Screen Time with Sarah Ruthless

Inner demons, the White Savior Complex, method acting gone too far - did this film accidentally cause a 50% increase in American Catholicism? For the LAST EPISODE OF THE HORROR SEASON, we're going out with a head-spinning bang!  

Were Cabbage Patch Kids just the fairy changelings of aborted babies? Did Reagan accidentally make a prophetic effigy of Trump? Is Chucky just a metaphor for being an overlooked queer writer in Hollywood? All this and more in today’s episode on Child's Play!

JESUS WEPT and frankly so did I while writing this episode! Who would’ve thought that queer icon Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic “Hellraiser” would bring up: pleasure vs. pain, heaven vs. hell, why humans eat spicy food, a Hawaiian private Christian school’s religious propaganda, the power of feminine villainy, and a WHOLE BUNCH OF WEIRD SHIT FROM MY CHILDHOOD! I’m as shocked as you are, but this somehow became the Story Time with Sarah Ruthless episode, so enter at your own risk: there shall be no suffering wasted here. (This episode is also an all-record high for how many times I say the word “bewildered.”)

Menstruation! Lycanthropy! The fine line between female power and female villainy! Early 2000s fashion! ...In this EXTRA SPECIAL episode, I am joined by renowned special effects & menstrual blood artist Catherine Woods in a conversation about all things "Ginger Snaps," the cult classic Canadian indie darling that dared to ask the question: what if we made female puberty and werewolves, like, the same thing? 

It’s here, gang - the 1968 George A. Romero classic, “Night of the Living Dead!” In this episode we’ll tackle zombies, the Civil Rights Movement, political euphemisms in folklore, and the true gift of highlighting Black voices - Kiara Goodwin, Ashley Jardina, Boa Deck, Richard Newby, Jordan Peele, & of course, the late, great, Duane Jones himself! Never has a classic, vintage horror movie been so goddamn relevant. Available now wherever you listen to podcasts, and the transcript (with links to all the excellent articles referenced) is up on www.sarahruthless.com!  

Why were Victorians so horny? Who was Vlad the Impaler? And most importantly, was Judas Iscariot the first vampire?? Find out the answer to all these questions and more in this week's episode on "Bram Stoker's Dracula!" 

Where did Sesame Street get the idea for The Count? Are you Team Peter or Team Wendy? CAN VAMPIRES POOP? (And what's the deal with garlic?) All these questions & more are explored in this week's episode on "The Lost Boys!" 

 This forgotten Canadian indie anthology will possess your inner Krampus and rock your jingle bells. Forget Christmas, Happy Yule!

Beep beep, Richie! A 1,138 page book and over 5 HOURS of screen time are here to bring you: an ancient sewer demon sewer, primary colors, childhood trauma, Italian operas, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, boggarts, The Uncanny Valley Effect, and the difference between a court jester and a clown. All these and more come together in an extra special double feature on Stephen King's masterpiece & "final exam on horror," It! 

Dirty bird! Cockadoodie! Need I say more? Stephen King's secretly meta horror story comes to life through the inimitable performance of Kathy Bates - some might say I'm her #1 fan... 

Vintage cars, shell phones, Russian literature, red manicures, some Freudian shit, swimming pools, wombs... Is killing your parents the new popping your cherry? Much like its ephemeral villain and synth-heavy score, the indie visual masterpiece "It Follows" is sure to linger.

Meme culture, Buffy, postpartum depression, Andrea Yates, "JoJo Rabbit," trauma incarnate... All this and more in today's episode on Jennifer Kent's 2014 masterpiece, "The Babadook!"

Ableism! Mommy issues! Feral children! Triskaidekaphobia! Adolescent autonomy! A dinner party in Valhalla gone wrong! Trauma! All this and more in this extra special DOUBLE FEATURE on Friday the 13th Parts 1 & 2!

Boil, bubble, toil & trouble, something wicked this way comes! Whether it's Michael Myers, the election, Samhain, testing positive, or a literal full Blue Moon, we've all got something spooky on our horizon... So take a 30 minute break with me and let's dive into John Carpenter's iconic '78 slasher flick "Halloween!" 

Who WAS the first guy to start sacrificing humans? Can Joss Whedon talk about misogyny without being misogynistic? Was Jesus the first virgin sacrifice? Will Sigourney Weaver EVER stop being so damn cool? We plumb the depths of these questions (and more!) in this episode of Screen Time with Sarah Ruthless, exploring the 2011 sleeper hit "The Cabin in the Woods."

"In October of 19994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary... A year later, their footage was found." Guerrilla filmmaking, Russian ballet, traumatic camping, Snake Oil Salesmen, medieval swingers, Orson Welles, pre-internet Hollywood, Rumpelstiltskin, cannibalism, witchcraft, mass hysteria, and the little film that would change everything... It's finally here, folks! The Blair Witch Project.  

Witchcraft, shampoo, Wellington boots, a family curse, Shania Twain, a phone tree, margaritas, sisterhood, & BELLADONNA IN MY BAG, SWAG! It's finally here... Join me as I dissect this queer Millennial cult classic, and dive into the curious history of how homosexuality, heresy, and witchcraft all became the coolest kids on the Catholic Church's most wanted list. 

Hi there, my name is Sarah Ruthless and I’m launching a podcast where I share all my thoughts and feelings about film & television! The premiere episode is now available: every Saturday I’ll be featuring a new episode on one of 31 spooky, Halloween-related films that I’ve never seen before. Join me as I break down the cultural impacts of the genre, including its history with folklore, religion, feminism, and more. And just 24 hours after the release of the trailer for The Witches (2020) remake, I dive into the 1990 original based on Roald Dahl's legendary classic.