Books

Hunt A Killer Team Favorites: True Crime, Horror, Podcasts, Movies, and More!

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We don’t mean to brag, but our team at Hunt A Killer is pretty knowledgable when it comes to true crime stories, murder mysteries, and thrillers. It’s probably because nearly all of us have a keen interest in the more macabre—well and also because our company is literally called Hunt A Killer and we write, produce, and create murder mysteries as a form of entertainment.

We thought it would be fun to compile a list of some of our team’s favorite books, true crime stories, podcasts, movies, and shows that piqued our interest in the “darker” subjects. Check it out below for more ideas on what to do during the quarantine!


Becky Hackerman, Customer Service Supervisor

“I love Room 237, which is a documentary about The Shining and all these weird theories people have about that movie.”

Skye Pestana, Influencer Marketing Specialist

“Can I call Tiger King?”

Jo Rothermal, Community Engagement Manager (aka Cipher Queen)

Broadchurch and/or The Fall.” (Both amazing TV shows available on Netflix)

Will Rogers, Producer

Scream, The Outsider on HBO, and Haunting of Hill House on Netflix are my complete jam right now. And of course the Blair Witch Project.

Caitlin Weaver, Customer Service Agent

The Wages of Fear is not exactly macabre but still is one of the most suspenseful movies I have ever seen , I think . But Poltergeist is what really got me into the macabre at a very (too ) young age. Veronica is a terrifying movie about a possession in Madrid . It’s supposedly based off a true detective's report. Utterly terrifying!”

Elisa Taylor, Office Manager and Executive Assistant

“Who Killed Laura Palmer? I'm always re-watching Twin Peaks (the series). The OG and the Reboot. I actually got to the phase of my social distancing the other day where I ordered Twin Peaks scratch and sniff cards, as a "good idea." 

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Andrea Kalfas, Head of Product Design

Last Podcast on the Left continues to be a huge part of my week, every week. Forensic Files is still a favorite. I like to play bingo while watching: "luminol,” "balistic gell,” "dark secret,” "trilobal fibers,” etc.”

Josh Holley, Chief Operating Officer

Frozen 2. Definitely holds up to the first one.”

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Ryan Ashkenase, Product Designer

Mulholland Drive definitely, I think about that diner scene about once a month haha. My girlfriend and I listen to the Crime Junkie podcast as soon as there’s a new episode, we even have lyrics we sing overtop the theme song but they’re mostly just us dragging out the words ‘crime junkie’ over and over again.”

Krystle Alder, Product Designer

“One of the true crime cases I’m most interested in is the West Memphis Three. Obviously it’s been covered in many different ways, but season five of the Truth & Justice podcast really takes a deep dive into it and I learned so much from it. As for horror movies, I’ve always been into creature movies and one of my favorites I just rewatched recently is Ginger Snaps.

Morgan Ormond, Lead Writer

Making a Murderer and The Staircase are great. I've been listening to a lot of Behind the Bastards podcast if that's anything. Also Buzzfeed Unsolved.

Carlea Holl-Jensen, Director of Production

“Oh, jeez, so many! For TV, Mindhunter is definitely a recent fave. It's so sharp and unflinching in terms of character choices, and it's such a pleasure to see a show focus on the psychological profiling aspects that a lot of other shows just kind of skim over. Plus, it's incredibly beautiful and even the characters you hate are impossible to look away from. Killing Eve is basically perfection. It's top-notch suspenseful storytelling, but also really funny, with such incredibly well-written characters. Come for the clever spies, stylish assassins, and gorgeous European locations, then fall in love with the well-rounded female characters and exceptionally balanced plot. For books, I love Jane: A Murder and The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson. Both are about the murder of Nelson's aunt, Jane Mixer, in the 1960s, but one is poetry about the family legacy of this crime and the other is a non-fiction account of the killer's trial many years later. It's really fascinating to see a writer explore the same topic in two extremely different ways, and Nelson is a beautiful, humane, lyrical writer.”

Hannah Tsiopanos, Lead Writer

Happy Valley!!! That show has stuck with me in a way that makes other crime dramas fade into a sameness sludge.”

Ryan Sandrew, Director of Customer Acquisition

“I am reading a book called McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh. It is a quick novella about a sailor who wakes up too drunk to remember what happened but is told he murdered his friend, Johnson. McGlue is a crippling alcoholic with violent tendencies and has some repressed sexuality issues that he is not dealing with. It's kind of depressing!

I watched all of Broadchurch which was an excellent show. It made me want a Scottish accent. My fiance and I just kicked off the original Star Trek series and we are 11 episodes in. There have been 2 episodes about viral infections so it is great escapism.”

Keith Tralins, Chief Product Officer

“I love reading John Sandford's ‘Prey’ series for my murder itch, along with classic Agatha Christie. Here in the house, we've started a Blood Bowl league—Blood Bowl is true Fantasy Football, in which the teams are made up of elves, dwarves, orcs, etc. It's D&D-meets-rugby, and it's a ton of violent fun.”