Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong
Every Monday, poet and paranormal obsessive Heidi Wong explores the true stories behind terrifying legends, from haunted dolls to cursed houses. The podcast reveals the disturbing real-life events that inspired horror blockbusters and tales too twisted for the screen. New episodes every Monday. Twisted Tales is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.
Episodes
Polybius: The Arcade Game That Drives You Insane | Creepypastas
In 1981, a plain black arcade cabinet appeared overnight in a Portland, Oregon arcade. No logo, no artwork, just a name glowing in pale green letters: Polybius. Players reported migraines, memory loss, and night terrors, and mysterious men in suits came to collect data from the machine before it vanished without a trace. The story stayed buried for nineteen years until a single internet post turne
Ted the Caver: The Horror Underground | Creepypastas
In early 2001, a recreational caver named Ted documented his obsessive attempt to break through a sealed passage deep inside a cave... and what he found on the other side became one of the internet's earliest and most disturbing horror stories. Presented as a real personal account with photographs and journal entries, Ted the Caver predated modern creepypastas and convinced countless readers it wa
The Crimes that Built America | Murder: True Crime Stories
Crime House’s Murder: True Crime Stories presents a special series for America’s 250th Birthday: The Crimes That Built America. Listen every Monday until July 6th on Murder: True Crime Stories. Join Crime House+ to get all 4 episodes right now ad-free. To subscribe, go to crimehouseplus.com or if you are listening on Apple Podcasts, tap “Try Free” at the top of this show’s page.250 years ago, a br
BEN Drowned: Horror You Can't Control | Creepypastas
In September 2010, a college student bought a used copy of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask at a garage sale, and discovered a save file named BEN belonging to a boy who had drowned years before. What started as glitchy gameplay quickly became something far more sinister: a presence that manipulated the game, invaded his computer, and refused to be deleted. Ben Drowned is the creepypasta that re
Dear David: The Ghost in the Replies | Creepypastas
In August 2017, New York-based cartoonist Adam Ellis began documenting a haunting on Twitter: a dead boy named David, a dented skull, and a rocking chair that moved on its own. What started as a unsettling dream spiraled into months of photos, videos, and unexplained events that millions followed in real time. Unlike anonymous creepypastas, Ellis put his real name and face on every post, blurring
Anansi’s Goatman: When the Terror Blends In | Creepypastas
In the summer of 2012, a teenager's camping trip on remote Alabama woodland turns into something no one can explain. What begins with strange smells and figures standing motionless in the dark escalates when the group realizes there's an extra person in their group... without anyone noticing. The horror isn't a monster in the woods. It's a creature already inside the room.
Head over to our Twiste
The Backrooms: From Anonymous Post to A24 Horror Movie | Creepypastas
In 2018, an anonymous user posted a photograph of an empty yellow room on 4chan — no caption, no story, no name. A year later, two paragraphs turned that image into one of the most elaborate horror mythologies the internet has ever produced. What followed was a global phenomenon: hundreds of levels, thousands of contributors, and a teenage filmmaker handed a feature film deal by A24.
Head over to
When Beloved Cartoons Became Something Darker | Creepypastas
Three of the internet's most notorious lost media creepypastas take aim at SpongeBob SquarePants, The Simpsons, and classic Disney — spinning tales of hidden episodes so disturbing they were allegedly buried and erased forever. What makes these stories so unsettling isn't gore alone, but the way they corrupt the cartoons millions grew up trusting. This episode explores why lost media horror hits d
The Horror That Never Stops Walking
What if something was following you…
…and it never stopped?
It doesn’t run.It doesn’t rush.It just keeps walking.
This episode explores the real-world fears behind one of the most unsettling horror concepts in modern film, from the AIDS epidemic to economic collapse to the psychological terror of invisible threats.
Because sometimes the scariest thing isn’t what you can see.
It’s what you can’t es
The True Stories That Inspired "The Silence of the Lambs"
Ed Gein.Ted Bundy.Gary Heidnik.Jerry Brudos.
Each of these men committed crimes so disturbing they reshaped public understanding of serial killers.
Together, their stories helped inspire one of the most chilling characters in horror history, and changed how law enforcement tracks violent offenders.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crim
The Mummy Is Back: But Was the Curse Ever Real?
A boy king erased from history. A tomb filled with gold. And a wave of deaths blamed on ancient revenge. As the Mummy universe expands once again, Heidi Wong uncovers the truth behind the legend: the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, the fake curse inscription, the real Imhotep, and how Egypt’s sacred traditions became Hollywood spectacle.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH thi
Ready or Not 2 Is Coming: Here’s the Dark History Behind It
An exclusive society hidden in the woods. Brides trapped inside powerful institutions. And a king who killed for an heir. As the next chapter of Ready or Not approaches, Heidi Wong explores the real-world forces that shaped the story: elite rituals, royal dynasties, Henry VIII’s doomed queens, and centuries-old demon lore tied to wealth and power.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to
The Killers Who Changed a Country
A man who hunted the wealthy and the vulnerable. A serial predator who evaded justice for decades. And a public murder that ignited a feminist movement.
Heidi Wong explores the real history of violence in South Korea: examining the Raincoat Killer, the Hwaseong murders, the Gangnam Station attack, and how these crimes shaped a brutal meditation on revenge: I Saw the Devil.
Content Warning: This ep
A Family Curse That Spanned Generations
A cult that raised children to obey without question. A bloodline marked by mental illness. And a legacy of suicide that refused to end. Heidi Wong uncovers the real stories of generational trauma, spiritual manipulation, and inherited suffering that reveal how “family curses” are built, and how those horrors echo through Ari Aster’s Hereditary.
Content Warning: This episode contains discussion o
Ticci Toby: The Creepypasta That Defined Internet Horror
It started as a story online.
A troubled teenager. A violent transformation. A character that felt just real enough to stick in your head long after you stopped reading.
Ticci Toby became one of the defining figures of early internet horror: part of a wave of creepypastas that spread through forums, YouTube, and late-night scrolling sessions.
But these stories weren’t just about fear.
They were ab
The Russian Sleep Experiment and Other Internet Nightmares
What would happen if someone stayed awake for fifteen days?
In this episode of Twisted Tales, Heidi Wong explores three legendary Creepypastas about science experiments that spiral into nightmare territory.
From the infamous Russian Sleep Experiment to disturbing stories about sensory deprivation and immortality research, these internet horror legends blur the line between fiction and reality.
Lis
The Curse That Followed People Home
A daughter tortured in the name of faith. A school overtaken by mass possession. And an online “game” blamed for real deaths. Heidi Wong explores the real-world events behind Incantation: examining shared psychosis, cultural possession, the Blue Whale panic, and how belief can override logic, medicine, and reality itself.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https:
The Underground City That Inspired a Horror Film
Hidden tunnels beneath familiar streets. Stories of powerful men operating in secret. And a myth that refuses to disappear. Heidi Wong reveals the true origins of underground city legends, conspiracy theories, and the fear that civilization is built on something we’re not supposed to see.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudi
The Internet Myth That Refused to Stay Fiction (The Empty Man Explained!)
A monster born in the Himalayas. A legend created on an internet forum. And violence sparked by belief alone. Heidi Wong uncovers the true stories behind The Empty Man: from ancient tulpa lore and occult thought-forms to Slender Man, online mythmaking, and the real-world stabbing that proved belief can turn fiction into reality.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode:
The Killer Behind the Mask (Your Scream 7 Cheat Sheet!)
A killer who watched from the windows. A town students were too afraid to walk through. And a franchise born from real terror. Heidi Wong tells the true origin of Scream’s Ghostface: from Danny Rolling’s brutal attacks to the confession that later ignited Kevin Williamson’s iconic screenplay.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehouses
The Scientific Expedition That Ended in Madness (Annihilation Explained!)
A nuclear blast disguised as a meteor. A room that reads your mind. And three men who saved the world underwater. Heidi Wong dives into the real events and films that shaped Annihilation from the secret of the Kyshtym disaster to the Chernobyl divers who saved the world underwater.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios
If
The Chilling UFO Encounter That Shocked a Family
A town where people vanish without a trace. A pilot stalked by lights no one else could see. And a sky filled with secrets that defy explanation. Heidi Wong uncovers the true stories behind The Fourth Kind: from Nome’s disappearances and the Alaska Triangle to the JAL 1628 UFO encounter, owl lore, HAARP conspiracies, and the legend of Alaska’s Dark Pyramid.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube c
Deadly Chefs and Kitchen Horrors (The Menu Explained!)
A gravedigger and chef who stewed a man’s body. A husband who disposed of his wife through culinary skill. And a celebrated caterer who killed for money.Heidi Wong reveals the true crimes that mirror The Menu: the shocking cases of Philippe Schneider, David Viens, Stephen Port, and Nancy Brophy, proving that some chefs take their craft far too far.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to
A Powerful Family, a Trail of Deaths, and a House Built on Secrets (Mike Flanagan's The Fall of the House of Usher Explained!)
A family built on blood money. A curse born in a colonial basement. And a mansion that swallowed its sins. Heidi Wong uncovers everything from the real family history behind Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” to the Sackler family that inspired Mike Flanagan’s modern retelling.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehouse
The Mining Disaster That Turned a Town Into a Death Trap (Return to Silent Hill Cheat Sheet!)
A town cursed by murder. A fire that’s been burning for 60 years. And a community swallowed by the earth. Heidi Wong uncovers the true story behind Silent Hill: the Pennsylvania mining town of Centralia, where greed, tragedy, and flame turned reality into a nightmare.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios
If you’re new here
A Family Surrounded by Death (Longlegs Explained!)
A filmmaker haunted by his family’s past. A doll that mirrored a tragedy. And a story born from grief, faith, and fear. Heidi Wong explores the real inspirations behind Osgood Perkins’s Longlegs: from Anthony Perkins’s hidden legacy to the JonBenét Ramsey “My Twinn” doll and the dark folklore of sympathetic magic.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.yo
Crimes So Disturbing They Were Almost Unfilmable
A killer who turned skin into furniture. A journalist murdered for a story. And a podcaster killed by her biggest fan. Heidi Wong uncovers the real stories behind Kevin Smith’s Tusk, from Ed Gein’s skin suits to Kim Wall’s submarine murder and Zohreh Sadeghi’s tragic death, where obsession turned fatal.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@
The Crimes Behind Japan’s Curse Legends (The Grudge Explained!)
A curse born in blood. A spirit fueled by rage. And three ghosts who never rest. Heidi Wong uncovers the real Japanese ghost stories behind The Grudge and Ju-On — from Okiku’s haunted well to Oiwa’s poisoned face and Otsuyu’s deadly lantern.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios
If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Tw
Haunted Hotels and Unexplained Deaths
A woman found dead at a seaside resort. A man murdered in a locked hotel room. And two ghosts who never checked out. Heidi Wong uncovers the terrifying true stories behind Stephen King’s 1408: from Kate Morgan’s haunted room at the Hotel del Coronado to the unsolved killing of Artemus Ogletree at the Hotel President.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://ww
People Who Predicted Their Own Deaths (The Final Destination Universe Explained!)
A writer who predicted the Titanic disaster. A child who dreamed of her own death. And a president haunted by a vision of his own funeral. Heidi Wong uncovers the chilling true stories from the Titanic premonition to the Aberfan disaster and Abraham Lincoln’s prophetic dream that prove Final Destination might not be fiction after all.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this e
Ancient Rituals That Still Haunt Modern Crime (Midsommar Explained!)
A Swedish legend of dancing with the devil. A medieval plague that made people dance to death. And a modern town haunted by a phantom attacker. Heidi Wong uncovers how real cases of hysteria, ritual, and belief inspired Midsommar and prove that madness spreads faster than any curse.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios
If
The Cult That Turned Deadly
A leader worshiped as a god. A paradise built on lies. And a thousand followers led to their deaths. Heidi Wong reveals how Jim Jones’s Jonestown became one of history’s deadliest cults — and how its horrors were mirrored in Ti West’s The Sacrament.
Head over to our Twisted Tales YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios
If you’re new here, don’t forget to
Lives Destroyed by the Pursuit of Perfection (The Substance Explained!)
A bodybuilder who murdered for love. A beauty influencer killed for her fame. And a countess who bathed in blood to stay young. Heidi Wong uncovers the terrifying true stories of obsession, vanity, and violence that mirror the nightmare of The Substance: where the pursuit of perfection turns deadly.
Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen w
The Camping Trip That Turned Fatal (Friday the 13th Explained!)
A lakeside camping trip ends in blood. A quiet cabin becomes a house of horrors. And the killers were never caught. Heidi Wong tells the real stories that inspired Friday the 13th and The Strangers: the true tales of isolation, fear, and murder that haunt horror’s most famous cabins.
Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get
Doppelgänger Encounters That Turned Deadly (Get Out Explained!)
A vanished child returns as a stranger. A beauty blogger’s twin becomes her killer. A man’s life is stolen by his lookalike. Heidi Wong exposes the real doppelgänger cases that turned myth into murder, and inspired Jordan Peele’s Us, where the scariest enemy is your own reflection.Episode Sponsor:Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and
The Cases That Put Exorcism Under Investigation (The Conjuring Universe Revisited!)
Step beyond the screen and into the real-life terror behind The Conjuring Universe. Heidi explores the Perron family’s decade-long haunting in a Rhode Island farmhouse and the sinister origins of Annabelle the Doll. From ghostly apparitions to demonic encounters, these true horror stories prove that reality can be far scarier than fiction.
Episode Sponsor:
Step into the holiday season with layers
Cursed Objects and Cannibal Wastelands (The Ring & The Hills Have Eyes Explained!)
A servant murdered and thrown into a castle well. A ghost story that cursed generations. And a family of cannibals who devoured travelers in the night. Heidi uncovers the folklore of Okiku and Sawney Beane, the true stories that inspired Ringu, The Ring, and Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes.
Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever
The Dark Truths Behind a Notorious Witchcraft Panic (American Horror Story: Coven Explained!)
The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. A sadistic aristocrat with a torture chamber. And a crazed killer with an axe. Heidi uncovers the real stories of Marie Laveau, Madame LaLaurie, and the Axeman of New Orleans: the real people that inspired American Horror Story: Coven.
Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
D
When Real Crimes Turned Buildings Into Haunted Legends (The Shining and The Amityville Horror Explained!)
A luxury hotel in the Colorado mountains where ghostly music still echoes. A quiet Long Island home where six family members were murdered in their sleep. Heidi uncovers the chilling true stories of the Stanley Hotel and 112 Ocean Avenue: the real-life terrors that inspired The Shining and The Amityville Horror.
Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Stud
Possession, Murder, and the Case That Tested the Law (The Conjuring Universe Explained!)
The farmhouse in Rhode Island. The malevolent spirit that tormented a family for years. And Annabelle, a doll possessed by a demon. Heidi uncovers the true stories behind the Conjuring universe that are far darker than Hollywood could ever show.
Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Don’t Miss out on all th
New Podcast: Twisted Tales!
Paranormal obsessive Heidi Wong takes you beyond the movies and into the shadows. Twisted Tales unearths the TRUE stories behind the world’s most terrifying horror films. Stories of haunted dolls, cursed houses, and real-life nightmares too twisted for Hollywood to touch. These aren’t just legends. They happened.Some stories are stranger than fiction. These are darker.New episodes every Monday. Tw
Recommended
Bad Friends
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
The Joe Rogan Experience
Dream Chasers and Eccentrics
Marketing Vitals - On the Pulse of Healthcare
Reading the Psalms
Mosaic - Erwin McManus
Shutdown Fullcast
The Language Of God
Second Act Sessions
Mastering Your Small Business Finances ~ Money Management, Bookkeeping, Entrepreneurship, Side Hustle, Accounting, Cash Flow,
Success In Mind; Motivation, and Inspiration for Entrepreneurs
