
Hosted by Genevieve Manion · EN
Here you’ll find mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian Era. For ad-free listening, witchy content, Victorian True Crime Extras and Dark Poetry, join The Fan Coven!
If you consider yourself an enthusiast of creepy Victorian history, you probably already know about the age of spiritualism, the grisly murders, the grave robbers, twisted pseudo psychotherapy, and memento mori – But I try to dig a little deeper. This was a time full of lace corsetry, romantic poetry, and a deep reverence and affection for the dead. It was a culture of shared sorrow, ornament and elegance, prudishness and scandal, bone chilling children’s stories, and for whatever reason, I just feel at home there. There’s something strangely comforting about the heebie jeebies this era gives me. If you find yourself equally enchanted by things that most people would find horrifying, this podcast is probably for you. To listen ad-free, visit myvictoriannightmare.com and join my Patreon.

On today's show, Genevieve has a robber who becomes a raving maniac in prison, a very shocking confession followed by a very grizzly request, a woman poisoned by laudanum and nearly frozen to death, a footrace between a phrenologist and a zippy young lady, a thief who nearly blows his own head off, a wife’s vengeance with a pen knife, murder, blackmail, and an unfortunate sled accident on an historic Boston Street, among a few others. References for today's episode: https://www.murderbygaslight.com/2015/06/the-murder-of-pet-halsted.html https://pages.vassar.edu/realarchaeology/2017/03/05/phrenology-and-scientific-racism-in-the-19th-century/ https://www.schenectadyhistory.org/families/hmgfm/shields.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Exposition

In this week's episode, Genevieve gives a full, very dramatic review of Nosferatu, and dives into the truly diabolical murders of H.H. Holmes. References for todays episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._H._Holmes https://www.newspapers.com/image/668069816/?terms=h.h.%20holmes https://www.history.com/news/murder-castle-h-h-holmes-chicago https://www.ranker.com/list/hh-holmes-origin-story/hannah-gilham https://www.bustle.com/p/quotes-from-hh-holmes-memoir-provide-insight-into-the-american-ripper-69194 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/enduring-mystery-hh-holmes-americas-first-serial-killer-180977646/

Today, Genevieve will discuss a Lunatic Asylum escapee in a washtub boat, a steamboat slaughter, a tragic murder on a lovely evening, a clergyman’s narrow escape from certain death, a fit of apoplexy, hatchets, razors, insanity, and a somewhat tragic ice skating accident that luckily has a meet-cute happy ending. References for Today's Episode: https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/11/nellie-bly-blackwells-island/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultana_(steamboat) https://genealogytrails.com/ill/woodford/tradgies.html

On today's episode, we’re still celebrating the Holiday season with some weird, wonderful, and downright irresponsible Victorian Christmas traditions! References for today's episode: https://www.history.com/news/christmas-tradition-ghost-stories https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/652043/victorian-christmas-traditions https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/dec/12/shock-of-the-old-11-murderous-and-macabre-victorian-christmas-cards https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-34988154 https://historycollection.com/strange-and-delightful-holiday-traditions-of-the-victorian-era/ https://www.marthastewart.com/1097532/decorative-past-tradition-christmas-pickle-ornament

Today's episode is Christmas themed! Genevieve will be discussing a family hatchet fight, an assault with a pot roast, an assault with a teapot, a fruit and nut plundering, an insane chimney sweep, a grizzly Christmas day murder, A tragic Christmas Day train disaster, a Chamber of Horrors, and a few more truly horrific Christmas day events. References for today's episode: https://www.measuringworth.com/blog/?p=256 https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/victorian-christmas-boxes/#:~:text=These%20tokens%20were%20known%20as,form%20of%20money%20or%20alcohol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_railroad_accidents https://sites.dartmouth.edu/toxmetal/arsenic/arsenic-a-murderous-history/#:~:text=Beginning%20in%20the%20eighteenth%20century,common%20in%20the%20market%20place

In today's episode, Genevieve keeps with Victorian Christmas tradition, and tells a terrifying ghost story: The Signal Man, by Charles Dickens.

On today's episode, Genevieve dives back into the salacious, at times terrifying, at times, grizzly, at times charming Illustrated Police News Law Courts and Record, from which she will read about Bleecker Street harpies punching cops in the face, some discomfiture of an older gentleman who gets a parasol stuck in his mouth, a madhouse ax murder, a man on a smashing spree, a saloon slaying, a murderously jealous lover, and a man killed by a coffin. References for today's episode: https://cemeteryclub.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/killed-by-a-coffin/ https://www.loc.gov/item/ca07000366/

In today's episode, Genevieve digs deep into the murder trial of Mary Ann Mailman at the hands of her husband, Peter Mailman in 1873. The trial was full of salacious accusations of affairs, jealous husbands, heartbreaking testimony, flagrant slut shaming from the defense, and details of the murder that shook Nova Scotia to the core.The Trial of Peter Mailman:https://ia600201.us.archive.org/10/items/cihm_09620/cihm_09620.pdf

In this very short episode Genevieve waxes on the current state of affairs. We will return to the 1800s next week, and especially in 2 months.