Such a Nightmare: Conversations about Horror

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) | Episode #51

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss the 1989 horror-comedy film A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. 

Episode Highlights: We argue that while this is our least favorite Nightmare film to date, a "bad" Nightmare is still leagues above a lot of other horror. We deconstruct the death scenes of Greta and Mark and share where we wished the film had gone a step further; we also explore the franchise's continued motif of parental disinterest and the ways that this film, in particular, drops (to its detriment) the franchise's larger institutional critique.

A Dose of Scholarship: We reference Gary Heba's 1995 article "Everyday Nightmares: The Rhetoric of Social Horror in the Nightmare on Elm Street Series."

This podcast episode first aired on July 19, 2021.

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

(The) Little Shop of Horrors (1960 + 1986) | Episode #50

In this spooktacular 50th episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss not one but two hungry plants as they compare the 1960 black-and-white horror film The Little Shop of Horrors and the 1986 horror-musical film Little Shop of Horrors.

Episode Highlights: We think about how these two films explore the themes of consumerism and consumption. And, looking at the wider Horror Shop 'verse, we discuss how these two movies (as well as the many staged productions) portray issues of race and class through their casting, production elements, music, and various endings.

A Dose of Scholarship: We discuss Marc Jensen's 2008 article in Cinema Journal "'Feed Me!': Power Struggles and the Portrayal of Race in Little Shop of Horrors."  (If you go to his LinkedIn page and scroll down to "publications," you can access the article!)

This podcast episode first aired on June 28, 2021.

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

Heathers (1989) | Episode #49

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss the 1989 horror-comedy film Heathers. 

Episode Highlights: We explore how this film uses the ridiculousness of high school for both comedic and horrific effect. We also talk about how the film uses both form and content to subvert traditions and break away from conformity, ensuring that "the only Heather-shaped box is a coffin."

A Dose of Scholarship: We discuss Jessica Gildersleeve's 2020 article "'A friend who stabs you': Abjection, Violence and the Female Clique in Film" in The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. Gildersleeve offers an intriguing way of contextualizing Heathers as she juxtaposes it alongside other films in this subgenre such as The Craft (1996), Jawbreaker (1999), and Mean Girls (2004). 

This podcast episode first aired on June 14, 2021.

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

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) | Film Review | Eerie Extras

In this Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca review the 2021 film The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

We discuss how this film compares to the 2013 and 2016 installments in the franchise and the ways that this newest film reinforces the affirmative stance of the Conjure-verse while also attempting to introduce new elements into the series.

This podcast episode first aired on June 4, 2021. 

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

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) | Episode #48

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss the 1988 horror-comedy film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. 

Episode Highlights: We explore how this film fits into the larger narrative of the franchise, and we argue that although Nightmare 4 continues the narrative of the previous movie, it doesn't carryover the disaffirmative nature of the prior films. We also talk about the consequences of the film's breaking of the monster/final girl binary as Alice begins to become the dream master. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We bring back a favorite piece of scholarship in this episode--Jeffrey Jerome Cohen's "Monster Theses," which offer a systematic and intriguing framework for considering the role monsters (and monster texts) play in our culture.

This podcast episode first aired on June 1, 2021

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

A Quiet Place II (2021) | Film Review | Eerie Extras

In this Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca review the 2021 film A Quiet Place II.

We share our vastly different responses to this film, discuss how this movie fits in with its cinematic predecessor, and explore why A Quiet Place II might not be a horror film after all.

This podcast episode first aired on May 29, 2021.

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

Army of the Dead (2021)| Film Review | Eerie Extras

In this Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca review the 2021 horror film Army of the Dead.

We discuss our love for this film's heist-y moves, talk about the splendidly over-the-top beginning (both of them!), and explore the potential downsides of having the zombies essentially be part of the movie's C-plot.

This podcast episode first aired on May 22, 2021.

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

Spiral (2021)| Film Review | Eerie Extras

In this Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca review the 2021 horror film Spiral.

We discuss our experiences being back in the movie theater for the first time post-COVID-19, talk about why we thought this film was just fine, and consider what the film could have done differently.

This podcast episode first aired on May 21, 2021.

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

One Cut of the Dead (2017) | Episode #47

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss the 2017 horror-comedy film One Cut of the Dead. 

Episode Highlights: We explain how, as theater kids, this film utterly charmed us. Using the concept of the metanarrative as our framework, we explore whether this is actually a zombie film (or whether that label even matters!), talk about the film's love of horror, and think about how this film constructs meaning through its multiple layers of reality. 

A Dose of Scholarship: We dive into the concept of metanarratives for this episode. Most good introductions to postmodernism will explore this concept in more detail, and you can also look to the works of Jean-François Lyotard for more. 

This podcast episode first aired on May 19, 2021

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

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) | Episode #46

In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss the 1987 horror-comedy film A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. 

Episode Highlights: We argue that this film presents an ultimately disaffirmative narrative by showing us that it isn't those outside the system that are the problem; it's the (medical/patriarchal) system that is broken and in need of being fixed. Exploring a film that delights us from start to finish, we look at Nightmare 3's examination of faith vs. science/reason, the slightly "icky" figure of Neil in Nancy's final girl narrative, and the idea of Freddy as a Christlike figure. (And Katherine apologies for calling the character Nancy by the name of the actress Heather!)

A Dose of Scholarship: We talk a lot about trauma in this episode; for a great resource on trauma studies, we recommend turning to Cathy Caruth's Unclaimed Experience: Trauma, Narrative, and History.

This podcast episode first aired on April 6, 2021

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