Faculty of Horror

Andrea and Alex break down the foundational elements of Darren Aronofsky’s divisive mother! From authorship to ecofeminism to sink instillation, few stones are left unturned or unexamined. REQUIRED READING mother! Dir. Darren Aronofsky, 2017. EXTRA CREDIT What is Ecofeminism ? An overview of the term that rose to prominence in the 1970s.   The Death of the Author by Roland Barthes . Bar...

This month, Andrea and Alex tackle two films whose hearts lie in the darkest, most secret parts of suburban utopia. In Bryan Forbes’ The Stepford Wives and Jordan Peele’s Get Out, we follow protagonists who are socialized to make room for the privileged and examine what happens when they strike back. REQUIRED READING The Stepford Wives . Dir Bryan Forbes, 1975. Get Out . Dir Jordan Pee...

Join Andrea and Alex live at Salem Horror Fest! In this episode they tackle Ti West’s  The House of the Devil  and it’s reliance on the 1980s Satanic Panic movement. From modern technology to notions of the real and unreal, how much of the devil is in the details? REQUIRED READING The House of the Devil. Dir. Ti West, 2009. EXTRA CREDIT The history of Satanic Panic in the US — and why...

When it’s up to the misfits of Harrington High to stop the parasite-infected faculty from taking over the world, mayhem ensues. Alex and Andrea cut through the muck with a discussion on  The Faculty ‘s position   in the ’90s teen horror cycle, the sociology of high school, and what happens when marketing partnership go awry. REQUIRED READING The Faculty . Dir. Robert Rodriguez, 1...

Horror can be horrifying, but it can also be hilarious. Whether it’s mad science or vampires living together, the comedy in these films heightens the absurd as well as our notions of “typical” behavior. At its best, comedy and horror function as a subversion of our day to day lives and expectations enlightening us to the strange elements that we’ve accepted as “normal...

What constitutes a film? What constitutes a podcast episode description? Andrea and Alex ask these questions (okay, maybe not that last one) and more in this month’s episode. By plundering the depths of filmic conventions, audience expectations and interpersonal contracts, Michael Haneke’s Funny Games asks the hard questions for which there are many answers. REQUIRED READING Funny Game...

  In this episode, Alex and Andrea look through an illicit peephole into the world of the mad and macabre.  Both  Peeping Tom  and  Psycho  caused sensations when they were released in the same year, causing Western audiences to question the nature of evil, our proximity to one another and how many women we can watch die on screen. REQUIRED READING Peeping Tom . Dir. Michael Powell, 1960. Psycho ....

Andrea and Alex reach for the heavens and find the furthest reaches of hell with two films about space exploration and the darkness therein. Event Horizon and Sunshine explore the different reasons humankind would dare try to conquer space and the horrors that might await us there. REQUIRED READING Event Horizon . Dir Paul W.S. Anderson, 1997. Sunshine . Dir Danny Boyle, 2007. EXTRA CREDIT Class o...

The past few years have seen the figure of the witch become a cultural touchstone for progressives and conservatives alike. From the resurgence of astrology, tarot, and natural healing methods to feminist rallying cry, the witch has never been more inclusive or divisive. Through analysis of two recent films, Andrea and Alex examine the witch’s new meaning in contemporary Western society, and...

John Carpenter’s terrifying cult classic stands the test of time in many regards – from the practical effects, to the performances to the storytelling, there’s little about the film that doesn’t work. Andrea and Alex tackle the film and its stances on leadership, paranoia, the notion of discovery, and more over a bottle of Jim Beam. REQUIRED READING The Thing . Dir. John Ca...

Come for the bloopers, stay for our favourite films of 2017, the A’s to your burning Q’s and the friendship challenge rematch! EXTRA CREDIT Salem Horror Fest ! Thank you for having us!  NPR’s Code Switch – a great episode on Black identity in horror and in Jordan Peele’s Get Out . The Get Out Syllabus – From our friends at Graveyard Shift Sisters , all you could...

In our first-ever live episode recorded at Salem Horror Fest in Salem, Massachusetts, Andrea and Alex delve into the dark and depraved world of Patrick Bateman and Bret Easton Ellis to discover what is real and what can be bought with a platinum American Express credit card. From the rise of the yuppie to contemporary parallels, American Psycho is a gift that keeps on giving and never goes out of...

Winter is upon us again and what better way to embrace the cold than an exploration of Tomas Alfredson’s beloved contemporary genre classic, Let the Right One In ? Alex and Andrea discuss the ties that bind and why blood is thicker than knitwear. REQUIRED READING Let the Right One In . Dir. Tomas Alfredson, 2008. EXTRA CREDIT Let the Right One In – The AV Club’s exploration of th...

Ghosts, possession, autonomous sculptures and that’s just scratching the surface of Tim Burton’s genre-bending cult classic, Beetlejuice . In this episode, Andrea and Alex manage to avoid saying his name three times while diving into the aesthetics, capitalist virtues and bureaucracy of the afterlife that surrounds everyone’s favourite bio-exorcist. REQUIRED READING Beetlejuice ....

Alex and Andrea go back to the zombie’s origins with George A. Romero’s original Dead trilogy. From their social roots in Haiti to their ties to the New Hollywood movement, these films make delicious brain food. REQUIRED READING Night of the Living Dead . Dir. George A. Romero, 1968. Dawn of the Dead . Dir. George A. Romero, 1978. Day of the Dead . Dir. George A. Romero, 1985. EXTRA CR...

Andrea and Alex tackle the mysterious and ever changing narrative landscape of Vincenzo Natali’s Canadian cult film, Cube (1997). From workers rights to torture porn to prime numbers, they try to solve it all before they succumb to the film’s traps and trappings. Tickets for our first-ever live show in Salem, MA are available now: buy them here! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twi...

Andrea and Alex head to a land down under, exploring a landscape which seems familiar but can change drastically when you head down the wrong back country road. From familial ties to an unforgiving Outback, Australia can provide a terrifying backdrop for the darkest of human psyches. Tickets for our first-ever live show in Salem, MA are available now: buy them here! Be sure to follow us on Faceboo...

Andrea and Alex deep dive into humanity’s literal fear of wolves, metaphorical fear of the beast within and the differences between British and French werewolves. Hint: it’s not just the accent. Tickets for our first-ever live show in Salem, MA are available now: buy them here! Don’t forget to enter our contest to win an autographed copy of Rue Morgue Library’s Women With G...

Takashi Miike created one of the most infamous, beloved and decisive films when he made Audition : a story of people looking for love in all the wrong places that has influenced a generation of filmmakers and terrified audiences all over the world. Andrea and Alex take a deep dive into the international and seemingly universal fears of love, intimacy and what it means to be a “good girl.&#82...

Andrea and Alex combine their powers and enter all the cheat codes to analyze two of the most iconic survival horror games that were re-imagined as movies. With a look at how narratives transition across mediums and the rise in popularity of video game and nerd culture, their two-player co-op campaign attempts to unlock the mysteries of both films. REQUIRED READING Resident Evil . Dir. Paul W.S. A...

The discussion of rape and sexual violence has never been in our cultural conversation as much as it is now. In this episode, Andrea and Alex look at an exploitation classic and a contemporary award-winner to parse out how rape is depicted and how revenge is achieved, if at all. REQUIRED READING I Spit On Your Grave . Dir. Meir Zarchi, 1978. Elle . Dir. Paul Verhoeven, 2016. EXTRA CREDIT Support:...

Andrea and Alex take a deep dive into Neil Marshall’s 2005 contemporary horror classic, examining the intersections of intimacy, adventure, trust and truth. Who will survive, what will be left of them and which ending will they go with? REQUIRED READING The Descent . Dir. Neil Marshall, 2005. EXTRA CREDIT Cave Ecosystems: Bones and Baskets – A concise exploration of caves and humanitie...

What were our favourite movies of 2016? What are your FAQs? And most importantly – is Alex or Andrea the better friend?? EXTRA CREDIT In Praise of Paul Feig’s Beautiful Male Idiot – Sam Adams article on Paul Feig’s cinematic trope. Emily Shoichet, Tattoo Artist – Follow the amazing artist and friend of the Faculty through her social channels listed on her website. Mar...

‘Tis the season to be scary! Andrea and Alex unpack all the rules that come with Gizmo and the Mogwai and what they mean to small-town America at Christmastime. Don’t get your values wet or feed them after midnight! REQUIRED READING Gremlins . Dir. Joe Dante, 1984. Gremlins 2: The New Batch . Dir Joe Dante, 1990. EXTRA CREDIT Orientalism by Edward Said . A book that has only gotten mor...

Andrea and Alex examine two cult classic films which explore the notions of time, childhood and misplaced nostalgia. Both films explore history’s dark secrets and the frailty of humanity but do either of them offer a truly happy ending? REQUIRED READING The Night of the Hunter . Dir. Charles Laughton, 1955. The Innocents . Dir. Jack Clayton, 1961. EXTRA CREDIT The Great Depression  – a...