Fright School

Welcome back to Fright School! Are you fearfully and wonderfully made? Joe went to see Maria Bamford and Jackie Kashian! Joshua discovers Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter are different things. This week we go on another expedition with Indiana Jones and the... no, sorry.. wait... THE MUMMY (1999*). We break down the 1990s Egyptomania resurgence by discussing aliens and the pyramids, Michael Jackson, and some of the things the film actually gets right! Recommended Reading: Representation and Reality in ‘The Mummy’ (1999) by Matt Szafran Mysterious wave of Egypt-o-mania crests in America's museums, media and malls by Jackie Loohaus An Egyptological Review of ‘The Mummy’ (1999) Find us on upcoming GEEKSCAPE shows! Napping Through Happy Hour Christian Cringe Daily Geekscape News! Check out all of the GEEKSCAPE Network Podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Fright School! Joshua is trying to reorganize the Wes Craven Memorial Library with the help of Libib. Joe shares about his great job at decluttering in a clear targeted attack on Joshua. We discuss SEND HELP, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, and the untimely death of Koji Suzuki, the author behind THE RING. This week, we kick off a new unit all about THE MUMMY! We lay the foundation for the film by reviewing the Egyptomania that took hold of the Western world especially after the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb. We examine the film's themes rooted in imperialism, colonialism, ancient Egyptian spiritual practices, and consider Imhotep's status as a sympathetic villain. Recommended Reading: Acknowledging Imperialism through The Mummy (1932) by Jessica Parant The Mummy (1932) and the Sympathetic Villain from Psychotronic Review Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Fright School! Joshua is waxing nostalgic for 2005 while celebrating the release of new Madonna music. Joe has been sneaking out to see horror movies without Joshua! We get deep about separating art from the artist when that artist is using her wizarding shillings to harm Trans people. This week, we watched THE ARBORIST! We get a little lost in the woods discussing parental grief, arboreal extinction, The Lorax, demon twinkery, and spooky child ghosts in animal costumes. There's a lot going on out in these trees... The Freaky Kiki Horror Ball is coming back! Follow our Instagram for all the latest information! Scream Diego is accepting short horror film submissions! Check it out HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Fright School! We discuss the Oscars and horror's fight for better inclusion. We celebrate SINNERS historic Oscars nominations. This week, we wrap up (for now) our deep dive into the Conjuring Universe with THE CONJURING: LAST RITES. We reflect on the franchise, gendered ideas around religiosity vs spiritualism in the film, the Warren's controversial career, and their final horror: getting their daughter married! Please consider donating to your local bail funds! The National Bail Fund Network Suggested Reading: ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Success Highlights Growing Power Of Religious Audiences by Joseph Holmes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another Fright School Field Trip! We took ourselves out for Korean BBQ and 28 DAYS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE! We discuss the latest film from Nia DaCosta in terms of being the middle of a trilogy, the state of horror at prestigious award ceremonies, competency porn, and the sweet moves of Ralph Fiennes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome Back to Fright School! We often reflect on our show as an archive of our lives and the context in which we are creating it in. This particular recording day was heavy after multiple deaths and incarcerations of both Immigrants and US citizens and the ongoing oppressive response from our government. Wherever you are listening to us from, we have your backs and send love and solidarity. This week we continue our franchise deep dive with THE NUN. We discuss the horror genre's obsession with nuns, the Conjuring films' reliance of self-harm narratives, and analysis of the film as an allegory for the extensive abuse within the Catholic Church. Please consider supporting Bail Funds in your area to support the ongoing, necessary work of protestors and other people working to defend us all from tyranny and fascist violence: The National Bail Fund Network: Directory of Community Bail Funds Suggested Reading: One nun's take on horror film 'The Nun' by Rose Pacatte An Allegorical Reading of “The Nu

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to a jam packed edition of Fright School! This week we welcome to the Wes Craven Memorial Library LUXE THE DRAG QUEEN! Like the rest of the world, we are catching up on the latest episodes of STRANGER THINGS! SPOILER ALERT! Joshua spent the fall watching GILMORE GIRLS instead of rewatching the exploits of Eleven and the Gang so he is a bit lost in the Upside Down. Luxe tells us about her horror journey and how the genre intersects with drag. Let's get sickening with the QUEENS OF THE DEAD! Tina Romero invites us all to the last drag show before the apocalypse offering a critique of how the Queer community can devour its own. We discuss internalizing self-hatred, the role apps and phones have in killing Queer community, enabling self-destruction, and offer our thoughts on a new era of horror: Dragsploitation. When there's no more room in hell, let's have a kiki! Find LUXE THE DRAG QUEEN here! Recommended Reading: SUFF Interview: Glitter and Gore: Tina Romero on Queens of the Dead by Nadine Wh

Happy Halloween Fright School! The Freaky Kiki Horror Ball 2 was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who came or supported the ball! Joshua has returned to Stars Hollow to Joe's utter delight. This week, we pledge allegiance to the tree of Aunt Gladys by chatting all things WEAPONS! We discuss embracing the grotesque in the Trump Era, Hagsploitation, the film as Grimm's Fairy Tale, alcoholism allusions, and school shooting allegories. WEAPONS is about everything and nothing. 'Weapons' exposes the dark underbelly of American suburbia by Justin Chang ‘Weapons’: An Aimless Fable of Modern Horror by Greta Wilkinson “Weapons” — No Child Left Behind by Nicole Veneto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zefyr Lisowski is a poet, essayist, educator, and author of two poetry collections, Blood Boxand Girl Work, along with the forthcoming essay collection Uncanny Valley Girls: Essays on Horror, Survival, and Love releasing October 7th 2025 from Harper Perennial.   Joshua Napier from Fright School had the opportunity to catch up with Zefyr about her new essay collection and the impact of the horror genre in her life. In this wide ranging interview, they discuss Zefyr’s writing influences, the Queer relationship to horror films, the theme of “gay escape” in SCREAM, the trouble with werewolves as trans metaphor, and the incomparable work of the late artist Greer Lankton.   Preorder Uncanny Valley Girls: Essays on Horror, Survival, and Love here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/uncanny-valley-girls-zefyr-lisowski?variant=43555228287010 Follow Zefyr on Instagram @zefrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr  For more information and details of upcoming events visit: https://zefyrlisowski.com/ Learn more about your ad c

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Welcome back to Fright School! This week, Joshua cries Elder Millennial Abuse and continues to pine for Hugh Jackman. Joe has thoughts on MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and LILO & STITCH. Joshua joined a GEEKSCAPE live to break down the new Paul Reubens documentary PEE WEE AS HIMSELF. We took a trip to our local cinema to check out BRING HER BACK! Spoilers abound! We discuss the psycho biddy genre, the cult of counseling, and grief as a means to an end. ‘Bring Her Back’ Review: A Foster Mother Like No Other The Geekscape "Pee-Wee As Himself" Discussion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Fright School! We catch up on 4 year old information about Marjorie Taylor Greene. Joe is studying the geopolitical ramifications of Eurovision. What new movies are we most excited about? This week, we take another trip with CLIMAX. This film has everything you could want in French cinema: suffering children, sexual misconduct, incest, Le Dance. This movie is like if PARIS IS BURNING took place at the SUSPIRIA dance academy after a hostile takeover by Timothy Leary. Oh, incidentally, have you heard about the FREAKY KIKI HORROR BALL? Exploring The Meaning Of Gaspar Noe's 'Climax' By Travis Bean Climax By Peter Kim George Gaspar Noé Retrospective: ‘Climax’ by Raúl Alejandro Mendoza Tatty Macleod on French Cinema Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Fright School! Joe is doing physically well while Joshua is dying of the consumption. Joshua hopped on the Geekscape YouTube channel to give his chaotic thoughts on ANDOR. Joe talks Joshua into seeing THUNDERBOLTS* because Julia Louis-Dreyfus. This week, we sink our teeth into SINNERS. Well, we take a nibble because this film is DEEP. We chat about the cautionary tales of horror, the film's rather classic take on vampires with an interesting twist on invitation, and the mind-blowing, blues soaked soundtrack. Recommended Reading: Sinners Is Bold, Ambitious, and Just Misses Greatness By Angelica Jade Bastién SINNERS: How Ryan Coogler Shook Hollywood! with Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes Check out Joshua discussing ANDOR on the Geekscape Channel! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices