Tonight we are talking about the 1981 film Madman directed by Joe Giannone and how names can give us power or take it away.

Curious about the episode? Here are the resources I used:

The Burning Discussion:

https://youtu.be/qMmC3MiqEAc?si=7FD5Rg7Ih4_-RZ0k

Buy the film here:

https://www.amazon.com/Madman-NON-USA-FORMAT-PAL-Reg-0/dp/B013MMSH66/ref=tmm_dvd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dMWXLu2OVlFLGR0FYW7tJLGeQQgHa2SlgzQAbbYjEN8.U9Df4anu0EK_TKs2f65NspgIENQWdEJeQKPWVkv_ko0&qid=1787009135&sr=8-1

Sources:

Plato -https://classics.mit.edu/Plato/cratylus.html

Romeo & Juliet-https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/romeo-and-juliet/read/

Ra, Isis, and the snake:

https://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Egypt/Ra&Isis.html

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/literature/isisandra.html

The Making of Madman – 30 Year Celebration Documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTfbtAJH0bc&t=1271s

Tonight we are talking about the 1981 film The Burning directed by Tony Maylam and how the legend of Cropsey is just one example of stories told at camps around the country.

Curious about the episode? Here are the resources I used:

Missing Children:

Henry "Hank"Gafforio: https://charleyproject.org/case/henry-gafforio

Tiahease TiawannaJackson: https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/701777/1

Alice Pereira:https://www.missingkids.org/poster/ncmc/604013/1

Holly Ann Hughes:https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/601770/1

Cropsey True Crime Documentary:

https://pluto.tv/us/movies/5694166b2bb959cc3f59f060/?utm_medium=textsearch&utm_source=google#open

Films Mentioned (Year) - Director * = Spoiled:The Burning (1981) - Tony Maylam*

Friday the 13th (1980) - Sean S. Cunningham

Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter

Books:https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1059&context=usupress_pubs– Sutton-Smith, B. (1999). Children's folklore: A source book.Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press.Articles:Friday the 13th Earnings: https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0080761/Tom Savini The Burning DVD interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2w2Dz4Ca0E

Andre Rand Arrested:

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/06/nyregion/homeless-man-seized-in-case-of-missing-si-girl.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/2004/10/20/jury-pedophile-took-holly/Cropsey connection:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/andre-rand

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Death-legends-and-a-murky-bogeyman-in-Cropsey-11588909.php

Tonight we are talking about how the scares behind modern slashers are linked to fears we've had as humans throughout history.

Curious about the episode? Here are the resources I used:

Films Mentioned (Year) - Director * = Spoiled:

Psycho (1960) - Alfred Hitchcock

Black Christmas (1974) - Bob Clark

Halloween (1972) - John Carpenter

Peeping Tom (1960) - Michael Powell*

Scream (1996) - Wes Craven

Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives (1986) - Tom McLoughlin*

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) - ScottGlosserman

Nosferatu (1922) - F.W. Murnau

Doctor X (1932) - Michael Curtiz

Phantom of the Opera (1925) - Lon Chaney et al.

Blood and Black Lace (1964) - Mario Bava

You're Next (2011) - Adam Wingard

The Collector (2009) - Marcus Dunstan

Friday the 13th Part 7 (1988) - John Carl Buechler

Halloween (2018) - David Green*

Freddy vs Jason (2003) - Ronny Yu*

Books:

The Myth of Sisyphus: Renaissance Theories of Human PerfectibilityBy Elliott M. Simon

Primary Sources:

The Ugaritic Baal Cycle

Hamlet by Shakespeare

Laxdaela Saga

Grettir's Saga

Articles:

Mot - https://www.jstor.org/stable/27924890

Thanatos -https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00030651030510021201

Japanese Noh - https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/75/article/417595/summary

Japanese Noh -https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0071389

Greek Masks - https://muse.jhu.edu/article/499391

Plague Doctor Masks -http://www.rimed.org/rimedicaljournal/2020/12/2020-12-72-spotlight-pan.pdf

Revenant Burials:

https://archaeology.org/news/2024/06/11/240430-germany-revenant-grave/

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/blog/ancient-greeks-feared-walking-dead-secrets-news-june-13-19-2015/

https://archaeology.org/news/2015/06/25/zombie-sicily-greek-living-dead/

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studies/blog/2017/viking-zombies/

https://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html

This episode explores recurring themes across history and horror. Similar ideas appearing across cultures do not necessarily indicate direct historical influence.

In tonight’s episode, we crawl deep inside Hereditary — Ari Aster’s chilling debut that everyone said was about grief… but what if it’s really about something darker?

Walk into the velvet shadows as we peel back the layers of fate, free will, and the illusion of control that haunt the Graham family. From miniature sets to demonic conspiracies, from the doomed family archetype to the art of dread itself, we’ll explore how Hereditary came to be called this generation’s Exorcist.

Featuring discussions on the artistry, tropes, and emotional horror that make this film unforgettable — and maybe, just maybe, a reminder that we might all be living in someone else’s dollhouse.

Subscribe for more cinematic horror dissections, served with a feminine edge and a splash of blood.

Step into the velvet shadows with the Velvet Slasher as we break down The Wailing (2016), a slow-burn South Korean horror film about faith, doubt, and uncertainty. In this episode, your hostess in heels explores the artistry behind the film: from the haunting landscape cinematography to the meticulous set design, and analyze the ending that leaves more questions than answers.

We discuss its struggles with its pacing, its twists on classic horror tropes, and the obsessive detail of director Na Hong-Jin's vision, while revealing our Velvet Slasher rating. If you love thoughtful horror analysis, cinematic craft, and slow-burn terror, this is an episode you don't want to miss.

Step into the velvet shadows with the Velvet Slasher as we dissect The Collector (2009) — a home invasion horror film with tension and delayed cinematic recognition. In this episode, your hostess in heels explores the artistry behind the blood: the dancing cinematography, the trapped set design, and the devastating ending that may have ruined the movie.

We break down why this film, despite its brilliant craft and experienced director, struggles with its ending and era of release — and why it could have reached icon status. From looking at the SAW connection to reviewing how the film incorporates classic horror tropes, this analysis looks at The Collector with an artistic lens.