Faculty of Horror

  Whether you call them Hagsploitation, Psycho-Biddy or just plain Elder Horror, growing old is a scary prospect and horror has mined those depths to great effect. Andrea and Alex dive into the murky waters of gender and aging, the burden of care and whether the cycle can be broken.   Become a Patron!   […]

  It’s that time of year where we look back at our horror and non-horror faves from the last year and have a bit of fun while we’re at it.   Become a Patron! EXTRA CREDIT Alex’s Best of Horror  Dexter: New Blood Titane  Censor Caveat  Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched Yellowjackets Midnight Mass Malignant  […]

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.   Class of 2021 Merch is here! Original art by Slutfocate   Become a Patron!   REQUIRED READING Scream. Dir. Wes Craven, 1996.   EXTRA CREDIT The 1990s Teen […]

Do you want listen to an episode about Torture Porn? Well, you’re in luck! Andrea and Alex dive into the 2000s to look at the phenomenon of Torture Porn; what preceded it, what it meant, and where we can potentially place it in our collective imagination.   Class of 2021 Merch is here! Original art […]

Live from Salem Horror Fest, our 100th episode on George A. Romero’s The Crazies sees us tackling small-town life, biology, the Vietnam War, health care and our own podcasting mortality. Plus, a very special Cameo!   Class of 2021 Merch is here! Original art by Slutfocate   Become a Patron!   REQUIRED READING The Crazies. […]

The table is set, the wine is poured and the time has come to take your seat at the table as we delve into Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation. From a history of dinner parties to the dynamics of grief, we’re serving up a once in a lifetime, four-course meal of analysis.   Class of 2021 Merch […]

Sweets for the sweet! We’re still on our annual August hiatus but we accidentally said “Candyman” five times and resurrected a commentary we recorded for our Patreon back in 2019. Whoops! Listen in to whet your appetite for Nia DaCosta’s reimagining this weekend! Become a Patron! Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target […]

Call your bank and pack the moving truck because we’re uprooting everything we think we know about home ownership. From the Lutz’ mortgage with Devil to the skeletons in the Freelings’ closet (and backyard), Andrea and Alex unearth what lies beyond and beneath the white picket fences of American suburbia.   Become a Patron!   […]

The fog of Victorian London settles on Alex and Andrea as they dive into “Ripperology”: the facts, fiction and shadow cast by Jack the Ripper over our culture. By examining how the figure is depicted in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger and The Hughes Brothers’ From Hell, we can begin to untangle the history of more […]

If you go down in the woods today You’re sure of a big surprise Andrea and Alex leave the comforts of modernity and go back to nature to discover what humanity has left behind through our obsessions with cryptids and conspiracy theories. From our fascination with humanity’s evolution to our need to colonize, we have […]

In this episode, we delve into the murky waters of intimate relationships, nuclear families, and revolutionary theatre practices with Andrej Zulawski’s Possession. From the film’s almost instant cult-status to its rocky release, we look at what has made Possession one of the great filmic break-ups and breakthroughs of the late 20th century.   Become a Patron!   REQUIRED READING [&#8230...

CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY! Andrea and Alex got unreasonably excited about the new Mortal Kombat movie, so we recorded our pre-and post-movie impressions in an all-new Fack Flash. The full episode is available to all tiers of our Patreon! Join now and gain access to the full episode, plus even more perks and extras. Become a […]

Get out the glitter and baseball bats because we’re diving into the complex world of Twilight. From fandom to first love to coming of age and problematic depictions, we’re going deep with this one. Hold on tight, spider monkey!   Become a Patron! REQUIRED READING Twilight. Dir. Catherine Hardwicke, 2008. EXTRA CREDIT How Twilight Changed Fan […]

From pop idols to cam girls, the line between reality and perception is dangerously blurred. In this episode, Andrea and Alex delve into the world of personas, obsession and perfection with two films, released decades apart, that grapple with modern anxieties.   Become a Patron! REQUIRED READING Perfect Blue. Dir. Satoshi Kon, 1997. Cam. Dir. […]

Roses are red, Violets are blue The best couples in horror! From us, to you <3 The full episode is available to all tiers of our Patreon! Join now and gain access to the full episode, plus even more perks and extras. Become a Patron! Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

A year in review of a year like no other. The world may have been disrupted in a myriad of ways but we still watched a lot of great content so enjoy our favourite films of last year, a Q&A with questions from you, a very special crossover with Gaylords of Darkness and bloopers. Always […]

In our final episode of 2020, Andrea and Alex venture back in time to Franco’s Spain to face down nightmares, bravery and politics – both real and imagined – as they break down Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth.   The Fack Dispatch – Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   Become a Patron! REQUIRED READING Pan’s Labyrinth. […]

In this episode, Alex and Andrea we venture into the knowns and many unknowns of Peter Weir’s seminal Australian film. From missing white women to colonialism and purity and propriety, we tackle the many mysteries of Hanging Rock.   Class of 2020 Merch is now available!   The Fack Dispatch – Subscribe to our monthly newsletter! […]

The much-anticipated (if less embraced) The Craft: Legacy is out and we had… feelings… accompanied by a strange and sudden desire for an adult beverage. Blessed be? The full episode is available to all tiers of our Patreon! Join now and gain access to the complete one-hour episode, plus even more perks and extras. Become […]

SURPRISE! We’re back with a bonus episode to help you get through Election Day and the ensuing aftermath by talking about David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone. In this episode, we delve into notions of fate, time travel paradoxes, cults of personality, the responsibility of the individual, and the importance of a good wool coat.   […]

We’re *virtually* live from Salem Horror Fest this year and we’re talking about sexy werewolves and not-so-sexy wellness with Joe Dante’s The Howling. From cultish retreats to women in media, Alex and Andrea go to the darkest reaches of the p0rn theatre…    Class of 2020 Merch is now available!    The Fack Dispatch – Subscribe […]

  CW: Suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones: 1-800-273-8255.    We’re kicking off a new semester by tackling two incredibly dark films that ask the question: have you checked on your mom lately? Alex and […]

The summer bonus trilogy concludes! Join Alex as she mines the occasional depths, miscalculations and style choices of Sylvain White’s I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, examining whether the 1990s Teen Horror Cycle can exist in a new millennium.   Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”    

  Our Summer of Plague wraps up with a look at potential cures and a post-human reality. Between Guillermo del Toro’s Frankensteinian bugs and a post-apocalyptic UK, the end of the world may be closer (and more necessary) than we think.   The Fack Dispatch – Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   Become a Patron! REQUIRED […]

Alex is back with Julie and Ray to continue their summer pastime of making terrible terrible decisions! This time with Brandy, Jack Black and some dubious geography trivia.   Get your rain slicker, your tanning bed and some popcorn and join the fun! Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”