Plug It Up: A Horror Movie Podcast

Allison of the Who's There podcast joins Caitlin to talk about Firestarter, both the 1984 and 2022 versions. This feels like a return to form, as both the original and the remake have a monstrous menstruation vibe. We also look at themes of defiance and father-daughter bonds. Movie-related research took us down a Project MK Ultra rabbit hole, which spawned discussion about psychedelics. We loved t...

Caitlin is joined by two Jovian Warriors to cover 2018's Mandy: bestie Charlie and brother Zach. Mandy is a movie about a man with a singular focus: REVENGE. We explore said revenge, as well as stylized hyper-violence, "righetous masculinity," and more. Brush up on your French as we attempt to pronouce words we don't know (we are, how  you say... idiots), and join us as we answer questions from th...

"Misogyny is bad, mmkay?" - Mr. Garrison, I mean Alex Garland. Mary joins Caitlin to talk about A24's new horror movie Men. While it has notes of everything we tend to like (commentary on misogyny, original sin allegories, cool body horror, and folklore), this one felt a little ham-fisted, and a bit 101. Still a cool effort, and certainly lots to dig into. Count how many times we say "I don't know...

Mary returns to help Caitlin cover a controversial movie: 2008's Dead Girl. Some have pushed it away, considering it misogynist and repulsive, but both Mary and I think there's solid feminist messaging in this one, even if some scenes are hard to watch. We look at toxic masculinity, the ways class and sexism connect, and the illusion of "the nice guy." We also talk about the figure who originated...

Dynamic duo Matt and Michael join Caitlin to talk about another dinner party gone awry. This time, we're looking at 2015's The Invitation. We look at themes of grief, cults, and social contracts regarding politeness. We shared stories about times we felt uncomfortable breaking the "politeness contract," including Michael's experience in a haunted forest, and Matt and Caitlin's [subjectively] near-...

Bob, Randy, and Justin from Straight Chilling join Caitlin to cover The Omen (1976). We dig into themes of religion and monstrous motherhood, explore some of the "cursed" aspects of the production, and chat about various iconic scenes from this touchstone movie. We also somehow get to talking about Willem Dafoe and his renowned lower half... such is the nature of the show. Be sure to check out Str...

Rachel, Ariel, and Matilda of the Zombie Grrlz Podcast Network join Caitlin to analyze Hatching, a new Finnish horror movie from director Hanna Bergholm. All of us really loved Hatching, and we enjoying chatting about its themes of troubled girlhood, monstrous motherhood, body horror, perfectionism, and feminine anger. We also take a look at the sometimes disturbing world of mommy bloggers and fam...

Elizabeth joins Caitlin to cover the brutal world of ballet in 2010's Black Swan. Black Swan hits a ton of monstrous feminine beats: monstrous menstruation, monstrous motherhood, treacherous friendships between women, body horror in women, and women who are themeslves horrific. We also look at themes of mental illenss, perfectionism, and doppelgangers (which are, for the record, scary). Black Swan...

Christina and Colleen join Caitlin to cover the original slasher - 1960's Psycho. It was groundbreaking for its time, and it has become a cultural touchstone for film fans everywhere. We touch on themes of monstrous motherhood, chance, and mental illness, and we dig in to various symbols and motifs. We also talk about Hitchcock himself. What a strange dude. Not as strange as Ed Gein, who partially...

Mary and Maddie join Caitlin to talk about Ti West's new movie X. Did you know that "psychobiddy" is a whole subgenre of horror? I didn't! It refers to horror movies where a formerly glamorous woman ages into a violent monster; it's sometimes referred to as "hagsploitation." We look at themes of aging, desire, and not having lived the life you wish you had. Also alligators. We get into theater eti...

Maddie returns to help Caitlin cover 2022's Fresh. We dig into the movie itself and joke about its need for larger-bodied characters (as Lizzo famously said, "No, I'm not a snack at all; look, baby, I'm a whole damn meal"). We both really loved this one. It's looking like a leader for top horror movies of 2022, and we couldn't be happier to have ol' Seb Stan on the weirdo train. Speaking of weirdo...

Maddie and Charlie join Caitlin for an extra special episode. We tackle the X Files' spin on monstrous motherhood in "Terms of Endearment." That's episode 7 of season 6, if you'd like to watch before listening. We examine the monstrous feminine beats of this particular episode, and we do a deep dive on the X Files as a whole: favorite episodes, skips, FMKs, and how Gillian Anderson plays "dignifie...

Caitlin is joined by fellow podcaster Natalie Katona to talk about 2018's The Wind. We dig in to monstrous motherhood and the brutality of the frontier. We also do a deep dive on prairie madness, which is as harrowing as it sounds. Natalie shares about her podcast To All the Men I've Tolerated Before, which you can find on any podcast platform, as well as her show on Fireside by the same name. Giv...

Codename Thor joins Caitlin to talk about 2012's Byzantium, which is the first vampire movie we've covered on the show. It's a beautiful movie, and we had a great time dissecting its themes of mothers and daughters, carrying the past, and sex work. I quiz Thor on his vampire knowledge, and we somehow land on X-Men for a while. Be sure to check out Thor's Hour of Thunder, available wherever you get...

Nick and Mary join Caitlin to talk about 2019's We Summon the Darkness. That crackling you hear? Oh, that's just us sitting around a bonfire playing Never Have I Ever, just like the characters in the movie. Definitely not a mic malfunction of any kind. (It was resolved in the end!) We had a great time covering the movie and doing a deep dive on the Satanic Panic. And this is our first movie with a...

Matt from Chile and Richmond buddy Michael join Caitlin to talk about 2011's You're Next. You're Next is a fan favorite, and it's the first movie we're covering with a bonafide final girl! We laughed a ton on this episode, and we really enjoyed the movie. Who's your favorite character: Erin or Drake?

What a special episode! Dr. Natalie Feinblatt joined me to cover the new psychological horror movie A Banquet, and I had the pleasure of interviewing the film's director, Ruth Paxton. Natlaie and I talked about themes of eating disorders and general mentall illness, monstrous motherhood, and body horror, and Ruth gave some really beautiful insights into the film. This is a new-new one, and we do g...

Elizabeth and Tracy join Caitlin to talk about the 2014 found footage banger The Taking of Deborah Logan. In this movie, a woman watches her mother get taken by illness, age, and the supernatural. It's a great meditation on aging, the complex relationships between some mothers and daughters, and old secrets coming to light. It's beautifully done, and did I mention that they talk about Richmond a l...

Caitlin is joined by new guest Whitney to cover the Netflix original horror movie Cam. Cam is a unique and impressive movie, and we both loved it. We touch on themes of black mirror esque technology and stigma around sex work, and I share my deep fear of doppelgangers. Whitney shares about her experiences in gaming, and we talk about her diagnosis of PMDD. Thanks for being here, Whitney!

One evening in 2006, Mary's dad brought home a copy of a horror DVD that happened to look really cool. That DVD turned out to be Jack O'Latnern, and it became a Halloween staple for Mary, who in turn turned me and our horror buddies on to the cult classic. We hadthe privilege of chatting and laughing with the star of the film, Dave R. Watkins, to chat about the movie itself, and about his experien...

Jaime and Tami, the founders of Texas ChainPaw Massacre, join Caitlin to talk about 2009's Orphan. It's a wild story that feels unbelievable, but it was based on true events! This one includes a big twist, so consider watching the movie beforehand if you'd like to avoid spoilers. Be sure to visit texaschainpawmassacre.com, and consider adopting an animal that has a horror movie lookalike! (Or any...

Calling all shrews, crazy bitches, and inconvenient women! Maddie, Mary, and Caitlin gathered to talk about David Fincher's Gone Girl. Feminist media discourse gave us terms like manic pixie dream girls and pick-me girls, and Gone Girl gave us "the cool girl." We do a deep dive on "the cool girl," themes, scenes, and quotes, and we generally have a great time with a great movie.

Show regular Mary and new guest Dave join Caitlin to talk about an all-time favorite - 2005's The Descent. Dave is an experienced outdoorsman, and he brings a lot to this episode, especially because Mary and I are scared of everything. We love our brave cave Dave. We all agree that Juno is THE WORST, and we marvel at how well this subterranean movie was made. Join us as we look at the trreachery o...

Caitlin is joined by Chase and Elizabeth to talk about a darling of the horror community, 2014's It Follows. This episode has a rousing debate, because I find the main character a bit of a pick-me, and Chase holds me to task and challenges my assumptions about the movie. Elizabeth proposes some great questions about the movie's logistics and what we would do in this scenario. We can all agree on o...