The Monstrous Feminine

Continuing with our horror games theme, we are covering the 2021 drama `We're All Going to the World's Fair’, directed by Jane Schoenbrun. 💻🧸🔫 We talk about the disturbing loneliness and predation within early internet cultures, the various trans-coded readings of this film and why this movie stands as a good warning to Gen Z. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’...

I WANT TO PLAY A GAME. This month is all about horror games, and we’re kicking it off with the iconic 2004 film ‘Saw’, directed by James Wan. 🌀📼🦶🏻 We discuss games of choice, analyse how the 'Saw' franchise spawned an era of gratuitous violence in horror, talk about the uneven distribution of punishment throughout the franchise and debate whether the film has a punitive moral message. The Cove...

HOWDY! Our last horror western of the month is Jordan Peele’s genre-bending 2022 film, ‘NOPE’. 🏇🏿🎐 We discuss space as the new frontier for the western, the importance of documentation for Black Americans and how capitalism turns life into commodified spectacles. Also! Keke Palmer playing an eccentric lesbian!!! The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Seba...

RIDE 'EM, COWBOY. Our second horror western of the month is the 2019 film ‘Bacurau’, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles 🚰🔫🩸 We discuss the global western, racial and class politics in Brazil and the importance of community within this film. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme and ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, chi...

YEEHAW. We’re doing horror westerns this month and kicking off season 3 with the 2018 femme-centric Western ‘The Wind’, directed by Emma Tammi 🌬️🤰🏻⚰️ We go over common tropes of the genre, explore madness and sexism in relation to the Wild West, and pinpoint the truest horror of them all: being alone with a man in the middle of fucking nowhere. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme and ‘W...

Here it is: an extra main episode for Pride month! We watched the new Netflix vampire show 'First Kill', created by Victoria Schwab. 💉❤️ We chat about nostalgia for teen vampire media and the place for lesbian romance in YA fiction. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, deat...

Our next episode for this month is the 2008 Swedish romance-horror 'Let the Right One In', directed by Tomas Alfredson. 🩸🚪🧛‍♂️ We discuss the differences between the book and film, gender in relation to the supernatural and question the disturbing ambiguities of age in this film. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by:...

We’re continuing our (queer) vampire theme with the 2002 rocker-horror 'Queen of the Damned', directed by Michael Rymer. 🎸🎤 We talk about vampirism as a metaphor for closeted queerness, Anne Rice as the blueprint for emo vampires and Queen Akasha as a mon-fem mother figure. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebasti...

Happy Pride, homos! This month, we’re covering the gayest horror subgenre of them all: the vampire film! And we’re kicking it off with the 1971 erotic horror ‘Daughters of Darkness’, directed by Harry Kümel. 🩸💄👄 In this episode, we discuss the graphic violence against women in the film, talk about the relationship between vampirism and female sexuality, and try to pinpoint what exactly we mean...

We’re finishing off our voodoo theme with season 3 of the 2013 show American Horror Story, 'Coven'. In this episode, we discuss Angela Bassett in all her glory, debate whether witchcraft borrows from Voodooism, and scrutinise the representation and treatment of Black characters in this series. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’...

We’re continuing our voodoo theme with the 1997 drama ‘Eve’s Bayou’, directed by Kasi Lemmons. 🩺🥼💔😵 In this episode, we discuss indie filmmaking, loss of innocence and intergenerational trauma in relation to slavery. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Death, murder, discussions...

This month is all about voodoo! We’re starting with the 1988 film ‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’, directed by Wes Craven. 🐍🌈 We discuss the weirdly kinky torture scene, the colonial male gaze and the exoticism of voodoo/Haiti. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, mur...

Wrapping up our horror ha-ha theme, we’re talking about the 2011 horror comedy film ‘Attack the Block’, directed by Joe Cornish. 🐺🔫🎒🇬🇧 We admire John Boyega, discuss the intersection between class and race politics in Britain, and debate the use of aliens as a metaphor for police violence. Enjoy! The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the...

Continuing with our horror ha-ha theme, we’re moving on to the 2011 meta-horror comedy ‘Cabin in the Woods’, directed by Drew Goddard. 🌲🏚️🧟🥼 We discuss horror as an expression of society’s repressed desires, debate whether or not modern horror films still use stereotypical tropes of the genre, and talk about the place of the male gaze in a film intending to satirise voyeurism. The Coven: Louisa...

For this month’s theme, we’re talking about what puts the ha-ha in horror. The first film we’re covering is Edgar Wright’s British zombie comedy, ‘Shaun of the Dead’ (2004). 🧟‍♂️🍺 We go over the film's potential class commentary, potential Freudian interpretations and potential queerness. Basically, 'Shaun of the Dead' is rife with deeper meaning, if you want it to be. Go listen. The Coven: Loui...

Hola - our final creature feature of the month is Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 masterpiece ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’.👞🍇🖐️👀🖐️🧚🩸 We discuss what makes a good monster, the role of imagination and escapism, the sacrificial demands of motherhood and the subconscious presence of various mythologies in horror films. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of...

Hello, jello! Our second creature feature film of the month is the 1988 sci-fi horror film ‘The Blob’, directed by Chuck Russell. 🌠🧫🧯👨🏿‍🚀🧊 In this episode, we discuss the differences between the original and the remake, debate the physics of the blob and its vulvic appearance, and admire older horrors’ ruthless ability to kill off main characters like it's no biggie. The Coven: Louisa, Mila...

Hi there, monsters. This month we will be talking about creature features, starting with the classic Japanese sci-fi horror film, Godzilla (1954). In this episode, we discuss how the Western remakes dilute the original film’s poignant political message, and how the 1954 Godzilla navigates the ethics of warfare and the implementation of scientific discoveries, which have devastating consequences. T...

Happy Valentine's Day, lovers! 💋 To celebrate, we’re talking about the 2016 cult horror-comedy, ‘The Love Witch’, directed by Anna Biller. 💟🗡️🩸 We muse over just how down bad Elaine is, discuss the film’s portrayal of compulsory heterosexuality, and debate the limits of self-objectification as a means for empowerment. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud B...

For our last Bollywood horror episode of the month, we’re tackling the 2020 Hindi-language horror 2018 film ‘Bulbbul’, directed by Anvita Dutt Guptan. 🌕🔴🦶🏽 First we discuss the folklore surrounding the churail – a Southeast Asian witch – and Anita Dutt’s tragic/feminist twist on the legend. We then go into the potential aestheticisation of violence against women and ableist plot device. Finall...

Continuing our exploration of Bollywood horror, we're talking about the Hindi-language horror 2018 film ‘Tumbbad', directed by Anand Gandhi and Rahi Anil Barve. 👛👺 First of all, we talk about the monstrous womb imagery in this film, and what this means metaphorically. Next, we explain how this morality tale is being used to comment on greed in both colonial and post-colonial India. Finally, we t...

Happy New Year! This month we’re diving into Bollywood horror, and to kick off 2022, we’re covering the 1992 Indian Hindi-Telugu supernatural horror, ‘Raat’, directed by Ram Gopal Varma. 🐈💀 Firstly, we go through some tropes of Bollywood horror films, and the genre’s place on the world stage in the 90s. We then move on to talk about the monstrous feminine and its relation to possession in this f...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! To wrap up the holiday season, we cover the 2015 horror anthology 'A Christmas Horror Story', directed by Steve Hoban, Grant Harvey and Brett Sullivan. ✝️🐐👯🎅🏻🎄 🧟​​ In this episode, we discuss the four story segments in turn, and delve into Catholicism, Krampus lore, Freud, and, most insightfully, zombie elves. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! To continue with the festivities, we watched the 2015 horror comedy 'Krampus', directed by Michael Dougherty. 🐐🎅🏻🔮 We had a hard time categorising this film within the comedy genre: is it a critical satire that mocks to make a point or just bad slapstick? We also went into the strange folklore that relied on shoehorning in a Nazi Germany subplot, which felt questionable and inc...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This month we’re doing a few festive films for the holiday season. To kick things off, we’re covering the 1984 film 'Gremlins', directed by Joe Dante. 🎄🕛 🥪🐲💦🐲🐲🐲 We (Louisa) make a big reach and discuss this film as a possible parody of anti-communist rhetoric in Cold War America. No, I will not elaborate. Go listen for more. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Musi...