Not Scared: A Horror Movie Podcast

Writer and critic Rachel Bellwoar joins me on the podcast to discuss the glam-rock campy classic of our dreams, Brian De Palma’s The Phantom of the Paradise (1974). I’m so excited to talk about our first horror musical on this pod, so Rachel and I fully take advantage of our mutual love of musicals to go kinda long about our favorites (13:00-18:00). But mostly we chat about Phantom , specifically...

The Meg Loves Movies x Chloe’s Not Scared crossover that you’ve all been waiting for! Playwright, theater educator and dramaturg Meg Mechelke joins me on the pod to discuss the Y2K cult classic Ginger Snaps (2000). We howl about the sadness of werewolves, the cynical women canon, our upbringing in a cold almost-Canadian climate, funny yet competent moms, and taking angst seriously. If you’re not f...

Returning guest and prolific author TT Madden comes back to the pod to discuss a fun classic Bride of Frankenstein (1935), our oldest movie to date and our first sequel (possibly the first horror sequel)! We discuss how new horror reflects the moment, the Hays code, Pretorius’ crypt picnic, how this holds up as a sequel and a queer film to modern audiences, swans, and of course The Monsters Mate…?...

Another returning guest Bree Tighe joins me to discuss her favorite horror movie and a movie she showed me a decade ago, The Descent (2005). We discuss going spelunking while hungover and jetlagged (couldn’t be us), our experience with caves (very little), if we like Juno (yeah, we do) and the UK ending (aka the only ending worth watching). Plus some tangents about behind the scenes, watching libr...

Good evening. I have a returning guest here, my friend and fellow film enthusiast Matt Epp, to talk about the iconic Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds (1963). We discuss our favorite Hitch films, the ahead-of-its-time special effects, how Tippi is a legend and deserved better, the virality of Risselty Rosselty, the uselessness of Mitch, and a Bodega Bay birthday trip. Plus, a discussion of new movi...

This episode is for the bookstagrammers! We have a booksta legend here today: Jade aka Bookish Millennial , co-creator of The Diverse Baseline challenge. On the podcast, Jade and I discuss the excellent movie that traumatized us as teens back in 2007, J.A. Bayona’s El Orfanato or The Orphanage . We discuss how we both were duped by marketing for this film, how you should trust your wives and child...

No guest this week because I’m on spring break! So let’s watch some horror movie trailers! In this episode, I watch 2026 horror movie trailers and comment on them, so you can queue up and watch along with me (I also describe them so you can also just listen, if you prefer). Lee Cronin’s The Mummy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ0uv-phsDk Hokum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAmcbX_B6kU Scary...

We have another horror author on the pod today! Please welcome Kathleen Palm, author of The Nowhere Series (amongst other short stories and fiction), as we chat about an essential gateway horror for us both, Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist (1982). Kathy takes us on a journey to the drive-in and we discuss all things ghost hunting, clowns, trees, screaming skulls and special effects. But at the center of...

Today I welcome freelance journalist, coworker, friend, and fellow librarian, Anna, to talk about their favorite horror movie from growing up, An American Werewolf in London (1981). In discussing this werewolf/zombie/ghost sad horror romantic comedy, Anna & I discuss the infamous dream sequences, our love of practical effects, the “rules” of being a werewolf, 70s fashion, and having empathy for th...

Today I welcome Tom Brown– librarian, cinephile, photographer, and friend– to talk about his favorite and a new favorite of mine, Pulse or Kairo (2001) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Tom and I talk about Pulse chronologically scene-by-scene in this episode, probably because almost every shot is gorgeous and “unheimlich.” We also discuss our experience with J-horror, why ghosts are scary (and why Kurosawa th...

I am starstruck because today I welcome Ashley Casseday ( The Losers Club : A Stephen King Podcast, Keep It Weird podcast) to talk about the classic film The Shining (1980). From her work on Loser’s Club, Ashley is (in my opinion) a Stephen King scholar and we reference his other work as much as we talk about the film, so tune in if you love the King of Horror! We also discuss how The Shining is a...

My guest, Patrick Ripoll, hosts several podcasts on the Now Playing Network ( 96 Greers , Tracks of the Damned , Wizard Jail ) talks to me about his favorite horror movie and a movie dear to my heart: Carnival of Souls (1962). Patrick knows SO much about film history, especially about this film, so this episode is great for behind-the-scenes talk. We also chat about MST3K, not being allowed to see...

Happy New Year! I asked my previous podcast guests from episodes released this year to talk about their favorite horror movies– either new or new to them– of 2025. So much love for Sinners and Weapons ! Thank you for listening, rating and for supporting this podcast. I hope you enjoy this episode and I hope you all have a safe and happy 2026. Stick around ‘til the end to hear our new theme! In thi...

Baby’s first anime (on the podcast, that is)! This time, I’m welcoming Julia Cristales— library coworker, friend, and fellow bookstagrammer ( Reading Rapscallion )— to talk about their favorite Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000). I’m so happy that Julia chose this movie because it truly is one of the most beautiful films that we’ve discussed on this podcast. If you haven’t seen it, check it out! W...

This is one of my favorite episodes because I get to talk to my cousin Isabel Waryan about a movie that we saw as kids that has now become a cozy horror cult classic in both of our households, The Watcher in the Woods (1980). With scare techniques also used in The Exorcist , The Shining and The Evil Dead , can you believe that this is a Disney movie? We express our appreciation for actually-scary...

Today I welcome sci-fi and horror author (and fellow librarian) TT Madden to discuss about one of their favorites, Rusty Cundieff’s classic anthology horror Tales from the Hood (1995). TT writes a lot of short stories, so we begin our discussion by talking about short narratives and anthology horror. Then we go chronologically (for once!) to discuss the 5 tales in order, including the mortuary wra...

My guest, Gabe Powers of Genre Grinder podcast (also on my new network, the Now Playing Network ) and I discuss the Italian classic Zombi 2 (1979), which goes by many names including Zombie and Zombie Flesh Eaters . As you’ll hear, Gabe’s specialty is Italian horror including directors Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento (as well as zombie classics), so we discuss a lot of the Italian horrors coming out...

Have you heard the good news? I’m on the Now Playing Network ! To celebrate, I’m hosting other podcasters on the network to come tell me about their favorite scary movies. And oh, how the tables have turned… usually I’m the guest on Jim Laczkowski’s podcast Director’s Club , but now he is my guest. Jim— a writer, film critic, musician, and librarian— joins me to talk about his favorite horror movi...

In this special bonus episode, I chat with hair stylist, energy worker and lifelong Halloween fan Chad Evans on the gateway horror movie of his youth and one of my favorites, Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982). We discuss this anti-capitalist cult classic as a place in the Halloween franchise, the spiritual Stonehenge elements, beauty in flawed characters, and how this movie will remain rel...

In this episode, Paige Sechrest (PhD) joins me to discuss the unsung hero of Jordan Peele’s filmography, Us (2019). We are pretty interested in talking about the intersection of race and class in Us , especially in relation to the phenomena of Get Out . But also, we share our favorite Twilight Zone episodes, the art of playing with audience expectations, and monstrosity in Black horror. Do we unde...

In this episode, I chat with podcaster and film festival programmer Sharon Gissy about one of our mutual faves Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) directed by John Hancock (no, not that John Hancock). Because both Sharon and I are interested in mental health, those themes are the majority of the conversation, but we also chat about the horror movies that they show in film school, grave rubbings, “...

Welcome to Not Scared: A Horror Movie Podcast, where I talk to people about their favorite horror movies and why they are so special. Today I talked with my outgoing new friend Betsy Tomszak, the bookstagrammer and podcaster behind Books with Betsy and curator of the Off Color Book Club , about an essential movie in her horror education, Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead (1981). We chat a lot about the cu...

Welcome to Not Scared: A Horror Movie Podcast, where I talk to people about their favorite horror movies and why they are so special. In this episode, I talk to my childhood best friend, the actor and writer Ben Tracy, about Wes Craven’s Red Eye (2005). The majority of our discussion is focused on how Red Eye is the best thriller about working in customer service, but we also discuss a lot of ~200...

Welcome to Not Scared: A Horror Movie Podcast , where I talk people about their favorite horror movies and why they are special. In this episode, I talk to two childhood besties, cinephiles Matt Epp and Jenni Schofield, at the same time, discussing our collectively-favorite director and his unique remake Suspiria (2018). Unfortunately we all forgot to get degrees in psychology and European history...

Welcome to Not Scared: A Horror Movie Podcast , where I talk people about their favorite horror movies and why they are special. This episode is near and dear to my heart because I get to talk to my very best friend about one of our formative childhood movies, the 2002 miniseries Rose Red . During my chat with Bree Tighe (no relation to Kevin), we cover how the movie was almost directed by Speilbe...