True Crime

tours from the 1947project

Wild Wild Westside

For the first time, the true crime archeologists of the 1947project have set their sights on points west of Robertson, and the results are truly astonishing. In this new tour spotlighting some of the weirdest, most horrific and downright unbelievable crimes of historic West Los Angeles, you’ll thrill and shudder to tales of teenage girl gangs, tortured tots, wicked wives, evil spirits, cults, creeps and assorted maniacs on a tour so wild, we had to say it twice.

On this tour, you'll meet Weird Ward, the boy husband of the nefarious cult leader who made her followers carry their mummified daughter all across 1920s L.A. You'll meet the peculiar Helen Love, who nearly escaped justice when she willed herself into a coma during her very odd murder trial. Along the Venice shore you'll see where a pair of real life witches tortured their own Hansels and Gretels for decades as neighbors pretended not to hear their cries, and visit the grand hotel that was formally a flop house for ex-junkies in the Synanon Cult. Wild Wild West Side offers a new way of looking at West Los Angeles, and a tour recommended for residents, tourists and anyone who likes to explore the unexpected.

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Halloween Horrors with Crimebo the Clown

The most grisly Crime Bus tour, this seasonal confection rolls from Echo Park to the San Fernando Valley and back through Hollywood, stopping at the sites of the weirdest and most disgusting crimes in LA's history, and a few with a Halloween theme. Halloween Horrors features lurid crime scene photos and more sick jokes per mile than the other Crime Bus tours, and is the only no-kids-allowed tour on the schedule. Vintage crime scene photos are featured, with passengers urged to BYOBB (bring your own barf bag), always a smart idea when Crimebo the Crime Clown is in attendance.

Ghost Hosts Kim Cooper and Richard Schave have dug into the archives to uncover such terrible tales as the lady dope dealer left with her eyes gouged out on Echo Park's Lovers' Lane, the one-time silent screen star who died alone and was gnawed on by her doggy, the trick or treat murder of the handsome hairstylist, an astrologer and a palm reader who didn't foresee being killed by the women they loved, Silver Lake's exploding gun shop, the poignant death of the bravest dog in Hollywood, plus visits to Bela Lugosi's home, Crimebo's tales of Halloween celebrations gone terribly wrong and history of holiday pranks in Los Angeles, plus light-hearted oddities like the mysterious midnight disappearance of thousands of cucumbers from a Hollywood farm.

The 2008 edition of Halloween Horrors features a super spooky guest star. Jeremy Kasten is a horror filmmaker and a fetishist of all things related to Los Angeles’ past. Jeremy’s film’s include "The Attic Expeditions" starring Seth Green, Alice Cooper, Ted Raimi and Jeffrey Combs. "Attic" premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival and played at dozens of film festivals around the world and is considered a cult favorite among horror fans. Jeremy’s second film, "All Souls Day: Dias De Los Muertos" (David Keith, Laura Harring, Danny Trejo) premiered at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival and his third film, "The Thirst", (Jeremy Sisto and Matt Keslar) is notoriously one of the most bloody modern vampire exploitation films. Jeremy has just released his latest, a remake of H.G Lewis’ "The Wizard of Gore," starring Crispin Glover, Kip Pardue, Bijou Phillips, Brad Dourif, Jeffrey Combs and featuring the Suicide Girls. "Wizard" premiered to sold out crowds at the Los Angeles Film Festival and is a love letter to post-punk Los Angeles. Jeremy will be showing and discussing favorite disturbing clips from horror films featuring Los Angeles. We will see the city as a background to heinous crimes as well as a stand-in for everything from sleepy suburbs to a post- apocalyptic nightmare world. Not for the squeamish.

Passengers on this eye-opening, funny and informative tour will leave with a new understanding of Halloween in old Los Angeles, and the promise of nightmares. It is highly recommended for natives and newcomers, crime and history buffs and anyone who likes to seek out the unexpected.

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