Fright School

Happy Holidays, Fright School! This week we unpack some of our Christmas traditions. Joshua talks about Middle of Beyond and Horrornaments and Joe tells a delightful story of Christmas on Guam. Joe has been reading with the results leading to today’s movie pick: CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS. Anyone else hear Bono echoing in their heads? It’s SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT meets TERMINATOR when a life size robot Santa, clearly infected with GREMLINS, goes haywire and kills the hottest guy with a mullet Joe has ever seen. We turn to Snopes to learn about the Native American hair myth discussed in the film, share our thoughts on A CHRISTMAS STORY, and discuss our belief in Santa Claus. 

Joyeux Noël Fright School! We’re being very French on today’s episode. First we catch up on the week! Joshua and Joe popped up on the GEEKSCAPE 3rd Annual Holiday Livestream Spectacular. We chat about HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, Vampira’s 100th birthday, and Tik Tok dancer Brian Esperon. This week, we are continuing our Santa themed holiday horror with 1989’s DEADLY GAMES aka 3615 CODE PèRE NOËL aka DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS aka HIDE AND FREAK aka THE MOVIE HOME ALONE MAY HAVE RIPPED OFF. We discuss French Christmas traditions, learn about Minitel, and Joshua makes a confused French Revolution metaphor. 

Season’s Grieving Fright School! It’s the Ghoultide! We welcome Ashley back to the Wes Craven Memorial Library In PERSON! We discuss the death of Christine McVie. Joe watched CHRISTMAS WITH YOU. We took a field trip to see VIOLENT NIGHT. It was not what Joshua was expecting, but we had fun! Spoilers abound, Boils and Ghouls! David Harbour stokes our Santa Zaddy fetishes while bludgeoning bad guys with a sledgehammer. Merry f*#@?&% Christmas! Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer Violent Night (2022) The 3rd Annual Geekscape Holiday Livestream Spectacular! Joshua joined GEEKSCAPE for Remembering X-Men: THhe Animated Series After 30 Years! Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can

Welcome back to Fright School! Joshua clarifies that from the day after Labor Day until the day before Thanksgiving is Halloween so Mariah needs to keep her song to herself until THEN! Joe went to Baltimore because she is a werkin’ gurl! Joshua celebrated 30 years of X-Men The Animated Series over on Geekscape! We chat about the new adaptation of INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. This week we watched BARBARIAN! It was basically an extended infomercial about how AIRBNB is ruining neighborhoods and killing any promise of affordable housing for the labor class. Also, incest mutant monsters. Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer BARBARIAN (2022) How A Self-Help Book Inspired The Horror Film “Barbarian” Joshua joined GEEKSCAPE for Remembering X-Men: THhe Animated Series After 30 Years! Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Ins

Welcome back to Fright School! Joshua recounts the Oingo Boingo concert. Why can’t people just show up and watch the concert?! This week we finally discuss Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER! Joe survived his first watch! We explore the further regions of Queerness in the work of Barker. We also chat about HULU’s HELLRAISER reboot. Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer HELLRAISER (1987) Official trailer HELLRAISER (2022) Hellbound Hearts: What Makes Hellraiser Queer by RIley Wade Queer & Now & Then: 1987 By Michael Koresky Femme Regard SYNC Kickstarter! Joshua joined GEEKSCAPE for Remembering X-Men: The Animated Series After 30 Years! Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can

Welcome back to Fright School! We begin this week’s episode with an ode to Leslie Jordan. We discuss favorite moments in his career, the archetype of the “Sissy,” and prioritizing authenticity over safety. Joshua totally forgets to discuss Jordan’s American HORROR Story guest appearances but he was feeling verklempt. Joe went Halloweening as a member of the First Wive’s Club. This week we close the book (possibly? maybe? probably not?) on the odyssey of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers with HALLOWEEN ENDS. Is it a low key remake of CHRISTINE? Is it lacking in the feminist efforts of the previous films? Can Joshua apply his grad school therapy nonsense to the Corey character? Only one of those questions has a real answer and it isn’t the one you want… Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer HOCUS POCUS 2 (2022) Traumatized? Horror like ‘Halloween Ends’ shows how to fight back by Sonny Bunch Halloween Ends Is a Stealth Remake of Another John Carpenter Classic by ALAN DORICH Halloween Ends’ Fails Audie

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FRIGHT SCHOOL! Let’s celebrate Hocus Pocus 2! Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer HOCUS POCUS 2 (2022) Femme Regard SYNC Kickstarter! Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can benefit from his and co-founder of WE KNOW PODCASTING Chris Fafalios' 25+ years of combined experience to take your show to the next level. They want to share their experience with you, giving you a leg up on the competition. In a world of run-of-the-mill podcasts, you can stand out from the crowd with a professional and engaging show! Fright School Recommended Texts: IT CAME FROM THE CLOSET: Queer Reflections on Horror Edited by Joe Vallese Creepy Bitches: Essays On Horror Fr

Welcome back to Fright School! What a month we have been having! We finally checked out Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights! Joshua made his annual trek to Knott’s Scary Farm. Joe, acting as a Horror Sherpa in his own right, navigated The Scare Zone at Del Mar Fairgrounds! This week, we’re taking a look back at HOCUS POCUS! We put our nostalgia goggles on to discuss the rather horrifying elements of the story, Bette Midler’s strange draw, and wonder about the obsession with virginity… Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer HOCUS POCUS (1993) This One Very Adult Aspect Of Hocus Pocus Changes Everything by Elena Nicolaou Deep Analysis: Hocus Pocus by Jesse Lab Femme Regard SYNC Kickstarter! Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright Schoo

Welcome back to Fright School! We are stoked to have our other favorite JERSEY GHOUL, Marissa, back in the Wes Craven Memorial Online Learning Annex! We’re discussing DAHMER and true crime, books we’re reading including TENDER IS THE FLESH, and Marissa suggests 101 JUMP SCARES on Shudder. This week we’re looking under our beds for LITTLE MONSTERS! We love us some “creepy 80s shit!” We wonder if kids are more or less sheltered these days? Marissa helps us with some suggestions for new gateway horror. Join our Patreon and you can watch this episode! Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer LITTLE MONSTERS (1989) Read some of Marissa’s writing for GHOULS MAGAZINE! Listen to the JERSEY GHOULS here!! Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright Schoo

Welcome back to Fright School! We are once again joined by Jacki from JERSEY GHOULS and THE LIST WE MISSED podcasts! We get caught up by discussing the Nicolas Cage renaissance, Big Gulps of White Claw, Pearl Jam, and hometown venues with 50 different names. This week we continue our salute to Kindertrauma with 1984’s GHOSTBUSTERS! Being one of Jacki’s gateways into horror, she reflects on internalizing the spooky funny comfort of the film. We also discuss THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS cartoon series, AFTERLIFE, and the 2016 reboot. Join our Patreon and you can watch this episode! Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) Check out OVERTHINKING GHOSTBUSTERS! Tune in to hear Jacki on her podcasts: JERSEY GHOULS THE LIST WE MISSED Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE K

Welcome back to Fright School! We are STOKED to have podcast guru, HORROR MOVIE NIGHT cohost, and our dear friend Matt Kelly back on Fright School! This is loooooong overdue! We catch up on Matt’s life as King of the Podcasts and his side gig as a smoke and mirrors officiant. We chat about MASH, RINGS OF POWER, and HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. Matt recommends the GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF which might help Joshua get something other than horror in his diet. This week we kick off Spooky Season 2022 with our salute to Kindertrauma! Yes, those spooky kids movies that shook us and had us begging to be scared for the rest of our lives. BEETLEJUICE is the perfect place to start as one of Joshua’s all time favorite films and Matt’s gateway horror pick! We chat about this “ghostly, gothed out fairy tale,” Joshua shows he has zero idea what a “yuppie” is, the group compares how we first met the Ghost with the Most, and discuss normalcy in the movies of TIm Burton. Say it once, say it twice, third time’s a charm! IT’S SHOWTIME!!!

Welcome back to Fright School! Joshua and Joe catch up on their vacations. We free associate on a whole bunch of topics: Antibody Beautiful! Stunted Queens! Halloween music mixes! HULUWEEN DRAGSTRAVAGANZA! This week we are answering THE BLACK PHONE! This creepy film, based on a short story by Joe Hill, served us stranger danger nostalgia, a ghostly support group, and Ethan Hawke as a bizarre, Wonka-meets-Wishmaster looking child killer. We discuss the divided Queer community's takes on the film and try to come to a conclusion about whether or not the film is homophobic. Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer THE BLACK PHONE (2022) The Grabber, 'Gayface,' And The Danger Of Conflating The Two In The Black Phone by BJ Colangelo Ethan Hawke as a Queer Pedophile Serial Killer? By Paul M. Renfro and Danielle Wiggins Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Suppl

Welcome back to Fright School! We are so excited to welcome author Erik J. Brown to the Wes Craven Online Learning Annex to discuss his book ALL THAT’S LEFT IN THE WORLD! We chat about hope in the apocalypse, Queer stories after the world ends, and feeling ‘appropriately fine.” Erik chose Tarantino’s DEATH PROOF for this week’s film discussion. He breaks down some of the Queer elements of the film, accidental meaning making on Tarantino’s part, and Joe adds another film to the rewatch pile! Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer DEATH PROOF (2007) Deconstructing the Butterfly: A Feminist Criticism Analysis of Tarantino’s Death Proof Erik J Brown’s Official Website! Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable as

Welcome back to Fright School! We’re discussing the Beyoncé songwriting drama because we’re nothing if not timely with breaking Twitter drama… Joshua is starting grad school. Joe suggested we look back on our summer. We wrap up our series on giant monsters with CLOVERFIELD! We discuss 9/11 narratives, the world before the smart phone, and our lans in an apocalyptic situation. Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer CLOVERFIELD (2008) Hollywood's Cloverfield: An Allegorical Representation of 9/11 and a Dystopian Vision of Contemporary America by Karl Imdahl Check out the OUT HERE HALLOWEEN MEGA TAPE Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can benefit from his and co-founde

Welcome back to Fright School! This week, Joshua talks about the WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL sequel OUT THERE HALLOWEEN MEGA TAPE! It’s a deliciously nostalgic bit of macabre storytelling. We also sat down and watched PREY and THEY/THEM. We have some…thoughts. We’re going underground for this week’s episode dedicated to TREMORS! It’s serving Brokeback Boulders. We chat about the 80s’ love for the 50s, fracking, and Reba is in this! She’s a survivor, ya’ll! Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer TREMORS (1990) Girl Meets Freak Discussion on TREMORS Check out the OUT HERE HALLOWEEN MEGA TAPE Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can benefit from his and co-founder of WE KNOW P

Welcome back to Fright School! This week we are interrupting our regularly scheduled episode to bring you a review of BODIES BODIES BODIES! Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer BODIES BODIES BODIES (2022) ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ and the Difficulty of Coping IRL Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can benefit from his and co-founder of WE KNOW PODCASTING Chris Fafalios' 25+ years of combined experience to take your show to the next level. They want to share their experience with you, giving you a leg up on the competition. In a world of run-of-the-mill podcasts, you can stand out from the crowd with a professional and engaging show! Fright School Recommended Texts:

Welcome back to Fright School! We welcome back to the show friend and Godzilla fan Brennan Klein! Joe and Brennan take on High School Musical The Musical The Series. That’s a mouthful. We also chat about the CATS ballroom reimagining. This week it’s all about the King of the Monsters, GODZILLA! We chat about the direct artistic response to nuclear fallout, Godzilla as a consequence and victim of war, and the palpable real horror echoed in the cinematography of the film. Brennan also breaks down his favorite films out of the 36 Godzilla films we have so far. Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer GOJIRA (GODZILLA) (1954) ‘Godzilla' was a metaphor for Hiroshima, and Hollywood whitewashed it by Kimmy Yam The true story you probably don't know behind 'Godzilla' came from the devastation after Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings by Nathaniel Lee Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of

Welcome back to Fright School! We celebrate another win for Jinkx Monsoon! Drag Race All Stars Season 7 was quite a fun journey. Joshua and Joe are also watching American Horror Stories. This month is all about the giant monsters of film history. We’re kicking things off with the 1933 classic KING KONG! We revisit HORROR NOIRE to get into the racial politics of the film, pull from the work of Angela Davis to contextualize racist mythologies, and wonder about what else remains to be discovered in this world of ours… Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer KING KONG (1933) Is King Kong Racist? By Colin McMahon Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can benefit from his and co

Welcome back to Fright School! Joshua recounts the horror of being invaded by young primates. Joe went to the theatre to see Here There Are Blueberries at the La Jolla Playhouse. Did you ever wonder what the Nazis did in their spare time? Neither did we, but it apparently makes for a great play. This week we snuck off to see NOPE, Jordan Peele's latest masterpiece. We SPOIL the fuck out of it, so listener BEWARE! Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer NOPE (2022) Breaking Down the Meaning of Jordan Peele’s Nope by BY Andrew R. Chow and Laura Zornosa Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can benefit from his and co-founder of WE KNOW PODCASTING Chris Fafalios' 25+ years o

Welcome back to Fright School! Joe is revisiting Westworld. We catch up on Drag Race. This week we're going deep for UNDERWATER. It's about a terrifying situation in which Kristen Stewart finds herself trapped on the ocean floor with T.J Miller! We chat about climate anxiety in horror, getting deep throated by a sea monster, and a surprise Cthulhu. You can WATCH this episode now by subscribing to our Patreon! :) Recommended Reading/Viewing: Official trailer Underwater (2020) Join our Patreon for access to exclusive content! Sign up for The Fright School Reader our NEW monthly newsletter! Check out our TEEPUBLIC offerings for all of your Fright School Supplies!! FOLLOW US! Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkTree EXTRA CREDIT: WE KNOW PODCASTING! There would be no Fright School without the incomparable assistance of one Matt Kelly. Now you can benefit from his and co-founder of WE KNOW PODCASTING Chris Fafalios' 25+ years of combined experience to take your show to the next level. They want to share their