"Why was Memphis chosen for 'Silence of the Lambs'?" Dawson asked. As the bus rolled north toward the jail at 201 Poplar, Dawson called roll on the famous names of people arrested or imprisoned in Memphis: Elvis (in 1956, on assault and disorderly conduct charges that ultimately were dismissed) Jerry Lee Lewis Ozzy Osbourne George "Machine Gun" Kelly even the fictional Hannibal Lecter, who in the 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs" occupies a free-standing cell inside the Shelby County Courthouse. The roughly 90-minute tour pulled away from the Broom Closet and its inventory of crystals, mojo bags and Wicca candles at about 7:30 p.m. MEMPHIS HISTORY: A Bluff City Bicentennial: From comic to tragic, here are 200 pieces of Memphis' history Georgia Tann, George Howard Putt and more The tour, started by local company Historical Haunts, takes visitors around the city to see locations crime has taken place. Participants get back onto a bus after stopping during a true crime tour Friday, March 4, 2022, in Memphis. "They've got some really nice landscaping, but nothing ever happens there." She said the true-crime tour offered the friends not only a night out on the town but a night out of Bartlett. "I feel like I can identify a creep a little more quickly." "I think there's something about hearing about all the horrific things that happen, it makes you wonder about humanity - what drives people to do these things," she mused.Ĭonsuming true-crime stories "probably makes me a little more aware," said Langford's friend, Jessica Usher, 36. Michele Langford, 47, of Bartlett, was more philosophical. "We like doing quirky things," explained Scott Jones, a chemistry professor from Lincoln, Illinois, who was on vacation in Memphis with his family. That night's participants - who proudly admitted to being true-crime aficionados - were a mix of local residents and out-of-town visitors. (Dates and ticket information can be found at the .)Įarlier this month, a reporter and photographer from The Commercial Appeal joined Guenther, tour guide Amber Dawson, driver Keith Pipkin and 11 thrill-seekers on the crime tour, for a trek past about a dozen crime-relevant if sometimes rather vague landmarks (most of the old bloody brothels and orphanages have been replaced by condos and parking lots, which is why this is one sightseeing tour with an emphasis on storytelling).Īmber Dawson narrates a true crime tour Friday, March 4, 2022, in Memphis. The fee is $25 per person, and the tour generally sells out, Guenther said. Its minibuses carry no more than 20 patrons. Of course, the Memphis True Crime Tour, in this context, is just a drop in the blood bank. MEMPHIS TRIVIA QUIZ: From crime to scandal, how much do you know about the city's past? True-crime aficionados from near, far The numbers can be staggering: Netflix's first season of "Tiger King," for example, was watched by 34 million people, while the podcast "Serial" has been downloaded more than 340 million times, according to Variety.īut even less famous (infamous?) programs attract millions of viewers, which is why the cable/streaming landscape glistens with an arterial spray pattern of grisly attractions: "Unsolved Mysteries," "Worst Roommate Ever," "Murder Among the Mormons," "Why Did You Kill Me?," and on and on. More to the point, the tour is another manifestation of the apparently insatiable bloodthirstiness of a public that has made true-crime "the fastest-growing segment of the streaming industry," according to a report published recently by The Ringer, a culture website. "You have the Manson Family tour, the Hillside Strangler, the Night Stalker." Launched during last year's Halloween season, as pandemic restrictions loosened and fun-seekers emerged from their hidey-holes, the Memphis True Crime Tour was inspired by the success of similar treks in New Orleans operated by friends of Guenther and his partner in crime, so to speak, his wife, Emily Guenther.Īlso, "Where I'm from in Southern California, there's a bunch of them," said Stephen Guenther, who moved to Memphis about a decade ago. HAUNTED MEMPHIS: Ghostly stories: Get to know Memphis' supernatural side The tour takes visitors around the city to see locations crime has taken place. Stephen Guenther and his wife Emily Guenther own store The Broom Closet and run a variety of tours, including a true crime tour, Friday, March 4, 2022, in Memphis.
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