The Horrific True Story of H.H. Holmes’ “Murder Castle” on 63rd Street

Murder Files Unsealed · May 23, 2026 · 45m · transcript

This episode chronicles the life and crimes of H.H. Holmes, a notorious nineteenth-century figure often cited as one of America’s first serial killers. It details the construction of his infamous "Murder Castle" in Chicago, a building designed to facilitate insurance fraud and the disposal of victims during the 1893 World’s Fair. While the source acknowledges the terrifying legends of secret passages and torture chambers, it emphasizes that many of these claims were sensationalized by the media of the era. Instead, the narrative presents Holmes as a calculating con artist whose primary…