Pretty Evil | Podcast Guru

Details

Pretty Evil is a psychology-driven true crime podcast exploring the uncomfortable realities hiding behind human behavior. Each episode examines the psychological forces that shape destructive human behavior, from charismatic predators and cult leaders to institutional failures, social influence, moral panic, and the hidden mechanisms that allow harm to flourish. Through immersive storytelling and psychosocial analysis, Pretty Evil explores what these cases reveal about power, vulnerability, identity, persuasion, and the darker parts of human nature.

Recent Episodes

BONUS: Delusions: When False Beliefs Become Reality

Send us Fan Mail What are delusions, how do they differ from hallucinations, and what happens when someone acts on a belief that feels completely real—but isn't? In this episode of Pretty Evil: Side Notes, we're exploring the psychology of delusions, psychosis, and the complicated relationship between mental illness and criminal behavior. Following our two-part investigation into Richard Chase, the infamous Vampire of Sacramento, we're taking a closer look at one of the most misunderstood con...

31 MIN

Richard Chase: The Vampire of Sacramento (Part 2)

Send us Fan Mail Richard Chase, the “Vampire of Sacramento,” was one of America’s most disturbing serial killers. But by the time he murdered six people in Sacramento in 1977 and 1978, his severe schizophrenia, violent delusions, and increasingly alarming behavior had been documented for years. So why wasn’t anyone able to stop him? In Part Two of our Richard Chase series, we move beyond the crimes to examine the mental health system that surrounded him. Chase had been hospitalized, diagnosed...

35 MIN

Richard Chase: The Vampire of Sacramento (Part 1)

Send us Fan Mail Richard Chase, known as the Vampire of Sacramento, murdered six people in California between December 1977 and January 1978. His crimes became some of the most disturbing in American serial killer history. But what makes his story particularly unsettling is how many warning signs existed before the murders began. In Part One of our two-part investigation into Richard Trenton Chase, we examine the crimes of the Sacramento serial killer whose obsession with blood, severe psychi...

61 MIN

The War on Witches: When Good People Do Evil Things

Send us Fan Mail The Salem witch trials may be the most famous witch hunt in history, but the persecution of accused witches began centuries earlier. How did ordinary healers, midwives, and trusted neighbors become enemies of their own communities? In this episode of Pretty Evil, we explore the disturbing history of the European witch hunts, the Salem witch trials, and the psychology of mass hysteria, moral panic, and persecution. Beginning in 16th-century Scotland, we trace how folk healing,...

37 MIN

Charles Sobhraj & The Psychology of Trust

Send us Fan Mail When people picture a serial killer, they often imagine someone who immediately feels unsettling. Charles Sobhraj challenges that assumption. Throughout the 1970s, Sobhraj moved effortlessly through the backpacker communities of Southeast Asia, presenting himself as a sophisticated gem dealer, seasoned traveler, and trusted friend. His victims weren't simply chosen at random—they were people who believed they had found someone willing to help them navigate an unfamiliar world...

60 MIN