Ghosts Were People Too

Is this a dagger, an inanimate ghost, or something more Freudian? In this, the first of a two-part episode, Annabelle and Quest venture onto the blasted heath to explore the apparitions and queer hauntings of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth . We talk about Quest’s work on a recent production of the play at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, and break down concepts regarding gender, kingship, violence,...

In this Halloween special, Quest and Annabelle talk about the poetics, play, and "dangers" of the Ouija board. Make contact: @ghostswerepeopletoo (tumblr/instagram) gwp2pod@gmail.com Bibliography: “‘The Medium is the Message in the Spacious Present’: Channeling, Television, and the New Age” by Hugh Urban, in Handbook of Spiritualism and Channeling, ed. Cathy Gutierrez “​​Parlor Games: Play...

In this, the first of our series on Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, Annabelle and Quest climb into the attic to uncover its ghostly brides, gothic backstory, and Disney’s spooky-funny balance. From the Beating Heart Bride to Constance Hatchaway, we ask what this haunted attic reveals about our fears, our histories, and our love of ghosts. Make contact: @ghostswerepeopletoo (tumblr/instagram) gwp...

Dreams, collective trauma, stranger danger, groomer panic, queer death drive/queer evil, and media horror - it's all lurking below the surface in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Make contact: @ghostswerepeopletoo (tumblr/instagram) gwp2pod@gmail.com Bibliography Edelman, Lee. No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive . Duke University Press, 2004. Kendrick, James. “Razors in the Dreamscape...

Part two of our Haunting of Hill House special! In this episode we discuss Hill House as a character, the origins of the Victorian haunted house trope, and how... every room becomes a mouth! Make contact: @ghostswerepeopletoo (tumblr/instagram) gwp2pod@gmail.com

For our very special 13th episode, we present part one of a two-part series on the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and its film adaptation The Haunting (1963). In part 1, we talk about the movie vs. the book, approaches to paranormal research, the Cult of True Womanhood, monstrous family systems, and Lesbians! Make contact: @ghostswerepeopletoo (tumblr/instagram) gwp2pod@gmail....

Ballads and broadsides, sailors and skeletons, sisters and sampling, and... have you seen the ghost of John? Join us to talk about ghosts in folk music. We touch on some common themes and formats as well as academic approaches to analyzing and archiving folk tunes/lyrics. Come for the intertextuality, sociofunctionalism, politics, and anthropology-- stay for the boos. Want to sing along? Make cont...

Baltimore-based artist Angela Deane paints sheet ghosts onto found photos. You might know Deane's work from the cover of Phoebe Bridgers' Stranger in the Alps (2017) or perhaps you've seen her ghosties elsewhere in the great digital regions beyond. This is part 2! Go check out part 1 (episode 10) We dare you. Here, we talk about nostalgia theory, leisure photography, and kitsch. Enjoy!...

Baltimore-based artist Angela Deane paints sheet ghosts onto found photos. You might know Deane's work from the cover of Phoebe Bridgers' Stranger in the Alps (2017) or perhaps you've seen her ghosties elsewhere in the great digital regions beyond. In this, part one of a two-part episode, we talk briefly about nostalgia (more on that in part 2), and then dig into Deane's artist sta...

Happy Halloween! It's Spooky (Mulder) Season, so we're talking about ghosts in the X-Files S4E22 "Elegy" . It's not the only X-Files episode with ghosts, but it's a particularly creepy one. We hope you enjoy our discussion of haunted bowling alleys, inconvenient nosebleeds, white woman Wednesday, and pills that make you a serial killer. What are ghosts? What are frogs? List...

Is Ghostbusters the most American movie ever made? Your Ghost Hosts answer this and other questions you never asked in Part II of II on Ghostbusters (1984). We discuss the iconic film through multiple critical lenses including immigration, invaders, Orientalism, Spiritualism, the Occult, and Ghosthunting Capitalism. Make contact: @ghostswerepeopletoo gwp2pod@gmail.com Bibliography “Opening Up” in...

Bustin' makes me feel... bad? What was meant to be an "easy, breezy, beautiful" 80s night became a two-part "cold hard research" episode. In part one, Quest and Annabelle give their first impressions of Ghostbusters (1984). They also unpack the "totemic nostalgia" of the original franchise and explore the film through the lens of the monstrous-feminine and possession. M...

What are the cultural and artistic origins of spooky floating sheets? It's a familiar kitschy image with shrouded beginnings. Let's talk about little tamale men, skeleton trios, Obi-Wan Kenobi, ghost impersonators, pantyhose, and more. Plus, enjoy some cringe-worthy red-carpet commentary on medieval and Elizabethan art. Make contact: @ghostswerepeopletoo ( Bonus: See images from this episo...

Luigi is no longer second banana in the GameCube cult classic Luigi's Mansion (2001). In this episode, we talk about doubling, haunted portraits, haunted houses, ludic space, and so much more. Will video games be the next frontier of storytelling and critical research? Is Luigi, a plumber from Brooklyn, a working class hero? Let's talk about it on Ghosts Were People Too. Make contact: @gho...

Cartoons and ghosts go way back, from spooky magic lantern shows to Disney's first spooky-scary Silly Symphony. In this episode, we talk about the relationship between scary and funny, as well as the roles ghosts play in contemporary cartoons, particularly select episodes of Spongebob Squarepants and Adventure Time. Episodes Discussed Spongebob Squarepants, “Scaredy Pants” (S1E13a) Spongebob S...

Tonight we lead by counter-example as we explore Noël Coward's 1941 play  Blithe Spirit  by way of its movie adaptations. They could have been better, and that's interesting! Hour 1: After discussing David Lean's challenges in making the 1945 film adaptation, including limitations of Hays code-era filmmaking, Annabelle gives a scathing review of the newly "liberated" 2020 Edwar...

In this episode, Annabelle talks about spirit photography and its connections to the history of photography as a technology and artistic medium. We also discuss the infamous Mumler trial and how it is a great example of 19th-century attitudes toward skepticism, faith, and death. Finally, we wrap up our discussion of Spiritualism (for now) with reflections on the scale of the Spiritualist movement...

In part one of this two-part series on Spiritualism, the medium is the message. We talk about the history of the 19th-century Spiritualist movement and its significance in American culture. Quest explains how seances were performed and tells us about big names in the business such as the Fox sisters, the Davenport Brothers, and D.D. Home. Tune in to part two for a continued discussion of Spiritual...

In this episode, Annabelle and Quest introduce themselves and explain the mission of this podcast. We ask the question "What is a ghost?" and discuss some foundational theories that will guide us in the ensuing episodes including a brief history of ghosts, types of ghosts, Monster Theory (by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen), gothic literature, and abjection.  Make contact: @ghostswerepeopletoo gwp2po...