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

April 20, 2020 Episode 83. Follow the Bouncing Ball: The Changeling (1980)
By reminding us of the past, ghosts can shape our future, revealing hidden truths, histories and uncertainties that we’re often too scared to acknowledge. Grief and terror become inextricably intertwined in Peter Medak’s The Changeling, and Andrea and Alex untangle the metaphors, traumas and unspoken realities that have made this film a Canadian horror classic.

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REQUIRED READING
The Changeling. Dir Peter Medak, 1980.
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The Uncanny Child in Transnational Cinema: Ghosts of Futurity at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century. An exploration of the children in ’80s cinema and how they speak to the dead.

The Social Shaping of Emotion: The Case of Grief by Lyn H. Lofland. Is grief a social emotion?

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space. Amanda Leduc’s analysis of narrative and disability.
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55 min
March 15, 2020 Episode 82. Vorsicht! The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922)
Skipping the pond and travelling back to the roaring ’20s (the last ones, that is), Andrea and Alex take a tour of interwar Germany via two of the country’s most celebrated cinematic marvels. From the Weimar Republic to the Frankfurt school, from German expressionism to antisemitism, the past presents us with creativity unfettered (and warnings unheeded.)

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REQUIRED READING
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Dir Robert Weine, 1920.
Nosferatu. Dir F.W. Murnau, 1922.
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Rights in Nosferatu – A detailed history of Nosferatu vs. the Stoker estate via Nerdly Pleasures.

The Haunted Screen Expressionism in the German Cinema and the Influence of Max Reinhardt – Lotte H Eisner’s examination of Germany’s national cinema and the influence of theatre.

We’re heading back to Salem! Programming for Women With Guts is in flux at the moment but be sure to follow the official pages for news and reschedulings.
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1 hr 20 min
February 24, 2020 Episode 81. You Bring Me Closer to God: Se7en (1995)
From the Gothic urban landscape, to narrative switch-a-roos, to entitled male rage, David Fincher’s Se7en is much more than a morality-wielding killer with a penchant for… unboxings. In this episode, Andrea and Alex delve into the movie’s complicated moral codes, the history of detective fiction and the dangers of having a God-complex.

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REQUIRED READING
Se7en. Dir David Fincher, 1995.
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Places of Horror: Fincher’s “Seven” and Fear of the City in Recent Hollywood Film – An academic look at the fear of urbanization in Se7en.

The Problem of Saw: “Torture Porn” and the Conservatism of Contemporary Horror Films – A look at ring-wing moral vigilantes in the genre.

Se7en Title Sequence – An in-depth look at the film’s title sequence featuring an interview with Kyle Cooper.

American Horror Story: 7 Seasons of Title Design – Alex’s piece on the title sequences of American Horror Story and an interview with Kyle Cooper.

We’re heading back to Salem! Check out more info on the Women with Guts weekend and Salem Horror Fest in October
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1 hr 26 min
February 19, 2020 Fack Flash: Our Furry Familiars – PREVIEW
It’s a Fack Flash episode about our pets! Join Alex, Andrea and a feisty Pomeranian for a chat about furbabies, familiars and the auditory terrors of canine indigestion.

The full episode is available to all tiers of our Patreon! Join now and gain access to the complete one-hour episode, plus even more perks and extras.

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6 min
January 24, 2020 Episode 80: Return of the Fack!
It’s that time again…

Best of 2019!

Best of the Decade!

Bloopers!

Banter!

Bats!

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Here’s that Johannes Nyholm clip with the “drunken baby” from his film, Las Palmas.
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1 hr 45 min
January 12, 2020 Decade in Review: Horror Headlines (PREVIEW)
In our first Fack Flash of 2020, Alex and Andrea look back at horror’s biggest happenings and headlines of the past decade, including #metoo, Women in Horror Month, the return of Stephen King, and much more!
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8 min
December 23, 2019 Episode 79. Conception of Violence: Inside (2007)
Locking your windows and doors won’t do much good when Béatrice Dalle is at your door. This month we tackle the grotesque Holiday classic Inside (À l’Intérieur) and examine themes of conception, religion, and motherhood alongside the French politics of the time.
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REQUIRED READING
Inside (À l’intérieur). Dir. Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, 2007.
EXTRA CREDIT
Films of the New French Extremity. Alex’s book on the cycle of modern French horror.

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers. Sady Doyle’s book on female power through the lens of history, mythology, true crime and horror.

Timeline: French riots. BBC’s overview of the events before and during the 2005 Paris riots.
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1 hr 4 min
December 17, 2019 Commentary – Candyman (PREVIEW)
Pass the popcorn! Patrons in our Professor Emeritus tier can watch Bernard Rose’s Candyman with Alex and Andrea via a full-length commentary track. Here’s a taste!
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5 min
November 27, 2019 Episode 78. Blood Ties: Interview with the Vampire (1994) and Queen of the Damned (2002)
Sharpen your teeth (and your wits) because this month, we’re devouring the world of Anne Rice and her cinematic vampires. Discussing their emergence from Gothic literary fever dream to hyper-stylized incarnations on the big screen, Andrea and Alex prove that there’s still life in them yet.
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REQUIRED READING
Interview with the Vampire. Dir Neil Jordan, 1994.
Queen of the Damned. Dir. Michael Rymer, 2002.
EXTRA CREDIT
Anne Rice and Queering of Culture. A discussing of Anne Rice’s ability to subvert cultural norms.

The Poet, the Physician and the Birth of the Modern Vampire. How the modern vampire was constructed from a toxic relationship.

The Rise of Nu Metal. An in-depth history of nu-metal’s influences, popularity and decline.

Why We Seek the High of Fame. Psychology Today’s analysis of the desire for notoriety.

The Timeless Myth of Medusa, a Rape Victim Turned Into a Monster. A look at the construction of a female monster.

Encyclopedia Gothica by Liisa Ladouceur. Goth subculture, A – Z.

My Vampire Boyfriend: Postfeminism, “Perfect” Masculinity, and the Contemporary Appeal of Paranormal Romance. A look at the romantic appeal of vampires among young women.
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1 hr 49 min
November 09, 2019 Glossary of Gore – Episode 1 (PREVIEW)
In our first-ever Glossary of Gore episode, Alex tackles Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze; analyzing Mulvey’s essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema and discussing how it’s been applied since it became part of cinematic vernacular.

The full episode is available only to the post-graduate tier of our Patreon! Join now and gain access to the complete one-hour episode, plus even more perks and extras.
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1 hr 49 min