Terror Talk: True Crime, Serial Killers and Horror

Why are people so spectacularly bad at being people?

Shannon and Cathy take a break from profiling serial killers to profile something arguably more baffling — the sheer, staggering stupidity of ordinary human behavior. From dumb criminals to absurd laws still on the books, this episode is pure chaos with a psychological twist.

Because even ridiculous behavior tells you something about the human mind. And some of it is genuinely unhinged.

Until then... Sleep safe. 😴

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🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising

What do a centuries-old vampire, a polio-era nightmare and a monster's bride have in common? Shannon and Cathy have opinions.

Shrink Chat is where two psychologists get gloriously off-script. This episode Shannon and Cathy dig into their latest horror movie, series and book reviews, including Dracula, Iron Lung and The Bride, plus trivia, highlight games and the general jackassery you come here for.

No serial killers this week. Just horror, laughs and two PhDs with too many feelings about monsters.

Until then... sleep safe. 😴

🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.

📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls

🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising

Who gets called a psychopath — and who just failed to cry the right way at the right time?

Part 3 of Shannon and Cathy's decade-by-decade Female Psychopath Series lands in the 2000s — a decade obsessed with dangerous women, media trials, and the question of what female violence is actually supposed to look like.

This episode covers:

True crime:

• Casey Anthony — the trial that divided a nation and the psychology behind why we couldn't look away
• Dalia Dippolito — the murder-for-hire caught on camera and the clinical portrait of a woman who never broke character
• Belle Gibson — the wellness influencer who faked cancer, built an empire, and never apologized
• Amanda Knox — not a psychopath diagnosis but a masterclass in how quickly the label gets applied to women who don't perform grief correctly

Fiction:

• Asami Yamazaki (Audition) — Japanese horror's most terrifying creation and what she reveals about male fantasy and female rage
• Mallory Knox (Natural Born Killers) — the woman who made violence look like liberation
• Amy Dunne (Gone Girl) — redefining what a female villain could be and what audiences would forgive her for
• Marie (High Tension) — French horror's most shocking, unreliable narrator and the psychology of dissociation

Therapists Shannon and Cathy bring their clinical lens to the real and the fictional — unpacking what these women have in common, where they diverge, and what the 2000s' cultural obsession with dangerous women tells us about female psychology, female rage, and female power.

Part 3 of 4. The series continues.

The complete Female Psychopath Series:

• Part 1: Female Psychopaths of the 1980s (S8E4)
• Part 2: Female Psychopaths of the 1990s (S8E9)
• Part 3: Female Psychopaths of the 2000s (S8E18) — you are here
• Part 4: Jodi Arias, Gypsy Rose & Villanelle — Real & Fictional Women of the 2010s (S8E23)

Two licensed therapists — one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist — analyzing the psychology of real killers and fictional villains so you don't have to wonder what's actually going on.

Two psychologists. Ten women. One question: what does it actually take to be labeled a monster?

Until then... sleep safe. 😴

🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.
📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls
🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising

What does it actually take to make a horror film fail? Not just bore you, but actively betray everything the genre promises?

Two licensed therapists who have spent years analyzing the psychology of fear, dread, and what makes horror work turned their clinical lens on the worst rated horror films of 2025. The result is Titties & Tonic, Terror Talk's annual autopsy of the year's most spectacular horror failures.

Shannon approached it from the data, the worst reviewed horror films of 2025 that she refused to see. Because sometimes the one-star reviews tell you everything you need to know.

This episode covers:

Shannon's worst rated films she didn't see and why the reviews alone damn them:

• The Monkey
• Screamboat (with a confession — it got its hooks in eventually)
• Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare
• The Fetus
• And more films that should not exist

Cathy's films she watched so you don't have to:

• Popeye the Slayer Man
• Drop
• I Know What You Did Last Summer
• Opus

Plus:

• Shannon and Cathy break down the most common psychological and structural reasons horror films fail — what goes wrong in the writing, the pacing, the character psychology, and the execution of fear
• One-star reviews read aloud for maximum schadenfreude
• The clinical framework for why bad horror fails where good horror succeeds

Because understanding what doesn't work is just as revealing as understanding what does. And two therapists with strong opinions and no patience for lazy filmmaking are exactly who you want making that call.

Two licensed therapists, one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist, analyzing the psychology of horror so you know what's worth your time and what isn't.

Until then... sleep safe. 😴

🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising

What made horror worth watching in 2025? Two therapists with strong opinions, honest reactions, and no patience for hype without substance have your year-end guide.

This is Terror Talk's annual Best of Horror episode - a curated, spoiler-free breakdown of the movies, series, and surprises that defined horror in 2025, with the clinical lens and dark humor you come here for.

This episode covers:

To kick things off:

• Cathy's new obsession - Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons, the horror board game that's earned a permanent spot at the table

Top horror TV series of 2025:

• IT: Welcome to Derry - the Pennywise origin story and whether it delivers on the promise of the source material
• Dexter: Resurrection - the return of TV's most beloved serial killer and the psychology of why we root for him
• The Hunting Wives - Shannon and Cathy's take on the series everyone was talking about
• Alien: Earth - the franchise's small screen debut reviewed
• Zero Day - discussed and dissected
• Stranger Things - Shannon and Cathy disagree. Strongly. You'll want to hear this one.

Top horror movies of 2025:

• Sinners - the year's most talked about horror film and what it does psychologically that almost no other horror film attempted
• Frankenstein - the latest reimagining and whether it earns its place in the legacy
• House of Dynamite - a surprise entry and why it worked
• Wolfman - reviewed with the clinical lens on monster psychology
• Companion - the film that caught them both off guard
• Plus, surprise mentions that didn't make the list but deserve your attention

Shannon and Cathy bring their forensic and clinical psychology expertise to the year in horror - not just what was good, but why it worked, what it was doing psychologically, and what it says about where the genre is headed.

A female-driven, expert perspective on the best horror 2025 had to offer. Smart recommendations, honest reactions, no spoilers.

Two licensed therapists — one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist — reviewing horror so you know exactly what's worth your time.

Until then... sleep safe. 😴

🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.
📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls
🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising

How did anyone think this was a good idea?

Every year the true crime world delivers darkness, tragedy, and genuine horror. And then there are the other cases the ones that make you stop mid-sentence, turn to the person next to you, and say: what. the. hell.

This is Terror Talk's annual roundup of the most ridiculous, unbelievable, and spectacularly misguided criminal behavior of 2025. All new cases. All real. All somehow worse than you're imagining.

This episode covers:

• The dumbest crimes of 2025 - cases featuring decision-making so catastrophically bad it defies psychological explanation
• The wildest criminals of the year - people who looked at a situation and chose the most unhinged possible response
• Moments so absurd they sound fictional but are unfortunately very, very real
• Shannon and Cathy's psychological lens on the question that unites every story in this episode: how did anyone think this was a good idea?

Because while true crime can be dark and disturbing there's also a strange, absurd side of criminal behavior that deserves to be examined. And laughed at. Loudly.

No glamorizing. No sympathy. Just consequences - and comedy.

Two licensed therapists - one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist - applying genuine psychological insight to the most ridiculous criminal behavior of the year so you can feel better about your own decision-making.

Until then... sleep safe. 😴

🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.
📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls
🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising

⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode includes discussions of violence, murder, abuse, and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.

What does it do to a person to discover their father is a serial killer? What happens when a documentary gets a case catastrophically wrong? And what does the comments section look like when people review true crime docs with one star?

Shannon and Cathy dive deep into the most disturbing, emotional, and controversial true crime documentaries streaming right now - with their clinical lens on the psychology, the trauma, and the uncomfortable truths behind each case. Then they read the most ridiculous one-star reviews they could find. Because sometimes the comments section is its own crime scene.

This episode covers:

• My Father's the BTK Killer - what happens when the monster is your parent. Shannon and Cathy examine the psychological toll of discovering your father is Dennis Rader - identity, denial, dissociation, and generational trauma
• Girl in the Picture - one of the most haunting documentaries of recent years. Questions of identity, coercive control, and the devastating long-term impact of abuse
• Aileen Wuornos: Queen of the Serial Killers - revisiting one of the most infamous female serial killers in American history and how media narratives, trauma, and gender expectations continue to shape her legacy
• The Perfect Neighbor - how obsession, entitlement, and unchecked aggression escalate into deadly violence and the warning signs we consistently overlook
• Death in Apartment 603 - strange circumstances, conflicting narratives, and the investigative gaps that make this case impossible to shake
• Unknown Number: The High School Catfish - deception, vulnerability, digital manipulation, and why catfishing crimes continue to thrive in online spaces

As therapists Shannon and Cathy examine:

• Patterns of manipulation and coercive control across each case
• Trauma responses in victims, families, and the people left behind
• How documentaries shape public perception of guilt, innocence, and blame
• Why some cases resonate more deeply than others - and what that says about us as an audience

Then - after the heavy material - Shannon and Cathy lighten things up by reading and reacting to the most ridiculous one-star reviews of these documentaries they could find. Proof that the comments section never disappoints.

Two licensed therapists - one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist - applying genuine clinical insight to the true crime documentaries everyone is watching so you know exactly what to make of them.

Until then... sleep safe. 😴

🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.
📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls
🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising

Welcome back to Shrink Chat, where two therapists break down horror, TV, books, and the wonderfully bizarre corners of pop culture—one laugh, one eyeball twitch, and one One-Star Review at a time.

In this episode, we’re diving into a massive wave of new and upcoming horror releases across film, TV, and documentary storytelling. From rebooted classics to brand-new nightmare fuel, we’re reviewing everything spoiler-free, so you can decide what to watch next without fear of us ruining the trauma for you.

What We’re Reviewing This Week (Spoiler-Free!)

TV & Streaming Series

• The Beast in Me – Atmospheric horror with emotional teeth.

• Zero Day – A political thriller that may or may not be predicting the future.

• IT: Welcome to Derry – Pennywise returns… and we have thoughts. Big ones.

  Movies (from prestige horror to pure chaos)

• Black Phone 2 – New victims, old trauma, same terrifying phone.

• Frankenstein 2025 – A modern monster that hits closer to home than expected.

• Until Dawn – Survival horror that will spike your blood pressure.

• The Long Walk – Existential dread + tension = our happy place.

• The Conjuring: Last Rites – The Warrens are back… again… somehow.

• Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers – Don’t ask. Just listen.

• Toxic Avenger – Delightfully disgusting.

• The Gorge – Emotional action-thriller with genre surprises.

• Osiris – Sci-fi mystery meets psychological horror.

Documentaries

• The Road Between Us – True crime meets intimate storytelling.

• Into the Fire – Heavy, important, and worth the watch.

  Fun Segments This Week

  
  

  ⭐ Highlight Reactions

  Quick takes on the weirdest, wildest, and most intriguing horror + true crime news headlines.

  🩸 Horror Facts with Cath

  Cath tests Shannon’s knowledge with trivia that is 90% horror and 10% “Why do we know this?”

  ⭐ One-Star Reviews

  The internet has spoken… terribly. We read the worst reviews of beloved films and cope through laughter.

  🎧 Why Listen?

  This episode is perfect for horror fans of all ages and backgrounds who want:
  ✔️ Spoiler-free guidance on what to watch next
  ✔️ Therapist-level insight with zero clinical jargon
  ✔️ A fun, fast-moving vibe
  ✔️ Big series reviews (IT, Zero Day, The Beast in Me)
  ✔️ A wide mix of movie styles—from arthouse sci-fi to campy gore

  📢 Connect With Us

  Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast
  YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast
  Facebook: Halloween All Year Long

  Music Credit:🎶 Mannequin Uprising — original music featured in every episode.

  If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend, fellow horror fan, or someone who needs a new series to obsess over. Sharing helps our indie podcast grow!

In this episode of Terror Talk Podcast, Shannon and Cathy unpack the Amanda Knox Netflix documentary through the lens of criminal psychology, media influence, and cultural bias. We’re not lawyers or investigators — just two mental health professionals exploring human behavior and how it’s portrayed in the media.

We discuss:

• Amanda Knox’s behavioral patterns and emotional responses as seen in the documentary

• The psychological traits of emerging adulthood and how they may have shaped her reactions

• The media narrative and possible agenda behind the Netflix documentary

• The prosecutor’s conduct, cultural misunderstandings, and how perception shaped public opinion

We don’t claim to have the answers — only insights from a psychological and cultural perspective. Listen as we examine how this case became a mirror for our collective fear, fascination, and judgment.

💀 Join the conversation

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/terrortalk⁠📧 Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠📱 Instagram: ⁠@terrortalkpodcast⁠🐦 Twitter: ⁠@TalkTerror⁠📘 Facebook: ⁠Halloween All Year Long⁠🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising

#AmandaKnox #TrueCrimePodcast #NetflixDocumentary #CriminalPsychology #PsychologyPodcast #MediaBias #EmergingAdulthood #TerrorTalkPodcast #CulturalAnalysis #TrueCrimeAnalysis

In this special interview episode of Terror Talk – True Crime • Serial Killers • Horror Movies, we sit down with one of the most influential figures in modern forensic psychology: Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, trauma researcher, pioneer of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit, expert witness, and author of the new book Expert Witness.

This conversation is aimed at listeners who want more than true crime storytelling — they want psychological insight, behavioral science, and the real challenges behind criminal investigations.

If you’re a woman who loves true crime, forensic psychology, or the history of profiling, this episode was made for you.

We explore how her early research in trauma, victimology, and sexual assault shaped her groundbreaking career and opened the door to her work with law enforcement and the FBI.

As well as:*Her Role as an Expert Witness — Including the Eric Menendez Trial*The Early Days of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit

• What It Was Like to Sit with Ed Kemper• Being a Woman in a Male-Dominated FieldExpert Witness - the bookHer new book explores decades of clinical work, expert testimony, and behind-the-scenes insights into some of the most challenging criminal cases in the United States.
We discuss its themes, its impact, and why her voice is so important in today’s true crime landscape.Music Credit

Special thanks to Mannequin Uprising for our show music.

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YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast
Facebook: Halloween All Year Long