Faculty of Horror

By Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West

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Typical duration
54 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Faculty of Horror episodes

March 23, 2023 Episode 116. Carrying On: The Quatermass Xperiment
In this episode we look at what happens when an American experiment crash lands in the British countryside. By looking at the state of England after two World Wars, a crisis of masculinity and humanity’s shaky grasp on scientific responsibility, Andrea and Alex uncover what is truly driving innovation and our need to win.

Salem Horror Fest Info

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REQUIRED READING
The Quatermass Xperiment. Dir. Val Guest, 1955.

EXTRA CREDIT
Hammer and Beyond by Peter Hutchings. An in-depth examination of the studio and its impact.

Seeing is Believing by Peter Biskind. A definitive text for American films in the 1950s.

The Imagination of Disaster. Susan Sontag’s essay about the role of science-fiction in the midst of the Cold War.

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1 hr 2 min
February 23, 2023 Episode 115. House Guest: Misery (1990)
Mind the roads this time of year because we’re covering Rob Reiner’s iconic film that delves into the murky territories brought to light when your saviour is also your #1 fan. We cover romance novels, toxic fandom, addiction, and more so buckle up! And make sure you know where the Dom Pérignon is kept.

Fack’s Instagram: @facultyofhorror
Salem Horror Fest Info
The Cat Came Back lecture

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REQUIRED READING
Misery. Dir. Rob Reiner, 1990.

EXTRA CREDIT
On Writing by Stephen King

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

High and Low Culture by Abigail Williams

Your Legs Must be Singing Grand Opera by Douglas Keesley

“What’s Toxic Fandom and What Creates It?” By Rachael Lefler

“Where have all the Artist-Addicts gone?” A New York Times article about the white male writer as tortured artist trope

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1 hr 30 min
January 25, 2023 Episode 114. Facks: 2022 Year in Review
We cast one last glance at a year with a lot of horror highs. Featuring our best of 2022, things we can’t live without, our top 10 horror movies of all time, and, of course, some bloopers.

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EXTRA CREDIT

Alex’s Best of 2022
1. Nope
2. Barbarian
3. Prey
4. Orphan: First Kill
5. Men
6. Slash/Back
7. Fresh
8. Scream
9. What We Do in the Shadows S4

Andrea’s Best of 2022
1. Hellbender
2. The Innocents
3. Watcher
4. Men
5. Scream
6. The Harbinger
7. WNUF 2
8. Resurrection
9. Smile
10. Mad God

What Alex Can’t Live Without:
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Nike Internationalists
Dark Roast Coffee
A weighted blanket
A hair straightener (the GHD model mentioned)

What Andrea Can’t Live Without:
Vaseline
Croc’s Brooklyn platform sandal
Lululemon leggings
Wireless headphones & Audible
Tiger Balm

Alex’s Greatest Horror Movies of All Time:
1. The Shining (1980)
2. Alien (1979)
3. The Exorcist (1973)
4. Get Out (2017)
5. The Stepford Wives (1975)
6. Audition (1999)
7. The Witch (2015)
8. American Psycho (2000)
9. Suspiria (2018)
10. Scream (1996)

Andrea’s Greatest Horror Movies of All Time:
1. The Shining (1980)
2. The Devils (1971)
3. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
4. The Innocents (1961)
5. Night of the Hunter (1955)
6. The Witch (2015)
7. The Wicker Man (1973)
8. Get Out (2017)
9. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
10. Spoorloos (1988)

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2 hr 12 min
December 13, 2022 Episode 113. Stayin’ Alive: Black Christmas (1974) and Halloween (1978)
We’re live from Toronto to celebrate our 10th anniversary! This episode revisits the films of our first-ever episode to explore whether our opinions on two horror classics have changed. We dig into the evolution of slashers and the conservative monsters that came to life during a wave of social change while we try to find the sherry.

Thank you to everyone who came out and contributed to the $2500 we were able to donate to Sistering Toronto. Learn more about the organization and their work at sistering.org.

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REQUIRED READING
Black Christmas. Dir Bob Clark, 1974.
Halloween. Dir John Carpenter, 1978.

EXTRA CREDIT
Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie. Andrew Tudor’s examination of expert characters within the genre and how their usefulness has changed.

“Recurrent Monsters: Why Freddy, Michael, and Jason Keep Coming Back.” Paul Budra’s essay from the collection Part Two: Reflections on the Sequel that examines slasher monsters and their staying power.

“A History of Co-Ed Ivy League Schools.” An overview of the co-ed movement in the most prestigious American schools.

The Gift of Fear: Gavin de Becker’s self-help book on how the power of intuition can predict interpersonal violence.
“Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher film” (1987). Carol Clover’s journal article that set the foundation for her 1992 book, Men, Women and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.
Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession. Alice Bolin’s essay collection on the true crime phenomenon of beautiful dead girls.
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2 hr 26 min
November 22, 2022 Episode 112. Intruder Alert: Them (2006) & The Strangers (2008)
Lock your doors and check your windows because some uninvited guests are on their way. In this episode, Andrea and Alex explore the origins and hyperbole around the home invasion sub-genre and why there may be more to fear than those trying to break in.

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Class of 2022 Merch is here! Get our limited edition design with art by Laura Hokstad on whatever TeePublic can print it on.

Toronto Live Show! Come see us at The Garrison in Toronto on December 7 to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Tickets are PWYC with all proceeds going to Sistering.
REQUIRED READING
Ils/Them. Dir. David Moreau and Xavier Palud, 2006.
The Strangers. Dir. Bryan Bertino, 2008.

EXTRA CREDIT
The Lonely Villa, dir. D.W. Griffith (1909). The first home invasion horror film?

Hoodies Strike Fear in British Cinema – Jane Graham’s piece for The Guardian on the rise of Hoodie Horror.

Simulacra and Simulation – Jean Beaudrillard’s treatise on how the real is transformed into media.

We Fear Each Other When Guns Themselves are the Real Danger – A reevaluation of what we have to fear when it comes to home invasion and why.

History of Home Invasion movies – Remember when people actually posted content on Tumblr? T.L. Bodine does.
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1 hr 23 min
October 28, 2022 Episode 111. Homegrown: 28 Days Later (2002)
Andrea and Alex cross the pond to revisit Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic film that brought the zombie genre back to (un)life. From virology to bodily autonomy to Brexit, there’s a lot to chew on.

Become a Patron!

Class of 2022 Merch is here! Get our limited edition design with art by Laura Hokstad on whatever TeePublic can print it on.

Toronto Live Show! Come see us at The Garrison in Toronto on December 7 to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Tickets are PWYC with all proceeds going to Sistering.
REQUIRED READING
28 Days Later. Dir. Danny Boyle, 2002.

EXTRA CREDIT
Varieties of Zombieism: Approaching Comparative Political Economy through “28 Days Later” and “Wild Zero”. Derek Hall’s examination of the metaphorical allusions in relation to the economy.

Britain: Rough month or road to ruin? This episode of CBC’s daily podcast Front Burner covers the on-going strife in the UK from Brexit to now.

Fast Zombie/Slow Zombie: Food Writing, Horror Movies, and Agribusiness Apocalypse by Michael Newbury. How the food economy is reflected in the modern zombie’s increased appetite.

Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic. The CDC’s decidedly playful attempt to teach the importance of emergency preparedness through a zombie narrative.
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1 hr 20 min
September 26, 2022 Episode 110. Fight or Flight: Final Destination (2000)
Andrea and Alex evoke the spectre of Death in their analysis of James Wong’s turn of the century ode to vibes. From risk society to the abject, Final Destination has a plan for everyone.

Become a Patron!

Class of 2022 Merch is here! Get our limited edition design with art by Laura Hokstad on whatever TeePublic can print it on.

Toronto Live Show! Come see us at The Garrison in Toronto on December 7 to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Tickets are PWYC with all proceeds going to Sistering.
REQUIRED READING
Final Destination. Dir. James Wong, 2000.

EXTRA CREDIT
An Experiment with Time. J.W. Dunne’s exploration of pre-cognitivism and serialism as it relates to our experience of time.

The Society of the Spectacle. Guy Debord’s Marxist analysis of how representation of events has become a unifying human experience to our detriment.

Santa Muerte. An article on the controversial Mexican saint of the disenfranchised.

Risk Society. A summary of Anthony Giddens’ fourth chapter of Modernity and Self Identity (1991).

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1 hr 10 min
July 30, 2022 Episode 109. Class Act: Society (1989)
The elite are literally a different breed in Brian Yuzna’s cult classic film about the perils of popularity and privilege. In this episode, Andrea and Alex dive into the mystique that surrounds the wealthy and explore why they need the rest of us to survive.

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REQUIRED READING
Society. Dir. Brian Yuzna, 1989.

EXTRA CREDIT
Generation Multiplex. Timothy Shary’s fascinating book about the language of film and its influence on teen culture.

Fran Lebowitz on Race and Racism. The iconic writer on inherited privilege.

Baby Scoop Era. The period before abortion was legalized which saw a rise in adoptions.

Orgies: A Brief History of Hanky-Panky. A look back at group sex through the centuries.

Sociology of the elite. A faddish field, but experiencing a revival now due to growing social inequality.

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1 hr
June 29, 2022 Episode 108. Souped Up: Blade (1998) and Constantine (2005)

Using two popular examples, Andrea and Alex look at the collision between the horror and superhero genres. From conservative leanings to taboo-breaking stories, we explore two films that deviate from the norm (and occasionally, their own source material) to embark in two very different directions.

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REQUIRED READING
Blade. Dir. Stephen Norrington, 1998.
Constantine. Dir. Francis Lawrence, 2005.

EXTRA CREDIT
How Blade created the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How Blade saved Marvel and set it up for cinematic takeover.

Super Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes. Adilifu Nama’s cultural history of the Black superhero genre.

Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present. Robin R Means Coleman’s groundbreaking book examining Black characters and creators in the horror genre.

Blade and the Power of Liminal Privilege. A retrospective look at how the film’s themes endure in the BLM era.

The Black Hero: A Cultural Impossibility. Kathryn Feeney’s breakdown of the Black superhero mirage.

The Devil You Know. Ken Chen’s piece for the The New Inquiry on Hellblazer and John Constantine’s true origins.

How 9/11 Changed Cinema. A look at how a tragic event upended the politics of popular films.

Flying While Black: Two Creators on Inventing (and Reinventing) Black Superheroes. Eve L. Ewing and Evan Narcisse weigh in on the importance of representation in the superhero genre.

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1 hr 18 min
May 26, 2022 Episode 107. Ultraviolence: A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Time to take a break from the ol’ Ludwig Van and join us at the Korova Milkbar for a trip into the near dystopian future of A Clockwork Orange. From our Pavlovian responses, to patient care and British Literature, we’ll slooshy what Kubrick’s film has to offer.

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REQUIRED READING
A Clockwork Orange. Dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1971.

EXTRA CREDIT
The Angry Young Men Movement. An overview of the literary movement that shocked a nation in the late 1950s.

Commedia Dell’Arte: An Actor’s Handbook. An in-depth look at the Italian theatre practice and all the characters within it, including the Alex reminiscent Il Capitano.

Stanley Strangelove. The seminal pearl-clutcher by Pauline Kael for the New Yorker in 1972.

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1 hr 20 min