For the Gothic Heroine

Strict movie censorship in America kicked off in 1934- but what horrors were they able to get away with before then?

It's the father of all cursed media, the first haunted horror movie or novel, the original creepypasta.  Let's crack open the King in Yellow. Ambiant music is by Michael Vrazitoulis at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1wvDTPKcLr2lqGkSZvl9AQ.  Audio clips used were from Rocky Horror Studio Cast, Cassilda's Song by Stormclouds, and True Detective. Music is by Station 61, and podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger.

From old gods that demand human sacrifices to haunted villages with even more haunted villagers, it's time to examine horror movies based around folklore- the folk horror revival.  This episode contains religious debate, fairy tales, and the archetypal female coming of age story. Ambiant music is by Kevin Macleod.  Audio clips used were from Rocky Horror Studio Cast, the trailer for Witchfinder General, The Wicker Man, the trailer for The Blood on Satan's Claw, the trailer for The VVitch, and the trailer for Midommar. Music is by Station 61, and podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger.

What makes a horror movie bad- so bad it's good, or so bad it's unwatchable?  In this episode, we'll be taking a look at when and how horror doesn't work. Recommended Media: Films (Good): The Most Dangerous Game The Thing Alien Midsommar Rebecca The Haunting The Babadook Get Out Films (Bad): High School Confidential Santa Clause Conquers the Martians Glen or Glenda Reefer Madness Waxworks The Room Manos the Hands of Fate Hobgoblins Ambiant music is by Ross Bugden.  Audio clips used were from Rocky Horror Studio Cast, Plan 9 from Outer Space, the trailer for The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed Up Zombies, and Cannibal Holocaust.  Music is by Station 61, and podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger.

In part B of the Frankenstein series, we'll talk about how film and literary adaptations have portrayed the infamous Monster- often as seen through the eyes of his Bride. Ambiant music is by cinematicwaves.  Audio clips used were from Rocky Horror Studio Cast, The Bride of Frankenstein, the trailer for The Bride, and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.  Music is by Station 61, and podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger.

It's time to finally talk about Frankenstein!  In part A, we'll look at how the Doctor has shifted throughout adaptations, and how each version has revealed a new aspect of what it means to play god. Error correction: I repeatedly call Sting's character Carl Frankenstein.  It's Charles Frankenstein.  I don't know why I made that mistake, but it's too late to re-record the entire episode now. Ambiant music is by Eon and Royalty Free Zone.  Audio clips used were from Rocky Horror Studio Cast, Frankenstein, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Bride, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Young Frankenstein.  Music is by Station 61, and podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger.

Ravenloft is perhaps the most famous and influential gothic roleplaying game, but it's not the only one out there!  Join us and discover the strange and unusual world of gothic horror tabletop rpgs. Recommended Media: Roleplaying Games: Ravenloft Vampire: The Dark Ages Bluebeard’s Bride A Ghastly Affair Krevborna: A Gothic Blood Opera White Box Gothic Credits: Ambiant music is by DesperateMeasurez and Marc v/d Meulen.  Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast and Doctor Demento.

This episode dives into a mixture of Americana, horror, science fiction and history to tell the tales of the Weird West. Recommended Media: Books: Track of the Cat Dracula Films: High Plains Drifter Ravenous TV: Wild Wild West Music: savingcountrymusic.com's annual Halloween playlist American Murder Song Comics: Pretty Deadly House of Penance Roleplaying Games: Deadlands Dogs in the Vineyard Credits: Ambiant music is by Movie Music and Garageband. Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from High Plains Drifter Trailer, Ravenous and Wild Wild West Pilot Commercial

It's time to tell some fairy tales- one of the most frightening fairy tales of all.  In this episode, we'll look at the story of Bluebeard, lingering questions around it, and its influence on everything from great literature to opera to horror movies.  A patreon sponsored episode! Recommended Media Books: Tales and Stories from the Past with Morals by Charles Perrault The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter Bluebeard's Wife by T. Kingfisher (short story) Films: Bluebeard (1944) Secret Beyond the Door Bluebeard's Castle (1963) Dragonwyck The Tomb of Ligeia Crimson Peak Roleplaying Games: Bluebeard's Bride   ***   Credits: Ambiant music is by Dee Yan-Key and Aitua on freemusicarchive.org and 'Ghost Stories Incorporated - Alone With Your Voices' by Marc v/d Meulen of https://www.marcvdmeulen.com/. Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast, Bluebeard (1944) and Secret Beyond the Door

If you know all the classic monsters by sight but don't know where to start with their movies, look no further!  In this guide to Universal's 1930s horror movies, we'll look at the foundational films of the genre and see which ones hold up...and think about just what we want out of them. Recommended Media Books: The Monster Show by David J. Skal Danse Macabre by Stephen King Films: Dracula (1931) Dracula's Daughter Son of Dracula Frankenstein (1931) The Bride of Frankenstein Son of Frankenstein The Mummy (1932) The Wolf Man (1941) The Invisible Man (1933) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein The Shape of Water   *** Credits: Ambiant music is by Universal Music Group America and Darren Curtis.  Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast, Dracula (1931) trailer, The Wolf Man, and The Invisible Man.

What happens when R. L. Stine- or possibly his ghost writer- tries his hand at historical fiction?  We'll be looking at the Fear Street Sagas, the place where teens in the nineties went for over the top gothic horror. Recommended Media Film: The House of Seven Gables (1940) Books: Betrayal: The Betrayal; The Secret; The Burning (collection) by R. L. Stine House of Whispers by R. L. Stine The Sign of Fear by R. L. Stine The Hidden Evil by R. L. Stine Daughters of Silence by R. L. Stine Dance of Death by R. L. Stine The Awakening Evil by R. L. Stine   ***   Credits Ambiant music is by Marc v/d Meulen and TeutalHQ on youtube. Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clip used is from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast.

Let's look at the granddaughter of the gothic heroine: the survivor of slasher horror movies.  The term Final Girl was coined in the book Men, Women and Chainsaws, but it has come a long way since then.  Our very first Patreon-sponsored episode! Recommended Media Books: Men, Women and Chainsaws by Carol J. Clover Dracula by Bram Stoker Films: Halloween (1978) Nightmare on Elm Street Wes Craven's New Nightmare Alien Aliens The Phantom of the Opera (1989) Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)   ***   Credits Ambiant music is by Marc v/d Meulen on youtube. Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast, Aliens, Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th trailer, Siskel and Ebert Sneak Previews, and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933.)  

Just in time for Halloween, we'll be looking at the classic 1960s horror movies based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, starring Vincent Price, and directed by Roger Corman. Recommended Media: Books: The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe Films: House of Usher The Pit and the Pendulum The Raven Tales of Terror The Haunted Palace Masque of the Red Death The Tomb of Ligeia *** Credits Ambient music for this episode is by NCM Epic Music Ender Guney on youtube. Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast, BFI Youtube Channel, House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven, Tales of Terror, The Haunted Palace, Masque of the Red Death, and The Tomb of Ligeia.

It's time for a big topic: gothic romance novels!  I'll be tackling the history of books with women running from houses on their covers, from the 1790s to the 1970s.  We'll talk about love and horror, cliche and innovation, feminism and conservatism, and all the other contradictions of the genre. Recommended Media Books: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen The Italian by Anne Radcliffe Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart Lord Satan by Janet Louise Roberts The Lost Duchess of Greyden Castle by Nina Coombs Pykare Dark Desires by Eve Silver Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix The Female Gothic edited by Juianne Fleenor  *** Credits Ambient music for this episode is by NCM Epic Music Ender Guney on youtube.  Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips in this episode are from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast.

This week, we'll take a look at the legacy of the book Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal.  With two very successful adaptations- the film Kind Hearts and Coronets and the musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder- this tale of a disowned son murdering his way through the family tree brings up questions of class, ethnicity, morality and the nature of villainy. Recommended media: Book: Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman Book: The Contested Castle by Kate Ferguson Ellis Film: Kind Hearts and Coronets Music: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder Original Broadway Cast *** Credits Ambient music in this episode is by SirmXe on https://freesound.org/people/SirmXe/sounds/79974/ and Dee Yan-Key on https://freemusicarchive.org/genre/Chamber_Music/.  Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast, Kind Hearts and Coronets, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder Original Broadway Cast, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Some movies are hardboiled crime stories, some are gothic horror, and some are a little of both.  In this episode, I look at film noir bearing the hallmarks of the gothic- especially those with gothic heroines! For a story of showing a gaslighter the film Gaslight, look here: https://np.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/35qlo3/update_my_22f_boyfriend_25m_is_hiding_all_my Recommended Media Book: The Contested Castle by Kate Ferguson Ellis Films:  Mystery of the Wax Museum  Rebecca  Laura  Gaslight  Among the Living  The Red House  Lured  Cat People  The Leopard Man  The Seventh Victim *** Credits Ambient music in this episode was created by Setuniman on www.freesound.org/people/setuniman/.  Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast, Rebecca, Laura, Gaslight, Suspicion, Lured, and the I Walked With a Zombie trailer.

Let's dive into a strange world beyond fantasy, horror or science fiction: the world of the weird.  I'll be talking about Angela Carter, Joyce Carol Oates, Tanith Lee, Gemma Files, Kelly Link, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Seanan Mcguire and Jo Walton, as we look at authors who break genre boundaries and bring new monsters to life. Recommended Media: Books: Supernatural Horror in Literature by H. P. Lovecraft Burning Your Boats by Angela Carter Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter A Bloodsmoore Romance by Joyce Carol Oates The Weird Tales of Tanith Lee Secret Books of Paradys series by Tanith Lee She Walks in Shadows edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia We Will All Go Down Together by Gemma Files Experimental Film by Gemma Files Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link Get in Trouble by Kelly Link Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link Silk by Caitlin R. Kiernan The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan Alabaster by Caitlin R. Kiernan Rolling in the Deep series by Mira Grant Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton Among Others by Jo Walton   ***   Credits Ambient music for this episode was composed by cormi, yewbic and FoolBoyMedia and is available at freesound.org.  Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clip used in this episode is from The Rocky Horror Studio Cast.

H. P. Lovecraft was one of the most influential horror and science fiction writers of all time, with a legacy still felt across movies, books, roleplaying games and more.  But all his talent was matched by his personal bigotry.  In this episode, we're going to talk about how fans and critics can respond to Lovecraft. Recommended Media Books: At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H. P. Lovecraft The Dunwich Horror and Others by H. P. Lovecraft Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaVelle She Walks in Shadows edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Confessions of a Five-Chambered Heart by Caitlin R. Kiernan Roleplaying Games: Call of Cthulhu Films:  The Haunted Palace The Call of Cthulhu Re-Animator *** Credits Intro and outro music is by Station 61.  Podcast artwork is by Dana Veitinger. Audio clips used are from The Rocky Horror Show Studio Cast, The Haunted Palace, Re-Animator, A Shoggoth on the Roof, and The Mountain Goats song Lovecraft in Brooklyn.

What are the best, worst, and strangest Dracula adaptations out there?  And what is the original book about, anyway?  From horror movies to romances to art films, Dracula's on-screen afterlife charts a bizarre course as everyone from Francis Ford Coppola to Andy Warhol took a shot at him. Intro and outro music is the song Battered by Station 61, off the album Drowning at Station 61.   Recommended Media: Books: Dracula by Bram Stoker Films: Nosferatu (1922) Nosferatu (1979) Dracula (1931) Horror of Dracula Count Dracula (1977) Dracula (2006) Spanish Language Dracula (1931) Blood for Dracula Audio Drama: Mercury Theater Dracula

Want to enter a world of lacy nightgowns and bloodthirsty vampires but don't know where to start?  Here's your entry point.  These cult horror movies from the late 1950s through the early 1970s changed the face of onscreen horror forever, from the level of gore and sex to the star power of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.  Learn where to start with their Dracula, Frankenstein and Mummy series', as well as their stand-alone efforts. Recommended Media Films: The Curse of Frankenstein Revenge of Frankenstein Frankenstein Created Woman Horror of Dracula Brides of Dracula Dracula AD 1972 The Mummy (1959) The Vampire Lovers Twins of Evil Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter Curse of the Werewolf Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)