FRIGHT SCHOOL

Welcome back to Fright School! This week, we are picking back up with our TALES FROM THE CRYPT franchise deep dive! But first! Please welcome to the stage Miss Nora Virus! What are Joe's thoughts on WICKED, you ask? We chat about our feelings of musical adaptations in general. We watched two episodes of TALES FROM THE CRYPT this week: ONLY SIN DEEP and DEAD RIGHT! We discuss the dubious morality plays of TFTC, fatphobia and further villainization of fat bodies, and the double edged sword at the throats of ambitious women. Also, White people doing Voodoo in the 80s? Groundbreaking.

Further Reading:

Lessons of Virtue in Tales From The Crypt? by Briana Brucato.

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Welcome back to Fright School! We start off discussing holiday presents! Joe is journaling... or trying to. Have you read A NOUN of NOUN and NOUNS by Proper Noun Initial. Initial. Proper Noun? Was it any good? Joe is building his TBR and needs recs. We prepare to enter the Drag Race Cinematic Universe (DRCU). This week, we took a trip to see the new remastered version of SE7EN in IMAX! Despite being set in Vague Metropolis, we discuss New York as a character in film. We also revisit the discussion of the apocalyptic visions of horror from way back in season 1 of FS, SE7EN's juxtaposition of apathy and hope, and explore the possible Magical Negro trope in the film as informed by HORROR NOIRE. While Joshua enjoys the relentless rain of the film, Joe gives us an update on the 7 Deadly Sins.

Here at Fright School we have been very lucky to meet, talk with, and become friends with so many horror creators across the seasons of our show. Now we find that so many of our wonderful community are directly being affected by the fires burning in Los Angeles, California. Our hearts are with everyone affected and who have lost so much. Please consider helping in any way you can:

Resources To Support Those Affected By The L.A. Fires

Further reading about SE7EN:

‘Se7en’: A Rain-Drenched, Somber, Gut-Wrenching Thriller that Restored David Fincher’s Faith in Filmmaking By Sven Mikulec

Colors and visual storytelling in SE7EN by Debaditya Sekhar Jena

Writing The Horror Movie: The Inner Psychology of Se7en, Drag Me To Hell & Dawn of the Dead By Jacob Krueger

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Happy New Fear, FRIGHT SCHOOL! We kick off the year venting about vaguebooking. We share our New Year's resolutions... or whatever. Joshua turned 40! This week, we kick off our January Franchise Deep Dive with a twist! Yes, Boils, Ghouls, Slays, and Grims we're crawling into the coffin with the Cryptkeeper and TALES FROM THE CRYPT! Inspired by our participation in ranking the top 10 episodes of TFTC, we're watching 5 of those episodes of the creepy classic and breaking them down as only Fright School can. Gird your loins for more macabre puns than should be legal!

Geekscape's Top 10 Episodes of Tales from the Crypt

Recommended reading: Tales from the Crypt: The Official Archives Hardcover by Digby Diehl 

Follow the whole GEEKSCAPE horror squad:

Jersey Ghouls

The Monster Rally Podcast

Horror Movie Night

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HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIGHT SCHOOL! We have so much to catch up on! We chat about WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. Joshua is watching a serial killer’s life flash before his eyes with DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN. Joe is taking a joy ride with the LINCOLN LAWYER. We try and fail with the harmonies of the HALLELUJAH choir. This week we took a trip to the thee-ay-tuh to see Robert Eggers reimagining of NOSFERATU! We discuss the ghoulish titular vampire, Willem Defoe’s casting, and Joe conjures his own incubus. 

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN from us at Fright School! This week we reflect on the FREAKY KIKI HORROR BALL! Joe and Joshua both started new jobs! Instead of chatting about a specific movie this week, we discuss our favorite Halloween watches and traditions. If you STAY spooky, you don't have to GET spooky! Here's to another season!

Check out the Geekscape's Top 10 Episodes of Tales from the Crypt!

Going to be in San Diego? Check out Backyard Renaissance's production of Stephen King's MISERY adapted for the stage by William Goldman!

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Welcome back to Fright School! Joe and Joshua both started new jobs! We discuss censorship and horror as it relates to A SERBIAN FILM. Joe shares some American Horror Story Nostalgia. This week we sample THE SUBSTANCE. Light spoilers ahead!

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Welcome back to Fright School! This week, we welcome the Managing Director of Lambda Archives of San Diego Nicole Verdes to the show! We chat about Nicole's history with the Archives and our upcoming coproduction the FREAKY KIKI HORROR BALL! Joe shares about his trip to Vegas and living his life to the fullest while Joshua celebrated the fact that his is going to end at the MEMENTO MORI FESTIVAL in Los Angeles. This week, we try something new on the show. Instead of talking about a specific movie, Nicole gives us a history of the Hays Code and its effect on film history. We dive deep into how the Hays Code came to be, how it impacted horror particularly in the films of Alfred Hitchcock, and historical parallels and repercussions to the lived experience of Queer people.

Recommended reading:

The Hays Code Explained: History of Hollywood’s Hays Code

Alfred Hitchcock’s Secret Censorship Battles and How They Changed Film History

From Sissies to Secrecy: The Evolution of the Hays Code Queer by Mikayla Mislak

If you enjoyed hearing about Lambda Archives of San Diego, please consider donating to their important work!

Get tickets to the REIGN OF REVOLUTION: The Haus of St. James Experience Exhibit

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Willkommen zurück in der Fright School! This week we welcome Pia Thrasher to the Wes Craven Memorial Library! Pia is an award winning actor, writer, director, and multi-media artist drawn to dark and surreal themes. Joe discusses DIDI and his connection to the film. Joshua and Pia bond over their love of ATOMIC BLONDE. This week, the group engages in Joshua's favorite self-care activity: THE DEVIL'S BATH. TRIGGER WARNING! The group discusses the "rationality" of suicide-by-proxy, Catholic death rites, the struggle for those that do not fit into neat boxes to survive in any society, and the role context may play in depression.

Find out more about Pia Thrasher HERE! Join her Childless Cat Ladies Club!

A hell of an incentive for murder: a rationalist’s guide to suicide by Mike Pottenger

Suicide by Proxy: In early Modern Europe, suicide was a sin to be punished with eternal damnation. Some women found an awful workaround: committing murder.

Tragic History Informs the Slow Burn Horrors of The Devil’s Bath By Kathy Michelle Chacón  

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Welcome back to Fright School! Joshua is excited for the NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Lego set and the launch of Spooky Season! Joe defends THE ACOLYTE. Have you bought tickets to our FREAKY KIKI HORROR BALL yet ?!? This week we look at a case of demonic possession in THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. We discuss courtroom tropes, how horror contributes to misinformation, and consider whether or not exorcism is a contact sport.

Faith and Judgment in ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ by Federico Furzan

The True Story Behind 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' Is Just as Disturbing by Lloyd Farley

Leeja Miller (Real Life Lawyer) reacts to THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE on YouTube

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Welcome back to Fright School! Joshua and Joe are both drink goblins! Joe kicks off Spooky Season with some pumpkin spice. We continue to work on the FREAKY KIKI HORROR BALL! this week we traveled to the BORDERLAND (2007). We discuss the ethics of horror films "based on actual events," the Mexico border in the American Imagination, and how the ongoing War on Drugs informs more horror films than it helps people struggling with addiction.

The Narcosatanist (HBO): A docuseries chronicling a rash of brutal murders linked to alleged drug-dealing satanic serial killers Adolfo Costanza and Sara Aldrete.

The Narco Saint: How a Mexican folk idol got conscripted into the drug wars by Ann Neumann

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