On this week’s not exactly Halloween special episode, Mav, Wayne and Monica are joined by returning guests Dr. Michael Chemers and Dr. Samantha Langsdale, two experts in the field of monster studies to talk about their recent conference at the Center for Monster Studies at the University of California Santa Cruz. Sam and Mike share with us their research and their experience at the conference and then join us for a discussion on the concept of feminist monster studies, the place of women in the history of the horror genre and an examination of the concept of the monstrous feminine. We talk about the complex history of female monsters, the evolution of the genre today and expectations for where the field will go in the future. Join us as we talk about why female monsters traditionally bent towards the male gaze and why that is turning towards more of a horror gaze. Also, learn what a zuvembie is! That’s worth it alone, right? Listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Citations and Links:
- Buy Mike’s book, The Monster in Theatre History
- Buy Sam’s book, Monstrous Women in Comics
- Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme
- Sam’s Website: https://www.samlangsdale.com
- Follow Sam on Bluesky: @samlangsdale.bsky.social
- Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick
- Follow Monica on Instagram: @monicamarvelous
- Follow Wayne on Instagram: @tetroc2017
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I just finished Jude Doyle’s “Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers,” which was all about the monstrous feminine in horror films (and deeply interesting). Excited to listen to this as a complement.