Drawn to Darkness

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) 

21 - The Tuskegee Syphilis Study (via You’re Wrong About)

Send us a textIn this episode we unpack the history and ethics of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932–1972), guided by Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall’s reporting in You’re Wrong About. We recount how U.S. Public Health Service researchers recruited 600 Black men in Macon County, Alabama under the promise of treatment for “bad blood,” then withheld effective care, even after penicillin became a simple cure, so they could watch the disease progress. We explore why the study was “bad science” as well as immoral; the racist assumptions baked into its design (e.g., claims that syphilis affects Black bodies differently); and why it kept running long after penicillin was a viable option because the participants as “more valuable” as cadavers). Content & Spoiler Warning:This episode includes spoilers for the You’re Wrong About two-parter on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and discussion of: medical racism, eugenics, unethical human experimentation, government misconduct, venereal disease symptoms and treatment (e.g., spinal taps, mercury “rubs”), lynchings, sterilisation without consent, infection of prisoners, intergenerational trauma, and mental-health impacts.Palate CleanserMax Rebo Productions (TikTok): Classic Star Wars toys lip-sync famous ‘90s movie scenes (Karate Kid, Home Alone, My Cousin Vinny). Pure delight between heavy topics.Recommendations:Podcasts & EpisodesYou’re Wrong About — Tuskegee two-parter; plus episodes on Anita Hill, eugenics, Reagan/Trump, DARE, Satanic Panic/D&D.Distrust & Disparities — Two-parter on Tuskegee and broader medical inequities.Black History for White People — Discussion including hospital perspectives.1619 — “How the Bad Blood Started.”The Breakdown (Sean King) — Context for vaccine hesitancy vs. Tuskegee.This Podcast Will Kill You — Syphilis overview and history.The Dollop — Syphilis episode (history).American Scandal (Wondery) — Tuskegee season (Ep. 1 free).Sounds Like a Cult — Humanitarian/aid-adjacent critique.Seeing White - Episodes 1 & 2Books & Articles:Medical Apartheid — On systemic medical exploitation and its legacy.The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.Works by Dale Huey and Ta Nehisi CoatesFilms & TV:The Fall of the House of Usher (Mike Flanagan) — Sackler-like family and “bad drugs.”Westworld — How people treat “less-than-human” beings.Stranger Things — Dr. Brenner as “greater good” rationaliser.The Pitt — Representation matters in diagnosis (sickle cell storyline).Sinners (set in Mississippi sharecropping milieu) and Weapons.  Both flagged for future episodes for sure!Contacts:Makeda Pennycooke, Life Coach & Chance Strategist for anti-racism coaching makeda@makedapennycooke.comHomework:Watch: Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro) on Netflix to explore the ethics of creation. and it includes a syphilis line: “A night with Venus, a lifetime with mercury.”But before that, it’s our Christmas special! So read, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.Special thanks to Nancy Azano for our cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and to Harry Kidd for our opening score (Instagram: @harryjkidd) 

20 - Grey Gardens by the Maysles brothers

Send us a textWelcome back to Drawn to Darkness, the podcast where we deep dive into our favourite horror and true crime. In this episode, we head deep into the peeling wallpaper, raccoon-infested attic, rotting walls and shingles, and extraordinary psychology of Grey Gardens, the 1975 direct-cinema documentary that follows Big Edie and Little Edie Beale, two formerly glamorous socialites now living in overwhelming decay and filth in their once-grand Hamptons estate. We  unpack the house as gothic horror, Little Edie’s charm, yearning, and self-loathing (as well as her fabulous head scarves), Big Edie’s pride in her aristocratic past, the mother daughter dynamic, and then men who didn’t help (at least Jackie Kennedy Onassis stepped in). We discuss the film’s reputation as a masterpiece, the tension between fascination and voyeurism and its connection to contemporary reality TV such as Hoarders.Content & Spoiler WarningIn addition to spoilers, this episode contains discussion of animal neglect and unsanitary living conditions, including cat faeces, raccoons, fleas, and hoarding, Toxic mother–daughter relationships, psychological distress, Isolation, mental health concerns, and hints of past traumaPalate CleanserTikTok trend of people strolling through HomeGoods and dramatically “discovering” absurdly specific décor items (like a “bird on a golden twig” or a “portrait of an elephant in a bathtub, but just the butt”). Just for fun.All the Star Wars, including RebelsThe Whimsical Muse on Threads, an account full of cozy, bookish, soft-rain-in-Edinburgh energy to restore your faith in the world.Recommendations:Films & TV:Grey Gardens (2009) — The Drew Barrymore/Jessica Lange dramatizationDocumentary Now! — “Sandy Passage” — Bill Hader and Fred Armisen’s hilarious Grey Gardens parodyGimme Shelter — Another documentary by the Maysles BrothersAmerican Horror Story: Season 1— For claustrophobic house-based dreadFeud: Capote v. the Swans — For more on high-society mythology (creative non-fiction)Arrested Development and Schitt’s Creek— Wealthy family, disastrous decline, narcissistic mother: say no moreThe Haunting of Hill House — For more gothic “dancing alone in an empty house” Books & Literary ConnectionsThe Marble Fawn of Grey Gardens by Jerry Torre and the novel by Nathanial HawthorneThe Fall of the House of Usher (Edgar Allan Poe)The Little Stranger by Sarah WatersThe Silent Patient by Alex MichaelidesA Raisin in the Sun & Langston Hughes’ “Harlem” (what happens to a dream deferred?)The Great Gatsby for Gilded Age illusionsOther Fascinating Rabbit HolesThe Winchester Mystery House — Another sprawling home built on grief, ghosts, and possible madnessHomework Assignment: Caroline is taking us into the horrors of scientific research gone wrong. Listen to the two-part “Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment” series from the podcast You’re Wrong About. We’ll explore the real-life horror of government-sanctioned cruelty, medical racism, and scientific exploitation.Special thanks to Nancy Azano for our cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and to Harry Kidd for our opening score (Instagram: @harryjkidd) 

19 - Stranger Things: Season 4

Send us a textIn this extra-long deep dive, we unpack  the entire “epic” and “metal” Stranger Things Season 4. This season is a tonal shift from goosebumps to true horror. We’ll explore Vecna/Henry Creel/001, Max’s near-death escape thanks to Kate Bush, as well as the way the show blends horror, sci-fi, action, and 80s nostalgia. We discuss each character’s best moments and arc, as well as our favourite scenes, the Russian prison plotline, Eddie’s heroism, our hopes and dreams for Season 5, and the show’s major themes: grief, depression, friendship, shame and sacrifice.Spoiler + Content Warning:Torture, Body horror, including eye mutilation, broken bones, Violence against teenagers, Psychological distress, including depression, suicidal ideation, and severe bullying. A tortured bunny, Child abuse, cult hysteria, and vigilante violence.*Always check Does the Dog Die? before viewing if you have specific triggers or phobias.Palette CleanserNobody Wants This (Netflix) – Caroline’s romcom pick featuring Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) and Kristen Bell.Go touch grass and go campingOther RecommendationsThunderbirds because David Harbour is in it.Fantastic Four and A Quiet Place day One to see Eddie! Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves for a fun fantasy adventure Men in Black, evoked by the “Weekly Watcher” newspaper reference.Dick – Watergate references.One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Girl, Interrupted for depictions of institutionalisation paralleling Eleven’s confinement.The Exorcist – possession and floating Weeds becauseof  Matthew Modine (Papa) Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler – dystopian, psychological, and thematically similar.The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub because Lucas is reading it to Max in the final scene.Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Piranesi for parallel-realm narratives.Halloween because Vecna’s disappearance echoes Michael MyersThe Ring – Max’s countdown mirrors the “seven days” curse.NeverEnding Story, Silence of the Lambs, Nightmare on Elm Street, Jurassic Park, Carrie, It, and any classic Spielberg – all noted as season influences or direct references.Guide to the Unknown – a podcast about real-world Stranger Things-style lore.Ghosts in the Burbs – especially early episodes exploring suburban darkness.10 Cloverfield Lane – evoked by bunker/silo scenes.The Crucible, Frankenstein, and I Am Legend (novel) – literary parallels to hysteria, monstrosity, and alternate worlds.You’re Wrong About – Dungeons & Dragons episode – for understanding Satanic Panic context.Strange Indeed podcast – episode-by-episode Stranger Things breakdown.Mean Girls – because Angela is the meanest girl.Parks and Recreation – for the town hall scene reference.Homework:Grey Gardens (1975) – the documentary about Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s eccentric aunts living in a decaying manor, chosen because of the “crumbling Vecna manor vibes.”Thanks for listening and to the Duffer brothers, don't you dare lay a hand on Steve or Dustin!Special thanks to Nancy Azano for our cover art (Instagram: @nancyazano) and to Harry Kidd for our opening score (Instagram: @harryjkidd)