Why are this year’s costumes mid while horror cafés and niche coffee shops are thriving? We get into men flopping photo poses (sorry, Travis), Eric André winning, Sabrina-core, the Xbox → Sega pipeline, and how third spaces beat corporate beige. The nerds won, the vibes are local, and Halloween doesn’t end on Oct 31 it just moves to your favorite spooky café.

In this solo episode, I break down why we need monsters and why we keep making new ones. Drawing from Frankenstein, queer horror, and modern psychology, “The Myth of the Monster” explores what happens when difference gets mistaken for danger.

We talk dehumanization bias, cultural fear, and the instinct to exile whatever reminds us we’re not as healed as we pretend.

Sources:

• Shelley, M. (1818). Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

• Allport, G. (1954). The Nature of Prejudice. Addison-Wesley.

• Haslam, N. (2006). “Dehumanization: An Integrative Review.” Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(3), 252–264.

• Benshoff, H. M. (1997). Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film. Manchester University Press.

• Farrimond, K. (2020). “Horror as a Safe Space for Queer Identity.” Feminist Media Studies.

• Cohen, J. J. (1996). “Monster Culture (Seven Theses).” In Monster Theory.

• Tufekci, Z. (2018). Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest. Yale University Press.

Eva (@birdlets) is back to talk spooky with us! In this episode, we map the spectrum of October: from pumpkin-patch cozy to slasher-movie chaos. We talk why Jennifer’s Body sits weirdly (and importantly) in the queer canon, and how horror can be cathartic when you feel physically safe, mentally detached, and in control. We trade childhood Halloween stories, Bloody Mary bathroom lore, and a couple UFO tales that had the jets circling (yes, really). It’s anxiety, nostalgia, and autumn aesthetics in one place with a tease for next time: the micro-revival of horror culture in everyday spaces.