In 2005, director Andrew Douglas brought a terrifying new version of one of the most infamous haunted-house stories in history to the big screen. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George, The Amityville Horror tells the story of a family who move into their dream home, only to discover that its horrific past may not be finished with them.

But what makes this story so unsettling is what came before the film.

In November 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered six members of his family inside their home in Amityville, Long Island. A year later, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the property with their children, claiming they experienced terrifying paranormal events that forced them to flee after just 28 days.

In this episode of The Room Went Dark, Amalie & Lorraine revisit the 2005 remake, explore its disturbing imagery and supernatural terror, and look beyond the screen at the real-life events that inspired it.

Join the Conversation - Do you believe the Amityville house was haunted, or was it all a hoax?

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Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis

Behind the image of a charismatic pastor and his devoted wife was a marriage that, according to those closest to Mica Miller, became increasingly controlling and frightening.

In this episode of The Room Went Dark, Amalie & Lorraine take a deep dive into Netflix's three-part true-crime documentary Death of the Pastor's Wife, which examines the life of Mica Miller, her relationship with pastor John-Paul Miller, and the events leading up to her death in April 2024.

Mica's story raises difficult questions about coercive control, domestic abuse, faith, power and the people who may have seen warning signs before it was too late.

The documentary features previously unseen footage and accounts from Mica's friends and family as it reconstructs the relationship and the events surrounding her death, while also examining the continuing search for answers.

Join the Conversation

Thank you for listening and please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let us know your thoughts by contacting us on one of the following:

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Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis

In this episode of The Room Went Dark, Amalie & Lorraine take a deep dive into Barry Levinson's 1996 crime drama Sleepers, starring Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Billy Crudup, Ron Eldard, Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman.

Set between the 1960s and 1980s, the story follows four boys from New York's Hell's Kitchen whose lives are changed forever after a prank goes horribly wrong and they are sent to the fictional Wilkinson Home for Boys. Thirteen years later, their past comes back to haunt them when two of the men encounter one of the guards who abused them.

But there's another story hiding behind Sleepers.

The film opens by presenting itself as a true story, yet the authenticity of Carcaterra's original book was questioned almost immediately. Contemporary reporting highlighted disputes over whether the events described had actually happened, making the question of fact versus fiction an important part of the film's history.

Content warning: This episode discusses child abuse, sexual abuse, violence and trauma.

Sleepers isn't simply a story about revenge. It's a story about childhood, friendship, trauma and the consequences of what happens when the people meant to protect children become the source of their suffering.

Sources

https://www.iwf.org.uk/about-us/

https://safeline.org.uk/about-us/

Join the Conversation

Thank you for listening and please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let us know your thoughts by contacting us on one of the following:

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Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis

What if the thing you're most afraid of isn't really the monster?

In this episode of The Room Went Dark, Amalie & Lorraine head to Derry, Maine, for a deep dive into Andy Muschietti's 2017 adaptation of Stephen King's IT — a film about childhood, fear, friendship and the things that follow us long after we grow up.

We meet the Losers' Club, return to the storm drains and come face-to-face with Pennywise, the Dancing Clown. But beneath the balloons, jump scares and supernatural horror lies something considerably darker: a town where terrible things seem to happen again and again.

We'll look at how Pennywise turns childhood fears into weapons, why Derry itself may be just as frightening as the creature hiding beneath it, and how the film uses its 1980s setting to create a distorted version of childhood nostalgia.

But there's another story hiding beneath IT.

Stephen King's fictional Derry was inspired by his real-life home of Bangor, Maine. And while writing IT, King was affected by the 1984 murder of Charlie Howard, a young gay man who was attacked by teenagers and thrown from a bridge in Bangor. That real-life tragedy became the inspiration for Adrian Mellon's story in King's novel — a connection that would eventually make its way onto the screen in IT: Chapter Two.

We'll also look at the darker cultural history surrounding the image of the killer clown and the often-repeated comparisons between Pennywise and John Wayne Gacy's infamous "Pogo the Clown" persona — separating what is documented from what has become horror folklore.

Because perhaps the most disturbing thing about IT isn't the creature in the sewer.

It's the reminder that sometimes the real monsters are human.

One town. Seven children. One ancient nightmare.

Welcome to Derry.

Join the Conversation:

What are your thoughts on Pennywise?

Thank you for listening and please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let us know your thoughts by contacting us on one of the following:

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Email - theroomwentdark@gmail.com

Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis

Love, obsession and manipulation collide in this unsettling true story of a relationship that became anything but romantic.

In this episode of The Room Went Dark, Amalie & Lorraine explore the documentary A Toxic Love Story and the disturbing events at its centre. What begins as a story of love and attraction gradually reveals a much darker reality, raising questions about control, obsession, manipulation and how toxic relationships can escalate.

We look beyond the documentary itself to examine the people involved, the events that inspired the film, and the warning signs that can become lost beneath the idea of a passionate love story.

In this episode:

• The story behind A Toxic Love Story
• The relationship at the centre of the documentary
• Obsession, manipulation and control
• The real events behind the story
• How the documentary presents those involved
• The darker reality behind the romance
• Our thoughts on the documentary and its portrayal of events

Content warning: This episode discusses toxic relationships, abuse, violence and disturbing real-life events.

Listen to the episode and step beyond the screen as we uncover the troubling true story behind A Toxic Love Story.

Join the Conversation:

What are you views on how the case was handled for Michelle?

Thank you for listening and please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let us know your thoughts by contacting us on one of the following:

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Email - theroomwentdark@gmail.com

Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis

In this episode of The Room Went Dark, Amalie & Lorraine dive into one of the most iconic horror films of all time — Jaws (1975) — and explore the real-life events that potentially influenced the story: the terrifying Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's bestselling novel, Jaws transformed the shark from a creature of the ocean into one of cinema's most enduring monsters. But the fear surrounding sharks didn't begin with the movie.

In the summer of 1916, a series of shark attacks along the New Jersey coast left four people dead and one seriously injured. The attacks shocked the public, generated widespread fear, and contributed to a growing fascination with the possibility of sharks attacking humans.

Join the Conversation:

Would you go into the water knowing there was a shark roaming free?

Thank you for listening and please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let us know your thoughts by contacting us on one of the following:

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Email - theroomwentdark@gmail.com

Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis

What happens when a terrifying horror movie begins with something that feels far too real?

In this episode of The Room Went Dark, Amalie & Lorraine take a dark journey into Jeepers Creepers (2001) — the cult horror film that introduced us to The Creeper, a creature that awakens every 23 years to hunt for 23 days.

But before we get to the monster, we’re taking a closer look at the disturbing real-life case that bears an uncanny resemblance to the film’s opening.

In 1990, siblings Ray and Marie Thornton were driving through rural Michigan when they witnessed a man disposing of what appeared to be a bloodied body wrapped in a sheet behind an abandoned schoolhouse. The case became part of a police investigation and was later featured on Unsolved Mysteries.

That man was Dennis DePue.

We’ll explore the DePue case, what happened to his wife Marilyn, the terrifying encounter witnessed by the Thorntons, before examining the similarities between those real events and the opening scenes of Jeepers Creepers.

Then it’s time to get back on the road with Trish and Darry.

We’ll dive deep into the 2001 film, from that unforgettable opening sequence and the mysterious Creeper, to the escalating sense of dread as the siblings realise they are being hunted.

Because sometimes the most disturbing horror stories aren't completely fictional.

Join the Conversation:

How would you try and escape The Creeper?

Thank you for listening and please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let us know your thoughts by contacting us on one of the following:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theroomwentdark_

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Email - theroomwentdark@gmail.com

Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis

In this episode of The Room Went Dark, Amalie & Lorraine take a look at Slender Man (2018), the supernatural horror film inspired by one of the internet's most enduring urban legends, created by Victor Surge. We discuss the movie but also the controversy surrounding the film's release and its connection to real-world events.

If you're a fan of horror movies, creepypasta, supernatural thrillers, and deep-dive film discussions, this episode is for you.

Join the Conversation:

Do you believe in the Slender Man and would you watch the video?

Thank you for listening and please rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Let us know your thoughts by contacting us on one of the following:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theroomwentdark_

Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theroomwentdark

Email - theroomwentdark@gmail.com

Music:

Track: Caverns Of Madness -

Artist: Darren Curtis