Drawn to Darkness

26 - Trainwreck: Poop Cruise

Send a textIn this episode, we dive into Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, Netflix’s lowbrow, sensational documentary about the 2013 Carnival Triumph disaster, when an engine room fire left more than 4,200 passengers and crew stranded in the Gulf of Mexico with no power, no air conditioning, no refrigeration, and, most importantly, no functioning toilets.We begin with discussion about losing power during floods, blizzards, hurricanes, and honeymoons gone wrong, but end up discussing human behaviour under extreme stress. As we discuss the "characters", we unpack how quickly civility can erode when basic systems fail, why some people balk at the the red biohazard bags, and how entitlement, privilege, and desperation collide in confined spaces.We also discuss the heroism and exploitation of cruise ship staff, the cruise industry’s fine print and lack of accountability, the shift from news to spectacle in media coverage, and how this situation never quite tips into Lord of the Flies, but comes disturbingly close. Along the way, we link Poop Cruise to other maritime disasters, cruise ship disappearances, and the deeper horrors lurking beneath the glossy promise of “all-inclusive” leisure.Content & Spoiler Warning:Bodily waste, unsanitary conditions, vomiting, public urination, extreme hangovers, fire at sea, societal breakdown, hoarding, cruise ship disasters, corporate negligence, environmental harm, assault risks, disappearances, and capitalism behaving exactly as expected. We also spoil Trainwreck: Poop Cruise and briefly discuss Amy Bradley Is Missing. Palate Cleanser:TikTok trends including a man attempting (and failing) to learn how to DougieMuseums pairing classical art with modern film and TV audioPeople doing owl impressions in regional accents (including Moira Rose as an owl)Recommendations:Wine & Crime – “Cruise Ship Disappearances” (Episode 7) for an unsettling overview of nightmares at seaOther episodes of Netflix’s Trainwreck, especially Astroworld, Balloon Boy, and Mayor of MayhemAmy Bradley Is Missing (Netflix) – watch with a critical eye Titanic and the Titanic: Ship of Dreams podcast for deep dives into hubris at seaThe Devil in the White City by Erik LarsonYellowjackets, FantasticLand, The Platform, Under the Dome, The Mist, and The Shining for enclosed-space psychological breakdownsBetter Call Saul for class-action lawsuits and legal cynicismSudden Storm, about the Galveston hurricaneThe 30 Rock episode “Double-Edged Sword” for plane-based claustrophobic comedyAnd, always, AndorHomework:Next episode, we pivot back into true crime cursed family, with Captive Audience: The Abduction of Steven Stayner, examining his kidnapping and the devastating ripple effects on his family.Coming up soon:Start reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.Special thanks to Nancy Azano for the podcast cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and Harry Kidd for the opening and closing score (Instagram: @harryjkidd, Spotify). 

25 - Hereditary by Ari Aster

Send a textIn this episode, we tackle Hereditary, Ari Aster’s devastating 2018 debut and one of the films most often credited with launching a new era of “elevated horror.” After the death of her estranged mother, miniature artist Annie Graham struggles to process her complicated grief. When her daughter Charlie dies in a shocking accident, the family fractures under the weight of blame, guilt, and unbearable loss. What begins as a family drama about grief, resentment, and inheritance curdles into something far darker as supernatural events occur and Annie Graham and her family discover that their suffering may have been orchestrated long before the story even begins.We unpack the film as both a supernatural horror and a deeply human tragedy about motherhood, blame, intergenerational trauma, and the corrosive effects of grief. We discuss Annie’s ambivalence toward motherhood, Peter’s unbearable guilt and trauma, Charlie’s unsettling presence, and the way Ari Aster traps his characters inside a dollhouse world where something is playing with them. Along the way, we explore fate versus agency, cult manipulation, spiritualism and grief exploitation, and why this film hurts as much (or more?) than it scares.Content & Spoiler Warning: This episode includes discussion of child death, grief, suicide and suicidal ideation, self-harm, decapitation, anaphylaxis, possession, cults, toxic parent–child relationships, intergenerational trauma, mental illness, body horror, animal death (a dog, shown after the fact), disturbing sound design (including tongue clicking and wet mouth noises), and graphic emotional distress. Also, as usual, we fully spoil Hereditary. Close your eyes around 33 and half minutes. Listener and viewer discretion is advised.Here’s a link if you want to know more: https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3535054/hereditary-hidden-clues/Palate Cleanser:Heated Rivalry (HBO) - Caroline is obsessed! Watching TikToks of people reacting to shows they loveRecommendations:If Hereditary got under your skin, you might want to explore:Other Ari Aster films, especially Midsommar (grief, cults)The Sixth Sense (and our Episode 12) for another Toni Collette performance as a mom dealing with the supernatural.Rosemary’s Baby which is clearly an inspirationThe Babadook — motherhood, grief, and a difficult childPet Sematary (book) — Stephen King’s bleakest exploration of parental griefThe Shining for slow-burn dreadThe Haunting of Hill House for more family trauma wrapped in horrorUnobscured (Season 2) by Aaron Mahnke, for historical context on spiritualism Sleepwalk With Me by Mike Birbiglia, for a funnier take on sleepwalkingUnited States of Tara, for more Toni Collette navigating fractured identityThe Yellow Wallpaper (see our earlier episode), for women, madness, and being trapped inside domestic spacesHomework for Next Episode:Watch: Captive Audience: A Real American Horror StoryWe pivot back to true crime with the story of the Stayner family, another exploration of family trauma, captivity, and the long-term consequences of violence.But before that watch: Trainwreck: Poop Cruise (yes, really), followed by reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.Special thanks to Nancy Azano for the podcast cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and Harry Kidd for the opening and closing score (Instagram: @harryjkidd, Spotify). 

24 - Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers by Emily Turner

Send us a textIn this episode, we discuss Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, Emily Turner’s documentary about Aileen Wuornos, a rare, hands-on female serial killer whose life is steeped in trauma, exploitation, and state violence. We discuss our views on the death penalty and then unpack whether Aileen’s childhood abandonment, sexual abuse, homelessness, and years of sex work made her into a "monster”. We discuss  nature vs nurture, the deeper horror of the targeting of sex workers; misogynistic and homophobic rhetoric, and the way prosecutors, cops, lawyers, and her “adoptive” mother profited from Aileen's story.Content & Spoiler Warning:This episode includes discussion of capital punishment, sexual assault, sex work, misogyny, child abuse and neglect, mental illness, suicide, corruption, homophobia, and of course murder and serial killers in general. We also spoil this documentary. Palate cleanser:The films of Rob Reiner, whose work, such as The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, This is Spinal Tap, and When Harry Met Sally has shaped our cinematic lives almost as much as Star Wars.Other recommendations:Other media covering Aileen Wuornos includes Nick Broomfield’s documentary Selling of a Serial Killer, the Oscar-winning film Monster starring Charlize Theron, the podcast the Last Podcast on the Left (Aileen Wuornos two-parter), the podcast Women and Crime (criminology professors discuss female offenders), and My Favorite Murder (episode 96).Dateline & 13 Alibis – for exploration of wrongful prosecutions The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog – ongoing recommendation if you want to learn more about the impact of childhood trauma.S-Town (podcast) – a portrait of a damaged, brilliant man Shiny Happy People and The Righteous Gemstones – to explore evangelical excess and hypocrisy.The Crucible – for witch-hunt logic, moral absolutism, and judges who sound a lot like Aileen’s.Betrayal (podcast, not the documentary) – a woman uncovering that her teacher husband was abusing students.Our past episodes on Spotlight and Catch and Kill  for the horrific impact of sexual abuse.Dexter - a unique take on a Florida serial killerSons of Anarchy for biker bars similar to the Last Resort, where Aileen was arrested.Making a Murderer for troubling confessions.My Favorite Murder episode 145 on the McMartin pre-schoolThe Green Mile - both the book and the movie for a riveting story of death row inmatesSuper Troopers for highway cops with prominent moustaches. Homework for next episode:Watch: Hereditary (2018)Next up, we pivot from true crime back to horror cinema with Ari Aster’s Hereditary. What's the connection? Shocking violence on a highway. You might want to close your eyes around 33 and a half minutes.And coming up on a future episode, start reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia. Special thanks to Nancy Azano for the podcast cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and Harry Kidd for the opening and closing score (Instagram: @harryjkidd, Spotify). 

23 - Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein

Send us a textIn this episode, we discuss Guillermo del Toro’s gorgeous and gothic adaptation of Frankenstein, an epic, operatic exploration of creation, obsession, abandonment, and the horror of living after being rejected by the world. We discuss our own life goals and the hollowness that can follow achieving your greatest ambition, before diving into this reimagining of Mary Shelley’s  ground-breaking novel. We unpack the cinematic devices, symbolism, use of light and colour, as well as each character and what motivates them. We explore themes of immortality as a curse, intergenerational trauma, scientific overreach, colonialism, class violence, and what happens when society decides someone is a monster.Content & Spoiler Warning:We spoil Frankenstein (the novel and film), and the film and our dicussion has body horror, animal death (wolves), child abuse, death during childbirth, toxic father–son relationships, and corpse desecration.Palate cleanser:Star Wars (Original Trilogy) – Caroline is revisiting the entire Star Wars universe in timeline order, and despite some CGI should never have happened, these movies hold up.Recommendations:Little Shop of Horrors – mad science, creation, and unintended consequencesMy Cousin Vinny – for unexpected tonal callbacksMarvel films (Frankenstein connects to Captain America, Ultron, and Hulk lore)Inglourious Basterds, Indiana Jones, The Sound of Music – confronting Nazi violence and persecutionDeath Becomes Her and Vampire lore– immortality is its own horrorAlice in Wonderland and Beetlejuice – embracing the strange and unusualLittle Women (2019) – the dance scenes are similar.Dr. Death (podcast) – psychotic doctors and medical hubrisBook Cheat (podcast) – a comic shortcut to classic literatureEpistolary horror: Dracula, Carrie“The Monkey’s Paw” – the danger of subverting deathJurassic Park, Terminator, M3GAN, Oppenheimer, Edward Scissorhands – losing control of creationGuillermo del Toro’s other works: Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, The Shape of Water, Pinocchio, Hellboy, Blade II Homework:Watch Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers (Netflix) A documentary that continues exploring how society punishes those it deems monstrous. Special thanks to Nancy Azano for the podcast cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and Harry Kidd for the opening and closing score (Instagram: @harryjkidd, Spotify).

22 - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Send us a textIn this Christmas special of Drawn To Darkness, we swap favourite festive films (from Die Hard and It’s a Wonderful Life to The Muppet Christmas Carol and Scrooged) before diving into Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. We’ll discuss the plot and characters (Scrooge, Marley, the three spirits, Fezziwig, Tiny Tim, Fred), unpack life in Victorian London with its filth, disease, child labour, workhouses, debtor’s prisons and ghost-obsessed spiritualism, and trace how Dickens wrote this “ghostly little book” as a sledgehammer blow against capitalism, greed and cruelty. Along the way we’ll call out Dickens’ own contradictions (social critic, but a terrible husband), compare Bob Cratchit’s wages to modern minimum wage debates, talk through the horror of dying unmourned and unnoticed, and discuss whether Ignorance is more dangerous than Want.  Content & Spoiler Warning:This episode includes spoilers for A Christmas Carol (book and major adaptations), and discussion of child death, Victorian poverty and disease, eternal damnation, bad bosses and workplace exploitation, and references to body parts/sexual topics. Palate Cleanser:The Office – “Dinner Party” (US) and Thor: RagnarokRecommendations:Muppet Christmas Carol, Scrooged – Bill Murray’s ‘80s TV-exec Scrooge, Mickey’s Christmas Carol (Marley's door-knocker and Scrooge’s hellfire grave are seared into our brains)Other Christmas movies like It’s a Wonderful Life  and Elf because like Scrooge, Walter Hobbes needs some Christmas spirit. Newsies – A musical that reflects Dickens’ views on child labor. Parasite – For a contemporary look at the horrors of the class divide.The Castle – Australian working class family cult favourite that’s giving Bob Cratchit. Home for the Holidays – Caroline’s favourite holiday movie with a cast including Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Dylan McDermott, and Claire Danes Christmas specials! Look up your favourite 80s or 90s TV show and find their Christmas special (Caroline recommends Roseanne & 90210)The Haunting of Bly Manor – For “ghost stories at Christmas” vibes Time Bandits (TV) – jokes about how  gross and diseased Victorian London wasHugh Grant’s narration of A Christmas Carol (though his soothing voice might put you to sleep)  which dovetails with Dickens’ descriptions of cholera-era filth. The Signalman –A lesser-known Dickens ghost story The Phantom Tollbooth – Audiobook family favourite for CarolineCharlie and the Chocolate Factory  by Roald Dahl – Structurally similar morality lessonsThe podcast Scared To Death –annual Christmas readings of classic ghost stories, Dark Myths, Misdeeds and the Paranormal -if you want to know more about Dickens’ fascination with spiritualism and the paranormal. Black Mirror "White Christmas” – another Christmas special featuring eternal torment Homework:Watch: Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro) on Netflix.Special thanks to Nancy Azano for our cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and to Harry Kidd for our opening score (Instagram: @harryjkidd)