Deep Thoughts Shallow Plots

It's time for Hot Possession Summer, beginning with Freddy's Revenge! Katy and Erika dive deep into Tibetan though-forms, teen boy flirting, and possibly possessed parakeets.

FrankenSpring continues with "Bride of Frankenstein." Katy and Erika dive deep into Depression era monsters, sissification, and Goth Queen Mary Shelley. "Female Gothic: The Monster's Mother," Ellen Moers: https://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/moers.html "Frankenfeminisms 6: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), or Bitches Get Stitches," Eleanor Johnson: https://eleanorshorrors.substack.com/p/franke...

Creature Double Feature alert! Katy and Erika are watching "Frankenstein," followed by "Bride of Frankenstein" next month. For this episode, they dive deep into mad scientists, golems, and also phrenology again unfortunately. “How the Term 'Mad Scientist' Began and How It Shapes Our World,” Kate Golembiewski: https://www.discovermagazine.com/how-the-term-mad-scientist-began-and-how-it-shapes-our-w...

PURGE LAW! Katy and Erika return to their favorite(?) series with "Purge: Anarchy." They dive deep into macroeconomics, the hallmarks of the Sad Dad, and if weekend Purge goes harder than weekday Purge (note: this movie takes place on a Tuesday). “Dracula Untold, Told: The Saddest Dad in the World,” Daniel Lavery, née Ortberg: https://the-toast.archive.town/2014/10/14/dracula-untold-told/

It's back to Vamps, as Erika and Katy discuss "Let the Right One In." They dive deep into dark romantasy, cold-weather wear, and just why the hell those wonky little cats were even included in this otherwise emaculate film. "Horror and Romance in Films: The Perfect Marriage," Emma Cole: https://www.houseofgamut.com/magazine/horror-and-romance-in-films-the-perfect-marriage/

Erika and Katy are coming to town--to discuss "Violent Night." They dive deep into the Grinch vs. Scrooge, Anglo-Saxons vs. Vikings, and the Epiphany Witch vs. Daddy Christmas. “The German Santa Claus – Weihnachtsmann,” German Culture: https://germanculture.com.ua/christmas-recipes/the-german-santa-claus-weihnachtsmann/ “Babbo Natale—All About Italy’s Santa Claus,” Candace Criscione: https://momin...

Erika and Katy continue their locked room mystery with "Escape Room." They dive deep into cuboid conjectures, jerks of greek mythology, and the guy on everyone's mind: Karl Marx. "Cheating at the [Death] Game," Laurie O'Connel: https://medium.com/@lawrenceoconnel/cheating-at-the-death-game-b42a3b5a31ab

This spooky season, Erika and Katy are getting tortured by "Saw." They dive deep into the War on Terror, the River Styx, and why Jigsaw is capital L capital T Like This. “Devil’s Advocate: Saw,” Benjamin Poole: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13040042-saw “The Problem of Saw : ‘Torture Porn’ and the Conservatism of Contemporary Horror Films,” Christopher Sharrett: https://www.jstor.org/stable/...

Erika and Katy finally discuss Stephen King, starting with "Carrie" (1976). They dive deep into mensturation, St. Sebastian, and a bad dream that's basically also a wedding. “Gender, sexuality and representation throughout each Carrie adaptation,” Screen Queens: https://screenqueens.wordpress.com/2018/10/30/gender-sexuality-carrie/comment-page-1/ "The Unforgivable Crime of Deviating: Carrie (1976)...

Katy and Erika conclude Hot Alien Summer with "Killer Klowns from Outer Space." They dive deep into Venn diagrams, sacred buffoons, and asexual popcorn-based reproduction. “Carnivalesque in Literature and Literary Theory”: https://english-studies.net/carnivalesque-in-literature-and-literary-theory/ “Coulrophobia and the Trickster,” Joseph Durwin: https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/cgi/viewcontent....

Erika and Katy return to their discussion of "Nope." They dive deep into ambiguous sounds, the importance of legacy, and the freak behavior of Eadweard Muybridge. "How Nope Tricks Your Ears," Thomas Flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWPFMmuagQ4&t=722s Michael Abels and His Spectacular Score for 'Nope,'" Rachel Reeves: https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/456410/michael-abels-and-his-s...

Erika and Katy begin a lengthy discussion of Jordan Peele's "NOPE." In this first of two parts, they dive deep into the Hebrew scriptures, poorly suppressed trauma, and how OJ's autism is basically his super power. "The Best Shots of 2022," Adam Nayman: https://www.theringer.com/2022/12/19/movies/best-shots-in-movies-2022-nope-fabelmans-tar "If the UFO in Nope a Biblically Accurate Angel?" Jason F...

Katy and Erika kick off Hot Alien Summer with--what else?--Ridley Scott's Alien. They dive deep into Joseph Conrad's Nostromo , technology as Mother, and why this is actually a pride episode. "A Curious Case of Influence: Nostromo and Alien(s)," Ted Billy: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24634674?seq=1 "How 'Alien' (1979) Queered the Binaries of Traditional Gender," Michaela Barton: https://flipscree...

Erika and Katy are taking you to the movies to see the B-Horror classic: Camp Bloobath--I mean, The Final Girls. They dive deep into the hero's journey, the hallmarks of a final girl, and how it's kind of a weird choice to do a strip tease for your daughter. Happy (belated) mother's day! "Her body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film," Carol J. Clover: https://www.jstor.org/stable/i347286 “The (Ex...

Erika and Katy return to Wes Craven's world for "A Nightmare on Elm Street." They dive deep into the Satanic Panic, troubled sleep in Shakespeare plays, and Erika's big theory that motherhood is all a scam. "American Monsters: Tabloid Media and the Satanic Panic, 1970-2000," Sarah Hughes: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26803447 "Cultural Human Sacrifice in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street Film...

Erika and Katy are celebrating their two year anniversary by discussing their first sequel, Scream 2. They dive deep into the rules of sequels, the fate of Cassandra, and everbody's homorepressed mommy issues. "'Scream 2': College is a Horror Sequel," Eric Han. https://cornellsun.com/2023/02/09/scream-2-college-is-a-horror-sequel/

Erika and Katy return to the Carpenter Cinematic Universe with 1988's "They Live." They (meaning Erika and Katy, not the titular aliens) dive deep into subliminal messaging, women's anatomy in comic books, and how Minnesota always holds it down. "John Carpenter Is Fighting With Internet Nazis Over His Cult Classic They Live," Sydney Fussell: https://gizmodo.com/john-carpenter-is-fighting-with-inte...

Gruß vom Erika und Katy! This krampus nacht, the girlies dive deep into Krampus origin stories, the emotional release of horror/comedy, and St. Nick's cadre of bad boys. Note: We will be taking January off. See you in February! "How Does Horror Comedy Work?" V Renée: https://nofilmschool.com/2017/07/how-does-horror-comedy-work “Is Krampus Really Pagan?” Spencer McDaniel: https://talesoftimesforgot...

Sweet birthday babies, Erika and Katy, are giving you the gift of "Happy Death Day." They dive deep into overhanded metaphors for grief, a timeline of timeloops, and Katy's one-sided war with The Lumineers.

Katy and Erika are celebrating spooky season with Night of the Living Dead. They dive deep into the late 1960s, ghouls vs. zombies, and what it's like when one kid is carrying the entire group project. “Night of the Living Dead: Mere Anarchy Is Loosed,” Stuart Klawans. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/5390-night-of-the-living-dead-mere-anarchy-is-loosed “The Arabic Ghoul and its Western Tra...

Katy and Erika close out creature feature summer with Cloverfeild. They dive deep into non-linear storytelling, the perks of found footage, and the roughly 48,000 questions they have about the monster.

Can't have a Hot Creature Summer without Doug Jones, so this month Katy and Erika turn their attention to Guillermo del Toro's El Laberinto del Fauno. They dive deep into daddy issues, Falangism, and why it's never a bad idea to be wary of fauns.

Join Katy and Erika in celebrating July with the original summer blockbuster: Jaws! They dive deep into the minor 2nd interval, sacrifices made at the altar of capitalism, and the no-homo way to share about your trauma. "The Shark in Jaws Did Nothing Wrong--An Ecological Video Essay," TREY the Explainer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqykkfT8NlM "Jaws, Beneath the Teeth," Peter Biskind: https://...

Erika and Katy kick off summer with a discussion of Bodies Bodies Bodies. They dive deep into tragic flaws, kidz these days, and just what exactly a libra moon says about you (spoilers: a lot!).

This month, join Katy and Erika as they delve into The Descent. They dive deep into unreality, literary foils, and whether or not women like beer.