Such a Nightmare: Conversations about Horror

Psycho (1960) | Episode #65

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca discuss the 1960 Hitchcock film Psycho. 

Episode Highlights: We talk about how this film provides the origins for many different horror tropes and elements (such as the highway horror sub-genre), even if we are reluctant to call Psycho itself a horror film. We explore how, despite being literally black-and-white, the film is filled with all shades of gray...as we are reminded--through the film's exploration of themes such as voyeurism and progress--that life rarely fits into neat little boxes. And, of course, we have to spend a few minutes talking about the infamous shower scene!

A Dose of Scholarship: We discuss Bernice M. Murphy's excellent analysis of Psycho in her book The Highway Horror Film. We also touch on the theory of non-place by Marc Augé. 

This podcast episode first aired on February 25, 2022.

This episode was edited by the talented Jackson O'Brien (you rock!).

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

Scream 2 (1997) | Episode #64

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca continue exploring the franchise as they discuss the 1997 horror film Scream 2. 

Episode Highlights: We talk about the ways that this film cleverly asks us to consider "What happens next?" after a slasher film ends. In particular, we look at how the film develops the character of Cotton Weary and the importance of Sidney building a community after her tragedy. We also think about the ways that this film encourages us to think about those left behind in the wake of the deaths caused not just by the killers but also by the Final Girls. And Toni shares some juicy details about Craven and the ratings board. 

A Dose of Scholarship: While there is not a lot of scholarship specifically on Scream 2, we encourage you to go back and look at the scholarship we discussed in our episode of the original Scream film. 

This podcast episode first aired on February 14, 2022.

This episode was edited by Jackson O'Brien (thank you Jackson!!).

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

My Heart Is a Chainsaw (2021) | Episode #63

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca discuss the 2021 horror novel My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones.

Episode Highlights: We talk about the character of Jade as the broken and beautiful Final Girl that we do not deserve, but that we so desperately need. Toni praises the use of the extra-credit essays between chapters, and Katherine admits that they were brilliant additions but reminded her a bit too much of grading. And we explore the ways that this novel forces us to confront both the power and limitations of this genre we so desperately love. 

A Dose of Scholarship: If you enjoy Jones' investigation into the Final Girl, we encourage you to read Carol J. Clover's discussion of this pivotal character in her 1992 work Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. In the episode we also reference the 2021 article "Pandemic Practice: Horror Fans and Morbidly Curious Individuals are More Psychologically Resilient During the COVID-19 Pandemic" by Coltan Scrivner, John A. Johnson, Jens Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, and Mathias Clasen.

This podcast episode first aired on February 13, 2022.

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

Scream (2022) | Film Review | Eerie Extras

In this Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca review the 2022 horror film Scream.

We discuss the ways that this film seeks to bridge the gap between the spirit of the original 1996 film and the shift horror has taken in the last decade (or so). We gush about what we enjoyed, talk through what we had hoped to see, and explore our feelings about this film's ghostface killers.

This episode first aired on February 4, 2022.

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

Scream (1996) | Episode #62

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca begin their foray into the Scream franchise as they discuss the 1996 horror film Scream. 

Episode Highlights: Essentially, we talk about the perfection of this film (Katherine gives it a 150 out of 100). We explore how Scream exists as a great horror film in its own right even as it offers important commentary and perspective on the genre. We look at the film's use of comedy; we examine how the film asks us to consider issues of privilege and consumption, and--of course--we spend some time thinking about final girls.  

A Dose of Scholarship: We discuss Valerie Wee's article "The Scream Trilogy, 'Hyperpostmodernism,' and the Late Nineties Teen Slasher Film" and Fran Pheasant-Kelly's essay “Reframing Parody and Intertextuality in Scream” in the edited collection Style and Form in the Hollywood Slasher.

This podcast episode first aired on February 4, 2022.

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

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) | Episode #61

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca conclude their investigation into the Nightmare franchise as they discuss the 2010 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street. 

Episode Highlights: We explore the ways that this film contrasts, and even actively pushes against, the original 1984 film. Looking at the 2010 film's take on a more realistic horror, a more serious Freddy, and a less feminist perspective, we argue that this remake loses the ambiguity and complexity present in the original film. And, of course, we mourn the loss of Robert Englund as Freddy. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We discuss Adam Lowenstein's "Alone on Elm Street" and Kyle Christensen's "'Look What You Did to Me!': (Anti)Feminism and Extratextuality in the Remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010). 

This podcast episode first aired on December 31, 2021.

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

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) | Episode #60

In this spooktacular Christmas episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss the 1993 stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Episode Highlights: We explore the beauty that is this film as well as work through the problematic, even racist elements of the movie. We talk about how much Foucault would have loved the panopticon promise of a jolly figure that sees you when you are sleeping and knows when you are awake...and they call him Sandy Claws. Anthony reveals some strange viewing habits, and we delight in the strangely conservative but utterly carnivalesque pageantry that are the holidays. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We discuss Beatrix Hesse's essay "Conservative and Countercultural Elements in Tim Burton's The Nightmare before Christmas." 

This podcast episode first aired on December 24, 2021.

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

The Final Girl Support Group (2021) | Episode #59

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss the 2021 novel The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.

Episode Highlights: We talk about how Hendrix complicates (in all the best ways) the concept of the final girl as the novel explores what it means to experience and survive trauma. Examining not only the book's narrative but also key elements of form (such as the ephemera between chapters), we ask--and seek to answer--the question: What does it mean for a final girl to be a final woman? And finally we discuss what we see as problematic tension between the novel's resolution of the final girl narrative and its larger disaffirmative themes. 

A Dose of Scholarship: Of course we had to turn to none other than Carol J. Clover for her formative discussion of the final girl in her 1992 work Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.

This podcast episode first aired on December 6, 2021

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

Freddy vs. Jason (2003) | Episode #58

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca find out what happens when Elm Street takes you straight to Camp Crystal Lake with their discussion of the 2003 horror-comedy film Freddy vs. Jason. 

Episode Highlights: We talk about how this film tried--sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing--to meet the needs of two very disparate fan bases. We explored the ways that the film depicted Freddy and Jason as well as how the film navigated its various plot lines. And, unsurprisingly, Katherine and Anthony had slightly different opinions about whether this film was delightfully terrible or just plain old terrible.

A Dose of Scholarship: In this episode, we look at an entire dissertation dedicated solely to this film! If you are interested in thinking further about this film, we highly recommend that you check out Jason M. Rapelje's "Fabricating Freddy vs. Jason: Understanding a Motion Picture as a Social Encounter between Fans and Filmmakers," which he wrote for his PhD at Western Michigan University.

This podcast episode first aired on November 8, 2021.

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

Halloween Kills (2021) | Film Review | Eerie Extra

In this special spooktacular Halloween episode hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss the 2021 horror film Halloween Kills. (Of course!)

Episode Highlights: Once again the co-hosts find themselves on opposite sides: Katherine continuing to root for the Halloween films and Anthony growing increasingly sad by the franchise. We explore the film's intriguing narrative focus on the dangerous consequences of the mob mentality. We also talk about our shared frustration over the film's inconsistent tonal shifts, and we speculate where the franchise will go next.

This podcast episode first aired on October 31, 2021.

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