The Final Girls: A Horror Film Podcast

Set in 1965, rebellious teenage Heather (Agnes Bruckner) is sent to a remote all-girls boarding school by her resigned parents, where she has strange, violent dreams and struggles to fit into the school power dynamics. Very soon, she starts suspecting that the teachers, led by the chilly Mrs. Traverse (Patricia Clarkson) might be hiding something. Directed by Lucky McKee, the mind behind such horror cult classics as May and All Cheerleaders Die, this is a witch film big on atmosphere. 

I’m joined in this episode by producer, presenter and podcaster Louise Blain, host of the Killt Podcast. We talk about the atmosphere of the film, the power dynamics of boardings schools, all-female environments and a lot about Bruce Campbell.

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

The Witches (1990), Nicholas Roeg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's book, is traumatising af. A young boy and his grandmother as stumble onto a witch's convention. The witches are wicked and sadistic, and beneath their appearance as regular women are hideous, bald, toe-less creatures who hate children more than anything else. Their leader, the Grand High Witch (portrayed with maximum camp by Anjelica Huston) is the worst witch of them all.

I’m joined by the wicked smart Tara Judah, Cinema Producer at the Watershed in Bristol and frequent collaborator of The Final Girls, to dig into some of the reasons why this film, and Angelica Huston’s performance, really gets under your skin. 

We talk about Anjelica Huston's sexy, slinky and campy take on the Grand High Witch, the grotesque physicality of the witches, how this fits into Nicholas Roeg's other work and why it remains terrifying for both children AND adults. 

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

In this episode, we’re diving into Mario Bava’s atmospheric gothic horror Black Sunday, released in 1960 and banned in the UK untill 1968 for its graphic violence, considered too gruesome at the time. Based very loosely on Nikolai Gogol’s story VIY (which also has its own Soviet film adaptation that I’d highly encourage you to check out!), Black Sunday follows the wrath of the powerful witch-vampire Asa (played by Barbara Steele in her first big screen role), who places a curse on her family after they execute her for her devotion to Satan. Centuries later, she is resurrected and aims to take the body of her descendant, the innocent Katja (also played by Steele). 

I’m joined in this episode by Beatrice Loayza, film and culture writer at such outlets as The Guardian, The AV Club, Sight & Sound, i-D and many more. We discuss the gender politics of the film, Barbara Steele's dual role, the conflation of witch and vampire, and the gruesome focus on the face.

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

Anna Biller's film centers on Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her Gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However, her spells work too well, leaving her with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to the brink of insanity and murder. 

I’m joined in this episode by Inkoo Kang, TV critic at The Hollywood Reporter. We talk about Elaine  as a protagonist who doesn't know she's the villain of her own story, the questionable coven, witchdom, gender politics, and where this film falls in the genre spectrum.

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

In this episode, we’re going to tackle a genuinely terrifying, creepy little film: The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Starring Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox as father-and-son coroners who experience supernatural phenomena while examining the body of an unidentified woman (hence the name Jane Doe) (played by Olwen Kelly). The more they uncover about Jane Doe, the spookier things get.

I’m joined in this episode by producer, presenter and podcaster Louise Blain, host of the Killt Podcast. We talk about the power of rituals, the compact nature of the film, the unmoving but uber-powerful protagonist, how it makes use of sound design and our own morbid curiosity and we pitch about twenty potential sequels and spin-offs to the film.

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

In this episode, we’re diving into Luca Guadagnino's remake of a witchy horror classic, Suspiria. 

The basic premise of the 2018 Suspiria is the same: young, naive dancer Suzy (here played by Dakota Johnson, a Guadagnino regular) arrives in late 70s Berlin to audition for the renowned Helena Markos Dance Company. She quickly nabs the lead dancer role in an upcoming performance, impressing the head of the school, Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton) but her arrival coincides with the disappearance of another dancer. Meanwhile, an inquisitive psychotherapist and a member of the troupe uncover dark and sinister secrets of the dance company. 

Our guest this episode is film critic, writer, programmer and Suspiria-ologist Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (@suspirialex) to discuss the relationship between Fassbinder and Suspiria, dance horror, collectives of women, and the power dynamics between witches. 

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

In this episode, we’re looking at one of the most underseen films by the iconic director George A. Romero. We’ll be chatting about Season of the Witch (aka Jack’s Wife, aka Hungry Wives), Romero’s 1973 drama about an anxiety-ridden housewife (Jan White) who starts dabbling in the occult after meeting a real-life witch at a cocktail party.

It’s a strange, eerie film, really clearly influenced by the third wave feminist movement and also the witch-craze of the late 60s and 70s. There’s suburban ennui, occult rituals, sex magick - and, for the eagle-eyed viewer, a ton of elements that we’ve seen in later films, like The Craft.

Our guest this episode is broadcaster Rowena Alice (@Rowenaaaaa), who joins Anna to discuss the themes, feminist intentions, occult leanings and complicated relationship between the lead characters. 

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

Today, we take a little detour from our series dedicated to exploring witches onscreen to bring you a bonus episode about the new film by writer-director Leigh Whannell (Saw, Insidious, Upgrade). 

The first part of the episode features podcaster Becky Darke (@bunnydarke) on how The Invisible Man updates a classic monster, we gush about Elisabeth Moss, and how tension is built from the first moment. The first part of the conversation will be spoiler-free and we'll make it clear when the spoiler-chat begins! 

In the second part of the episode you’ll hear my interview with writer-director Leigh Whannell. You can skip to that at 0:46:50 

The Invisible Man is released in UK cinemas on Friday 28 February.

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

In this episode, we’re going to tackle the third series of Ryan Murphy’s anthology horror series, American Horror Story: Coven. Starring screen legends Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett and Murphy’s repertoire of actors, including Emma Roberts and Evan Peters, Coven is all about witches. Namely, a coven in New Orleans close to being eradicated and battling internal politics to do with its reigning supreme.There is also a resurrected serial killer, Madame LaLaurie (Kathy Bates), and the first screen incarnation of New Orleans legend, the voodoo queen Marie Laveu (Angela Bassett). 

I’m joined in this episode by film producer Jen Handorf to discuss the witchiness, narrative arcs, grotesque violence, male objectification, how it attempts to deal with difficult subjects, New Orleans as a character, issues of consent, the real-life inspirations behind some of the characters (including a lot of chat on Marie Laveau) and the one tender moment in the series. 

There's a lot. 

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To coincide with our season of films and events, Here Be Witches, we will be focusing this first series on exploring all things witchcraft on film. Each episode, we will dive deep into films and TV shows that we can’t necessarily screen. Each episode, we’ll be joined with special guests to dissect and discuss a film or show, its legacy and the way witches are represented.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

Our special guest this episode is Jen Handorf, find her on @JHandorf

Today, we take a little detour from our series dedicated to exploring witches onscreen to bring you a bonus episode about the new film by director Jessica Hausner, the plant-based sci-fi horror Little Joe. 

The first part of the episode features broadcaster Rowena Alice (@Rowenaaaaa) to discuss the film and some the themes it touches on.

In the second part of the episode you’ll hear our interview with lead actress Emily Beecham, who picked up the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Little Joe. 

Little Joe is released in UK cinemas on Friday 21 February. You can watch the trailer here.

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The Final Girls are a UK-based film collective exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe