Horror Homeroom Conversations

In today’s episode, it’s a disturbing journey into the misleading world of social media courtesy of Kurtis David Harder’s Influencer (2023). The story follows social media influencer Madison (Emily Tennant), who is in Thailand for what was supposed to be a romantic getaway with her boyfriend, Ryan (Rory J. Saper). But her lonely and mundane reality is shown to be completely at odds with the exciting, friend-filled adventures she portrays online. When a chance meeting with local CW (Cassandra Naud) offers Madison an opportunity to turn her lies into truth, she embarks on a dark journey where image is definitely not everything. Equal parts eviscerating indictment of influencer culture and cautionary tale about the importance of skepticism, Influencer is a film specifically of its time. But is that a good thing? We’re breaking it all down today with spoilers, so stay tuned.

On today’s episode, we’re diving into the magnificent world of creature features with 1998’s Godzilla. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film takes the famous monster’s story and puts a decidedly American spin on it to questionable results. We’re talking about historical revisionism and what makes a really bad horror film on today’s episode so stay tuned!

In today’s episode, we’re diving into Zach Creggar’s Barbarian (2022). Told in a three act structure, Barbarian vacillates between realism and absurdism in what is arguably one of the most unique horror films to drop in recent years. Following three characters and their relationship to a house located in the Detroit neighborhood of Brightmoor, the film plays with genre hybridity while also offering a powerful indictment of the power of cultural norms to mask what lurks beneath the surface. We’re breaking it all down today with spoilers so stay tuned!

In today's episode, we’re diving into Smile (2022), a film that has almost single-handedly reinvigorated debate over the importance of trigger warnings.  Written and directed by Parker Finns, the film follows Rose (Sosie Bacon), a doctor who cares for patients at a psychiatric facility while navigating her own mental health journey. Following the death by suicide of a patient in her care, Rose begins to suspect that she is the new target of a demonic entity who won’t be happy until she’s dead. With its nod to the uncanny and gruesome death scenes, Smile is a horror movie explicitly about trauma but is it also about something more? We’re breaking it all down today, so stay tuned. 

Please be aware that this episode contains spoilers and a discussion on suicide.

In today's episode, it is early horror with an unexpected feminist twist in 1946’s The Spiral Staircase, directed by Robert Siodmak. Set in 1906, the film follows Helen (Dorothy McGuire), a woman with traumatic mutism, who cares for Mrs. Warren (Ethel Barrymore), the difficult and bedridden lady of the manor. When a serial killer begins killing off women with so-called afflictions, Helen is warned that she may be next. Adapted from Ethel Lina White’s novel Some Must Watch (1933), the film takes up themes such as disability and masculinity while simultaneously challenging the notion that the modern slasher film began with Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). We’re breaking it all down today with spoilers, so stay tuned.

In today's episode, it's an old-Hollywood tinged journey into repression and murder via Ti West’s Pearl, the sequel to his massively successful X. Set against the final days of World War 1, the film follows Pearl (Mia Goth), a young woman who feels trapped by her mundane farm life and who yearns to take her place alongside the Big Screen stars she idolizes. But when those dreams get dashed, the film segues into unadulterated horror territory. With its sympathetic look at madness and its homage to the Golden Age of film, Pearl is a character study that all but ensures that you will never look at a scarecrow the same way again. We’re going to spoil the hell out of this film, so stay tuned.

In today's episode, the Horror Homeroom crew dives into John Hyam’s SICK (2022). Situated in the early days of the pandemic, the film follows friends Parker and Miri as they quarantine at a remote lake house owned by Parker’s parents. They are joined unexpectedly by DJ, Parker’s friend with benefits, who is eager to make their relationship exclusive. But their idyllic reprieve is soon interrupted when an unexpected threat starts stalking them. We’re going to spoil the hell out of it today so stay tuned.

In this condensed episode, Dawn and Liz are chatting about 2020’s CIRQUE BERZERK by Jessica Guess. Part of the 'Rewind or Die' series, the story takes place 30 years after a group of kids went on a killing spree at a local carnival; a massacre that left a dozen people dead. Decades after the tragedy, a group of students, including best friends Sam and Rochelle, decide to visit the theme park for one last hurrah. But sometimes, the past refuses to stay dead. We’re going to spoil the hell out of this book, so stay tuned!

In this episode, we’re deep diving into John Logan’s highly polarizing They/Them (2022). A slasher film that takes place at a conversion camp, the film drew early criticism on social media with many wondering if there aren’t some topics that should be off limits. But what does that mean for a genre like horror that is predicated on exploring taboo and violating social norms? We’re spoiling the hell out of this movie, so stay tuned!

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.

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!

How much do we love Adam Cesare's CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (2020)? So much that we braved Zoom just to bring you this episode! From its in the moment politics to its creative deployment of slasher tropes, Dawn and Liz are explaining why this novel deserves its buzz on this episode so stay tuned! SPOILERS ABOUND IN THIS EPISODE SO TAKE HEED.