The Grim Curriculum

This week on The Grim Curriculum, we’re kicking off a brand-new series on one of Australia’s most infamous serial killers — Ivan Milat. In this first episode, we dive into his brutal and toxic family history, his chaotic childhood as one of 14 children, and the early warning signs that hinted at the darkness ahead. To truly understand what Milat became, we believe it’s crucial to examine the gritty details of his upbringing — and that’s exactly where we start.

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This week on Extra Credit, we’re diving into a shocking update connected to Pee Wee Gaskins. You remember Pee Wee, right? We covered him waaaay back in episodes six and seven. From there, we explore a case of medical malpractice involving a surgeon with an unsettling fetish, plus a disturbing foot fetish incident — unrelated to the medical malpractice case (shocking, we know). We also cover the arrest of a cult leader right here in Canada, and the release of a murderer tied to the infamous satanic panic era. And of course, we wrap things up with a strange and...

This week on The Grim Curriculum, we’re diving into one of the most chilling hauntings ever reported — the case of the Smurl family. Beginning in the 1970s, Jack and Janet Smurl claimed their Pennsylvania duplex was plagued by violent and terrifying paranormal activity. Their story eventually drew the attention of famed investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, sparking intense media coverage, public debate, and decades of fascination. We’ll explore the Smurl family’s experiences, the Warrens’ involvement, and its connection to the ever-growing Conjuring universe.

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This week on The Grim Curriculum, we’re exploring the chilling "old timey" true crime case of Daisy de Melker, South Africa’s infamous “Black Widow.” Born in 1886, Daisy’s life seemed ordinary at first but behind her string of marriages and inheritances lurked a far darker tale. From the suspicious deaths of her husbands to the tragic fate of her son, investigators uncovered a pattern of poisonings that shocked the nation.

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It's Extra Credit time again, and we’re diving into another round of bizarre and fascinating stories. From a bear breaking into a California ice cream shop, to the ongoing parole hearings of the Menendez brothers, and Brian Kohberger's bad times in prison, there's plenty to unpack. We’ll also look at a dangerously misguided “catch a predator” vigilante scheme in Alberta, the curious case of Anna Delvey’s photo shoot mishap, and for this week’s Strange and Unusual Death — the tragic and bizarre tale of a cheese factory accident in where else but Italy.

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This week on The Grim Curriculum, we’re diving into one of the strangest medical hoaxes in history — the case of Mary Toft. In 1726, this woman from Surrey, England, shocked the medical world with her claim that she had given birth to rabbits. Was she a cunning manipulator, a victim of her circumstances, or something in between? Join us as we unravel the bizarre twists of this story that baffled doctors, fascinated the public, and became one of the most infamous hoaxes of the 18th century. Plus, this week’s episode was completely new to Charlotte, but it checks all th...

First up, a Florida woman makes headlines after a violent confrontation — and then brags about it on Instagram Live. We’ll also tell you about another Florida woman who pulled off a case of identity theft with potentially deadly consequences, a man who injected himself with a rather unconventional substance (DEFINITELY DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME) to ease chronic back pain, and the story of a millionaire trophy hunter fatally gored by a Cape buffalo — a case sparking plenty of heated debate. And for our strange and unusual death this week? Let’s just say it involves a wedgie of...

This week on The Grim Curriculum, we’re (BRIEFLY) checking in to one of the most infamous addresses in Los Angeles; The Cecil Hotel. From its glamorous and bougie beginnings in the 1920s to its long, lonnnng, dark history of crime, tragedy, and mystery, this building has seen it all. We’ll explore some of the most notorious events linked to the Cecil, the strange stories that have made it a true urban legend, and why it continues to capture the public’s imagination nearly a whole century later.

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In the final part of our Yorkshire Ripper series, we talk about the strange hoax tape that completely threw the investigation off track and gave Peter Sutcliffe more time to keep killing. We share how, in the end, it wasn’t a major task force that caught him but one officer following a gut feeling that finally led to Sutcliffe’s arrest.

We also get into what happened after the trial: how he was treated in prison, the lasting impact his crimes had on society, and ultimately, how his life came to an end. This episode wraps up o...

The Grim Curriculum: Extra Credit is where we set aside the syllabus and dig into true crime oddities, bizarre history, and the kinds of strange stories you can’t stop thinking about.

This week, we’re covering Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing and the powerful victim impact statements from court, exploring the grim end of Canadian serial killer Robert "Willie" Pickton and the tough ethical questions surrounding it, taking a historical detour with Dina’s new favorite “old timey” case—the wild story of young train wrecker Royal Grimm—and wrapping things up with a truly strange and unusual death… l...

In part 2, we are picking back up where we left off in our deep dive into the Yorkshire Ripper case. As Sutcliffe’s attacks became more frequent and brutal, the public response stayed disturbingly quiet, that is, until the murder of 16-year-old Jayne MacDonald. Because she didn’t fit the victim profile police had been focusing on, her death finally pushed the media and wider public to start paying attention.

We talk about how fear took hold across the North, especially for women just trying to go about their lives, and how the investigation kept missing key oppo...

It's the first instalment of our deep dive into the case of serial killer, Peter Sutcliffe, better known as the Yorkshire Ripper. We explore his childhood and early life, which to no one's surprise was abusive and strange. We also examine the social atmosphere in Yorkshire during his reign of terror, and the early attacks that set off a years-long investigation. This series also takes a hard look at the police missteps that let a predator stay hidden in plain sight and how that failure shaped public trust and modern policing in Britain.

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We’re bringing you a mix of the bizarre, the brave, and the bleeding edge. We cover the strange and tragic case of a British woman who contracted rabies from a dog scratch abroad, spotlight the unforgettable life of LGBTQ icon, fashion trailblazer, and WWII war hero Bunny Roger, and dive into some mind-blowing advances in prosthetics and robotic skin that are equal parts cool and concerning.

We usually drop Extra Credit episodes every second Wednesday, but this one’s coming to you on a Saturday since Charlotte is out of the country for a couple of week...

Today we’re exploring one of the most heartbreaking and historically significant cases in British true crime and an Old Timey Crimey to boot. The 1867 murder of 8-year-old Fanny Adams. What began as an ordinary summer day in the quiet town of Alton quickly became a national nightmare, and the name “Fanny Adams” would go on to take on a haunting legacy. We walk through the events of that day, the shocking discovery that followed, and the trial that helped shape the way murder cases were handled in the Victorian era. This is a difficult but important story that left a...

We’re back with even more cryptids you may not have heard of, but probably won’t forget. In this unofficial part two of our lesser known cryptid series (see Episode 149 for Part 1), we dive into the murky waters and wild folklore surrounding Mokele Mbembe, the NASA Gargoyle, the Mapinguari, and the absolutely baffling Trunko. From dinosaur sightings in the Congo to mysterious monsters crashing space missions (maybe), we’re talking all things strange, sketchy, and slightly squishy.

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In 1804, fear of a ghost roaming Hammersmith’s streets led to a fatal mistake. A man was shot dead, and the case raised legal questions that still matter today.

This is the true story of the Hammersmith Ghost murder. 👻⚖️

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In the final part of our series on Fred and Rose West, we cover the final crimes at 25 Cromwell Street and how it all began to unravel. Thanks in large part to the determined work of DC Hazel Savage, the truth finally came to light. We walk through their arrest, Fred’s death in custody, Rose’s trial, and what became of her in the years that followed.

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In this Extra Credit episode, we’re covering a range of stories that caught our attention this week. We have an update about the sentencing of Victoria Goodwin, who tried to hire a hitman to kill her husband, Aaron Goodwin, of Ghost Adventures Fame. We also look at the case of Grant Harden, a former police chief convicted of murder and other just as heinous crimes, who escaped prison with help from a corrections officer, and a much lighter story about an inmate in Sweden who snuck out of prison to go to the dentist...and came back. We wr...

In Part 2 of our series on Fred and Rose West, we delve deeper into their twisted partnership and the horrors that took place inside 25 Cromwell Street, the so-called "boarding house of horrors." We explore how the couple lured their victims, often trolling local bus-stops, the escalating violence, and how one of their living victims came incredibly close to burning it all down herself.

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This is the first episode of our series on Fred and Rose West and we're diving right in. This is one of the most disturbing and haunting cases in British true crime history. Fred and Rose weren’t just serial killers, they were a couple who committed their crimes together, turning their family home into a house of horrors.

In part one, we are going back to the start; looking at Fred’s troubled past and rough upbringing as well as Rose’s own deeply dysfunctional childhood, and how the two came together to form a relationship built...

We are exploring some more true stories that are stranger than fiction, real-life horror plots, the ethics behind the Harvard morgue scandal, and the risks of snowboarding Everest. We also dig into a game-changing dinosaur discovery, the twisted tale of the Casanova Killer and his recent execution, and the ultra-rare old timey case of death by meteorite.

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In part two of our series on Richard Chase, we examine the tragic outcome of his untreated mental illness and escalating behavior. Over the course of just one month in early 1978, Chase took the lives of six random people in a series of deeply troubling acts. Thankfully, community members and law enforcement were able to come together to find the monster responsible for these heinous acts. In our opinion, to call Richard Chase a human being feels like an insult to humanity. His actions were so horrifying, so devoid of empathy or reason, that he can only be described...

Before he became known as the “Vampire of Sacramento,” Richard Chase was a young man showing clear signs of severe mental illness and violent tendencies. We are starting this series tracing his early life; from a dysfunctional home and troubling teenage behavior, including animal cruelty and substance abuse, to his eventual diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. As his delusions worsened, believing he didn't have enough blood and that his organs and bones were disappearing, Chase cycled through psychiatric institutions but was repeatedly released with little follow-up. A mix of personal decline and systemic failures laid the groundwork for one of the...

In this episode, Dina takes us through three unusual cases where methamphetamines and animals intersect in ways you truly wouldn't expect. One involves a cannon, another a raccoon, and the third features a cheeky corgi. You can guess for yourselves (or just listen to the episode, silly) which cases involve the meth. These stories highlight the bizarre consequences of drug use and questionable decisions.

Charlotte brings two stories that have us looking up to the skies, starting with news about the descent of the failed Soviet lander Kosmos 482 back to Earth, followed by the tragic 2005 crash of...

We thought it was time for a UFO story and we are taking a wild ride into one of the most famous alien abduction stories out there: The Case of Travis Walton. Back in 1975, Travis vanished from an Arizona forest while working with a logging crew, only to reappear five days later with a bizarre tale of being taken aboard a UFO. We break down what happened, the crew's polygraphs, public reaction, and why this case still has people debating decades later.

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In this episode, we dive into the heartbreaking and deeply disturbing case of Andrea Yates, the Texas mother who drowned her five children in a bathtub in 2001. We explore the events leading up to that tragic day, including her struggles with severe postpartum mental illness, and examine how the legal system handled one of the most shocking maternal filicide cases in American history.

**Editor note: apologies for the audio quality. We were trying something new. Will dial it in for next episode!

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This week, the title says it all... more or less. We’re not sure how we feel about Scott Peterson getting help from The Innocence Project, but we are definitely curious to see how it all plays out. Then, we throw it back to 1907 with the case of Bertha Beronda, the "old-timey Lorena Bobbitt," who made headlines after attacking her husband with a razor. We also cover the troubling discovery of eight bodies on the East Coast, raising fears of a potential serial killer or serial killers. And finally, we talk about the Las Vegas veterinarian who went viral fo...

After years of targeting young women, we watched Edmund Kemper’s story take a shocking turn when he murdered his own mother, Clarnell, and her friend, Sara Hallett. Ed staged it to look like a burglary gone wrong and fled to Colorado.

Feeling the pressure, Kemper tried to turn himself in by calling the police multiple times, but at first, they did not believe him. Only after he insisted to an officer he knew personally, did they finally take his confession seriously. At trial, Ed pleaded insanity, but he was found sane and sentenced to life in pr...

Before the murder of his mother, Clarnell, Edmund Kemper targeted female college students in the Santa Cruz area. Between 1972 and early 1973, he murdered six young women, most of whom he picked up while they were hitchhiking.

Kemper used his size, calm demeanor, and articulate speech to appear non-threatening. Once the victims were in his car, he killed them—often through strangulation or shooting. Afterward, he engaged in acts of necrophilia and dismembered their bodies, disposing of the remains in various locations throughout the region. All the while, he went unsuspected by anyone.

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From the latest Titanic documentaries to the science behind bringing extinct animals back to life (yep, we’re talking about the dire wolf!). We also get into some more intense true crime stories, including a heartbreaking murder committed by a 13-year-old girl in the UK. Things take a really cool turn when we talk about legendary forensic artist Lois Gibson, who’s helped crack over 1,266 cases. And of course, we couldn’t resist wrapping up with the bizarre mystery of spontaneous human combustion.

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We told you we had BIG plans for episode 150. To kick off, we’re diving into the early life of Edmund Emil Kemper III. Long before the headlines and the horrifying crimes, there was a kid growing up in a deeply dysfunctional home. From a rocky relationship with his overbearing mother to some seriously disturbing behavior as a child, Kemper’s story raises big questions about what really shapes a killer.

We talk a lot on this show about nature versus nurture, and honestly with Ed, it feels like an especially unlucky mix of both. We are unpa...

This week, we’re taking a break from our usual gruesome true crime tales to explore the weirder side of the unexplained! We've talked about many well known cryptids before but what about some of the lesser-known (and seriously bizarre) creatures out there, like the Underwater Abominable Snowman, the Dover Demon, the Snallygaster, and the Pope Lick Monster? From spooky sightings to downright strange backstories, these critters have some wild legends behind them.

Tell YOUR stories on the next episode of Grim Encounters!

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It’s our 50th episode of Extra Credit and it's also our THIRD birthday! Not to mention we are just a couple of episodes away from 150 of The Grim Curriculum regular show. To celebrate, we’re diving into a mix of the strange, the shocking, and the downright bizarre (Let's be honest, this is really nothing new). We chat about Yolanda Saldívar’s denied parole (yep, she’s still behind bars for Selena’s murder), and a wild hitman plot straight out of Alberta. Plus, we take a deep dive (badum-tisss) into a recent tragic submarine accident in the Red Sea...

In this final part of our Ed Gein series, we dive into the disturbing discoveries made inside his "home of horrors" and follow the investigation that ultimately led to his arrest. We break down the details of his trial and explore the eerie legacy he left behind. We examine the impact Gein’s crimes had on society and still have, which is why his story continues to grip the public decades later.

Tell YOUR stories on the next episode of Grim Encounters!

Email us your strange, unusual or hair-raising experience to ⁠thegrimcurriculum@gmail.com<...

Things are unraveling fast for Ed Gein. With his entire family gone, most notably his domineering mother, Augusta, there’s no one left to rein in his descent into madness. And descend he does. In this episode, we explore the dark path Ed takes without his mother’s oppressive presence to keep him “on the straight and narrow.” His mental and physical state deteriorate rapidly, and before long, the quiet town of Plainfield begins to notice something isn’t quite right. As locals joke with Ed about strange rumors, they have no idea just how disturbingly honest his answers really are...

This week Dina dives into the recent story of a man’s harrowing escape from allegedly horrific conditions at the hands of his stepmother. Plus, South Carolina has carried out its first firing squad execution in 15 years, reigniting debate around capital punishment.

But don't worry, it’s not all heavy. We’re lightening things up with some fascinating bird-related language trivia (Charlotte says the F word a lot) and a surprising list of people who can trace their lineage back to key figures from the Salem witch trials.

And for our Patreon beauties, we’re taste-te...

This episode kicks off our series on American murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. We delve into his troubled childhood and disturbing family life, discussing how his strict, overbearing mother, a deeply religious woman obsessed with sin and punishment, shaped his warped perception of the world. Isolation and an upbringing in an extremely dysfunctional household proved to be a toxic combination.

Tell YOUR stories on the next episode of Grim Encounters!

Email us your strange, unusual or hair-raising experience to ⁠thegrimcurriculum@gmail.com

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We love ghosts around here and we especially love a haunted house but what about an entire haunted town? Well as it turns out the globe is riddled with haunted towns, cities and even islands. So today we ask you to join with us (mentally) on a trip to travel all over the planet to some of our favourite haunted destinations.

Tell YOUR stories on the next episode of Grim Encounters!

Email us your strange, unusual or hair-raising experience to ⁠thegrimcurriculum@gmail.com

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Dina kicks things off this episode with her account of a truly eerie experience at a sketchy "estate sale" that felt ripped straight from a horror movie. We also break down the latest updates in the Menendez brothers’ case and how a newly appointed Los Angeles County DA is likely going to make their fight for freedom a lot harder.

The seemingly suspicious death of legendary actor Gene Hackman, and a potential breakthrough in the Jack the Ripper mystery also have us scratching our heads.

Of course we wrap every episode of Extra Credit up wi...

We are delving into one of history’s most bizarre and chilling true crime cases—the story of Carl Tanzler, a man whose creepy fixation led to a shocking crime. When 22 year old Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos succumbed to tuberculosis in 1931, Tanzler’s obsession took an even more disturbing turn. What followed was a ghastly tale of a crime so unsettling it defied comprehension.

Tell YOUR stories on the next episode of Grim Encounters!

Email us your strange, unusual or hair-raising experience to ⁠thegrimcurriculum@gmail.com

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For the video of t...