Plug It Up: A Horror Movie Podcast

Charlie joins Caitlin to cover Bring Her Back, the heavy new A24 release from the Philippou brothers. We talk about death, grief, ritual, and the monstrous-motherhood aspect of the movie. It's a rough watch, but likely one of the bigger and better releases of the year. Tangents include: Midnight Sun, favorite coffee and tea blends, caffeine in general, 1 WYR, 2 FMKs, calendars, the heat, undergarm...

Hot Girl Mary joins Caitlin to cover a slew of 2025 horror movie trailers. We review the trailers for: I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Long Walk, Gator Creek, Him, Weapons, Together, M3GAN 2.0, and The Conjuring: Last Rites. Will you see these? In theaters? Tangents include: happy meals, squishmallows, pets, Eli, hot girl behavior, The Office, bread, moldy bread, shrimp, so-bad-they're-good m...

Nichole of the Light and Shadow Podcast joins Caitlin to cover 2020's Relic, an underseen gem that deserves attention. We talk about monstrous motherhood, fears of aging, decline, deterioration, and the trauma that we can all inherit. Find it on Shudder. Tangents include: tarot cards, FMK: coloring utensils, favorite forms of potato, M3GAN 2.0, 2025 horror, podcasting, feel-bad movies, and FMK: pe...

Randy from the Straight Chilling Podcast joins Caitlin to cover the newest installment in Netflix's Fear Street saga: Prom Queen! In many ways, Fear Street: Prom Queen is a very Plug It Up movie, as it features coming of age horror AND monstrous motherhood. We enjoyed being taken to a gory 80s prom - tropes and all. Tangents include: horror news, prom (of course), VH1's I Love the [Decade]s show,...

Mary joins Caitlin to cover 2025's Companion. It's a fun movie that raises questions about AI, ethics, toxic relationships, and identity. It's got a great cast, fun soundtrack, and culturally relevant story. Tangents include: pets, Diet Coke, Jurassic World, trailers, The Sand, edging, customizing our theoretical companion bots, Jack Quaid, Sophie Thatcher, a FMK, annoyances, theaters, and Happy M...

Rachel and Matilda from the Zombie Grrlz Podcast Network join Caitlin to cover The Ugly Stepsister, an outstanding 2025 horror release from Norway. We talk about beauty standards, dance, fairy tales, and how no one wins under patriarchy. It's a great movie and a great discussion. Tangents include: physical media, a WYR and some FMKs, first movies, VHS tapes, first books, Santa Claus, horror movies...

Zach and Brenton join Caitlin to cover the 2025 smash hit Sinners from director Ryan Coogler. We talk about themes of community and oppression, and we discuss the transcendant power of love and music. The movie lives up to the hype! Tangents include: vampires, Pokemon, homemade meals, FMKs, colonoscopies, wisdom teeth, pickles, and DoorDash.

Charlie joins Caitlin to cover 2018's Calibre - a movie without a monstrous feminine theme, but one worth talking about nonetheless. We talk about themes of friendship, guilt, paranoia, and justice, and we praise the movie for its cinematography and acting. Tangents include: iPhone face, accents, Scotland, colonoscopies, smoking, firearms, hunting, movies that make us cry, themes that make us cry,...

Maddie and Colleen join Caitlin to cover 2018's Lizzie. We talk about the Lizzie Borden case, including the sexism, classism, and racism that played into the trial and its suspects, and we discuss the merits of the movie itself. We also talk about what does and doesn't make a good lesbian period piece (i.e. buttoning up a dress, longing glances, etc). Tangents include: roller derby, magma, A24, ho...

Charlie joins Caitlin to discuss the trailers for Final Destination: Bloodlines, 28 Years Later, Bring Her Back, The Ugly Stepsister, and Sinners. For skippers, the trailer review starts around minute 28:00. Tangents include: the DMV, tattoos and piercings, gardening, The Office, late night cravings, favorite vacations, hair, Mister Rogers, nostalgia, Richmond, a FMK for vampires, aligning with vi...

Maddie joins Caitlin to cover Red Rooms, a 2023 movie that is part horror thriller, part courtroom drama. It's one that really stuck with us, both for its masterful direction and its shocking acts of "nonphysical violence." Highly recommend. Tangents include: the Lady of Shallot, astrology (duh), Canada, eyesight, FMKs for meats and Real Housewives, cryptids in the wild, what scared us as kids, Os...

Victor joins Caitlin to cover Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin, a 2013 movie about a monstrous femme alien figure. We discuss the movie's gender dynamics, sound design, use of nudity, and overall messaging, landing in a place of "discovering humanity." Tangents include: Galaxy Con, Author Con, D&D, pet peeves, alien space vampires, SPF, FMKs for gym equipment and new releases, and childhood career...

Zach and Charlie join Caitlin to cover 2015's Green Room. We talk about the horror elements, excellent performances, and skillful filmmaking that go into this early A24 favorite. Tangents include: farts, Hocus, The Thermals, FMK TV show edition, favorite Plug It Up episodes, Charlie's virginity, Giada deLaurentis, ending horror franchises, desert island bands, punk music, and Lil Wayne.

Soju from the Straight Chilling podcast joins Caitlin to cover 1999's The Ninth Gate. We talk about esoteric occult knowledge, sexy satanism, and the high stakes, dangerous world of rare book dealing. Tangents include: collections, smoking, acknowledgements, book clubs, ice cream, ouija boards, and Disney. 

Charlie joins Caitlin to cover 2017's Revenge, by director Coralie Fargeat, who gave us The Substance in 2024. We talk about Fargeat's unique style, which combines realism with hyper-stylized elements, her body horror trends, and her feminist themes. We also talk about the controversy around rape revenge as a narrative structure. It's a movie we both really enjoy. Tangents include: animal vomit (a...

Keith of the Horror Convos Podcast joins Caitlin to cover 1995's Species, a movie that is both campy and complex. We talk about the movie's themes and production, and we cover many horror tropes: the succubus, Frankenstein monsters, monstrous menstruation, monstrous motherhood, and science gone awry. Tangents include: fighting sharks vs fighting gators, believing in aliens and/or ghosts, tarot rea...

Maddie and Colleen are back to talk horror astrology with Caitlin. On this episode, we give charts for Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, Darcy from Oddity, Chucky from Child's Play, Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs, Count Orlok and Ellen from Nosferatu, Billy and Stu from Scream, Lou and Jackie from Love Lies Bleeding, Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks, and the main cast of Bodies Bod...

Charlie joins Caitlin to cover Strange Darling, a recent erotic thriller from JT Mollner. We talk about the production (specifically that it was beautifully shot on 35mm), the editing, the acting, and the score. We both really loved the movie, and we enjoyed taking a closer look at the gender themes throughout. Tangents include: Top Chef (skippers, jump to minute 11 to get to the movie review), fa...

Zach, Maddie, Colleen, and Mary join Caitlin to recap 2024 in horror. We each give our top five horror movies of the year, including some honorable mentions, and we dunk on the ones that disappointed us. We also talk about trends in horror as well as what we're looking forward to in 2025. Tangents include: donkeys and being "donkey drained" (TM Colleen), The Matrix, dangeous animal companions, thi...

Zach and Charlie join Caitlin to cover It's What's Inside, a new horror-adjacent comedy currently streaming on Netflix. We talk about the body swap trope, the movie's fantastic acting and editing, and what our tells would be if we found ourselves in other bodies. Tangents include: the gender divide on "big lights," Charlie's wedding, photos, horror authors, captions, The Office, brand loyalty, Chr...

Victor joins Caitlin to run through a list of Christmas horror movies. We look at some favorites, like Krampus, P2, and Black Christmas, and we have just as much fun exploring Christrmas horror flops. We also give superlatives for best killer Santa, most overrated Christmas horror movie, most underrated Christmas horror movie, best Christmas kill, punniest title, and best Christmas one-liner. Hope...

Mathula joins Caitlin to cover Psycho 2, a sequel that came out 23 years after its predecessor. We look at monstrous motherhood, revenge, friendship, and deception as we discuss this underrated gem. Tangents include: Blockbuster, swear word rankings, preferred alcoholic spirits, favorite ice, stylish villains, brand loyalty, Christmas lists, Christmas lights, and an unhinged question from Mary. Be...

Adam joins Caitlin to cover 2022's Soft and Quiet. Inspired by the events of the 2020 birdwatching incident, Beth de Araujo wrote Soft and Quiet as a critique of the racism and white nationalism that originate specifically in white women. We talk about those themes, as well as feigned white victimhood, patriarchy, and the rise of fascism. Tangents are happier and include: pies, candles, and strang...

Fellow Richmond podcaster Josh of Super Scary Podcast joins Caitlin to discuss the most iconic masks in horror. From Jason to Michael to Leatherface and beyond, we cover all our favorite horror movie masks and what makes them so effective. Tangents include: the Richmond podcast scene, Nightmare Weekend, vacuuming vs dusting, bar vs liquid soap, movie theater seating, Thanksgiving food, and soup. B...

Christian, Mil, and Nick join Caitlin to discuss 2024's Smile 2, a box office smash with fun viral marketing. We talk about our theater experiences and discuss themes of loneliness, fame, addiction, and mother/daughter relationships. Tangents include: maps, Sex and the City, horror subgenres, sequels, smiles, FMK criteria, and our Octobers (happier times).