeth, if you will – takes the cake in terms of bloodshed, madness, and overall mayhem. This man, a perhaps lesser-known counterpart to history’s true crime “heavy hitters”, is alleged to be the fabled inspiration for the fairy-tale character of ‘Bluebeard’.
A man reportedly so vile, so inhumane, that he makes the tales enshrouding Elizabeth Bathory seem like a walk in the park. Today, I will tell you the story of the child murderer, heretic, and serial killer, Gilles de Rais.
Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown.
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49 min - 13: Blood Countess: The True Story of Elizabeth Bathory
Imagine, a countess living alone in a dark castle, bathing herself in the blood of young virgins in order to retain a youthful glow. This is the aura that enveloped Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary, a woman who has been labeled as one of history’s most prolific serial killers – with vampiric tendencies on top of it all! But, when it comes to the so-called “Blood Countess”, what is fact and what is fiction?
Today, we dive into the world of one of history’s most enigmatic women. In doing so, we’ll hear about royal rivalries that would give Game of Thrones a run for its money and accounts of gore that tie into the likes of Vlad the Impaler.
Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown.
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29 min - 12: Cinematic Neurosis: The ‘True’ Story Behind ‘The Exorcist’The idea that demons can possess a person isn’t new. Many ancient cultures held the belief that evil spirits could enter the human body and make us do things that are either beyond our capabilities, or just downright evil. And, just as many cultures believed that an entity could occupy a person, they also believed that this spirit could be forced out.
Today, we tell the story of the ‘real-life’ exorcism that inspired the famous movie, as well as another, maybe lesser-known instance of documented exorcism.
Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.
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Sources available at www.hauntedhistorypod.com
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23 min - 11: A Community Bewitched: The Salem Witch TrialsAn entire community under a spell, an invisible threat. This forces one the masses to turn on each other, to cast aspersions, to point fingers. Neighbour’s become enemies; enemies take each other down. You can trust no one, as even members of your own family begin
whispering under their breaths: “witch”. This is what happened to the folks of Salem,
Massachusetts in 1692. For less than a year, the community seemed to suffer a bout of collective insanity as it persecuted over 200 of its own. Many died under the weight of false accusations of witchcraft and devil worshipping. But what was the source of this wave of hysteria? Was it a deal with the Devil? Or just plain old frenzy? Let’s find out together as we dive into today’s special episode on the Salem Witch Trials.
Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.
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Sources available at www.hauntedhistorypod.com
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39 min - 10: The Real-Life Arkham Asylum: Danvers State Hospital
What if I told you that the asylum responsible for churning out the villains in Batman comics was real? Or, at least, that there exists a “real-life” analog to it? Today, I’m taking you all on a tour of another one of America’s most haunted asylums, a place known as the “birthplace of the lobotomy”. Come with me as I tell you the origin story of the inspiration for the Arkham Asylum: the Danvers State Hospital.
Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown.
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20 min - 9: Folklore: The Vampire
Vampires are arguably one of the more well-known mythical creatures worldwide that seem to exist in some form in many cultures. But where did this legendary creature come from? And how has it changed over the years to form what we know now as a modern-day vampire?
Well tonight, we will find out, because this bonus episode is on the origins of the vampire!
Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown.
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17 min
About Pretty Wicked
From the publisher's feed
True crime, told like a mystery.
Every Wednesday I sit down and tell you one true story from start to finish - the crime scene, the clues, the lies, and a shocking truth that doesn’t come out until it has to. It’s all researched and sourced, with no filler. Just you, me, and the story.
Pretty Wicked is written, researched, and hosted by Megan Alda, and is part of the Southern Gothic Media network.
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⚠️ Pretty Wicked frequently covers sensitive and explicit subject matter, including descriptions of violence, sexual violence, crime scenes, and other disturbing content. Listener discretion is advised.