Podcast
Terror Talk: True Crime, Serial Killers and Horror
Hosted by Shannon & Cathy | Clinical Psychology PhD & Forensic Psychologist · EN
Two psychologists — one forensic, one clinical — dissecting serial killers, psychopaths, and the dark minds behind true crime and horror cinema. Hosted by Shannon (PhD, LMFT) and Cathy (PhD, forensic psychology). 600+ episodes covering serial killer psychology, criminal profiling, horror films, cold cases, unsolved murders, cults, narcissism, and crimes so bizarre they defy explanation. Expert clinical insight. Genuine dark humor. New episodes every week. Follow now and join us on Patreon. Lock your doors. 🔒
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
FEMALE PSYCHOPATH: Jodi Arias, Gypsy Rose & Villanelle - Real & Fictional Women of the 2010s
4w ago00:44:45Tap to summarizeWho gets called a psychopath and who just refused to perform grief the right way?Part 4 of Shannon and Cathy's decade-by-decade Female Psychopath Series lands in the 2010s; a decade that gave us some of the most psychologically complex and culturally fascinating dangerous women in both true crime history and popular culture.This episode covers:True crime:Jodi Arias — the courtroom theatrics, the manipulation, the clinical picture behind one of the most watched murder trials in American historyJoanna Dennehy — Britain's rare female serial killer and what her case tells us about female violenceGypsy Rose Blanchard — Munchausen by proxy, coercive control, and an almost impossible story of survival and culpabilityKatherine Knight — Australia's most notorious female killer and the psychology behind decades of escalating violenceFiction:Villanelle (Killing Eve) — making psychopathy look like the most interesting personality on televisionAmy Dunne (Gone Girl) — redefining what a female villain could beCersei Lannister (Game of Thrones) — weaponizing every system around herRose Armitage (Get Out) — the smile that hid everythingTherapists Shannon and Cathy bring their clinical lens to the real and the fictional — unpacking what these women have in common, where they diverge, and what the 2010s' cultural obsession with dangerous women tells us about female psychology, female rage, and female power.Part 4 of 4. The Female Psychopath Series concludes here.Previously in the series:Part 1: Female Psychopaths of the 1980s (S8E4)Part 2: Female Psychopaths of the 1990s (S8E9)Part 3: Female Psychopaths of the 2000s (S8E18)Two licensed therapists — one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist — analyzing the psychology of real killers and fictional villains so you don't have to wonder what's actually going on.Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
Transcribe →PROFILE: Gary Ridgway, The Green River Killer Part 2
May 2900:44:48Tap to summarizeIn Part 1 we followed the investigation. Now Shannon and Cathy go somewhere far more unsettling, inside Gary Ridgway's head. What does it actually take to live a double life for nearly two decades? To hold down a job, get married, attend church, and kill without remorse? In Part 2, our two therapists unpack the psychological machinery behind one of the most prolific serial killers in American history.Ridgway's profile wasn't that of a thrill-seeking sadist, it was something arguably more chilling: a methodical, compulsive need to kill driven by psychopathy and paraphilic disorders. Shannon and Cathy dig into the cognitive dissonance that allowed him to rationalize his crimes, the narcissism that ultimately helped investigators break him, and what his case reveals about the darkest intersections of psychology and violence.If Part 1 asked how he wasn't caught sooner. Part 2 asks who he really was. Buckle up.Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising.
Transcribe →PROFILE: Gary Ridgway, The Green River Killer Part 1
Apr 2200:44:06Tap to summarizeHow does a predator this prolific go undetected for so long?He held the same job for 30 years, married three times, and attended church on Sundays. Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was hiding in plain sight for nearly two decades while methodically strangling scores of women across King County, Washington. In Part 1 of this two-part true crime deep dive, therapists Shannon and Cathy apply their criminal psychology expertise to one of the most baffling serial killer investigations in American history.From the bodies first discovered along the Green River in 1982 to the failed polygraph that pushed Ridgway down the suspect list for years, this episode traces the jaw-dropping failures and near-misses of one of the longest unsolved serial killer cases in American history, and what they reveal about the limits of criminal profiling and forensic investigation.Shannon and Cathy bring their clinical lens to what made Ridgway so psychologically elusive, so dangerous, and so disturbingly easy to overlook. If you think you know this case, think again.Part 2 drops next and it goes somewhere darker. Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
Transcribe →WHAT THE HELL: Ridiculous Crimes, Dumb Criminals and Absolute Chaos
Mar 2500:35:17Tap to summarizeWhy are people so spectacularly bad at being people?Shannon and Cathy take a break from profiling serial killers to profile something arguably more baffling — the sheer, staggering stupidity of ordinary human behavior. From dumb criminals to absurd laws still on the books, this episode is pure chaos with a psychological twist.Because even ridiculous behavior tells you something about the human mind. And some of it is genuinely unhinged.Until then... Sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
Transcribe →SHRINK CHAT: Dracula, Iron Lung and The Bride
Mar 1900:51:15Tap to summarizeWhat do a centuries-old vampire, a polio-era nightmare and a monster's bride have in common? Shannon and Cathy have opinions.Shrink Chat is where two psychologists get gloriously off-script. This episode Shannon and Cathy dig into their latest horror movie, series and book reviews, including Dracula, Iron Lung and The Bride, plus trivia, highlight games and the general jackassery you come here for.No serial killers this week. Just horror, laughs and two PhDs with too many feelings about monsters.Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
Transcribe →FEMALE PSYCHOPATH: Casey Anthony, Mallory Knox & Asami Yamazaki - Real & Fictional Women of the 2000s
Feb 2500:45:17Tap to summarizeWho gets called a psychopath — and who just failed to cry the right way at the right time?Part 3 of Shannon and Cathy's decade-by-decade Female Psychopath Series lands in the 2000s — a decade obsessed with dangerous women, media trials, and the question of what female violence is actually supposed to look like.This episode covers:True crime:Casey Anthony — the trial that divided a nation and the psychology behind why we couldn't look awayDalia Dippolito — the murder-for-hire caught on camera and the clinical portrait of a woman who never broke characterBelle Gibson — the wellness influencer who faked cancer, built an empire, and never apologizedAmanda Knox — not a psychopath diagnosis but a masterclass in how quickly the label gets applied to women who don't perform grief correctlyFiction:Asami Yamazaki (Audition) — Japanese horror's most terrifying creation and what she reveals about male fantasy and female rageMallory Knox (Natural Born Killers) — the woman who made violence look like liberationAmy Dunne (Gone Girl) — redefining what a female villain could be and what audiences would forgive her forMarie (High Tension) — French horror's most shocking, unreliable narrator and the psychology of dissociationTherapists Shannon and Cathy bring their clinical lens to the real and the fictional — unpacking what these women have in common, where they diverge, and what the 2000s' cultural obsession with dangerous women tells us about female psychology, female rage, and female power.Part 3 of 4. The series continues.The complete Female Psychopath Series:Part 1: Female Psychopaths of the 1980s (S8E4)Part 2: Female Psychopaths of the 1990s (S8E9)Part 3: Female Psychopaths of the 2000s (S8E18) — you are herePart 4: Jodi Arias, Gypsy Rose & Villanelle — Real & Fictional Women of the 2010s (S8E23)Two licensed therapists — one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist — analyzing the psychology of real killers and fictional villains so you don't have to wonder what's actually going on.Two psychologists. Ten women. One question: what does it actually take to be labeled a monster?Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
Transcribe →WORST HORROR OF 2025: The Monkey, Screamboat & the Films We Refused to See - T**ties & Tonic
Feb 1300:52:46Tap to summarizeWhat does it actually take to make a horror film fail? Not just bore you, but actively betray everything the genre promises?Two licensed therapists who have spent years analyzing the psychology of fear, dread, and what makes horror work turned their clinical lens on the worst rated horror films of 2025. The result is Titties & Tonic, Terror Talk's annual autopsy of the year's most spectacular horror failures.Shannon approached it from the data, the worst reviewed horror films of 2025 that she refused to see. Because sometimes the one-star reviews tell you everything you need to know. This episode covers:Shannon's worst rated films she didn't see and why the reviews alone damn them:The MonkeyScreamboat (with a confession — it got its hooks in eventually)Peter Pan's Neverland NightmareThe FetusAnd more films that should not existCathy's films she watched so you don't have to:Popeye the Slayer ManDropI Know What You Did Last SummerOpusPlus:Shannon and Cathy break down the most common psychological and structural reasons horror films fail — what goes wrong in the writing, the pacing, the character psychology, and the execution of fearOne-star reviews read aloud for maximum schadenfreudeThe clinical framework for why bad horror fails where good horror succeedsBecause understanding what doesn't work is just as revealing as understanding what does. And two therapists with strong opinions and no patience for lazy filmmaking are exactly who you want making that call.Two licensed therapists, one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist, analyzing the psychology of horror so you know what's worth your time and what isn't.Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
Transcribe →SHRINK CHAT: Best Horror of 2025 - Sinners, IT: Welcome to Derry & Our Top Picks of the Year
Jan 2600:51:53Tap to summarizeWhat made horror worth watching in 2025? Two therapists with strong opinions, honest reactions, and no patience for hype without substance have your year-end guide.This is Terror Talk's annual Best of Horror episode - a curated, spoiler-free breakdown of the movies, series, and surprises that defined horror in 2025, with the clinical lens and dark humor you come here for.This episode covers:To kick things off:Cathy's new obsession - Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons, the horror board game that's earned a permanent spot at the tableTop horror TV series of 2025:IT: Welcome to Derry - the Pennywise origin story and whether it delivers on the promise of the source materialDexter: Resurrection - the return of TV's most beloved serial killer and the psychology of why we root for himThe Hunting Wives - Shannon and Cathy's take on the series everyone was talking aboutAlien: Earth - the franchise's small screen debut reviewedZero Day - discussed and dissectedStranger Things - Shannon and Cathy disagree. Strongly. You'll want to hear this one.Top horror movies of 2025:Sinners - the year's most talked about horror film and what it does psychologically that almost no other horror film attemptedFrankenstein - the latest reimagining and whether it earns its place in the legacyHouse of Dynamite - a surprise entry and why it workedWolfman - reviewed with the clinical lens on monster psychologyCompanion - the film that caught them both off guardPlus, surprise mentions that didn't make the list but deserve your attentionShannon and Cathy bring their forensic and clinical psychology expertise to the year in horror - not just what was good, but why it worked, what it was doing psychologically, and what it says about where the genre is headed.A female-driven, expert perspective on the best horror 2025 had to offer. Smart recommendations, honest reactions, no spoilers.Two licensed therapists — one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist — reviewing horror so you know exactly what's worth your time.Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
Transcribe →WHAT THE HELL: Most Ridiculous Crimes of 2025 - Dumb Criminals, Bad Decisions & Absolute Chaos
Jan 700:36:53Tap to summarizeHow did anyone think this was a good idea?Every year the true crime world delivers darkness, tragedy, and genuine horror. And then there are the other cases the ones that make you stop mid-sentence, turn to the person next to you, and say: what. the. hell.This is Terror Talk's annual roundup of the most ridiculous, unbelievable, and spectacularly misguided criminal behavior of 2025. All new cases. All real. All somehow worse than you're imagining.This episode covers:The dumbest crimes of 2025 - cases featuring decision-making so catastrophically bad it defies psychological explanationThe wildest criminals of the year - people who looked at a situation and chose the most unhinged possible responseMoments so absurd they sound fictional but are unfortunately very, very realShannon and Cathy's psychological lens on the question that unites every story in this episode: how did anyone think this was a good idea?Because while true crime can be dark and disturbing there's also a strange, absurd side of criminal behavior that deserves to be examined. And laughed at. Loudly.No glamorizing. No sympathy. Just consequences - and comedy.Two licensed therapists - one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist - applying genuine psychological insight to the most ridiculous criminal behavior of the year so you can feel better about your own decision-making.Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
Transcribe →TRUE CRIME DOCS: BTK's Daughter, Girl in the Picture & Aileen Wuornos - Plus One-Star Reviews
Dec 2000:51:23Tap to summarize⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode includes discussions of violence, murder, abuse, and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.What does it do to a person to discover their father is a serial killer? What happens when a documentary gets a case catastrophically wrong? And what does the comments section look like when people review true crime docs with one star?Shannon and Cathy dive deep into the most disturbing, emotional, and controversial true crime documentaries streaming right now - with their clinical lens on the psychology, the trauma, and the uncomfortable truths behind each case. Then they read the most ridiculous one-star reviews they could find. Because sometimes the comments section is its own crime scene.This episode covers:My Father's the BTK Killer - what happens when the monster is your parent. Shannon and Cathy examine the psychological toll of discovering your father is Dennis Rader - identity, denial, dissociation, and generational traumaGirl in the Picture - one of the most haunting documentaries of recent years. Questions of identity, coercive control, and the devastating long-term impact of abuseAileen Wuornos: Queen of the Serial Killers - revisiting one of the most infamous female serial killers in American history and how media narratives, trauma, and gender expectations continue to shape her legacyThe Perfect Neighbor - how obsession, entitlement, and unchecked aggression escalate into deadly violence and the warning signs we consistently overlookDeath in Apartment 603 - strange circumstances, conflicting narratives, and the investigative gaps that make this case impossible to shakeUnknown Number: The High School Catfish - deception, vulnerability, digital manipulation, and why catfishing crimes continue to thrive in online spacesAs therapists Shannon and Cathy examine:Patterns of manipulation and coercive control across each caseTrauma responses in victims, families, and the people left behindHow documentaries shape public perception of guilt, innocence, and blameWhy some cases resonate more deeply than others - and what that says about us as an audienceThen - after the heavy material - Shannon and Cathy lighten things up by reading and reacting to the most ridiculous one-star reviews of these documentaries they could find. Proof that the comments section never disappoints.Two licensed therapists - one forensic psychologist, one clinical marriage and family therapist - applying genuine clinical insight to the true crime documentaries everyone is watching so you know exactly what to make of them.Until then... sleep safe. 😴🎧 Follow Terror Talk wherever you get your podcasts and join us on Patreon for bonus content and access to the compound.📸 Instagram: @terrortalkpodcast | 🎥 YouTube: Terror Talk Podcast | 📘 Facebook: Terror Talk Podcast | 🎵 TikTok: @dark.psychology.girls🎶 Music by Mannequin Uprising
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