As I solidified in the last passion blog, I am a true crime fanatic. That being said, one episode of true crime each week is not enough for me. One of the podcasts that I have recently added to my rotation is Morbid: A True Crime Podcast. It is hosted by aunt-niece duo Alaina and Ash. Each episode is around an hour and 15 minutes, and they release episodes twice a week, typically on Wednesdays and Saturdays, though they do occasionally stray from their schedule.
Alaina and Ash have much more of a casual feel to their podcast as compared to the Crime Junkie hosts. They have very quirky personalities, often go on tangents, and even refer to their viewers as “weirdos.” Morbid’s dialogue feels less scripted than Crime Junkie and they just loosely follow their notes. Also, the interaction between the two hosts appears to be more genuine than on Crime Junkie. While Ashley Flowers (the main Crime Junkie host) has made true crime her career and is therefore very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of law enforcement, homicidal techniques, etc., Alaina and Ash are just typical fans of the subject and do the podcast as more of a recreational hobby to complement their full-time jobs.
Unlike Crime Junkie, Morbid mainly focuses on true crime cases that have been solved and have a definite answer. I personally prefer this because I get my sense of closure at the end of the episode and am not left wondering about infinite possibilities. Alaina and Ash take on a wide range of cases, including typical homicidal and serial killer cases, historical cases, supernatural and spooky cases, and more. They even will occasionally do “Listener Tales,” which are episodes in which they compile true crime stories from their audience’s own experiences and share them. They do a great job of diversifying their content and delving into a little bit of everything.
They often do episodes with multiple parts that document some truly wild cases. One of my recent favorites were episodes 283 and 284, which is a two-piece sequence of information about the shocking life of Dorothea Puente, also known as Hell’s House Mother. They go so in depth about her upbringing, early life, and many of the different cons that she got away with. Another episode that I found fascinating was “Episode 282: Murder in the House of Gucci” which is the original story for the 2021 House of Gucci movie starring Lady Gaga. They truly do a great job of finding such bizarre cases and researching the small details that really give the story a full picture. They often recommend books that they used to help with their research, if you are interested in reading more about it. If you are interested in true crime, or are a fan of the Crime Junkie podcast, you should give Morbid a try!