Fear of the Dark

Did Matthew and Stacey take a wrong turn at Albuquerque? Join us on this episode as we discuss the 2025 road thriller "It Ends," which traps its group of recent college grads on a seemingly endless journey down a straight road. Matthew and Stacey chat about the banal terror of driving, existentialism and Gen Z anxieties about "real life," and what younger filmmakers are trying to tell scary storie...

It's the second part of our double-feature with Dr. Quinn Javers this month! Join Matthew, Stacey, and Quinn on this episode to talk about the 2024 South Korean horror film, "Exhuma." The film follows a shaman (Kim Go-eun) and her team, who are tasked with excavating a family grave and unearth much more than expected. Film: "Exhuma" (2024) Theme Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by...

Something's in the water on this episode: Matthew and Stacey are joined by Dr. Quinn Javers to talk about the original 1954 "Godzilla"! Join us for this fun conversation where we get continually enlightened by Quinn's insight, as we chat about the environmental threat that is Godzilla, the geography of Japan onscreen, and the aesthetics of modernity. Film: "Godzilla" (1954) Intro Music: “The Army...

What's that? In the sky? Quick, put on your aluminum foil headgear and hazmat suits! Join Matthew and Stacey on this episode as they discuss "Signs" and "10 Cloverfield Lane," two sci-fi flicks that are (kind-of, sort-of) about alien invasions. We chat about belief and skepticism, broadcasting, and what other kinds of threats are portended by extraterrestrial invasion... Films: "Signs" (2002) and...

What does Evil Dead look like in the 21st century? Join Stacey and Matthew for this episode on the 2026 "Evil Dead Burn," following "Evil Dead Rise" (2023) and "Evil Dead" (2013). We chat about audience reactions in the theater, the spectacle of violence in the franchise, and Sam Raimi's legacy--and path forward--in modern horror today. Film: "Evil Dead Burn" (2026) Intro Music: “The Army of You”...

Have we clipped through reality on this one? Join Matthew and Stacey for this episode on Kane Parsons' feature film debut, "Backrooms" (2026), starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, a used furniture store owner who discovers a hidden liminal labyrinth in its basement. We chat about creepypastas, architecture, young directors in the industry, and where Ejiofor's casting fits into today's generational...

On this episode, Matthew and Stacey get ready for their one-room, two-person performance - or wait, was that this film? Today we're talking about Nadia Latif's 2025 horror film, The Man in My Basement, which stars Corey Hawkins as Charles, a financially struggling Black man whose debt problems are seemingly solved by an older white man (Willem Dafoe), who offers to rent out Charles' basement for a...

On the final episode of our Magical Minority mini season, Stacey and Matthew sit down to discuss the new 2026 film, "Mortal Kombat II." GET OVER HERE and join us as we chat about the silver screen evolution of Raiden's character (which Matthew is much more knowledgeable about) and whether or not he has "transcended" his own magical minority trope. Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congres...

On the second episode of our Magical Minority mini season, Matthew and Stacey sit down to talk about "Gremlins," the 1984 Christmas comedy horror film with the iconically mysterious and seemingly adorable mogwai... Join us as we chat about the character of Mr. Wing (Keye Luke), the wise Asian elder trope, and the notion of premodern, "ancient" knowledge framed against new (and decidedly American)...

On the first episode of our Magical Minority mini season, we kick things off with Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (1980) and the belovedly iconic Dick Hallorann (played by Scatman Crothers). Join us as we talk about the function of the Black magical minority in the "white world" of the Overlook (and, in turn, of Jack's psyche)... Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archi...

Our fourth mini season on the Magical Minority is here! Join us as we introduce the films we'll be discussing in this short season, from "The Shining" (1980) to "Gremlins" (1984) to the recent release of "Mortal Kombat II" (2026). Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran) "Fear of the Dark" is a...

On this episode, Stacey and Matthew chat about Curry Barker's new horror film, Obsession (2026). Join us as we talk Gen Z horror (and comedy) and what this film tells us about the fears of human connection.   Film: Obsession (Curry Barker, 2026) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran) Fear of t...

On the final episode of our Nazi Zombie mini season, Stacey and Matthew chat about the alternate history action-horror film, Overlord, which follows an integrated band of American soldiers who arrive on D-Day in France, only to discover the Nazis' horrific medical experimentation in an effort to create "super-human" zombies. Join us as we wrap up our mini season and discuss what the Nazi zombie ha...

On our third episode of the Nazi Zombie mini season, Matthew and Stacey talk about Dead Snow (2009), a Norwegian film about a group of young medical students on a skiing trip. Their vacation quickly turns to a splatterfest as they discover the long-dead Nazi soldiers who once occupied the local area aren't so dead after all. Film: Dead Snow (2009) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congres...

On the second episode of our Nazi Zombie mini season, we chat about the very weird and fascinating 1966 film, The Frozen Dead! The film is set two decades after the end of World War II and follows the villainous Nazi scientist Dr. Norberg attempts to reanimate frozen Nazi soldiers. Join us as we chat about disembodiment, authority, and how this film thinks through the pivotal transformations of th...

We kick off our first episode of the Nazi Zombie mini season with King of the Zombies (1941)! Join us in our conversation about this comical B film, which follows an American pilot (and company) who crash-land on an island in the Caribbean. There they discover a Gothic-like mansion owned by a Dr. Miklos Sangre, who is attempting to create and control zombies through voodoo. Film: King of the Zombi...

Welcome to Fear of the Dark's third mini season on: the NAZI ZOMBIE. Stacey and Matthew sit down to introduce the season and chat about this intriguing and ever-prevalent trope in movies, TV, and video games! When and how did zombies and Nazis come to first intersect in the cultural imagination? On the front lines, are fast or slow zombies easier to deal with? And with what degree of seriousness (...

We're back! Matthew and Stacey return from their spring break to talk about what we've seen (and haven't seen) since the break. Join us for this quick catch-up as we chat about recent releases in horror and out: Project Hail Mary, Wuthering Heights, Faces of Death, Scream 7, and more. Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written...

On this special episode, Matthew and Stacey are joined by Bianca Hand, Assistant Professor of Classics at UC Davis. Bianca also has a particular taste for South and East Asian horror as well as found footage, which is why we've invited her on to talk about the chilling Taiwanese horror film, Incantation (2022)! Join us for a fun conversation about our fears of religious horror, the harmful discour...

Hello Fear of the Dark listeners! This is Stacey dropping in to let you all know that Matthew and I are taking a little spring break from the podcast. In the meantime, we’ll still be watching lots of horror (the good and the bad), brainstorming new ideas and films to critique and discuss, and especially thinking about Michael B. Jordan’s and Amy Madigan’s well-deserved Oscar wins. If there’s anyth...

Stacey and Matthew continue with Part 2 of the combined episodes on Invasion of the Body Snatchers: today, we talk about the 1978 film starring Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Driscoll, Jeff Goldblum, and Veronica Cartwright. Join us for the rest of our Invasion conversation as we discuss the political parallels across both films, the intersecting crises of climate change and the industrial food syst...

Today we air an episode recorded back in April 2025: Part 1 of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, where we discuss the 1956 film directed by Don Siegel. Go back in time with Matthew and Stacey as they talk about the first cinematic appearances of the pod people! Film: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music:...

On this mini episode, Stacey and Matthew talk white innocence and Sam Raimi today with his new horror comedy film, Send Help (2026), starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien. Groovy! Film: Send Help (Sam Raimi, 2026) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran) Fear of the Dark is a film podcast ab...

On this episode, Stacey and Matthew reflect on their undergraduate days with Mariama Diallo's 2022 horror film, Master. The film circulates around the stories of three Black women navigating the politics and social structures of higher education: Gail (Regina Hall), the master of the prestigious New England school Ancaster; Jasmine (Zoe Renee), a first-year English major; and Liv (Amber Gray), an...