Dystopian futures are often the realm of horror’s cousin, science fiction. Horror often deals with the little details. They are more often personal tales, emotional and terrifying close-ups. Science Fiction likes to deal with big-picture ideas. Grand sweeping gestures of philosophical what-ifs. The big counterfactual themes of science fiction intersect with horror with the dystopian future. But there is no doubt about it: horror is playing in science fiction’s sandbox in this sub-genre.

Few themes are as environmentally dependent as a dystopian horror trope. Something has set the world off from what it should be. In a science fiction-forward dystopian future, the characters have figured out how to manage to live their lives in a makeshift manner despite the awful changes. In a horror-forward dystopian future, that plan isn’t going so well. The world is grinding away in an uncanny drive toward human extinction. In many cases, the setting is the villain in these films.

Often, the dystopian future trope is offered up as a warning. If you people don’t get your shit together, THIS will happen to you, and you won’t like it. Global warming. Pollution. Political extremism. Sterility. Starvation. People don’t control the planet. The Earth sets the rules and doesn’t care what happens to us. So, perhaps the people should care a little more.

But wait! Don’t jump out that window just yet! Dystopian horror films can offer a glimmer of hope. Granted, trying to reverse the tides may be a lost cause, but we can celebrate individual victories. Horror fans are good at that. What we need is a million final girls.

With that, try and enjoy Episode 181: Dystopian Horror Futures!