The Final Girls: A Horror Film Podcast

We're joined by writer and podcaster Becky Darke to dive into two zombies of a very different ilk: Bride of Re-Animator (1990) and Return of the Living Dead III (1993), both directed by Brian Yuzna. We chat about the homage to Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Herbert West's hubris, the Bride's look and the literal monster mash. In the second part of the episode (0:39:50) we move onto Return of the Li...

We're joined by writer, podcaster and comedian Jourdain Searles to talk about The Bride (1985) and exploitation horror-comedy Frankenhooker (1990). We touch on the amazing performance by Jennifer Beales, Sting as a Frankenstein softboi, accidental winking at key societal issues, the absolute hilarity of 'supercrack', and justice for Zorro.  *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective explor...

We're joined by film critic and broadcaster Rhianna Dhillon to dive deep into Aliens (1986). We talk about the dynamics of the crew, what makes Ripley so iconic, Vazquez's BDE, themes of motherhood, and, of course, the Alien Queen.  *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism. Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk...

We're joined by podcaster and writer Becky Darke to discuss in detail the brand new horror film, and the first-ever Zoom horror, Host (2020) . Six friends get together during lockdown for their weekly zoom call. It's Haley’s turn to organise an activity and instead of a quiz, she’s arranged for a Medium to conduct a séance Host is streaming now on Shudder . *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film...

We're joined by horror film writer and filmmaker Zena from Real Queen of Horror to discuss a double-bill of 1980s weirdness: Paul Schrader's erotic horror Cat People (1982) and the horror comedy Vamp (1986), with a knock out performance by Grace Jones. *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism. Find out more about our projects here:...

We're joined by Watershed's Cinema Producer and film critic Tara Judah for a discussion on David Cronenberg's body horror classic The Brood (1979). We talk about taboos around motherhood, birth, divorce, how the film was perceived on release and how it's aged, Oliver Reed, and so much more.  *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism....

We're joined by film critic Kelli Weston for a deep, deep dive on the inimitable classic of horror cinema, Brian de Palma's Carrie (1976). We talk about the monstrous feminine, otherness, Sissy Spacek, period horror, who's the real villain in the film and so much more.  *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism. Find out more about o...

This episode discusses two gorgeous, Gothic Hammer Horror classics: The Gorgon (1964) and The Reptile (1966). Writer Kat Ellinger joins us to dive deep into where these films sit in the Hammer canon, the special effects, Gothic settings, why female monsters always need to be tortured, and what is it about snake-women.  *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections...

We talk about two curious creature features from the 1950s: the very sultry Curse of the Cobra (1955) and Roger Corman's exploitation film The Wasp Woman (1959).  I’m joined in this episode by writer Virginie Selavy to discuss Corman's penchant for strong women, the questionable special effects, and the snake POV shots.  *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersection...

In the first episode of our new season all about monsters, we talk the female-fronted sequels to the most iconic monster movies, Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Dracula’s Daughter (1936).  I’m joined in this episode by writer Dr. Sabina Stent to discuss what makes The Bride so iconic, how Countess Valeska pioneered the 'troubled vampire' and more.  *** The Final Girls are a UK-based film collecti...

In the first episode of our new season all about monsters, we talk about The Island of lost Souls (1932) and Cat People (1942). These two films make for a wicked double bill of cat-themed horror.  I’m joined in this episode by Dr. Alison Peirse , author and professor specialised in horror cinema, to discuss Panther Women, cat-themed horror and how these films tackle female sexuality.  *** The Fina...

Monster stories are incredibly powerful. They explore prejudice, rejection, anger and pain. Watching the monster’s pain prevents us from losing control of our own. In this season, we’ll be tracing the lineage and evolution of female monsters and the monstrous feminine.  Produced and presented by The Final Girls co-founder Anna Bogutskaya. Launching on 12 June, a new episode will land in your feed...

We've come to the end of our season about witches! In this final episode, we round up and celebrate our favourite 13 witches from film and TV. Anna is joined by frequent guest and podcaster extraordinaire Becky Darke to countdown to our top, indisputable, all-time Best Witch Film Ever. We will be back in June with a new season. Let us know what you think of the podcast and this series by rating it...

Veronica Lake plays a 300-year-old witch who returns to life and wreaks havoc when she falls in love with a young politician, played by Frederic March. A romance fantasy comedy, the film by René Clair has had a noticeable influence on other witch films that blend romance and witchcraft.  I'm joined in this episode by film writer, critic and historian Pamela Hutchison to talk the context this film...

A staunchly skeptical professor, Norman (Peter Wyngarde) discovers that his wife Tansy (Janet Blair) has been practicing black magic for years. When he destroys her charms, they fall prey to evil forces cast by someone else in the college. I'm joined in this episode by horror fan and podcaster Ally Penelope , who hosts the Kill Count podcast, to dive into the ideas in Burn, Witch, Burn! We discuss...

Set in 1965, rebellious teenage Heather (Agnes Bruckner) is sent to a remote all-girls boarding school by her resigned parents, where she has strange, violent dreams and struggles to fit into the school power dynamics. Very soon, she starts suspecting that the teachers, led by the chilly Mrs. Traverse (Patricia Clarkson) might be hiding something. Directed by Lucky McKee, the mind behind such horr...

The Witches (1990), Nicholas Roeg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's book, is traumatising af. A young boy and his grandmother as stumble onto a witch's convention. The witches are wicked and sadistic, and beneath their appearance as regular women are hideous, bald, toe-less creatures who hate children more than anything else. Their leader, the Grand High Witch (portrayed with maximum camp by Anjelica H...

In this episode, we’re diving into Mario Bava’s atmospheric gothic horror Black Sunday, released in 1960 and banned in the UK untill 1968 for its graphic violence, considered too gruesome at the time. Based very loosely on Nikolai Gogol’s story VIY (which also has its own Soviet film adaptation that I’d highly encourage you to check out!), Black Sunday follows the wrath of the powerful witch-vampi...

Anna Biller's film centers on Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her Gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However, her spells work too well, leaving her with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to...

In this episode, we’re going to tackle a genuinely terrifying, creepy little film: The Autopsy of Jane Doe . Starring Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox as father-and-son coroners who experience supernatural phenomena while examining the body of an unidentified woman (hence the name Jane Doe) (played by Olwen Kelly). The more they uncover about Jane Doe, the spookier things get. I’m joined in this episode...

In this episode, we’re diving into Luca Guadagnino's remake of a witchy horror classic, Suspiria .  The basic premise of the 2018 Suspiria is the same: young, naive dancer Suzy (here played by Dakota Johnson, a Guadagnino regular) arrives in late 70s Berlin to audition for the renowned Helena Markos Dance Company. She quickly nabs the lead dancer role in an upcoming performance, impressing the hea...

In this episode, we’re looking at one of the most underseen films by the iconic director George A. Romero. We’ll be chatting about Season of the Witch (aka Jack’s Wife, aka Hungry Wives), Romero’s 1973 drama about an anxiety-ridden housewife (Jan White) who starts dabbling in the occult after meeting a real-life witch at a cocktail party. It’s a strange, eerie film, really clearly influenced by th...

Today, we take a little detour from our series dedicated to exploring witches onscreen to bring you a bonus episode about the new film by writer-director Leigh Whannell ( Saw, Insidious, Upgrade ).  The first part of the episode features podcaster Becky Darke ( @bunnydarke ) on how The Invisible Man updates a classic monster, we gush about Elisabeth Moss, and how tension is built from the first mo...

In this episode, we’re going to tackle the third series of Ryan Murphy’s anthology horror series, American Horror Story: Coven. Starring screen legends Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett and Murphy’s repertoire of actors, including Emma Roberts and Evan Peters, Coven is all about witches . Namely, a coven in New Orleans close to being eradicated and battling internal politic...

Today, we take a little detour from our series dedicated to exploring witches onscreen to bring you a bonus episode about the new film by director Jessica Hausner, the plant-based sci-fi horror Little Joe .  The first part of the episode features broadcaster Rowena Alice ( @Rowenaaaaa ) to discuss the film and some the themes it touches on. In the second part of the episode you’ll hear our intervi...