Tag Archives: John Carpenter

Episode 113. Stayin’ Alive: Black Christmas (1974) and Halloween (1978)

We’re live from Toronto to celebrate our 10th anniversary! This episode revisits the films of our first-ever episode to explore whether our opinions on two horror classics have changed. We dig into the evolution of slashers and the conservative monsters that came to life during a wave of social change while we try to find the sherry. 
 
Thank you to everyone who came out and contributed to the $2500 we were able to donate to Sistering Toronto. Learn more about the organization and their work at sistering.org.
 
 

REQUIRED READING

Black Christmas. Dir Bob Clark, 1974. 
Halloween. Dir John Carpenter, 1978.
 

EXTRA CREDIT

Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie. Andrew Tudor’s examination of expert characters within the genre and how their usefulness has changed. 
 
“Recurrent Monsters: Why Freddy, Michael, and Jason Keep Coming Back.” Paul Budra’s essay from the collection Part Two: Reflections on the Sequel that examines slasher monsters and their staying power. 
 
“A History of Co-Ed Ivy League Schools.” An overview of the co-ed movement in the most prestigious American schools. 
 
The Gift of Fear: Gavin de Becker’s self-help book on how the power of intuition can predict interpersonal violence. 

“Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher film” (1987). Carol Clover’s journal article that set the foundation for her 1992 book, Men, Women and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession. Alice Bolin’s essay collection on the true crime phenomenon of beautiful dead girls.

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Episode 59. In Plain Sight: The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter’s terrifying cult classic stands the test of time in many regards – from the practical effects, to the performances to the storytelling, there’s little about the film that doesn’t work. Andrea and Alex tackle the film and its stances on leadership, paranoia, the notion of discovery, and more over a bottle of Jim Beam.

REQUIRED READING

The Thing. Dir. John Carpenter, 1982.

EXTRA CREDIT

Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman. An in-depth look at Black culture and representation through the lens of horror films.

Aids as Monster in Science Fiction by Edward Guerrero.

Filmnoia, or How Fear Permeated Cinema. George Wead’s history of perception and paranoia in North American films.

You Must Remember This podcast – the Blacklist series.

The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 board game. Can you survive the infection?

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Episode 1. Halloween (1978) Vs Black Christmas (1974)

black christmas

Join horror journalists and occasional academics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West as they discuss the seminal Canadian proto-slasher Black Christmas, as well as John Carpenter‘s immortal classic Halloween.

REQUIRED READING

Black Christmas. Dir. Bob Clark. 1974. [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Halloween. Dir. John Carpenter. 1978. [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

LISTEN

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