Truth Behind the Terror

Truth Behind the Terror Welcome to Truth Behind the Terror, the podcast that digs into the “based on a true story” claims behind your favorite horror films.

Host Carissa dives deep into the backstories, legends, and real-life events that supposedly inspired iconic scary movies.

🌲 WE’RE LIVE! 🌲The Truth Behind the Terror shop is officially open!The Stay in the Woods Collection is out now … sticke...
08/28/2026

🌲 WE’RE LIVE! 🌲

The Truth Behind the Terror shop is officially open!

The Stay in the Woods Collection is out now … stickers, hoodies, and notebooks for anyone who has ever watched a horror movie and thought, “You know what? Going deeper into the woods seems like an excellent idea.” 🔪🌲

Come take a look, grab your favourite, or … and I’m just throwing this out there … buy one of everything. 😏

🛒 truth-behind-terror-shop.fourthwall.com (link in bio)

Every purchase helps support Truth Behind the Terror and this little independent podcast of ours. Thank you for listening, following, sharing, and helping us reach 2,000 downloads. 🖤

Now go forth and stay in the woods.

WE DID IT. 🖤Truth Behind the Terror has officially passed 2,000 downloads.When I relaunched the podcast, I genuinely had...
08/27/2026

WE DID IT. 🖤

Truth Behind the Terror has officially passed 2,000 downloads.

When I relaunched the podcast, I genuinely had no idea whether anyone would come along for the ride, so seeing that number feels pretty damn cool.

To celebrate, I made a little something.

🌲 The Stay in the Woods Collection officially launches Friday.

But because we hit 2,000 and I’m terrible at keeping surprises to myself, you can take a sneak peek now:

truth-behind-terror-shop.fourthwall.com (link also in bio)

Thank you to everyone who has listened, downloaded, shared an episode, followed along, or recommended the podcast to someone else. Truth Behind the Terror is an independent podcast made by one horror-obsessed human, and every single bit of support means more than you know.

Here’s to 2,000, and whatever creepy rabbit hole we wander into next.

Stay curious. Stay in the woods. 🌲🖤

🌲🦌 Friday Night Movie RecommendationThe Ritual (2017)This week’s journey abroad takes us to Sweden…where four friends ma...
08/22/2026

🌲🦌 Friday Night Movie Recommendation

The Ritual (2017)

This week’s journey abroad takes us to Sweden…
where four friends make the classic horror-movie mistake of deciding that a shortcut through the forest sounds like a good idea.

Following the death of a friend, the group heads into the Scandinavian wilderness for a hiking trip meant to bring them together. Instead, they become lost, increasingly divided…and very aware that something in the forest may be watching them.

The Ritual blends grief, isolation, Norse mythology, and folk horror into one deeply unsettling reminder that sometimes the safest path really is the marked one.

And if the antlers, ancient forest, and monstrous presence feel a little familiar…

Longtime listeners may want to wander back to January’s Ravenous episode, where we explored the Wendigo and the way modern horror has transformed that legend.

The creature in The Ritual isn’t a Wendigo—it draws from Norse mythology—but the visual language is certainly familiar.

So pack carefully.

Stay on the trail.

And please…

🌲 Stay in the Woods.

…Actually, in this particular case, maybe don’t.





🔑🩸 Friday Night Movie RecommendationHostel (2005)This month’s trip abroad continues…And this time, maybe don’t follow th...
08/14/2026

🔑🩸 Friday Night Movie Recommendation

Hostel (2005)

This month’s trip abroad continues…

And this time, maybe don’t follow the stranger who promises you an experience that’s too good to be true.

Eli Roth’s Hostel follows a group of backpackers travelling through Europe in search of adventure, parties, and the sort of stories they’ll be telling when they get home.

Unfortunately, getting home becomes the problem.

What begins as the fantasy of travelling somewhere unfamiliar gradually becomes something much darker … a nightmare built around isolation, trust, and the terrifying realization that when you’re far from home, no one may even know where to start looking for you.

It’s brutal, excessive, and definitely not for everyone, but Hostel taps into a very specific travel anxiety:

How much of our safety comes from simply knowing where we are, how things work, and who we can trust?

So enjoy the nightlife.

Make some new friends.

See the world.

But perhaps leave your itinerary with somebody first.

✈️ Travel far. Trust carefully.

And, as always…

🌲 Stay in the Woods.





🌕🐺 Friday Night Movie RecommendationAn American Werewolf in London (1981)This month, we’re taking horror overseas.And ap...
08/07/2026

🌕🐺 Friday Night Movie Recommendation

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

This month, we’re taking horror overseas.

And apparently the first rule of international travel is:

Do not ignore the locals when they tell you to stay off the moors.

John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London follows two American backpackers travelling through England who make one very unfortunate detour, and discover that some legends are better left untested.

Part horror, part dark comedy, and home to one of the most famous transformation scenes in movie history, this film somehow manages to be funny, tragic, gruesome, and genuinely unsettling all at once.

It’s also a perfect start to our Travelling Abroad theme because it taps into one of horror’s favourite ideas:

What happens when you’re far from home, don’t understand the rules, and realize the people around you may know something you don’t?

So pack your passport.

Mind the full moon.

And whatever you do…

🌲 Stay off the moors.





🪚 NEW EPISODEThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Monster America CreatedIn 1974, five young people took a road trip throug...
08/02/2026

🪚 NEW EPISODE

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Monster America Created

In 1974, five young people took a road trip through rural Texas … and horror cinema was never the same again.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre claimed to tell a true story.

It didn’t.

But behind Leatherface was a real killer whose crimes would help shape some of horror’s most enduring monsters: Ed Gein.

In the final episode of our Road Trips theme, we’re looking beyond the film’s famous chainsaw and asking what created this particular nightmare.

We’ll explore the turbulent America of the 1970s, the real crimes that loosely inspired the film, and the uneasy relationship between true crime and entertainment.

Why do killers become cultural icons while their victims fade into the background?

When does portraying a monster become romanticizing one?

And when does telling a killer’s story begin to build their legend?

The road ends here.

But the story of Leatherface, and the real monsters behind our fictional ones, is only beginning.

🎧 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Monster America Created is available now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Content warning: This episode discusses murder, grave robbing, human remains, violence, and the exploitation of real victims.

Stay curious.

Stay cautious.

And, as always…

🌲 Stay in the Woods.





✈️🌍 This August, we’re leaving home behind…Vacations are supposed to offer an escape.New places.New people.New experienc...
08/02/2026

✈️🌍 This August, we’re leaving home behind…

Vacations are supposed to offer an escape.

New places.
New people.
New experiences.

But horror has always understood that travelling also means surrendering something: familiarity, routine, and the comforting knowledge that help is close by.

Throughout August, Truth Behind the Terror is travelling abroad, with werewolves stalking the streets of London, backpackers discovering the darkest corners of Europe, and tourists learning that some destinations were never meant to be found.

And in this month’s podcast episode, we’re heading deep into the Australian outback to uncover the real crimes that helped inspire Wolf Creek.

Why are tourists such perfect horror victims?

What happens when curiosity leads us too far from safety?

And when does fear of the unfamiliar become fear of the foreign?

Pack lightly.

Trust carefully.

And remember: sometimes the most dangerous part of travelling isn’t getting lost…

It’s being found.

🌲 Stay in the Woods.





🪚🛻 Friday Night Movie RecommendationThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)Every road trip has to end somewhere…Just hope it ...
07/24/2026

🪚🛻 Friday Night Movie Recommendation

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Every road trip has to end somewhere…

Just hope it isn’t here.

To wrap up this month’s Road Trips theme, I’m recommending the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a brutal reimagining of the horror classic starring Jessica Biel.

When a group of friends picks up a stranded hitchhiker on a lonely Texas highway, a simple act of kindness leads them straight into a nightmare. What follows is a relentless fight for survival against one of horror’s most infamous families.

With its gritty atmosphere, unforgettable visuals, and a terrifying performance from Andrew Bryniarski as Leatherface, this remake proves that sometimes the scariest destination is the one you never meant to find.

So before you head out on your next road trip…

🚛 Keep driving.

📻 Don’t answer the CB.

🌲 Skip the shortcut.

🪚 And maybe… don’t stop for strangers on a deserted Texas back road.

Stay curious.

And as always…

🌲 Stay in the Woods.





🌲🚧 Friday Night Movie RecommendationWrong Turn (2003)We’ve all been there…The GPS suggests a shortcut.The road gets a li...
07/18/2026

🌲🚧 Friday Night Movie Recommendation

Wrong Turn (2003)

We’ve all been there…

The GPS suggests a shortcut.

The road gets a little narrower.

The houses disappear.

And you tell yourself…

“It’ll be fine.”

This week’s recommendation is Wrong Turn, a survival horror classic that proves some roads are best left unexplored.

When a group of strangers finds themselves stranded deep in the West Virginia wilderness, they quickly discover they’re not as alone as they thought—and that sometimes the biggest mistake isn’t getting lost…

It’s taking the wrong turn in the first place.

As we continue this month’s Road Trips theme, Wrong Turn reminds us that horror often begins with an ordinary decision.

One missed exit.

One unfamiliar road.

One choice that changes everything.

Stay curious.

And maybe… trust your instincts more than your GPS.





📻🚛 Friday Night Movie RecommendationJoy Ride (2001)What starts as a harmless joke……turns into a nightmare that won’t let...
07/10/2026

📻🚛 Friday Night Movie Recommendation

Joy Ride (2001)

What starts as a harmless joke…

…turns into a nightmare that won’t let go.

This week’s recommendation is Joy Ride, starring Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, and Leelee Sobieski, with the unforgettable voice of “Rusty Nail” lurking somewhere out on the highway.

The premise is simple: two brothers play a prank over a CB radio while driving across the country. But when the stranger on the other end decides to play along…

…the road home becomes a fight for survival.

Part road trip movie, part psychological thriller, Joy Ride reminds us that sometimes the most terrifying thing isn’t a monster hiding in the woods.

It’s another driver you’ve never met.

As we continue this month’s Road Trips theme, remember…

Not everyone you meet on the highway is just passing through.

Stay curious.

And maybe… don’t answer the CB.





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