This week on Horror Joy, Brian and Jeff traverse the eerie corridors of liminality in horror. They kick off with a deep dive into the Apple TV series Severance, exploring how its portrayal of work-life separation raises existential and psychological questions. Is it a thriller, or horror? Moving forward, they venture into the unsettling realm of analog horror, with a focus on YouTube creators like Kane Pixels and Alex Kister.

Join us as we travel deeper in the backrooms of liminal horror and the analog threat:

·We’ll discuss how liminality works in Gothic literature

·We’ll analyze what Severance tells us about the value of labor and the role that religious language plays in the trust/fear/disgust of corporate overlords

·We’ll question how authenticity is found in the gritty videos of analog horror and the terror of a found footage retelling of Biblical stories

·We’ll find joy in the mystery box of Severance and the labor of love of analog horror

From grainy VHS aesthetics to biblical retellings, they examine how these themes distort reality and evoke a primal fear of the unknown. Join them in exploring the blurred lines of identity, the nature of labor, and the unsettling nostalgia of analog media.

Severance

Killer tapes and Shattered Screens by Caetlin Benson-Allot

The Backrooms

The Mandela Catalog

Exploring Liminal Spaces in Gothic Literature: The Role of Transition and

Boundary in Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Mariyam Farzand

Arts of Wonder by Jeffrey L. Kosky

 “What Is Analog Horror? The Subgenre of 'Skinamarink' Explained.” By Samuel Williamson. Collider. 7 Feb. 2023

The Ritual Process by Victor Turner

Walter Benjamin

Alienation in labor

Limbo

00:00-02:18 Hosts Introduction and Episode Overview

02:19 Deep Dive into Severance

03:52 Liminality in Gothic Literature

05:27 Severance: Themes and Analysis

07:12 The Horror of Modern Workspaces

16:23 Rituals and Symbolism in Severance

24:51 Helly R's Role and Corporate Religion

27:30 Exploring the Horrors of Severance

28:40 The Liminality in Severance and Analog Horror

30:45 Analog Horror: A Dive into the Genre

35:08 The Mandela Catalog and Biblical Narratives

37:28 Medieval Drama and Modern Analog Horror

47:23 Finding Joy in Horror

52:09 Conclusion and Final Thoughts