Tag Archives: Wes Craven

Mar 24 2026
1 Comment
Episodes, Uncategorized

Episode 149. Bloodlust: The Last House on the Left (1972)

Wes Craven’s first feature continues to draw audiences and critics to it. By examining the production, reception, and impact of The Last House on the Left, Andrea and Alex will investigate the legacy of the rape-revenge subgenre and our evolving understanding of it. 

*Apologies for the poor audio on this one, guys! We’ll catch that gremlin one day and we’ll skin him alive!

 

REQUIRED READING

The Last House on the Left. Dir. Wes Craven, 1972. 

 

EXTRA CREDIT

A Promising Young Woman and the End of the Girlboss Era. Ayesha A. Siddiqi’s in-depth analysis of the Emerald Fennell’s first feature. 

Screams and Nightmares: The Films of Wes Craven. A thorough look at Craven’s oeuvre with insights and anecdotes from the man himself. 

Celluloid Crime of the Century – the full 2003 doc is on YouTube, featuring interviews with Craven, Cunningham, and select castmembers.
 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged ,
Jun 25 2025
1 Comment
Episodes, Uncategorized

Episode 141. Blood Relations: The Hills Have Eyes (1977 & 2006)

Pack your car and mind the detours because we’re kicking off summer with an episode on The Hills Have Eyes. From familial tensions to political warfare in the original and the remake, there’s a whole host of darkness to be found under the summer sun. 

 

REQUIRED READING

The Hills Have Eyes. Dir. Wes Craven, 1977.
The Hills Have Eyes. Dir. Alexandre Aja, 2006. 
 

EXTRA CREDIT

Sawney Bean – Scotland’s Most Famous Cannibal. An overview of the Scottish legend.
 
Fairy Tales for the Apocalypse. Christopher Sharrett’s interview with Wes Craven.
 
 

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged , ,
Dec 21 2021
3 Comments
Uncategorized

Episode 102. Rule Breaker: Scream (1996)

Do you like scary movies? Because Wes Craven’s Scream sure does! In this episode, Andrea and Alex tackle the game-changing film, discussing its origins, impact and legacy.
 
 
 

REQUIRED READING

Scream. Dir. Wes Craven, 1996.
 

EXTRA CREDIT

The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle: Final Girls and a New Hollywood Formula. Alex’s book on ’90s horror with a feminist gaze.
 
Men, Women and Chain Saws. Carol Clover’s treatise on gender in modern horror that coined the term Final Girl.
 
Columbine. Dave Cullen’s in-depth account of the Columbine shootings.
 
The Banality of Skeevil. Jude Ellison S. Doyle’s medium article on Skeet Ulrich’s particular brand of ’90s toxic masculinity.
 
Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers. Jude Ellison S. Doyle’s book on power and monstrosity.
 
Seventeen Magazine May 1999. Featuring Jewel on the cover, this issue contains the findings of Seventeen x Ladies Home Journal’s survey and the article, “No! 12 Ways to Make That Little Word Heard.”
 
Cine-limbo: The Millennial/New Age Virtual Afterlife Thriller by Linda Badley. Did Millennial teens grew up on a diet of death-denying media?
 

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged ,
May 30 2019
1 Comment
Blog, Episodes

Episode 73. Freddy Inc: A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street:The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), New Nightmare (1994), Freddy vs Jason (2013)

Andrea and Alex hit the hay one last time to discuss how Freddy became a marketing legend, a cultural sensation and an arbiter of taste. Transitioning from installments in the late ’80s to the ’90s to the early aughts, Freddy illustrates how slashers have evolved (or devolved) to become cultural icons.

Class of 2019 T-shirts are available now at Twisted Ts!

 Salem Horror Fest – Tickets to our live show on October 5th are on sale now!

REQUIRED READING

A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Master. Dir. Renny Harlin, 1988.
A Nightmare on Elm Street:The Dream Child. Dir. Stephen Hopkins, 1989.
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. Dir. Rachel Talalay, 1991.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Dir. Wes Craven, 1994.
Freddy vs Jason. Dir. Ronny Yu, 2013.

EXTRA CREDIT

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. The four hour documentary that delves into the nooks and crannies of the Elm Street franchise.

How MTV changed the world with its industry of cool. A look at MTV from it’s birth to the height of its popularity.

Welcome to His ‘Nightmare’: How Freddy Krueger Became a Pop Icon. Rolling Stone examines how Freddy went from child murderer to teen sensation.

Slash of the Titans: The Road to Freddy vs Jason. Dustin McNeill’s exhaustive look at the production history and scripts that led to Freddy vs Jason.

Hockey Masks, Machetes and Razor Fingers: The Writers Behind ‘Freddy Vs. Jason’ Tell All! Trace Thurman’s interview with Freddy vs Jason screenwriters Mark Swift and Damian Shannon.

Bloody Disgusting. Larry Zerner explains the messy Friday the 13th lawsuit.

MTV’s Freddy Krueger Hour clips. All the MTV segments featuring Freddy Krueger promoting NoES 4.

Metacinema: A Modern Necessity. A guide and explanation of “metacinema” from its beginnings.

The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Lyotard’s critique of cultural metanarratives.

The Bogeyman of Your Nightmares: Freddy Krueger’s Folkloric Roots. A cultural history of figures like Freddy, and how the original and remake compare.

LISTEN

Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tagged , , , , ,
← Older posts