Film programmer Alison Lang and film writer Jess Sweetman came to talk with me about something they both feel really passionate about - their love of bad movies. This episode is a look at why film lovers relish watching movies that are overlooked, mocked, and discarded. We talked about being contrarians, what makes a bad movie entertaining, their niche favorites, and more! Show Notes: Jess’ Substack Jess’ other Substack Intermission Jess’ Kevin Smith Piece Movies Men Ruined For Me Instagram Alis...
Aug 19, 2025•1 hr 38 min
It only felt right to dedicate another episode to David Lynch. In February, I put out an episode documenting a Lynch marathon that I co-organized, but that wasn't enough Lynch in my book, and so I approached two bonafide Lynch experts with the goal of having a more in-depth conversation about the filmmaker. Bill Ackerman is a film writer and the host of the fantastic Supporting Characters podcast as well as a special podcast dedicated to Blue Velvet called From the Neighborhood . He's undoub...
Jul 22, 2025•2 hr 18 min
In mid May, film collective Zelluloid 42 and US film label Vinegar Syndrome organized a mini festival called Vinegar Syndrome Weekender showcasing a selection of outrageous, nonsensical, incredibly entertaining B movies and celebrating celluloid film. I went there with my B movie loving friend Jess and this episode is a documentation of our time there. You'll hear our bewildered reactions to the films we saw, a Q&A with Vinegar Syndrome co-founder Joe Rubin and chief archivist Oscar Becher (...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli are a Toronto-based filmmaking duo who premiered their second feature HONEY BUNCH, an unconventional thriller set in a 70s medical clinic, at the Berlinale earlier this year. They're an exciting, genre-defying voice in contemporary cinema and it was great to get them on the podcast. We spoke about what it's like working as a duo, making the anti-revenge film VIOLATION, accessibility in film, and much more. Show Notes: Madeleine & Dusty’s website Sl...
May 16, 2025•58 min
“People would leave me saying, ‘She’s a nice girl. What is this big thing about? She’s a nice girl.’ And the thing is, of course, I wasn’t a nice girl. And when they found this out, they hated me all the more.”—Elaine May, 2006 Elaine May is a game-changing director, writer, and actress that not enough people know about. Thankfully, I was able to talk to a May expert, writer Carrie Courogen, who wrote an Elaine May biography called 'Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Holly...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Recorded a week and a half after David Lynch's death, this episode is a mishmash of interviews with Cinema of the Dam'd programmers Jen Bronson and Matt Cornell and clips of what we showed during our 15 hour twitch marathon. We spoke about our Lynch faves, what he means to us, and where our head was at after watching so much of his work at once (it was pretty divine). Lynch's death hit hard and this won't be the last time I feature him on Somebody's Watching. Show Notes: Cinema of the Dam'd Jenn...
Feb 12, 2025•53 min
Caryn Coleman is the founder of New York-based film initiative The Future of Film is Female which amplifies the work of women and non-binary filmmakers early in their career, offering short film grants. Caryn's initiative has been exponentially growing and I wanted to ask her how she made it all happen! We talk about how Caryn came to curating, her Future of Film is Female highlights, and the knots and bolts of indie distribution. Show Notes: Instagram @futureoffilmisfemale Twitter @fofif Future...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 7 min
There's a plethora of "eat the rich" films these days, films that relish in showing the wealthy suffer without, god forbid, rocking the status quo. My guest today is Tosha R. Taylor is quite skeptical of the trend. Tosha R. Taylor is a writer, former academic, and regularly publishes and presents on horror, extremity, and queerness. We talk about the history of class in cinema, the invisibility of class issues in the majority of films, hillbilly horror, and Tosha picks some of her favorite class...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 36 min
I spoke with fellow Anthony Perkins superfan, PhD student and podcaster Xanthe Pajarillo, all about the immensely talented and under-appreciated Anthony Perkins. Perkins was far more than Norman Bates and I wanted to delve into his interesting and eclectic career with someone who gets it. We discuss his early days as a teen idol, his career in Europe, midcentury masculinity, and chose some of our favorite Perkins performances. Show Notes: Xanthe Pajarillo’s instagram twitter tiktok Xanthe Pajari...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 34 min
My friend Karolin joins me on this episode to talk about something we both really love - the coming-of-age film (and show). We spoke about why we love them, the depiction of movie high school and how they affected our own high school expectations, our list of the films and shows that mean the most to us, and a whole lot more. Apologies for my freshly post-Covid voice in this and the technical glitches! Show Notes: Karolin’s website Karolin’s instagram Rebel Without A Cause (1955) 400 Blows (1959...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 46 min
Today’s episode is all about grimy New York movies from the mid-20th century. So much was going on in that small stretch of the city and movies made in that time and place show it off so well. My guest is film historian and writer Samm Deighan, an expert on cult cinema and one of those people who really seem to have watched it all! You’ll hear about Times Square history, psychotronic cinema, and Samm’s list of films that best depict this iconic era. Show Notes: Samm Deighan’s Instagram @sammdeig...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 9 min
In 2018, film scholar Dr. Erin Harrington wrote a vital book titled "Women, Monstrosity, and Horror Film: Gynaehorror" about the depictions of virginity, menstruation, pregnancy, motherhood, and menopause in horror. In this episode, I had the great pleasure of chatting with Erin Harrington about her book, the limits of psychoanalysis in horror, why horror is fertile ground for speaking about women’s experiences, and much more. I’d like to think this conversation won’t just interest the horror fa...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 17 min
This is an episode that was released on my other podcast, The Bend . I talked with Lizzie Borden, director of BORN IN FLAMES and WORKING GIRLS, during the height of the pandemic. It was an honor to have a chance to talk with her about her craft. We talked about her films, of course, as well as what it was like to work with Harvey Weinstein, the #metoo movement, and quite a lot more. The book about sex work that Lizzie Borden mentions in the episode is now out, you can find it here Follow Somebod...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr
Programmer, writer, and podcaster extraodinaire Millie De Chirico co-hosts I Saw What You Did - one of the best, most entertaining film podcasts around. Millie also worked at the classic movie channel TCM for almost 20 years and so I had the chance to talk to her about film programming, her book "TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema," and, of course, her podcast! Show Notes: Millie‘s podcast: I Saw What You Did Millies‘ substack: Professional Sw...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Back in October I went to Sitges Festival in Spain for the first time. Sitges is one of the largest horror festivals in the world and I got to watch a slew of fantastic films and meet some excellent people from the film horror world. Overall, it was an incredibly positive experience and I hope that comes through here. Enjoy this somewhat disjointed episode! Thank you to everyone who chatted with me at the fest! If you want to follow my guests, you can find their info is in the show notes! Show N...
Dec 11, 2023•2 hr 11 min
I talked to the Adams Family right before the world premiere of their latest film Where the Devil Roams back in July. I've been a fan of The Adams Family, who make films as a family, for some years now, and it was a delight to have them on the podcast! In our chat, we talked about how they started making films, the overarching themes in their work, and, of course, their new film Where the Devil Roams. Show Notes: Toby Poser IMDb John Adams IMDb Hellbender – Tiny Little Pieces (music heard in th...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 17 min
My guest this episode is Professor Nikolaj Lübecker, a French and film studies professor at Oxford who wrote the book The Feel-Bad Film. In this conversation, we talk about the different types of feel-bad films, catharsis, the ethical value of these films, and a lot more. Show Notes: Nikolaj Lübecker’s book The Feel-Bad Film What is Literature? – Jean-Paul Sartre Chroniques Du Temps Sensible – Julia Kristeva (for French speakers) Films Mentioned: Funny Games Dogville Elephant I Can‘t Sleep Cache...
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 1 min
I spoke with film scholar Dr. Kate Robertson about cannibalism in cinema! We talk a bit about the history of cannibalism in film, why cannibalism is considered a taboo, depictions of female cannibalism, and more! Kate is going to publish a book about female cannibalism soon, follow her on social media to receive updates! Show Notes: Kate Robertson‘s website: https://katerobertson.me/ instagram: @kate_in_bk twitter: @final_fatale https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/why-femal...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 1 min
This is part two of the top 3 horror films of the decade project, this time we talk about our favorite horror from the 2000s & 2010s. After we finished our lists, we discussed our favorite decades and certain common themes that popped up for us. Thanks to my guests Sara Neidorf & Jess Sweetman for joining me this episode! Show Notes: Top 3 Horror Films Letterboxd List Film Links: The Eyes Of My Mother Bubba Ho-Tep Sara‘s Instagram @saraneidorf Jess‘ Instagram @jesssweetman Follow Somebod...
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 30 min
I sat down with my horror pals Sara Neidorf & Jess Sweetman to discuss our top 3 horror films of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Predictably, this turned into quite the whopper of an episode! Stay tuned for Part 2 where we talk about our favorites from the 2000s and 2010s. Show Notes: Top 3 Horror Films Letterboxd List Film Links: Cremator The Laughing Woman Peeping Tom Martin The Haunting of Julia Texas Chainsaw Massacre Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Hellraiser Pin Cube Funny Games Tesis R...
Jul 03, 2023•1 hr 59 min
This episode is from my other podcast The Bend but it's really what Somebody's Watching is about! Thanks again to horror specialist Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and film professor Professor Peter Lehman for their time, it was an honor to be able to chat with them. Enjoy! A Selection of Peter Lehman’s Work: Running Scared: Masculinity and the Representation of the Male Body Masculinity: Bodies, Movies, Culture Pornography: Film and Culture Peter Lehman’s Arizona State University Profile A Select...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Welcome to the very first episode of Somebody‘s Watching! Today you‘ll be hearing my good friend Karolin and I talk about what makes Keanu Reeves and Adam Driver such great celebrity crushes. We discuss what makes having a celebrity crush so appealing and the careers and personas of Keanu Reeves and Adam Driver. In future Somebody‘s Watching episodes, there‘ll be light-hearted fare just like this but also discussions with film scholars about dark subject matters, strange film lists, and intervie...
Apr 12, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 1
