If You Love True Crime, History, and the Paranormal, This Is the Podcast For You
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If you love true crime, haunted houses, or the paranormal, you may know that in 2021, House Beautiful launched its first-ever podcast, Dark House, hosted by style and design editors Alyssa Fiorentino and Hadley Mendelsohn. With several years of sharing stories about beautiful homes under their belts, the co-hosts wanted to peel back the proverbial wallpaper of domestic spaces that told a different, more sinister story. Combining true crime, ghost stories, interior design, spirituality, and history—all while keeping a sense of humor and more than a touch of drama—Dark House was an instant hit with listeners around the world. What started out as an experimental 5-episode limited series about haunted houses is now back for a second season with way more fascinating stories to share.
Much like in season 1, Alyssa and Hadley will put the spotlight on the most haunted—and otherwise stigmatized—houses around the United States, unpacking the events that took place there to make them so notorious and the reputations they left behind. In each episode, the co-hosts discuss the home’s architectural makeup, what makes the regional location unique, and how that influences the types of legends the home inspires, as well as notable players, deaths, resulting ghost stories, and more.
Meet the Hosts...
After they tell the spooky story, Hadley and Alyssa are joined by a guest who specializes in the realm of the paranormal, the given location, or relevant themes of the episode. In season 1, they spoke to a horror show production designer, a self-proclaimed ghost magnet, a celebrity ghost hunter, a comedian-turned-paranormal investigator, and an author who also happens to be a psychic medium. This year, you'll hear from even more guests, including a surprise celebrity interview, a law professor, a criminal psychology profiler, a spiritual medium, an interior designer, and a house flipper.
Season 2 is premiering Wednesday, July 13, 2022, with new episodes dropping biweekly through the end of the year.
Ready for some teasers? You can expect a two-part special about 10,050 Cielo Drive, the Benedict Canyon home where Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent were brutally murdered by members of the Manson Family Cult on August 9th, 1969. They discuss the home's surprising second and third lives post-murder, and dig up some info on the neighboring home nicknamed the "Mount Everest of haunted houses."
You can also look forward to a deep dive into the fascinating story of Grey Gardens, the grand East Hampton estate of socialites "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale and "Little Edie" Beale—aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill—which was made famous by a 1975 documentary. Big Edie's spirit is said to remain at Grey Gardens, watching over the house. Among the believers in this legend is author and journalist Sally Quinn, who purchased the home from Little Edie in 1979. She's featured in a special bonus episode coming out in August.
Later in season 2, Dark House will spotlight a few obscure haunted houses in San Francisco, Honolulu, the Pacific Northwest, and Pennsylvania, then dive into the classics, like the Rhode Island house that inspired The Conjuring and the infamous Lemp Mansion in St. Louis.
So with that, get excited to listen to a new episode of Dark House every other Wednesday from July 13 through December 2022—whether you're a history buff, design lover, true crime junkie, wannabe ghost hunter, or even a scaredy-cat (like Hadley!), you don't want to miss this. Subscribe to Dark House on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen.
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