Talks From The Crypt: Horror and True Crime Talks From The Crypt

Bill Moseley, best known for his iconic roles as Chop Top in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2" and Otis B. Driftwood in Rob Zombie's ‘House of 1000 Corpses’ trilogy, joins us in the Crypt to discuss behind-the-scenes details of his most notorious roles and the path that led him to horror stardom.

From his early days as Chop Top to his career-defining role as Otis in Rob Zombie's films, Bill walks us through his unexpected entry into acting after a career in journalism, his encounter with the Manson Family, and his reflections on working with visionary directors like Rob Zombie, Sam Raimi, Clint Eastwood, and Tobe Hooper.

Hear how Bill Moseley embraces the world of horror both on and off the screen, his thoughts on the evolution of the genre, and personal anecdotes with fellow horror icons. From behind-the-scenes memories to insights into the art of terror, we'll explore what '3 From Hell' would have been like with Captain Spaulding, favorite horror films, personal fears, and more.

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Bill Moseley – https://instagram.com/choptopmoseley / http://www.choptopsbbq.com/

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CHAPTERS:

00:00-Introduction

01:03-The Start of Bill Moseley’s Acting Career

04:20-Halloween Traditions, Grave Rubbing Misadventures with Police at a Cemetery

07:46-Early Influences: Horror Hosts & Shock Theater

10:54-Pitching a Short Film to SNL & Tobe Hooper

24:03-Playing Dead in Movies is Harder Than it Looks

26:07-Tobe Hooper and Kit Carson offer the role of Chop Top

28:15-First Hollywood Heartbreak

34:12-Not Having A Goal to Act

37:38-Getting the role of Chop Top in ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2’, How He Felt About the Comedic Tones

43:59-Preparing to Play Chop Top As His First Role, Warehouse Caught On Fire?

50:12-TCM2 Censorship Battles & Drive-In Fame, Public Reception, and Moving to Hollywood

54:56-What Bill's Portrayal of Otis Was Like Before Rob Pried His Hands Off of Chop Top, ‘House of 1000 Corpses’

58:39-Filming ‘House of 1000 Corpses’ on the Universal Studios Backlot

1:00:28-How Columbine and 9/11 Impacted the Distribution for ‘House of 1000 Corpses’, Universal Studios Dropped the Movie

1:05:20-Behind 'The Devil's Rejects': Deleted Scenes & Character Evolution

1:08:02-Bill's Motel Scene with Priscilla Barnes, Almost Backing Out. "Art is not safe.”

1:15:55-Winning the Audience Over Despite Playing Despicable Characters, 'Tutti F**kin' Frutti'

1:17:28-Getting Pitched '3 From Hell'

1:23:00-Sid Haig's Health, What 3 From Hell Would Have Been Like With Captain Spaulding

1:25:12-‘3 From Hell’ Was Made in Only 20 Days, Richard Brake's Performance

1:29:15-Launching into Horror Stardom, Working With Various Directors, & Getting to Play Chop Top Again

1:35:55-How Bill Moseley Prepares to Play His Characters

1:40:05-What if Bill Had Never Entered Hollywood?

1:45:02-Traveling the World, the Middle East, and Fears

1:49:58-Acting in a Play that The Manson Family Came to Watch, Spirits of The Theatre

1:58:22-Venturing into Musicals with 'Repo: The Genetic Opera'

2:00:04-Still Working As An Actor, Getting Older In Horror, Young Directors, Favorite Horror Films, The Beauty of the Horror Genre, Living in the Moment

2:05:06-Outro


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Museum of Death owners/curators, JD Healy and Cathee Shultz, join us in the Crypt for Episode 11 to guide us through the eerie corridors of their world-famous museum, located in Hollywood, CA and New Orleans, LA.

We'll uncover the origins of the museum, the fascinating stories behind the acquisition of their gruesome collection, and the chilling artifacts that starkly remind us of life's fragility. From serial killer memorabilia gifted to them by the killers themselves, to mortician's tools and autopsy rooms, we explore the museum's most haunting exhibits and the impact they have on visitors.

Learn about the history, mission, and controversies surrounding this unique museum that continues to captivate and horrify visitors from around the globe after nearly 3 decades. Thoughts on afterlife, the paranormal, personal relationships with serial killers, GG Allin & The Murder Junkies, Kenneth Anger, and more!

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Follow us:

Talks From The Crypt – https://instagram.com/talksfromthecrypt / https://talksfromthecrypt.com  

Museum of Death – https://www.museumofdeath.net

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Warning
00:26 – Introduction
01:09 – Losing Money in Vegas
02:13 – Getting Recognized In Public For Owning the Museum of Death, The Goal of the Museum
06:08 – JD and Cathee Getting GG Allin Exhumed and Putting His Body On Display
09:23 – Todd Phillips Making ‘Hated’, Getting Arrested with GG Allin, & Joker / Heath Ledger Warned By Jack Nicholson
11:26 – Actors Winning Posthumous Awards
13:36 – The Museum of Death Started As A Gallery in San Diego's First Mortuary That Was Haunted, A Ghost Attacked Them
24:58 – JD & Cathee's Gallery Evolution, Covering Insane Topics No One Else Would Cover
27:51 – Early Issues and Controversy They Went Through, Investigators Came Through & The City Wanted to Shut Them Down
31:02 – Where Their Fascination With Death Was Born
33:14 – The Ethics of Kevorkian, Owning His Death Machine
35:40 – Death is Only Hard For The Living
37:22 – Reincarnation, What Comes After Death? JD and Cathee Will Have Their Bodies On Display at the Museum When They Die / Putting the Fun back in Funeral
43:22 – PT Barnum Taxidermed His Dead Elephant & Put Him on Display
45:09 – Becoming an "Overnight Success" After 28 Years, Death Follows Them Around, John Wayne Gacy Used to Call Cathee at Night, Someone Died Above the Museum
48:43 – The Evolution of the Museum of Death, The Start of Their Death Collection, Making a Return on Murderabilia & Crime Scene Photos
52:37 – People Would Pass Out In The Museum Looking at Photographs of “The Couple"
56:06 – How they get their items, like the decapitaded head of the bluebeard of france / how much a human head costs
1:02:48 – The infamous story of "the hand", an amputated hand that was randomly dropped off at the Museum of Death
1:16:20 – Gifted items to the Museum of Death, Kenneth Anger, Black Dahlia Photos, detectives would secretly gift them items
1:18:15 – What's Too Far? What Items Will They Not Take? A post-mortem scandal with a west coast college
1:20:00 – Celebrities offer items, like clothing from the exhumation of Rebecca Schaffer and the socks Sam Kinison died in
1:22:32 – The balance of shock and education, why do people want to see these things?
1:26:15 – Heaven's Gate, JD and Cathee own the real outfits and bed from the crime scene, how they got it
1:34:14 – We're All Fortunate to be Alive - You Can Die at Any Moment
1:35:44 – Would They Remove Something From The Museum if Someone Asked, When People Have asked if they could remove an item
1:39:32 – Moving the Museum of Death of New Orleans / Most of Us Die in Our Sleep / We All Die, So Do What You Love
1:44:29 – Cremation, Reincarnation, Afterlife, Ghosts, and Legal Execution
1:49:54 – Making Death Palatable, favorite items
1:52:01 – Outro


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Grimmlife Collective joins us in the Crypt for Episode 10, unveiling their journey from early struggles to iconic moments at horror conventions, and their ventures into the grim side of culture across the globe. Join us as we explore their artistic process, the emotional toll of delving into true crime, and their encounters with the paranormal. We'll discuss the difficulties of covering cases like Ted Bundy, Michael's harrowing near-death encounter, and a haunting glimpse of a real apparition. Afterlife theories, ghostly experiences, the magic of movies / filming locations, eerie adventures, and more!



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Follow us:



Talks From The Crypt – https://instagram.com/talksfromthecrypt / https://talksfromthecrypt.com 



Grimmlife Collective – https://instagram.com/grimmlifecollective / https://grimmlifecollective.com 



Jessica Kolence – https://instagram.com/witchydame / https://grimmlifecollective.com 



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CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Intro
01:29 – Destined Paths, How Michael & Jessica Met
03:54 – The Essence of Grimmlife Collective: The Travel Channel of Horror
05:18 – Tracing the Roots of Fear, exploring where Michael and Jessica’s fascination with fear began
09:28 – RL Stine's Mysterious Gift to Michael and Jessica
12:02 – The early days: How Grimmlife started as a blog and transitioned to YouTube
13:40 – How Jessica became an integral part of Grimmlife Collective
15:50 – You never get used to being on camera
18:45 – One-Take Wonders: The Grimmlife Filming Process and Michael’s Computer Brain
23:49 – How Michael and Jessica Collaborate on Ideas
29:05 – Jessica wasn't always Grimmlife's co-host, “the nitty gritty”
31:57 – Overcoming challenges and almost quitting: The early struggles of starting a channel
35:29 – A Full-Circle Moment, Bridging the gap of the internet and horror conventions
36:59 – From interviewing celebs at horror cons, to being first YouTubers at conventions
40:11 – Exploring dark travels and history: The grim side of culture in the U.S. and abroad
43:36 – A mysterious trip to a German town that doesn’t exist and visiting the Nosferatu (1922) filming locations
48:12 – Keeping content fresh and the challenges of recreating movie magic
53:46 – Stanley Kubrick built an exact replica of The Ahwahnee for The Shining
55:12 – Addressing Shelley Duvall Controversy and Producing a new horror film "The Forest Hills"
1:01:42 – Getting kicked out of locations
1:07:08 – The delicate balance of exploring sensitive locations and where to draw the line
1:14:46 – Discussing the emotional toll of covering cases like Ted Bundy's
1:20:09 – The complexities of covering sensitive murder cases like Ed Gein and Albert Fish
1:23:07 – Do Michael and Jessica believe in the paranormal? Insights from real experiences.
1:27:41 – Ghostly encounters and the history behind Grimmlife's ghost tours
1:32:00 – The Haunting of The Old Sorrel Weed House, Michael shows a photo of him with a real apparition
1:33:23 – Questioning the validity of ghost stories and what it takes to believe
1:36:10 – Modern ghost hunting shows and their authenticity
1:40:01 – Jessica opens up about her sensitivity to paranormal activity
1:44:05 – Michael's Near Death Experience and Insane Ghost Story
1:50:31 – Contemplating the afterlife: Theories and beliefs
1:54:45 – The Functionality of Horror - Lovecraft vs. King
1:58:32 – Michael almost became a catholic priest but was kicked out of the church
2:01:15 – Grimmlife Hits Hollywood – Moving to LA, when this became a real career
2:14:11 – LA's Impact on Grimmlife Collective
2:19:37 – Richard Ramirez causes Michael and Jessica to change their residence
2:24:03 – Identifying the moment Grimmlife's channel ascended to new heights
2:26:24 – Horror's Inner Circle, Entering the Convention Scene, and Dealin

Explore the dark recesses of the criminal mind as true crime legend Harold Schechter joins us in the Crypt. Listen closely as we dissect the intriguing world of collecting murder memorabilia, hear never-before-released audio of Ed Gein’s voice, and unravel the psychology behind our fascination with monsters and serial killers.



In this expansive conversation, we peel back the layers on his captivating new book, 'Murderabilia: A History of Crime in 100 Objects’, get details on Harold Schechter's real-time reaction of hearing Ed Gein’s voice, and find out if this alters the psychological profile of Gein.



We also tackle the defining 'signature crimes' of each era, the media's role in glamorizing them, the horrific tales of Albert Fish, BTK, Son of Sam, John Wayne Gacy, and Harold's selection process when it comes to choosing the deranged subjects of his novels.



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Follow us:



Talks From The Crypt – https://instagram.com/talksfromthecrypt / https://talksfromthecrypt.com



Harold Schechter – https://haroldschechter.com / https://facebook.com/HaroldSchechterAuthor

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Order a copy of Harold’s newest book, “Murderabilia: A History of Crime in 100 Objects” – https://haroldschechter.com/books/murderabilia

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Warning
00:28 – Introduction
01:25 – Harold & Brandon’s Bad Luck
02:08 – Murderabilia: A History of Crime in 100 Objects
05:50 – Collecting “Murderabilia” Dates Back to the 1600’s
10:11 – The Moral Issues Surrounding True Crime & Collecting Murderabilia
12:35 – Murder Ballads
15:11 – Telling a History of Murder in 100 Random Objects
16:22 – Items Harold Could Not Use In His Book
19:08 – Augusta Gein’s, Ed Gein’s Mother, Crucifix Was Gifted
22:55 – New Ed Gein Evidence, Voice Heard For the First Time
24:31 – Harold Schechter Reacts to Hearing Ed Gein’s Voice For The First Time, what he thought it would sound like, vs. what it actually sounded like
27:30 – Did hearing Gein's voice change anything in his psychological profile?
32:33 – Ed Gein Was NOT a Serial Killer, what the term means and where it came from
37:12 – Will Plainfield Ever Exhume More Bodies?
39:12 – Did Ed Gein ever dig up his mother? / HH Holmes Was Afraid That He Woulds Be Grave Robbed
40:56 – The Growing Interest In Ed Gein
42:18 – Robert Bloch (Author of Psycho) only lived 30 miles from Ed Gein When It Happened
44:25 – Albert Fish, Who He Is and Why More People Don’t Know of Him
47:41 – Albert Fish’s Insane Masochism
49:27 – How Long Albert Fish Got Away With His Crimes & How He Got Caught
54:53 – How Albert Fish Preyed & Murdered
55:58 – Harold Was In Contact With Albert Fish’s Legendary Defense Lawyer
59:41 – Harold Visited The Murder Location of Grace Budd
1:03:06 – The Psychological Function of True Crime
1:06:53 – The “Boogeyman” of Harold’s Generation / His Love For Horror / What Scared Him Growing Up
1:09:47 – Signature crimes that define each era / Living in the era of mass murderers
1:14:31 – The Difference Between Mass Murderers & Serial Killers
1:16:07 – History of Mass Murderers / Howard Unruh (The first mass shooting)
1:18:23 – How Much Media Glamorizes Crime / BTK, Son of Sam
1:23:28 – How Harold Schechter Chooses A Killer To Write About
1:27:03 – The Psychological Reason We Are Fascinated By Monsters
1:30:49 – Verifying Stories as far back as the 1800’s / HH Holmes
1:33:05 – AI / ChatGPT Taking Over The World / ChatGPT Wrote Harold A Fake True Crime Story
1:36:59 – Does a fascination in horror & true crime make us more okay with death or more scared of it?
1:42:36 – Why Harold Doesn’t Have Social Media / Go Buy Murderabilia: A History of Crime in 100 Objects
1:44:36 – Outro


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talksfromthecrypt/support

Venture into the depths of the Black Hills Forest as both directors of “The Blair Witch Project”, Dan Myrick and Ed Sanchez, join us on this episode of Talks From The Crypt to uncover the secrets behind one of the world’s most influential horror films of all time.

Hear exclusive behind-the-scenes stories that turned a low-budget indie film into a global phenomenon.From its inception to the legacy it left behind, learn about the creative process that brought worldwide attention to an entirely ‘new’ subgenre of horror: found footage. Explore the threads that link "The Blair Witch Project" to other iconic films, including "Cannibal Holocaust", “Faces of Death”, “Man Bites Dog” "Paranormal Activity", and "Cloverfield".

Go beyond Blair Witch as we touch upon their inspirations from classics like “The Omen”, “Jacob’s Ladder”, “The Shining”, and “Amityville Horror”. At the end of the episode, Dan and Ed respond to the world's most controversial myths and rumors that have entangled the film for 24 years.



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Follow us:

Talks From The Crypt – https://instagram.com/talksfromthecrypt / https://talksfromthecrypt.com

Ed Sanchez – https://instagram.com/sanchezonthemic / https://haxan.com

Dan Myrick – https://instagram.com/dan_myrick / https://gangofrobots.com

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Teaser
00:17 – Introduction
00:58 – Dan and Eduardo's Reunion
01:51 – Discussing "The Blair Witch Project" After 24 Years
03:22 – Blair Witch's Popularity & Impact
05:27 – Trailblazing Viral Marketing: “Paranormal Activity” & ”Skinamarink”
06:53 – Internet's Early Days: Misinformation and New Standards
09:22 – Found Footage Pioneers: "Cannibal Holocaust", "Man Bites Dog", "Faces of Death"
13:01 – Coming Up With ”The Blair Witch Project” – One Idea Started It All
15:44 – The State of Collaboration in Film Industry
18:28 – Why Ed & Dan Stopped Collaborating After Blair Witch
23:07 – Dan and Ed's Individual Contributions to Blair Witch
25:32 – Future Collaborations Between Dan and Ed?
27:15 – Reflecting on Their Working Relationship
28:40 – Casting and Selling Fiction as Reality: How They Convinced the World That Heather, Mike, and Josh Were Dead & The Casting Process
32:23 – Doubts Surrounding ”The Blair Witch Project’s” Success
34:36 – The First Screening: Sundance 1999
37:15 – The Moment They Realized “The Blair Witch Project” Redefined Horror
41:09 – Selling the Blair Witch IP: Any Regrets or Creative Control?
43:00 – Satisfaction with Selling the IP to Artisan
45:15 – Blurring the Lines Between Fiction and Reality: Influence on True Crime
49:07 – Could ”The Blair Witch Project” Be Pulled Off Today?
51:50 – Thoughts on Later Found Footage Films: ”Paranormal Activity”, ”Cloverfield”
53:04 – Favorite Horror Subgenres and Films: “The Omen”, “The Shining”, ”It’s Alive”, ”Amityville Horror”
56:57 – Dan & Ed's Current Projects
1:00:37 – The Challenges of Indie Filmmaking
1:02:27 – FACT OR FICTION - Dan and Ed respond to the world's most controversial myths and rumors surrounding ”The Blair Witch Project” (Crypt Notes)
1:02:54 – Crypt Note 1 – Alternate Endings & Fate of the Characters Explained
1:04:50 – Crypt Note 1b– Insight into the Film's Original Cut: ”The Blair Witch Project” Ending Explained
1:08:41 – Crypt Note 2 – The Bundle of Sticks Contained Actual Human Teeth and Hair
1:09:26 – Crypt Note 3 – An 'Actual Witch' is Seen In The Movie
1:12:34 – Crypt Note 4 – Heather Donahue’s Mother Received sympathy Cards from people who believed her daughter was actually dead or missing
1:12:50 – Crypt Note 5 – The actors were given less and less food each day of shooting to promote discord between them on-set
1:14:20 – Crypt Note 6 – One of the cameras was bought at Circuit City and was returned after shoot

Delve into the extraordinary life and career of iconic actor and author Michael Berryman, as we get into the tales and fascinating experiences that shaped his journey on this episode of Talks from the Crypt.


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Follow us:
Talks From The Crypt – https://instagram.com/talksfromthecrypt / https://talksfromthecrypt.com
Michael Berryman – https://instagram.com/michaelberryman_official / https://michaelberryman.com

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Teaser
00:23 - Introduction
01:35 - Michael Berryman's Book – "It's All Good! A Michael Berryman Memoir...In My Own Words"
03:41 - Michael's Father's Exposure to the Atomic Bomb Dropped in Hiroshima & Nagasaki, The Effects of Nuclear Radiation
07:41 - Michael's Father, A World Renowned Neurosurgeon
09:25 - Michael's Father Ran Tests on Michael's Brain
12:10 - Michael's Time in Catholic School
14:26 - 'Dogma' Means Control
17:08 - The Lessons of Catholicism
18:48 - The Dark Side of Catholicism
22:52 - The Pain & Suffering of Hell
24:31 - Michael's First "Acting Role" as an Altar Boy, Going to Church with Hollywood Royalty at St. Marten of Tours
27:18 - Through the Eyes of the Child Michael Berryman
28:53 - The 60's Revolution - Music, Culture, and Meeting Joni Mitchell at the Troubadour
33:04 - The Military Industrial Complex - An Era of War
39:41 - Growing Up Around the War and Nuclear Bombs
44:02 - Michael's Family Involvement with Indigenous Native American Tribes, How They Saved His Grandmother's Life
49:24 - Movies At The Time That Changed Michael's Perspective - 2001: A Space Odyssey, Universal Monsters, and The Exorcist
51:21 - Michael's Experience with Real Exorcisms
52:29 - Having Nightmares
53:35 - The Psychological Satisfaction of Fear - The Origins of Haunted Houses
56:25 - Films That Influenced Michael's Acting Career
59:27 - Growing Up With the Fear of a Nuclear Holocaust, Modern Youth's Challenges, and Corporate Globalism
01:01:13 - Science Fiction Movies and Cautionary Tales
01:08:28 - Living through Hillside Strangler, Manson, Ramirez / Michael's Run-In With a Charles Manson Copycat
01:11:38 - Wes Craven’s “The Last House on The Left” Changed Horror Forever
01:12:45 - Being into Horror Throughout Life / Scaring the Babysitter
01:14:47 - Universal Monsters
01:15:34 - Hammer Remakes of Universal Monsters
01:16:02 - Blacula / Ken Foree
01:16:37 - Why Michael Loves Starring in Horror Films
01:18:00 - How the Film & Horror Industry Have Evolved Over the Years of His Acting Career
01:20:53 - Independent & International Films
01:22:52 - Michael's Start as an Actor in Hollywood
01:27:21 - Filming Doc Savage
01:28:41 - Being Cast in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest as a Lobotomy Patient
01:31:05 - Filming One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest in Salem
01:32:28 - Getting to know Jack Nicholson, Christopher Lloyd, Louise Fletcher, and Danny DeVito While Filming One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
01:33:40 - Partying with Christopher Lloyd while Filming One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
01:36:00 - Jack Nicholson Walking Off the Set of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
01:39:20 - Running into 'Film Families' at Horror Conventions
01:41:33 - Spending Time with Real Mental Patients
01:46:43 - Louise Fletcher's (Nurse Ratched) Controversial Oscar Winning Speech
01:49:25 - Watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with Michael's Father Before His Passing
01:50:36 - Getting Cast into The Hills Have Eyes / His Reaction to Working with Wes craven & the Violent Script for His First Horror Film
01:52:03 - The Brutal and Ironic Theme of The Hills Have Eyes – Family Values
01:53:07 - Michael's Health Conditions While Filming The Hills Have Eyes
01:54:32 - Ruggero Deodato's "Cut and Run" / Staying in Good Health While Filming
01:56:54 - Talking with Fans at Horror Conventions
01:57:54 - Do Celebrities Enjoy Doing Conventions? / Robert Englund & Norman Reedus
01:59:53 - The Most important Aspect of an Actor's Life
02:01:56 - What Michael Berryman Is Up To Now
02:04:28 - Michael's Philosophy and Adv