Killer Soundtrack
Season 1
Killer Soundtrack runs the needle over a playlist inspired by true crimes. Discover the truths, myths and hidden stories of eighteen infamous crimes in a Killer Soundtrack.
Where to Watch Killer Soundtrack • Season 1
13 Episodes
- Evil Empire
E1Evil EmpireThe Manson Family are responsible for terrifying Hollywood after a series of brutal murders that targeted celebrities, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate. On the fringes of Los Angeles' 1960s music industry, Charles Manson was an aspiring recording artist before ordering his followers to kill. Regarded as a counter-cultural icon of hate and the macabre, Manson would not be most remembered for the songs he wrote nor the tunes he sang. - Deadly Consequences
E2Deadly ConsequencesAward-winning music producer Phil Spector is responsible for some of the most successful albums in music history. However, Spector had a reputation for violent and threatening behaviour that could no longer be ignored when Lana Clarkson was found dead in his house from a single gunshot wound. Phil Spector was tried twice and found guilty of murder. - Milwaukee Horror Show
E3Milwaukee Horror ShowJeffrey Dahmer is one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. Singer-songwriter Max Cavalera witnessed police make their gruesome discoveries at Dahmer's apartment and later wrote the song 'Jeffrey Dahmer' with his band Soulfly. Award-winning composer Patrick Cassidy considered the link between Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Dahmer when he composed a musical aria for 'The Silence of the Lambs' movie sequel, 'Hannibal'. - Evil Encounter
E4Evil EncounterPART 1: Sophie Lancaster was beaten to death because she dressed like a Goth and listened to metal and punk music. In response to this hate crime, the English metal scene backed the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and championed the idea of acceptance and community through music. PART 2: 'Mayhem' is a Norwegian black metal band that has survived a lifetime of horror and tragedy. The band's lead singer committed suicide and the guitarist, who discovered and photographed his dead body, was later murdered by the new bassist. Through all this, the band has continued for over three decades. - A Vicious Murder
E5A Vicious MurderPunk icon, and Sex Pistols bass-guitarist, Sid Vicious and girlfriend Nancy Spungen were tragic romantics locked in a mutually abusive relationship that always seemed destined to end in tragedy. When Nancy was found dead in their apartment, Sid was charged with her murder but never got his day in court; he died from a heroin overdose. - War Ensemble
E6War EnsembleAmongst the violence, torture and genocide of the Holocaust, stories of hope and survival also emerged after the horrors of World War II. Music was a saving grace for many Jewish musicians: including pianist Zhanna Arshanskaya, who hid her identity from Nazi soldiers while performing for them. Some 70 years after Eva Mozes Kor survived the cruelty of Dr. Josef Mengele, she returned to Auschwitz to record lines for the Raymond Meade song 'At The Top Of The Stairs'. - Dark Hollywood
E7Dark HollywoodPART 1: The Hillside Stranglers were a pair of violent cousins who murdered women and left their bodies in the Hollywood Hills. Initially, law enforcement officers were unaware two serial killers were on the loose and, at the time of recording their song, neither did The Hollywood Squares. PART 2: Jim Gordon was a sought after session drummer with the famed 'Wrecking Crew'. But, Gordon's erratic behaviour outside the studio had a tragic conclusion when he murdered his mother. - Factor X
E8Factor XMusicians who write about crime are often accused of condoning, even glorifying, criminal activity. Artists such as Gary Holt, songwriter and guitarist for thrash metal band Exodus, defend the choice of subject matter and defy the heavyweight of public sentiment. Holt's interest in true crimes led him to write a song about serial killer Dennis Rader, titled 'BTK'. - City Under Siege
E9City Under SiegeWhen a jury acquitted four Los Angeles police officers of using excessive force during Rodney King's arrest, a mass protest against police brutality, injustice and racial discrimination ensued and quickly turned into a riot. Sixty-three people died and thousands injured as a result of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. For artists, such as rap metal outfit Body Count, music and protest go hand-in-hand. - Beautiful World?
E10Beautiful World?Four unarmed students were shot and killed, and another nine wounded, by members of the Ohio National Guard at a peace rally held at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. The Kent State shootings was a seminal moment in the founding of the band Devo. Gerald Casale, Devo co-founder and bass-guitarist, was a student who witnessed the events and tragic death of his friends. - Under a Darkened Veil
E11Under a Darkened VeilPART 1: Sixteen-year-old Brenda Spencer began shooting at children from her house to the Cleveland Elementary School, San Diego, with a semi-automatic rifle her father had given to her as a Christmas present. Having followed news reports of the tragedy, singer-songwriter Bob Geldof wrote lyrics for The Boomtown Rats' hit song 'I Don't Like Mondays'. PART 2: In New Orleans, a letter sent to a newspaper threatened that anyone who wasn't playing jazz music on March 19, 1919, would be killed. The serial killer 'Axeman of New Orleans' was never caught, and the case remains unsolved. - The Killing Fields
E12The Killing FieldsPART 1: In 1960s England, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley preyed upon children in the Manchester area and buried their bodies at Saddleworth Moor. The Moors murders had a profound effect on Manchester-born singer Morrissey, inspiring The Smiths' tribute to the victims 'Suffer Little Children'. PART 2: Jack the Ripper terrorised the residents of White Chapel, London, in 1888. His bloody murders have attracted attention and captured inquisitive minds for generations since, even as the subject of children's nursery rhymes. - Myth, or Murder
E13Myth, or MurderPART 1: Infamous mobster Al Capone lived a life of crime, and yet he has become part of popular culture and inspired numerous art forms. Notably, Capone's clubs and speakeasies nurtured Chicago's burgeoning jazz scene, and he allegedly penned original music whilst incarcerated at Alcatraz Prison. PART 2: Murder Ballads is a music sub-genre that focuses on crimes that often include a message or warning against criminal activity. On Christmas Night, 1895, Lee Shelton, also known as Stagger Lee, shot and killed Billy Lyons. The crime became folklore, and Stagger Lee the subject matter in song.