Can’t get enough of true crime? We’ve gathered a list of podcasts, videos, and content creators that aren’t afraid to dive right into the genre.
Ah, true crime and scary stories. There’s something about the thrilling genre that sends us into a rabbit hole. The Honeycombers team has spent many an hour talking about horror stories and the psychology of killers. Also horror movies, and not to mention the grisly local crimes committed on our very own sunny island. We’ve already sussed out what causes our morbid curiosity, now let’s talk about how to satiate them. Here’s a list of true crime content for you to start off with.
Podcasts: Bits of true crime for your commute
1. A Brief Case
We know that it’s easy to find any international podcaster to talk about crimes that gain worldwide notoriety. So you can imagine our excitement when we stumbled upon this Singapore-based true crime podcast. Hosted by Teddy Teo, A Brief Case delves into cryptic cases with cold-blooded murderers across Asia. This includes Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Each episode spans about 20 minutes which is perfect for your office commute.
2. Heinous
Tune into weekly podcast episodes with Heinous if you’re looking for your dose of spookiness. This podcast digs into key events of crimes that are committed across Asia. The hosts also discuss the mindset of the perpetrators and the circumstances that lead to their actions. It covers cases in Mongolia, South Korea, and of course, Singapore.
3. Ghost Maps: True Southeast Asian Horror Stories
This isn’t exactly true crime, but we couldn’t resist including this one. Ghost Maps is a supernatural podcast with an anonymous narrator who chronicles the supernatural in Singapore and beyond. If you were ever curious about the haunted spots in Singapore like Old Changi Hospital or East Coast Park, tune in to listen to the stories submitted by fellow Singaporeans.
4. CounterClock
As an investigative journalist, we can’t think of anyone better than Delia D’Ambra to host the CounterClock podcast. The podcast lives on the idea that in order for you to tell the story of a crime, you have to turn back time. Each season, Delia arms herself with case files to tell the tale of unsolved mysteries to reignite the interest in old homicides. Her thoughts and investigative work are thorough and thought provoking, leaving you wanting more.
5. The Casual Criminalist
If you’re not a fan of eerie tones, give The Casual Criminalist a go. Simon Whistler is a popular YouTube personality known for his humour. No surprise, he takes a light-hearted spin on true crime. Simon’s narration style will keep you engaged throughout his podcast, which spans between 40 minutes to even two hours. For anyone who wants added visual elements, he puts up videos of his podcast recording on his YouTube channel.
6. Voices for Justice
Hosted by Sarah Turney, the Voices for Justice podcast is all about giving voices to the victims and getting listeners involved. However, nothing hits harder than the first season. It’s about Sarah’s sister Alissa and how she went missing. Years after Alissa Turney went missing, leaving behind just a note, Sarah started Voices for Justice to talk about her disappearance. The first season covers over 3,000 pages of publicly released notes about Alissa’s disappearance and the subsequent police investigation.
7. Crime Junkie
If you’ve been around the true crime podcast scene for a while now, you’ll know of Crime Junkie. Duo Ashley and Brit come together weekly to discuss cases that intrigue them. In addition to the podcast, they also constantly update the website with details about each episode, including images of evidence that they can find. (Warning: some of the content may be disturbing so scroll through those pictures at your own risk!) If you can’t get enough, sign up to be part of the fan club and get immediate access to tons of bonus content.
Books: True crime reads for a night of terror
8. Guilty as Charged: 25 Crimes That Have Shaken Singapore Since 1965
It’s hard to believe that shooting, dismemberment, and murder have all happened in Singapore. But they have. Wanna know the grizzly details? You can find out more in Guilty as Charged. Some cases include the Toa Payoh ritual murders, the tragic death of eight-year-old Huang Na, and the disappearance of Jenny Cheok.
9. A Nation’s Disgrace: Singapore’s Shocking Scandals
While we love deep diving into a good murder mystery, we also enjoy going through white-collar crimes and scandals. It makes for great water cooler gossip at the office. In A Nation’s Disgrace, you can expect cases like the NKF scandal, City Harvest Church’s misuse of funds, and Singapore’s most-wanted terrorist Mas Selamat. Talk about shock value. For anyone interested in Singapore society and law at play, this is the book to get.
10. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
Charles Manson is arguably the most infamous cult leader you could read about. The title Helter Skelter was a term he used after listening to a specific album from the Beatles. He interpreted the album as an allusion to race wars. The book is written by Vincent Bugliosi, who served as the prosecutor in the 1970s trial of Charles Manson. It takes you through the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of several members of the Manson Family.
11. The Crime Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
If you want to know all about the psyche of killers and get into the sociology of it all, The Crime Book is a good place to start. This book explores over 100 different crimes, from cyber crimes to Ponzi schemes. It talks about how humans live and interact with each other, making complicated ideas accessible and easy to understand with visuals. Were the perpetrators delusional, seizing opportunities, or just plain evil? Find out for yourself.
12. Party Monster: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland
Previously titled Disco Bloodbath, Party Monster is a memoir written by James St. James, a television personality. He recounts his life as a Manhattan celebutante and club kid – an artistic and fashion-conscious group in New York’s underground club culture. The book tells of James’ friend Michael Alig’s rise to fame, and the murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer Andre “Angel” Melendez. If you don’t want to read it, you can watch the Party Monster movie that’s based on the book.
Content creators: True crime with a side of beauty
13. ParaX Singapore
If you’re more into the supernatural side of things, we’ve got just the TikTok account for you. The team at ParaX Singapore are a brave bunch. They’ve been on trips to explore Pulau Ubin and the Istana Woodneuk in search of ghostly entities. Catch the live streams on TikTok during the weekends and make sure you’re in a well lit room because it can get pretty spooky. If you’re lucky (or unlucky, we aren’t sure which is right) you might get to see a pocong or pontianak in the video.
14. Crime Library Singapore
This isn’t your typical true crime content, but we felt the need to give these guys a shout out. Crime Library Singapore is a non-profit organisation that specialises in reuniting families who are searching for lost loved ones. On its Facebook page, there are several posts briefly detailing cold cases in Singapore. Some of them even have scanned newspaper clippings to go along with it.
15. Bailey Sarian
More than just makeup tutorials, Bailey Sarian does a weekly series called Murder, Mystery, and Makeup. Every Monday, she posts a video going through her makeup routine while talking about the details of sometimes visceral crimes. She also has a series called Dark History, where she explores some surprisingly macabre subjects. Like what happened during the Waco siege, a standoff between the FBI and religious sect Branch Davidians, and even witch hunts. A big plus: the backdrops in her videos really set the mood.
16. Bella Fiori
Bella Fiori started her social media career with beauty and fashion-related content. Everyone was drawn to her simple tutorials with new cruelty-free products. Soon after, her interest in criminology led her to share stories of crimes. She often shares stories of Australian crimes, such as masked assailant Mr. Cruel and the case of Graeme Thorne, Australia’s first case of kidnapping for ransom. Sprinkled between her true crime discussion videos are bits of Bella’s daily life, makeup tutorials, and fashion inspo.
Documentaries: True crime we can’t stop watching
17. Inside Crime Scene
This locally produced docudrama revisits old crimes that have happened in Singapore and aims to shed a new perspective on them. Inside Crime Scene interviews individuals that share incredibly intimate details about six different crimes. These people include investigators, journalists, forensic specialists, and legal practitioners. The show also tackles what it would be like if modern forensic science was available during the time of these cases, and how it could affect the outcomes.
18. Deadly Women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCJooaR38dQ
We know that the majority of serial killers are men, but the number of women who commit crimes is still shocking to see. As its name suggests, Deadly Women is a documentary-style television series that focuses on female serial killers. Each episode revolves around themes like adultery, financial gain, and mental illness, and is retold through dramatisations. You can find some full episodes on the YouTube channel to get a taste of what it has to offer.
19. Don’t F**k With Cats
If you haven’t seen this particular Netflix true crime docuseries, it’s a recommendation from us. This show details the series of events that led to the arrest of Luka Magnotta, and his heinous crimes. This includes things like torturing cats and doing unspeakable things to Chinese student Lin Jun, all documented on video and posted to snuff sites. Take a look into the process of how amateur internet sleuths attempted to search for him, and how he got caught.
20. Conversations with a Killer
This limited docuseries by Netflix has got us on the edge of our seats. As with most crime documentaries, this series talks about the psyche of certain killers and why they commit their crimes. We go through the timeline of their life, what led to their actions, and their behaviour. The haunting highlight of this series though is definitely hearing the voices of these murderers. That added layer of audio just makes things very real to us.
Movies: Countless edge-of-your-seat moments inspired by true crime
21. 23:59
If you’ve been in Singapore long enough, you would have heard at least one military camp ghost story. But that doesn’t make it any less spooky, we’ll still sit and listen. According to director Gilbert Chan, 23:59 is a movie loosely based on a true story that happened in Tekong island in 1983. It follows a platoon who are about to complete basic military training, only to find their fellow recruit dead during a road march. It’s a fusion of horror and comedy, so nothing too spooky here for any of us that are faint of heart.
22. Catch Me If You Can
If you’re looking for something more lighthearted to watch, this is it. Based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, no gore or eerie themes are covered in this crime comedy-drama. It instead dramatises Frank’s journey as he turns to confidence scams to survive after running away from home. His facades include a Pan American pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor. While the story isn’t entirely accurate, it still makes for great night time entertainment.
23. American Horror Story: Hotel
We couldn’t stop discussing this American television series in the office, so naturally, we had to include it. This particular season is loosely based on Cecil Hotel, aka the infamous hotel that has seen one too many deaths (including the tragic drowning of Elisa Lam). The story centres around the mysterious Hotel Cortez and its supernatural residents. Expect hedonistic characters, plot twists, and mentions of serial killers like Aileen Wuornos and Richard Ramirez.
24. Girl in the Basement
The Fritzl case, to us, is incredibly hard to swallow. If you don’t know what it’s about, here’s the short version: Josef Fritzl was arrested for keeping his daughter captive for 24 years. Girl in the Basement is based on this case. Sarah is a teen who looks forward to moving out of her family home at 18. But obviously, things go awry and she ends up being imprisoned by her father in the basement of their home instead. And we proceed to watch the series of events that occur over the course of 20 years.
25. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino movies are by far some of the best. You’ve probably watched (or heard of) his movies like Kill Bill and The Hateful Eight at least once. In his ninth film, you’ll see a dramatisation of the Tate-LaBianca murders that happened back in the 1960s. As you progress through the movie, members of the Charles Manson family make an appearance. And, as with most Quentin Tarantino movies, expect things to get messy.
Bonus: True crime experiences you can go for
26. Singapore’s Famous Murder and Ghost Story tour
If you prefer playing detective and getting yourself up close and personal, hop on a ghost tour for a thrill of a night. Singapore’s Famous Murder and Ghost Story tour lets you be a paranormal investigator for the night. The tour starts off with exploring the neighbourhood where the gruesome Ritual Murders took place back in 1981. Followed by visits to haunted hotspots in Singapore, so you can figure out for yourself if these places are haunted or not.
To our fellow true crime enthusiasts, go forth and satiate your true crime content craves!
