Jaws: New England, Steven Spielberg, and the Reel Twisty Summer of the Shark
Send us Fan Mail In 1916, a cluster of shark attacks shook the New Jersey coastline, driving frightened sea bathers off the beaches at the height of the summer heat. In 1974, the release of a book by first-time author Peter Benchley emptied beaches and filled bookstores. Then, in June 1975, young director Steven Spielberg redefined filmmaking and the summer blockbuster when a little film with a big star started the Summer of the Shark, sending shockwaves of fear through beachgoers again. This...
4 Oct 2026
The Black Dahlia Part 4: The Reel Twisty Investigation Into the Murder of Elizabeth Short
Send us Fan Mail Join us for part 4 – the final part of this series – as we explore the 79-year-long investigation into the 1947 death of 22-year-old Elisabeth Short. Learn about the LAPD’s search for the killer, the 1949 Grand Jury and its final suspect list, and the theories and accusations that have come to light – even as recently as this year. Research Resources Part 4: William J. Mann, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood The Black Dahlia The Reel T...
22 Sept 2026
The Black Dahlia Part 3: Elizabeth Short’s Demise and the Reel Twisty Birth of The Black Dahlia in 1947 Los Angeles
Send us Fan Mail Today finds us at the crime scene. Learn how the police came upon the death of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, and more of the lore that made her into The Black Dahlia – including how the 2006 neo-noir film, The Black Dahlia, represented 1947 Los Angeles and the Leimert Park neighborhood and how those depictions hold up against the truth. PLEASE NOTE: We end the episode with descriptions of how Beth’s body was left at the crime scene, including reports from those pr...
15 Sept 2026
The Black Dahlia Part 2: Elizabeth Short’s Final Days in 1940’s Reel Twisty Los Angeles
Send us Fan Mail We’re digging back into Elizabeth Short’s stay in California before her horrible death. Track her last days with us as we unravel the identities of Elizabeth Short and The Black Dahlia and compare both to their representation in the 2006 neo-noir film, The Black Dahlia. Research Resources: William J. Mann, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood The Black Dahlia “LA’s First Freeways,” PSB SoCal “The Black Dahlia of Leimert Park,” PBS S...
10 Sept 2026
The Black Dahlia Part 1: Elizabeth Short’s Arrival in 1940’s Reel Twisty Los Angeles
Send us Fan Mail It may be California’s most notorious unsolved murder, but remarkably, there are only a handful of Hollywood depictions of the 1947 death of Elizabeth Short. Why? Because the filmmakers got her story so right? Hardly. Elizabeth Short spent less than six months in California before losing her life in one of America’s most gruesome killings. But it wasn’t the only thing she lost. Her name, her history, her autonomy – after all she experienced in death, the public strippe...
25 Aug 2026
The Social Network Part 2: The Reel Twisty Story of thefacebook.com, Accidental Billionaires, and Butt-Hurt Frat Bros. Allegedly.
Send us Fan Mail On Feb. 4, 2004, Mark Zuckerberg and friends released thefacebook.com to their Harvard classmates. In a week, they had nearly 5k members. By early April, they’d launched at ten more universities, and those students were just as addicted as Harvard’s. Mark was a hero Wizkid, Eduardo Saverin had made the smartest investment of his life, and they had groupies. So how’d Mark end up with two separate lawsuits – one from his alleged best friend and business partner? In 2010, The So...
18 Aug 2026
The Social Network: The Reel Twisty Story of thefacebook.com, Accidental Billionaires, and Butt-Hurt Frat Bros. Allegedly.
Send us Fan Mail On Oct. 21, 2010, The Social Network opened in 2,771 theaters across the U.S. It was clear that everyone wanted to know the juicy goss surrounding the meteoric rise of the social media network and the tabloid-busting drama (that movie trailer playing Radiohead’s Creep definitely didn’t hurt). The film made $22.4 million in its opening weekend alone, hitting number one at the box office and staying there for two consecutive weeks, and grossed $225 million worldwide against its...
11 Aug 2026
Finding Our Voice
Send us Fan Mail Still ready to dive into the Reel Twisty story of thefacebook.com and Mr. Mark? So are we! But it seems the universe would rather voices be found and work calling us elsewhere. No worries... we have found the voice, but not in time for this week's episode. Next week will come. Appreciate the understanding for the rocky start. In the meantime, catch up with Matt and Tasha and then catch up on our existing episodes. Hopefully we'll be back with new content next week. Have a gre...
4 Aug 2026
A Break From the Social Network
Send us Fan Mail Ready to dive into the Reel Twisty story of thefacebook.com and the Zuck? So are we! But it seems the universe would rather we take a break from the social network this week. Catch up with Matt and Tasha and then catch up on our existing episodes. Hopefully we'll be back with new content next week.
28 Jul 2026
A Nightmare On Elm Street: The Reel Twisty Story of the Southeast Asian and Dab Tsog
Send us Fan Mail A Nightmare on Elm Street premiered in 1984, but for the Hmong people, the real-life terror had begun years before with the entrance of America into the Vietnam War and the CIA’s recruitment of Hmong soldiers into their “secret war.” What began as a fight against communism is still all these years later a very real terror for an entire people – with or without the face of a nightmare spirit taking their breath while they slept. Join us as we dive into the real-lif...
21 Jul 2026
Verónica Part 2: The Reel Twisty Story of Estefanía Gutiérrez Lázaro and the Vallecas Case
Send us Fan Mail In 2018, Netflix premiered Verónica, a film that quickly gained notoriety across social media for being the scariest film on the platform. But was the movie so uniquely frightening? Or did the scares hit a little harder because they were accompanied by the "based on a true story" tagline? This is part 2 of our deep dive into the story of Verónica and her real-life counterpart, 17-year-old Estefanía. As we unravel how much of the movie stays true to the original happenin...
14 Jul 2026
Verónica Part 1: The Reel Twisty Story of Estefanía Gutiérrez Lázaro and the Vallecas Case
Send us Fan Mail In 2018, Netflix premiered Verónica, a film that quickly gained notoriety across social media for being the scariest film on the platform. But was the movie so uniquely frightening? Or did the scares hit a little harder because they were accompanied by the "based on a true story" tagline? As we dig into the story of Verónica and her real-life counterpart, 17-year-old Estefanía, we unravel how much of the movie stays true to the original happenings - and explore whether fictio...
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