Gentrification, racism, horror, storytelling, and the making of monsters: Candyman (2021) asks who gets to tell a story and who gets turned into the villain.

In this Part 2 shadow work analysis of Candyman (2021), I explore power, cultural appropriation, mythology, race, identity, and the uncomfortable question of what happens when we inherit (and try to profit from) someone else’s story.

*This episode contains spoilers for:

• Candyman (1992)
• Candyman (2021)

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This episode is an exploration of what happens when the horror movie you loved as a kid turns out to be about the exact trauma you're living through!

Buckle up, because this episode gets personal.

Before we get into the 1992 horror classic Candyman, I’m dropping the tea on my divorce, betrayal, and what it feels like when someone you trusted completely destroys the reality you thought you were living in.

(Yes, we are processing our trauma through horror movies, where've you been?)

But this isn’t just a story about my life. It’s a close look into why Candyman is such a powerful film about trust, belief, and the stories we use to make sense of the world.

Helen Lyle begins the film believing in marriage, academia, logic, police, and respectable institutions, while dismissing folklore, oral history, and community knowledge. By the end, every assumption she has about truth and safety has been turned upside down.

Because that’s what betrayal does: it doesn’t just break your heart, it breaks your entire understanding of reality.

Using Jungian shadow work, horror theory, (and a whole lot of uncomfortable honesty), we explore how Candyman is the "whisper" and darkness we need to face, especially when we're looking away from the truth.

But also, sometimes the monster isn’t always the thing we should fear the most. Sometimes the darkest horror is the story we’ve spent our whole lives trying not to hear or see. Sometimes its our own stubborness to hold onto the structures that are actually doing us more harm than good!

Content warning: discussions of infidelity, divorce, betrayal, addiction, and emotional trauma.

*This episode contains spoilers for:

• Candyman 1992

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In this episode I’m with author Claire Fuller. 

We talk about her sixth book, Hunger and Thirst, (available now!), where she’s finally come over to the fully dark side even though she has quite an extensive horror background.

In our conversation, Claire unpacks the darker side of ambition and friendship, examining how themes of manipulation and coercion shape the story in unsettling ways.

We also talk about her background with sculpture and how that made its way into Hunger and Thirst. 

I really enjoyed talking with Claire and I think you’ll enjoy her take on psychological horror, the horror community, and where horror might be heading next.

Follow Claire Fuller on Instagram @writerclairefuller

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What if we thought of monsters as the self-help gurus of the goths?!

In this part 2 on this premise, we explore what our favorite monsters can teach us about our shadows and how we can be better humans. I know, ewww.

We get into how mummys remind us we need to stop tending to old wounds, how demons show up when we're greedy, and how the invisible man reveals the walls we build to keep people at arm's length.

This is Part Two of looking closely at the shadow sides of monster lore and the very human flaws they reflect back at us.

*This episode may contain spoilers for:

• The Invisible Man (1933)
• The Mummy (1999)
• Dawn of the Dead (1978)
• Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
• Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (2013)

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This week, I’m joined by author Dianna Gunn to talk about writing across genres, finding inspiration in tabletop gaming and fantasy worlds, and why online communities remain such an important part of the literary ecosystem.

We discuss the realities of indie publishing, creative burnout, weaving trauma and healing into speculative fiction, and the surprising ways horror and fantasy often overlap. Dianna also shares how community support has shaped her career and why no writer should do it all alone.

Plus learn about the latest and greatest drinking game taking the B-horror world by storm;)

This episode does not contain spoilers but we discuss:

• Lobster Man from Mars (1989)
• Oculus (2013)
• Sharks in a Cornfield (2021)
• Shark Side of the Moon (2022)

Follow Dianna on Bluesky and Instagram

Check out her work:

• Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror
• Moonshadow Rising Duology
• Killer Debt

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What if we thought of monsters as the self-help gurus of the goths?!

In this episode we explore what our favorite monsters can teach us about our shadows and how we can be better humans. I know, ewww.

We get into how vampires reveal our fear of mortality, how werewolves reflect the struggle to control our impulses, and how we all have ghosts in our past that we just can’t let go of.

This is Part One of looking closely at the shadow sides of monster lore and the very human flaws they reflect back at us.

Stay tuned for Part Two, where we'll explore the lessons hidden within even more iconic monsters we all love. 

*This episode may contain spoilers for:

• We Have a Ghost (2023)

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What do classic horror icons reveal about us?

In this episode, I’m with horror narrator and creator, Professor Shadow to explore the human shadow hidden inside classic monsters and those of his own creation.

We talk about why horror continues to resonate across generations, how monsters embody our fears, desires, shame, rage, and loneliness, and why horror can sometimes reveal truths that everyday life tries to suppress.

Plus, we talk about the monster in the room—AI (yes, that’s an em dash, bitches!)...and how it’s coming for all of us to prove beyond a “shadow” of a doubt (see what I did there?) that we are humans creating human content for other humans. 

*This episode contains spoilers for

• Cat People (1942)...but like, you've had time.

Find Professor Shadow on YouTube or at professorshadow.com

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What does horror allow us to feel safely that everyday life often punishes?

In this episode, we explore horror as an emotional classification system that shows us how socially forbidden emotions finally get permission to exist under certain subgenres of horror: possession films, body horror, slashers and paranormal hauntings, different horror subgenres may reflect different emotional states we’re taught to suppress in real life.

It’s what society tells us is appropriate to fear and how we’re supposed to react. And we rarely break to the rules or let our humanity loose…and that’s really what’s scary.

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How is horror handling masculinity?

In this episode, I’m with horror author Eric Miller for a fascinating deep dive into masculinity, vulnerability, trauma, loneliness, and why horror may be the perfect genre for exploring all of it.

Together, we dissect iconic male characters, examining the stark contrast between toxic masculinity and authentic heroism. We bring in emotionally repressed antiheroes compassionate survivors, and villains for villains’ sake.

This conversation explores horror, sci-fi, fantasy (and wrestling!) and how these genres reflect and challenge our cultural ideas about what it means to “be a man.”

Truly, we're exploring a poignant cultural moment where we are all seriously craving nuanced and emotionally grounded male characters in art and film to begin to show us what positive masulinity could look like going forward.

This episode contains spoilers for:

• Shaun of the Dead (2004)

• Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

• Midsommar (2019)

• Weapons (2025)

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We're back after a two month break of processing a... nightmare.

In this personal, solo episode I'm sharing what I've learned about dark nights of the soul and shadow work, through the lens of horror. And you're gonna want to hear this!

I share what I’ve been moving through with divorce, processing pain, and the patterns I've missed in horror movies I love.

Because that’s what they do. They show us the patterns in ourselves we desperately try to avoid.

In this episode, I'm sharing how I see even more how horror reflects our fears, insecurities, and survival instincts. And how, if you let it, horror will show you your own shadow work that you've been avoiding or not processing.

Basically we’re getting into shadow work, personal growth, healing after heartbreak, and why horror might be one of the most honest tools we have for self-reflection. Hope you're up for it!

*This episode contains spoilers for:

• Halloween (1978)
• Scream (1996)
• Hereditary (2018)
• Ready or Not (2019)

Hear Ashe on the Freaky and Geeky podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7K2Qjuc9iQaWXRVtMatVs1?si=8ebd4c07fb8c470b

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