Psychoanalysis: A Horror Therapy Podcast - podcast cover

Psychoanalysis: A Horror Therapy Podcast

Psychoanalysis: A Horror Therapy Podcastpodcasters.spotify.com
Ever wonder why anxious people love horror movies? Curious about how having the daylights scared out of you can help you feel better? Hosts Jenn Adams, Lara Unnerstall, and therapist Mike Snoonian break it down (and back it up with academic research) on Psychoanalysis: A Horror Therapy Podcast. Each month, we’ll take an in-depth look at a topic in the mental health field like anxiety, PTSD, and toxic relationships. For our bi-weekly episodes, we’ll pair topics with a horror film and analyze its plot and characters through the lens of mental health. We’ll also discuss our own mental health exp
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Episodes

Attachment Theory / M3GAN (2023) with Rachel Reeves and Sally Hourigan

This week Mike is joined by Rachel Reeves (the Losers’ Club, The Pod & The Pendulum) and voice actor Sally Hourigan to talk about the viral sensation that danced into our hearts, M3GAN. We discuss how attachments formed in infancy influence our relationships throughout life, and how this film handles the sticky AI questions. Plus, the challenges of unexpected caregiving and Mike’s random thoughts when stuffed with cold medicine. It’s a rollicking good time.

Apr 06, 20231 hr 51 min

A Conversation with Kay Lynch (Salem Horror Fest)

This week Mike is joined by Kay Lynch. She's the founder and program director of the Salem Horror Festival which is returning this April for two weekends in lovely, scenic Salem Massachusetts. Kay is on hand to talk about why the festival took a year off in 2022 and all the ways it plans on returning in bigger and better fashion this spring. We talk about the lineup and events as well as why it is so important for the festival to be a safe haven for queer persons, women, and trans artists. For l...

Mar 23, 202358 min

Sibling Rivalry / Basket Case (1982) with Nichole Goble

This week Mike is joined once again by Nichole Goble of the Bodies of Horror podcast to discuss the 1982 exploitation and cult classic Basket Case directed by Frank Hennenlotter. This movie is a look at the sleazy underbelly of early '80s New York City and a piece of classic Gore in Camp. It’s also a deeply empathetic movie about how we look at those that are different from ourselves. We talk about how the beauty in this movie lies in how it treats its subjects in a very humane way whereas other...

Mar 16, 20231 hr 49 min

Comfort Horror / You Are Not My Mother (2021) with Ygraine Hackett-Cantabara

This week Mike is joined by Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana (Ghouls’ magazine, What A Scream pod, Moving Pictures Film Club) to talk about the 2022 psychological horror from Ireland “You Are Not My Mother.” Ygraine Discusses the deep roots in Irish folklore that this film contains as well as the effects of colonization in terms of how the world perceives Ireland in cinema and the arts. We explore the ways Irish traditions influence modern life. We discuss the difficulties that mental health challenge...

Mar 09, 20231 hr 11 min

Sibling Rivalry / What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) with Taffeta V

This week brings a new month and a new topic. What better way to kick off the topic of sibling rivalry with a classic of old world Hollywood that featured one of the most iconic feuds in movie history? Mike is joined by good friend Taffeta V (of the LATE podcast) to talk about WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? We discuss the real hatred between its stars Bette Davis & Joan Crawford, the burden of long term caregiving, the multitude of ways sibling rivalry rears its ugly head, and why Hollywood...

Mar 02, 20232 hr 17 min

Comfort Horror / The Wolf Man (1941) with Lindsay Moore

Even a pod who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a Comfort Horror episode on Universal Monsters when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright. Meet us in the light of the full moon for comfort horror episode with Lindsay Moore on George Waggner’s The Wolf Man. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork b...

Feb 23, 20231 hr 41 min

Aging and Relationships / X (2022) with Dan Pfleegor and Nichole Goble

This week Mike is joined by Dan Pfleegor (Losers’ Club) and Nichole Goble (Bodies of Horror) to talk To West’s X. This mashup of Boogie Nights And The Texas Chain Saw Massacre gifts the world with two head turning performances from Mia Goth, while offering a surprisingly tender look at sex work and sexuality as we age. That it does so while also delivering a nasty slasher experience filled with gore and carnage just makes it all the better. We explore everything above and also discuss how rewatc...

Feb 16, 20231 hr 57 min

New Relationship Energy / An American Werewolf in London (1981) with Rebecca McCallum

This week, Mike talks about his favorite horror movie of all time when he discusses 1981’s An American werewolf in London, written and directed by John Landis. Once deemed “too funny to be scary and too scary to be funny” it went on to invent or at least refine the horror-comedy hybrid. This week he is joined by England’s own Rebecca McCallum of Ghouls magazine and the Moving Pictures Film Club to talk about their mutual love for this movie. We discuss the standout special effects created by Ric...

Feb 09, 20232 hr 5 min

Bad Romance / Possession (1981) with Jessica Scott and Taffeta V.

We’re kicking off bad romance and couples issues month with one of the greatest stories about a marriage going up in flames ever told. To try to relay the events of this movie is to grab madness itself by the horns. Rooted in his own acrimonious divorce, Polish director Andrez Zulawski’s POSSESSION tells the volatile, violent, and disturbing breakup of the marriage between Mark and Anna, played in spectacular fashion by Sam Neil and Isabelle Adjani respectively. But it's also so much more than t...

Feb 02, 20232 hr 13 min

Discomfort Horror / Eden Lake (2008) with Joe Lipsett

This week Mike is joined by the wonderful Joe Lipsett (Horror Queers, Anatomy of a Scream podcast network) for a discomfort horror movie. We’re packing our tents and sleeping bags and heading to the English lakeside for the incredibly unpleasant EDEN LAKE. It’s hard to believe that this unsettling, gory little thriller gave rise to two massive stars with Michael Fassbender and Yellowstone’s Kelly Reily. We dive into the “hoodie horror” phenomenon and explore the conservative messaging that helpe...

Jan 26, 20231 hr 45 min

COVID / Host (2020) with Gena Radcliffe, Nichole Goble, and Terry Mesnard

During the height of lockdowns and uncertainty in the summer of 2020, a little movie hit Shudder. New movies hit the streaming service all the time, but this was a big deal because it was made during the pandemic with all its cast and crew sheltering in place. HOST was one of the few new movies we got during this period, and while it's firmly rooted in our fears and worries during this time, it gave fans something new to watch and discuss during a time when we desperately needed it. HOST tells t...

Jan 19, 20231 hr 34 min

Comfort Horror / Friday the 13th Part 2 w Andy Mitton

This week we have a very special episode as Mike is joined by director Andy Mitton (The Harbinger, yellowbrickroad, The Witch in the Window) to talk about his go-to slasher movie, Friday the 13th part 2. We talk about the gory days of renting R-rated movies and feeling like we were pulling fast ones on our parents, the joy and terror of Baghead Jason, ponder where Ginny lies in the pantheon of Final Girls and more. Andy also discusses his new movie, the absolutely terrifying THE HARBINGER. We di...

Jan 12, 20231 hr 26 min

COVID / The Harbinger (2022) with Jessica Scott and Rachel Reeves

It’s a new month and a new year, which means a brand new topic. As we enter the third year of living through the pandemic, Mike is joined by Jessica Scott and Rachel Reeves to talk about THE HARBINGER, the latest genre film written and directed by Andy Mitton (YellowBrickRoad, The Witch In The Window). We look at the earliest stages of living through COVID, back in 2020 when we were locked down due to shelter in place orders, and the fear and uncertainty of living through this unprecedented even...

Jan 05, 20231 hr 41 min

Good For Her Horror / Dolores Claiborne (1995) and Gerald’s Game (2017)

Sometimes you have to be a fifth Thursday episode to survive... Sometimes, being a pod, is all a woman has to hang onto. Joe Lipsett and Gena Radcliffe join Jenn for a guest episode on Good For Her Horror in Stephen King’s Dolores Claiborne and Gerald’s Game. You’re only made of podlight. Anatomy of a Scream Pod Squad Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill...

Dec 29, 20222 hr 5 min

Archetypes / The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

This we offer in humility and fear. For the blessed peace of your eternal listening. An episode on archetypes in The Cabin in the Woods. As it ever was. Are we on speakerphone? Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Dec 22, 20222 hr 1 min

Agoraphobia / The Battery (2012)

Help us find the keys and meet us in the orchard for a one pitch episode on Agoraphobia in Jeremy Gardner’s The Battery. Those headphones are gonna get us killed. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Dec 15, 20222 hr 4 min

Grief and Suicide / The Night House (2020)

Meet us at the secret house across the lake for an episode on grief and suicide in David Bruckner’s The Night House. You were right. There is podcast. Podcast is after you. You can listen now. Time Stamps Intro - 0:00 Synopsis - 1:45 Feelings Check - 14:00 Mental Health Issue - 21:00 Movie Discussion - 36:00 Uplifting Moment - 1:24:24 Plugs and Wrap-up - 1:29:00 Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Thre...

Dec 08, 20221 hr 40 min

Comfort Horror / Barbarian (2022)

Do we look like some kind of monster? By our baby and join us for a comfort horror episode on Barbarian. Why is it always the pods who get their hearts ripped out in these things? Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Dec 01, 20221 hr 24 min

Comfort Horror / Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Lace your boots up kiddies and meet us in the apple orchard for a comfort horror episode on Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. It’s kind of like the birth canal. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Nov 17, 20221 hr 31 min

Kink / Hellraiser (1987)

The pod, you opened it, we came. Join us in exploring the further regions of experience as we talk about pleasure, pain, and everything that lies in between. Come to Daddy for a conversation on Kink in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. Research Links: Hellbound Hearts: What Makes Hellraiser Queer How Hulu’s ‘Hellraiser’ Returns the Story to Clive Barker’s ‘Hellbound Heart’ The Hedonistic Pleasures of Clive Barker’s ‘Hellraiser’ [Horror Queers Podcast] Such Sights To Show - A Hellraiser Podcast: Episode...

Nov 10, 20221 hr 51 min

Self-Harm / The Loved Ones (2009)

Will you go to the dance with us? Bring the hammer and join us for a finger lickin’ good episode on self-harm, Electra Complexes, and Sean Byrne’s brutal film The Loved Ones. You’ve got ten seconds to listen or Daddy’s gonna nail it to the chair. Episode Sections: Intro - 0:00 Synopsis - 2:35 Feelings Check - 15:40 Mental Health Issue - 22:15 Movie Discussion - 37:30 Uplifting Moment - 1:27:50 Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" ...

Nov 03, 20221 hr 42 min

Halloween Comfort Horror / Hell House LLC (2015) with Jon Grilz

Seven years after a found footage film causes terror in countless movie-goers and staff on the Halloween episode of our comfort horror series, a podcast crew travels back to the scene of the horror to find out what really happened. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Oct 27, 20221 hr 34 min

Childhood Fears / It Chapter 2 (2019) with Stephen Foxworthy

You know what they say about Derry. No one who pods here ever really pods. Gather your totems and meet us in the sewers for part 2 of our series on childhood fears with It Chapter 2. Beep-beep, motherpodder! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Oct 20, 20222 hr 6 min

Comfort Horror / Shaun of the Dead (2004) with Kyle Orozovich

This week Mike and Lara are joined by Kyle Orozovich for the perfect Halloween comfort watch, Shaun of the Dead. This 2004 British horror comedy was at the forefront of the early aughts zombie revival. Yet where films like Dawn of the Dead and 28 days Later were grounded and self-serious, Shaun of the Dead, delivered a metric ton of laughs to go over all along with some fantastic effects and gross out visuals. Shaun gifted the world the wonderful performances of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as Sean...

Oct 13, 20221 hr 31 min

Childhood Fears / It (2017) with Stephen Foxworthy

When you're a pod, you think that you'll always be... protected, and cared for. Then, one day, you realize that's not true. If you open your podcast app, you will see an episode on Childhood Fears in Andy Muschietti’s It. You’ll float too! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Oct 06, 20222 hr 22 min

Cults, Fundamentalism, and Religious Fanaticism / Saint Maud (2019)

Take some responsibility for your podcasts. You're here because you want to listen to our episode on religious fundamentalism in Saint Maude. If you were a true believer, listening would be enough. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Sep 29, 20222 hr 17 min

Cults, Fundamentalism, and Religious Fanaticism / Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)

This week Mike and Lara tackle another patron’s choice with Noriko’s Dinner Table. This early 2000s Japanese horror film is a master class in psychological horror as it explores two young sisters experiencing loneliness after getting pulled into a cult. While the intentions of the cult seem pure, their actions lead to horrific murder and mass suicide. Patron Holly joins us to talk about why she chose this movie and how much it impacted her as a young adult. For our mental health discussion we ex...

Sep 22, 20221 hr 58 min

Comfort Horror / Blade (1998) with DeVaughn Taylor

There are worse things out tonight than podcasts. Put on your sunscreen and meet us at the blood rave for a comfort horror episode on Blade. Some motherf***ers are always trying to podcast uphill. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Sep 08, 20221 hr 47 min

Cults, Fundamentalism, and Religious Fanaticism / The Wicker Man (1973)

Come. It is time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Pod. Spit out that frog and meet us on the cliffs for a festive episode on Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man. Do sit down, Sergeant. Pods are so much better absorbed with the knees bent. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Sep 01, 20221 hr 58 min

Comfort Horror / Possessor (2020) with Zoë Rose Smith

We’d like you to recalibrate. Get yourself thrown out and meet us after the party for a Comfort Horror episode on Branden Cronenberg’s Possessor. Pull us out. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Psychoanalysis Patreon Music notes: "Infinite Perspective" by Kevin MacLeod "Long Note Three" by Kevin MacLeod "Emotion Picture" by Bill Ironfield Logo artwork by Jess Snively...

Aug 26, 20222 hr 24 min
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