I like to spend my nights watching true crime shows I know will terrify me, and then I wonder why I can’t sleep when I go to bed. If you like to torture yourself the same way you have to watch Very Scary People hosted by Donnie Wahlberg on HLN.
I had the opportunity to see the first hour of this Sunday’s episode on Richard Ramirez, aka: The Night Stalker, and it did not disappoint. I have a pretty encyclopedic knowledge of most serial killers (is that something you can put on a resume?!) but I haven’t dug much into The Night Stalker.
Very Scary People uses experts such as former investigators, detectives, criminologists, and authors to tell the story, along with well-done reenactments, old news footage, and crime scene photos. The result is a concise introduction to Richard Ramirez’ various crimes, his background, and how he was captured.
In the beginning of the episode, Donnie Wahlberg comes on the screen and scares us right away with the tidbit that experts call the 1980s the “Decade of The Serial Killer.” These experts also estimate there may have been up to 200 murderers on the loose at that time. If that doesn’t freak you out enough, the episode details how the The Night Stalker often entered open windows during one of Los Angeles’ hottest summers on record. You also find out that Ramirez used different weapons on victims of all ages in extremely brutal attacks. Remind me to keep my windows closed from now on.
I can’t wait to see the second hour of the show where Ramirez (spoiler alert) is ultimately captured. You can check out a teaser of Sunday’s episode below.
Be sure to watch Very Scary People this Sunday, July 26th at 9pm EST on HLN to learn more about Richard Ramirez. I’m also excited for the upcoming episodes about Edmund Kemper, Robert Durst, and Michael Swango aka Dr. Death.
