The Fear of God: A Horror Movie Podcast

Reed Lackey & Nathan Rouse
  • 4.9 (118)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Semiweekly

Faith and the Horror genre may seem to be opposites, but every week Reed and Nathan put them in dialogue together. Join us for conversations about the things that haunt us and the things that heal us, explorations at the intersection between faith and fear, where we examine what scares us, in order to find what saves us.

  1. 1d ago ·  Bonus

    Job in Exile Interview with Dr David Gushee

    We have another special interview episode for you today leaning heavily into the more spiritual and theological aspect of our show, but still very much examining what scares us to find what saves us. For countless centuries, the biblical text of Job has been a source of study, debate, confusion, inspiration, and -- quite often -- frustration. Sometimes described as the "Mount Everest" of biblical study, Job is given a fresh and very text-centric examination by friend of the show, author, professor, and ethicist Dr David Gushee. Job in Exile looks at the pivotal moments in the text of the book of Job for an honest and clear-eyed examination of the ways human suffering frequently confounds our understanding of God. Often, people have approached the text feeling a deep need to defend God, or even to indict God, and the text continually pushes against overly simplistic categorizations. Dr Gushee's most recent treatment attempts to anchor the various perspectives surrounding a study of Job in the understanding that the complexity might just be part of the point: and that we have been given an invitation -- even a mandate -- to participate in the movement of God towards the wholeness, justice, and healing of the suffering of our neighbors. This is an open-hearted and often vulnerable conversation that we hope will encourage you. We hope you'll check out Dr Gushee's book at your bookseller of choice and we hope you enjoy this conversation! For more of Dr Gushee's appearances on the show, check out these discussions: Interview: Dr. David Gushee, Introducing Christian Ethics Interview: David Gushee, ethicist, author of Changing Our Mind Interview: Dr. David Gushee - Defending Democracy From Its Christian Enemies “Here We Are. Now What?” A Conversation with Dr. David Gushee Interview: The Moral Teachings of Jesus with Dr. David Gushee What Scares Us and What Saves Us Epilogue: An Interview with Dr. David Gushee The Zone of Interest w/ Dr. David Gushee See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  2. 4d ago

    Paranormal Activity 4

    We continue our annual Spooky Season franchise run for 2026 by exploring the first proper sequel in the Paranormal Activity series (because the last two were primarily prequels). PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 picks up 5 years from the events that unfolded across the first three films. It shows Alex (played by a young Kathryn Newton) alongside her parents and younger adopted brother Wyatt, not to mention her boyfriend Ben, experiencing and filming unnerving ghostly occurrences in their home. After their young neighbor Robbie must come live with them for a while when his mother suffers a terrible accident, these occurrences intensify and grow more frequent, barreling towards a sinister and fatal revelation. We're joined by friends of the show Claire Lechtenberg -- the Director of Development and Marketing for the Independent Picture House in Charlotte, NC -- as well as Sarah Welch-Larson, author and film critic for Seeing & Believing and Bright Wall, Dark Room. Together we have a surprisingly robust conversation about the spirituality of technology, and the ways that malevolent forces can be invited into our lives in a variety of ways. We also catch up with Claire and Sarah about exciting recent events at IPH and the Toronto International Film Festival respectively and we feature a Patron-only segment where Reed and Nathan discuss The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXIII (and way too many songs from the 80s). It's a hearty and thought-provoking conversation that we really hope you enjoy! To learn more about what's coming up for IPH, visit: https://independentpicturehouse.org/upcoming-films/ https://independentpicturehouse.org/movies/faust-w-live-score-100th-anniversary-event-screening/ https://independentpicturehouse.org/film-series/terror-of-86/ To read more of Sarah's work, you can visit: Seeing & Believing | Sarah Welch-Larson | Substack Sarah Welch-Larson, Author at Bright Wall/Dark Room 5:29 - Announcements -- including important details about this year's FoGgoween! Patron Only Segment: THE SIMPSONS Treehouse of Horror XXIII 9:18 - Catching up with Claire about IPH 14:17 - Catching up with Sarah about TIFF 22:11 - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  3. 6d ago ·  Bonus

    Appofeniacs Interview with Chris Marrs Piliero and Aaron Holliday

    We have another special interview for you this week for a film that opens in theaters this weekend! APPOFENIACS is a kinetic and unpredictable anthology thriller where AI deepfake technology has made it far too easy for someone to disrupt people's lives. Amused by exploiting our instinct to believe what we see and hear, Duke (Aaron Holliday) treats deepfakes like a contagious party trick. Not because he has something to prove, but simply because he can. Soon blood starts to spill, but Duke isn't the one who has to clean it up. Following three main intersecting plotlines, we witness the outrageous fallout of Duke's petty pastime. Also starring Sean Gunn, Paige Searcy, and Simran Jehani, Appofeniacs is a hilarious and terrifying trip through paranoia, confirmation bias, and baseless certainty. When anyone’s version of the truth can be created with the tap of a finger, the horror isn’t the lie. It’s what happens when people believe it. Nathan and Reed got the chance to talk with writer/director Chris Marrs Piliero and star of the film Aaron Holliday for a fun and thoughtful examination of why this film's subject is so timely and terrifying. We hope you'll check out Appofeniacs (in theaters exclusively as of October 2nd) and we hope you enjoy this interview! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  4. Sep 29

    Paranormal Activity 3

    We continue our Spooky Season (AAHHHHH!) run through the entire PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise by examining what most fans and critics consider to be the strongest entry in the whole series. Taking the story back to when our protagonists from 1 and 2 were children, Paranormal Activity 3 is that rare prequel that actually further develops and expands the mythology rather than merely connecting narrative dots. It's tightly constructed, inventive, and -- not for nothing -- it's very, very scary. We're joined by friends of the show (and PhDs) Brandon Grafius and Leland Merritt for a thoughtful and disarmingly observant discussion of the ways this entire franchise positions us as the audience to question what we see, what we hear, and what we believe. We laugh a lot and have some surprising depth of observation about one of the franchise's strongest films. Also featuring a Patron-only survey of THE SIMPSONS, Treehouse of Horror XXII, this is a conversation you won't want to miss and that we really hope you enjoy! 6:02 - ANNOUNCEMENTS -- Including upcoming FoGgoween details Patron Only Segment: THE SIMPSONS, Treehouse of Horror XXII 10:07 - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  5. Sep 23 ·  Bonus

    Never After Dark Interview with Dave Boyle and Moeka Hoshi

    We're excited to bring you another interview episode this week for an upcoming theatrical release. NEVER AFTER DARK tells the story of Airi, a traveling psychic who helps lost souls move on in the spirit realm. When she accepts a job at a remote house, she soon encounters a powerful entity, dark secrets, and a deadly threat unlike anything she's had to face before. It's part supernatural thriller, part detective mystery and delivers a disarming emotional resonance once its secrets are all revealed. Reed and Vera sat down with writer/director Dave Boyle and star of the film Moeka Hoshi to discuss the film's craft and inspiration. We hope you'll check out NEVER AFTER DARK -- exclusively in theaters Sep 25 -- and we hope you enjoy this interview! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  6. Sep 22

    Paranormal Activity 2

    We continue our Spooky Season tradition of walking through an entire franchise by tackling the sequel to the landmark cultural phenomenon of Paranormal Activity. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 throws both the familiar and the inventive at the screen as it unfolds the story of Daniel and Kristi, who after welcoming their new baby Hunter to their home soon discover some inexplicable phenomena may be occurring right under their nose. Now they, and their teen daughter Ali, must navigate something they barely believe, let alone understand. We're joined by friends of the show Matt Ruff and Julie Ahern for a lively and thoughtful discussion not only of the merits and demerits of this sequel, but also of the ways that dismissing what scares us can often give it substantive influence over us. Also featuring a Patron-only segment where Reed and Nathan venture back to Springfield for TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XXI, it's a fun and thoughtful conversation that we really hope you enjoy. Patron Only Segment: TREEHOUSE OF HORROR XXI 7:49 - Matt Ruff's upcoming novel 9:46 - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  7. Sep 21 ·  Bonus

    Lord of the Rings: The King's Gambit from Restoration Games Interview

    We have a really cool interview for you this week with two of our friends from Restoration Games about some of their upcoming releases! Lead Marketing Alchemist Beth Erickson and Meeple Mover Josh Willenbrink sit down with Nathan to not only discuss some recent delights they've been playing in the board game world, but also to offer up a preview of two very exciting upcoming titles. UNMATCHED: HELLBOY will become available this Fall and will feature Mignola's signature legacy comic book character in all of the thrilling gameplay you've come to expect from the Unmatched series. Josh provides some cool specifics about not only that release, but a few other exciting things on the horizon for that series. Then, they unveil a preview of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE KING'S GAMBIT, a sprawling new epic battler that previewed at GenCon and has been eagerly awaited by fans (particularly its special Mithril Edition release). It's a brisk and fun conversation about all things board gaming. We hope you'll check out and support Restoration Game's upcoming kickstarters and we hope you enjoy this conversation! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

  8. Sep 15

    Paranormal Activity Redux (Live)

    The episode this week is special for a number of reasons. First, it's the first episode of this year's Spooky Season (AHHHH!). We're spending this September and October marching through the entire PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise. Beginning with a discussion we haven't revisited since 2018. The original Paranormal Activity was a landmark cultural phenomenon, building upon found footage characteristics popularized by The Blair Witch Project to shock and terrify audiences. The story of how it came to the screen is inspiring and also sparked the history of the groundbreaking Blumhouse Studios. But this episode is also special because, for the first time in the history of the Fear of God, we recorded the episode LIVE for our patrons. It was a special chance to revisit this film alongside fellow FoGgers Vera Goudie, Matt Murray, Steve Beckley, and Jocee Worley. It's full of all of the laughter and thoughtfulness you've come to expect from the FoG. And we hope you enjoy this episode half as much as we did recording it with and for our friends. 4:14 - ANNOUNCEMENTS (including details about FoGgoween) 10:56 - Conclusion of the Annual FoGgerknocker 15:57 - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY REDUX See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Faith and the Horror genre may seem to be opposites, but every week Reed and Nathan put them in dialogue together. Join us for conversations about the things that haunt us and the things that heal us, explorations at the intersection between faith and fear, where we examine what scares us, in order to find what saves us.

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