Alaina Urquhart
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Alaina Urquhart is an American podcaster, writer and producer. She is best known for her podcast, Morbid, that she co-hosts with her niece, Ash Kelley. Urquhart released her debut novel, The Butcher and the Wren, in fall 2022. She has degrees in criminal justice, psychology and biology.[1]
Career
Starting Morbid
Urquhart had always been into horror and true crime, she was involved in theatre during high school and interested in finding methods to tell stories.[2] Urquhart is Kelley’s aunt, but they had been raised as sisters, only being 10 years apart.[2] They had been thinking of starting a podcast since 2015 but would not start production until 2018. They used the podcast as a means of bonding and getting closer, being able to share stories and spend time together.[2]
Their podcast is an anthology series that tells stories on true crime, ghosts, hauntings, and anything scary.[2] They cover notorious killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, the BTK Killer, and Ted Bundy, but they also cover smaller and less reported cases.[3] Urquhart in particular likes to cover cases from the 19th and 20th century, old unsolved cases that they can analyze and debate.[3]
Urquhart began working as an autopsy technician in 2016, where she started participating in research for a local pathologist.[2] Her career in pathology provides in depth knowledge on the process in the morgues and decomposition in discussing cases.[4]
The ReWatcher
The duo started a new podcast, The Rewatcher: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was released on streaming services in October 2022.[5] The show is a recap and discussion podcast on the 1990s thriller-comedy Buffy the Vampire Slayer.[5] Urquhart is a huge fan of the show and has been obsessed with it since her adolescence, while Kelley has never watched it.[6] The pair release a weekly show that recaps every episode and Kelley will guess what will happen next.[5]
Frozen Head
The third podcast produced by Urquhart and Kelley is called Frozen Head, released in January 2023.[7] It tells the story of the death of a 90-year old Laurence Pilgeram and how it is linked to Mike Darwin's peculiar quest to cheat death.[8] Darwin became one of the leading founders of the cryonics movement in the U. S. and was the president of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a company that freezes human heads until they can defrost them and attach them to younger and healthier bodies.[7] Their podcast discusses the case of Darwin and Alcor, while also explaining the absurdity of people wanting to live forever by freezing their brains.[7]
Fiction writing
Alaina Urquhart released her debut thriller novel,The Butcher and the Wren, in September 2022. Set in New Orleans, Louisiana the book follows Dr. Wren Muller, a forensic pathologist who is being terrorized by a serial killer called the Bayou Butcher, known for hunting down and dismembering his victims.[4] Uruqhart provides a unique perspective on the thriller genre as she has experience in a morgue, working with experienced pathologists and dead bodies.[4] She is able to realistically describe decomposition, anatomy and the procedural process of autopsy.[4] Her experience researching the motivations, backgrounds and criminal behaviour of killers allows her to have the knowledge to create her serial killer in her novel.[4]
In 2022, The Butcher and the Wren was picked up to be set for a small screen adaption.[1] It will be produced by Sister (Chernobyl), Jennifer Yale (Dexter and See) will serve as show runner and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillet and Chad Villella (Ready or Not and Scream).[1]
Personal life
Urquhart lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, John White, and her three daughters. She gave birth to twin daughters in 2016, and another daughter in 2019.[3]
Filmography
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-present | Morbid: A True Crime Podcast | Producer, Co-Host | Hosted with Ash Kelley | [3] |
| 2022-present | The ReWatcher: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Producer, Co-Host | Hosted with Ash Kelley | [6] |
| 2023 | Frozen Head | Producer, Co-Host | Hosted with Ash Kelley | [8] |
References
- ^ a b c White, P. (2022). ‘The Butcher & The Wren’ Set for Series Adaptation From Jennifer Yale, Sister & Radio Silence Trio. Deadline. https://deadline.com/2022/09/the-butcher-the-wren-series-jennifer-yale-sister-radio-silence-1235126014/
- ^ a b c d e Alexander, J. (2021). James Alexander Meets Ash & Alaina - Morbid A True Crime Podcast. PodBoard 100 [Audio podcast]. LaunchPod Studios.
- ^ a b c d Kelley, A. & Urquhart, A. (2018-present) Morbid [audio podcast]. Wondery.
- ^ a b c d e Hayden, B. N. (2022) I’m Calling It: This is the Standout Thriller Book of 2022. The Everygirl. https://theeverygirl.com/the-butcher-and-the-wren-review/
- ^ a b c Spangler, T. ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Rewatch Podcast from Wonder Will Welcome You Back to the Hellmouth. Variety. https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-rewatcher-podcast-wondery-1235358206/
- ^ a b Kelley, A. & Urquhart, A. (2022-present) The Rewatcher: Buffy the Vampire Slayer [audio podcast]. Wondery.
- ^ a b c Sturges, F. (2023). Frozen Head is an improbably jolly podcast about death and cryonics. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/e012efd4-3f43-4fcf-8d0b-ab1646bd0893
- ^ a b Kelley, A. & Urquhart, A. (2023). Frozen Head [Audio podcast]. Wonder.