Best Mike Ferrante Podcasts (2025)

1
MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders - The Reverend Lyn George Kelly w/ Edgar Epperly 1:18:58

3d ago1:18:58

1:18:58

(Original publish date: 6/7/22) In this third and final part of my interview with Dr. Edgar Epperly, the "little minister" Lyn George Jacklin Kelly is examined as a primary suspect in the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. Although Kelly spoke obsessively about the case and even confessed to the murders, many believed that the confession was the result of …

1
MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders: Wilkerson Vs. Jones w/ Edgar Epperly 1:18:07

3d ago1:18:07

1:18:07

(Original Publish Date: 5/31/22) Frank Fernando (F.F.) Jones seemed to be one of the most obvious suspects in the aftermath of the horrific 1912 Villisca Axe murders. He had a contentious business rivalry with the patriarch of the slain Moore family, Josiah (Joe) Moore, intensified further because Moore was having an affair with his daughter-in-law…

1
MoNo Encore: The Villisca Axe Murders: Crime Scene w/ Edgar Epperly 1:16:30

4d ago1:16:30

1:16:30

One of my absolute favorites! This is the first of a three part interview I did with Dr. Ed Epperly about the notorious 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. (Original publish date 5/23/2022) This episode is sponsored by Strawberry .me. Get a $50 credit when you use our link: https://strawberry.me/notorious On June 9th (or) 10th, 1912, America experienced of …

1
378: The Murder of "Elvis Girl" Jenny Maxwell w/ Buddy Moorehouse 1:16:57

12d ago1:16:57

1:16:57

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Jenny Maxwell was one of Hollywood's "it girls", appearing in countless television shows and films. Arguably her most memorable role was that of Ellie Corbett in Elvis Presley's 1961 movie "Blue Hawaii", where she stole every scene she was in. But despite her professional success, her personal life was a mess, muc…

1
377: The Murder of Anna Wilkens & The Birth of the Lie Detector w/ Amit Katwala 58:01

19d ago58:01

58:01

Late one evening in the summer of 1922, Henry Wilkens burst through the doors of the emergency room covered in his wife's blood. But was he a grieving husband or a ruthless killer who conspired with bandits to have her murdered? To find out, the San Francisco police turned to technology and a new machine that had just been invented in Berkeley by a…

1
376: Erie's Mausoleum Mystery w/ Justin Dombrowski 56:34

21d ago56:34

56:34

On February 8, 1911, the Scott Mausoleum, a symbol of wealth for the Scott and Strong families in Erie, Pennsylvania, was desecrated by unknown vandals, coined by nationwide papers as ghouls. With the inside of the mausoleum heavily damaged - and a body missing - the crime set off shockwaves throughout the country during a time in which grave robbe…

1
375: The Murder of Virginia Olson w/ Brian & Cameron Santana 1:25:10

26d ago1:25:10

1:25:10

On April 15, 1973, the body of Virginia Olson was discovered near the campus of the University of North Carolina-Asheville in an area known as the Botanical Gardens. She had been raped and stabbed to death in horrifically brutal fashion. Police would investigate this crime for decades, and even hone in one one particular suspect, but it still remai…

1
Episode 44 - The State of Physical Media with Jake Boston and Mike Saunders 1:19:48

28d ago1:19:48

1:19:48

The world of film is in a state of flux right now as streaming continues to cast a larger shadow and retailers have started backing away from carrying movies on their shelves. On this episode I welcome Jake Boston, SteelbookObsessed on social media, for a discussion about what he sees going on in the realm of physical media...the past, the present,…

1
American Criminal: John Gotti - Making a Man 45:34

1M ago45:34

45:34

This is the first episode of Airship's new series about John Gotti on their American Criminal podcast. "Living in poverty as a young kid, John Gotti takes up mafia work very early on. He knows that the Gambino family is his ticket out, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to climb the ranks. Even if it means killing a guy." For more information…

1
374: The Mafia, the Kennedys & Hoover w/ Louis Ferrante 1:31:53

1M ago1:31:53

1:31:53

Louis Ferrante is back on the show, sharing more of his extensive research into the history of the American Mafia. In volume two of his trilogy, called "Borgata: Clash of Titans", he focuses on the Mafia during the height of its power in the 1960s and 70s. In our interview he talks about the origins of the animosity between the mob and Bobby Kenned…

1
Episode 43 - KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK 1:51:51

1M ago1:51:51

1:51:51

In 2012 I had the honor of contributing to the KISS tourbook/magazine for their then-forthcoming album Monster and corresponding tour, and for the project I did a retrospective on their 1978 Hanna-Barbera-produced TV movie KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK. For the piece I interviewed director Gordon Hessler, star Anthony Zerbe, producer Terry Mor…

1
373: The Murder Case that Inspired The Scarlet Letter w/ Kate Winkler Dawson 1:05:57

1M ago1:05:57

1:05:57

On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Maria Cornell was found dead in a quiet farmyard in a small New England town. When her troubled past and a secret correspondence with charismatic Methodist minister Reverend Ephraim Avery was uncovered, more questions emerged. Was Sarah’s death a suicide...or something much darker? Determined to uncover the real …

1
MoNo Encore: Catch Me If You Can's Frank Abagnale - Perpetrator of the Ultimate Hoax? w/ Alan C. Logan 1:37:02

2M ago1:37:02

1:37:02

Happy New Year everyone! This Most Notorious Encore episode revisits my conversation with Alan Logan, originally released on May 19, 2021. Most of us are familiar with the critically acclaimed film called Catch Me If You Can, based on the autobiography of legendary confidence man Frank Abagnale. It's the story of a brazen teenage imposter who throu…

1
372: Rhode Island's Last Execution w/ Paul F. Caranci 1:17:32

2M ago1:17:32

1:17:32

On a frigid day in 1843, Amasa Sprague, a wealthy Yankee mill owner, left his mansion to check on his cattle. On the way, he was accosted and beaten beyond recognition, and his body was left facedown in the snow. What followed was a trial marked by judicial bias, witness perjury and societal bigotry that resulted in the conviction of twenty-nine-ye…

1
Episode 42 - Scott Beck and Bryan Woods Return to Talk HERETIC 1:24:44

2M ago1:24:44

1:24:44

I am thrilled to welcome fellow Midwestern filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods back to the show, this time for a fun, inspiring chat about their latest film HERETIC. We also discuss the one-year anniversary of their Davenport, Iowa movie theater The Last Picture House, and they offer some great advice to budding filmmakers. Also on this episode I…

1
371: The Barbara Graham Murder Case w/ Marcia Clark 59:18

2M ago59:18

59:18

Unwanted and neglected from birth, Barbara Graham had to overcome the odds just to survive. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse—offering her too many options of all the wrong kind. Her innate sensitivity left her vulnerable to the harsh realities of the street, where she was left to fend for herself before she reached double digits. Her reco…

1
370: Britain's Notorious Hawkhurst Gang w/ Joseph Dragovich 1:04:30

2M ago1:04:30

1:04:30

South-east England, 1740s: War and heated politics bring the old practice of smuggling to new and dangerous heights. Violent gangs of smugglers terrorize communities and confound government attempts to stop them. The most famous of these, the Hawkhurst Gang, operate like a modern drug cartel fueled by illegal tea. They threaten witnesses and author…

1
Episode 41 - Director Michael Cooney on JACK FROST & Anthony C. Ferrante on the Best Physical Media Releases of 2024 2:12:18

2M ago2:12:18

2:12:18

Episode 41 features an archival interview with director Michael Cooney on his 1997 direct-to-video winter classic JACK FROST. Michael and I talk through the production of the film, the snowman costume fail that led to the movie's humor, the 1998 sequel, and he breaks down the third JACK FROST film he would still love to make. Anthony C. Ferrante th…

1
369: Polly Bodine: The Witch of New York w/ Alex Hortis 1:22:36

2M ago1:22:36

1:22:36

On Christmas night, December 25, 1843, in a serene village on Staten Island, shocked neighbors discovered the burnt remains of twenty-four-year-old mother Emeline Houseman and her infant daughter, Ann Eliza. In a perverse nativity, someone bludgeoned to death a mother and child in their home—and then covered up the crime with hellfire. When an ambi…

1
Episode 40 - Scott Schirmer and Brian K Williams on GUSH and Indie Filmmaking 1:23:29

3M ago1:23:29

1:23:29

I am joined on this episode by filmmakers Scott Schirmer (FOUND) and Brian K Williams (TIME TO KILL) to discuss their upcoming film GUSH. I am a huge fan of their work, most notably 2016's HARVEST LAKE, and here we drill deep on indie filmmaking, best practices for making pictures on a modest budget, and more. It is an fun, informative discussion w…

1
368: Gangster Hunters w/ John Oller - A True Crime History Podcast 1:10:09

3M ago1:10:09

1:10:09

My guest this week is John Oller, author of the new book "Gangster Hunters: How Hoover's G-men Vanquished America's Deadliest Public Enemies". He walks us through the evolution of J. Edgar Hoover's Bureau in the early 1930s, highlighting some of the unsung federal agents that battled America's Depression Era bank-robbing outlaws and the pivotal cri…

1
MoNo Encore: Jack the Ripper - New Clues & Theories w/ Tom Wescott 1:17:47

3M ago1:17:47

1:17:47

On this month's Most Notorious Encore episode, we revisit the "Autumn of Terror" with a popular interview first released on 11/21/2019, five years ago today. One of the world's most preeminent Ripperologists, Tom Wescott, author of "The Bank Holiday Murders" and "Ripper Confidential" is my guest on this episode of Most Notorious. His extensive rese…

1
367: A Double Murder in 1948 Illinois w/ Ted Gregory 1:18:03

3M ago1:18:03

1:18:03

Summer 1948. In the scenic, remote river town of Oregon, Illinois, a young couple visiting the local lovers’ lane is murdered. The shocking crime garners headlines from Portland, Maine, to Long Beach, California. But after a sweeping manhunt, no one is arrested and the violent deaths of Mary Jane Reed and Stanley Skridla fade into time’s indifferen…

1
Episode 39 - Thommy Hutson and Mark Alan Miller on Doc of Chucky and Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy 2:38:51

3M ago2:38:51

2:38:51

I am joined by DOC OF CHUCKY director/writer/producer Thommy Hutson and writer/co-producer Mark Allan Miller to discuss their new documentary that just landed on Shudder. Also discussed is the recent re-issue of Thommy's book NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY focused on the original A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, which is now available on Amazon…

1
366: Revenge, Murder & Madness in 1903 Indiana w/ Stephen Terrell 1:25:46

3M ago1:25:46

1:25:46

In early 1900s Indiana, John Terrell was the wealthiest man in Wells County, thanks to oil discovered on his farm. But when his youngest daughter, Lucy, became pregnant and entered into a forced marriage to abusive Melvin Wolfe, Terrell’s life and fortune unraveled in a tumultuous spiral of murder, a dramatic trial, and a descent into madness. My g…

1
Episode 38 - We Can Be Better Than This 20:15

3M ago20:15

20:15

By Reverend Entertainment

1
365: Ontario's Lazier Murder w/ Robert J. Sharpe 48:32

4M ago48:32

48:32

In December of 1883 Peter Lazier, a traveling farm implement salesman, was shot in the heart during the botched robbery of a farmer and his wife in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Two men would be arrested and tried for the murder, but would the sparse evidence against them lead to freedom, prison or the gallows? My guest is Robert J. Sharpe, author…

1
Episode 37 - Michael and Jason Leavy - Terrifier 1-3, Stream, Screamboat, Fuzz on the Lens Productions 1:38:33

4M ago1:38:33

1:38:33

Happy Halloween! On this episode I chat with Michael and Jason Leavy who are part of the team behind the TERRIFIER films, STREAM, the upcoming SCREAMBOAT, and their company Fuzz on the Lens Productions. We dive deep on their early film work, their Staten Island Clown prank that ended up getting national attention, working with cinema icons on their…

1
364: Absinthe: The World's Most Dangerous Spirit w/ Evan Rail 1:07:59

4M ago1:07:59

1:07:59

Absinthe is a drink that has been both romanticized and demonized over the centuries. While the spirit was a favorite of avant-gardists like Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Baudelaire, it was also thought to be hallucinogenic and the catalyst for violent crime. My guest is Evan Rail, author of "The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betraya…

1
MoNo Encore: The Mysterious Death of "Furnace Girl" Elfrieda Knaak w/ Kraig Moreland 1:29:10

4M ago1:29:10

1:29:10

We revisit an interview from February 2020 in this Most Notorious Encore episode. In late October of 1928, authorities in the small town of Lake Bluff, Illinois discovered a grisly scene in the village hall basement. They found a young woman named Elfreida Knaak, naked, horribly burned and barely clinging to life, next to a furnace. From that point…

1
363: The Donner Party Tragedy w/ Troy Taylor 1:20:36

4M ago1:20:36

1:20:36

Troy Taylor, host of the American Hauntings Podcast, returns to the show - this time for an interview with a bit of a Halloween theme. He's here to talk about the ill-fated Donner Party, which was was traveling by wagon to California when it became stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter of 1846-47. There, some of its members infa…

1
362: The Murders of Virginia Brooks, Louise Teuber & Hazel Bradshaw w/ Richard L. Carrico 1:12:09

4M ago1:12:09

1:12:09

In 1931, San Diego was left reeling from the brutal murders of ten-year-old Virginia Brooks, seventeen-year-old Louise Teuber, and twenty-two-year-old Hazel Bradshaw. The murders left period investigators flummoxed - and the cases remain unresolved to this day. My guest is award-winning author Richard L. Carrico. He has meticulously reconstructed t…

1
Episode 36 - Alice Cooper Mega Episode 2:58:22

4M ago2:58:22

2:58:22

Welcome to my nightmare! Episode 36 is dedicated to all things Alice Cooper, featuring three long interviews with the icon on his music, family, film work, and beyond. Also included are interviews with Rachel Talalay (who directed Alice in FREDDY'S DEAD), Rob Stefaniuk (who directed Alice in SUCK), Jake the Snake Roberts (who Alice accompanied to t…

1
Episode 35 - Answering Questions From Listeners 1:47:19

5M ago1:47:19

1:47:19

On this episode of the Radio Hour Podcast I answer questions submitted by listeners, an idea prompted by Steven Awalt. Topics addressed include the process involved with getting hired to produce special features for the various labels, my background in hockey, favorite horror-themed pro wrestlers, who I would invite to dinner for a timeless who's w…

1
361: A Brief History of Scotland Yard w/ Simon Read 1:09:11

5M ago1:09:11

1:09:11

My guest this week is Simon Read, author of "Scotland Yard: A History of the London Police Force's Most Infamous Murder Cases". He walks us through a number of the notorious murder cases that helped transform London's Metropolitan Police into one of the world's premiere crime-fighting organizations. More about the author and his work here: https://…

1
Episode 34 -John Carpenter on Halloween and the Franchise that Followed 1:52:04

5M ago1:52:04

1:52:04

Episode 34 is my extensive interview with John Carpenter on HALLOWEEN and the films that followed in the franchise, originally recorded in 2012 for inclusion in what was intended to be the the official HALLOWEEN series book that sadly never came to fruition. John is candid about the franchise, his pre-HALLOWEEN movie and television work including H…

1
360: The Mysterious Death of Sarah Mumford w/ Michelle Graff - A True Crime History Podcast 1:11:38

5M ago1:11:38

1:11:38

While on a search for more information on her great-grandmother, my guest Michelle Graff uncovered a fascinating mystery involving the very suspicious 1899 death of a fifteen-year-old girl named Sarah Mumford, whose body had been hit by a train, assumably to cover up a murder. The following investigation, led by the local coroner, would reveal some…

1
MoNo Encore: DB Cooper & the Hijacking of Northwest Flight 305 w/ Darren Schaefer & George McKeon 1:21:23

5M ago1:21:23

1:21:23

On this Most Notorious episode, we revisit a fan favorite interview, originally released on 12/9/2021. In November of 1971 a man who would come to be known as D.B. Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305, ultimately parachuting out of the Boeing 727 in spectacular fashion, along with $200,000 in ransom money, presumably somewhere in Washington …

1
Episoide 33 - Dylan Sires and Kristian Day on Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth? (HBO Max) 1:49:45

5M ago1:49:45

1:49:45

Episode 33 features a conversation with documentary filmmakers Dylan Sires and Kristian Day who are behing the hit HBO Max limited series TAKEN TOGETHER: WHO KILLED LYRIC AND ELZABETH? I also share lots of Reverend Entertainment updates on upcoming releases including BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, BEWITCHED: THE COMPLETE SERIES, BRINGING OUT THE DEAD,…

1
359: The Manhattan Well Murder w/ Gavin Whitehead 1:14:54

5M ago1:14:54

1:14:54

On January 2, 1800, the body of a young woman was pulled out of a secluded, boarded-up well, horrifying the citizens of New York City's Lower Manhattan neighborhood. The trial that would follow would be a sensational one, with two Founding Fathers representing the main suspect. Gavin Whitehead, host of The Art of Crime Podcast, returns to share one…

1
358: The Murder of Ruth Munson w/ Roger Barr 1:24:57

6M ago1:24:57

1:24:57

One of Minnesota's most fascinating unsolved murder cases began on the morning of December 9, 1937, when firefighters discovered the charred body of 31-year-old Ruth Munson in an abandoned Saint Paul hotel. As the investigation deepened, evidence would surface that suggested that Ruth had lived a very secret life. My guest, Roger Barr, is the autho…

1
357: The Strange Death of Ira Gurley w/ Dale Ross & the Birmingham Axe Murders w/ Jeremy Gray 1:13:57

6M ago1:13:57

1:13:57

There are two interviews packed into this week's episode of Most Notorious! First Dale Ross, author of "A Voice for Ira" joins me to talk about the horrific death of Ira Gurley in a bizarre elevator accident in 1932 Arkansas. While it looked to be an tragic accident on the surface, some evidence suggests there may have been something more sinister …

1
356: Murder and Madness in Bologna w/ Mònica Calabritto 55:53

6M ago55:53

55:53

On October 24, 1588, the city of Bologna, Italy was shaken when a knight named Paola Barbieri stabbed his wife Isabella to death with a sword. He then fled, dressed only in a nightshirt, with his sword in hand, eventually escaping the city. Authorities were torn about his motivation. Did he murder Isabella out of anger or jealousy? Or did he suffer…

1
MoNo Encore: The Mysterious Disappearance of Alice Parsons w/ Steven C. Drielak 1:18:09

6M ago1:18:09

1:18:09

This is a MoNo Encore interview. Original release date: 11/10/2020. On the morning of June 10, 1937, New York heiress Alice Parsons disappeared off the face of the earth. Investigators almost immediately suspected that Anna Kupryanova, the Russian housekeeper, and Alice's husband, William Parsons, knew more than they were letting on. My guest is fo…

1
355: New York City Crime Boss Marm Mandelbaum w/ Margalit Fox 45:05

6M ago45:05

45:05

Best-selling author Margalit Fox returns to the show to talk about Marm Mandelbaum, an extraordinary woman who lived the classic rags to riches story, rising out of immigrant poverty and into wealth and power, but also extreme notoriety. She built her mid-19th century criminal empire by assembling some of the best shoplifters and burglars in the co…

1
354: The Notorious Reno Gang w/ Rachel Dickinson 1:09:57

7M ago1:09:57

1:09:57

The Reno Gang is best known for being the first group of outlaws in history to rob a moving train, but their criminal enterprises stretched far beyond that. They were counterfeiters, thieves, safecrackers and murderers as well. Led by John and Frank Reno, they terrorized the town of Seymour, Indiana throughout the second half of the 1860s until the…

1
353: The Incorruptibles w/ Dan Slater - A True Crime History Podcast 1:13:31

7M ago1:13:31

1:13:31

In the early 1900s, prior to World War I, New York City was a vortex of vice and corruption. On the Lower East Side, then the most crowded ghetto on earth, Eastern European Jews formed a dense web of crime syndicates. Gangs of horse poisoners and casino owners, pimps and prostitutes, thieves and thugs, jockeyed for dominance while their family memb…

1
352: The Ward-Peters Murder Case w/ James Polchin - A True Crime History Podcast 1:20:24

7M ago1:20:24

1:20:24

On the morning of May 16, 1922, a young man’s body was found on a desolate road in Westchester County. The victim was penniless ex-sailor Clarence Peters. Walter Ward, the handsome scion of the family that owned the largest chain of bread factories in the country, confessed to the crime as an act of self-defense against a violent gang of “shadow me…

1
Today in MoNo History: The 1881 Rock Island Train Robbery w/ Mark Lee Gardner 14:46

7M ago14:46

14:46

In this mini MoNo interview, I chat with Mark Lee Gardner about the James Gang and their holdup of a Rock Island Railroad train in Missouri 143 years ago today. Two men were murdered during the robbery. Mark's website: https://songofthewest.com/ My previous interviews with Mark: The Northfield Bank Raid: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2022/12/12/mon…

1
351: A Modern-Day Police Perspective on the Jack the Ripper Murders w/ Steven Keogh 1:26:49

7M ago1:26:49

1:26:49

I'm joined by former Scotland Yard detective Steven Keogh, who examines the Jack the Ripper case in his recent book, "Murder Investigation Team: Jack the Ripper". He applies current investigative techniques and uses his own experiences as a detective to revisit this very infamous series of murders. The author's website: https://stevekeogh.com/ Opti…

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