On today’s episode it’s creepy kids meets arthouse violence with 1976’s Alice, Sweet Alice. Arguably more Giallo than classic slasher, this film merges religious iconography with straight up taboo to reflect a specifically 1970s horror sensibility. But despite a rabid cult fanbase, this movie never quite ascended to the heights of other well known slashers of the era but why? We’re breaking it all down on today’s episode so stay tuned.
“A World of His Own” and the Replaceability of Women in The Twilight Zone
Elizabeth ErwinFrom the outset, Rod Serling’s vision for The Twilight Zone was a specifically political one. Understanding that the tropes of the science fiction genre made it the perfect vehicle to slip pointed social critique past television’s censoring bodies, Serling was long interested in using the series to push back against social norms. With a body of work exploring men escaping to worlds of their creation as a response to emasculation, Richard Matheson was the perfect writer to help execute Serling’s vision.[1] Of the 16 episodes Matheson wrote for the series, “A World of His Own” (broadcast in the first season on July 1, 1960) is the one whose framework is most readily reflected in modern dystopian narratives such as AMC’s Humans and Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. As a reaction to the era’s shifting cultural power dynamics between men and women, this episode establishes a template for male domination over the female body, both psychologically and physically, that is still obvious in satire today.
In this episode, we are heading back to 1987 with Joseph Ruben’s The Stepfather. Inspired by the horrific murders committed by John List, this movie doesn’t just deconstruct the myth of the nuclear family, it detonates it…and sets it to a slamming 80s soundtrack. We’re talking conservative values run amuck on this episode, so stay tuned!
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Consider this your Thanksgiving PSA! If your family is anything like ours, you probably spend hours cooking up a scrumptious meal for the family only to watch it be consumed in less than twenty minutes. So should you be looking for an excuse not to cook, I thought I would share 8 food moments in horror that are guaranteed to stop hunger in its tracks. Granted, you may vomit, but that’s a risk you run in viewing these disturbing and unforgettable scenes.
My selection criterion was highly scientific. If it made me gag, it made the list. Did I miss any? Shoot us a comment and let us know which food moment in horror still traumatizes you!
How much do we love Adam Cesare’s CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (2020)? So much that we braved Zoom just to bring you this mini-episode! From its in-the-moment politics to its creative deployment of slasher tropes, Dawn and I are explaining why this novel deserves its buzz on this episode so stay tuned! SPOILERS ABOUND IN THIS EPISODE SO TAKE HEED.
Check out Hayley Dietrich’s review of Clown in a Cornfield.
As you can see, we both love Clown in a Cornfield — and you can find it on Amazon #ad:
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