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

October 31, 2020 Episode 88. Cult Classic: The Howling (1981)
We’re *virtually* live from Salem Horror Fest this year and we’re talking about sexy werewolves and not-so-sexy wellness with Joe Dante’s The Howling. From cultish retreats to women in media, Alex and Andrea go to the darkest reaches of the p0rn theatre…

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REQUIRED READING
The Howling. Dir. Joe Dante, 1981.
EXTRA CREDIT
Feminist Critique of Freud. A summary of how Freud is less than friendly to women. It the privilege we envy, not the penis!

The Human Potential Movement Gone Awry. A look at how one wellness movement became co-opted.

Self Help Inc. Micki McGee’s book about how self-help became a cultural movement.

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers. Sady Doyle’s book on the construct of woman as monster.

Haunted. Leo Braudy’s book on supernatural elements in the natural world told from an accessibly academic standpoint.
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1 hr 4 min
September 28, 2020 Episode 87. Mother Monster: Pyewacket (2017) and Hereditary (2018)

CW: Suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones: 1-800-273-8255.

We’re kicking off a new semester by tackling two incredibly dark films that ask the question: have you checked on your mom lately? Alex and Andrea investigate the deepest depths of grief, despair and what we stand to lose (and gain) when we forsake our family for community.

Salem Horror Fest tickets! Get ’em here!

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REQUIRED READING
Pyewacket. Dir. Adam MacDonald, 2017.
Hereditary. Dir. Ari Aster, 2018.
EXTRA CREDIT
Fack exclusive: Pyewacket filmmaker audio Commentary! Adam MacDonald’s enlightening commentary for his film.

Canadians Talking Shit. Adam MacDonald’s podcast – we recommend!

“This be the verse.” Larkin’s poem from Alex’s inaugural poetry corner.

The Book of Spells by Nicole de Pulford. Alex’s foray into teen witchcraft. Disclaimer! We assume no responsibility for those sealed pages!

“Mass Media and Religious Identity: A Case Study of Young Witches.” For all us elder millennials who called the corners in the park.

Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema. Timothy Shary’s examination of teens on screen.

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers. Maybe the most oft-quoted book of this podcast? Sady Doyle’s book on the construct of woman as monster.

“Silencing the Dead: The Decline of Spiritualism.” A piece from The Atlantic on the history of spiritualism and its fall from fashion.

“Trans Horror Stories and Society’s Fear of the Transmasculine Body.” A trans reading of Hereditary.

“The Truth About the Five Stages of Grief.” Everything we learned in psych 101 was BS! See why Kubler-Ross’ popular grief model should be put down in this great video from Sci Show.
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1 hr 56 min
August 28, 2020 BONUS CONTENT! Commentary: I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006)
The summer bonus trilogy concludes! Join Alex as she mines the occasional depths, miscalculations and style choices of Sylvain White’s I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, examining whether the 1990s Teen Horror Cycle can exist in a new millennium.

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1 hr 33 min
August 01, 2020 Episode 86: Summer of Plague Pt 3. Nature Is Healing: Mimic (1997) and The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)

Our Summer of Plague wraps up with a look at potential cures and a post-human reality. Between Guillermo del Toro’s Frankensteinian bugs and a post-apocalyptic UK, the end of the world may be closer (and more necessary) than we think.

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REQUIRED READING
Mimic. Dir. Guillermo del Toro, 1997.
The Girl with All the Gifts. Dir. Colm McCarthy, 2016.
EXTRA CREDIT
Down and Dirty Pictures. Peter Biskind’s examination of the rise of Miramax and Dimension Films.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. An in-depth look at the notebooks and films of del Toro.

At Home With Monsters. A look at del Toro’s touring exhibit!

“Mimic”. The short story, by David A. Wollheim

Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Julia Kristeva’s treatise on the purpose of abject horror.

Queer Revolution, Zombie Uprisings, and the problem with M. R. Carey’s The Boy on the Bridge: an article examining the prequel to The Girl with All the Gifts.

The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement: “May we live long and die out”
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1 hr 25 min
July 24, 2020 BONUS CONTENT! Commentary: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Alex is back with Julie and Ray to continue their summer pastime of making terrible terrible decisions! This time with Brandy, Jack Black and some dubious geography trivia.

Get your rain slicker, your tanning bed and some popcorn and join the fun!

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1 hr 41 min
June 30, 2020 Episode 85: Summer of Plague Pt 2. Shut In: 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Time to hunker in your bunker! In this episode, Andrea and Alex tackle the issues surrounding Nice Guys, privilege, and the conservative ideology around preservation during times of upheaval.
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REQUIRED READING
10 Cloverfield Lane. Dir Dan Trachtenberg, 2016.
EXTRA CREDIT
r/niceguys. These “nice guys” aren’t nice.

Awards for Good Boys. Add some “nice guy” satire to your Instagram feed with art by Mia Mingus.

The BATCAVE. Andrea’s YouTube episode on 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Cloverfield Clues: A whole YouTube channel devoted to Cloverfield marketing easter eggs online.

J.J. Abrams – The Mystery Box. Abrams’ Ted Talk on the central conceit to his creations.

Theatre and the Plague. Antonin Artaud’s treaty The Theatre and Its Double, which contain his plague theory.

Hollywood 9/11. Tom Pollard’s book on 9/11’s impact on the film industry.

Gaylords of Darkness, Episode 82. An amazing interview with Luca Guadagnino and David Kajganich the director and writer of Suspiria (2018).
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1 hr 12 min
June 25, 2020 BONUS CONTENT! Commentary: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Join Alex for a commentary on the teen slasher classic, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Featuring a discussion of wigs, classism, star power and how an urban legend threatened to bring down a cynical generation, this commentary makes the case for July 4 becoming the Fisherman’s Holiday.

Cue up the film, get some popcorn and settle in for 100 minutes of teens making terrible choices.

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1 hr 42 min
June 07, 2020 BONUS CONTENT! Glossary of Gore: Cultural Hegemony
Our Glossary of Gore series is normally for Patreon members, but… it’s been a week.
Here’s Andrea on cultural hegemony.

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11 min
May 22, 2020Fack Flash: Quarantine Viewing, part 1
We’ve had a lot of people asking what we’ve been watching lately so here’s a run of the new releases that have been on our radar.
The second portion of this episode is available to all tiers of our Patreon! Join now and gain access to the rest of our lockdown activities, plus even more perks and extras. Become a Patron!
Movies discussed:
The Hunt
Vivarium
The Invisible Man
Sea Fever
Sputnik
Underwater
I See You
Antlers
Blood Quantum
Relic
Dreamland
The Rental
Swallow
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36 min
May 20, 2020 Episode 84. Summer of Plague pt 1 – Contamination: [•REC] (2007) and [•REC]²(2009)
What starts as a routine stop for a firefighters and a puff piece for some TV journalists descends into one of the most chilling and prescient film franchises in contemporary horror. To kick off the Summer of Plague series, Andrea and Alex delve into the nooks and crannies of Spanish history and a Barcelona apartment complex to read between the frames.
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REQUIRED READING
Rec. Dir Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, 2007.
Rec 2. Dir Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, 2009.
EXTRA CREDIT
The Power of Art, Picasso. Simon Schama’s episode about Picasso and the events that led to the painting of Guernica.

Timeout. Interview with Jaume Balagueró.

European Nightmares: Horror Cinema in Europe Since 1945. A look at the collective and individual European horror cinemas.

What is a Parergon? A look at the framing concept.

The 22 Key Turning Points In The History Of YouTube – a history of the megasite and its impact on popular culture.
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54 min