REELZ has announced its two new series “Fame Kills” and “Behind the Screams” will reveal a sinister side of entertainment and movies when they premiere Saturday, September 26. First up is “Fame Kills” at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT shining the spotlight on the tragic stories of aspiring artists whose quests for stardom were derailed by encounters that led to their untimely deaths. Immediately following at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT is the premiere of “Behind the Screams”, a series sure to rattle viewers with the terrifying yet true stories that inspired some of the most gripping horror movies including “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Psycho,” “The Exorcist” and more.
“Fame Kills” – Saturday, September 26 at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT
Lurking behind the red carpets, swanky homes and star-studded parties is a seedier side of celebrity filled with jealousy, competition, greed and murder. “Fame Kills” shares the stories of rising stars whose journeys toward the privileged world of celebrity were cut short during deadly encounters. With re-enactments, interviews with friends, family, witnesses and detectives from the case, each hour-long episode covers one mesmerizing story from rise to fall, from unsolved crime to closed case and the characters are straight out of a classic whodunit film—but these stories are real and the endings are anything but happy. “Fame Kills” is produced by m2 Pictures and new episodes will air Saturdays at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT.
Episode topics for “Fame Kills”:
Linda Sobek – The premiere episode on September 26 is centered on the swimsuit model and former LA Raiders cheerleader who went missing after a desert photo shoot and just before a wardrobe fitting for comedic series “Married with Children.” Police must uncover a twisted trail of clues that lead to a killer who claimed her death was accidental but physical evidence suggests something far more grisly.
Debbie Flores-Narvaez – A young woman moves to Las Vegas to follow her dream of becoming a showgirl. Her career is taking off and she meets the perfect guy when she falls for a Cirque du Soleil performer but after landing a solo in the acclaimed burlesque show “Fantasy” her body is found cut up and encased in cement. The case stuns police as they uncover a chilling tail of deceit, vengeance and betrayal all leading to murder.
Rebecca Schaeffer – An aspiring actress, Schaeffer burst onto the scene with a starring role in hit sitcom “My Sister Sam.” However, fame comes with a price and she is soon found shot dead on her LA doorstep. Who could have wanted this rising star dead just hours before her audition for “Godfather III”? The killer left a few clues and investigators must unlock the secrets of a puzzling crime scene to catch the killer.
Melissa Haferman (“Melissa Love”) – An aspiring country singer on the verge of a recording contract, Haferman goes missing after travelling to Nashville to record a demo. She is found strangled to death with her own rodeo belt and evidence leads to a man who eliminated the rising star to boost his own twisted thirst for fame.
Karin Schlegel – A promising actress beats hundreds to win the starring role in a feature film with an up-and-coming New York City director but the deal comes with one condition: she must attend regular acting sessions at the director’s apartment. Schlegel’s friends warn her it’s a strange request but she believes this is her ticket to stardom. Unfortunately, the only fame Schlegel found was in the headline: “Actress Found Slain” and a murder investigation and psychological nightmare that shook the Big Apple to its core.
Jane King – Beautiful blonde King is dying to be an actress and in the process of going to auditions, getting headshots and attending acting classes she meets a man who claims to have connections with Paramount Studios. But the claim was a lie and weeks later police find her body—the circumstances of which are eerily similar to another recent homicide in LA—and it takes two years and many more victims to bring the infamous Hillside Stranglers to justice.
“Behind the Screams”– Saturday, September 26 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT
“Psycho,” “The Exorcist” and “The Silence of the Lambs” are some of the most terrifying horror movies ever put on screen but the shocking reality is these movies were inspired by actual events. “Behind the Screams” presents these iconic images of horror—a young boy gripped by demonic possession, an axe-murderer chasing a teen through the woods—and pulls back the curtain to reveal the real story. From serial killers to documented paranormal encounters, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and each one-hour episode examines the hair-raising true incidents that sparked some of the most gripping big screen stories. “Behind the Screams” is produced by Hoff Productions and new episodes will air Saturdays at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT.
Episode topics for “Behind the Screams”:
“A Real Psycho” – The peaceful small town of Plainfield, Wisconsin is shattered when a female bartender goes missing. But it’s not until a few years later when another woman of the same age disappears that local sheriffs start putting together the pieces of a very strange puzzle. Two bloody crime scenes, dozens of empty graves, a sick obsession with mother and a suit of human skin. You might think this is the plot from a horror film but it’s all terrifyingly true. These are the actual events that inspired the movies “Psycho,” “The Silence of the Lambs” and many more stories of terror. This is the “Behind the Screams” account of serial killer Ed Gein.
“Handsome Devil” – When two young women disappear from a lakeside beach investigators have nothing to go on. But as bodies begin to surface and more women go missing, shocking similarities in the cases come to light. A handsome stranger with a broken arm, a Volkswagon Bug and the name Ted are all clues as investigators close in on the monster responsible for this horrifying killing spree. With a signature pick-up strategy of faking a disability to disarm his victims, Ted Bundy’s act was so effective that it gave rise to the technique of famed fictional serial killer, Buffalo Bill, in “The Silence of The Lambs.” But what happened to Bundy’s captives is far more frightening than any movie.
“The Real Clown Killer” – In 1970s Chicago teenage boys are going missing by the dozen. But investigators are overlooking an important clue– all of the missing boys share a connection with an upstanding community member who is leading a double life. He’s a power hungry sadist that can’t get enough. Serial killer John Wayne Gacy is the original killer clown– the monster that inspired so many evil, clown-faced villains.
“Satan Inside Me” – Strange, inhuman noises night after night, hellish commandments gouged in human flesh and a war of good vs. evil. When a teenage boy in Baltimore begins to act strange his parents don’t know what to think. But as his behavior gets more disturbing they become certain of one thing– their son is consumed by evil and they must seek help from the church. A young man possessed by the devil, this distressing story is behind the famed horror movie “The Exorcist.”
“Witches Among Us” – A large family moves into an old rural farmhouse hoping to give their kids a simpler life. But they’ve landed in a house full of terrible secrets—a family home full of angry apparitions, tragic suicides and sinister witchcraft. The ghosts terrorize the mother and frighten the children every night. The Perron family home’s haunting is a true tale of terror brought to the screen in “The Conjuring.”
“Alien Invasion” – Six witnesses, a terrifying abduction, no body, no trace and a story that can’t be disproven. Leaving a job site late one night, a group of young men are drawn in by a mysterious bright light. In a flash one of the men disappears only to reappear five nights later with a strange tale of being captured by bizarre and menacing creatures that aren’t human. Travis Walton’s alien abduction story continues to mystify UFO believers and critics is the basis for the movie “Fire in the Sky.”
