The Monstrous Feminine

Latest Episodes:

S2 Ep 15: Bollywood Horror - Tumbbad Jan 14, 2022

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Continuing our exploration of Bollywood horror, we're talking about the Hindi-language horror 2018 film ‘Tumbbad', directed by Anand Gandhi and Rahi Anil Barve. 👛👺 First of all, we talk about the monstrous womb imagery in this film, and what this means metaphorically. Next, we explain how this morality tale is being used to comment on greed in both colonial and post-colonial India. Finally, we talk about how a system which relies on the privatisation of land fosters a culture of misogyny. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, mentions of rape, discussions of colonialism in India and misogyny

S2 Ep 14: Bollywood Horror - Raat Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

Happy New Year! This month we’re diving into Bollywood horror, and to kick off 2022, we’re covering the 1992 Indian Hindi-Telugu supernatural horror, ‘Raat’, directed by Ram Gopal Varma. 🐈💀 Firstly, we go through some tropes of Bollywood horror films, and the genre’s place on the world stage in the 90s. We then move on to talk about the monstrous feminine and its relation to possession in this film. Finally, we debate the porous boundaries between medical diagnoses and the supernatural. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, mentions of domestic abuse and discussion of mental illness

S2 Ep 13: Holiday Special - A Christmas Horror Story Dec 24, 2021

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS! To wrap up the holiday season, we cover the 2015 horror anthology 'A Christmas Horror Story', directed by Steve Hoban, Grant Harvey and Brett Sullivan. ✝️🐐👯🎅🏻🎄 🧟 In this episode, we discuss the four story segments in turn, and delve into Catholicism, Krampus lore, Freud, and, most insightfully, zombie elves. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, child abuse and abortion

S2 Ep 12: Holiday Special - Krampus Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! To continue with the festivities, we watched the 2015 horror comedy 'Krampus', directed by Michael Dougherty. 🐐🎅🏻🔮 We had a hard time categorising this film within the comedy genre: is it a critical satire that mocks to make a point or just bad slapstick? We also went into the strange folklore that relied on shoehorning in a Nazi Germany subplot, which felt questionable and incongruent. Finally, we discussed the issue of fat phobia in American comedy. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, discussions of Nazi Germany, anti-semitism and fatphobia

S2 Ep 11: Holiday Special - Gremlins Dec 19, 2021

Show notes

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This month we’re doing a few festive films for the holiday season. To kick things off, we’re covering the 1984 film 'Gremlins', directed by Joe Dante. 🎄🕛 🥪🐲💦🐲🐲🐲 We (Louisa) make a big reach and discuss this film as a possible parody of anti-communist rhetoric in Cold War America. No, I will not elaborate. Go listen for more. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, discussions of anti-Asian racism and anti-Semitism

S2 Ep 10: Doppelgängers - Metamorphosis Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

Our last pick for the doppelgängers theme is the 2019 film ‘Metamorphosis’, directed by Kim Hong-Sun. ✝️ There’s a lot to unpack here. We talk about the strange absence of Korean cultural signifiers in this film, and unpick some inconsistencies in the narrative. We then move on to discuss how this film uses doubles to explore the crisis of the family and to what effect. Finally, we praise the film’s fascinating use of possession lore with the doppelgängers theme to create something genuinely disturbing and relatively unique. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, sexual abuse, mentions of incest/paedophilia and religious fanaticism

S2 Ep 9: Doppelgängers - Us Nov 28, 2021

Show notes

Next up for our doppelgängers theme is Jordan Peele’s 2019 film ‘Us’. ✂️🐇🤝 We ask a lot of questions. Firstly, is Peele making a comment on charity in America with the ‘Hands Across America’ reference? Secondly, in what ways do wealth and class affect the Black American experience? Finally, how does this film work as an abolitionist narrative? The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, anti-Black racism, classism, neglect and mental illness

S2 Ep 8: Doppelgängers - Black Swan Nov 12, 2021

Show notes

NEW MONTH NEW THEME. This time it’s doppelgängers. To kick off one of our favourite horror themes, we're talking about Black Swan (2010), directed by Darren Aronofsky. 🩰🖤🦢 I won’t lie to you, a lot of this episode is us thirsting, but that’s only fitting for the Mila/Natalie sex scene that threw a whole generation into gay panic. But never fear, there is some critical analyses of the body horror as well as sexual exploitation in the dance industry. We also talk about the male gaze and wonder if Aronofsky accurately depicts female competition. The Coven: Mila, Louisa, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, body mutilation, suicide, sexual abuse/exploitation and mental illness

S2 Ep 7: Lore - Candyman (2021) Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

BE MY VICTIM! This is our last episode of the month tackling lore in horror and we’ve chosen the much anticipated Candyman sequel. 🍬🐝 How does this sequel engage with the original film’s lore? Are some of the reviews being unfair? Is it possible for Black artists to exploit Black pain for white audiences? And finally, should this have just been a remake rather than a sequel? The Coven: Mila, Louisa, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, paedophilia, body mutilation, discussions of extreme anti-Black racism and suicide

S2 Ep 6: Lore - It Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

Welcome back to the podcast where horrible humans talk about horror. This week we are continuing our analysis of horror lore! 📚 Last week we talked about 'The Babadook', so we had to talk about his boyfriend Pennywise and the 'It' movie (2017). 🤡🎈 We start by confessing our love for Pennywise as a comedic agent of chaos. We then debate whether or not there is a place for children in horror - do they cross a line or access a deep primal fear for adult audiences? Finally, we delved into the depiction of sexual abuse and discussed the excessive predation all young girls experience. The Coven: Louisa, Mila, Tyia and Zeba Theme Music and Transitions by: Ruud Bemelmans ‘Witch of the Week’ Music by: Sebastian Pizzaro *CONTENT WARNING* Violence, death, murder, paedophilia, sexual abuse and mentions of racism and sexual harassment

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