Struggling for something to watch? Love watching True Crime? Wondering where you should go to watch something new? I thought I would put together my current favourite True Crime YouTube content creators for anyone interested in getting into the topic, or people who love consuming True Crime but is running low on things to watch. I have listed 8 people/channels in no particular order that I enjoy. True Crime gets me through a work out on a regular basis and many of these people have hundreds of videos you can watch, you wont run out any time soon if you enjoy these people. All quite different from each other with a different vibes so hopefully everyone can find something to watch here.
Kelsey Darragh’s Confidently Insecure Podcast has a series called Hoes Throughout History often crime related and sometimes supernatural stuff. She has also done some episodes on BIPOC people who have been murdered and unjustly punished, particularly the case of Saraya Rees I believe she is still working with the family on this.
Stephanie Harlowe mainly conducts true crime videos with so much research done, often several, hour long episodes or more. Mostly modern day true crime, sometimes more historic crime. Takes it very seriously, has done some historic type videos for Halloween theme. Mostly seems to be working to push cases out there and help possibly reach people who could make connections and also asking hard questions about how some investigations are done.
My Friend Kenna, the creator of LVNDR zine, introduced me to Stephanie Harlowe’s videos and said, “I enjoy watching Stephanie Harlowe because I get the sense that she truly cares about the victims. None of her content feels rushed or just for the sake of having an upload. Her content is all fully researched with some individual crimes taking two or three videos to explore fully. The emphasis is always on the victim, which I think is really important.”
Bailey Sarian hosts Murder Mystery Make-up Mondays. Does make-up whilst talking about true crime cases, mostly modern but occasionally more historic cases. Presented with some humour, less serious compared to some other YouTubers but always being respectful.
Danelle Hallan was my first experience of true crime on YouTube (except Buzzfeed Unsolved, but she is a bit more serious and less for entertainment) I really enjoy her videos, she takes this very seriously, has a lot of in-depth research done on these cases, often roughly half-hour long but can be several hours in several episodes. Mainly works on current cases or cold cases, trying to bring attention to them in hopes they will reach the right people and eventually get solved. Often goes on other True Crime youtube channels and podcasts.
Cydnee Black has started to do some videos where she does her make-up and talks about true crime or goes more in-depth on some historic events that have been skewed. They kind of cross over in her videos but lean more on history. She has spoken about some topics I haven’t seen discussed by many other people.
Kendall Rae mainly true crime youtube videos that are a bit shorter than the other people listed, tends to vary from 15-40 minutes. She has a podcast with her partner for longer deep dives into cases, I’ve not watched or listened to it yet but you can find it here. Sometimes talks about supernatural things around October for Halloween. She also regularly sets up fundraisers on her channel.
Loey Lane mostly does conspiracy theories and supernatural but occasionally delves into more True Crime videos. She mainly does a lot of spooky tiktok analysis type videos, which I enjoy because I’m then not watching these freaky videos alone! Another Make-up/beauty YouTuber turned supernatural and true crime.
buzzfeed unsolved
Buzzfeed Unsolved obviously, I mainly like watching Shane and Ryan, I don’t think they work with Buzzfeed as often. They are bringing out another true crime series on the channel for the spooky season though. They may be starting their own version on their new channel Watcher. Some of the Buzzfeed shorter videos with voiceover and images are interesting, but I prefer the more in-depth videos. Speaking of Watcher, they have a Puppet History series going if that’s of interest to you which can cross over with true crime.
I thought I would add a quick list of true crime documentaries you can watch on Netflix: Unsolved Mysteries, Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story, Abducted in Plain Sight, The Keepers, Captive, Long Shot, Remastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke, Making a Murderer, The Innocent Man, Time: The Kalief Browder Story, Athlete A, Dirty Money, Surviving R. Kelly, November 13: Attack on Paris, Strong Island. There are many more, but I’ve listed the ones I feel like I would like to watch and learn more about.
I’d love to expand who I watch so please leave your favourites and recommendations in the comments! Tell me why you like them so much! I also enjoy Supernatural videos and Conspiracy theories so link some of those below too! Should I make a post about the channels doing conspiracy theories and supernatural videos? Let me know!
I’ve talked about a lot of these shows before so apologies to anyone who has seen these recommended and talked about in previous posts of mine, but I wanted to compile a list of shows with queer representation but also have a spooky theme, perfect to watch for Halloween.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Riverdale filming and aesthetic vibes but witchier. One of the main crew is trans (Theo) with a cool bit of lore/family history. There are also a lot of sexually fluid characters, the main one being Ambrose, Sabrina’s cousin, who dates a selection of genders and multiple people at once (we love consensual polyamory). There are a lot of orgies in this show and very normalised within the witch world. Also, our icon Zelda is queerer than we originally thought but it will have to wait until the final season to really see more.
American Horror Story: Most people have seen this show by now, at least the first few seasons so I’ll try to be brief on representation. Every season of this show is spooky and horror-esk to varying degrees.
Murder House: Gay white male couple previous owners of house. It has been a while since I’ve seen this series so if I’ve missed any rep, sorry but I don’t want to re-watch it to figure it out.
Hotel: Bi-coded vampires, gay man buying the hotel, Elizabeth Johnson (Lady Gaga’s character) is in a poly relationship with married couple, a wlw relationship with Ramona Royale, and sexualised preying on humans is pretty bi.
Roanoke: Slave-owner and his lover (a slave, yikes), the old gay man who was a medium. Both minimal.
Cult: Married lesbian/wlw couple. I’ve not watched much of this but they seem like a main focus.
Being Human a show about a Ghost, a Vampire and a Werewolf being friends and living together. There was one cis white male couple in one episode early on, one of them dies and the other has to flea. The rest of the show is constantly queerbaiting, but if you can get past that, it’s pretty funny. Also the werewolf actor is gay.
October Faction: A witchy show featuring a mixed race family. The son of the main family is Black and gay, has a few love interests dotted around including other POC. I honestly don’t remember watching this… only some bits. It’s very aesthetically pleasing to look at but the writing was a bit meh.
Elite: a fantastic drama based in a high school in Spain where all the rich kids go, bit of a murder mystery. One of the rich kids is gay, another is bi and a selection of polyamorous relationships shown. One of the non-rich is a gay Muslim boy. There’s also suggestion a female character has multi-gender attraction but hasn’t had the chance to be shown in the show, I have my fingers crossed for the next season.
3%: a dystopian show with similar vibes to the Hunger games, everyone has to compete at age 20 to get into the luxurious life of the 3% but it’s a lot creepier than that. One of the main characters has multi-gender attraction to some extent, ends up with a character of the same gender. There is a trans character but she’s not in focus much at all. Not a lot of queer or trans rep otherwise but I liked this addition.
Black Lightning: A superhero show focused around a Black family. The father is the superhero with the power to control electricity but it’s becoming clear his daughters all also have his powers. One of the main characters (one of the sisters) is queer, I’ve not watched very far yet.
Cheer: this was a weird one, kinda thriller-y. About cheerleaders who hate their new coach and try to ruin her life. The main character is a Black queer woman, it’s relatively clear she is sapphic but is keeping it a secret. Unsure if she is attracted to multiple genders or performing straightness. Same for the best friend and the Coach, not sure if it’s multi-gender attraction or performative straightness/queerness depending on the situation. Content warning: abuse of power. There’s a football coach (i think) but definitely some adult man who sleeps with the high school girls and also the female coach of the cheerleaders engages in some inappropriate behaviour with her students.
Dead to Me: had a lot of sapphic undertones but turns out one of our main characters is queer and gets into a bit of a pickle. Dead to Me is about a woman’s husband suddenly dying and his murderer feeling so guilty she befriends the wife without her knowing she murdered her husband. Things spiral and get a bit crazy but it’s a great show with two amazing leading actresses. One of her love interests is also actually played by a queer actress, her and her ex-girlfriend are both WOC as well.
Shadowhunters: Alec is gay, mlm relationship with Magnus Bane who is bi spectrum immortal who has had relations with men and women. POC, magnus is Asian and I think Alec is Latinx. Stopped watching after a while as it was very cringe, badly written and acted but really liked the queer couple.
Russian Doll: One of those living the same day over and over again shows. The main female character has a couple of queer friends who have queer interactions. One of them has like… an orgy that you see her wake up from. One of the actresses is gay (Rebecca Henderson).
How To Get Away With Murder: a murder/crime show based in a Law school. One of the set main cast is a gay man who dates around a bit and then has a set main partner. I love the couple here and I’m a sucker for crime shows. The lead, Annalise Keating, is also shown as bi/on the bi spectrum as the series goes on. Season 5 features a case for a gay immigrant woman on trial at risk of being deported. Also HIV+ representation.
You: creepy thriller-esque show about a stalker. Spoiler alert, the best friend of the main girl is gay and kinda shows bad rep of having a closeted gay best friend but she is a WOC. She’s just as freaky and possessive as the MC. Season 2, Forty Quinn was thought to be gay and apparently was but it was never displayed on screen. Also some minor roles, Love Quinn’s friend Charlie Barnett is a queer Black man (played by the gay actor Gabe Miranda, I think he’s a fantastic actor and wish he had more star time in this show).
Once Upon a Time: A show about fairy tales trapped in the real world. Very lackluster with their first attempt at representation. Seems like someone said ‘hey we should put something gay in here’ so they put in a Dorothy and Red Riding Hood storyline. It was nice to have Red as a canon Bi woman and seeing a wlw relationship compared to most shows going straight for mlm. They did it better in their last series with Alice and Robin, more developed and actually relevant and weaved in with the rest of the plot compared to a one off episode where you never see them again. I did enjoy this show for the most part but felt very repetitive and very white which was a shame as it was a show about redoing classic fairy tales, I felt like they could and should have pushed it a bit more.
Pretty Little Liars: I have conflicted opinions about the rep in this show. Emily tends to go for very domineering women (Alison and Paige) and though I loved her and Paige together, particularly when they sorted her closeted ass out, she seems to just forgive and forget a lot when it comes to Alison who I think is genuinely an awful person who did crazy horrible things to many people. Alison and Mia are some nice bi women representation, showing completely different characteristics outwardly and in personality and showing the fluidity of a bi person’s sexuality. Over all, hate the rep a lot and Emily ended up with the wrong person IN MY OPINION!!! And I feel like it was nice to see not just white actors playing these roles as well. (it has been confirmed that Haleb, the actors anyway, are both bi which is nice to know)
The Umbrella Academy: I have many feelings about this show I love Klaus so much. I think the writers of the show heard us and in season 2 VANYA FINALLY gets to be the gay she was destined to be. Also has a disabled child in the second series. Series two can be quite upsetting as there are some very graphic moments of the civil rights movement in the ’60s so a content warning for that.
The Haunting of Hill House: A family with a history of being haunted and are followed by tragedy and spooky happenings. Something that even little wusses can watch (i.e. me) One of the main siblings is a Sapphic woman (Theo). The representation is pretty decent and the actress who plays Theo reminds me of a young Angelina Jolie. She also seems to have this power to read people by touching them, skin to skin, which is really interesting.
The Haunting of Bly Manor: The next part of the Haunting anthology series, the two are not connected. A young American woman is in England and hired to care for a couple of rich orphans in Bly Manor. She has her own ghost following her, but also starts seeing spooky things at Bly. Sapphic romance with the lead character, Dani, and the Gardener, Jamie.
Not yet out, but The Craft reboot is said to feature some transness and queerness which I am dying to see.
Are you looking for some games to play or let’s plays to watch? This is my list of video games I’ve either enjoyed playing or watching LP’s of and some links to gaming YouTuber Playlists to enjoy in the lead up to Halloween. I only watch a handful of gaming YouTubers so I’ll be recommending the same people, besides these guys I only watch sims YouTubers and that’s not really relevant here. This is a game rec blog! I’m a casual video game player, I don’t really play or watch games that would be too difficult to play, most of these will have the ability to change the setting to be suitable for novice players for those like me who just kinda wanna have a good time and disconnect from the world.
Phasmophobia
This is a new game that has come out, currently only accessible by PC on Steam as it is in the early release days. It’s basically virtual ghost hunting with a selection of maps to choose from, loads of equipment to use and a bunch of ghost types to identify. I think you play with friends, I’m sure you can play alone but i think it would make it very difficult to complete and I’m not sure if you can play with other people online. I’ve been watching a couple of LP’s of this game as I don’t have a PC but it looks like a game I’d really be into playing if I had any friends. This is also cool because it uses your voice as part of the game too, you can speak to the ghosts and they can hear you so when you’re being hunted, you need to keep quiet. It also works with VR.
CallMeKevin has played this too but he’s more of a troll player so if you need some humour to break the tension, I recommend him!
Until Dawn
An interactive survival horror game based on the spoof concept of horror films with teenagers out in cabins in the woods/middle of nowhere. With a mixture of supernatural threats and human. A group of teen friends return to the cabin a year after two of their own disappeared and were never found.
Markiplier has one here. I enjoyed watching this at uni.
Kelly Kpopp is one of the few female YouTube gamers I’ve found and enjoyed, she doesn’t post so much now but here’s the Until Dawn LP.
Geek Remix are two queer women who make LPs and stream together. View their complete LP.
The Walking Dead Series
I’m sure you all know what this is about, even if you’ve only heard of the TV show, you know the gist. A story, choice based game in the zombie apocalypse. To begin we follow Lee as he tried to protect this little girl, Clem, he stumbles upon. Each of the games follow different people, two of the seasons follow Clementine and there is a Michonne spin off. Available on pretty much all platforms at this point, the game has now been completed. Available across numerous platforms.
JackSepticEye has a bunch I think he played all of them. I couldn’t find the playlist for season 1 but I’ve linked season 2.
Kelly Kpopp I’ve linked a massive playlist of her Walking Dead LP.
Hello Neighbour
Doesn’t look scary, but I swear to god I got jump scared so many times watching LP’s of this freaking game. When I was watching, it was under development, I’m not sure where it’s at now or what it looks like to play but it changed so many times through the LP’s I watched. It was creepy and seemed to have a lot of lore.
Basically a simulator for hunting a Bigfoot out in the woods. Fend off attacks and live through the night. Setting up traps and trying to find useful items for keeping alive. PlayStation and Steam.
This isn’t a horror game, it’s just kinda spooky and strange with really cool art. It’s a supernatural mystery graphic adventure game, another one heavily influenced by the tropes of teen coming-of-age films. A group of teenagers go to an island together after the death of the main character’s brother. Available on steam.
For some non-scary but still kind of Halloween related games, check out these:
CallMeKevin has played a lot of these games but as I said above, he is quite a trolly player so a great choice for getting to know the games without too much risk of horror.
If you have any recommendations for other gaming YouTubers you think I might like, let me know! (Do not suggest pewdiepie pls…) I hope you enjoy watching or playing some of these games for Halloween season! Check out my Twitch here, I sometimes play video games!
Spooky Season is upon us, we are all locked up, never allowed to leave the house again. All our homes are basically becoming houses of horrors where our souls have laid to rest, along with our hopes, dreams, and motivation. As I have zero to talk about at this point, I’ve been struggling to create content for any of my social media that I’m happy with, books are my only thing right now. SO I bring you YA spooky book recommendations and my TBR. As usual, the TBR section is ridiculous and I am not going to read that many books or even try! But I like to talk about all the books I currently own and would like to read that fit the brief! I like flexibility as well in case I’m struggling to get into a book or DNF any, which happens quite often as many of the physical books I own are second hand and bought a long time ago. My tastes have changed a lot over that time.
includes affiliate links
Books I haven’t read yet.
Books I Haven’t Read and Are on my TBR
Zombies by David Nutt: A book of short stories and poems about the zombie apocalypse. I’ve struggle to get started on this book, but I’m going to give it one more go before I unhaul it. (DNF’d)
Sub Rosa by Amber Dawn: This is about a runaway called Little who finds this underground community of sex workers and magicians, seems kind of magical and spooky.
Let Me Be Like Water by S. K. Perry: I picked this up second hand a long time ago, it’s based in my local area Brighton which is why I picked this up. The MC moved here after her boyfriend died and she meets a Magician… It may not be super magical but I guess I’ll find out!
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman: I love the film, I’ve said this before. Two sister witches who grew up thinking very different things about their magic. I think this is classed as a Romance novel, a genre I have never really read before. I know the basic plot from the film, but there are always differences between book and movie so I’m keen to see what wasn’t included and what the magic on the page felt like.
Witch Child by Celia Rees: Another random charity shop pick up, a YA novel about a teenage girl who loses her grandmother to a hanging because she was accused of being a witch. The MC narrowly escapes this fate but has to hide her identity from here on.
Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean: This is a book I did start reading once upon a time, probably a decade ago, and hung onto because I love Peter Pan. Maybe I’ll give it another go!
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: So, I’m conflicted on this one as it has a disabled character in it that sacrificed themselves to save their brother in an apocalypse… Otherwise this seemed like an interesting book, but I’m not here for inspiration porn or using disabled characters as plot devices and not actual important characters so… yeah. I might read the first couple of chapters and see.
The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward: I actually thought I unhauled this but I found it on my shelf in the spare room and it’s about a potion maker trying to cure the princess before any other potion people do it. And it’s obviously a straight book, but I could see this being gay as the MC is a girl and they are trying to cure the princess so, another book I might read the first couple of chapters to see how I like the writing before finally deciding if I’m going to continue it.
The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco: 19th century Europe, the Freemasons, Italian Republicans and Italian Criminals. Another book that has been sat on my shelves for a long time, I think I picked this up during university, so not quite as old as some books. I feel like I have a gist of what it’s about but I need to give it a go.
The Sight by David Clement Davies: “Morgra knows that one of the pups born beneath the castle holds a key to power even stronger than her own power that could give her control of this world and the next. But the pack she hunts will do anything to protect their own, even if it means setting in motion a battle that will involve all of nature, including the creature the wolves fear the most: Man.” I don’t remember reading this blurb at all! Sometimes reading the plot summaries for these old books makes me laugh.
Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie: So I have already started this but… I am stupid and didn’t read anything on the cover clearly as I wasn’t expecting it to be a YA. I used to read Cherub when I was a teenager and this book gives me those vibes. Looking at the cover of this and the title, it felt more like an adult crime thriller, so I may not carry on with this one. (DNF’d)
Dead Tomorrow by Peter James: This was a book I picked up as a part of my reading books about my local area theme, “The body of a teenager dredged from the seabed off the coast of Sussex is found to be missing its vital organs. Soon two more young bodies are found. Caitlin Beckett, a fifteen-year-old in Brighton, will die if she does not receive an urgent liver transplant. When the health system threatens to let her down, Lynn, her mother, turns in panic to the internet and discovers a broker who can provide her with a black-market organ – but at a price.” This is more what I was looking for to read, I love watching crime shows but wanted to delve into the realm of reading it. It is quite a chunky book though, so I hope the pacing is good and it’s filled with lots to keep me interested.
Black Hills by Nora Roberts: Apparently this is classed as a Romance, Thriller, Mystery so not usually something I go for but it sounded interesting when I picked it up. “Twelve years later and Cooper has returned to run the ranch after his grandfather is injured in a fall. Though his touch still haunts her, Lil has let nothing stop her dream of opening the Chance Wildlife Refuge, but something – or someone – has been keeping a close watch. When small pranks escalate into heartless killing, the memory of an unsolved murder in these very hills has Cooper springing to action to keep Lil safe. They both know the dangers that lurk in the wild landscape of the Black Hills. And now they must work together to unearth a killer of twisted and unnatural instincts who has singled them out as prey.” Uh, bit of an odd plot but I’ll have a go.
Lord Loss by Darren Shan: I’ve had and kept this book for a long time. I was gifted it when I was in year six, probably around 10 or 11, by a kid in my class I never liked. I find it funny that even back then, before my emo phase, I gave off the energy that I would like books like Darren Shan. I’ve never actually read this. I have a vague memory of reading the beginning but that’s it, so I’d like to pick it up and finally give it a read now that I enjoy spookier stories.
YA books I have read and recommend!
Books I Recommend!
Full-Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa: “Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg…and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders…even to kill. Except his powers aren’t unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher’s Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are…”
Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato: “Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth – the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin’s veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a secret?”
Mediator series by Meg Cabot: “Being a mediator doesn’t exactly make Susannah Simon your typical sixteen-year-old. Her job is to ease the path for the unhappy dead to their final resting place. She finds her skills tested to the maximum. But can this girl get her ghost?” (edit: I’ve re-read the first book of this series and noticed it’s quite problematic for a few reasons such as using the term sch*zo and also a white girl (the MC) using “Brazilian Voodoo” to banish a ghost so… I change my mind I don’t recommend these books at all)
Midnight by Jacqueline Wilson: “A wonderful tale of family and fairies from the phenomenally successful Jacqueline Wilson. Violet has always been in the shadow of her mesmerizing, controlling brother Will — by turns delightful and terrifying. Now that Will has learned a shocking secret about his own past, things seem to be getting worse. Violet retreats further into her fantasy world built around the fairy characters created by her favourite author, Casper Dream. The arrival of Jasmine, a new girl at school who immediately befriends Violet, seems like it might change Violet’s life for the better and allow her to break free of Will’s spell. But is Jasmine a true friend?”
Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler: “Ivy and Tristan are meant to be together. Both stunningly attractive, brilliantly talented and very much in love, they think their happiness will last forever. When a terrible car accident shatters their world, killing Tristan and injuring Ivy, she must face life alone – or so she thinks. However, Tristan is watching over her as her guardian angel – so close she can feel his touch and hear his voice. And no one needs a guardian angel more than Ivy, because someone is trying to kill her. But if Tristan saves Ivy, his mission on earth will be finished, and he’ll have to leave her behind. Will saving Ivy mean losing her forever?”
Generation Dead and The Kiss of Death by Daniel Waters: “Something strange is happening – teenagers who die are coming back to life, but they come back different. Termed ‘living impaired’ or ‘differently biotic’, there are lots of conspiracy theories to explain this new phenomenon. As their numbers keep on growing, so does the discomfort of the living people in the local community.” This is a book I want to read again, especially after reading the summary, as I’m interested to see the similarities between being a zombie and being disabled.
Vampyr Legion by Alan Gibbons: “What if there are places where our nightmares live and wait for us? Phoenix has found one and it’s alive. Armies of bloodsucking vampyrs and terrifying werewolves, the creatures of our darkest dreams, are poised to invade our world. After his battle with the evil Gamesmaster in SHADOW OF THE MINOTAUR, Phoenix knows this is for real. As he prepares to enter the second deadly computer game in The Legendeer series, he knows he must win or never come back. The Legendeer is more than just a game. Play it if you dare.” I didn’t know this was the second in a series! I dunno how I read this in school and didn’t notice but okay then.
One book you all need to read right away is Wranglestone, an Adventure Mystery Zombie Apocalypse YA novel with a gay main character! Read more here.
Most of these books I want to re-read anyway! I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to enjoy some of them during October, but I also plan to spend my time watching True Crime, Supernatural, Conspiracy Theory YouTube videos and Netflix shows as well. I plan to bring out a blog post next week on some of my favourite creators in these categories, I hope you will enjoy that! Let me know if you have read any of the books on my list and what you thought! Check out my most recent Bookish YouTube video. See you back here next week!
