This week, the Basement Girls head into the shadows with the 1941 horror classic THE WOLF MAN. Joined by writer, editor, and community teaching artist Leticia Urieta, we discuss transformation, body horror, inherited fear, and the enduring tragedy of the monster story.

We also celebrate the release of Leticia’s newest horror collection, THE REMEDY IS THE DISEASE, and talk writing about the body, illness, terror, and what horror can reveal about vulnerability and survival.

Grab your silver bullets—or silver canes...you do you—and join us in the basement.

!!!Spoiler-heavy as always!!!

SHOW NOTES

Leticia Urieta | leticiaaurieta.com

THE REMEDY IS THE DISEASE by Leticia Urieta | bookshop.org/a/4492/9781966387282

Werewolf-y Books, Films, and Shows Leticia Recommends:

• SUCH SHARP TEETH by Rachel Harrison (Read Leticia's review of SUCH SHARP TEETH for The Ancillary Review of Books)
• QUEER AS FOLKLORE by Sacha Coward
• VAN HELSING
• THE BEAST WITHIN
• PENNY DREADFUL (shout out to Steph's childhood friend Jonny Beauchamp who played Angelique ❤︎!)

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

In this episode, Bianca Pérez descends into the Abaddon Hotel with poet Em Fullenwider—Basement Girl honoree and fellow lover of language that lingers.

Steph’s out of the Basement (we miss her bad), but we’re still asking the real question: Would you stay in a haunted hotel if the vibes were off…but the rent was cheap?

From the original 2015 cult classic to its increasingly unhinged expansions, Bianca and Em break down plot, production lore, and why the scariest thing isn’t what moves...it’s what waits.

Plus: Em brings her beautiful poems to the dark.

!!!Spoiler-heavy as always!!!

So tell us: If you knew the truth…would you still walk into the Abaddon Hotel?

SHOW NOTES

Em Fullenwider's Insta! | ⁠⁠instagram.com/postpunk_poet⁠

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

With the 2025 Christmas season upon us, enjoy this shiny holiday re-post of when we had Adam D. Jameson on to review SPENCER, an unsettling biopic about a Christmas weekend Princess Diana, played by Kristen Stewart(!)(?), spends in the countryside with the royal family. It is the epitome of a gothic Christmas horror. Totally worth the watch.

Merry Krampus, y'all!

***

"Is she eating the g*dd*mn pearls?!"

Author and film critic Adam D. Jameson joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez to discuss the horror and gothic elements of Pablo Larraín's princess Diana movie SPENCER (2021), written by Steven Knight, and starring Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins. 

Show Notes:

Adam D. Jameson's website: ⁠https://adjameson.wordpress.com/⁠

Buy I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing: Star Wars and the Triumph of Geek Culture  by Adam D. Jameson: ⁠https://bit.ly/LackofFaithBG⁠

Buy Cinemaps: An Atlas of 35 Great Movies by Adam D. Jameson and Andrew DeGraff: ⁠https://bit.ly/cinemapsBG

Filmmaker, Letterboxd Horrorville HQ Editor, and Co-Founder of Hyperreal Film Club (a microcinema on Austin TX's Eastside), Jenni Kaye, joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to talk about SCREAM (1996).

SHOW NOTES

Jenni Kaye's Insta! | ⁠instagram.com/jenni.video⁠

Hyperreal Film Club | hyperrealfilm.club

Horrorville HQ on Letterboxed | letterboxd.com/horrorville

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

"The devil says the darndest things."

Author and illustrator C.S. Fritz joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to talk about the horror classic that kinda started it all: THE EXORCIST (1973). Additionally, they discuss the original EXORCIST novel (1971) by William Peter Blatty, Satan's charms, hot priests, and Fritz's own devilish novel, A FIG FOR ALL THE DEVILS.

SHOW NOTES

A FIG FOR ALL THE DEVILS by C.S. Fritz | https://www.amazon.com/Fig-All-Devils-C-S-Fritz/dp/B09HSX6M4H

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

"⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

Plot twist: it wasn't the final Friday.

Bianca is joined by poet & teaching artist, Christian J. Collier, to talk about the 1993 horror/fantasy classic JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY. Additionally, they discuss so-bad-it's-good horror slashers, how to keep horror fresh, Black horror motifs in film, monsters, and of course Christian's poetry collection, THE GLEAMING OF THE BLADE. Basement Girlie, Steph, was busy being pregnant but Bianca kept the basement fort down.

SHOW NOTES

Christian J. Collier |  christianjcollier.com

Christian's newest collection, GREATER GHOST | bookshop.org/a/4492/9781961897106

THE GLEAMING OF THE BLADE by Christian J. Collier | bullcitypress.com/product/the-gleaming-of-the-blade-by-christian-j-collier

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

"⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

Steph had a baby in August. Bianca currently has, like, 5 jobs. BUT we're excited to return to the basement in 2025, with the goal of releasing an episode every 2-3 months.

In the meantime—and with the 2024 Christmas season upon us—enjoy this Holiday re-post of one of our favorite episodes ever. Be merry, ho ho ho's!

***

Author and culture critic Peter Counter joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to discuss how THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994), starring Tim Allen, is actually a movie about body horror, possession, and the sublime. Basically, it's a yuletide HEREDITARY (in fact, we're pretty sure Santa Claus knows Paiman...).

SHOW NOTES

Peter Counter | ⁠⁠peterbcounter.com⁠

Be Scared of Everything by Peter Counter | ⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/a/4492/9781988784564⁠

How to Restore a Timeline: On Violence and Memory by Peter Counter | ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/4492/9781487011994⁠

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠!

"⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

"Sometimes the Death card means transformation—and sometimes it just means death."

Cecily Sailer, founder of Typewriter Tarot and host of YOUR CREATIVE AND MAGICAL LIFE podcast, joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to discuss the new horror film TAROT (2024), directed by Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, and (loosely) based on the 1992 YA horror novel Horrorscope by Nicholas Adams.

SHOW NOTES

Cecily Sailer | typewritertarot.com

YOUR CREATIVE AND MAGICAL LIFE Podcast | yourcreativeandmagicallife.buzzsprout.com

Mystic Messages Tarot Deck | typewritertarot.com/shop/mystic-message-deck

Tarot for Creative Spirits Workbook by Cecily Sailer | typewritertarot.com/shop/tarot-for-creative-spirits

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠!

"⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

Never put on a dead man's clothes!

Author and culture critic Peter Counter joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to discuss how THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994), starring Tim Allen, is actually a movie about body horror, possession, and the sublime. It's basically a yuletide HEREDITARY (in fact, we're pretty sure Santa Claus knows Paiman...).

SHOW NOTES

Peter Counter | ⁠peterbcounter.com

Be Scared of Everything by Peter Counter | ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/4492/9781988784564

How to Restore a Timeline: On Violence and Memory by Peter Counter | https://bookshop.org/a/4492/9781487011994

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠!

"⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

With Bianca Pérez out for her Hallowedding (!), WIRED's Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast host David Barr Kirtley joins Steph Grossman in the basement to discuss the '90s animated Halloween classic, The Halloween Tree (1993), as well as Ray Bradbury’s 1972 novella of the same name that inspired it.

SHOW NOTES

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast | geeksguideshow.com & wired.com/author/geeks-guide-to-the-galaxy

David Barr Kirtley | davidbarrkirtley.com

Save Me Plz and Other Stories by David Barr Kirtley | amazon.com/Save-Me-Plz-Other-Stories/dp/B09S65RZF5

ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES

⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠!

"⁠Likeness⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠

Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls