10 Creepy Unsolved Hollywood Mysteries

10 Creepy Unsolved Hollywood Mysteries

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re discussing our picks for 10 Creepy Unsolved Hollywood Mysteries.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most disturbing cases in Tinsel Town that were never closed. Hollywood couldn’t make up these tragic or simply bizarre celebrity tales.

What Hollywood mysteries have haunted you? Have any theories? Join the inquiry in the comments.

Who Took Out Johnny Stompanato? (1958)

Lana Turner was one of the most desirable women on the screen. Unfortunately, she had bad luck with men, most notably Johnny Stompanato. It’s bad enough that he was an enforcer for Mickey Cohen’s crime family. Never mind that he brought his violent work home. The official story is that Turner’s daughter Cheryl Crane wound up killing Stompanato to protect her mother. The court ruled that the homicide was justifiable, but the court of public opinion is deadlocked. Some solid conspiracy theories suggest that Turner herself did the deed. As the only person who knows the truth, Crane stands by the confession she made in 1958. Still, compelling and unsettling questions about Stompanato’s death have helped make it a staple of Hollywood true crime.

Albert Dekker's Private Life & Death (1968)

The prolific actor and strong-willed politician Albert Dekker lived large, but didn’t die with much dignity. His fiancée discovered him in a graphic state in the bathtub, with a noose around his neck. Authorities ruled it an accidental death by autoerotic asphyxiation, but the truth is likely even darker. Dekker was bound and blindfolded, with needles in his arms and explicit lipstick writing all over his body. Money and surveillance equipment were also missing. It’s now popularly believed that Dekker died on a partner’s watch, with his own son Benjamin at least concurring that it was an accident. Whether he took his scandalous habits too far or was killed, Dekker still deserved better than the police’s clearly dismissive investigation.

Seasick on the "Titanic" Set (1996)

Although it ended up being one of the biggest films ever, James Cameron's "Titanic" took on rough waters throughout its production. Perhaps the most infamous incident, however, was during a lunch break. Shortly after the shooting crew in Nova Scotia sat down to clam chowder, they began behaving erratically and hallucinating. Cameron was reportedly able to throw up his meal. An emergency trip to the hospital confirmed suspicions that the chowder had been spiked... with PCP! More than 50 people were drugged. The person responsible was never identified. Some believe that this was the act of a disgruntled crew member if not some overzealous thrill-seeker. Whoever was behind this terrible stunt, all the pandemonium made for a night to remember.

George Reeves' Downfall (1959)

The strapping George Reeves truly broke out the Man of Steel for the live-action screen. Sadly, with the end of the “Adventures of Superman” TV show, his life and career came crashing down. The police concluded that his fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted. However, as Reeves’ friend Rory Calhoun said, no one in Hollywood believed this story. Theories and literature speculate that Reeves may have been killed by his ex-mistress’s husband, or by his own disgruntled fiancée. Certainly, there are a lot of holes in the official theory. This immediately scandalous mystery would be popularly immortalized by the 2006 whodunnit “Hollywoodland.” While Superman remains at the center of Reeves’ legacy, many still suspect a lack of truth and justice in his death.

Fatty Arbuckle's Fatal Party (1921)

Most recognize Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle as one of the most beloved comedians of silent cinema. Many others see him as a monster. It all started with Arbuckle’s Labor Day party in 1921, in which up-and-coming actress Virginia Rappe died from traumatic injuries. The party’s host was accused of accidentally killing the woman during an assault. With coroner reports to the contrary and character witnesses, Arbuckle was acquitted in court. Still, yellow journalists and contemporary skeptics kept the funnyman off the screen for years. Even now, some question the verdict after two hung juries and a five-minute final deliberation. Rappe’s death is considered Hollywood’s first major scandal. Whoever was responsible, Arbuckle’s image never fully recovered from the ghastly and unresolved tragedy.

The Death of Natalie Wood (1981)

Natalie Wood was one of the most treasured actresses in the last days of Old Hollywood. She was also one of the most troubled. When she died after falling from husband Robert Wagner’s yacht, many believed that she jumped. Multiple coroner reports suggest that the fall could have been accidental, but also note peculiar injuries. A dysfunctional marriage and circumstantial evidence have led to widespread suspicion that Wagner killed his wife. Wood’s sister Lana, who was present at the time, is one of Wagner’s most vocal accusers. He was even named a person of interest in 2018, only to be cleared four years later. After four decades, the death of Natalie Wood remains one of Hollywood’s most disturbing and debated tragedies.

Lady in the Dunes (1974)

Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” may have scared 1975 out of the water, but ‘74 saw greater horror just outside. On July 26th, a murder victim was discovered in the Race Point Dunes in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It took 48 years for this “Lady in the Dunes” to be identified as Ruth Marie Terry. But in 2015, novelist Joe Hill reported that an extra in “Jaws” wore the same wardrobe as the Provincetown Jane Doe. Terry’s final days were certainly cinematic, as she may have been in witness protection after escaping a dangerous cult. Did she also spend her last day on the set of a seminal blockbuster? Now that the Lady in the Dunes finally has a name, there are many much more important questions to pursue.

Bob Crane’s Shady Company (1978)

Bob Crane could turn a POW camp into a wholesome sitcom classic. Still, his career plummeted after “Hogan’s Heroes,” partly because of his and friend John Henry Carpenter’s poorly hidden hobby of videotaping their sexual exploits with women. After years of professional and personal decline, Crane was found bludgeoned to death in his bed. Investigators suspected that the murder weapon was a camera tripod. Many thus suspect that the culprit was Carpenter, with whom Crane had a falling out. That angle seemed favored in Robert Graysmith’s nonfiction book and its film adaptation, “Auto Focus.” This was even after Carpenter was acquitted in court. With the accused no longer alive, we may never know the whole truth about Bob Crane’s unsavory life and even seedier death.

The Disappearance of Jean Spangler (1949)

With a brief career of minor roles, Jean Spangler starred in one of the most baffling real-life mysteries Hollywood ever produced. On October 7, 1949, she left her sister’s home supposedly to meet up with her ex-husband and go to a movie set. She was never heard from again. Police looked into theories that Spangler had an unfortunate run-in with her ex, the mob, or even castmate Kirk Douglas. Some believe she fell victim to the Black Dahlia killer. A customs agent in El Paso even claimed that he may have seen her alive and well. More than 70 years later, it remains uncertain if one of cinema’s most famous extras met her end that fateful October night or is hiding somewhere in the crowd.

The Black Dahlia (1947)

It’s believed Elizabeth Short was pursuing the Hollywood Dream of traveling across America to get her name in lights. Instead, she made headlines as the Black Dahlia. This nickname came from the popular movie “The Blue Dahlia” and rumors that dahlias were left on Short’s gruesomely mutilated body. Even at the time, there was no end to disputed rumors about the killing and Short’s potentially scandalous life. Despite many suspects, the killer was never found, and may have struck again. This grisly slaying alone inspired California’s sex offender registry, plus a number of urban legends and works in the Hollywood zeitgeist. The sad truth is that Short’s life is itself a mystery. Her death, however, is considered the most chilling criminal mystery in Hollywood history.