What happens when two people with very different childhoods come together and create something unimaginably horrific?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan begin the disturbing story of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, one of the most infamous criminal couples in Canadian history.

We follow Karla's childhood in St. Catharines and Paul Bernardo's troubled upbringing in Scarborough before their paths finally cross in 1987. What begins as an intense relationship quickly develops into something far darker as Bernardo's obsession with violence, control, and sexual assault begins escalating.

We'll follow the emergence of the Scarborough Rapist, the attacks that terrorized women across Toronto, Bernardo's relationship with Karla, and the increasingly disturbing warning signs that were missed along the way. We'll also look at the police investigation and the mistakes that allowed the attacks to continue while Bernardo maintained the image of a charming, successful young professional.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their particularly dark and uncomfortable sense of humor to a story where the real horror comes from knowing just how much worse things are about to get.

If you love Canadian true crime, serial killers, criminal psychology, sexual predators, police investigations, dark history, and some of the most disturbing crimes in Canadian history, this is only the beginning.

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What happens when getting a little too drunk earns you a very public walk of shame?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel to 17th century England to explore the strange and humiliating punishment known as the Drunkard’s Cloak.

Instead of chains, whips, or the usual medieval collection of unpleasantness, repeat offenders could find themselves trapped inside a wooden barrel and marched through town for everyone to see. We’ll look at the origins of the punishment, its connection to drinking laws in England, the infamous Newcastle Cloak, and similar forms of public humiliation used across Europe.

Then we’ll cross the Atlantic and into the American Civil War, where soldiers accused of drinking or stealing could find themselves wearing their own rather embarrassing barrel shirt.

We’ll also explore the German Schandmantel, the so called Coat of Shame, and the strange history behind these barrel shaped punishments.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own brand of humiliatingly inappropriate humor to an episode where the punishment is basically getting turned into a walking beer keg.

If you love historical punishments, medieval history, drinking history, the Drunkard’s Cloak, public humiliation, Newcastle history, the American Civil War, and the bizarre ways humans have tried to stop each other from drinking too much, this episode is for you.

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What happens when a true crime podcaster sit down with two torture history podcasters and somehow end up talking about kidnapping, the mob, Dungeons & Dragons, and a device designed specifically for the male anatomy?

In this special collaboration with Dying to Be Found, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan sit down with Deb for a conversation about the origins of Torture, how Kevin and Dan became cohosts, the strange world of podcasting, and why anyone would willingly spend their free time researching humanity's worst behavior.

Then Deb takes us into the chilling 1966 disappearance of 17 year old Danny Goldman, who was kidnapped from his Florida home in the middle of the night. What follows is a decades long search for answers involving a bank, money laundering, organized crime, a tiny piece of evidence, and Danny's childhood friends who refused to let his disappearance be forgotten.

And because this is Torture, Kevin and Dan couldn't leave without giving Deb a proper introduction to the show. That means medieval torture, the Crocodile Sheers, and the kind of conversation where a discussion about horrific human cruelty can somehow turn into jokes about chicken cacciatore and mobsters with ridiculous names.

It's true crime, dark history, human cruelty, and a whole lot of questionable conversation in one very unusual crossover episode.

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How do you punish someone when hanging, beheading, or burning just isn't brutal enough?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan dive into the horrifying history of boiling alive, a punishment that has been used across centuries and continents against criminals, political enemies, religious dissenters, and anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

We travel from medieval Scotland and Tudor England to Japan, India, France, and beyond, exploring infamous cases including Richard Rouse, Margaret Davy, Ishikawa Goemon, and Bhai Dayala. We'll look at the different ways boiling was carried out, why governments considered it an appropriate punishment, and what happens to the human body when exposed to extreme heat.

But just when you think this particular nightmare belongs safely in the past, we'll look at documented cases of boiling being used in the modern world, including political violence, prisons, terrorist organizations, and organized crime.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own morbid sense of humor to an episode where the phrase "throw them in the pot" becomes considerably less funny.

If you love dad jokes, historical executions, boiling alive, medieval torture, Tudor history, Japanese history, religious persecution, true crime, dark history, and some of humanity's most horrifying punishments, this episode is going to leave you thinking twice about what's for dinner.

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What happens when a small Mexican farming community falls under the control of a self proclaimed goddess who demands sex, drugs, blood, and human sacrifice?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel to rural Mexico in 1963 to uncover the disturbing story of Magdalena Solís, the woman who became known as the “High Priestess of Blood.”

What began as a con involving two brothers claiming to be priests of the Inca gods soon spiraled into something far darker. When Magdalena arrived in the community, she took control of the cult and transformed its rituals into increasingly violent ceremonies involving drugs, sexual abuse, murder, and alleged human sacrifice.

We'll explore the bizarre origins of the cult, Magdalena's rise to power, the deaths of her followers, and the 14 year old boy whose discovery inside one of the caves finally brought the authorities to Yerba Buena.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their own brand of deeply inappropriate humor to one of the strangest and most disturbing true crime stories to come out of 1960s Mexico.

If you love Magdalena Solís, cults, true crime, Mexican history, human sacrifice, bizarre crimes, dark history, torture, and stories about people who should absolutely never be given power over other human beings, this one is going to be a wild ride.

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What happens when revenge becomes one of the most infamous executions in Viking history?

Season 2 of Torture: A Dark History kicks off in 9th century England, where King Aella of Northumbria finds himself facing the Great Heathen Army and the sons of the man he supposedly killed: Ragnar Lothbrok.

We’ll explore the legendary story of Ragnar’s death, the Viking invasion of Northumbria, and the horrifying execution that Aella was said to suffer after his defeat: the infamous blood eagle. But was the blood eagle actually a real Viking execution, or did later writers turn a brutal legend into something far more horrifying?

We’ll dig into the medieval sources, the different versions of the blood eagle, the alleged victims, and the rather unpleasant question of whether a human body could actually survive long enough for the ritual to be completed.

And because this is the Season 2 premiere of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan are back with their particular brand of Viking flavored dark humor.

If you love Viking history, Ragnar Lothbrok, the Great Heathen Army, medieval torture, Norse mythology, historical executions, dark history, and the mysteries surrounding the blood eagle, Season 2 is starting with one hell of a way to die.

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How much pain could a human body actually withstand before it finally broke?

On the Season 1 finale of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan finally tackle one of the most infamous torture devices in history: the Rack. We travel through medieval and early modern Europe to explore how this infamous device was used to extract confessions, information, and sometimes the names of other people.

We look at some of the most notorious victims of the Rack, including Anne Askew, Guy Fawkes, Nicholas Owen, and Barbara Rufin, while exploring the role torture played in religious persecution, witch trials, treason investigations, and the Spanish Inquisition.

We'll also dig into the origins of the Rack, the different versions used across Europe, and some of the surprising stories surrounding one of the most recognizable symbols of medieval torture.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual ** inappropriate humor** to one of the most brutal subjects we've covered.

If you love torture history, dark history, medieval history, the Rack, medieval torture devices, witch trials, the Spanish Inquisition, true crime, and historical executions, it's finally time we put someone on the Rack.

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What happens when an interrogation turns into one of the most infamous torture methods in Brazilian history?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan travel to Brazil during the military dictatorship to explore the brutal history of the Pau de Arara, also known as the Parrot’s Perch.

We’ll look at how prisoners were suspended in this painfully contorted position and then subjected to beatings, electric shocks, drowning, sexual violence, and other forms of torture. We’ll also hear the stories of people who experienced it firsthand, including Dulce Pandolfi and Dilma Rousseff, and examine the notorious role of Carlos Brilhante Ustra in Brazil’s torture apparatus. The Brazilian National Truth Commission documented the use of the Pau de Arara alongside other systematic torture methods during the dictatorship.

But the story of the Pau de Arara goes back much further than the 20th century. We’ll trace its history through Brazil’s long history of slavery and examine how a method associated with punishment and torture became embedded in the country’s history of violence.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their particularly dark sense of humor to one of the most brutal chapters in Brazilian history.

If you love Brazilian history, military dictatorships, political torture, the Pau de Arara, Dilma Rousseff, Carlos Brilhante Ustra, human rights history, dark history, and some of the most disturbing torture methods ever used, this episode is going to be a rough ride.

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What happens when the boy known as the “Boy Torturer” gets out of reform school and immediately finds himself back in the headlines?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan continue the disturbing story of Jesse Pomeroy as his brief return to freedom leads to a new series of attacks, a shocking murder, and an investigation that uncovers far more than police expected.

We'll follow the disappearance of a young girl, the murder of another child, Jesse's arrest and confession, and the discovery of a horrifying secret that had been hidden for months. From there, the case explodes into one of the most sensational criminal trials of 19th century Boston, where prosecutors, doctors, witnesses, and Jesse's own family battle over one question: was Jesse Pomeroy insane, or did he know exactly what he was doing?

But the story doesn't end with the verdict. Jesse's sentence, decades of isolation, repeated escape attempts, strange inventions, and eventual death make his later life almost as bizarre as his crimes.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their particularly grim sense of humor to the second and final chapter of one of the strangest criminal stories we've ever covered.

If you love Jesse Pomeroy, American true crime, Boston history, Victorian crime, child murderers, historical torture, criminal trials, insanity defenses, solitary confinement, dark history, and bizarre true crime stories, this is the disturbing conclusion to the story of the Boy Torturer.

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What happens when a 12 year old boy becomes one of the most feared criminals in Boston?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the disturbing early life of Jesse Pomeroy, the boy who became known as the “Boy Torturer.”

Born in Massachusetts in 1859, Jesse's troubled childhood, abusive home life, cruelty toward animals, and growing fascination with violence eventually escalated into a series of brutal attacks on young boys across Boston. We'll follow the cases of William Paine, Tracy Hayden, Robert Maier, Johnny Balch, George Pratt, Harry Austin, Joseph Kennedy, and Robert Gould, as police desperately searched for the mysterious attacker.

Then one victim gave police a crucial clue: an unusual eye.

That clue would lead investigators to Jesse Pomeroy, but his story was only beginning. We'll follow his arrest, interrogation, confession, time at the Massachusetts State Reform School at Westborough, and the decision that would ultimately put him back on Boston's streets after less than two years.

Because apparently, releasing a teenage boy who had spent years terrorizing children seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their macabre sense of humor to the disturbing early story of one of America's most notorious young criminals.

If you love Jesse Pomeroy, American true crime, Victorian crime, Boston history, serial killers, child criminals, historical torture, dark history, and disturbing true stories, this is only the beginning of the story of the Boy with the Marble Eye.

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