Maddie joins Caitlin to cover Watcher, the newest release from director Chloe Okuno. We talk about stalker movie trops, such as gaslighting and isolation, and I open my heart to Maika Monroe. Tangents include: pumpkin carving, TikTok (always), and scary movie theater experiences. This one is sitting on my top 10 list for 2022 horror - well done, Watcher! 

Mary joins Caitlin to cover 2022's Orphan: First Kill, the much anticipated prequel to 2009's Orphan. We talk about Esther/Leena as a monstrous femme figure, and we look at the multiple angles of monstrous motherhood we get in this movie. Definitely give it a watch, and go in blind if you can. Our tangents this episode include: JonBenet Ramsey, franchise horror, Christmas, gifs, water, and our unwillingness to fight back against a horror foe. Thanks, as always, for the great questions!

It's a special! Special guest Alfonso joins Caitlin to discuss Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (The Producer's Cut), and to talk about the Cult of Thorn backstory that enriches not just the 6th chapter of Halloween, but all chapters of Halloween. Alfonso walks me through the lore he's developed about the Druid curse featured in the producer's cut of Halloween 6 - its origins, its effects, and the way it perfectly weaves through the Halloween franchise. It's fascinating, and it makes perfect sense. You may notice that we were recording during a hurricane, so forgive my anxieties of the power cutting off our conversation. I'm glad the power stayed on and our conversation about the lore wasn't lost! Must've been the Druid curse protecting us...

Maddie and Colleen join Caitlin for Ti West's second release of 2022: Pearl. We go off the rails early on in this one. Tangents include: Dave Matthews Band, head lice, and cotillion, among others. The review starts around minute 19, and we get into themes of sexuality, monstrous motherhood, and how Pearl may be a new iconic monstrous femme figure in the horror repertoire. Our concensus: although we'd change a few things, Pearl is better than X! We look forward to the third installment - MaXXXine.

Alternate titles I considered for this episode (based on our conversation) were: Pearl: Teamwork Makes the 69 Work, and Pearl: Perpetual Milkmaid Face.

Colleen and Mary join Caitlin to cover the new release Barbarian. Go into the movie blind! You'll be glad you did. If you've seen it, you'll know that we had plenty to talk about. We have a great monstrous femme figure in the barbarian mama, we get some creepy monstrous motherhood moments, and we explore the different ways men and women approach danger. We also got into creepy basement stories, and how nothing is scarier than "when the scary thing gets scared." We really loved this movie! Hope you enjoy the episode.

Eli goes by many names: the loremaster, the campfire master, the mole king, and Mary's husband, among others. I was delighted to have him on to help me cover 2017's Pyewacket. Pyewacket is cool Canadian horror movie about the occult. We dig into themes of monstrous motherhood, grief, and the old "be careful what you wish for" adage. We also talk about the witchfinder general Matthew Hopkins, public bathrooms, popsicles, fast food, Eli's childhood in West Virginia, the mole kingdom, and the good old days of the IFC channel. Be sure to check out The Wicked Wild and Loremasters of the Absurd! 

Christian and Ian of It's Only a Podcast join Caitlin to cover the 2016 horror comedy Prevenge. Prevenge is a revenge-centered monstrous motherhood movie, and it hits its comedic beats exactly right. Alice Lowe really pulled off something special here. We also talk about upcoming releases for spooky season, vidja games, and air travel. And we even play Smash or Pass with some of our favorite final girls. Be sure to check out It's Only a Podcast! It's good stuff.

Vulnerable o'clock! I got to thinking about why I like body horror so much, and I wanted to share that with you all. I think it comes from my experiences as viewing my own body as horrific (or capable of horrors). That comes in the form of chronic illness (crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis), unusual body conditions (vaginismus and vulvodynia), and good old fashioned fatphobia. It's hard when others view your body as gross or monstrous, and even harder when you view your own body that way. We're all working through our stuff. I'm glad we have horror to help us through.

John from The Wicked Wild joins Caitlin to cover Prey, the newest installment in the Predator franchise. John is an expert on Predator, and he was able to walk me through some of the lore and easter eggs that I missed. And we both loved this one! It has cool themes around gender, siblings, and the dynamics of predators and prey (and prey that becomes a predator herself). Thanks for joining, John!

To quote my beloved American Horror Story: surprise, bitch! Here's an American Horror Story mini episode! Just talking into a mic about Ryan Murphy stuff - what could possibly be more fun, or more insane? Big thanks to Whitney and Elizabeth for sending in AHS questions! I give a rundown of my favorite seasons and characters, talk a little about Stories (the spin-off), and think about where I hope to see AHS go in the future. American Horror Story has a lot of good Plug It Up themes: monstrous motherhood, monstrous menstruation / coming of age, women battling horrors, and women who are themselves horrific. Feel free to send any AHS questions my way! BALENCIAGA!