Plug It Up: A Horror Movie Podcast

Long time friend Dani joins Caitlin to cover 2014's A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. It's a feminist favorite, and it uses vampirism to explore addiction and subversion. It also has a killer soundtrack. Who wouldn't love a black-and-white movie about a chador-wearing, skateboarding vampire who stalks bad guys and plays good music? We also talk about what's going on Iran currently, and we have a l...

Back with another solo episode! On this one I go over some of my recent horror watches, including Bodies Bodies Bodies, My Best Friend's Exorcism, Halloween Ends, and American Horror Story: New York City. I also talk about which horror movies I still need to see to round out 2022, some of which look great, and some of which give me pause. I also talk at length about the Dahmer series on Netflix an...

Matt and Maddie join Caitlin to cover 2022's Piggy. Based on a short by the same name, Piggy tells the story of a brutally bullied girl faced with the decision of whether or not to save her tormenters. We look at themes of size, bullying, and compulsion, and we give our best Castilian pronunciations. THERDITA! Tangents include pork dishes, books, discount stores, and muppets. I'd also like to give...

Joe from Small Town Failing Podcast joins Caitlin to cover Hocus Pocus 2, a sequel that had a lot to live up to. We go over our favorite scenes and jokes, and we cherish the themes of friendship and sisterhood. Then we sauce it up with some FMKs and Satanic Panic 2.0 talk. We also share our go-to karaoke songs, and Joe takes a walk down memory lane reminiscing about Melanie Griffith's interactive...

Maddie joins Caitlin to cover Watcher, the newest release from director Chloe Okuno. We talk about stalker movie trops, such as gaslighting and isolation, and I open my heart to Maika Monroe. Tangents include: pumpkin carving, TikTok (always), and scary movie theater experiences. This one is sitting on my top 10 list for 2022 horror - well done, Watcher! 

Mary joins Caitlin to cover 2022's Orphan: First Kill, the much anticipated prequel to 2009's Orphan. We talk about Esther/Leena as a monstrous femme figure, and we look at the multiple angles of monstrous motherhood we get in this movie. Definitely give it a watch, and go in blind if you can. Our tangents this episode include: JonBenet Ramsey, franchise horror, Christmas, gifs, water, and our unw...

It's a special! Special guest Alfonso joins Caitlin to discuss Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (The Producer's Cut), and to talk about the Cult of Thorn backstory that enriches not just the 6th chapter of Halloween, but all chapters of Halloween. Alfonso walks me through the lore he's developed about the Druid curse featured in the producer's cut of Halloween 6 - its origins, its effects,...

Maddie and Colleen join Caitlin for Ti West's second release of 2022: Pearl. We go off the rails early on in this one. Tangents include: Dave Matthews Band, head lice, and cotillion, among others. The review starts around minute 19, and we get into themes of sexuality, monstrous motherhood, and how Pearl may be a new iconic monstrous femme figure in the horror repertoire. Our concensus: although w...

Colleen and Mary join Caitlin to cover the new release Barbarian. Go into the movie blind! You'll be glad you did. If you've seen it, you'll know that we had plenty to talk about. We have a great monstrous femme figure in the barbarian mama, we get some creepy monstrous motherhood moments, and we explore the different ways men and women approach danger. We also got into creepy basement stories, an...

Eli goes by many names: the loremaster, the campfire master, the mole king, and Mary's husband, among others. I was delighted to have him on to help me cover 2017's Pyewacket. Pyewacket is cool Canadian horror movie about the occult. We dig into themes of monstrous motherhood, grief, and the old "be careful what you wish for" adage. We also talk about the witchfinder general Matthew Hopkins, publi...

Christian and Ian of It's Only a Podcast join Caitlin to cover the 2016 horror comedy Prevenge. Prevenge is a revenge-centered monstrous motherhood movie, and it hits its comedic beats exactly right. Alice Lowe really pulled off something special here. We also talk about upcoming releases for spooky season, vidja games, and air travel. And we even play Smash or Pass with some of our favorite final...

Vulnerable o'clock! I got to thinking about why I like body horror so much, and I wanted to share that with you all. I think it comes from my experiences as viewing my own body as horrific (or capable of horrors). That comes in the form of chronic illness (crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis), unusual body conditions (vaginismus and vulvodynia), and good old fashioned fatphobia. It's hard when o...

John from The Wicked Wild joins Caitlin to cover Prey, the newest installment in the Predator franchise. John is an expert on Predator, and he was able to walk me through some of the lore and easter eggs that I missed. And we both loved this one! It has cool themes around gender, siblings, and the dynamics of predators and prey (and prey that becomes a predator herself). Thanks for joining, John!

To quote my beloved American Horror Story: surprise, bitch! Here's an American Horror Story mini episode! Just talking into a mic about Ryan Murphy stuff - what could possibly be more fun, or more insane? Big thanks to Whitney and Elizabeth for sending in AHS questions! I give a rundown of my favorite seasons and characters, talk a little about Stories (the spin-off), and think about where I hope...

Colleen joins Caitlin to cover what might be the ultimate Plug It Up movie: 2016's Raw. We bring sleepover energy to this one! We chat about many aspects of the monstrous feminine: monstrous menstruation, monstrous motherhood, monstrous sisterhood, forbidden appetite, and body horror (among various other things that make me love Raw). Ducournau is a favorite, and Raw is a top 10 movie of all time...

Or should we say MU-TH-UR issues? Jason (from Dads from the Crypt) joins Caitlin to cover a sci fi horror classic: 1979's Alien. Alien is a movie with a ton of cool themes; the ones we pull for Plug It Up are sex and motherhood (with bonus horrific pregnancy/birth). We also get into the development of the script, the awesome practical effects, and the killer cast. Did you know Sigourney Weaver ref...

Mary joins Caitlin to cover 2003's Gothika. Gothica (stylized as Gothika for the movie) is a real word! New vocab - you love to see it. We dig into themes of revenge, supernatural vs logic, and good ol' ego. We also talk at length about Reese's Cups, our friends Nick and Darren, and our love of John Carroll Lynch. Thanks for the questions! These were some of the best yet. Be sure to check out Mary...

Due to a scheduling snafu, the regularly scheduled episode had to be moved, so instead you get some good old fashioned talking-into-the-void from yours truly. I go over some trailers (Don't Worry Darling, The Munsters, The Menu, Smile, Pearl, and Barbarian), some recent releases (Nope, Torn Hearts, Watcher, Hellbender, and They/Them), and some horror TV (the Chucky series, as well as American Horr...

Joe Charnews of the Small Town Failing Podcast joins Caitlin to cover 2011's Silent House. Elizabeth Olsen brings her A-game in this real-time, long-take production, and we are impressed. The subject matter is heavy, but we love the twist and the way it all came together. In addition to the thematically relevant topics, like repressed memories and the controversies therein, we chat about the holid...

Stephanie and Rachael join Caitlin to cover Lights Out, the 2016 feature based on a short of the same name. Lights Out has a monstrous femme figure in Diana, and it has notes of monstrous motherhood in Sophie. We talk about the plays on light and dark, the outstanding practical effects, and the truly effective scares. Also, we stan Bret, a himbo goth boyfriend for the horror recordbooks. We chat a...

Colleen and Mary join Caitlin to cover Ari Aster's 2019 masterpiece Midsommar. We talk about the significance of mirrors, the insidiousness of the cult, the complex relationships and trauma, the dizzying disorientation, the attestupa, the blood eagle... We really do our best to cover it all. We also chat about the upcoming A24-themed party Colleen is throwing. Who would you dress as? Huge thanks t...

Calling all coroners! Jaime and Tami join Caitlin to cover The Autopsy of Jane Doe, an atmospheric horror hit from 2016. We look at themes of witchcraft, father-son bonds, and REVENGE! We are big fans of this one, and we do our best to dissect (HEY-O) it. We also talk about the obstetric history of chainsaws, how we want to be handled after we die, our favorite sibling memories, and our celebrity...

Who better to join Caitlin to cover 2020's The Stylist than Elizabeth, an actual stylist? We really love this one. Jill Sixx knocks it out of the park, and Najarra Townsend gives an arresting performance. We look at themes of isolation and identity, and explore one of the creepiest movies we've had in the last few years. We also look at the history of scalping, and we get some great questions. Kee...

Zach and Charlie join Caitlin to cover Tragedy Girls, a horror comedy from 2017. It's got fun cameos, campy kills, and horror homages galore! We had a great time talking about it. We also got into prom talk and conspiracy corner. We needed a good laugh coming off of the awful news about Roe v Wade being overturned. Please consider donating to your local abortion fund. Keep fighting, and take care...

Accomplished actor Galen Howard joins Caitlin to talk about 1977's Rabid. Rabid is a Cronenberg movie, so you know body horror is on the table. We look at how mosquitoes inspired the creature design, how uniquely the zombie mechanics come together, and how our protagonist navigates her monstrous transformation with respect to gender. Rabid is a great movie, and we had a lot of fun talking about it...