Late one night in June of 1912, eight people were bludgeoned to death in a house in Villisca, Iowa. Although several suspects were named, and even put on trial, the case remains unsolved.
The Villisca axe murder house remains as a tourist attraction, offering tours and overnight stays. Many supernatural events are said of have occurred there over the years, inspiring the 2017 indie horror film “The Axe Murders of Villisca.”
This is Based on a True Crime.
Based on a True Crime is a podcast where Chelsea’s love of true crime and David’s love of horror movies intersect. Each week we will be discussing murders and/or mysteries, along with the pop culture they have spawned.
SUBSCRIBE! iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or your favorite podcatcher! You can also stream directly from our website.
Find us on our website and on Instagram @basedonatruecrime, Twitter @truecrimebased and Facebook @basedonatruecrime.
If you'd like to see David's art and see what else we're up to in the art world, follow Lab Creature Art Studio on Instagram @labcreature.
Our podcast theme and supporting music was composed and performed by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams, who can be found on Twitter (@wetalkofdreams), their website and on Instagram (@wetalkofdreams)!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 36: The Villisca Axe Murders

BASED ON A TRUE CRIME is a podcast where Chelsea’s love of true crime and David’s love of horror movies intersect. We discuss murders and mysteries and how they have inspired film adaptations, television, books and more.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

True crime

In the 15th century, conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and neighboring Wallachia (wall-ache-ia) rocked Eastern Europe. The Wallachian Army was lead by Vlad Tepes, whose harrowing tactics gave him the nickname Vlad the Impaler. But there was another name he went by, one that has become ingrained in our popular culture. That name was Dracula. This is Based on a True Crime.
NOTE: This episode was originally created for our Patreon listeners as an exclusive, but since the show is on hiatus we thought it would be a great way to give something new to most of you! We may have references to news events that are now far in the past. Our style for these former Patreon episodes is a little different than our regular ones (ie much less editing), but we hope you enjoy the show! Stay tuned for more of these types of episodes in the near future.
Based on a True Crime is a podcast where Chelsea’s love of true crime and David’s love of horror movies intersect. Each week we will be discussing murders and/or mysteries, along with the pop culture they have spawned.
Find us on our website and on Instagram @basedonatruecrime, Twitter @truecrimebased and Facebook @basedonatruecrime.
LAB CREATURE is our indie art business where we focus on cats, monsters and spooky stuff. Follow us on Instagram @labcreature or shop online at https://labcreature.com/shop.
Our podcast theme and supporting music was composed and performed by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams, who can be found on Twitter (@wetalkofdreams), their website and on Instagram (@wetalkofdreams)!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BEHIND THE SCREAMS: Dracula & Vlad the Impaler

Following the death of her husband, the heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune suddenly moved west and began constructing on a sprawling, seven-story mansion, filled with doors and stairs that led nowhere. Although never confirmed, rumors spread that the mansion was being built continuously to appease the spirits of people killed by Winchester rifles, a story which infiltrated the public consciousness and became the inspiration for the 2018 movie “Winchester".
This is Based on a True Crime.
NOTE: This episode was originally created for our Patreon listeners as an exclusive, but since the show is on hiatus we thought it would be a great way to give something new to most of you! We may have references to news events that are now far in the past. Our style for these former Patreon episodes is a little different than our regular ones (ie much less editing), but we hope you enjoy the show! Stay tuned for more of these types of episodes in the near future.
Based on a True Crime is a podcast where Chelsea’s love of true crime and David’s love of horror movies intersect. Each week we will be discussing murders and/or mysteries, along with the pop culture they have spawned.
Find us on our website and on Instagram @basedonatruecrime, Twitter @truecrimebased and Facebook @basedonatruecrime.
LAB CREATURE is our indie art business where we focus on cats, monsters and spooky stuff. Follow us on Instagram @labcreature or shop online at https://labcreature.com/shop.
Our podcast theme and supporting music was composed and performed by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams, who can be found on Twitter (@wetalkofdreams), their website and on Instagram (@wetalkofdreams)!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BEHIND THE SCREAMS: Winchester (House)

Urban legends are defined as lurid stories that are circulated as true, often with the teller claiming that it happened to a friend of a friend, and with each tale taking on regional specificities. Still, as the saying goes, at the heart of every legend there is a grain of truth. Join us as we discuss these grains of truth followed by a chat about the film URBAN LEGEND.
This is Based on a True Crime.
NOTE: This episode was originally created for our Patreon listeners as an exclusive, but since the show is on hiatus we thought it would be a great way to give something new to most of you! We may have references to news events that are now far in the past. Our style for these former Patreon episodes is a little different than our regular ones (ie much less editing), but we hope you enjoy the show! Stay tuned for more of these types of episodes in the near future.
Based on a True Crime is a podcast where Chelsea’s love of true crime and David’s love of horror movies intersect. Each week we will be discussing murders and/or mysteries, along with the pop culture they have spawned.
Find us on our website and on Instagram @basedonatruecrime, Twitter @truecrimebased and Facebook @basedonatruecrime.
LAB CREATURE is our indie art business where we focus on cats, monsters and spooky stuff. Follow us on Instagram @labcreature or shop online at https://labcreature.com/shop.
Our podcast theme and supporting music was composed and performed by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams, who can be found on Twitter (@wetalkofdreams), their website and on Instagram (@wetalkofdreams)!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BEHIND THE SCREAMS: Urban Legend(s)

Razor blades hidden in candy apples. Needles in snicker bars. Cyanide in pixy stix. Some of these things never happen on Halloween. And some did. While poisoned Halloween candy may have started out as an urban legend, it’s prevalence has increasingly lead to copycat crimes.
Join us as we celebrate Halfway to Halloween month with a discussion of poison candy, Candyman and more!
NOTE: This episode was originally created for our Patreon listeners as an exclusive, but since the show is on hiatus we thought it would be a great way to give something new to most of you! We may have references to news events that are now far in the past. Our style for these former Patreon episodes is a little different than our regular ones (ie much less editing), but we hope you enjoy the show! Stay tuned for more of these types of episodes in the near future.
Based on a True Crime is a podcast where Chelsea’s love of true crime and David’s love of horror movies intersect. Each week we will be discussing murders and/or mysteries, along with the pop culture they have spawned.
Find us on our website and on Instagram @basedonatruecrime, Twitter @truecrimebased and Facebook @basedonatruecrime.
LAB CREATURE is our indie art business where we focus on cats, monsters and spooky stuff. Follow us on Instagram @labcreature or shop online at https://labcreature.com/shop.
Our podcast theme and supporting music was composed and performed by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams, who can be found on Twitter (@wetalkofdreams), their website and on Instagram (@wetalkofdreams)!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BEHIND THE SCREAMS: Poisoned Candy Myths, Facts and Candyman

In the summer of 1974, Dr. Barry Taff, a now a renowned parapsychologist, was working as a research associate in UCLA's parapsychology laboratory. He and an associate, Kerry Gaynor, were overheard discussing the paranormal in a local bookstore by woman in her mid-thirties, and she approached them with a story about her house being haunted. She didn’t give them many details, but invited them to visit the home for themselves: a small bungalow located in Culver City, California.
The woman was Doris Bither, and it wasn’t until after Taff and Gaynor arrived at the house that they got the full story from Doris about the nature of these paranormal occurrences: since moving into the house, on almost a nightly basis, Doris was being violently attacked and raped by three nameless, shapeless, entities. In 1982, her story was adapted by Frank De Felitta into the film 'THE ENTITY', directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Barbara Hershey and Ron Silver.
NOTE: This episode was originally created for our Patreon listeners as an exclusive, but since the show is on hiatus we thought it would be a great way to give something new to most of you! We may have references to news events that are now far in the past. Our style for these former Patreon episodes is a little different than our regular ones, but we hope you enjoy the show! Stay tuned for more of these types of episodes in the near future.
Based on a True Crime is a podcast where Chelsea’s love of true crime and David’s love of horror movies intersect. Each week we will be discussing murders and/or mysteries, along with the pop culture they have spawned.
Find us on our website and on Instagram @basedonatruecrime, Twitter @truecrimebased and Facebook @basedonatruecrime.
LAB CREATURE is our indie art business where we focus on cats, monsters and spooky stuff. Follow us on Instagram @labcreature or shop online at https://labcreature.com/shop.
Our podcast theme and supporting music was composed and performed by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams, who can be found on Twitter (@wetalkofdreams), their website and on Instagram (@wetalkofdreams)!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 36: The Villisca Axe Murders

Download our free app to listen on your phone