Jul 27 2021
3 Comments
Episodes, Uncategorized

Episode 98. House Warning: The Amityville Horror (1979) and Poltergeist (1982)

Call your bank and pack the moving truck because we’re uprooting everything we think we know about home ownership. From the Lutz’ mortgage with Devil to the skeletons in the Freelings’ closet (and backyard), Andrea and Alex unearth what lies beyond and beneath the white picket fences of American suburbia.
 
 
Salem Horror Fest 2021 – tickets and info now available!

REQUIRED READING

The Amityville Horror. Dir. Stuart Rosenberg, 1979.
Poltergeist. Dir. Tobe Hooper, 1982.

EXTRA CREDIT

Gaylords of Darkness Amityville 4 episode. The incomparable Stacie and Anthony tackle one of the strangest movies ever made. A must-listen!
 
Stephen King’s Danse Macabre. King’s non-fiction treatise on all things horror.
 
Romance and Real Estate, Walter Benn Michaels. Michael’s chapter on the emotional ties to owned property.
 
Owning Up: Privacy, Property, and Belonging in U.S. Women’s Life Writing, 1840-1890. Katherine Adam’s book about the rise of individuality, property and women’s relationship to owning a home.
 
In the Nation, Why Owning a Home is Still the American Dream. A history of status, taxes and the uses of home ownership.
 
Digging Up the Indian Burial Ground Trope. Shea Vassar’s breakdown and history of the trope which includes Terri Jean’s 5 reasons for the trope’s enduring popularity.
 
The Terrifying True Story that inspired Poltergeist. A look at Amityville‘s neighbours that inspired Poltergeist.
 
Reaganomics killed America’s middle class. An examination of Reagan’s economic policies and their lasting effects.
 
Half-True Crime: Why the Stranger-Danger Panic of the ’80s Took Hold and Refuses to Let Go. A deep-dive into the 1980s moral panic and its after-effects.
 
Cursed Films: “Poltergeist”: The Shudder series by Jay Cheel tackles the many urban legends surrounding the Poltergeist franchise.
 

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged , , ,
Jun 29 2021
4 Comments
Episodes, Uncategorized

Episode 97. No Future: Jack the Ripper in The Lodger (1927) and From Hell (2001)

The fog of Victorian London settles on Alex and Andrea as they dive into “Ripperology”: the facts, fiction and shadow cast by Jack the Ripper over our culture. By examining how the figure is depicted in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger and The Hughes Brothers’ From Hell, we can begin to untangle the history of more than one problematic man involved in creating their own mythology.

 

REQUIRED READING

The Lodger: A Story of London Fog. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1927.
From Hell. Dir. The Hughes Brothers, 2001.

EXTRA CREDIT

The Lodger. Marie Belloc Lowndes’ novella.
 
From Hell. Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s iconic graphic novel.
 
London: A Biography. Peter Ackroyd’s seminal book on a sprawling city with an even bigger history.
 
The “Lodger Evil” and the Transformation of Progressive Housing Reform, 1890–1930. An in-depth look at the lodging house boom of the turn of the century.
 
Rule, Britannia!: The Biopic and British National Identity. An examination of how popular British figures have shaped the country’s film output.
 
“Murder for a Penny: Jack the Ripper and the Structural Impact of Sensational Reporting” by A. Luxx Mishou – the history of sensational reporting and its role in Jack’s reign of terror.
 
“Jack the Ripper, the dialectic of enlightenment and the search for spiritual deliverance in White Chappell” by Alex Murray – how Jack contributed to Horkheimer and Adorno’s dialectic of enlightenment.

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged , , ,
May 25 2021
Leave a comment
Episodes

Episode 96. Missing Links: Trollhunter (2010) and Willow Creek (2013)

If you go down in the woods today
You’re sure of a big surprise

Andrea and Alex leave the comforts of modernity and go back to nature to discover what humanity has left behind through our obsessions with cryptids and conspiracy theories. From our fascination with humanity’s evolution to our need to colonize, we have a lot of explaining to do.

 

REQUIRED READING

Trollhunter. Dir. André Øvredal, 2010.
Willow Creek. Dir.  Bobcat Goldthwait, 2013.

EXTRA CREDIT

Grizzly Man. Dir  Werner Herzog, 2005.
 
The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters and Our Obsession with the Unexplained. Colin Dickey’s in-depth examination of the myths that keep us up at night.
 
CBC Ideas Podcast: Conspiracy Theories. A fascinating look at the rise of fringe theories invading the mainstream.
 
“Survivorman Bigfoot” takes on the provincial government of British Columbia.
 
“Cryptozoology in the Medieval and Modern Worlds” by Peter Dendle. Bigfoot myths not only bridge the gap between humanity and beasts but science and faith.
 
ERRATA: Andrea referred to American primatologist Dian Fossey as having been murdered by the gorillas she was studying – she was actually murdered via machete, a crime which remains unsolved.

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged , , ,
Apr 26 2021
5 Comments
Episodes

Episode 95. Faith and Chance: Possession (1981)

In this episode, we delve into the murky waters of intimate relationships, nuclear families, and revolutionary theatre practices with Andrej Zulawski’s Possession. From the film’s almost instant cult-status to its rocky release, we look at what has made Possession one of the great filmic break-ups and breakthroughs of the late 20th century.
 
 

REQUIRED READING

Possession. Dir Andrej Zulawski, 1981.

EXTRA CREDIT

House of Psychotic Women. Kier-La Janisse’s examination from horror from her perspective. A ground-breaking and personal look at the genre.
 
Once Upon a Text: Hysteria from Hippocrates. Helen King’s chapter on the patriarchal uses of the term “hysteria.”
 
Five of the best… Sarah Kane Plays. The National Theatre’s overview of Kane’s writing with links, if you’d like to learn more about her.
 
Possession: A Marriage of the Natural and Supernatural. David West’s look at the film and Anna’s cryptic monologue.
 
The Coronavirus Crisis Shows It’s Time to Abolish the Family – an article on why emancipation from capitalism might mean the abolition of one of our most sacred institutions.
 

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged ,
← Older posts
Newer posts →