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Andrea and Alex talk to emerging filmmaker Ashlea Wessel about her new body-horror/creature feature “Ink”. The ladies talk filmmaking styles, assembling a crew and horror influences. She also created this amazing photo of The Faculty of Horror! In case you ever wondered what our babies would look like… The Indiegogo campaign for INK is still going. Please share and/or contribute! LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Andrea and Alex venture once more into the breach and tackle the questions and comments received over the last year. They also look back on a year’s worth of topics and reassess their own opinions. EXTRA CREDIT The 8-bit Lakeside Lunatic by artist Trevor Henderson. House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films by Kier-La Janisse. Highly recommended reading! Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson. Subverted fairy-tale goodness. Definitions and terminology from the National Center for Transgender Equality. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Andrea and Alex get in the holiday spirit by exploring the myths, legends and traditions that surround one of the most beloved and iconic figures in North America, Santa Claus. In both Saint and Rare Exports, our notions of Santa are turned on their heads but we might still discover the true meaning of Christmas. REQUIRED READING Saint. Dir Dick Maas. 2010. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Dir Jalmari Helander. 2010. EXTRA CREDIT Rare Export Inc. and Rare Exports Safety Instructions. The short films that started it all. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Don’t drink the herbal remedy, don’t eat the mousse because Andrea and Alex are back to talk about Roman Polanski’s 1968 film, Rosemary’s Baby. By looking at filmic techniques, societal changes and our relationship with evil, you’ll see that this is no dream, this is really happening. REQUIRED READING Rosemary’s Baby. Dir Roman Polanski. 1968. EXTRA CREDIT Roman Polanski on “Rosemary’s Baby” – Conversations Inside The Criterion Collection. Vice pulls interviews and clips from the Criterion Collection extras for a revealing behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. Rosemary’s Baby – Comprehensive Storyform. A detailed breakdown of the numerous conflicts and objectives at play in Rosemary’s Baby. Background on Reproductive Rights. A look at the challenges that have faced the fight for access to birth control. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Andrea and Alex take a wrong turn down the horrored halls and discuss Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick’s groundbreaking film, The Blair Witch Project. By looking at the created mythology, unstable narrative and audience reaction they hope to find the map before it starts getting dark. REQUIRED READING The Blair Witch Project. Dir Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. 1999. [DVD] EXTRA CREDIT 32 Things We Learned From the ‘Blair Witch Project’ Commentary Track. A break down of the most salient points from the director and producer commentary on the DVD. Book Excerpt: “Film Firsts: The 25 Movies that Created Contemporary American Cinema” by Ethan Alter. An analysis of the release and revolutionary marketing campaign. The Blair Witch Project. The OG website with only a few updates. Still a great source the Blair Witch mythology and timeline of events. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Alex and Andrea explore the history, treatment and perception of eating disorders through Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar winning film Black Swan and Sam Raimi’s return to the horror genre, Drag Me To Hell. REQUIRED READING Black Swan. Dir Darren Aronofsky. 2010. [DVD] Drag Me To Hell. Dir Sam Raimi. 2009. [Blu-ray] EXTRA CREDIT A History of Eating Disorders. A general overview of the history of the disease and different methods of treatment. What if anorexia wasn’t a disorder, but a passion? A new reading on rethinking the way that anorexia is treated and thought of. Body Refractions – Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. An academic article examining the use of doubling, mirroring and lust in Black Swan. Sam Raimi Interview, Drag Me To Hell. The director discusses his return to horror and the morality behind the film. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Pack your bag, say goodbye to Mom and Dad because it’s camp time. The annual tradition of camping has come to the Faculty of Horror and Andrea and Alex set off into the wilds to talk about nature, madmen/women and the politics of adolescence.  REQUIRED READING Sleepaway Camp. Dir. Robert Hiltzik. 1983. [Blu-ray/DVD] Friday the 13th. Dir. Sean S. Cunningham. 1980. [DVD] EXTRA CREDIT History of Summer Camps. A brief history of the North American compulsion to camp overnight. Sleepaway Camp Analysis, a brilliant and well-referenced article on the impact of the film from a soiological perspective. Horror Movies as Modern Day Morality Tales. An analytical look at some of the most popular slashers and what they have to teach us about life (and horrible, grisly death). LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Alex and Andrea take the biggest boat they can find and go into the deep as summer dawns once again. Their bait is the examination of nature as vengeance, the strong hold of Americana and the new masculine hero. Hopefully they’ll be home in time for dinner. REQUIRED READING Jaws. Dir. Steven Spielberg. 1975. [Blu-ray/DVD] Piranha. Dir. Joe Dante. 1978. [DVD] [Blu-ray] EXTRA CREDIT Jaws – Between the Teeth by Peter Biskind. One of the first in depth analysis of Spielberg’s jaws, film writer Biskind tackles the cultural impact and its roots in literature A guide to the fantastical work of Joe Dante by Keith Phipps, Scott Tobias & Noel Murray. An overview of the career of one of the most beloved directors in genre film. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Join Alex and Andrea as they call the corners and delve into the world of witchcraft. By examining The Craft (1996), Antichrist (2009) and The Lords of Salem (2013)  the role of the witch as protagonist/antagonist will emerge and will reveal that there is more to these women than meets the eye (of newt).  REQUIRED READING The Craft. Dir. Andrew Fleming. 1996.  [DVD] Antichrist. Dir. Lars Von Trier. 2009.  [Blu-ray] Lords of Salem. Dir. Rob Zombie. 2013.  [DVD] EXTRA CREDIT Glamorous Witchcraft: Gender and Magic in Teen Film and Television. An essay about how the young/adolescent witch provides insight into negotiating female power. The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth by Robert Graves. Recommended reading on witchcraft by listener T Quest! LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Andrea and Alex dig up the bodies they have been burying around the city and discuss the business of death, dream logic, and some beloved character’s journeys through Don Coscarelli’s first two films in the Phantasm universe.  REQUIRED READING Phantasm. Dir. Don Coscarelli. 1979.  [DVD] Phantasm II. Dir. Don Coscarelli. 1988. [DVD] [Blu-Ray] EXTRA CREDIT The Order of the Good Death. A movement to de-mystify the death industry. The videos section is highly recommended viewing. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Alex and Andrea pack up their problems and head to a remote cabin in the woods to learn what lurks deep inside every man which leads to bloodshed and dismemberment. Hopefully, by utilizing hero and mythical analysis they’ll be able to get the safety deposit back. REQUIRED READING The Evil Dead. Dir. Sam Raimi. 1981. [DVD] [Blu-Ray] Evil Dead II. Dir. Sam Raimi. 1987. [DVD] [Blu-Ray] EXTRA CREDIT An overview of the Ancient Greek uses for comedy and tragedy. Many of these same specifications still apply to the genre today. A breakdown of the Joseph Campell Hero’s Journey. From an overall look to a step by step breakdown of each part. An analysis of Carl Jung’s journey theory, what each one means and how the sometimes very slight differences can change the overall outcome. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

With Valentine’s Day upon us again, Alex and Andrea examine the mates of classic monsters. What is their role? How big is their ring? And will it last past the wedding night? REQUIRED READING The Bride of Frankenstein. Dir. James Whale. 1935. [DVD] [Blu-Ray] The Brides of Dracula. Dir. Terence Fisher. 1960 [Blu-Ray & DVD Combo] LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

In their twelfth episode Andrea and Alex sift through assorted feedback culled from emails, comments and social media. They dare to tackle the dark and tortuous questions from a year of horror podcasting such as, who are you? Why are you here? Are you ready to accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior? LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, so Andrea and Alex take a bite out of Tobe Hooper’s horror classic and all the film and cultural theory that goes with it because the family that eats together, stays together. REQUIRED READING The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Dir. Tobe Hooper. 1974 [DVD] [Blu-Ray] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Dir. Marcus Nispel. 2003 [DVD] [Blu-Ray] EXTRA CREDIT The E! True Hollywood Story: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A sensationalist look at the inception, production and reception of Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre in time for one of the Platinum Dunes retreads. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

It’s that time of the month! In this episode, Alex and Andrea get a visit from their Aunt Flo to talk about the most natural of all curses: womanhood. Listen as they bleed poetic about Ginger Snaps and Carrie. REQUIRED READING Carrie. Dir. Brian De Palma. (1976) [DVD] [Blu-ray] Ginger Snaps. Dir. John Fawcett. (2000) [DVD] [Bluray/DVD Combo] EXTRA CREDIT Monster Pains: Masochism, Menstruation, and Identification in the Horror Film by Aviva Briefel. An analysis about the internal pain of the monster figure. On the Rag on Screen: Menarche in Film and Television by Elizabeth Arveda Kissling. An in-depth examination of the menstruating monster and its effects on society. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.