Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sep 20 2016
5 Comments
Episodes, Uncategorized

Episode 42. French Kiss: Calvaire (2004) and Martyrs (2008)

nfeDiving into the depths of France and Belgium, Alex and Andrea examine the politics and borders of New French Extremity. Confronting the complex historical narrative that France has created for itself, all is not as it appears as these films bring the repressed to light.

REQUIRED READING

Calvaire. Dir Fabrice Du Welz, 2004.
Martyrs. Dir Pascal Laugier, 2008.

EXTRA CREDIT

Films of the New French Extremity: Visceral Horror and National Identity – Alex’s book on things French, filmic and extreme.

 

Saint Joan of Arc’s Trials – a fascinating morbid legal procedural.

 

COURSE NOTES

 Intro song: Nail Ballet from Nightmare Picture Theatre, courtesy of James Zirco Fisher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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May 10 2016
23 Comments
Episodes, Uncategorized

Episode 38. Alienation, Part 1: Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986)

Alien ep 1

Catch Jonesie the cat and keep the work loader handy because Alex and Andrea are on an express elevator to LV-426 discussing feminism, mothering, special effects and the enduring influence of classic science fiction in the Alien franchise. Stay tuned for Part 2 in June!

REQUIRED READING

Alien. Dir Ridley Scott, 1979.
Aliens. Dir James Cameron, 1986.

EXTRA CREDIT

Strange Shapes – a blog dedicated to everything Alien.

Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films by David Konow.

H.R. Giger – Giger’s Necronomicon and the making of Alien – A documentary on HR Giger, the artist behind some of the arresting imagery in the movies.

Alien Behind the Scenes – The extensive making-of doc taking a look at all that went into Alien.

The Making of Aliens – The equally-extensive featurette about the second film, featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

Get That Life: How I Co-Founded Bitch Media – A history of the evolution and influence of Bitch Magazine.

COURSE NOTES

 Intro song: Nail Ballet from Nightmare Picture Theatre, courtesy of James Zirco Fisher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Mar 16 2016
21 Comments
Episodes, Uncategorized

Episode 36. Mommy Dearest: The Babadook (2014) and Goodnight Mommy (2014)

MommyDearestEveryone’s got mother issues, right? This episode examines the perceived and manifested strains on maternal instinct once malevolent forces enter the picture. Alex and Andrea investigate where these forces come from and what they truly want.

REQUIRED READING

The Babadook. Dir Jennifer Kent, 2014.
Goodnight Mommy. Dirs Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, 2014.

EXTRA CREDIT

Monster. Jennifer Kent’s short film on which The Babadook was based.

The Mommy Trap: Four recent horror movies by women explore the most troubling aspects of motherhood.

 

Talking to the Directors of the Horror Film ‘Goodnight Mommy‘. Vice talks to the directors about the origins of the film.

COURSE NOTES

 Intro song: Nail Ballet from Nightmare Picture Theatre, courtesy of James Zirco Fisher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Feb 22 2016
19 Comments
Episodes, Uncategorized

Episode 35. Body Rippers: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

BodyRippers

Bust out your corsets and button up your pinafores because we’re going back to the 19th century… by way of the 1990s. In this episode, Alex and Andrea examine conflicting authorial intentions, monsters and their makers and what happens when love won’t stay dead.

REQUIRED READING

Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Dir Francis Ford Coppola, 1992.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Dir Kenneth Branagh, 1994.

EXTRA CREDIT

Dracula Making-Of Documentary (Parts 1, 2 and 3) – Everything you could want to know (and more) about the making of Dracula.

De Niro Meets Frankenstein – Kenneth Branagh, in character as Victor Frankenstein (or so we think), interviews Robert De Niro about his career and approach to playing the iconic monster.

 

THE BATCAVE – Andrea’s new YouTube channel is alive… ALIVE!

 

BLOOD IN FOUR COLOURS book giveaway – Comment on our blog with your favorite horror movies based on comic books, and you’ll be entered to win one of 3 copies of Rue Morgue’s BLOOD IN FOUR COLOURS!

COURSE NOTES

 Intro song: Nail Ballet from Nightmare Picture Theatre, courtesy of James Zirco Fisher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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