Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals

Bitter Karella
  • 4.7 (55)
  • COMEDY FICTION
  • WEEKLY SERIES
Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals

Each week, a group of storytellers gathers around a campfire. There's world-weary club MC Edgar Allan Poe, nerd dad Stephen King, violent goth Mary Shelley, squid-obsessed wimp HP Lovecraft, and others. A comedy-horror semi-anthology adapted from Bitter Karella's Hugo-nominated microfiction.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    The Tale of the Hellraiser

    When Edgar Allan Poe is missing after a violent altercation with Henry W. Longfellow, a mysterious puzzlebox leads the Midnight Pals to the ninth circle of Hell, where they confront a gang of sadomasochistic demons. Brian Jacques humorously outwits a cat.  Content notes: violence, gory noises, blood, swearing and raised voices.  CAST:  Clive Barker — DAVID AULT Edgar Allan Poe — RODRIGO BORGES Mary Shelley — REBECCA D'SOUZA HP Lovecraft/Brian Jacques — ROBIN JOHNSON Dean Koontz — WREN MONTGOMERY Stephen King — JASON ROBINSON with  Pinhead — DAVID COURT Thomas the Blue Demon — THADDEUS STRANGE Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — JOEL A.S. BUTLER Rufus Wilmot Griswold — DEXTER HOWARD and special guest cat  NINJA KITTY GO as Catterina Script by Robin Johnson, edited by Bitter Karella. Music and audio production by Robin Johnson.  A transcript of this episode is available at https://midnight-pals.simplecast.com/episodes/s02e01-the-tale-of-the-hellraiser/transcript  Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals is a work of social and literary satire. All characters are fictitious, especially the real ones; any elements of work not in the public domain are used for the purpose of parody and comment, and no challenge is intended to the validity of any intellectual property. The Midnight Pals is the creation of Bitter Karella ©  Subscribe to Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, or wherever you find podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a rating or review. For more information, see https://midnightpals.com

    38 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood

    The Pals visit JRR Tolkien and his fantasy storytelling friends at Unicorn F*** Club, where Angela Carter puts a modern, feminist spin on a traditional fairy tale. Hans Christian Andersen is smitten. Frank Belknap Long gets stuck in his fursuit.  Content notes: Swearing, violence, allusion to sexual assault, vomit, gory noises, people being eaten, sex.  CAST:   Clive Barker — DAVID AULT Edgar Allan Poe/JRR Tolkien — RODRIGO BORGES Mary Shelley — REBECCA D'SOUZA HP Lovecraft — ROBIN JOHNSON Dean Koontz — WREN MONTGOMERY Stephen King — JASON ROBINSON with  Angela Carter/Mother — NICOLETTA GIUSEFFI Little Red Riding Hood — TENEST TANG Wolf — LUPO Woodcutter — DEXTER HOWARD Grandmother — TERRI LYNNE HUDSON CS Lewis — JOEL A.S. BUTLER Hans Christian Andersen — BRAD BARNES Frank Belknap Long — DAVID COURT Script by Nicoletta Giuseffi, edited by Bitter Karella and Robin Johnson. Audio production and music by Robin Johnson.  Angela Carter (1940-1992) was a feminist poet, journalist and author known for her fantasy and picaresque novels and stories. She wrote several versions of Little Red Riding Hood, including "The Werewolf", "The Company of Wolves" and "Wolf-Alice", all of which are included in her excellent collection of feminist retellings of folk- and fairy tales, The Bloody Chamber (1979). "The Company of Wolves" was adapted into a movie of the same name in 1984.  A transcript of this episode is available at https://midnight-pals.simplecast.com/episodes/the-tale-of-little-red-riding-hood/transcript Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals is a work of social and literary satire. All characters are fictitious, especially the real ones; any elements of work not in the public domain are used for the purpose of parody and comment, and no challenge is intended to the ownership or validity of any intellectual property. The Midnight Pals is the creation of Bitter Karella © Subscribe to Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, or wherever you find podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a rating or review. For more information, see https://midnightpals.com

    34 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    The Tale of the Watchers

    It’s Edgar’s turn with the flashlight… but, after a heated debate about what makes a better plot device, the death of a beautiful woman or a murderous monkey, little Dean Koontz ends up telling tonight's story instead. It has everything—an all-American Special Army Marine, a poorly written neurodivergent lady, an evil mutagenic monkey who's escaped from science, and a VERY good dog!  Content notes: swearing, loud noises, some sexual references, comedic violence with some gory noises and gunfire, discussion of death and 'fridging' of women, police/fed raids, references to animal testing, drug references, parody of bad neurodivergence representation.  CAST:   Dean Koontz — WREN MONTGOMERY Clive Barker — DAVID AULT Edgar Allan Poe — RODRIGO BORGES Mary Shelley — REBECCA D'SOUZA HP Lovecraft — ROBIN JOHNSON Stephen King — JASON ROBINSON with  Travis/Dario Argento — DEXTER HOWARD Nora — BETH LINDLY Lemuel Johnson/David DeCoteau — BRAD BARNES Scientist 1 — LORETTA CHANG Scientist 2 — KATE DAVOLI Priest — TERRI LYNNE HUDSON Roger Corman — BITTER KARELLA Charles Band — JOEL A.S. BUTLER and special guests  THE MURDER MONKEY as itself MULTIPLE DOGS, including REBEL, MAISIE, and various freely licensed hounds of Freesound, as Einstein Script by Bitter Karella, edited by Robin Johnson. Audio production and music by Robin Johnson.  Dean Koontz's novel Watchers (1987) really is a story about a really cool smart dog who befriends an ex-military hero and his naive new bride, and how they protect each other from the dog's nemesis, a murderous genetically engineered mutant baboon. The book is credited with establishing Koontz as a bestselling author, and has been adapted into no fewer than four (4) movies. It is unknown whether his mom keeps a copy on the fridge.  A transcript of this episode is available at https://midnight-pals.simplecast.com/episodes/the-tale-of-the-watchers/transcript  Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals is a work of social and literary satire. All characters are fictitious, especially the real ones; any elements of work not in the public domain are used for the purpose of parody and comment, and no challenge is intended to the ownership or validity of any intellectual property. The Midnight Pals is the creation of Bitter Karella ©  Subscribe to Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, or wherever you find podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a rating or review. For more information, see https://midnightpals.com

    39 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    The Tale of the Interview with the Vampire

    Anne Rice comes to the campfire to tell her timeless odd-couple romance about a depressed slave plantation owner who’s swept off his feet by a total jerk. Also, they’re both vampires. Al Copeland gets a taste of his own chicken.  Content notes: swearing, raised voices, gory noises, death, violence, murder, slavery, implied domestic abuse, sexual references, discussion of body dysmorphia, vomit.  CAST:  Clive Barker — DAVID AULT Edgar Allan Poe — RODRIGO BORGES Mary Shelley — REBECCA D'SOUZA HP Lovecraft — ROBIN JOHNSON Dean Koontz/Lestat de Lioncourt — WREN MONTGOMERY Stephen King — JASON ROBINSON with  Anne Rice — LORETTA CHANG Louis de Pointe du Lac/Percy Shelley — LOU SUTCLIFFE Claudia — MARNIE WARNER Reporter — DAISY McNAMARA Bram Stoker — JOEL A.S. BUTLER Yvette — TERRI LYNNE HUDSON Al Copeland — DEXTER HOWARD Additional voices by Eve Morris and David Court.  Script by Bitter Karella, edited by Robin Johnson. Audio production, music and lyrics by Robin Johnson. Closing theme performed by Dexter Howard and the cast.  Interview with the Vampire (1976) was the debut novel of Anne Rice (1941-2021). An influential work of gothic gay vampire romance, it was adapted into a Hollywood movie in 1994 and an ongoing AMC TV series since 2022. Rice wrote a large number of increasingly silly sequels, creating the Vampire Chronicles series. As referenced in the episode, she engaged in a bizarre, years-long feud with fried chicken magnate Al Copeland after he opened a restaurant in New Orleans.  A transcript of this episode is available at https://midnight-pals.simplecast.com/episodes/the-tale-of-the-interview-with-the-vampire/transcript Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals is a work of social and literary satire. All characters are fictitious, especially the real ones; any elements of work not in the public domain are used for the purpose of parody and comment, and no challenge is intended to the ownership or validity of any intellectual property. The Midnight Pals is the creation of Bitter Karella © Subscribe to Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, or wherever you find podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a rating or review. For more information, see https://midnightpals.com

    44 min

  5. SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals: Season 2 trailer

    Season 2 of "Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals" releases Friday January 17th, 2025! Living and dead horror authors tell scary stories round the campfire in this audio adaptation of Bitter Karella's Hugo-nominated comedy-horror microfiction. This trailer contains clips from upcoming episodes "The Tale of the Interview with the Vampire", "The Tale of the Watchers", "The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood", and "The Musical Tale of Rebecca". For more information, see https://midnightpals.com  Share and Enjoy!  A transcript of this trailer is available at https://midnight-pals.simplecast.com/episodes/season-2-trailer/transcript  CAST, in order of appearance:  Edgar Allan Poe—RODRIGO BORGES Mary Shelley—REBECCA D'SOUZA Stephen King/Richard Bachman—JASON ROBINSON HP Lovecraft/Alfred Hitchcock—ROBIN JOHNSON Daphne du Maurier—JULIA DRAKE Anne Rice—LORETTA CHANG Interviewer/Mrs Danvers—DAISY McNAMARA Dean Koontz—WREN MONTGOMERY FBI Agent/Hans Christian Andersen—BRAD BARNES Angela Carter—NICOLETA GUISEFFI Little Red Riding Hood—TENEST TANG Wolf—LUPO Audio production and editing by Robin Johnson. Clips are from episodes written by Bitter Karella, Robin Johnson and Nicoletta Giuseffi. The Midnight Pals is a work of social and literary satire, and any elements of works not in the public domain are used for purposes of parody and comment.  Midnight Pals created by Bitter Karella ©

    2 min

  6. BONUS

    The Tale of the Candyman

    Roger Corman attempts to make a series of "Candyman" movies. Can he complete his totally popular, not-at-all-obscure-cult-classic slasher quadrilogy without being thwarted by the bee-adjacent serial killer himself? Oh, and... ONE OF OUR HEROES DIES TRAGICALLY!!!—but gets better, with a brand new face and voice actor.  Content notes: swearing, sexual references, loud noises, violence, gore, death and murder.  This episode is dedicated to the memory of Roger Corman (1926–2024), a true pioneer of horror cinema. We've mocked Roger on this show, but the truth is—as with many creators satirized on Midnight Pals—that all the things we mock him for are the very same things that make him awesome. Only Roger could have looked at Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" and seen that what it really needed was Vincent Price prancing around a Halloween castle and Barbara Steele in an oubliette. And it worked. Rest in peace, Roger, and thanks for all the fun. CAST:  Introducing  DAVID AULT as Clive Barker also starring  Edgar Allan Poe —  RODRIGO BORGES Mary Shelley — REBECCA D'SOUZA Dean Koontz — WREN MONTGOMERY Stephen King — JASON ROBINSON HP Lovecraft — ROBIN JOHNSON with  Roger Corman — BITTER KARELLA Tony Todd/Candyman — DASHAWN RICKS David DeCoteau — BRAD BARNES Graham Masterton – DAVID COURT This episode was written by Brad Barnes. Script editing, audio production and music were by Robin Johnson. Daisy McNamara was an audio consultant.  A transcript of this episode can be found at https://midnight-pals.simplecast.com/episodes/the-tale-of-the-candyman/transcript The Midnight Pals is the creation of Bitter Karella ©. All characters are fictitious, especially the real ones. Subscribe to Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Cast, YouTube or wherever you find podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please consider leaving us a rating or review. For more information, see https://midnightpals.com

    11 min

  7. BONUS

    Midnight Snack: The Tale of the Talented Mr Ripley

    In a six-minute mini-episode, Patricia Highsmith tells the Midnight Pals her story of the (maybe not so) Talented Mr Ripley, and then the real Charles Dickens himself drops in at the campfire. Content notes: swearing, discussion of internalized homophobia, violence and discussion of murder, stalking.  CAST:  Clive Barker — DAVID AULT Edgar Allan Poe — RODRIGO BORGES Mary Shelley — REBECCA D'SOUZA HP Lovecraft — ROBIN JOHNSON Dean Koontz — WREN MONTGOMERY Stephen King — JASON ROBINSON with  Patricia Highsmith — KATE DAVOLI "Charles Dickens" — BRAD BARNES Script, audio production and music by Robin Johnson. The Midnight Pals created by Bitter Karella © A transcript of this episode is available at https://midnight-pals.simplecast.com/episodes/the-tale-of-the-talented-mr-ripley/transcript  Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr Ripley (1955) is a psychological thriller dripping with the sort of blatant homoeroticism that gets described as "gay undertones". It and its several sequels have been adapted for screen multiple times, including the 1999 movie in which Matt Damon and Jude Law play chess in the bath, and the 2024 Netflix miniseries in which Andrew Scott walks up and down stairs.  Hans Christian Andersen was Charles Dickens' worst fanboy ever. In one episode, he invited himself to the Dickens' home, overstayed by several weeks, and reportedly cried when finally made to leave.  Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals is a work of social and literary satire. All characters are fictitious, especially the real ones; any elements of work not in the public domain are used for the purpose of parody and comment, and no challenge is intended to the ownership or validity of any intellectual property.  Subscribe to Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, or wherever you find podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a rating or review. For more information, see https://midnightpals.com

    7 min
See All Season 2 (7)

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4.7
out of 5
55 Ratings

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Each week, a group of storytellers gathers around a campfire. There's world-weary club MC Edgar Allan Poe, nerd dad Stephen King, violent goth Mary Shelley, squid-obsessed wimp HP Lovecraft, and others. A comedy-horror semi-anthology adapted from Bitter Karella's Hugo-nominated microfiction.

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