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Fresh Air: Horror Icons

Fresh Air

Hear from the (surprisingly normal) filmmakers and writers behind the scariest and most shocking horror films of the last 50 years. From legendary horror greats like George Romero and Wes Craven to a new generation keeping the frights fresh.

Episodes

  1. Fresh Air: Horror Icons Trailer

    10/29/2025

    Fresh Air: Horror Icons Trailer

    The filmmakers and writers begind some of the scariest and most shocking horror films of the last 50 years are... surprisingly normal. From legendary horror greats like George Romero and Wes Craven to a new generation keeping the frights fresh, meet the horror icons who have defined some of the scariest movies you've ever seen. Subscribe to Fresh Air+ to get exclusive access to this and other collections. Plus, you'll get exclusive Fresh Air+ archive episodes every Sunday, and sponsor-free listening for all available episodes. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    29 sec
  2. Director Ryan Coogler

    04/24/2025 • Fresh Air+ Only

    Director Ryan Coogler

    The Oscar-nominated filmmaker directed both Black Panther films, Creed, and most recently "Sinners," a vampire thriller about twins who open a juke joint in Jim Crow Mississippi.

    37 min
  3. 'Lovecraft Country' Creator Aims To Reclaim The Horror Genre For People Of Color

    03/30/2021 • Fresh Air+ Only

    'Lovecraft Country' Creator Aims To Reclaim The Horror Genre For People Of Color

    The HBO series Lovecraft Country takes the real horrors of the Black experience in the 1950s and adds to it the supernatural terrors of the horror genre. Series creator Misha Green says she sees the show — and the novel by Matt Ruff upon which it is based — as a chance to reclaim "the genre space for people of color and for people who had usually been left out of it."

    37 min
  4. Remembering Horror Film Director Tobe Hooper

    08/30/2017 • Fresh Air+ Only

    Remembering Horror Film Director Tobe Hooper

    Hooper, who died in 2017, wrote and directed the 1974 cult classic film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which helped inspire a wave of slasher films that followed. Originally broadcast in 1988.

    7 min
  5. Director Jordan Peele on Mastering Fear

    03/15/2017 • Fresh Air+ Only

    Director Jordan Peele on Mastering Fear

    The new film, Get Out, defies easy classification. Though it has funny moments, it's primarily a horror film, with racial anxiety at its center. Writer-director Jordan Peele tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that he thinks of Get Out as a "social thriller."

    43 min
  6. Horror's 'Shock Value' Redefined In The 1960s.

    07/06/2011 • Fresh Air+ Only

    Horror's 'Shock Value' Redefined In The 1960s.

    Rosemary's Baby, Night of the Living Dead and Targets all came out in 1968. Theater critic Jason Zinoman says the three films redefined Hollywood horror in the aftermath of the Vietnam War — and influenced the genre for the next several decades.

    21 min
  7. Wes Craven Discuses His Hybrid of Horror and Satire.

    02/18/1999 • Fresh Air+ Only

    Wes Craven Discuses His Hybrid of Horror and Satire.

    Craven, one of the foremost directors of horror films, spoke to Fresh Air in 1998 upon the release of his film “Scream 2,” the sequel to his 1996 film “Scream.” Both are horror films that poke fun at the genre. His other credits included "Last House on the Left," "The Hills Have Eyes," and "Nightmare on Elm Street."

    31 min
  8. David Cronenberg on Sex, Technology, and Death

    03/20/1997 • Fresh Air+ Only

    David Cronenberg on Sex, Technology, and Death

    Cronenberg directed the films "M. Butterfly," "The Fly," "Dead Ringers," and "Naked Lunch," all of which tell a story of sexually deviant behavior. In 1997 movie "Crash" he continues the theme, combining sex and car wrecks, and explores its place in an age of modern technology.

    39 min
  9. Makeup Artist Tom Savini Brings the Dead to Life

    10/22/1990 • Fresh Air+ Only

    Makeup Artist Tom Savini Brings the Dead to Life

    Savini created the macabre effects for George Romero's zombie films. In 1990, directed his own movie, a remake of Romero's classic, “Night of the Living Dead.” He shares some of the secrets behind how he simulates gore on set.

    24 min
  10. Director John Carpenter

    10/31/1988 • Fresh Air+ Only

    Director John Carpenter

    Carpenter has made films in a variety of genres, but he has a special affection for horror and sci-fi. His first movie, Halloween, spawned several sequels. His 1988 film, “They Live,” is a political satire about aliens colonizing Earth.

    27 min
  11. George Romero Dials Back the Blood

    07/18/1988 • Fresh Air+ Only

    George Romero Dials Back the Blood

    Romero's 1968 film, “The Night of the Living Dead,” is a classic of the horror genre. While his zombie flicks have become increasingly graphic over the years, his 1988 film, “Monkey Shines,” was more of a psychological thriller.

    26 min

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Hear from the (surprisingly normal) filmmakers and writers behind the scariest and most shocking horror films of the last 50 years. From legendary horror greats like George Romero and Wes Craven to a new generation keeping the frights fresh.

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