Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong

Episode: The Substance: Real Cases of Glamour-Gone-Wrong

Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Heidi Wong (Crime House)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the chilling real-life cases reflecting the horror of obsession with beauty and physical perfection—drawing inspiration from the themes of the 2024 horror movie The Substance. Heidi Wong takes listeners through true tales where ambition for youth, beauty, and bodily transformation end in tragedy, crime, and even atrocity. The episode investigates stories from bodybuilder couples, influencers, criminal gangs, and historical figures, all consumed—sometimes literally—by the desire for the ideal self.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Real Horror of Glamour and Perfection

• Heidi frames the episode on the notion that the scariest stories are ones rooted in reality, especially the pursuit of beauty at any cost.

  "Today, I'm diving into the glamour gone wrong world of The Substance ... there are plenty of stories out there of people whose quest for physical perfection led to disaster."
  — Heidi Wong (03:24)

The Substance Recap & Relevance

• The film’s body horror plot (a woman splits into a younger self using a mysterious substance, with tragic results) is used as a metaphor for real-life obsessions with beauty and the harrowing consequences that can follow.

2. Bodybuilding Power Couples and Fatal Rivalries

A. Sally and Ray McNeil (Oceanside, CA, 1995)

• [07:20] Marriage rooted in a shared passion for bodybuilding devolved into steroid-fueled violence.
• Sally suffered years of physical abuse from Ray. The toxic cycle culminated on Valentine’s Day 1995, when she shot her husband after an altercation.
• The aftermath revealed both were using steroids, raising questions of "roid rage" and psychological effects.

  “Ray and Sally’s mutual passion for bodybuilding had brought them together and then it broke them apart in the most terrifying way possible.”
  — Heidi Wong (12:55)

• Sally was convicted of second-degree murder, serving 25 years.

B. Craig Titus, Kelly Ryan, and Melissa James (Las Vegas, 2005)

• [14:00] Another bodybuilding couple, embroiled in drugs and jealousy, became embroiled in the murder of Melissa James, their assistant and, according to rumors, a lover.
• Melissa found dead in a burned car (owned by Kelly), with morphine in her system and evidence of a violent struggle.
• Both Craig and Kelly were convicted (Kelly of assault/arson, Craig of murder).

  “For years, both of them felt like they were Greek gods, but their actions had real consequences. An innocent woman lost her life.”
  — Heidi Wong (17:36)

C. Zunhilda ‘Amy’ Hoyos Mendez (Spain, 2025)

• [17:50] Popular Colombian bodybuilder Amy Hoyos was murdered by her coach/husband (in a murder-suicide) while on vacation in Spain.
• Abuse, jealousy, and Amy’s growing fame on social media (and OnlyFans) may have played a role.

  “Like we see in The Substance, it doesn’t matter how much control you’re taking over your own appearance, there will always be someone who will think that they own you.”
  — Heidi Wong (19:00)

3. Influencer Killed for Her Looks—Valeria Marquez (Mexico, 2025)

• [19:25] Popular Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was murdered—shot during a TikTok livestream after receiving a package that verified her identity.
• Motive remains unknown; suspected targeted hit, possibly cartel-related as part of "a pattern of violence targeting women that has seized Mexico in recent years."

  "Because Valeria was attractive, even her death became about her appearance."
  — Heidi Wong (21:20)

4. The Fat Harvesters of Peru—Peachtaco’s Gang (2009)

• [21:44] Three Peruvian gang members were arrested carrying bottles of human fat—harvested from murder victims and reportedly sold for use in European cosmetics.
• Victims were killed and processed in grotesque fashion; police alleged the gang operated for decades.

  "Somewhere in Europe, countless unwitting people were spreading human fat on their skin as a part of their beauty routine."
  — Heidi Wong (22:40)

• Also linked to South American folklore: the "peachtaco," a boogeyman who kills to melt your fat.

5. Historic Horror: Elizabeth Bathory, The ‘Blood Countess’ (Hungary, 1500s-1600s)

• [24:35] The notorious Hungarian noblewoman is alleged to have tortured and slain up to 650 girls to preserve her youth, including bathing in their blood—though the extent of these crimes is debated.

  "She maintained her iron grip on her lands, and even started using her people to keep herself young. ... the only thing Elizabeth was finishing was their lives."
  — Heidi Wong (26:40)

• Bathory was eventually placed under house arrest; her legend became a "vampire for vanity."

  "After all, it’s easy to imagine a noblewoman so obsessed with beauty that she turned her servants into a source of cheap skincare."
  — Heidi Wong (30:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the high price of perfection:

  "There's nothing wrong with wanting to look amazing. Self improvement is a good thing, whatever that means for you. But as we see in The Substance and the stories from today, when that passion turns into obsession, things can get dangerous. And instead of turning into your best self, you become a monster."
  — Heidi Wong (31:36)

• On the link between horror fiction and reality:

  "Reality is the real horror."
  — Heidi Wong (00:00 [episode description and thematic through-line])

• About The Substance's central metaphor:

  “Even though The Substance has some truly gruesome side effects, you can’t help but would it be worth it? We all want to be irresistible. Even if it ultimately ends in tragedy.”
  — Heidi Wong (06:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:24 | Introduction to The Substance movie and its societal themes | | 07:20 | Story 1: Sally and Ray McNeil—bodybuilding, steroids, murder | | 14:00 | Story 2: Titus, Ryan & James—love triangle, violence, arson | | 17:50 | Story 3: Amy Hoyos Mendez—abuse, murder-suicide | | 19:25 | Story 4: Valeria Marquez—beauty influencer shot in Mexico | | 21:44 | Story 5: The Peach Tacos Affair—gang harvesting human fat | | 24:35 | Story 6: Elizabeth Bathory—the Blood Countess fantasy vs fact| | 30:14 | Reflection on reality and obsession turning into monstrosity |

Episode Takeaways

• The pursuit of beauty and perfection, when unchecked, often becomes monstrous.
• These true stories reflect the same obsessions and horror at the core of some of fiction’s darkest tales, proving that reality can exceed imagination in terror.
• Heidi urges listeners to think about where healthy self-improvement ends and dangerous obsession begins.

Closing Call to Action:
Heidi encourages listeners to share their own “twisted tales” and reflections in the comments, promising more true horror on next week’s episode.

“There's no reason to fear the dark unless you try to hide from it.”
— Heidi Wong (32:20)