“Serial Killers” is hosted by Greg Polcyn and Vanessa Richardson. This podcast dives deep into the lives and stories of history’s most prolific and notorious serial killers. Through deep and thorough research, the creators of the podcast explore the killers’ minds “with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile.”
The episodes “Werewolf of Wysteria” cover the story of Albert Fish, a monster whose most infamous crimes terrified New York from 1924 to 1928. Fish preyed upon over 100 young children (many of whom are still unidentified), molesting, murdering, and sometimes eating them. Polcyn and Richardson cover Fish’s childhood and life before his first attacks and analyze how he was molded into the “Werewolf of Wysteria”. They then discuss his most significant crimes and the murder that led to his arrest and execution.
A unique feature of this podcast is that it has voice actors portray testimonies and eyewitness accounts from people relating to the crime (i.e. witnesses, psychiatrists, the suspect himself, etc.). The actors spoke like the actual person or at least how they believed the person spoke- with an accent appropriate for the location and time period. I felt this helped me stay engaged with the story because it almost felt as if I teleported back in time and the actual person was speaking to me. They also include the portrayals at just the right moments so it blends with whatever the host is saying – like a blended quote in an essay. Similar to a research paper, these testimonies provide evidence and clarification to statements the hosts make.
The hosts were excellent! Though neither of them are licensed psychologists or psychiatrists, they both appear to be passionate about the subject and have done a lot of research on the minds of criminals. Polcyn is the main host and does most of the storytelling, while Richardson adds most of the psychological analysis and commentary. They tell Fish’s story in a way that makes sense – starting with an overview of his most prominent crimes, then diving into his psyche and background. I like how they discussed his psychological evaluation from when he was arrested and came up with suggestions as to how he would be evaluated with our present-day understanding of psychology. I thought this was a really good idea because his crimes were committed such a long time ago, and our knowledge of psychology has evolved since then. It also makes it easier for me, as a listener, to understand the killers’ minds. The hosts also do a really good job explaining all of the different psychological terms and go in-depth about how the killers embody the different psych disorders.
Though subtle, the background music also helps engage the listener as it creates clear distinctions between different aspects of the story. In this episode, when the hosts were describing Fish’s background, 1920s jazz played in the background- as the story was set in that time period. The same type of music played behind the portrayals of the different significant people in the story. When the story became darker and more suspenseful, the music appropriately changed from the lighter jazz to dark and mysterious. When the hosts were discussing Fish’s motives and psyche, the music switched to a more modern style of music that is similar to what plays on crime shows I’ve seen.
Overall, I really enjoyed the storytelling in this podcast! The hosts were clear and concise, creating an easy to follow pacing. Maybe it’s because the actual story was interesting, but I was really engaged with the podcast – there was never a dull moment.
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Zoe, this podcast sounds super interesting, and a unique take on true crime – looking at the perpetrator’s backstory rather than at the solving of the case. It definitely sounds like there’s a lot to discuss with trying to understand the minds behind these serial killers.
I think the use of voice actors to portray testimonies and quotes from the past is a really effective tool for listener immersion. The podcast I listened to, “Throughline,” also used this a lot when referencing quotes from history. Rather than hearing the host read out a quote by George Washington, I think getting an outside voice actor to narrate it makes the listener feel a lot more like they’re experiencing the story. Just like you said, it’s as if you’re teleported back in time.
Your analysis of the dual-host dynamic in “Serial Killers” with the main host and the second host for additional analysis is really interesting. “Throughline” also has two hosts, but I didn’t notice that much of a split dynamic between them – I’ll make sure to listen closely for that next time.
The present-day connection element you talk about where they explain the killer’s psychological diagnosis in modern terms seems very helpful to anchor the concepts in the listener’s mind. It can be hard to relate to things from the past, and using present-day language to describe it can connect the audience a lot better. My podcast did the same through the hosts using modern vocabulary and even some slang when discussing historical events.
As for music – I think music is one of the strongest tools to create a holistic environment in a podcast. The choices of music can set the theme of the entire episode from the intro throughout the end. The 1920’s jazz playing in the background of the hosts’ descriptions of 1920’s events is a nice touch that furthers that immersion element even more. When we make our own podcast episodes, I’ll make sure to keep this in mind for my background music selection.
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