A podcast about films of quiet horror
Our first episode of March is a springboard into the quietly blossoming world of contemporary Irish horror film. We discuss the emerging genre, its deep roots in folklore, and two representative recent films: 2015’s The Hallow and 2022’s Mandrake.
We continue our Cronenberg discussion with one of his thorniest films, psychologically speaking: 1979’s The Brood. Thesis statement: emotions are real and powerful and if you don’t process them properly, murderous rage babies will result.
It’s David Cronenberg season here at QLH. We kick off a pair of episodes on his extensive, intensive, and twisted body of work (see what we did there) with 1986’s The Fly. We discuss the film’s connections to the original, disease metaphors, and the unbearable oddness of being Jeff Goldblum.
We continue this month’s parenthood theme with the 2021 horrific fairy tale Lamb, which turns out to be more than just a weirdly cute A24 marketing campaign. We discuss the dark side of wanting a child, the traditional martyrdom of mothers, and, once again, how fairy tales are actually kind of messed up.
Happy New Year! This month we’re discussing films that deal with the topic of parenthood, so the first film we’re taking on is, of course, David Lynch’s 1977 Eraserhead. What a way to start the year. Hold on to your hair.
It’s several complicated layers of found footage horror in our discussion of 2018’s Butterfly Kisses. We talk some more about the genre’s advantages and limitations, some more of our favorite found footage horror films, and a couple of our least favorite found footage horror films.
This month we’re tackling “found footage” horror films and shaking it up right out of the gate by first discussing this year’s We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, directed by Jane Schoenbrun. We cover the evolution of found footage, internet storytelling culture and how the kind of low-key horror in this form opens up exploration.
We wrap up our discussion of 80s horror by going deep into one of the decade’s most idiosyncratic offerings: Kathryn Bigelow’s solo directorial debut from 1987, Near Dark. Let’s talk incredible vibes, the ongoing evolution of the vampire, and Bill f-ing Paxton.
This month is all about horror films from the 80s. We each talk about a film we find interesting from the era: Jen brings The Hunger and Jessi discusses Inferno—both of which, coincidentally, are part of the current 80s Horror collection streaming on the Criterion Channel.
Happy Halloween! This month we each brought a film that was influential in our love of horror film. Since our picks were secrets to the other one before recording, we’ll keep the bit going and let you discover what films we chose to discuss for yourself.