Evil History

This book examines order and time in the classic noir film Touch of Evil.

John Christie was a man with many secrets, and his flat at 10 Rillington Place in London would become known as one of the original houses of horror. Former soldier, special constable, and husband, John was to become regarded as one of the worst British serial killers to date, and one that left a lot more questions than answers following his execution.

During the war period, an estimated 5,000 females served as guards in concentration camps. These Nazi wardresses would often times be more brutal than their male counterparts. The graphic violence that occurred under the watch of these women would go on to shock and terrify the public. Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS, the movie that essentially spawned the cult subgenre that is now known as Naziploitation, or Nazi Exploitation, was based on Ilse Koch, an overseer at several concentration camps run by her husband, Karl-Otto Koch.

This essay comes from the NPR series This I Believe, which features brief personal reflections from both famous and unknown Americans. The pieces that make up the series compel listeners to rethink not only what and how they have arrived at their beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.