Pleasers & Punishers

Ho! Clear is here the trace of him we seek! Welcome to season two, fellow travelers! We’re kicking off our free-for-all month with one of Mae’s all-time favorites in Travis Stevens’ Greek Mythology-laden feminist masterpiece. We’re joined by Ari Drew on our first main feed video episode to talk men being punished, Athena being an anti-feminist, and why Josh Ruben should have hung dong for the seco...

Welcome to season 2, fellow travelers! If you've made it this far, you've surely enjoyed how ridiculous we get on our episodes, but you may not know that there's EVEN MORE STUFF that often doesn't make the cut. So here we proudly present 2 full hours of outtakes & bloopers, replete with copious amounts of giggling, culled from the entirety of our first season. Next week begins our foray into v...

It’s the final episode of our first season, so crack open your poetry collection, pick up your pills, and let’s head to Serbia—er, The Berkshires—for David Bruckner’s legacy sequel/requel(?) that inspired Mae’s most recent album ! Tomi Trembath joins us to talk about its updated mythology, subverting the “bury your gays” trope, and the glory of trans “pinhead”. Plus so, so many hilarious tangents...

Prep your Terminator skeleton, your terrible wigs, and your flesh magic toolbag, because we’re diving into the multi-generational entry in the Hellraiser franchise. We’re joined by Andrea Celeste to talk surprisingly progressive discussions about trans women, annoying kid characters, Adam Scott, and…fax machines? Tune in now…before oblivion comes. Find us online: https://www.instagram.com/pleasers...

It’s time to get back in the trenches for a WWI history lesson! Just kidding—we’re talking the goofiest of the theatrically released Hellraiser films, and we’re having a great time. Joining us is author, programmer, and pop culture critic Anthony Oliveira for another wide-ranging discussion. From missed sapphic opportunities to our personal theories on The Order Of The Gash, and more. Find us onli...

Get ready for The Titty Trinity as we’re joined by drag queen extraordinaire Peaches Christ to talk giant hell penises, implied sapphic connections, and the queen of all wicked stepmothers. Plus a wealth of trivia, diabolical tangents, advice for quality drag queen fake boobs, and more! So hold on to your skin-suit and open the box, because we’re going to hell! Find us online: https://www.instagra...

Strap on your GoPros and clench your hole(s), because we’re venturing into a nest of bad vibes for a great time. Joining us is Alison Riegel to discuss psychiatric facilities, ghost-summoning rituals, capitalism, and so, so much more. Content Warning for discussions of mental health, medication, patient abuse, and suicide. Find us online: https://www.instagram.com/pleasersandpunishers https://bsky...

Grab your dad’s bandana and your lucky shark’s tooth necklace because we’re packing up for a desert music video shoot gone awry in Robbie Banfitch’s feature debut. Joining us once again is Kayte Terry to talk fleshy snakes, severd cocks, and portals to hell. Plus, time loops, auto-tune, and a brief history of found footage films.   Find us online: https://www.instagram.com/pleasersandpunishers htt...

Can we see the manager? We’re the circle of Charons and we’re here about a computer issue, because we’re talking the non-supernatural screen life movie that scares the crap out of Mae but just makes Amanda & Caitlyn kind of angry. We’ll discuss cyber crime, conspiracies in film, whether snuff films are real or a myth, and the disgusting reality of child pornography that exists on the dark web....

We’re kicking off Multi-Media May with an early found footage mockumentary from France that still feels transgressive and shocking today, while also packing in a surprising amount of humor. We’ll talk media literacy, serial killers, religion, and more as we drink our “dead baby boy” cocktails and trash Ryan Murphy for his salacious true crime adaptations. CW for discussions of sexual assault   Fin...

And so we bring Animalistic April to a close with David Cronenberg’s breakout body horror hit, featuring some of the most incredible and disgusting practical effects ever put to film. Giggles abound, as always, but we also dive into serious topics such as the AIDS epidemic, abortion laws, and more. So grab your baboon and sear up that steak before your flesh starts to melt off! Oh, and Ronald Reag...

Our penultimate foray in Animalistic April brings us to Kevin Smith’s oddity of a picture, about which we had some strong and divisive feelings. From the absolute failure of Guy La Pointe to the film’s use of body horror, we cover a lot of ground. So hop in your rental car and watch out for walrus dongs as we journey up to Canada. Content Waring: Discussion of CSA (Child Sexual Abuse)   Find us on...

For week three of Animalistic April, we’re coming forward in time to talk about Tilman Singer’s sci-fi/folk-horror feature, and lauding it with praise with the help of special guest BJ Colangelo. We’ll complain about trailers that give away too much, get into the history of bird people, shower Dan Stevens with compliments, and Mae will cry about having mommy issues! Hashtag birdsarentreal Disclaim...

Grab your gasoline & scoop up that goop because we’re talking Paul Schrader’s unhinged remake of Cat People for our continued journey through Animalistic April. We’re joined by Harmony Colangelo for discussions of gender dynamics, incest, & queerness, plus tangents about Star Wars & Tremors, and so, so many laughs.   Find us online: https://www.instagram.com/pleasersandpunishers https:...

Grab your maggot snacks and put your hisiit in the fridge because we’re heading to Sweden for a really weird time! From its roots in folklore to its modern depictions of non-humans, trans representation, and the evils of humanity, we’re covering a lot of ground and making some animal friends along the way. CW: CSA (child sexual abuse) discussion   Find us online: https://www.instagram.com/pleasers...

Do you read Sutter Cane? Because we sure do! And we’ve brought along fellow expert Andy Iwancio to find our way to the ending while Amanda is exploring unspeakable horrors (in Florida). We’ll praise the incredible practical effects, make fun of people’s inconsistent accents, and discuss everybody’s problematic fave, HP Lovecraft. Did we ever tell you our favorite color is blue?   Find us online: h...

This week, we continue our journey through March Madness with Elizabeth Taylor and her incredible dress in this twisty, turny 70s masterpiece for the sad, weird girlies. We’ll talk macrobiotic diets, fashion, mannequins, and more, with plenty of tangents and laughs, but also an earnest discussion about this harrowing story.   CW for discussion of SI (suicidal ideation) & self-harm   Find us on...

It’s another week of March Madness, and another episode of unrepentant giggling, because we’re once again joined by friend of the pod Jamie Alvey for our first ever four-person discussion! This should really be called “chaotic bisexuality: the podcast” We’re lacing up our corsets and gassing up our clay harvesters to dig into Guillermo Del Toro’s oft-misunderstood and overlooked Gothic epic. From...

It’s time for March Madness! And what better way to start off than with our first official triple-host episode on George Cukor’s “don’t trust your husband” genre standard, featuring an Oscar-winning performance from Ingrid Bergman. We’ll thirst over Joseph Cotton, discuss the etymology and maleable nature of language, and decide which cinematic jerk deserves the biggest punch in the face. CW for d...

Stifle those sniffles and break out your red sharpies, because we’re delving into the indie darling that introduced kink to so many people, and solidified Maggie Gyllenhaal as one of us freaks Closing out Fetish February, we’re joined again by Kayte Terry to discuss our personal relationships with kink, the film’s heightened reality, and comparisons to 50 Shades Of Grey CW for discussions of abusi...

This week is our first foray into the very controversial world of nazisploitation with a very messed up love(?) story. Returning to parse this out is Amanda Jane Stern, who brings us some incredible historical insights as well as infectious and uncontrollable giggles…we had to get through it somehow, right? Also, big content warning for discussion of SA   Find Amanda online: Letterboxd - witchywan...

Get ready for erotic subjugation and sapphic exploration, because we’re lacing up for Park Chan-Wook’s sexy crime/revenge thriller. Joining us is author, programmer, video editor, and film critic Payton McCarty-Simas, who brings incredible insights into the discussion, as we go on tangents about No Other Choice and learn a lot about Korean history.   Find us online: https://www.instagram.com/pleas...

Stay well-hydrated and don’t you dare wear those comfy pajamas, because this week we’re talking Peter Strickland’s kinky, sapphic love-letter to Jess Franco. From queer history and kink dynamics to this mysterious world without men, special guest Chelasea Stardust joins us as we search every nook and cranny for a place to curl up and sleep, because we’ve been bad… Just kidding, we’re the best!   F...

Hang out by the highway and get ready to stop & bang, because we’re closing out Giallo January talking about Lucio Fulci’s rural horror masterpiece with special guest Michael Varrati. From Barbara Bouchet’s inadvisable flirtations to the concept of a “murder twink”, tangents about M. Night Shyamalan, and the role of religion in small towns, we went long on this one!   *A few spoilers for some...

Pack your one dress and clean out that meat locker, because we’re heading to an isolated island for an Agatha-Christie-like Giallo from maestro Mario Bava! Tangents & giggles abound as we discuss Italian-German co-productions, Bava’s production design & style, and of course, Edwige Fenech!   Find us online: https://www.instagram.com/pleasersandpunishers https://bsky.app/profile/pleaserspun...