Horror Joy

Brian Onishi + Jeffery Stoyanoff
  • 0,0 (0)
  • LIVROS
  • DUAS VEZES/MÊS

Horror Joy is a podcast by two university professors who take a deep dive into horror in hopes of finding joy lurking in the shadows.

  1. A.C. Wise on Meet Your Maker

    HÁ 3 DIAS

    A.C. Wise on Meet Your Maker

    Brian and Jeff are joined by author A.C. Wise to talk about joy in horror, her books The Ghost Sequences (2021) and Out of the Drowning Deep (2024), and her new novel Ballad of the Bone Road (Jan. 26, 2026). Wise describes horror’s joy as an adrenaline-driven extreme emotional response akin to excitement, and traces her horror roots to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, darker fairy tales, and lifelong ghost-story interests. They discuss how others react to her genre work, her day job at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and shifts in speculative fiction toward mainstream popularity and genre mashups. Wise explains Out of the Drowning Deep as a noir/horror/science-fantasy blend exploring faith, meaning-making, and a feedback loop between divinity and belief, including inhuman, unsettling angels. She recounts the near-rights-issue backstory of The Ghost Sequences cover and notes the title story’s inspiration from a ghost-themed art installation. A.C.'s recent horror joys: Sinners, Staircase in the Woods, The Buffalo Hunter, and the game Dead Take. A.C. Wise Website

    31min
  2. Academic Horror 5 - Candyman (1992)

    9 DE MAR.

    Academic Horror 5 - Candyman (1992)

    In this Horror Joy episode, Jeff and Brian discuss the 1992 film Candyman as the final entry in an “academic horror” course, focusing on how the movie links urban legend, the university, and racialized violence. They follow graduate student Helen Lyle’s dissertation research into the Candyman myth at Chicago’s Cabrini-Green, highlighting how academic distance and the “white gaze” turn Black suffering, especially Daniel Robitaille’s lynching, into an object of study. Drawing on writers such as Zayla Crocker, George Yancy, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Robin R. Means Coleman, they argue the film reflects its early-1990s moment (including Rodney King and the Los Angeles uprising), critiques systemic racism and misogyny, and frames Helen as both privileged researcher and exploited academic. They Will Say: Ritual Naming and Living beyond the Pale with Candyman Horror Noire A History of Black American Horror from the 1890s to Present Bernard Rose’s Candyman and the Rhetoric of Racial Fear in the Reagan and Bush Years

    52min
  3. Rod Blackhurst (dir. of Dolly) on Meet Your Maker

    2 DE MAR.

    Rod Blackhurst (dir. of Dolly) on Meet Your Maker

    Jeff and Brian are joined by director Rod Blackhurst about his forthcoming independent horror film Dolly, releasing in theaters only on March 6, 2026. Blackhurst explains how horror can produce joy by confronting internal dread—identity loss, isolation, and moral extremity—through a cinematic language that bypasses reason and provokes visceral response. He describes Dolly as an extreme, unrelenting film rooted in a real person’s fears about inheriting a “monster” mother’s traits, and as a collision between opposing views of motherhood and family. Dolls function as uncanny stand-ins for children and chosen family, with a larger, partially withheld mythology. Blackhurst discusses casting, including Sean William Scott’s dramatic role and Fabianne Therese’s demanding lead performance, emphasizing actor safety, and he rejects “torture porn” as his aim. He also reflects on gatekeeping, genre labels, influences like Barbarian, and using proof-of-concept shorts (Baby Girl, Night Swim) to get features made.

    42min

  4. 23 DE FEV.

    Academic Horror 4 - Master (2022) with S. Trimble and Joe Vallese

    This episode of Horror Joy turns to academic horror through Mariama Diallo’s 2022 film Master, set at the fictional elite Ancaster University. Our discussion treats the film’s central claim that what haunts is not the past but the present and future: racism, microaggressions, elitism, and the suffocating atmosphere of tradition. We welcome returning guest T (S. Trimble Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto) and first-time guest Joe Vallese (NYU faculty fellow, expository writing), editor of It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror. The conversation then unpacks Master’s slow-burn dread: Gail Bishop (Regina Hall), the newly appointed first Black master; Jasmine, a first-year Black student; and Liv, a professor up for tenure, all navigating both explicit racism and subtler academic violence. We discuss the Scarlet Letter as a canonical text used to police interpretation and power in the classroom, including Jasmine’s failing grade and the gaslighting embedded in academic evaluation.

    1h10min
  5. Daisy Pearce on Meet Your Maker

    16 DE FEV.

    Daisy Pearce on Meet Your Maker

    In this episode of Horror Joy, we dive into the intertwining relationship between horror and joy with guest Daisy Pierce, author of 'Something in the Walls,' 'The Missing,' and 'The Silence.' Daisy shares her thoughts on how horror provides a safe outlet for experiencing fear and anxiety, and discusses her origins and influences as a writer. We explore the different cultural approaches to folklore in the US and UK, the power dynamics behind traditions, and the challenges of writing horror, especially from a female perspective. Daisy also touches on her interest in ghost hunting and shares some recent horror media that has brought her joy. Find Daisy at https://daisypearce.com/

    37min

  6. 9 DE FEV.

    Academic Horror 3 - The Faculty (1998)

    In this episode of 'Horror Joy,' Jeff and Brian delve into Robert Rodriguez's 1998 film 'The Faculty.' The episode explores the film's portrayal of high school alienation, the nineties cultural backdrop, and the use of alien parasites as a metaphor for societal issues. We discuss the film’s all-star cast, its nostalgic nineties aesthetic, and its underlying themes related to drugs, authority figures, and football culture. The episode also highlights the anti-lesbianism strain evident in late nineties teen movies and the joy found in the film’s tongue-in-cheek horror elements.

    50min
  7. Emily C. Hughes on Meet Your Maker

    2 DE FEV.

    Emily C. Hughes on Meet Your Maker

    In this episode of Horror Joy's 'Meet Your Maker', we delve into a conversation with Stoker award-winning author Emily C. Hughes. We discuss her book 'Horror for Weenies', designed to help the faint-hearted navigate through significant horror films. Emily talks about the relationship between horror and joy, citing examples of modern twists on classic horror tropes. She shares her personal journey from being a scaredy-cat to a lover of horror, underlining the importance of community and invitation in appreciating the genre. Emily also highlights some of her current favorite horror films, books, and games, drawing attention to the breadth and appeal of horror.

    28min

  8. 26 DE JAN.

    Academic Horror 2 - Suspiria (2018)

    This episode of 'Horror Joy' delves into Luca Guadagnino's 2018 reimagining of 'Suspiria.' Brian and Jeff explore the themes of academic horror, feminism, and political violence within the film's setting of post-war Berlin. We compare Guadagnino's version to Dario Argento's original 1977 film, discussing the significant differences, including the portrayal of witchcraft and the regulation of bodies in an academic setting. We highlight the film's complex power structures and touches on the role of music, dance, and cinematic techniques in creating horror. The discussion also questions Guadagnino's claim of making a feminist film, examining the intricate dynamics between the characters and the violent depiction of women's bodies. We find a blend of intellectual and emotional engagement in the film, despite their mixed feelings about some aspects.    Breathing Back the History of German Modern Dance through the Horror Film Genre in Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria (2018) by Wesley Lim Entanglement In Time: Nostalgic Affect As Cine-Choreography In The White Crow (2018) And Suspiria (2018) by Kaixuan Yao Radically Feminist or Monstrously Feminine?: Witches and Goddesses in Guadagnino's Suspiria (2018)Goddesses in Guadagnino's Suspiria (2018) by Lindsay Macumber Roberts, John W. “Dancing the Dance of Another: Allegory, the Diagram, and Suspiria (2018).” Discourse: Journal for Theoretical Studies in Media and Culture, vol. 45, no. 1–2, Dec. 2023, pp. 33–64. EBSCOhost,

    52min
Ver tudo (71)

Sobre

Horror Joy is a podcast by two university professors who take a deep dive into horror in hopes of finding joy lurking in the shadows.

Informações

  • Criado por
    Brian Onishi + Jeffery Stoyanoff
  • Anos de atividade
    2024 - 2026
  • Episódios
    71
  • Classificação
    Livre
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Site do podcast
    Horror Joy

Você também pode gostar de