Episodes

  • The Devil You Don't: Now Available
    Aug 18 2023

    Introducing "The Devil You Don't" - a new, four-part history series about the Jersey Devil, and the birth of the modern world, from Dylan Ferguson.

    Soon, you can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can listen on Spotify right now:
    https://open.spotify.com/episode/3jlLAJsvLunXBwcgIWOwot

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    2 mins
  • Coming Soon: The Devil You Don't
    Aug 5 2023

    Sneak peak at a new limited history podcast from Dylan Ferguson, featuring Sean O'Rourke, with music by Rob What. What is the Jersey Devil, and why has it left its grubby little claw-marks across 300 years of American history? Learn surprising stories about dueling almanacs, Ben Franklin, eugenics, the birth of science, independent filmmakers, and cryptozoology.

    Look for it starting August 18th!

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    3 mins
  • What Dreams May Come, Part 4: New Nightmare, Freddy vs. Jason, and the remake
    Oct 31 2022

    The final chapter. We begin by digging into Wes Craven's complex, thoughtful meta-sequel New Nightmare (1994), discussing how it reassesses the themes of the first film. Then, it's time to argue over the contentious Freddy vs. Jason (2003) - is it an Iraq War allegory? - before wrapping things up with the 2010 remake. And yes, we can finally unveil our full-franchise rankings.

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    39 mins
  • What Dreams May Come, Part 3: The Dream Master, Dream Child, and Freddy's Dead
    Oct 29 2022

    These ones get real weird. It's time for an increasingly drunk Dylan, Sheldon, Will - and special guest Scott Crompton - to delve into the zany, unhinged worlds of Nightmare 4: The Dream Master (1988), Nightmare 5: The Dream Child (1989), and Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991). The production history and reception of the films we're dissecting are set against a backdrop of Freddy Krueger's runaway pop-culture celebrity in an MTV-generation world.

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    39 mins
  • What Dreams May Come, Part 2: Freddy's Revenge and Dream Warriors
    Oct 27 2022

    The second part of our exploration of the Nightmare on Elm Street films probes the notorious gay themes in Freddy's Revenge (1985), and the contentious ways that the AIDS crisis, and the homophobia of the period, are incorporated into the movie.

    Dylan, Sheldon, Will, and Scott then move on to dissecting and debating the wild, influential A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), and we finally get to start ranking these things.

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    36 mins
  • What Dreams May Come, Part 1: The Origins and Implications of A Nightmare on Elm Street
    Oct 25 2022

    In late-70's and early-80's America, Laotian men began suddenly dying from their dreams. Newspaper coverage of the medical mystery would inspire one of the richest and most enduring classics of horror cinema.

    We begin with the true story of that tragedy, and how it challenges our assumptions about the distinction between dreams and reality, before connecting it to the seminal 1984 film.

    Scott Crompton, a professor of English and film - and a Nightmare super-fan - joins Dylan, Sheldon, and Will, to discuss, in detail, how the first Freddy Krueger film was made, how it works, and what it means.

    This is the first installment in a special 4-part series about the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.

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    51 mins
  • Parasocial Activity 2: Picking the Best Horror Film for Each Year of the 1990's [Video Episode]
    Apr 1 2022

    For the full experience, go to our YouTube page! Dylan, Sheldon, and Will got together in the same room, for the first time, to record a special video episode for the second season finale. The topic? Nineties horror. We each picked our favourite scary movie for every year of the decade, from 1990 - 1999, but have kept the picks a secret from one another, until now. And of course, we make it a drinking game, and you can play along. Join us as we have some fun dissecting beloved classics and unearthing little-known gems from horror cinema's most misunderstood decade.

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    2 hrs and 2 mins
  • Shake and Fake: Blair Witch and the Found-Footage Horror Boom (1998-2008)
    Mar 14 2022

    An exploration of the ideas, people, and films behind the found-footage horror boom - including Paranormal Activity and Lake Mungo - with Dylan, Sheldon, and Sean O'Rourke. Featuring a deep-dive into the origins of The Blair Witch Project, with detours into "mysterious phenomena" TV shows, Sundance and the American indie movie renaissance, the rise of the multiplex, the birth of viral marketing, and what made 1999 possibly the greatest year ever for American film. Plus, an interview with Professor Margarida Medeiros about Victorian ghost photography, and how our relationship with cameras has long influenced debates about fact and fiction. And, of course, we argue over the different movies under discussion, and rank them all at the end of our shaky, nausea-inducing journey through the deep woods of this unsettling sub-genre.

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    1 hr and 50 mins