Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong

Episode: The Real-Life Tusk: True Crimes Too Disturbing for Film

Release Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Heidi Wong
Podcast House: Crime House / PAVE Studios

Overview

In this deeply unsettling episode, Heidi Wong explores true crime stories that mirror and even surpass the grotesque horror found in Kevin Smith's 2014 film Tusk. The main theme centers on “reality as the real horror”—specifically, real-life crimes where storytellers, podcasters, and journalists become the unsuspecting victims of obsession, madness, and violence. Wong weaves together infamous and recent true crimes with the legacy of Tusk, warning listeners of the danger that lurks when creators trust the wrong people during their pursuit of stories.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Bizarre True Origin of Tusk

Segment Start: 03:56

• Wong recounts how Tusk was born from a hoax classified ad discovered by Kevin Smith on Gumtree:
  • An ad offered free housing if the tenant spent two hours a day in a walrus costume, making walrus noises, and eating fish/raw crabs thrown by the landlord.
  • The ad was later revealed as a prank by Chris Parkinson, but Smith’s imagination spun it into a full-fledged horror film.
• Film inspiration: Smith envisioned a modern “British Hammer horror” vibe—creepy mansions, mad scientists, and body horror.

Memorable Quote:

“Was it real? Was someone actually this lonely and this weird?”
—Heidi Wong [04:34]

2. Tusk: Fictional Body Horror, Real-Life Echoes

Segment Start: 06:25

• Movie Synopsis: Podcaster Wallace visits a lonely sailor with “stories,” gets drugged and surgically transformed into a walrus.
• Discussion of “body horror at its most disturbing”—mutilation, transformation, violation—played completely straight.
• The real terror: While Smith’s human-walrus is fiction, the idea of people being mutilated and transformed exists in actual crime history.

Memorable Quote:

“It’s body horror at its most disturbing… and it’s all played completely straight. No winking at the camera, no ironic distance. Just pure, unsettling commitment.”
—Heidi Wong [06:58]

3. Ed Gein: The Darkest Inspiration for Modern Horror

Segment Start: 08:19

• Exploration of Ed Gein’s crimes—grave robbing, creating human “suits,” and murder, which directly inspired:
  • Norman Bates (Psycho)
  • Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
  • Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs)
• Gein sought to “become” his dead mother by literally wearing women’s skins—a true precursor to horror’s mad scientists.

Memorable Quote:

“Ed Gein… inspired multiple horror films… The idea of someone repurposing human bodies for their own twisted purposes has become a staple of the genre.”
—Heidi Wong [10:44]

4. The Danger of Being a Storyteller in Real Life: The Zohreh “Zori” Sadeghi Case

Segment Start: 12:23

• In 2023, tech podcast host Zori Sadeghi was stalked and ultimately murdered, along with her husband, by an obsessive listener she’d tried to block.
• Chronological account: From initial friendly messages to escalating stalking—82 messages in one day, threats, hotel stakeouts, and finally murder-suicide.
• The chilling realization: Sadeghi did “everything right”—documented the abuse, filed restraining orders, went to police, but her stalker still found and killed her.

Memorable Quotes:

“She’d gone to the police. She’d filed a protection order. She followed every piece of advice we give to stalking victims. And still, he found a way to kill her.”
—Heidi Wong [15:50]

5. Kim Wall: The Journalist Killed for Seeking a Story

Segment Start: 17:19

• Kim Wall, an accomplished Swedish journalist, was murdered in 2017 by inventor Peter Madsen aboard his homemade submarine during an interview.
• Madsen’s changing stories (“dropped her off,” “accident,” “fumes”) belied a brutal, sexually motivated murder.
• Computer forensics uncovered violent torture videos. Madsen was convicted and only confessed years later.

Memorable Quotes:

“Her last message… chilling in hindsight: ‘I’m still alive.’ She probably meant it as a joke… but after that, silence.”
—Heidi Wong [18:12]

“Kim trusted a stranger and paid with her life.”
—Heidi Wong [23:27]

6. Ali Lauren: The Podcaster’s Fiancee Killed After Appearing on His Show

Segment Start: 24:35

• In Perth, Australia, 2025, Ali Lauren was stabbed to death by her fiance, Tobias Nuttall, just weeks after appearing on his conspiracy podcast.
• The episode details their on-air rapport, his apparent drug issues, and family disapproval—culminating in Ali’s shocking murder.
• This case highlights that danger can lurk in the closest relationships, not just from strangers or obsessed fans.

Memorable Quotes:

“Ali Lauren appeared on her fiancé’s podcast... Six weeks later, she was dead.”
—Heidi Wong [26:50]

7. The Blurred Line Between Podcaster and Prey

Wong draws together these threads, emphasizing:

• The real-life vulnerability of those who share stories, open their lives, and trust new relationships for their audience’s sake.
• The recurring theme: journalists, podcasters, and creators “become the content” when trust is misplaced.

Memorable Quotes:

“Wallace is a podcaster who… thinks he found great content. Instead, he becomes the content, surgically mutilated and transformed into something unrecognizable.”
—Heidi Wong [28:09]

“As someone who tells stories for a living, these cases resonate with me on a deeper level. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that you never know who’s listening.”
—Heidi Wong [28:43]

“There’s no reason to fear the dark unless you try to hide from it.”
—Heidi Wong [29:32]

Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• “Was it real? Was someone actually this lonely and this weird?”
  (Heidi Wong, 04:34)

• “It’s body horror at its most disturbing… Just pure, unsettling commitment to the concept.”
  (Heidi Wong, 06:58)

• “Ed Gein… The idea of someone repurposing human bodies for their own twisted purposes has become a staple of the genre.”
  (Heidi Wong, 10:44)

• “She’d gone to the police. She’d filed a protection order. She followed every piece of advice we give to stalking victims. And still, he found a way to kill her.”
  (Heidi Wong, 15:50)

• “Her last message… chilling in hindsight: ‘I’m still alive.’”
  (Heidi Wong, 18:12)

• “Ali Lauren appeared on her fiance’s podcast, trusting the man she planned to marry. Six weeks later, she was dead.”
  (Heidi Wong, 26:50)

• “Wallace is a podcaster who… Instead, he becomes the content, surgically mutilated and transformed into something unrecognizable.”
  (Heidi Wong, 28:09)

• “You never know who’s listening.”
  (Heidi Wong, 28:43)

Important Timestamps

• 03:56 — Tusk origin story and body horror discussion
• 08:19 — Ed Gein’s crimes and horror influence
• 12:23 — Zori Sadeghi’s stalking/murder case
• 17:19 — Kim Wall’s submarine interview and murder
• 24:35 — Ali Lauren’s appearance and murder following podcast recording
• 28:09 - 29:32 — Reflections: “When creators become victims”

Summary Table

| Case / Topic | Key Details | Timestamp | |---------------------|-------------|-----------| | Tusk (film origins) | Walrus ad hoax, Smith’s inspiration | 03:56 | | Ed Gein | Murder, grave robbing, “human suits” | 08:19 | | Zori Sadeghi | Stalked & murdered by podcast fan | 12:23 | | Kim Wall | Murdered aboard submarine during interview | 17:19 | | Ali Lauren | Murdered by podcast host fiancé | 24:35 | | Reflections | The risk of storytelling, vigilance | 28:09 |

Final Thoughts

Heidi Wong hauntingly illustrates that the scariest tales aren’t fictional—they’re real stories of trust, obsession, and deadly consequence. Tusk’s premise—interview gone deadly wrong—is chillingly echoed by true cases, reminding creators and listeners alike that reality is often far more twisted than any script.

“Keep sharing, but stay vigilant.”
—Heidi Wong [29:16]