Criminal Adaptations

Charlize Theron transformed herself and won an Oscar for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003). She managed to bring a side of humanity to a woman who was a societal outcast and brutally murdered seven men from November 30, 1989 to November 18, 1990. But who was the real Aileen Wuornos? Was she a mentally unstable damaged soul, as depicted in the film? Or was she a ruthless sociopath who would stop at nothing to get wha...

On November 18, 1978, Jim Jones convinced over 900 members of People’s Temple to commit mass suicide in the country of Guyana. This tragedy inspired Ti West to write, direct, and edit The Sacrament (2013), a faux documentary-style horror film inspired by the last 24 hours of the people who died at Jonestown. In this episode, we explore the life of Jim Jones, including his childhood, religious and political ideologies, and how he ca...

In this episode, we break down Ridley Scott’s star-studded biographical crime drama House of Gucci (2021). How accurately does the movie portray the rise and fall of the Gucci empire? What really happened between Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci? We’ll separate fact from fiction, explore the real-life events, and discuss the biggest differences between Hollywood’s version and history. Tune in for a deep dive into the scandal, b...

In October 2015, Aziah “Zola” King posted a 148 tweet Twitter thread that took the world by storm. #TheStory trended worldwide and became the inspiration for Janicza Bravo’s second feature film Zola (2020), staring Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo, and Nicholas Braun. Listen as we break down everything from the stalled production, exactly what went down that fateful March 2015 weekend in Tampa, and what happened to Zola ...

On December 9, 1980, Mark David Chapman assassinated one of the most famous musicians to ever live, John Lennon. Nearly 30 years later, director Jarrett Schaefer cast Jared Leto to portray Chapman’s life during the three days leading up to the murder in Chapter 27 (2007). This week, we unpack the controversy behind the movie, Leto’s preparation for the role, and learn just how accurately it captured Chapman’s movements, thoughts, a...

Before he won his Academy Awards for the smash-hit Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Daniel Scheinert directed the dark comedy The Dead of Dick Long (2019), inspired by the death of Kenneth Pinyan in 2005. This case, dubbed the “Enumclaw horse sex case,” went on to fascinate and deeply disturb society and led to Washington making bestiality illegal in 2006. As we will learn, sometimes reality truly is stranger than fiction....

For our season four premier, we take a deep dive into the dazzling world of Rob Marshall's Academy Award winning musical Chicago (2002) and compare it to the gritty crimes that inspired it. Behind all that jazz and glittering costumes lie true stories of scandal, murder, and courtroom drama in 1920s Chicago. We explore the real women who inspired Roxie Hart, played by Renée Zellweger, and Velma Kelly, played by Catherine-Zeta ...

For our two-part season finale, we are unpacking movies about two men who smuggled cocaine for the Medellin Cartel into the states, largely by air. In our second episode, we dive into the thrilling world of Doug Liman’s American Made (2017) and the real-life story of Barry Seal, the infamous pilot turned drug smuggler turned DEA informant. We break down how the movie, starring Tom Cruise, dramatizes Seal’s high-flying exploits, com...

For our two-part season finale, we are unpacking movies about two men who smuggled cocaine for the Medellin Cartel into the states, largely by air. In our first episode, we dive into Ted Demme’s Blow (2001), starring Johnny Depp as small-town boy turned infamous drug smuggler, George Jung. How accurate was Depp’s portrayal of Jung? What details about his life did Hollywood dramatize or leave out? Listen now to learn about the true ...

In this episode, we dive into Paul Schrader’s Auto Focus (2002), a darkly fascinating film about the life and career of TV star Bob Crane, best known for lead his role on Hogan’s Heroes. We discuss the film’s portrayal of Crane’s rise to fame, his complicated relationships, and his descent into scandal and sex addiction, culminating in his unsolved murder in 1978. Then, we compare Auto Focus to the real events behind the drama, exa...

This week we examine Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World (2017), the thrilling drama based on the infamous 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, the grandson of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. We dissect the film’s intense portrayal of wealth, power, and familial dysfunction, while comparing it to the true events that shocked the world. The episode also explores the Getty family’s vast fortune, their legacy in the oil industry, a...

What if the bright lights of Hollywood couldn't mask the darkest shadows of a child's life? This episode takes you on an emotional journey through the brief, yet impactful life of Judith Barsi, whose voice as Ducky in The Land Before Time and Anne-Marie in All Dogs Go to Heaven still resonates with audiences today. In this special bonus episode, Ashley and Remi highlight Judith’s quick rise to fame, the murder-suicide orc...

What if an annual movie screening in your town was based on real-life, terrifying events? In this episode of Criminal Adaptations, we offer a deep dive into Charles B. Pierce’s controversial 1976 film, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, exploring its shocking connection to the true story of the Phantom Killer responsible for the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. Join us as we recount the chilling events beginning in February 1946, analyzing...

Alejandro Monteverde’s Sound of Freedom (2023) is an action-thriller featuring Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard, a former government agent who embarks on a dangerous mission in Columbia to rescue children from sex trafficking. The film sparked significant controversy, some of which involved QAnon conspiracies and questions about if Ballard is who he claims to be. Is the film 75-80% accurate as the director has claimed? Listen now to fin...

Michael Ritchie’s The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993) takes a satirical look at one of the wildest true crime stories you’ve never heard of. Wanda Holloway (played by Holly Hunter) would do anything to help her 13-year-old daughter make the cheerleading squad, even if meant putting a hit on the competition. Listen  now to hear how one of the FIRST original HBO movies depicted  this s...

Sid Vicious, best known as the bassist for the Sex Pistols, was arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, on October 12, 1978. The couple’s toxic relationship and drug addiction was the source of Alex Cox’s 1986 film, Sid and Nancy. Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb received high praise for their portrayal of the punk rock couple. Does the film deserve its recognition as one of the best rock biopics of all tim...

To outside observers, the Baekeland family seemed to have it all. Brooks and Barbara were an attractive, social, and incredibly wealthy couple who  traveled the world with their intelligent son, Antony “Tony” Baekeland. After the couple separated in 1968, the relationship between Barbara and Tony grew volatile, dependent, and even incestuous…culminating in Tony committing matricide 1972. In 2007, Tom Kalin tapped Julianne Moore and...

In October 1997, small-town North Carolina resident, David Ghantt, executed one of the largest heists in American history by stealing $17 million from his employer Loomis Fargo, an armored-car company. He passed the money to his co-conspirators and fled the country, eagerly awaiting his third of the cash and love interest, Kelly Campbell, to join him. The series of missteps resulting in their capture was the source of Jared Hess’s ...