New docuseries exposes the dark side of Greek life
Fatal fraternities: Expanding the ever-popular Secrets Of franchise — and exposing the dark and dangerous underbelly of Greek Row — the bonechilling “Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life” begins unraveling a treacherous tale Monday, Aug. 12, on A&E.
Throughout its six-episode season, “Houses of Horror” promises to examine some of the horrific truths behind the world of campus Greek life, offering first-person accounts of the extreme conditions — including hazing, sexual assault, drug use and systemic racism — that persist throughout many of these longstanding groups, known across America as a traditional part of the college experience.
In their description, A & E shared: “from a pledge at the University of Missouri hazed into drinking excessive quantities of alcohol that left him close to death, and a junior at the University of Minnesota who fought back against the Greek system after she was brutally raped by a fraternity brother, to a shocking set of overdose deaths at San Diego State University, and the infamous Machine, steeped in racist traditions of the Old South, at the University of Alabama, the series offers a far-reaching examination of how the seemingly fun and frivolous world of Greek life could hide a much darker underbelly.”
The stories shared are shocking and their implications are harrowing. In a sneak peek for “Houses of Horror” later shared by the network, viewers are even introduced to 19-year-old Daniel Santulli, who was brutally hazed by his classmates at the University of Missouri when attempting to pledge for the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity as a freshman. Made to consume a lethal amount of alcohol, Santulli was then left unsupervised and unconscious, soon experiencing a cardiac arrest that led to lifelong brain damage. Daniel’s story, as explored through sitdown interviews with his parents, tom and Mary Pat Santulli, heartbreaking as it is, is only one of many.
Through exclusive, sit-down interviews with those involved in past offenses, including former fraternity and sorority members, family, law enforcement and experts, episodes unravel how these organizations — ones created to offer a space of community and acceptance for young adults — can, according to A&E, “have far-reaching consequences that can turn dangerous, and even deadly.”