Faculty of Horror

Episode 153. Open Wounds: In My Skin (2002)

Marina de Van’s debut feature shocked audiences and critics when it premiered. The film remained a cult classic for years in the New French Extremity movement slowly racking up fans and detractors. In 2025, Severin Films released an extensive two disc version with de Van’s film and a bunch of extras including this episode!  Join us as we dig into the gnarly underbelly of de Van’s meditation on the ownership of self and the extremes of self-preservation.    Thank you to Severin Films and be sure to check out the release!    Join our Patreon community!   REQUIRED READING In My Skin. Dir. Marina de Van, 2002.  LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Episode 152. Dangerous Minds: The Cell (2000)

Grab your zero gravity suit and lock in as Andrea and Alex delve into the sweeping mindscapes of Tarsem Singh’s striking debut feature. With its Silence of the Lambs influences to its stacked cast and extreme artistic influences, we discuss why this film remains so singular and explore the traces of DNA it carries from its predecessors.    Get the “Fix Your Hearts or Die” Merch by Goblin Purwin this June at our TeePublic Store! All proceeds will go to Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction.   Join our Patreon community!   REQUIRED READING The Cell. Dir. Tarsem Singh, 2000.  EXTRA CREDIT Hannibal Lecter: A Life. Brian Raftery’s new book about the infamous fictitious serial killer and his lineage.  The Disappointing History of Science in the Courtroom: Frye, Daubert, and the Ongoing Crisis of “Junk Science” in Criminal Trials by Jim Hilbert. From the Frye standard to Daubert, a history of legal “expertise.” Grotesque, Sublime and Monstrous: Horror in Art. A brief look at the origins of extreme horror in art.   LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Episode 151. Weird Science: Re-Animator (1985)

Andrea and Alex investigate the mysterious happenings in Stuart Gordon’s foray into the dark side of academia and science fiction in his first feature. Through the modernized adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s tales, they’ll uncover how class, opportunity, and gender factor into the film version.    Get the “Fix Your Hearts or Die” Merch by Goblin Purwin this June at our TeePublic Store! All proceeds will go to Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction.   Join our Patreon community!   REQUIRED READING Re-Animator. Dir. Stuart Gordon, 1985.  EXTRA CREDIT Herbert West—Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft. Read parts 1-6 free online.   Rue Morgue Library vol 11: The Weird World of H.P. Lovecraft.   Re-Animating a Literary Icon. Ravenous Monster’s interview with Stuart Gordon.   Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie. Andrew Tudor’s in-depth look at the impact of scientific advancements on the genre.    LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Episode 150. Private Lives: Paranormal Activity (2007)

Behind the door of a seemingly normal American home lies something evil. Something that’s been waiting. No, it’s not a demon – it’s a heteronormative relationship with a total douchebag!  Join Alex and Andrea for a dive into the murky waters of demonology, tech bros, and home security with Oren Peli’s feature film debut.    Join our Patreon community!   REQUIRED READING Paranormal Activity. Dir. Oren Peli, 2007.  EXTRA CREDIT The Faculty of Horror: Episode 26. Mother Lover: Matriarchy in The Wicker Man (1973 & 2006) and Paranormal Activity 3 (2011).Horror’s New Wave: 15 Years of Blumhouse. In which Jason Blum break’s down PA’s long road to theatrical release.  With Paranormal Activity, Paramount Sets New Marketing Model. An overview of the grassroots marketing campaign. Surveillance Tech is Changing Our Behaviour and Our Brains. How our rapidly evolving technology is taking over our domestic and public spaces.  I Love My Husband (Who Hates Me). The Cut’s piece on the socially acceptable misogyny in heteronormative relationships.    “Understanding Home Video” from Home Truths? Video Production and Domestic Life: Tracing the home video industry from America’s Funniest Home Videos to FailArmy.   The right-wing roots of Silicon Valley: traces the roots of the techbro boom in the ’90s to the “free thinkers” of the modern manosphere.   LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”

Episode 149. Bloodlust: The Last House on the Left (1972)

Wes Craven’s first feature continues to draw audiences and critics to it. By examining the production, reception, and impact of The Last House on the Left, Andrea and Alex will investigate the legacy of the rape-revenge subgenre and our evolving understanding of it.  *Apologies for the poor audio on this one, guys! We’ll catch that gremlin one day and we’ll skin him alive! Join our Patreon community!   REQUIRED READING The Last House on the Left. Dir. Wes Craven, 1972.  EXTRA CREDIT A Promising Young Woman and the End of the Girlboss Era. Ayesha A. Siddiqi’s in-depth analysis of the Emerald Fennell’s first feature.  Screams and Nightmares: The Films of Wes Craven. A thorough look at Craven’s oeuvre with insights and anecdotes from the man himself. Celluloid Crime of the Century – the full 2003 doc is on YouTube, featuring interviews with Craven, Cunningham, and select castmembers.   LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As”