Horrorspiria

In this episode, May and special guest Kayley DeLong, an expert in disability studies and dark tourism, break down the use of real-life penitentiaries in horror through the films Eloise and The Lost Episode.

In this episode, May sits down with Ariel Baska, founder of the film festival Access:Horror and accomplished horror filmmaker. Ariel and May explores the topic of medical gaslighting in horror through Ariel's own film, Our First Priority, as well as The Entity and A Cure for Wellness. There is also more information on Access:Horror in the episode, which takes place on July 8 & 9 virtually. Buy your tickets at accesshorror.com! The episode is currently streaming on ⁠Anchor,⁠ ⁠Apple Podcasts,⁠ ⁠Google Podcasts,⁠ ⁠Spotify,⁠ ⁠Breaker,⁠ ⁠PocketCasts,⁠ and ⁠RadioPublic.

Horrorspiria is once again organizing film screenings in conjunction with Suns Cinema DC. The theme this summer is TROPIGOTH -- a collection of underseen films from Latin America. Clinton and May preview each film -- no spoilers! The series includes Diablo Rojo (PTY), Bacurau, and Santa Sangre. First screening is on June 28th!

In this episode, May and Clinton detail all the horror (and some non-horrors) of 2022 and rank some of their favorites, least favorites, tired tropes, and hopeful wishes. For a list of what films are discussed, please review the Horrorspiria Masterlist on Letterboxd. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, May sits down with Dr. Valeria Villegas Lindvall, Senior Lecturer in the Aesthetics Unit at the University of Gothenburg. Valeria's dissertation, Wicked Women and Witches: Subversive Readings of the Female Monster in Mexican and Argentinian Horror Film, explores gendered monstrosity in Mexican and Argentinian visual culture: La Llorona and the bruja (witch), respectively. In this episode, Dr. Villegas Lindvall expands on the topics discussed in her book and contextualizes gender and decolonial politics further through specific examples from Latin American horror. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Horrorspiria is finally organizing our first film screenings in conjunction with Suns Cinema DC. This first showcase focuses on “queer fears” through the lens of The Lost Boys, Alucarda, and The Bloodettes. Clinton and May preview and expand on each film and their relationship to queerness. Come out on October 5, 19, and 26 to Suns Cinema in DC! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, May talks with film critic and author, Josephine Maria, about dance and horror films. They discuss ballet as a site of body horror through both versions of Suspiria (1977 & 2018) and The Red Shoes (1941) as well as more possibilities for horror and dance to fuse. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this Spotlight episode, May sits down with Final Girls Film Festival Berlin founders, Sara and Eli, to learn more about the groundbreaking festival. Final Girls Film Festival showcases horror cinema that's directed, written, or produced by women and non-binary filmmakers. The festival and its team is committed to creating space for female (trans-inclusive) voices and visions, whether monstrous, heroic or some messy combination of the two, in the horror genre. Sara and Eli reveal the beginnings of the festival, share advice from their journey, shout out some of their top highlights, and preview their upcoming event, Brain Binge, being held online on June 11 & 12. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, May sits down with Amber, creator of the HornBloodFire podcast and a horror critic from the UK. Amber and May discuss one of their favorite foreign horror movements -- the J-Horror wave. In this episode, some films discussed are Onibaba, Hausu, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Ringu, Ju-On: The Grudge, Battle Royale, and more. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, May and Clinton watch critically-acclaimed horrors around the world that they missed in 2021 — “critical leftovers.” May and Clinton discuss Gaia, The Boy Behind the Door, Malignant, Coming Home in the Dark, and Lamb. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In the first crossover episode for Horrorspiria, May interviews Jonny & Aileen, creators and hosts of ¡UY QUE HORROR!, a Latinx horror movie podcast. In this episode, Jonny & Aileen discuss the inspiration behind the podcast, their backgrounds spanning Brazil, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Honduras, and as a group, Jonny, Aileen, & May discuss the joys, traumas, and triumphs of studying Latin American horror and what can be revealed when people seek out and form cultures around this subgenre. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, May sits down with Amy Harris, PhD researcher and teacher from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. Amy specializes in women-made British horror, a topic she has written about in the new anthology, Bloody Women: Women Directors of Horror, and what she studies as part of her dissertation. In this episode, Amy discusses the shifts and shapes of women-made British horror, including films like Black Lake, Prevenge, Saint Maud, Censor, and more. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, May talks with actor and aspiring filmmaker, Jazz Echevarría, about werewolves and werewolf films. Inspired by Craig Ian Mann's 2020 book, Phases of the Moon: A Cultural History of the Werewolf Film, May and Jazz try to grow an appreciation for the werewolf and their depiction in cinema since the 1940s. They discuss The Wolf Man, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, The Werewolf in Washington, An American Werewolf in London, Bad Moon, When Animals Dream, and Bloodthirsty. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, May sits down with Tuğçe Kutlu, PhD candidate, writer, and researcher from Ankara University. Tuğçe specializes in studying grief in horror, particularly Anglophone films, which is what she wrote her dissertation about. In this episode, Tuğçe explains her dissertation in depth, which looks at Midsommar, Hereditary, The Woman in Black, Pet Sematary, and The Babadook through the Kübler-Ross grief framework. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In an episode from the 2021 vault, May and Clinton discuss horror-comedies as they relate to spoofs, parodies, and satires. To explain the concept, May and Clinton review Phantom of the Paradise, One Cut of the Dead, and What We Do in the Shadows (series). The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Gabi comes on the podcast again to discuss mothers in horror. Intersections range from the monstrous feminine to queer appropriation in horror in our analysis and discussion of mother!, La Llorona, and The Babadook. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In an episode from the 2020 vault, May and Clinton go through 3 Netflix series from India, South Korea, and Colombia. We discuss the themes and metaphors present in each of these historical-horror-themed series. We look at The Green Frontier, Kingdom, and Betaal. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, May sits down with Horrorspiria's first international guest, PhD candidate from University of Liverpool: Rhys Jones. Rhys specializes in studying the abject in horror, which has led him to many intersections of queer theory, psychoanalysis, and horror. In this episode, May and Rhys look at The Lighthouse, Raw, The Dragula Brothers, and Martyrs, to discuss queer sensibilities in horror and queerness within the genre at large. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Black horror is Black history. In this episode, May gives a brief rundown of that history before sitting down with Black genre filmmaker and professor, Nikyatu Jusu. They talk about Nikyatu's upcoming work on her feature film, her Sundance-nominated vampire short, Suicide By Sunlight, but most of all, Nikyatu provides a unique perspective of actively working to make Black genre films in the 21st century. Together, May and Nikyatu explore the themes found in this rich history and how each of them is influenced by the work of pioneer filmmakers and theorists. Suicide By Sunlight can be watched on YouTube. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

On this episode of Horrorspiria, Lisa comes back on the pod for an in-depth look at the film business. Also an academic at George Mason, Lisa is an independent film producer with a background ranging from anti-piracy law for major studios to microbudget productions, which is the majority of her work now. We discuss the nooks and crannies of all those complicated terms we creatives aren't super fond of while looking at various models of business within the film industry. This is a great complementary listen for anyone taking Film Business or The Film Producer, but also very valuable to any independent producers/filmmakers out here as we discuss the details of distribution, signing deals, and the tiers of production companies we meet along the way. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In our first episode of 2021, May sits down with Horrorspiria favorite and one of Maryland's pride and joys: Eric Allen Hatch. Known for his past as programmer at the Maryland Film Festival, his essays in various publications, and his cinema memes which have caught the retweets of the powerful and obscure, Eric goes into detail about how his "baby", Beyond Video, came to fruition and how it's been operating in the pandemic. It is our first episode done "on location" at Beyond Video and does have a few interruptions from sirens and an angry train, just as a live COVID-safe setting should be. Eric and May also dig deep into horror home video, filmmaking experiences, what is important to cinema and genre film overall, and give May a geography lesson to the DMV area. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and Clinton return to their (and America's) roots by looking at America's first wave of horror films: the Pre-Code era. This is where the monster movies started, this is where horror as a genre in American film history started; all while William Hays was feverishly trying to shut down avenues of filmmaking centered around these salacious topics. We look at four films from the era: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Freaks, The Old Dark House, and The Invisible Man. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Getting back in the analytical grind of things, May and Clinton discuss three international genre films with the theme of hunter vs hunted. The very essence of this theme is the foundation of slasher films, but what sets these three films apart is how the prey subverts the expectation of the predator. We look at three films made across the globe - Canada, France, and Brazi. In this episode, May and Clinton discuss What Keeps You Alive, Girls with Balls, and Bacurau. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In our first bonus pod of 2020, May and Clinton discuss what they've been watching in quarantine. We have some genre picks, some TV picks, some book recommendations, some movie things: a little bit of everything that we're loving and hating. Stay safe everyone! Be back with a new episode by the end of May. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Happy International Women's Month! In our first quarantined episode, May and Clinton discuss four lesser-known female-directed horrors from the last 50 years. What does the female gaze look like in a typically misogynist genre? Does it exist? We look at four different films made in four very different decades in order to examine the nuance of the mythic lady-directed presence in genre cinema. In this episode, May and Clinton discuss Janie, Blood Diner, Mirror Mirror, and Good Manners. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In their first director retrospective, May and Clinton look at Bong Joon-ho's entire filmography. Arguably the best genre filmmaker currently working, they discuss each of his films from Barking Dogs Never Bite to the Oscar-winning Parasite and how the director has influenced genre cinema globally since his 2000 debut. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In the first analytical episode of season 2, May and Clinton look at American films that are set in foreign lands or have foreign protagonists. The transnationalist influence of global cinema is the guiding force behind the expansion of horror and science fiction as a legitimate genre worldwide. American films are considered the country's most valuable export, and in analyzing these tendencies, what can a viewer uncover about both the American voice and the picture painted of other countries through American lenses? The Green Inferno, The Eyes of My Mother, and Midsommar are discussed. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In the second episode of season 2, May and Clinton discuss their top 10 favorite American horror films. Look out for our American perspective of foreign culture episode up very soon! The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In the season 2 premiere of Horrorspiria, May and Clinton discuss their top 10 favorite foreign horror films. From Asia to Latin America to Canada, we cover our personal favorite films to begin our new season. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic.

In the season finale of Horrorspiria, May and Clinton discuss the monstrous feminine through 3 different films. The monstrous feminine is a theory first proposed by Barbara Creed which analyzed the role of abject women and monsters through lore and film. What do these gendered monsters convey through the works they're included in? In this episode, May and Clinton discuss these aspects as well as The Brood, Under the Skin, and Raw. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and Clinton discuss theme of nationalism through 3 different horror films, exploring how the metaphors are relayed through script, setting, dialogue, and, plot. Starting with Red State in America, they look at the lens of nationalism through South Korea and Iran as well. How do different filmmakers explore xenophobia with horror tropes and what messages can we take away from these films? It is important to listen and analyze the differences between a nationalistic message and a critique of the nation-state itself. In this episode, May and Clinton discuss these aspects as well as Red State, The Wailing, and Under the Shadow. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In our fourth bonus pod, May discusses her favorite film, Donnie Darko. The 2001 film is directed by Richard Kelley. It is an original story written when he was 23. She discusses why it is her favorite film as a special memorial episode to pod-cat, Darko. The episode is currently streaming on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, PocketCasts, and RadioPublic. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and Clinton discuss film distribution within the horror and international markets through Altered Innocence, a niche distribution company specializing in subversive queer films. With special input from renowned film producer, Lisa Thrasher, and information from Altered Innocence's CEO, Frank Jaffe, the current state of film distribution is established and discussed in depth. In this episode, May and Clinton look at the mechanics of film distribution as well as three of Altered Innocence's horror output: A Closer Walk With Thee, The Wild Boys, and Knife + Heart. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and Clinton discuss the Korean horror wave, touching on its initial history and focusing on three of its most well-known exports. Starting from the very first Korean film screened in America in 2003, the wave was less hyped than its sister cinema from Japan. However, there exists a specific nuance centered around the Korean concept of han that distinguishes Korean horror from other pan-Asian efforts. It also shows as a wave that has no intention of slowing down any time soon. In this episode, May and Clinton discuss these aspects as well as Lady Vengeance, The Host, and Train to Busan. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and Clinton discuss the horror cinema output of Latin America in the first part of a multi-part mini-series. There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries in the world and 19 of those 21 reside in what is largely considered Latin America. All of the countries, regardless of location, share an intrinsic colonial link to Spain. In this mini-series, we examine the general film industry of each country and the means in which it thrives. In this first part, May and Clinton look at examples from Argentina (Aterrados), Chile (Sangre Eterna), and Colombia (El Paramo). --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In our first bonus pod together, May and Clinton discuss their immediate reactions to Knife + Heart. The 2018 French film is directed by Yann Gonzalez with a score done by M83. It takes place in 1979 Paris where a serial killer is targeting gay porno actors. The episode is broken down into 2 parts for those who don't want spoilers! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and special guest, Gabi, discuss the Final Girl trope, a term coined by horror theorist Carol Clover in 1992. The trope involves the final female character in a film left to her own devices to confront the (usually male) killer, especially against the backdrop of her own trauma. Both of them chose two different films to examine in closer detail about how the Final Girl manifests and the codes in its messaging. In this episode, May and Gabi discuss these aspects as well as Black Christmas, Ginger Snaps, The Descent, and Cabin in the Woods. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In our second bonus pod, Clinton discusses one of his favorite horror films, The Last Circus. The 2010 film is directed and written by Álex de la Iglesia. It concerns the dealings of a circus in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. He discusses why it is one of his favorite films as well as the implications of its success and influence. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and Clinton discuss giallos, an Italian horror movement from the 60s and 70s. It is a thriller-horror genre that includes a myriad of elements from many genres including crime fiction, horror, erotica, and psychological thrillers. While the movement was short-lived, it had a second life in America with the advent of home video entertainment. Since then, the giallo's stylistic trademarks have been ripped off over and over again in the American slasher genre. In this episode, May and Clinton discuss these aspects as well as A Bay of Blood, What Have You Done to Solange?, The Perfume of the Lady in Black, and Deep Red. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In our first bonus pod, May discusses her favorite horror film, A Tale of Two Sisters. The 2003 film is directed by Kim Jee-woon. It is an adaptation of the Joseon Dynasty folktale, Janghwa Hongryeon jeon. She discusses why it is her favorite film as well as the implications of its success and influence. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and Clinton discuss vampires through the lens of international films. Ever since its introduction in gothic folklore, the vampire has been a symbol for human despair and existential dread. Certain ambiguities link the vampire with other creatures of abjection like the monster or the madman, though beauty tends to be what distinguishes the vampire from its comrade. Highlighting themes of feminism juxtaposed with consumption, the vampire has become a global icon in cinema to symbolize the deepest anxieties of the human trauma. In this episode, May and Clinton discuss these aspects as well as Nosferatu the Vampyre, Ganja & Hess, Daughters of Darkness, Let the Right One In, Thirst, and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

May and Clinton discuss the first major horror movement: German Expressionism. German Expressionism arose as a response to the savagery and inhumanity experienced during World War I. As the German public reeled from the Allies' draconian terms of surrender, the movement was a barometer for measuring an era's cultural anxieties. In this episode, May and Clinton discuss these aspects as well as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, and Metropolis. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app