In this episode, Carly and Coleman dive into the Saw franchise by breaking down the first movie. We’re rating traps, we’re pointing out red herrings, we are staring into the face of the homoeroticism brought even more to life in Saw: The Musical. This isn’t a pride episode, but it’s also not not a pride episode. 

Buckle in, or chain your foot to a pipe, for the first in a series of episodes covering the entire Saw franchise. 

**there are some spoilers for later Saw movies but we primarily focus on the first movie

Intro Music: Body in the trunk by Victor_Natas -- https://freesound.org/s/717975/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Outro Music: drum loop x5 by theoctopus559 -- https://freesound.org/s/622897/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Saw (2004) 

In this episode, we continue looking at horror through the decades and move into the 1940’s and 1950’s. You'll learn about how the holocaust and the development and use of nuclear weapons changed humanity's relationship to violence, fear, and destruction. We'll get into the genre trends that emerged during this time period, and how film was exploring and processing increasing fears about what humanity is truly capable of, both in the sense of violence and of suffering. We focus on 3 main horror film categories from the time: the duality of man/human-as-monster movies, giant radioactive monster movies, and alien invasion movies. 

Movies discussed: Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde (1941), Wolf Man (1941), Cat People (1942), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), War of the Worlds (1953), Them! (1954), Gojira/Godzilla (1954), Tarantula (1955), The Blob (1958)

Other media referenced:

Planet Auschwitz: Holocaust Representation in Science Fiction and Horror Film and Television by Brian E. Crim

Duck & Cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60]

Intro Music: Body in the trunk by Victor_Natas -- https://freesound.org/s/717975/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Outro Music: drum loop x5 by theoctopus559 -- https://freesound.org/s/622897/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Monsters and Invasions (Horror Through The Decades, 1940's-1950's)

In this episode, Carly is joined by food systems writer Kayla to discuss Augustina Bazterrica’s 2017 novel, Tender Is The Flesh. Tender Is The Flesh tells the story of Marcos, a high level worker at a slaughterhouse that processes humans for meat in a post-animal world. You do not have to have read the book to get a lot out of this discussion—we dive into the parallels to real world food systems, ethics, and the way we use language to obfuscate our actions and ease our own minds.

You can find more from Kayla on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/oyveyitskay?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Or sign up for her newsletter on substack:

https://substack.com/@oyveyitskay



Intro Music: Body in the trunk by Victor_Natas -- https://freesound.org/s/717975/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Outro Music: drum loop x5 by theoctopus559 -- https://freesound.org/s/622897/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Tender is the Flesh with Kayla

In this episode, Carly will be taking you back to some of the earliest days of cinema—the 1920’s silent films and the talkies of the 1930’s. The roots of horror go back to these early films, and this episode will uncover some of the oldest roots of horror cinema. You’ll also get to learn more about the motion picture production code, sometimes known as the Hays Code, and how that affected the horror movies being made in Hollywood.

Here is the link to the video podcast covering the Mad Scientist trope over time that I referenced in the episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4yEj6knGb0

And in other news, What Haunts You? can now be found on Youtube! Subscribe to the podcast there as well:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9RM3LDfzoYRwPBKGHa5PUQ

**CORRECTION: During recording I mixed up my movies and said that Nosferatu was released in Germany in 1920, but it was actually released in 1922.

Intro Music: Body in the trunk by Victor_Natas -- https://freesound.org/s/717975/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Outro Music: drum loop x5 by theoctopus559 -- https://freesound.org/s/622897/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Horror and the Hays Code (Horror Through The Decades, 1920's-1930's)

This episode welcomes Kelly back to the podcast to discuss one of the earliest horror movies, 1921’s The Phantom Carriage. We discuss what makes this movie so impressive for its own time, and why we think it still holds up today. Kelly lays out some of the influence this movie has on later films, especially by her favorite director Ingmar Bergman. We particularly focus on Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal, two Bergman films with obvious roots in The Phantom Carriage. Join us for a conversation about how facing death makes us reflect on life, on our actions, and on the people we want to be.

You can find Kelly on letterboxd at Kellyvk

**CORRECTION: When discussing the motif of playing chess with Death, Kelly attributes this to Britain, but meant to refer to the region of Brittany.

Intro Music: Body in the trunk by Victor_Natas -- https://freesound.org/s/717975/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Outro Music: drum loop x5 by theoctopus559 -- https://freesound.org/s/622897/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Phantom Carriage (1921)

Fans around the world understand all that horror has to offer us, but non-horror fans continue to misunderstand it. In this episode, We will talk about what makes horror so special and what draws the horror community in. You'll get to hear a breakdown of some common criticisms  of the genre, as well as some counterarguments about why horror might be more valuable than people give it credit for. Enjoy this short primer episode that gives you an idea of the perspective you can hope to see more of in future episodes.

In Defense of Horror

Whlle new episodes are being recorded and prepared, Katie and Carly check in for a State of the Podcast Union. We discuss the changes coming for the podcast, say goodbye to Katie as a co-host, and talk about what the podcast will look like now that it's down to one host. We also talk about more plans we have in the works for another project. 

Updates for 2025

Does modern dating turn women into pieces of meat? Join Carly and Katie for Part 2 of their discussion of the 2022 movie, Fresh.

Fresh Part 2

In part 1 of our discussion of the Hulu movie Fresh we explore the themes of consumption, dating in the modern age, and gender dynamics. Join us as we discuss how these topics show up in film and real life.

Fresh Part 1

In this episode Carly and Katie discuss the introductory chapter of Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, by Carol J. Clover, published in 1992.  The book is a “cultural critique and investigation of gender in slasher films and the appeal of horror cinema, in particular the slasher, occult, and rape-revenge genres, from a feminist perspective.”

Music used under Creative Commons License

Halloween [https://freesound.org/people/ADnova/packs/20493/] » dootio [https://freesound.org/people/ADnova/sounds/490551/#]

By:https://freesound.org/people/ADnova/ [https://freesound.org/people/ADnova/sounds/490551/]

Come find us on instagram: instagram.com/whathauntsyoupod

Men, Women, and Chain saws--Intro: Carrie and the Boys

A podcast about the stories that haunt our dreams. 

What Haunts You? will cover horror and horror-adjacent movies, discussing the tropes, themes, and social commentary of the horror genre. 