457: Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

BEWARE THE SLENDERMAN tells the story of the internet's elusive Boogeyman and two 12-year-old girls who would kill for him. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured their best friend into the woods, stabbed her 19 times, then set out on an odyssey to meet the tall and faceless man known online as Slenderman. Shot over 18 months with heartbreaking access to the families of the would-be murderers, the film plunges deep down the rabbit hole of their crime, a Boogeyman. and our society's most impressionable consumers of media. The entrance to the internet can quickly lead us to its dark basement, within just a matter of clicks. How much do we hold children responsible for what they find there? LOOKING TO JOIN THE PATREON FAM FOR ALLLLLLLLL THAT BONUS CONTENT? GO HERE! COME SEE US LIVE IN NYC ON FEBRUARY 9TH! Click here for tickets! Looking for our Advertisers / Promo Codes? Go Here! We now have a whole page of our site for you to check out and GET. THOSE. DISCOUNTS!

1 Jan 201948min

On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, was assassinated in broad daylight in front of hundreds of people--at least 55 of whom were filming or taking pictures. And yet we still don't know what happened. Lee Harvey Oswald was the prime suspect. But then he too was killed in the middle of the day in front of almost 100 people.  Was it a lone gunman? The CIA? Fidel Castro? And will we every know the truth? We have some thoughts..... This week's Palate Cleanser is from the 2004 Broadway Cast Recording of "Assassins" and features Neil Patrick Harris and Dennis O'Hare.

18 Dec 201857min

On October 17, 1974, 12 year old Jan Broberg was kidnapped by her next door neighbor and parents’ best friend—a man they all loving called “B.” B, unbeknownst to them, was a pedophile who had become obsessed with Jan and would stop at nothing to have her. This story is so full of of jaw-dropping twists, you really do have to hear it to believe it.  OOH! It's important to note that Jan today is alive and well (and looking like a million bucks). She is one of the major story tellers here, and goddamn is she a force to be reckoned with.

11 Dec 201857min

EVERYONE BE COOL, KATHLEEN ZELNER IS IN THE HOUSE!!! Before she became a household name with her work on the Steven Avery case in season 2 of "Making A Murderer," Kathleen Zelner used her brilliant, no-nonsense bad-assery to exonerate Ryan Ferguson. Ferguson had been convicted in 2005 at the age of 19 of a murder he didn't commit. There was no physical evidence, the "eye witnesses" were unreliable to say the least, and Ferguson was failed by an incompetent lawyer. AND. KATHLEEN. ZELNER. IS. NOT. HERE. FOR. IT.  Come for Zelner, but stay for Ryan's dad who's a super adorable Inspector Gadget type who learns how to use google and get on the online in an obsessive attempt to save his son.

4 Dec 201856min

In 2015, NYC Police Officer Gilberto Valle was convicted of conspiring to kidnap and eat young women. YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT: KIDNAP AND EAT. Valle argued it was all a fantasy; the prosecution's narrative convinced jurors otherwise. Valle was facing a possible life sentence when filmmaker Erin Lee Carr began visiting him in prison to make this film. There’s no way around it, you guys, this one is full of garbage—the cannibal cop himself (CANNIBAL COP, YOU GUYS), his enabling parents, and the filmmaker who never really tries to understand WHY and/or HOW Valle came to be the way he is. But don’t worry, there’s lots of good New York Post headlines….and one fabulous glamor shot. LOOKING FOR MORE TCO? Binge our 40+ bonus episodes via Patreon! When you join our Patreon fam, you not only support us, you also INSTANTLY get our entire catalog of bonus episodes, including our episode-by-episode coverage of "SERIAL," "THE JINX," and "THE STAIRCASE." You also get our interviews with Asia McClain (Adnan Syed's alibi witness), Rabia Chaudry, "Tower" director Keith Maitland, all of our mini-episodes, extended outtakes, AND full bonus episodes covering "Madonna: Truth or Dare" and "The Queen of Versailles." AND IT'S ALL COMMERCIAL FREE! Join here! Want to see us LIVE? Go Here for information and tickets to our upcoming live events like our February live shows or our Pride show in June! Looking for our Advertisers / Promo Codes? Go Here! We now have a whole page of our site for you to check out and GET. THOSE. DISCOUNTS!

27 Nov 201854min

THIS EPISODE IS RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES, YOU GUYS! In 2013, James (Whitey) Bulger, the South Boston mobster, was captured after 16 years on the lam. He was finally brought to justice for a murderous reign of terror that inspired books, films and a saga of Irish-American brotherhood and brutality. Last month (October of 2018) he was found beaten to death in a West Virginia prison. He was 89. This documentary tells the story of Whitey’s rise to power in South Boston, his dealings with the FBI during that time, it tackles questions of his relationship with the FBI. The film ultimately deals with his capture, trial, and--for lack of a better term--legacy. Whatever, any way you slice it, he was garbage. LOOKING FOR MORE TCO? Check out our bonus episodes on Patreon! We covered "Serial" episode-by-episode and capped the series off with an interview with Rabia Chaudry--Adnan's friend who brought his story to Sarah Koenig AND with Asia Mcclain--Adnan's alibi witness! We also covered "The Staircase" episode-by-episode. And now we're on to "The Jinx"--the first 4 episodes of that series are now live! We also have extended outtakes for our episodes and two other full bonus episodes--*ALL COMMERCIAL FREE! *Join here! Looking for our Advertisers / Promo Codes? Go Here! We now have a whole page of our site for you to check out and GET. THOSE. DISCOUNTS!

13 Nov 201854min

This week we're revisiting one of our most popular episodes!  A decade after making the documentary film “Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer” about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, director Nick Broomfield was subpoenaed as a witness for Aileen’s final appeal in overturning her death sentence. When he became a participant in Aileen’s legal fight, Broomfield decided made this new documentary which looks at Aileen's violent, tortured childhood in Troy, Michigan and her subsequent years on the road as a hitch-hiking prostitute which culminated in her committing seven murders in the span of one year. For the documentary, Aileen granted Broomfield exclusive interviews in order to share her side of the story—conspiracy theories and all—as she prepared to be executed.  LOOKING FOR MORE TCO? Check out our bonus episodes on Patreon! We covered "Serial" episode-by-episode and capped the series off with an interview with Rabia Chaudry--Adnan's friend who brought his story to Sarah Koenig AND with Asia Mcclain--Adnan's alibi witness! We also covered "The Staircase" episode-by-episode. And now we're on to "The Jinx"--the first 3 episodes of that series are now live! We also have extended outtakes for our episodes and two other full bonus episodes--ALL COMMERCIAL FREE! Join here! Want to see us LIVE? Go Here for information and tickets to our upcoming live events like OUR JUNE PRIDE SHOW!! Looking for our Advertisers / Promo Codes? Go Here! We now have a whole page of our site for you to check out and GET. THOSE. DISCOUNTS!

6 Nov 201856min

In 1975, the Lutz family moved into the old house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amittyville, New York. The house was beautiful, nestled in the heart of an affluent neighborhood, it had a pool and a dock, and best of all, the family had gotten it at a staggeringly low price. The only catch—a family of five had been brutally murdered there the year before. According to the Lutz family, for the 28 days they lived in the home, they were tormented by ghosts and possessed by demons. They were thrown up the stairs, terrorized by mysterious creatures, and were levitated 13 feet into the air. In “My Amittyville Horror,” Daniel Lutz, who was 9 at the time, tells his version of the terrifying story for the first time. And you guys, this bro is intense. LOOKING FOR MORE TCO? Check out our bonus episodes on Patreon! We covered "Serial" episode-by-episode and capped the series off with an interview with Rabia Chaudry--Adnan's friend who brought his story to Sarah Koenig AND with Asia Mcclain--Adnan's alibi witness! We also covered "The Staircase" episode-by-episode. And now we're on to "The Jinx"--the first 3 episodes of that series are now live! We also have extended outtakes for our episodes and two other full bonus episodes--ALL COMMERCIAL FREE! Join here! Want to see us LIVE? Go Here for information and tickets to our upcoming live events like OUR JUNE PRIDE SHOW!! Looking for our Advertisers / Promo Codes? Go Here! We now have a whole page of our site for you to check out and GET. THOSE. DISCOUNTS!

2 Nov 201853min