Such a Nightmare: Conversations about Horror

Carson Winter | Interview (2023) | Eerie Extras

In this very haunting Eerie Extra, co-host Katherine Troyer talks with horror writer Carson Winter. We discuss Carson's 2023 novella "Soft Targets" (through Tenebrous Press), the power and potential of weird horror, and what we would want to taste if we could taste any intangible thing. This interview is relatively spoiler free, so you should be able to enjoy it before or after reading "Soft Targets"!

 

Check out the novella at the Tenebrous Press site.

 

This interview occurred on February 27, 2023; the episode first aired on April 26, 2023.

 

CARSON WINTER is a minimalist weirdo, a conversational absurdist, and a vehemently bleak-minded artist making his home in the Pacific Northwest. His fiction has appeared in Vastarien, Apex, and Dread Stone Press’ Split Scream series. You can find him on Twitter @CarsonWinter3 or at carsonwinter.com.

 

Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare channel; Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; ALL LINKS

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) | Episode #85

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca grab their camping gear and head to the woods (metaphorically of course...Katherine is very allergic to nature) as they discuss the 1988 horror slasher film Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood.

Episode Highlights: We celebrate the arrival of Kane Hodder as Jason even as we question why the film is called "THE New Blood." We explore the film's premise of Jason vs. Carrie and the ways that this storyline creates an interesting final girl for a franchise lacking its own Laurie or Nancy. And we talk about the weirdness of the film's conclusion, particularly as the ghost of the once abusive father becomes the hero to save Tina, and how this narrative twist situates the film firmly in the affirmative camp. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We return to Horror Homeroom's special issue on Friday the 13th. In particular, we discuss Todd K. Platts' article "'It's Worth Recognizing Only as an Artefact of Our Culture:' Critics and the Friday the 13th Franchise (1980-2001)." And we continue to rely on Wickham Clayton's invaluable scholarly contribution to this franchise with his 202 book SEE! HEAR! CUT! KILL! Experiencing Friday the 13th.

This podcast episode first aired on March 30, 2023.

Our outstanding editor Jackson O'Brien is amazing...thank you Jackson!

ALL LINKS  Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare;  Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; Website: suchanightmare.com

Barbarian (2022) | Episode #84

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca discuss writer and director Zach Cregger's unexpected (and unexpectedly funny) 2022 horror film Barbarian. 

Episode Highlights: We talk about some of the behind-the-scenes decisions that had a profound impact on the final version of the film (including the original casting choice for Justin Long's character). Drawing deep from that one art appreciation class she took years ago, Katie describes the film as a triptych, with each of its three acts serving as distinct yet connected components. Toni shares some fascinating tidbits about the inspiration for this film's cinematography and how it impacts (consciously or subconsciously) the ways we see the "above" and "below" of this film. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, we revel in the film's ability to blend together--in unexpected but delightful ways--horror and comedy. 

A Dose of Scholarship: Since this is a new film, there isn't much scholarship (yet!) on this film, but we explore some of the existing thought pieces on Barbarian...including Sam Adam's Slate piece "Barbarian Is the Smartest, Funniest Horror Movie in Ages."  

This podcast episode first aired on March 10, 2023.

Thank you to our editor Jackson O'Brien who ensures that we sound better...literally and figuratively. 

ALL LINKS  Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare;  Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; Website: suchanightmare.com

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) | Episode #83

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca return to Crystal Lake yet again as they discuss the 1986 horror slasher film Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.

Episode Highlights: We talk about this film's unexpected (but rather delightful) comedy and the ways that the humor is used not only to make bit characters more memorable but as a way for the film to situate itself as a meta-horror/post-modern gothic text. We examine the film as a work of eco-horror and what Jason's supernatural status contributes to the film's exploration of the natural forces that can so easily destroy us. We also talk about the "restraint" of this film compared to some of the other entries in the franchise and how Jason Lives situates itself within the broader Friday the 13th universe. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We return to Horror Homeroom's special issue on Friday the 13th. In particular, we discuss Matthew Jones' article "Reanimating Collective Ecological Nightmares in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" and Brian Fanelli's article "No Clowning Around: The Gothic and Comedic Elements of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives." 

This podcast episode first aired on February 27, 2023.

We remain eternally grateful to our amazing editor Jackson O'Brien.

ALL LINKS  Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare;  Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; Website: suchanightmare.com

Heather Kelley | Interview (2023) | Eerie Extras

In this delightful Eerie Extra, co-hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca talk with actor, educator, and theatre administrator Heather Kelley. We had the opportunity to speak with Heather about her current (and super cool) research on the narratives of ghosts--and ghostly encounters--at three real-world theatres here in the United States: the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas; Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana; and the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Connecticut. Heather talks to us about the ways that ghosts give or deny voices to certain identities, how ghosts serve as manifestations of trauma, and how theatrical ghosts acknowledge the ephemeral nature of theatre. 

 

HEATHER KELLEY (she/her) is an award-winning actor, educator, and theatre administrator. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of the Arts and an MFA in Acting from Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory; at the time of this episode's publication, she is a PhD candidate in the Theatre & Performance program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Heather's current research focuses on dark tourism, ghosts as manifestations of trauma, haunted attractions, mediumship as performance, and depictions of the supernatural on stage and on screen. If you are a theatre patron and/or practitioner that has experienced unexplained and/or paranormal phenomena in a theatre or theatre-related structure, Heather invites you to contribute to her research by submitting your story here (you are very welcome to do so anonymously).

 

This interview occurred on January 13, 2023; the episode first aired on February 14, 2023.

 

Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare channel; Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; ALL LINKS

The Thing (2011) | Episode #82

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca continue things with their discussion of the 2011 horror film--and franchise prequel--The Thing. (Get it...continue things...with The Thing. Come for the bad puns, stay for more bad puns.)

Episode Highlights: We talk about our appreciation of the character Kate (and not only because she has an awesome name), and the ways that this character--as a female scientist--both offers something missing from the 1982 film and pays homage to the 1951 film's character of Nikki. We explore this film as a post-9/11 prequel and the ways that this film addresses a cultural need in the early 2000s for explicit answers rather than more ambiguous possibilities. And we question the purpose of the film's third act as we discuss how the film's focus on certain narrative elements shaped, for better and worse, the film's conclusion. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We invite you to check out the scholarship we discussed in this episode: James Kendrick's essay "The Terrible, Horrible Desire to Know: Post-9/11 Horror Remakes, Reboots, Sequels and Prequels" available in the 2017 edited collection American Cinema in the Shadow of 9/11 (edited by Terence McSweeney). 

This podcast episode first aired on February 7, 2023.

A big shout out of appreciation for our fantastic editor: Jackson O'Brien.

 

ALL LINKS  Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare;  Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; Website: suchanightmare.com

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) | Episode #81

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca grab their machetes for their discussion of the 1985 horror slasher film Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.

Episode Highlights: We talk about the film's attempt to pivot the franchise and the consequences--both in terms of fan reception and in terms of the film's narrative--of a Jason-less Friday the 13th film. Toni shares the (admittedly decades-old) gossip about all the behind-the-scenes drama of the film production. And we explore the elements that we liked about this film and the ways that this very gory film fits into the bigger franchise.

A Dose of Scholarship: We discuss Wickham Clayton's 2020 book SEE! HEAR! CUT! KILL! Experiencing Friday the 13th.

This podcast episode first aired on Friday the 13th...January 13, 2023.

Thank you Jackson O'Brien for being a fantastic editor!

ALL LINKS  Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare;  Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; Website: suchanightmare.com

The Things (1951+ 1982 Films) | Episode #80

In this spooktacular episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss not one but two (well, kind of three) THINGS:  the 1951 film The Thing from Another World, John Carpenter's beloved 1982 film The Thing, and the novella that started it all...John W. Campbell's 1938 "Who Goes There?"

Episode Highlights: We explore how the thing manages, time and again, to change its form in order to provide the most culturally relevant moments of horror. Looking particularly at the two films, we talk about the ways that the 1951 film presents a more affirmative "we can do it team!" mentality that stands in sharp contrast with the 1982 film's disaffirmative sense of paranoia and "everyone is the threat" mentality. We think about how each text depicts our alien invader and we consider what it is about this story that continues to haunt us in subsequent adaptations and remakes. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We discuss a number of pieces of scholarship: Stephen Price's essay "Dread, Taboo, and The Thing: Toward a Social Theory of the Horror Film" in the 2004 book The Horror Film, Ronald Allan Lopez Cruz's 2012 essay "Mutations and Metamorphoses: Body Horror is Biological Horror," and Eric White's 1993 article "The Erotics of Becoming: Xenogensis and 'The Thing.'"

 

This podcast episode first aired on December 19, 2022. Thank you Jackson O'Brien for being the best editor a horror podcast could ask for!

Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare channel; Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; ALL LINKS

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) | Episode #79

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca return to Crystal Lake once more for their discussion of the 1984 horror slasher film Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.

Episode Highlights: We talk about how this film works to set itself apart from the other entries in the franchise, even as it continues the franchise's MO of punishing teens for...well, being teens. Much of our examination of this episode centers on the relationship between Trish and Tommy Jarvis and the ways that they serve, respectively, as the film's final girl and final boy. Our scholarship for this episode encouraged us to explore further this idea of the final boy and if (and how) the concept of the final boy might differ from our understandings of the final guy à la Ash Williams. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We return, again, to Horror Homeroom's first special issue "Friday the 13th at 40" and we specifically reference Ethan Robles' article "'Die! Die! Die!': The Birth of the Final Boy in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter."

This podcast episode first aired on November 18, 2022.

What would we do without our editor-extraordinaire Jackson O'Brien? Probably lay down and cry. Thanks Jackson! 

 

ALL LINKS  Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare;  Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; Website: suchanightmare.com

Friday the 13th Part III (1982) | Episode #76

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca keep on camping as they discuss the 1982 horror slasher film Friday the 13th Part III.

Episode Highlights: We talk about how this particular entry in the franchise was disappointing as it was the exact same formula from the first two films...but somehow also worse than the first two films. We discuss the annoying Shelly (who reminded Katherine a lot of Franklin from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre). We think about the consequences of how this film seems less connected to the original story than the first two films. And we discuss the importance, culturally and narratively, of the character Debbie being pregnant and how that affects (or not) the ways we perceive the violence in this film. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We return, again, to Horror Homeroom's first special issue "Friday the 13th at 40" and we specifically reference Wickham Clayton's article "Killing the Sad Fat Guy and the Pregnant Lady: Uncomfortable Death in Friday the 13th Part III - 3D."

This podcast episode first aired on September 19, 2022.

We appreciate you Jackson O'Brien! Thanks for another great edit!

 

ALL LINKS  Twitter/Instagram: @NightmarePod1; YouTube: Such a Nightmare;  Email: suchanightmare.pod@gmail.com; Website: suchanightmare.com