Fear of the Dark

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...

On this episode, Matthew and Stacey discuss Jane Schoenbrun's psychological horror film, I Saw the TV Glow (2024). It stars Justice Smith and Jack Haven as Owen and Maddy, two teenage friends who first bond over their love of a show called "The Pink Opaque," which may turn out to be more than just fiction -- and possibly more "real" than Owen's and Maddy's realities. Join us as we talk about where...

On this special episode, Stacey and Matthew are joined by our UC Davis colleague, Elisha Hamlin, to talk about the 2021 Saw spin-off, Spiral, starring Chris Rock as Zeke, a jaded detective working in the shadow of his father and the former police chief, Marcus (played by Samuel L. Jackson). Zeke and his new rookie partner, William (played by Max Minghella), investigate a series of killings which s...

On this episode, Matthew and Stacey are joined by historian Dr. Quinn Javers to discuss Christopher Nolan's 2008 superhero film, The Dark Knight. Join us as we are enlightened by our special guest's contemplations about the place of China and Hong Kong in the world geopolitical arena. We also discuss how we might watch The Dark Knight through the lens of today's US surveillance state, and addition...

On this episode, Stacey and Matthew talk Francis Lawrence's 2007 action horror film, I Am Legend. The film stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, the last human in New York City who has managed to survive a deadly virus that was originally engineered to cure cancer. We sit down to discuss the film's place in post-9/11 movie-making, the interracial dynamic of the film's surrogate family unit, and the...

On this mini episode, Matthew and Stacey sit down to talk the Golden Globes and the upcoming Oscars amidst many excellent horror film "snubs" this year. Does critical recognition even matter anymore in the age of Letterbox'd and Twitter reviews? Join us for this quick conversation and let us know what you think of awards season. Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Bar...

On this episode, Stacey and Matthew talk about Leigh Whannell's sci-fi horror film, The Invisible Man (2020). It stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia, a young woman who believes she is being stalked by her ex-partner but finds it nearly impossible to prove it -- largely because she believes he has the power to become invisible. Join us as we discuss the metaphors and symbolism of abuse, racial differen...

In our final episode of the horror/comedy mini season, Matthew and Stacey sit down to talk about Zach Cregger's 2022 horror film, Barbarian, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long. The film follows Tess (Campbell), a young woman who arrives at an Airbnb in Brightmoor, Detroit only to find out that someone else (Skarsgård) is already staying there. The two ultimately decide to...

Happy New Year! As we welcome in 2026, Matthew and Stacey reflect on 2025: What were our favorite podcast episodes to record? What horror movies did we love from the last year? And what are our hopes and dreams for the next one to come? Join us for this quick EOY wrap-up conversation. Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written...