Episodes

  • Creepy Fairy Tale Origin Stories of The Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood & Hansel and Gretel

    Creepy Fairy Tale Origin Stories of The Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood & Hansel and Gretel
    Nov 16 2024
    What a Creep
    Season 27, Episode 5
    Creepy Fairy Tale Origin Stories!

    Forget everything you learned from animated films… several beloved fairy tales are far from the joyous Disney creatures we have all seen since childhood. This episode discusses the dark worlds behind Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, and Hansel and Gretel. The sanitized versions of these fairy tales we share today keep only hints of these origins, but the eerie stories lurking beneath the surface remind us that fairy tales weren’t always about happy endings.
    Sources for this episode:
    • Snow White Writes
    • How Stuff Works
    • British Youth Music Theater
    • All That’s Interesting
    • East Rockaway Gull
    • Wikipedia The Little Mermaid
    • Wikipedia Little Red Riding Hood
    • Fairy Tales with Jen
    • The Resurrectionists
    • The Little Mermaid Abit Frank YouTube
    • Cinderella Abit Frank YouTube

    Trigger warning: Fictional Murder, Child Abduction, Werewolves, and Cannibalism
    Be sure to follow us on social media. But don’t follow us too closely … don’t be a creep about it!
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    • Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com
    • Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud
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    44 mins
  • Pat Robertson (700 Club of Creepiness) & NON-Creep Melissa McCarthy

    Pat Robertson (700 Club of Creepiness) & NON-Creep Melissa McCarthy
    Nov 8 2024
    What a Creep
    Season 27, Episode 4
    Pat Robertson

    Pat Robertson was a minister, televangelist, media mogul, and presidential candidate. He was head of Regent University and the Christian Broadcasting Network, where he hosted “The 700 Club.”
    He was also a creep who talked all kinds of crap about LGBTQ+ rights, feminism, race, and the right to abortion, all under the guise of religion, to a massive audience on his Christian Broadcasting Network. He was instrumental in creating the Christian Right movement, changing American politics forever, and paving the way for MAGA and Trump. What a creep!
    Sources for this episode:

    • Advocate
    • AP News
    • Esquire
    • Mother Jones
    • New York Times
    • New York Times
    • Rolling Stone
    • Washington Post
    • Wikipedia
    • Wikipedia (all of his controversies needed its own Wikipedia page)

    Trigger warning: Racism, sexism, homophobia - this creep has everything
    Be sure to follow us on social media. But don’t follow us too closely … don’t be a creep about it!
    • Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts
    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/CreepPod @CreepPod
    • Facebook: Join the private group!
    • Instagram @WhatACreepPodcast
    • Visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreep
    • Email: WhatACreepPodcast@gmail.com
    • We’ve got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#
    • Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com
    • Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud
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    50 mins
  • Harry Powers & the Inspiration for "The Night of the Hunter"

    Harry Powers & the Inspiration for "The Night of the Hunter"
    Nov 1 2024
    What a CreepHarry Powers: The Inspiration for “The Night of the Hunter”Season 27, Episode 3Harry Powers, often called the "Lonely Hearts Killer," was a notorious American serial killer active in the early 1930s. Born Herman Drenth in the Netherlands in 1892, he emigrated to the United States and eventually settled in West Virginia. Powers used personal ads in newspapers to target his victims, posing as a lonely, wealthy bachelor seeking companionship. He lured women, often widows or divorcées, with promises of marriage and financial security. In 1931, Powers was arrested and charged with the murders of Asta Eicher, a widow from Illinois, her three children, and another woman named Dorothy Lemke from Massachusetts.His murders were shockingly brutal; he confined his victims in a hidden room in his garage before killing them. After murdering his victims, Powers took their money and belongings. Powers' trial received extensive media coverage due to the horrific details and his manipulative use of "lonely hearts" ads. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death, being hanged on March 18, 1932, in Moundsville, West Virginia. His crimes have inspired books and films, solidifying his infamy as a symbol of betrayal in love and trust. Harry Powers was also a significant inspiration for the novel and subsequent film The Night of the Hunter. The novel was written by Davis Grubb in 1953 and adapted into a film in 1955. (We covered this on one of my other shows, Book Vs. Movie!) Content Warning: Murder Sources for this episode:· West Virginia Archives & History:· The Hur Herald· Wikipedia· West Virginia University Libraries:· Murderpedia:· Serial Killer: The Quiet Dell Killer· West Virginia’s Lonely Hearts Killer by Angela Fielder· Newspapers.com: The History of Lonely-Hearts Ads· YouTube “Well, I Never”· YouTube “Appalachian Monsters…”· YouTube “Scary Facts”Be sure to follow us on social media. But don’t follow us too closely … don’t be a creep about it! Subscribe to us on Apple PodcastsTwitter: https://twitter.com/CreepPod @CreepPodFacebook: Join the private group! Instagram @WhatACreepPodcastVisit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreepEmail: WhatACreepPodcast@gmail.com We’ve got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud
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    55 mins
  • People Who Try to Ruin Halloween & Our NON-Creep Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

    People Who Try to Ruin Halloween & Our NON-Creep Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
    Oct 25 2024
    What a Creep
    Season 27, Episode 2
    People Who Try to Ruin Halloween

    Put on your costume and get out your Halloween candy. Let’s talk about the creeps that try to ruin Halloween.
    Sources for this episode

    • A&E TV
    • Buzzfeed
    • Huffington Post
    • Parents
    • Nonprofit Quarterly
    • NPR
    • NPR
    • ScaryMommy
    • Today Show
    • Wikipedia for poisoned candy myths
    • Wikipedia for Ronald Clark O’Bryan

    Be sure to follow us on social media. But don’t follow us too closely … don’t be a creep about it!
    • Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts
    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/CreepPod @CreepPod
    • Facebook: Join the private group!
    • Instagram @WhatACreepPodcast
    • Visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreep
    • Email: WhatACreepPodcast@gmail.com
    • We’ve got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#
    • Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com
    • Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • The Salem Witch Trials and NON-Creep Margaret Hamilton (The "Bad" Witch)

    The Salem Witch Trials and NON-Creep Margaret Hamilton (The "Bad" Witch)
    Oct 18 2024
    What a CreepThe Salem Witch TrialsSeason 27, Episode 1The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions that took place in colonial Massachusetts from February 1692 to May 1693. These trials resulted in the execution of 20 individuals, most of whom were women, who were accused of practicing witchcraft. The hysteria began in the Puritan village of Salem, which is now present-day Danvers, but the panic quickly spread to other communities in the region. In this episode, we explore what life was like in Salem Village and examine the factors that led nearly 20% of its population to believe that they or their neighbors were involved in witchcraft. Trigger Warnings: Description of executions and religious abuse. Sources for this episode:The Salem Witch Trials TEDTalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVd8kuufBhMHistory Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wEenXmeRHgSmithsonian Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHm2vttW0QoWeird History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSWyevQzEF8Wikipedia:Crash Course European History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW4XFiHUQAsHistory.com: https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trialsSalem.org: https://www.salem.org/salem-witch-trials/Penn Today: https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/possessed-salem-witch-trialsNew England Law: https://www.nesl.edu/blog/detail/a-true-legal-horror-story-the-laws-leading-to-the-salem-witch-trialsSmithsonian magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/National Endowment for the Humanities: https://www.neh.gov/article/records-salem-witch-trialsBe sure to follow us on social media. But don’t follow us too closely … don’t be a creep about it! Subscribe to us on Apple PodcastsTwitter: https://twitter.com/CreepPod @CreepPodFacebook: Join the private group! Instagram @WhatACreepPodcastVisit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreepEmail: WhatACreepPodcast@gmail.com We’ve got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud
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    57 mins
  • Charlie Chaplin (Replay episode of The Little Tramp)

    Charlie Chaplin (Replay episode of The Little Tramp)
    Oct 11 2024
    What a Creep: Season 9, Episode 8 Replay!
    Charlie Chaplin

    Sonia & Margo replay their season nine Charlie Chaplin episode as he was one of the movie's most influential and recognizable faces. The image of the Little Tramp is a part of cultural history. It’s shorthand for classic film.

    Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, and composed the music for most of his movies. Six of Chaplin's films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress: “The Immigrant,” “The Kid,” “The Gold Rush,” “City Lights,” “Modern Times,” and “The Great Dictator.”

    Chaplin was also a womanizing control freak who had sex with underage girls.

    Sources for this episode include:
    • Charlie Chaplin's official website
    • “Charlie Chaplin” by Peter Ackroyd
    • Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life
    • The New Yorker
    • Ranker
    • Vice
    • Biography
    • Wikipedia

    I    f you want to learn more about silent movie history and Chaplin’s influence, check out the documentary, “Moguls & Movies Stars: A History of Hollywood”

    Trigger warning: Adultery and statutory rape.

    Be sure to follow us on social media, but don’t follow us too closely… don’t be a creep about it!

    • Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts
    • Twitter: https://twitter.com/CreepPod @CreepPod
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    • Visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreep
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    • Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com
    • Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud
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    41 mins
  • Roy Cohn, "The Apprentice," & his mentorship of Trump

    Roy Cohn, "The Apprentice," & his mentorship of Trump
    Oct 4 2024
    What a Creep: Roy Cohn(Updated Intro & Replay from Season 4)Roy Cohn (1927–1986) was a prominent American lawyer known for his involvement in controversial cases. He gained national attention as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s. After working with McCarthy, Cohn became a private attorney, representing clients like Donald Trump and mafia bosses. Cohn's manipulative strategies served as a foundation for Trump's later tactics in his political career. Allegations of unethical behavior marked Cohn's career, and he was disbarred in 1986 for professional misconduct. He died of AIDS-related complications shortly after. The Apprentice (2024), directed by Ali Abbasi, is a controversial film that delves into Trump's (played by Sebastian Stan) early life, focusing on his rise in the 1970s and 1980s. The movie centers around Trump's relationship with his mentor, Cohn, played by Jeremy Strong.Sources for this episode:Roy Cohn WikipediaThe AtlanticPoliticoEsquireLife magazine (1988)"Where's My Roy Cohn" trailer (directed by Matt Tyrnauer)"Citizen Cohn" (1992) starring James WoodsThe Fixers: by Joe Palazollo & Michael RothfeldThe Apprentice (2024 trailer)Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn (2019)Be sure to follow us on social media. But don’t follow us too closely … don’t be a creep about it! Subscribe to us on Apple PodcastsTwitter: https://twitter.com/CreepPod @CreepPodFacebook: Join the private group! Instagram @WhatACreepPodcastVisit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreepEmail: WhatACreepPodcast@gmail.com We’ve got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud
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    1 hr
  • "Wife Guys" &"Nice Guys"

    "Wife Guys" &"Nice Guys"
    Sep 27 2024
    What a CreepSeason 26, Episode 11
    Nice guys & wife guys

    We’re talking about the dangers of nice guys and wife guys on this week’s episode.
    Sources for this episode

    • Buzzfeed
    • F the Nice Guy podcast
    • “Girl at the bar” from Saturday Night Live
    • Jezebel
    • The List
    • Motherly
    • New York Times
    • New York Times
    • “Nice guy syndrome” on Wikipedia
    • “Wife guy” on Wikipedia

    Be sure to follow us on social media. But don’t follow us too closely … don’t be a creep about it!
    • Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts
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    • Facebook: Join the private group!
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    • Visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreep
    • Email: WhatACreepPodcast@gmail.com
    • We’ve got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#
    • Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com
    • Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud
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    50 mins