Griffith Park: The Disturbing History of Hollywood’s Most Popular Filming Spot

2024-05-13

Murders, stolen land, a curse, multiple ghost sightings...Griffith Park runs the gamut of nefarious acts and the paranormal. This popular Hollywood filming location also happens to be a preferred dumping ground of serial killers. Just something to think about. Episode Sources: “The Cursed Tale of Griffith Park” by Rebekah Rosewood, Jun. 14, 2023 “The Strange, and We Mean STRANGE, Curse of Griffith Park” by Seth Styles, John Hart Real Estate, Mar. 7, 2023 “Delusions of Grandeur: The Scandalous Crime of a Los Angeles Millionaire” by Dean Jobb, CrimeReads, Dec. 15, 2023...

Episode Sources:

“The Cursed Tale of Griffith Park” by Rebekah Rosewood, Jun. 14, 2023

“The Strange, and We Mean STRANGE, Curse of Griffith Park” by Seth Styles, John Hart Real Estate, Mar. 7, 2023

“Delusions of Grandeur: The Scandalous Crime of a Los Angeles Millionaire” by Dean Jobb, CrimeReads, Dec. 15, 2023

“Griffith Park — The Haunted And Cursed — Heart Of Los Angeles” by Paige Austin, Patch, Oct. 26, 2019

Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks

“1800s curse led to the birth of one of America’s oldest urban parks” by Steve Chiotakis, KCRW, Oct. 31, 2023

“The Complex Life of Griffith J. Griffith” by Hadley Meares, PBS SoCal, Oct. 16, 2019

“Griffith Park: The Untold History" - Lost L.A. S4, E1

“Riots, Love Fests, Buried Secrets: Griffith Park's Hidden Histories” by Carren Jao, PBS SoCal, Oct. 16, 2019

“Griffith Park tops list of most popular L.A.-area filming sites” by Richard Verrier, LA Times, Jan. 28, 2015

“The Strangest Club in Los Angeles, The L.A. Breakfast Club” by James Bartlett, PBS SoCal, Mar. 16, 2017

The Los Angeles Breakfast Club

“Coexisting With Film Crews in Griffith Park” by Lucinda Phillips, Sep. 9, 2021

“150 years of misfortune in L.A.’s Griffith Park: A curse, ghosts and, now, an unknown woman’s skull” by Sarah Kaplan, The Washington Post, Mar. 28, 2016

“Griffith Park: Los Angeles’ Unofficial Graveyard” The True Crime Edition, Nov. 24, 2021

“Curse of Griffith Park” L.A. Almanac

“Griffith Park Fire Tragedy, 1933” L.A. Almanac

“The Fire of ’33"

“Rancho Los Feliz: An Anza Expedition Legacy” Noticias de Anza, Sep. 1997

“Ghost stories from Los Feliz” by Hadley Meares, Curbed Los Angeles, Oct. 31, 2017

“The Féliz Family: Pioneers of Los Angeles” y John Schmal, Indigenous Mexico

“Colonel Griffith J. Griffith one of L.A.’s more colorful figures” by Alison Bell, LA Times, Jun. 12, 2011

“California becomes the 31st state in record time”

“A Brief History Of LA's Indigenous Tongva People” by Annie Lloyd, LAist, Oct. 8, 2017

“Gabrielino/Tongva Nation of the Greater Los Angeles Basin” Native American Heritage Commission

“Griffith Park is named for a guy who shot his wife — and other true stories of L.A. parks” by Patt Morrison, LA Times, May 3, 2022