Say Candyman’s name five times in a mirror and you’ll summon his vengeful spirit, then he’ll slaughter you with his hook. That’s how the urban legend goes anyway. It was directly inspired by a short story, a series of Hollywood films, and some suspect…a real-life crime. Don’t believe a killer can come through your bathroom mirror? Tell that to Ruthie Mae McCoy.Ashley Flowers — creator of hit podcasts like Crime Junkie and The Deck Investigates, and author of #1 New York Times bestseller All Good People Here — takes over as guest host for this Halloween special. For more gripping true crime stories, listen to Crime Junkie, and follow Crime Junkie on Instagram @crimejunkiepodcast for even more exclusive content.Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at serialkillerstories@spotify.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’ve babysat, you’ve heard this tale: While her charges sleep, a babysitter receives harassing phone calls telling her to “check the children”. But this urban legend has disturbing real-life parallels, including the case of 14-year-old Karen Slattery. The major difference between truth and fiction? Who dies.Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at serialkillerstories@spotify.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a remote area of York County, Pennsylvania, a two-story clapboard house stands in Rehmeyer’s Hollow, aka “Hex Hollow” – where some say the spirit of Nelson Rehmeyer still resides.Perhaps that’s because his home was also the site of a real-life terror: the 1928 Hex Hollow Murder, which claimed Nelson’s life. The crime made headlines, but it wasn’t just the brutal act itself that shocked the nation…it was the fact that the killers believed Nelson Rehmeyer was a malicious witch whose hexes could only be broken in death.Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at serialkillerstories@spotify.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

According to the urban legends, Highway 666 is a paranormal hotspot in the remote American Southwest. The “Devil’s Highway” is cursed by ghostly hitchhikers, UFOs, and the homicidal “demon trucker” who stalks his prey along the highway.Highway 666 has since been renamed. And while the demon trucker has never been confirmed, the stories about him pale in comparison to the true case of Robert Ben Rhoades, the “Truck Stop Killer” who abducted victims and tortured them in his sleeper cab as they crossed the U.S.Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at serialkillerstories@spotify.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lyle and Erik Menendez, infamous for murdering their parents in 1989, share their harrowing experiences. They discuss the severe familial abuse that led to their tragic decision and the emotional turmoil that followed the crime. The brothers reveal how their contrasting reactions—Lyle's apparent lack of remorse versus Erik's overwhelming guilt—shaped their lives. Their poignant reunion after decades offers insights into their prison lives and ongoing struggles with the past, shedding light on the complexity of their circumstances and the public's perception.

Lyle and Erik Menendez, sons of the notorious Jose Menendez, share their harrowing experiences of abuse and family dysfunction. They unpack the intense pressures of their father's ruthless ambition, detailing how it shattered their emotional well-being. The brothers reflect on feelings of abandonment and the chaos of their seemingly affluent upbringing. As they unveil family secrets and confront escalating tensions, they reveal the desperate measures they considered to break free from their traumatic past.

On September 13th, 1978, an episode of The Dating Game aired on network television featuring a man named Rodney Alcala as “Bachelor Number One.” The announcer introduced him as a “successful photographer” – but at the time, Rodney had a secret. He’d already killed at least four victims…and he wasn’t done yet.Be sure to watch Woman of the Hour on Netflix, starting October 18th. Directed by and starring Anna Kendrick, Woman of the Hour tells the story of a woman whose life intersects with Rodney Alcala’s in a surprising way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ted Kaczynski, the man better known to the world as the Unabomber, died in 2023. But his manifesto and the ideas he presented as justifications for his killings have become more mainstream. We sat down with Candice DeLong, one of the FBI agents who helped capture Kaczynski in 1996, as well as Gary Wright, who survived a bombing in 1987.Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at serialkillerstories@spotify.comCheck out Candice’s new podcast Natural Selection: Scott v. Wild Bill. All episodes out now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this gripping discussion, Betty Lou Beets shares her harrowing tale, infamous for killing two husbands. The conversation dives into the complexity of her motivations—was it fear for her life or a quest for financial gain? Betty reveals the emotional turmoil of her abusive marriage and the desperate decision that led to her first husband's murder. We also explore the chilling aftermath, including her son’s involvement and the intricate web of deceit they spun to evade justice, culminating in her legal battles and the looming death penalty.

All she really wanted in life was freedom. But Betty Lou Beets wound up trapped in abusive marriage after abusive marriage. It was only a matter of time before she would strike back.Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at serialkillerstories@spotify.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices