In horror literature and film we see books do powerful things: open gateways, call forth otherworldly beings, maybe even bring back spirits from the dead!

Books, especially those with supernatural powers of their own, are everywhere in horror. In this episode we'll look at a few familiar ones a little more closely to see if there are any other messages or knowledge these texts within a text or film are trying to tell us, especially for our world where so many books are being questioned as too influential and..powerful...

*This episode may contain spoilers for:

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Hocus Pocus 2 (2021)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (1985)

My guest, Ali Khamseh, is an expert in 1960s Hammer Horror in all its history, grit and modern influence.

Ali is a BIG fan of Christopher Lee so we talk a lot about the "mania" of Christopher Lee, his work with Tim Burton, how he felt about being Dracula and even playing his doppelganger, Rasputin, after meeting his killers. Whuuuh?!

This spooky season might have you searching back in time for more classic horror and this is a great place to start!

*How to find and follow Ali and his work:

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AK88Studios

Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/AKhamseh88/

This episode may contain spoilers for the following:

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

Unforgiven (1992)

The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1996)

The Batman Vs Dracula (2005)

No Country for Old Men (2007)

The Babadook's epic journey from an Australian film with stifled success to the separation of the Babadook monster who becomes a major global gay icon is a modern tale of how technology spreads information and even how modern cult classics are born.

What started as a Tumblr feud and a possible Netflix error is now part of queer horror lore. BUT WAIT - there's more!

What does director Jennifer Kent think of all this? Did she purposefully drop these notes of queerness in the film and the monster for us to find or is this all coincidence? Or are our queer lenses just coming on too strong?

You may not have thought there was even very much queer about the film on a first watch, but you'd be very much wrong... and the whole deep dive into the queer symbolism in this film is "fabulous".

This episode contains spoilers for:

The Babadook (2014) Directed by Jennifer Kent

Eclipse (1907) Directed by George Méliés

Do you ever subject your houseguests to horror movies? I do - but only if they're already fans which is definitely my guest today - my friend, Doomsdave, who was visiting for a WHOLE WEEK - in my house - every day - watching horror with me!

In today's episode, we discuss 6 movies and the experience of watching together - looking at reactions, cheering for deaths and kills together and then having a chat about all the fun on a podcast...

We also somehow touch on creepy Christians, Satanic cults, how much modern dating sucks and the exact parameters for an evil pit to be effective.

This episode contains spoilers for:

Fresh (2022)- Directed by Mimi Cave

Werewolves Within (2021)- Directed by Josh Ruben

Late Night with the Devil (2023) - Directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes

Jugface (2013) - Directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle

Ready or Not (2019) - Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olphon and Tyler Gillet

Vamps (2012)- Directed by Amy Heckerling and starring...EVERYONE.

Plants may be the new pets, but what do we actually know about these crafty characters we bring innocently into our homes and gardens? 

And how do horror stories about carnivorous and poisonous plants remind us that we are all technically their food in the end? What horror really being unlocked in plant horror or, more formally, the 'monstrous vegetal'?

Let’s look at some Gothic stories and some modern movies that remind us that humanity’s control over the natural world is tenuous, and that everything we do that’s unnatural or against nature will have consequences.

This episode contains spoilers of :

We love horror movies because they give us ALL the feels, right?

In one film, the whole spectrum of human emotion can be covered—from fear, repulsion, abjection, sorrow and even to humour. But how does this work and what are horror movies doing to us?!

In this episode we look to the parasympathetic response, (AKA 'Rest and Digest') to find out exactly how horror is luring us in by trading fear for happy hormones.

*This episode does not contain any spoilers

Summer camp slasher movies might be keeping you company these days as us indoor cats avoid the heat.

And if you're sitting there in your sweaty tank, wondering why summer camps and camp killers are so popular in horror, this episode entertains a couple theories. 

By way of Friday the 13th, The Burning and Sleepaway Camp (mostly) we look at the summer camp as a setting, a character itself and a metaphor for the liminality between adolescence and adulthood (#ahhhdulting!)

*Spoilers of Friday the 13th (1980) and Sleepaway Camp (1983) 

Camp and Cult Classic horror seem to go hand in hand at times but there IS a difference! With help from some experts like Susan Sontag to help us sort through it all and we'll talk about the classic films we love but some people really really hate!

We'll also look at how these movies amass a following over time and what kind of 'cults' are created from this film worship.

*this episode is spoiler free!

Kimberley Pinzon joins me to discuss her book, Final Girl Redux: A Relaxed Exploration of Women’s Place in Horror. And, as happens when two horror nerds get together, we go into a lot of other ideas and films as well.

Kimberly is especially wise in is how gender is portrayed in horror movies and she has new insights you may not have thought of before when it comes to final girls and the representation of all genders in horror films.

So get ready to see even your favourite movies in a new way!

*Somewhat Spoilers:

Get Out

Hereditary

Hostel

Behind the Mask

*Bonus material and show notes on patreon.com/spookyscholars

Does your favourite horror movie pass the test? Maybe it does with you, but what if we're talking about representation and diversity in film (and we are!)

Tests like the Bechdel, Mako Mari and the Sexy Lamp test aim to call out lack of representation of race, gender (happy pride!) and disabilities so that we're not left with superficial and flat characters.

We want more from our horror, right?

Join me to see who will pass or fail miserably [HINT: it's not who you think!]