Plug It Up: A Horror Movie Podcast

Mary returns to talk with Caitlin about Stephen King's Dolores Claiborne. God damn, do we love Kathy Bates! She's the best, and we think more people should know about this great movie. Be sure to stick around for the awesome bumper Mary made for the show, and also consider checking out (and donating to) RAINN.org .

Caitlin is joined by retuning guest Maddie and new guest Matt to cover Hereditary. Do you like horror movies with a lot of decapitations? Well have I got a movie for you! Ari Aster has an incredible ability to depict trauma and horror in a way that will really stick with you. I do a deep dive on Paimon, Matt shares about his encounter with a man invoking Beelzebub, and Maddie blows my mind with he...

Caitlin is joined by Naty and Zi of The Spooky Corner to cover 2016's The Love Witch. We dig in to the feminist messaging, praise Anna Biller for her incredible vision, and laugh about how we want to root for Elaine, even though she's decidedly delusional and murderous. We just wanted more for you, Elaine! Be sure to check out The Spooky Corner, as well as Karson Reed's Dance Fit and Fun! anna bil...

Colleen and Caitlin experienced Titane in theaters together, where they enjoyed the surround-sound squelches of Alexia's body being taped down, among other grotesque body horror moments. Titane is a wild one! We analyzed the movie as best we could, shared a lot of laughs, and reflected on the ways TLC shows formed my brain. Also, I royally messed up pronouncing Garance Marillier's name. I think I...

Caitlin is joined by artist, kickball champion, and fellow Richmonder Stephanie to talk about the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. We ask lots of questions. Where would you spend time if you lived in the mall? Can cats eat bananas? Is CJ the proto-Daryl? Does CJ have the best redemption arc in horror history? How would zombie babies eat? Is Steve just the bizarro world version of Phil Dunphy? ARE...

Casey from Bloody Good Horror joins Caitlin to talk about 1982's Slumber Party Massacre, a film that was written as a feminist parody of tropey horror. We talk sleepover traditions, Casey's life of crime as a toilet papering madman (just kidding, Casey), and period poops. Be sure to check out Casey's awesome art, and you can find us both on Bloody Good Horror every Friday.

Caitlin is joined by Jason from Dads from the Crypt to talk about the controversial 1983 slasher Sleepaway Camp. Join us as we talk our way through Camp Arawak and reminisce on our own camp stories. We also talk about vaginal steaming. Bet you didn't anticipate reading those words together today. Be to check out Dads from the Crypt! This episode features discussions on homophobia, transphobia, and...

Directors Jennifer Reeder and Chloe Okuno from the new movie V/H/S 94 sat down with Caitlin to talk about their new film, the monstrous feminine, being a woman in horror, and more! Be sure to check out V/H/S 94, steaming on Shudder.

Caitlin is joined by two moms - Lara and Elizabeth - to discuss a dark but beautiful monstrous motherhood movie: The Others. It's a spooky and atmospheric retelling of The Turning of the Screw, and Nicole Kidman gets it exactly right. Suck it, Tom Cruise. We share our love of the costuming, the fog, and a tried and true horror trope done exceptionally well. Since the movie is, uh, dark, the mother...

Caitlin is joined by longtime friend Matt to discuss the cult classic Teeth. Matt is also a dentist, so how could we NOT do Teeth? This episode is really personal for me, as I talk at the end about a condition that I have called vaginismus/vulvodynia. Long story short: like Dawn in Teeth, my vagina sometimes feels inhospitable, and it's made for comlicated and painful moments in my life. We end up...

Caitlin is joined by PIU regular Elizabeth and "Dad from the Crypt" Jody to discuss a Jug Face, a 2013 folk horror movie. Jody and I really liked it, and I think we convinved Elizabeth to like it as well! It's a weird one, but it's really unique and interesting. The period fact for this episode is about how unhoused folks manage their menstruation. To help end period poverty, consider donating uno...

Elizabeth and Alyssa join Caitlin to talk about The Conjuring, a good movie based on pretty terrible people. I appreciate Alyssa and Elizabeth bringing extensive knowledge of just how bad the Warrens actually were. But we did enjoy the movie! And man oh man, that Patrick Wilson sure can wear a pair of pants. The audio gets a little feedback-y at times, but it's tolerable. Just know that no, that's...

Colleen joins Caitlin for a deep dive on the feminist, queer horror classic Jennifer's Body! We are thrilled to see Jennifer's Body having the renaissance it deserves. It's an excellent movie that suffered from really bad marketing at the time of its release. It's not the Girls Gone Wild movie that frat boys hoped it'd be; it's a movie about the complexities of women's friendships, as well as comi...

When will I learn to give a truly brief synopsis of the movie? Not today, apparently! Tracy Michelle Bullock joins me to talk about representations of grief in the Babadook, as well as the ways motherhood can feel monstrous. She shares about gender, relationships, and her former career as a doula, and how that looks and feels as a non-birthing person. We had a great time and I appreciate her cando...

Maddie returns to talk with Caitlin about What Lies Below (2020), not to be confused with What Lies Beneath (2000). Do you like hunky dudes who study parasites? Maybe hunky dudes who ARE parasites? Have we got news for you! This was a fun one, and it contains my favorite period fact so far. Also, the documentary I mentioned was Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror. Be sure t...

Ariel and Rachel from the Zombie Grrlz Podcast Network join Caitlin to talk about the new A24 movie False Positive. It's one that we had conflicting feelings on, but had a blast dissecting. From Pierce Brosnan and his speculums (specula?) to flying babies: we cover it all. Ariel shares one of the best water birth stories I've ever heard, Rachel recounts her life of menstrual crime, and I ask Joe B...

Caitlin and Mary talk about one of their all-time favorite movies: Rosemary's Baby. That's right, folks, we're introducing a second trope to the line-up: monstrous motherhood! We talk about the ways motherhood can seem monstrous - horrific pregnancies, demonic births, raising a monster, and moms committing the unspeakable. Don't fret - there are plenty more period movies on the docket, but we had...

Elizabeth returns to talk with Caitlin about A Nightmare on Elm Street. We talk about the differences in the strong, silent types, like Jason and Michael, and the smart-ass, playful types, like Freddy and Chucky. Caitlin fondly remembers a high school English teacher that validated her love of horror, and Elizabeth recalls co-ed sleepovers. Lots of fun trivia on this one, and we reference maybe ev...

Caitlin is joined by Exorcist mega-fan Alyssa to talk about about the iconic film. Themes, production, reception, the novel, the "true story," trivia - we cover it all! Alyssa also wanted me to note her favorite Exorcist fact that we forgot to mention on the show: Evangelist Billy Graham claimed an actual demon was living in the celluoid reels of this movie. Pazuzu is powerful in all forms, even (...

Elizabeth and new guest "Boner Joe" join Caitlin to talk about The Rage: Carrie 2. We get our very own "Felissa Rose, mangled dicks" hotline moment, we talk about virginity as an outdated concept, and we challenge one another on whether marijuana addiction is a real thing. Caitlin and Joe say no; Elizabeth says yes. What do you think? Also, the book Caitlin couldn't remember is Jessica Valenti's T...