Spooky Bitch Gang are proud to co-present a rare screening of Ken Russell’s 1971 masterpiece, The Devils with Static Vision. Friends of the pod Static Vision present their latest film festival Goodbye, Pink Flamingo, a three-day, single-screen event showcasing a global selection of groundbreaking queer, punk, feminist and DIY cinema, curated as a tribute to […]
Episode 72: Longlegs
With the most impressive viral marketing campaign since Skinamarink, Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs was a sensation long before anyone even knew Nicolas Cage was involved. We discuss the good and the bad of this fascinating and ambitious film and wonder if it ever had a chance of living up to the hype. Also includes discussions of Twisters (2024), Messiah of Evil (1973) and […]
When You Dream That You’re Dreaming: The enduring urgency of Messiah of Evil
Many horror films from the late 1960s and the early 1970s are marked by disillusionment, by a sense of slipping reality, a malignant and sometimes surreal sense that the world is not a kind place. Films like Night of the Living Dead, The Devils, Straw Dogs and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre emerged from a period […]
Longlegs and the Burden of Feminine Sacrifice (2024)
Care has been taken to avoid spoilers in this review but please proceed with caution if you have not seen the film. An innovative and aggressive marketing campaign may have prepared audiences for Longlegs’ nightmarish visual elements and unsettling tone but it certainly didn’t signal the film’s complex and deeply intimate take on motherhood and […]
Episode 71: Bigfoot & Friends
He’s big, he’s hairy and he lives in the woods. No it’s not another Russell Crowe movie; it’s Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the yeti, yowie, and more. We discuss some of the hairy forest-dweller’s onscreen appearances, and what we’ve learned about Bigfoot’s (and similar monsters’) place in the pop culture canon. Includes discussions of A Quiet Place: Day […]
Episode 70: The Exorcism
Was anyone asking for another exorcism-based horror movie starring Russell Crowe? Well, we got one anyway! This time it’s a bit meta with a personal connection to a certain venerated classic. We take a look at Crowe’s latest foray into the horror genre and wonder if the exorcism sub-genre is all dried up. Plus some […]
Episode 69: The Sixth Sense
M. Night Shyamalan’s breakthrough feature is twenty-five years old this year. Does the rapturous acclaim it received at release still hold up today, or has its maverick director run out of goodwill? We talk about its quirks, its lasting influence, and what makes it a great horror movie. Also includes discussions of The Witch’s Mirror a.k.a El espejo de […]
Episode 68: Disaster Movies
These movies might not be technically horror, but they definitely scratch the same part of our brain that wants thrills, chills and mayhem. Disaster movies pit humanity against some of its harshest challenges. What is revealed when everything is stripped away from the human spirit? Includes discussions of Tarot (2024), Sleep Has Her House (2017), Deluge (1933), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Submersion of Japan a.k.a. Japan […]
Episode 67: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the most recognisable cult films of all time and beloved by many. We take a closer look at the themes, story, and possible problems with the radical queer musical. How does something this groundbreaking and beloved hold up and what can it offer us in the 21st […]
Episode 66: Techno-Horror
We can’t live without technology, but is that a good thing? The most rapidly changing facet of our existence offers fertile ground for exploring all kinds of horrifying things. We’re entering the virtual world and talking about how TV, computers, robots and more define and complicate our existence. Includes discussions of The Stepford Wives (1975), […]
Episode 65: The First Omen
Nearly fifty years on, The First Omen gives us a prequel to horror classic The Omen and it may surprise you to know it’s really good! Turning the familiar story into an alarming feminist tale, the film grapples with some massive themes. We talk about its unique and referential take on the genre. Also includes discussions of Godzilla x Kong: […]