Wade Wainio
Bio
Wade Wainio writes stuff for Show Snob, Undead Walking, Pophorror.com, Vents Magazine and Haunted MTL. He is also an artist, musician and college radio DJ for WMTU 91.9 FM Houghton.
Stories (66/0)
Samuel Little: A Quick Look at the Most Prolific Serial Killer in American History
The year 2020 might have been bad overall for most, but we can take some good with all of the bad. One positive development was the death of serial killer Samuel Little. Let me be clear here: I know it's always iffy to be glad when someone dies. Even at its very best, such a thing deserves to be recognized as morbid, to some small degree. Still, Samuel Little claimed to have killed 93 women, with 60 of the murders apparently being officially confirmed. He was not a good guy.
By Wade Wainio3 years ago in Criminal
Creepy Creatures and Myths #5: What the Hell is an 'Agropelter'?
What the hell is an Agropelter? Well, it's a "fearsome critter." What is one of those? It's apparently a step below the standard cryptid, as people seem less inclined to believe so-called fearsome critters actually exist. Indeed, the Agropelter seems to match that category, as it is apparently a tall tale linked to lumberjack lore. Basically, an Agropelter is an ape-like creature with long, whiplike arms that can throw logs (and presumably sticks and rocks) at any people who piss it off. In other words, if you could somehow meet an Agropelter, you'd better run quick or come equipped with an Agropelter-repellant. They don't call them fearsome critters for nothing!
By Wade Wainio3 years ago in Horror
Indoctrination Into the Culture of Racism (and Clawing Our Way Back Out?)
Have I experienced my own personal indoctrination into the culture of racism? I'd like to think not. In fact, I'll be somewhat charitable to myself here and say that, where it counts the most, I don't think I have been particularly racist throughout my life. Then again, isn't that exactly what a defensive person would say? Also, I must accept that, ultimately, this determination is not solely mine to make. It is partly about how others perceive and interpret my words, actions, and general demeanor.
By Wade Wainio3 years ago in The Swamp
10 Movies and TV Shows Featuring Widowed Characters
1. Psycho (1960) SPOILER ALERT! One of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous films, "Psycho" centers largely around the damaged mind of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), whose widowed mother, Norma, messed him up. Like with some actual serial killers, Norman suffered from an absent father and a domineering mother, who made him psychologically dependent on her and taught him that women were nothing but whores.
By Wade Wainio3 years ago in Geeks
How The 'Trump Train' Took America Further Off the Rails
I am not a conservative, but I think one thing must be admitted: Donald Trump's incarnation of the Republican Party is quite skilled at navigating through scandals, emerging relatively unscathed. Sure, there are a few conservative fall guys and scapegoats who get jail time, littering the media landscape here and there. Still, by and large, most of them just "power through" batshit crazy moments like they're all just a figment of our imaginations, and they skillfully rely on our cultural desensitization and collective amnesia.
By Wade Wainio3 years ago in The Swamp
Mikhail Popkov: Why is This Russian Serial Killer Cop Known as 'The Werewolf'?
Mikhail Popkov is a relatively new serial killer to enter the hall of reprobate murderers, having been apprehended in June of 2012. In case you couldn't tell by his name, he was a Russian serial killer. Active between 1992 and (possibly) 2012, Popkov was successfully convicted of 78 murders, although he apparently confessed to over 80. Mikhail Popkov is interesting for another reason, too: He used to be a police officer.
By Wade Wainio3 years ago in Criminal
The Poisonous Legacy of Locusta: A Serial Assassin...Raped to Death by Giraffes?
For many of us, history was a boring subject in school. It was replete with a bunch of names, dates, and seemingly bland events that had us fighting off slumber in class. In fact, some of my only memories of history class involve my high school teacher showing up drunk (true story!). However, don't let boring-ass textbooks fool you; History is an absolute madhouse, with freakish details that might put the average horror film to shame.
By Wade Wainio4 years ago in Criminal
Thoughts on Trump's Rapidly Increasing Authoritarianism
Some will deny that Trump is not dangerous, but he has firmly established himself as willing to go after political opponents. There are hurdles in his way, but don't doubt for a moment that he wouldn't knock them down if he could.
By Wade Wainio4 years ago in The Swamp
Freedom: Is It a Mere Slogan?
All of this stuff about Trump, symbolism, cops, monuments, rioting, and so on, has me thinking about freedom. What the hell is it anyway? In assessing freedom, I will address the nature of authority, the exaggerated scandals of monuments and Founding Father-shaming, and a host of other things (but, thankfully, I DO NOT discuss facemasks in this particular piece, other than to say right here that, in my view, it's more of a medical/scientific concern about limiting the spread of a potentially deadly virus).
By Wade Wainio4 years ago in The Swamp
Nicole M. Abusharif, The So-Called 'Lesbian Love Triangle' Murderer
After being found guilty of murdering Becky Klein in 2007, Nicole M. Abusharif was sentenced to 50 years — akin to life imprisonment, yet technically not. Upon reading this story, I must admit a big question struck me: Why only 50 years? Regardless of any exact opinion, I have heard of much harsher sentences for similar murders. Here's what happened: Abusharif had suffocated Becky with a plastic bag, wrapped her up in duct tape and left her in the trunk of a car. It was also believed that Becky was murdered out of greed, as Nicole potentially stood to gain $400,000 in an insurance payout. In any case, the murder was deemed as not being "cold, calculated and premeditated."
By Wade Wainio4 years ago in Criminal
Creepy Creatures and Myths #4: Altamaha-ha (‘Altie’)
I have written about Altamaha-ha (or "Altie") before for a website I no longer write for. As I return to the topic, I find I have practically nothing new to add, other than to maybe just talk about cryptid in the general sense, and to relate my experiences writing about cryptids.
By Wade Wainio4 years ago in Horror
Is Anarchy Always Against the Mainstream 2? [Updated Version]
Some time ago I blogged something called Is Anarchy Always Against the Mainstream? It began: "Supposedly, we live in a country threatened with chaos, and this chaos results from a lack of public order. In my opinion, this is only partly true. In reality, I think much — if not most — of the world’s chaos comes from people (be they influential or otherwise) trying to impose their perception of order on things." I also emphasized this wasn't meant to be "a vague, blanket condemnation..."
By Wade Wainio4 years ago in The Swamp