It's our 100th episode!!!! Hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca celebrate a podcast and friendship while discussing the 2024 Horror Movie: A Novel by Paul Tremblay. Episode Highlights: We appreciated the opportunity--for our 100th episode--to return to a favorite writer: Paul Tremblay! We frame our conversation through the lens that we are Tremblay fans; he's written some of our favorite horror novels. We examine the places where we felt the novel shined, particularly in the ways that Tremblay...
Oct 25, 2024•54 min•Ep. 128
In this episode of the Such a Nightmare podcast, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca explore the magic and horror of Vegas as they discuss the 1995 horror comedy film Leprechaun 3. Episode Highlights: We frame our discussion of the film by considering how it serves as the third installment in the franchise. We appreciate how the film provides some wacky fun and weird kills that complements the first two Leprechaun films . And, of course, we are always here for Warwick Davis! On the other hand...
Oct 02, 2024•34 min•Ep. 127
In this episode of the Such a Nightmare podcast, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca discuss the 2023 horror film Late Night with the Devil. Episode Highlights: We begin by addressing the monster in the room: the film's use of AI and the subsequent backlash this film faced as a result. Ultimately though, we argue that it is unfair that most folks only want to talk about the AI issue, because this film deserves to be discussed on its own merits...for both its accomplishments and its misses. We...
Sep 13, 2024•50 min•Ep. 126
In this episode of the Such a Nightmare podcast, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca discuss the 1994 horror comedy film Leprechaun 2. Episode Highlights: We explore how the sequel compares with the original 1993 film and argue that, particularly in terms of cinematography, Leprechaun 2 feels richer and more vibrant. As evidence, we turn to the cold opening scene and its use of cinematography to help communicate not just what is happening in the film, but how we are supposed to feel. It's har...
Aug 30, 2024•33 min•Ep. 125
In this episode of the Such a Nightmare podcast, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca discuss the awesomeness that is Misery . Although we focus primarily on the 1990 film staring Kathy Bates and James Caan, we cannot help but also talk about Stephen King's original novel and Toni shares their experience seeing William Goldman's theatrical stage adaptation. Episode Highlights: We explore the internal/interior nature of King's book (with so much happening in Paul's head) and how well we feel th...
Jul 26, 2024•50 min•Ep. 124
In this spooktacular Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-host Katherine Troyer speaks with horror authors and creators Steve DeWinter and Renee Miller. We explore the horrific power and potential of immersive storytelling (which is a really awesome way of presenting and engaging with the horror genre). Steve and Renee discuss how their work The Babysitter plays with different sources of horror through its multiple possible pathways and how the horror of their story shapes, and is shaped by, the way...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 123
In this episode of the Such a Nightmare podcast, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca search for their pot of gold as they discuss the 1993 horror comedy film Leprechaun. Episode Highlights: We talk about the awesomeness that is Warwick Davis and how his performance encourages us to laugh with him rather than at him. We explore whether the film can be read as a traditional affirmative horror movie where greed and foreigners are the threat, or whether this film might be read as a dissaffirmativ...
Jun 07, 2024•32 min•Ep. 122
In this episode of the Such a Nightmare podcast, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca put a coin in the pinball machine to discuss 2021's Willy's Wonderland. Episode Highlights: We talk about how Nicholas Cage is the reason for the season and, hands down, the best part of this film. We explore the film's brilliant practical effects with the puppets/animatronics. Katherine shares how the film builds on the carnivalesque aspects of the suspension of normality, the carnival king, the ambivalent n...
Apr 05, 2024•43 min•Ep. 121
In this episode of the Such a Nightmare podcast, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca return--for a final time (at least for now!)--to Camp Crystal Lake as they discuss the 2009 horror slasher film Friday the 13th . Episode Highlights: We examine the film's (potentially) strange juxtaposition between a wholesome family reunion narrative and shots of lots (and lots) of boobs; Katherine shares how all the boobery made for a personally very awkward family viewing. We talk about how this film, as ...
Mar 01, 2024•49 min•Ep. 120
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca work the graveyard shift as they discuss the 2023 horror film Five Nights at Freddy's. Episode Highlights: Toni shares what it was like playing the game on band trips as a kid and how this shaped their anticipation and hopes for this film. We talk about the challenges this film faced and--in our opinions--did not overcome as the movie tries to appeal to both current kids and adults who remembered the game from their own childhoods. We look ...
Feb 16, 2024•43 min•Ep. 119
In this spooktacular Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-host Katherine Troyer speaks with horror author and editor David-Jack Fletcher. We discuss the significance of normalizing LGBTQIA+ identities within the horror genre. This leads to an even bigger discussion of how queer horror can both offer a space for connection and push us beyond our comfort zones. David-Jack shares the vision behind Slashic Horror , his indie horror press that he co-founded with Lee Cross James. And we talk about the mag...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 118
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca hop a rocket to outer space...where, of course, Jason is waiting...as they discuss the 2001 horror slasher film Jason X . Episode Highlights: We talk about how this film is part of a slew of films in the late 90s/early 00s that sought to shock their respective franchises back to life with a journey to space. We think about how this film, despite (or perhaps because of) it's different setting, fits within the larger Friday the 13th franchise...
Jan 19, 2024•39 min•Ep. 116
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca venture into their first non-fiction book as they discuss the 2023 collection of essays Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer. Episode Highlights: We talk about the word "monstrous" and what it means to us. We express how called out--and seen--we felt at various points in this book, particularly as fellow aca-fans wrestling with our own feelings of certain monstrous creators (like Whedon). We celebrate the memoir approach to this topi...
Dec 15, 2023•53 min•Ep. 115
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca descend to the underworld (kind of) as they discuss the 1993 horror slasher film Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday . Episode Highlights: If we thought it took a while for Jason to make it to Manhattan, we were shocked by how long it took for him to actually go to hell! Katherine maintains that this is perhaps one of the best uses of a cold opening, and we talk about the film's quirky and odd characters. We explore the consequences--on us...
Nov 20, 2023•45 min•Ep. 114
In this spooktacular terrifying Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-host Katherine Troyer speaks with horror scholar, writer, and editor Jolie Toomajan. We discuss her research into several less-appreciated women who wrote for Weird Tales , and what she has been learning in her recent scholarship. Together we explore the complicated relationships we have with a genre that is both transgressive and conservative, and how horror manages to be both a challenging home and a perfect vehicle to explore th...
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 112
In this spooktacular episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca don their mouse ears as they discuss the truly horrific and absolutely fantastic 2023 novel Maeve Fly by author C.J. Leede. We highly recommend you read the book before listening to this episode! Episode Highlights: We explore how this novel serves as a love story to LA, and the ways that Leede manages to both rip off our rose-tinted glasses about the City of Angels even as she encourages us to find beauty in the asphalt landsc...
Oct 09, 2023•39 min•Ep. 113
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca head to the big apple as they discuss the 1989 horror slasher film Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan . Episode Highlights: This was our first time seeing the film, so we talk about our surprise at how long it takes Jason to make it to Manhattan and how this decision impacts not only our expectations as viewers but the larger narrative and themes of this film. We also explore about how this film's portrayal of New York City--a...
Sep 20, 2023•41 min•Ep. 111
In this Eerie Extra, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca review the 2023 horror film Scream VI . (Because, let's face it, as long as they make Scream films, we'll be watching Scream films.) We discuss our thoughts on the latest film (to date) in the franchise and how we think that the sixth installment fits into, contributes to, and occasionally takes away from the larger Scream narrative. We talk about the awesomeness of having scream queen Samara Weaving in the cold opening, and what it was...
Jul 28, 2023•38 min•Ep. 110
In this delightfully terrifying Eerie Extra, Such a Nightmare co-host Katherine Troyer speaks with cosmic horror writer Mark N. Drake. We discuss Mark's Darkisle series and how he created this particular world, what it takes to build a memorable and unique horror setting, and the power--and challenge--of blending genres such as cosmic horror, noir, and gumshoe detective. While we discuss Mark's 2020 novel The Gathering of Shadows , this interview is relatively spoiler free. This interview occurr...
May 31, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 109
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca talk the post-modern and incredibly "meta" 2006 horror-comedy film Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. Episode Highlights: We discuss the film's commentary on the slasher genre and, in particular, how this movie's final girl character (Taylor Gentry) becomes a stand-in for the sometimes uncomfortable position of being a fan and scholar of horror. We examine the mockumentary style of the cinematography and when (and when not) it work...
May 01, 2023•45 min•Ep. 108
In this very haunting Eerie Extra, co-host Katherine Troyer talks with horror writer Carson Winter. We discuss Carson's 2023 novella "Soft Targets" (through Tenebrous Press), the power and potential of weird horror, and what we would want to taste if we could taste any intangible thing. This interview is relatively spoiler free, so you should be able to enjoy it before or after reading "Soft Targets"! Check out the novella at the Tenebrous Press site . This interview occurred on February 27, 202...
Apr 26, 2023•57 min•Ep. 107
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca grab their camping gear and head to the woods (metaphorically of course...Katherine is very allergic to nature) as they discuss the 1988 horror slasher film Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood . Episode Highlights: We celebrate the arrival of Kane Hodder as Jason even as we question why the film is called "THE New Blood." We explore the film's premise of Jason vs. Carrie and the ways that this storyline creates an interesting final girl...
Mar 30, 2023•40 min•Ep. 106
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca discuss writer and director Zach Cregger's unexpected (and unexpectedly funny) 2022 horror film Barbarian . Episode Highlights: We talk about some of the behind-the-scenes decisions that had a profound impact on the final version of the film (including the original casting choice for Justin Long's character). Drawing deep from that one art appreciation class she took years ago, Katie describes the film as a triptych, with each of its three ...
Mar 10, 2023•40 min•Ep. 105
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca return to Crystal Lake yet again as they discuss the 1986 horror slasher film Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives . Episode Highlights: We talk about this film's unexpected (but rather delightful) comedy and the ways that the humor is used not only to make bit characters more memorable but as a way for the film to situate itself as a meta-horror/post-modern gothic text. We examine the film as a work of eco-horror and what Jason's supernatu...
Feb 27, 2023•44 min•Ep. 104
In this delightful Eerie Extra, co-hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca talk with actor, educator, and theatre administrator Heather Kelley. We had the opportunity to speak with Heather about her current (and super cool) research on the narratives of ghosts--and ghostly encounters--at three real-world theatres here in the United States: the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas; Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana; and the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Connecticut. Heather talks...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 103
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca continue things with their discussion of the 2011 horror film--and franchise prequel-- The Thing . (Get it...continue things ...with The Thing . Come for the bad puns, stay for more bad puns.) Episode Highlights: We talk about our appreciation of the character Kate (and not only because she has an awesome name), and the ways that this character--as a female scientist--both offers something missing from the 1982 film and pays homage to the 1...
Feb 07, 2023•40 min•Ep. 102
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca grab their machetes for their discussion of the 1985 horror slasher film Friday the 13th: A New Beginning . Episode Highlights: We talk about the film's attempt to pivot the franchise and the consequences--both in terms of fan reception and in terms of the film's narrative--of a Jason-less Friday the 13th film. Toni shares the (admittedly decades-old) gossip about all the behind-the-scenes drama of the film production. And we explore the el...
Jan 13, 2023•42 min•Ep. 101
In this spooktacular episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Anthony Tresca discuss not one but two (well, kind of three ) THINGS: the 1951 film The Thing from Another World, John Carpenter's beloved 1982 film The Thing , and the novella that started it all...John W. Campbell's 1938 "Who Goes There?" Episode Highlights: We explore how the thing manages, time and again, to change its form in order to provide the most culturally relevant moments of horror. Looking particularly at the two films, we tal...
Dec 19, 2022•40 min•Ep. 100
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca return to Crystal Lake once more for their discussion of the 1984 horror slasher film Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Episode Highlights: We talk about how this film works to set itself apart from the other entries in the franchise, even as it continues the franchise's MO of punishing teens for...well, being teens. Much of our examination of this episode centers on the relationship between Trish and Tommy Jarvis and the ways that they s...
Nov 18, 2022•42 min•Ep. 99
In this episode, hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca keep on camping as they discuss the 1982 horror slasher film Friday the 13th Part III . Episode Highlights: We talk about how this particular entry in the franchise was disappointing as it was the exact same formula from the first two films...but somehow also worse than the first two films. We discuss the annoying Shelly (who reminded Katherine a lot of Franklin from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ). We think about the consequences of how thi...
Nov 18, 2022•40 min•Ep. 95
