This month, we’re tackling dreams in horror. Our first film is the seminal 1984 film ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, directed by Wes Craven. 💤🛏️🩸😵📞👅

In this episode, we discuss how this film set the bar for the dream horror canon. We also debate the Freudian and monstrous feminine readings of this film, pondering how modern audiences might receive this film differently. Finally, we talk about how iconic slasher killers have become folkloric figures in popular culture.

The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, death, murder, discussions of sexual assault, paedophilia, child abuse and castration

Our last children in horror episode is the 2001 horror mystery ‘The Devil's Backbone’, directed by Guillermo del Toro. 👹🔙🦴

We talk about how the characters function as allegories for the many different political allegiances within the Spanish Civil War. We also delve into horror as a political tool and how ghosts frequently symbolise the repressed trauma of a collective. Finally, we discuss how this film problematises how we view innocence, showing how men are denied empathy during war.

The Coven: Louisa, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, murder, discussions of death (specifically, death of a child), war (specifically, the Spanish Civil War) and fascism

Continuing our children in horror theme, we’re tackling the 1999 psychological thriller ‘The Sixth Sense’, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. 👂👅👃✋👁6️⃣

We debate the varying depictions of motherhood and fatherhood, address why this film works so well as a ghost story and discuss how it makes a poignant commentary on familial communication and grief.

The Coven: Louisa, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, murder, discussions of death (specifically, the death of children), self harm, domestic abuse, gun violence and fabricated induced illness

This month's theme is children in horror, and we’re starting with the 1984 ‘Children of the Corn’ directed by Fritz Kiersch. 👦🏻🌽✝️👧🏼🌽✝️

In this episode, we talk about how the presence of children affects the genre and what they symbolise in horror. We also identify the folk horror elements of this film, discussing how it operates as a commentary on religious fanaticism in America.

The Coven: Louisa, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, murder, discussions of death (specifically, the death of children) and a brief description of domestic abuse

Our last folk horror film of the month is the 2022 psychodrama ‘Enys Men’, directed by Mark Jenkin. 🗿☎️🚤📻🔦📘

For us, this film raises the central question: what do you want from horror? Do you like style (vibes) or substance (plot)? Is style without substance monotonous? We debate this film’s effectiveness and then go into the potential political and socioeconomic readings of the film. We also discuss how it may be using nature and folk horror traditions to comment on industrialism and trade unionism in Thatcherite Britain.

The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Death and climate anxiety

Continuing with our folk horror theme with the 2019 film ‘Impetigore’, directed by Joko Anwar. 🏚🤰🏽​​🌲👺

In this episode, we discuss the film's many thrilling slasher tropes, talk about how ‘Impetigore’ plays with conventions of the folk horror subgenre, and locate its true source of horror: the wrath of "boy moms".

The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, death, murder, intergenerational trauma, rape, femicide and infanticide

This month, we’re exploring the "happenings" of folk horror - kicking off this theme with the 1973 horror musical ‘The Wicker Man’, directed by Robin Hardy. 🌾🐰💐🌈🃏

In this episode, we give an overview of the global folk horror canon and discuss its tropes. We then focus on British folk horror films, and ask ourselves in what ways do its classist, religious and colonialist undertones work as a nation-making form of media. We debate the central question: who is the butt of the joke in folk horror: is it the insular pagan community or the ignorant and judgemental outsider? Finally, we give an honourable mention to the bizarre 2006 remake with Nicolas Cage (“NOT THE BEEZ!” 🐝).

The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, death, murder, mentions of colonial violence and human sacrifice

WELCOME TO SZN 4. To show our love, we’re kicking off the year with a one-off Valentine’s Special, and our patreon pledges have selected the 2016 thriller ‘The Handmaiden’, directed by Park Chan-wook. 🍭👄📚🐙

In this episode, we discuss the cinematic gaze as a tool to explore queerness, subvert patriarchal and colonial violence, and break down the thin boundary between voyeurism and exploitation. On the other hand, we also go into the issues behind categorising cinematic depictions of desire as quintessentially "female" or "male", and also discuss the limitations of the camera as a mostly male invention.

The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, death, murder, discussions of colonial violence, sexual abuse and castration

Our final femcel case study to discuss is the 2019 film ‘Ma’, directed by Tate Taylor. 🍻🤘🏿🏓😈

The general takeaway from this movie is: don’t think too hard about it. Are there plot holes? Yes. Are there bizarre character and plot inconsistencies? Absolutely. Does race add a strange dimension to the film? Definitely. However: do you have a good time watching? Without a doubt. We recommend ‘Ma’ if only for the memes.

The Coven: Louisa, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, death, murder, fabricated induced illness, under-age drinking, discussions of sexual assault and sexual predation of minors

Continuing our exploration of femcels movies, we’re tackling one of Tyia’s favourites, ‘Gone Girl’, directed by David Fincher. 📍🔍 💇‍♀️🗞

Cool Girl ~gender neutral~

/ku:l/ /ɡəːl/

noun

1. The unrealistically chill persona you adopt during the early days of a relationship in order to seem more desirable to your new partner.

‘In my youth, I definitely played the cool girl.’

verb

1. To suppress your emotional needs and compromise your integrity for the sake of remaining attractive to your new partner.

‘I will no longer cool girl in my relationships.’

In this episode, we unpick this iconic term and what it means for love and relationships.

The Coven: Louisa, Tyia and Zeba

Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro

*CONTENT WARNING*

Violence, death, murder, femicide, domestic abuse, discussions of misogyny, rape and false rape accusations