Pomegranates and Pitchforks

This episode is about the story of Annie Chapman. Born in a precarious position to an enlisted man and his dollymop, Annie experienced a life of tragedy from childhood to her very end. This is almost certainly our saddest story in this series, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't deserve to have her story told and the record of her life set straight. Promo from Seen and Not Heard Podcast - look for them on Twitter @SeenNotHeardPod References again entirely from The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold 2019

Polly is the first canonical victim of Jack the Ripper. She also lived a full and complex life; one that probably resonates with a lot of people even now. She also never appeared to engage in any form of sex work, but the assumption that she did marred not only her investigation but investigations of further victims.  Polly's story was taken from her twice. First by her murderer, and again by the investigation, coroner's inquest, and everyone else who reported a simplified and fabricated version of her story. We hope to help restore some of her truth.  Promo: Tone Deaf: A Theatre Nerd's Guide for their Musically Challenged Spouse https://tonedeafmusical.com/ We didn't do anything for Black History Month, BUT! Tone Deaf does an amazing musical theatre Black History series during February. Please check them out, it's excellent! Resources:  The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold 2019 If you want to support us directly, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/pompitchpod 

It's episode 2 on our coverage of the victims of Jack the Ripper and this episode we actually tell the story of the Whitechapel Murders. These are the 11 unsolved murders that took place in Whitechapel from 1888 to 1891, five of which are considered officially as victims of the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper. We also start the episode talking about Karens and the dawn of society's hatred of sex work, it makes sense we promise. And we talk a little bit about how difficult it is to review this case because there's a lot of missing information and a lot of mis-information.  Promo from Top of the Round - www.totrpodcast.com  Find them on Twitter @totrcast References: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold 2019 My MOM! no but really. Code Switch - What's in a 'Karen'? Last Podcast on the Left episodes on Jack the Ripper 254-258 This site: https://www.casebook.org/ripper_letters/ for the letters we covered

Hey friends! We're back, and it looks like we're actually on track to maintain some semblance of a schedule. Today we're starting a series on not so much Jack the Ripper, but on the victims of Jack the Ripper and the environment that enabled their murders and the poor publicity after the fact. In this first episode we mostly talk about how shitty it was to live in poverty in Victorian London and how the story we all know may not be the actual truth. 90% of the research for this series was taken from The Five, by Hallie Rubenhold. It is incredibly well researched and well written and I highly recommend it if you're at all interested in the subject. Promo: Microphones and Monsters @ https://microphonesandmonsters.com 

Sunshine and Alix are finally back! Much like one of the villains from these horror franchises... (dumb joke is dumb) Point is: A, we had to get back by Halloween. I mean... horror podcast. B, today we're covering the history of slasher films because it's so damn fun and it felt topical. We start with an early history of horror films in general, then follow the trail of the slasher from Agatha Christie's mystery novels to the Golden Age of Slashers in the 80s and then... wherever the hell we are now. We are so grateful to everyone who has patiently waited, but like, still excitedly, for our return. 2020 has been a kick in the ass for everyone and your support has been a tremendous boon to us.  Resources: - Luckily for this episode, this information mostly lives rent free in Alix's brain already - Horrible Reviews: (this is a Dutch youtuber I'm really fond of and I got some of the information for the history of horror movies from his channel) But in particular - this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twMMoy-omXw  - Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 2006. Directed by Jeff McQueen - Nightmares in Red, White and Blue, 2009. Directed by Andrew Monument - Literally every film (and book) discussed in this episode

In today's episode, Sunshine and Alix are accompanied by Mike Gagne of Boston Harbor Horror. Mike brings tales of the ocean, namely the Ghost Ship Palatine. It's a bit silly, but it's fun, and Alix continues to be terrified of the ocean. Promo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-things-that-keep-us-up-at-night/id1492793721

It's day 1 in our series on the Prison Industrial Complex. Luckily, this episode isn't too heavy because it's just an intro. We're talking about the history of prisons in very broad terms, dating all the way back to pre-U.S. - Mama England.  Promo: https://www.gettingoffpod.com/ Resources: https://www.historyrevealed.com/eras/victorians/in-a-nutshell-debtors-prisons/ https://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/themes/peonage/ https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/british-navy-impressment/ Encyclopedia Britannica Peterson, James Braxton, et al. Prison Industrial Complex for Beginners. For Beginners, 2016. Brunch and Budget Podcast - Eps 50-54 Abolishprisons.org https://www.prisonpolicy.org/ https://www.sentencingproject.org/ 13th. Directed by Ava DuVernay, 2016

We're going in a vastly different direction today! Alix's mom, Tamara, is coming on to tell us about space and stars and black holes and all sorts of super large and sometimes super small things that tend to strike existential horror, rather than our normal tangible monster/murderer horror. This started from a conversation about an astronomy class Tamara was teaching on Halloween, and the dead stars, zombie stars, vampire stars, etc from that lesson. We're so excited to have Tamara as our first guest! Promo: The Petri Dish Podcast - https://thepetridishpodcast.tumblr.com/ Resources: - ALIX'S MOM!

Thanks for waiting for us for a whole month! We're back with part 2 of the Attica Prison Uprising. This part consists of how the initial riot broke out and how the riot became a proper civil rights protest. We talk about the negotiations between prisoners and prison officials for better conditions, then the bloody and tragic ending, and the legacy Attica left. Promo: https://asylum94.com/boston-harbor-horror/ Resources: https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts Attica Part 1 & 2 "Blood in the Water" by Heather Ann Thompson Attica (Cinda Firestone, US, 1974) - Documentary "The True Story of the Attica Prison Riot" by Larry Getlen - https://nypost.com/2016/08/20/the-true-story-of-the-attica-prison-riot/

We're starting a series on the Prison Industrial Complex soon, but Alix bit off more than she can chew (again) so we're beginning this series with a single introduction story. The Attica Prison Uprising shows a lot of the nuances that we hope to cover during our next heavy political series from horrible criminal justice policies to horrible prison conditions. Today we're talking about the circumstances leading up to the Attica Prison Uprising, an outline of the prison, the prison conditions, and the political climate in 1971. Promo: Ignorance Was Bliss https://twitter.com/iwbpodcast Resources: https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts Attica Part 1 & 2 "Blood in the Water" by Heather Ann Thompson Attica (Cinda Firestone, US, 1974) - Documentary

It's the first episode of December and we unintentionally did an episode on a recent serial killer who played a mall Santa. Bruce McArthur terrorized the Gay Village of Toronto from at least 2010 to 2017. He was arrested in early 2018, and sentenced early 2019. Sunshine and Alix cover the investigation and the victims, then spend a little time talking about the politics of his particular crimes. It turns out - crime is political. Promo: 5 and 30 with Ruk https://fiveandthirtywithruk.podbean.com/ Resources: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/world/canada/bruce-mcarthur-toronto-sentenced.html https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/07/toronto-serial-killer-bruce-mcarthur-accused-landscaper https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bruce-mcarthur-serial-killer-toronto-canada-gay-village-court-case-trial-a8763641.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47046262 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47047394 https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/08/us/bruce-mcarthur-toroto-serial-killer-sentencing/index.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/23/bruce-mcarthur-toronto-gay-serial-killer

Sunshine is on vacation for the next two weeks, so we're taking it easy and recorded a mini-sode to tide us all over until she gets back! Today we're talking about the CDC's official zombie apocalypse survival guide. It's really more of a "prepare for an emergency situation" guide, but that's fun too, and we take a lot of tangents. So get ready for zombies and hurricanes. And make sure to keep a lot of potable water handy. Promo: Tone-Deaf https://tonedeafmusical.com/ Resources: https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/zombie/index.htm

That's right! We've finally made it to the end of the road for scary clowns! And this episode is definitely the climax. We take a short stop to talk about the friendly clowns of the 60s before taking a huge downhill dive to tell the (short version) story of John Wayne Gacy, the Clown Killer, Pogo the Dancing Clown. We wrap it all up with some classic and modern horror media (Stephen King's It), and the murder of Marlene Warren. Promo: https://anchor.fm/private-island Resources: https://www.npr.org/2018/03/22/596180089/bozo-the-clown-actor-frank-avruch-dies-at-89 Last Podcast on the Left: Ep. 105-106 Parcast Serial Killers: The Killer Clown parts 1 & 2 Stephen King's It https://genwhypod.com/blogs/the-generation-why-podcast-blog/killer-clown-cold-case

It's our penultimate episode on clowns, which means we've only got a few more terrible stories to cover. In this episode, Sunshine and Alix talk about two notorious and tragic accidents, and two sad clowns associated with those events. Respectively - Joe Coyle and the Hagenbeck-Wallace train crash, and Emmett Kelly and the Hartford Circus Fire. It's time to feel bad for clowns again, but don't worry, the ride's almost over. Almost. Promo: https://www.3spookedgirls.com/ Resources: Borrelli, Christopher. “A Circus Tragedy Lost to History.” Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2011. https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-xpm-2011-05-02-ct-live-0503-showmens-rest-elephants-20110502-story.html Higgins, Will. “The Truths of the Circus Train Crash of 1918 Are More Horrifying than Myths.” Indianapolis Star, 20 June 2018. https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2018/06/20/hagenbeck-wallace-circus-train-crash-more-horrifying-than-myths/644289002/ Georgievska, Marija. “Emmett Kelly: The First Sad Hobo Clown Who Was Best-Known for His Character Named ‘Weary Willie.'” The Vintage News, 2 May 2017. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/05/02/emmett-kelly-the-first-sad-hobo-clown-who-was-best-known-for-his-character-named-weary-willie/ “The Hartford Circus Fire: Connecticut History: a CTHumanities Project.” Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project, https://connecticuthistory.org/the-hartford-circus-fire/.

We've finally created the modern clown, but the method is disappointing to say the least. In today's episode, Sunshine and Alix talk about minstrel shows and how they're so immensely tied in to what the modern clown looks like. This is one of those episodes that's fun yet super unfortunate. Sorry, and also not sorry. Promo: https://www.legionpodcasts.com/frigay-the-13th/ Resources: Toll, Robert C. “Behind the Blackface.” American Heritage, 1978. https://www.americanheritage.com/behind-blackface http://black-face.com/minstrel-shows.htm Time Shift: Black and White Minstrels - BBC Four

It turns out that the history of clowns is huge and nuanced, and Alix may have bit off… well, more than she was expecting to bite. We're finishing up Victorian Europe with a few legitimately disturbing fictional stories. Then we cross the pond and discuss the history of a few places where clowns are likely to congregate. Freak shows, Circuses, and Carnivals. It's a little light, a little dark, and as usual: It's complicated. Resources for this episode:  Hop Frog, Edgar Allan Poe (1849) Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo (1892) Encyclopedia Britannica baybee! Promo from: Me, My Demon, and I https://anchor.fm/memydemonandi

Today, Sunshine and Alix are talking about the real horrors and tragedies in first recognizable clowns. In this episode: Commedia Dell'arte, Joseph Grimaldi, Jean Gaspard Deburau. Promo: Cutting Class Podcast - cuttingclasspodcast.com Most of the research for this episode came from: Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi, by Joseph Grimaldi, edited and abridged by Charles Dickens. "The Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi" - Essay by Andrew McConnell Stott. Both found here: https://publicdomainreview.org/2011/11/14/the-memoirs-of-joseph-grimaldi/ Spirits Podcast, Ep 97: Clowns https://spiritspodcast.com/episodes/clowns

We're continuing our historical exploration behind the history of Spoooky Clowns this week with a dive into Greek theater traditions and the real proto-clown, the jester. This isn't our scariest episode yet, but stick with us. It will all make sense soon. Promo from Under The Shroud - Find them here: https://www.undertheshroud.com/ Also check out our buddies from Tone Deaf here: https://tonedeafmusical.com/ Most of the research for the episode came from these sources: Cartwright, Mark. “Ancient Greek Theatre.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 14 July 2016. https://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Theatre/ Maitland, Karen. “What Was Life like for a Court Jester?” History Extra, Mar. 2017. https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/what-was-life-like-for-a-court-jester/ Otto, Beatrice K. Fools Are Everywhere: the Court Jester around the World. University of Chicago Press, 2007. https://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/640914.html

We're starting a series on "Why the hell are clowns so scary?!" And in classic PomPitchPod fashion, we're starting as close to the beginning as we can get - the archetype: The Trickster. We also start by discussing some of the fundamental reasons we think might cause our near universal fear of clowns. A ton of research for this episode and future clown related episodes were from the Smithsonian and Encyclopedia Britannica. Also the podcast Myths and Legends, specifically episode 40 on the trickster tortoise of West African folklore. And Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood - A Day at the Circus

In the final episode on Dean Corll, Alix and Sunshine tell the rest of the story, complete with several endings. (Most of them, pretty bad). The trio has begun a dissolution, but the way the killing spree comes to a final stop is quite the surprise. Some victims remain unidentified, others may still have never even been found. If you or anyone you know has any information on unidentified Corll victims you can contact Houston Forensic Investigative Services at 713-796-9292 A huge part of our research was from: The Lost Boys by Skip Hollandsworth (2011, April). Texas Monthly. Retrieved from https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-lost-boys/ Also - The Dean Corll episodes by Last Podcast on the Left and Parcast's Serial Killers

In Episode 2 of the Candy Man, Sunshine and Alix are talking about Dean Corll's accomplices, David Brooks and Wayne Henley - two teenage boys who could have become Corll's next victims, but he liked enough to keep around and use in his sick past times. Starting with the murders that bring the boys in and going to the point where their relationships begin to crack. A huge part of our research was from: The Lost Boys by Skip Hollandsworth (2011, April). Texas Monthly. Retrieved from https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-lost-boys/ Also - The Dean Corll episodes by Last Podcast on the Left and Parcast's Serial Killers

We all have a near instinctual knowledge to protect children from white windowless vans for fear of a man with candy waiting to lure them away. Have you ever wondered where that story comes from? Sunshine and Alix are taking on the show's first full blown serial killer and it's a doozy. In this episode, they talk about the life of Dean Corll - The Candy Man - all the way up to his first confirmed murder. Content warning: this episode talks about some seriously heavy topics and goes into details about torture, assault, murder, and sexual violence. A huge part of our research was from: The Lost Boys by Skip Hollandsworth (2011, April). Texas Monthly. Retrieved from https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-lost-boys/ Also - The Dean Corll episodes by Last Podcast on the Left and Parcast's Serial Killers

In our final vampires episode we're telling only true stories about the real people who inspired our modern vampire myths. Obviously we have to talk about Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory, but we're also telling some stories of lesser known vampires who influenced the vampire myth just as much.

Sunshine and Alix are still on vampires! We're talking about the myths that created the monster we know today. From Greece to China to Eastern Europe - which aren't all that far from each other - but the ride is still a blast.

It looks like Sunshine and Alix with be working through vampires for a while, so get ready for the official part 1. This time we're talking about all the behind the topic stuff: what are vampires, what myth says, and what might really be going on.

Sunshine and Alix are excited to start vampires, but first they have to make a pit stop in their birth places. The blood lust goddesses of the ancient world. In this episode, they talk about five goddesses from five distinct cultures, how they relate, how they're different, and how they almost certainly laid a foundation for the future of vampire mythology.

Sunshine and Alix are fully back in the land of horror, discussing the history of the modern day zombie. This story is a lot of fun, with origins across the entire world, some a bit more tragic than others.

In the final episode of our American Terrorism series, we tell the story of the Columbine High School Massacre, in memorial of the 20th anniversary of April 20, 1999. We start with a brief history of school shootings in America, continue on to tell the stories of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, including the events of the massacre, then conclude with a non-exhaustive list of devastating and impactful shootings since 1999.

Our penultimate American Terrorism episode is much of a climax to the overall story. The background, life, and radicalization of Timothy McVeigh, the bombing, and the fallout. We also tell the stories of some of the victims inside the Alfred P. Murrah building, making this one of our most emotionally difficult episodes.

We're halfway through our American Terrorism series with the story of cult leader David Koresh and his followers the Branch Davidians. We talk about how a religious zealot and social outcast became a loyally followed cult leader, and how another situation of manifesting fears became a fiery end to this cult and the lives of 80 people.

In our second American Terrorism episode we go into the story of Ruby Ridge. This is a big "it's complicated" story, with no easy direction to point blame, and huge mistakes made by all parties. Sunshine and Alix talk about self fulfilling prophecies and how they created exactly what they were looking for when a government went hunting for extremist white supremacists and a family tried to hide away from a government bound for causing the end of days.

This is the start of a five part series on American Terrorism. Think of it as a season 1. In our first episode, Sunshine and Alix talk about Jewish American talk show host Alan Berg and the white supremacist terrorist organization that assassinated him.

In the finale of the crimes behind the sex offender registry, Sunshine and Alix tell the story of Adam Walsh and his legacy, paved by mourning parents John and Reve Walsh. His story implicates a couple of well known serial killers, and leads to a very well known TV show, as well as the most recent version of the sex offender registry (SORNA).

In this episode, Sunshine and Alix continue their journey through the crimes behind the Sex Offender Registry, telling the story of Megan Kanka and Megan's Law. They discuss the crime, then go into detail on the laws created and challenges, both constitutional and societal.

In Part 2 of Jacob Wetterling's story, Sunshine and Alix go through what really happened to Jacob Wetterling. Also covered are the stories of other young victims in Stearns County, and how the Stearns County Sheriff Department dropped the ball on this whole case.

In our longest episode yet (sorry and you're welcome?), Sunshine and Alix start the heavy journey into the stories behind the sex offender registry - starting with the abduction of Jacob Wetterling. In part 1, they talk about Jacob, the abduction, and the ensuing search, all leading to the creation of the first national sex offender registry law. They also take time to discuss the pros and cons of the sex offender registry and Alix tells her own story.

Sunshine and Alix finish up the true stories behind the werewolf myth. They talk about the line between man and monster and tell some seriously gruesome tales. Also, Alix continues to butcher European languages.

We're talking werewolves! Sunshine and Alix go through the earliest stories that first gave life to the man, the beast, the wolf. They discuss what makes lycanthropy a gift and what makes it a curse. But most of all, Alix has a hard time pronouncing words from all over Ye Olde Europe.

Sunshine and Alix got mail! And it's the coveted article "Our Dream House Was Haunted" from Good Housekeeping, which we're hoping contains the closest to "real" story of the Amityville haunting. We go through what we got right, what we got wrong, and what the hell?

In honor of Halloween we wanted to cover werewolves, but before we covered werewolves, we decided to cover "The Big Bad Wolf." Sunshine and Alix dive into stories of Red Riding Hood over the years, and the subtext in those stories.

Sunshine and Alix finish up the story of Amityville with the haunting of the Lutz family and the frenzy that followed.

It's episode 3, and Sunshine and Alix are back to talk about the real horror behind the Amityville Horror. A brutal family annihilation and the story surrounding the DeFeos one fateful November night in 1974.

In episode 2, Sunshine and Alix go into the real story behind a classic urban legend. The story most know as the murderer with a hook for a hand stalking couples on lovers' lane was actually influenced by a string of murders which took place in an unsuspecting town in 1946. Resources: Parcast Unsolved Murders, Episodes 6 & 7 "The Phantom Killer" Last Podcast on the Left, Episode 83 "Unsolved Serial Murders Part 1: The Phantom, The Axe, and The Torso" Zeman, Joshua, director. Killer Legends. 2014.

In episode 1, Sunshine and Alix talk about their favorite horror video game, Silent Hill. The inspirations and stories behind the Silent Hill game and film. In particular, our hosts go in depth into one infamous ghost town. The town on fire, Centralia, Pennsylvania. Resources: "Centralia Fire" - 1982 PBS documentary "The Town That Was" - 2006 documentary "Pennsylvania's 50-Year-Old Coal Fire" - 2014 SciShow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6F0TuV3JMg  Symon, Evan V. “I Live In Centralia, PA: It's America's Creepiest Ghost Town.” Cracked.com, https://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2537-i-live-in-centralia-pa-its-americas-creepiest-ghost-town.html. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation. “The Centralia Mine Fire: Frequently Asked Questions/Answers.”