Basement Girls Horror Podcast

In this episode, Bianca Pérez descends into the Abaddon Hotel with poet Em Fullenwider—Basement Girl honoree and fellow lover of language that lingers.Steph’s out of the Basement (we miss her bad), but we’re still asking the real question: Would you stay in a haunted hotel if the vibes were off…but the rent was cheap?From the original 2015 cult classic to its increasingly unhinged expansions, Bianca and Em break down plot, production lore, and why the scariest thing isn’t what moves...it’s what waits.Plus: Em brings her beautiful poems to the dark.!!!Spoiler-heavy as always!!!So tell us: If you knew the truth…would you still walk into the Abaddon Hotel?SHOW NOTESEm Fullenwider's Insta! | ⁠⁠instagram.com/postpunk_poet⁠ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

With the 2025 Christmas season upon us, enjoy this shiny holiday re-post of when we had Adam D. Jameson on to review SPENCER, an unsettling biopic about a Christmas weekend Princess Diana, played by Kristen Stewart(!)(?), spends in the countryside with the royal family. It is the epitome of a gothic Christmas horror. Totally worth the watch.Merry Krampus, y'all!***"Is she eating the g*dd*mn pearls?!"Author and film critic Adam D. Jameson joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez to discuss the horror and gothic elements of Pablo Larraín's princess Diana movie SPENCER (2021), written by Steven Knight, and starring Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins. Show Notes:Adam D. Jameson's website: ⁠https://adjameson.wordpress.com/⁠Buy I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing: Star Wars and the Triumph of Geek Culture  by Adam D. Jameson: ⁠https://bit.ly/LackofFaithBG⁠Buy Cinemaps: An Atlas of 35 Great Movies by Adam D. Jameson and Andrew DeGraff: ⁠https://bit.ly/cinemapsBG

Filmmaker, Letterboxd Horrorville HQ Editor, and Co-Founder of Hyperreal Film Club (a microcinema on Austin TX's Eastside), Jenni Kaye, joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to talk about SCREAM (1996). SHOW NOTESJenni Kaye's Insta! | ⁠instagram.com/jenni.video⁠Hyperreal Film Club | hyperrealfilm.clubHorrorville HQ on Letterboxed | letterboxd.com/horrorvilleADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

"The devil says the darndest things."Author and illustrator C.S. Fritz joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to talk about the horror classic that kinda started it all: THE EXORCIST (1973). Additionally, they discuss the original EXORCIST novel (1971) by William Peter Blatty, Satan's charms, hot priests, and Fritz's own devilish novel, A FIG FOR ALL THE DEVILS.SHOW NOTESA FIG FOR ALL THE DEVILS by C.S. Fritz | https://www.amazon.com/Fig-All-Devils-C-S-Fritz/dp/B09HSX6M4HADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!"⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

Plot twist: it wasn't the final Friday. Bianca is joined by poet & teaching artist, Christian J. Collier, to talk about the 1993 horror/fantasy classic JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY. Additionally, they discuss so-bad-it's-good horror slashers, how to keep horror fresh, Black horror motifs in film, monsters, and of course Christian's poetry collection, THE GLEAMING OF THE BLADE. Basement Girlie, Steph, was busy being pregnant but Bianca kept the basement fort down.SHOW NOTESChristian J. Collier |  christianjcollier.comChristian's newest collection, GREATER GHOST | bookshop.org/a/4492/9781961897106THE GLEAMING OF THE BLADE by Christian J. Collier | bullcitypress.com/product/the-gleaming-of-the-blade-by-christian-j-collierADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES⁠⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!"⁠⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

Steph had a baby in August. Bianca currently has, like, 5 jobs. BUT we're excited to return to the basement in 2025, with the goal of releasing an episode every 2-3 months. In the meantime—and with the 2024 Christmas season upon us—enjoy this Holiday re-post of one of our favorite episodes ever. Be merry, ho ho ho's! *** "Never put on a dead man's clothes." Author and culture critic Peter Counter joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to discuss how THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994), starring Tim Allen, is actually a movie about body horror, possession, and the sublime. Basically, it's a yuletide HEREDITARY (in fact, we're pretty sure Santa Claus knows Paiman...). SHOW NOTES Peter Counter | ⁠⁠peterbcounter.com⁠ Be Scared of Everything by Peter Counter | ⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/a/4492/9781988784564⁠ How to Restore a Timeline: On Violence and Memory by Peter Counter | ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/4492/9781487011994⁠ ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES ⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠! "⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠ Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

"Sometimes the Death card means transformation—and sometimes it just means death." Cecily Sailer, founder of Typewriter Tarot and host of YOUR CREATIVE AND MAGICAL LIFE podcast, joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to discuss the new horror film TAROT (2024), directed by Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, and (loosely) based on the 1992 YA horror novel Horrorscope by Nicholas Adams. SHOW NOTES Cecily Sailer | typewritertarot.com YOUR CREATIVE AND MAGICAL LIFE Podcast | yourcreativeandmagicallife.buzzsprout.com Mystic Messages Tarot Deck | typewritertarot.com/shop/mystic-message-deck Tarot for Creative Spirits Workbook by Cecily Sailer | typewritertarot.com/shop/tarot-for-creative-spirits ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES ⁠⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠! "⁠⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠⁠ Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

Never put on a dead man's clothes! Author and culture critic Peter Counter joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez in the basement to discuss how THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994), starring Tim Allen, is actually a movie about body horror, possession, and the sublime. It's basically a yuletide HEREDITARY (in fact, we're pretty sure Santa Claus knows Paiman...). SHOW NOTES Peter Counter | ⁠peterbcounter.com Be Scared of Everything by Peter Counter | ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/4492/9781988784564 How to Restore a Timeline: On Violence and Memory by Peter Counter | https://bookshop.org/a/4492/9781487011994 ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES ⁠⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠⁠! "⁠⁠Likeness⁠⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠⁠ Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

With Bianca Pérez out for her Hallowedding (!), WIRED's Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast host David Barr Kirtley joins Steph Grossman in the basement to discuss the '90s animated Halloween classic, The Halloween Tree (1993), as well as Ray Bradbury’s 1972 novella of the same name that inspired it. SHOW NOTES Geek's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast | geeksguideshow.com & wired.com/author/geeks-guide-to-the-galaxy David Barr Kirtley | davidbarrkirtley.com Save Me Plz and Other Stories by David Barr Kirtley | amazon.com/Save-Me-Plz-Other-Stories/dp/B09S65RZF5 ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES ⁠Gemini Gospel⁠⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠⁠! "⁠Likeness⁠"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠⁠ Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

It ain't fall 'til September 23rd y'all. Hold onto sweet, scary summer for one more day by joining your resident basement girls in their discussion about the summer camp horror film that started it all: the original Friday the 13th. Topics include a brief history of summer camp, the "whodunnit" aspect of the film, cozy horror, feminist subtext, final girls, motherhood, and how the famous "ch ch ch ah ah ah" sound is actually a remix of "kill kill kill ma ma ma" (really! That's what it says!). P. S. Steph deeply hates Neddy. They also answer questions and comments from a few listeners who also happen to be authors: William Jensen, Brendan Deneen, and Amy Gentry. SHOW NOTES "Summer Camp Has Always Been About Escaping Modern Life" by Livia Gershon | daily.jstor.org/history-summer-camp "Camp Cool, Not School Cool" episode of the Binchtopia Podcast | audacy.com/podcast/binchtopia-42372/episodes/camp-cool-not-school-cool-9a207 ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Gemini Gospel⁠ | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications ⁠hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel⁠. Can't buy right now? ⁠Shelve it on Goodreads⁠! "Likeness"⁠ | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: ⁠bit.ly/mirrorstory⁠ Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | ⁠bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

Screenlife = Screamlife. In this second installment of their found footage series, Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez discuss how recent innovations in the genre tap into our internet addictions and round-the-clock "screenlife" to create uniquely contemporary horror stories. Screamlife found footage films discussed include: Megan is Missing (2011), Unfriended (2015), Unfriended: Dark Web (2018), Searching (2018), Host (2020), and *sigh* Dashcam (2022). Also discussed: modern found footage in the form of online urban legends (Slenderman), Youtube videos (Marble Hornets and The Backrooms), and iconic found footage-y posts found on Twitter ("Dear David") and Reddit ("Pen Pal"). SHOW NOTES Gemini Gospel | Bianca Pérez's debut poetry chapbook, published by Host Publications hostpublications.com/products/gemini-gospel. Can't buy right now? Shelve it on Goodreads! Likeness | Steph Grossman's latest horror-tinged short story, published in Joyland Magazine. Free to read. Bitly link: bit.ly/mirrorstory Basement Girls Podcast Store on Bookshop.org | bookshop.org/shop/basementgirls

Is she eating the g*dd*mn pearls?!  Author and film critic Adam D. Jameson joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez to discuss the horror and gothic elements of Pablo Larraín's princess Diana movie SPENCER (2021), written by Steven Knight, and starring Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins.  Show Notes: Adam D. Jameson's website: https://adjameson.wordpress.com/ Buy I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing: Star Wars and the Triumph of Geek Culture  by Adam D. Jameson: https://bit.ly/LackofFaithBG Buy Cinemaps: An Atlas of 35 Great Movies by Adam D. Jameson and Andrew DeGraff: https://bit.ly/cinemapsBG

My cam shake brings all the fans to the yard. Steph Grossman and Bianca Pérez present the history of found footage, a beloved sub-genre of horror, starting with its literary origins, and then discussing the earliest and most iconic FF horror films: David Holzman’s Diary (1967), Cannibal Holocaust (1980), The McPherson Tape (1989), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Last Broadcast (1998), and Paranormal Activity (2007).

Dance until you die/get pretzeled. Literature scholar Bryce Jeter joins Steph Grossman and Bianca Perez to discuss the similarities and differences between Dario Argento’s original Suspiria (1977), and Luca Guadagnino’s remake of it (2018), written by David Kajganich, and starring Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton (who goes above and beyond—as always—playing not one but two witches, and also an 82-year-old man).

Alex Amick, editor of the feature film The Wind, joins us to discuss breaking into the movie industry via film editing, what it was like on the set of The Wind (hint: it involved creepy night horses…), and her favorite horror, The Witch. The Wind (which we reviewed in Episode 1) is a western horror film set on the American frontier, where a woman is left to deal with the darkness of the prairie—and her own mind. Show Notes: Watch The Wind on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/watch/81034728 Alex Amick's portfolio: https://www.alexandraamick.com

We really, really need to talk about Kevin. Steph Grossman and Bianca Perez discuss the differences between Lionel Shriver’s 2003 novel WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and the 2011 film adaptation of it directed by Lynne Ramsay, and starring Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, and kids who look exactly like Ezra Miller. SHOW NOTES: Check out the Basement Girls Soundtrack playlist on Spotify, which features songs from WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, and other deep, dark music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1OrzgiZQR2VrVXt0Ljfl5S

Being punishers for Punisher. In this first-ever Whatnot Minisode (45 mins instead of the usual 90 mins, lol) Steph Grossman and Bianca Perez take a break from discussing horror films and instead “fangirl” over Grammy-nominated musician, Phoebe Bridgers, and her haunting horror/true crime inspired music. Show Notes Check out the Basement Girls Soundtrack playlist on Spotify, which features a bunch of Phoebe Bridgers songs and other deep, dark music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1OrzgiZQR2VrVXt0Ljfl5S

Learning to skateboard in Bad City (if you’re a vampire). Steph Grossman and Bianca Perez discuss genre-bending Iranian vampire film A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (2014), written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, and starring Sheila Vand and Arash Marandi. Show Notes Check out the Basement Girls Soundtrack playlist on Spotify, which features songs from A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and other deep, dark music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1OrzgiZQR2VrVXt0Ljfl5S

Facing our Chucky fears.Bianca’s big brother, Hector Perez (the creator of our snazzy intro music) joins us to discuss the original CHILD'S PLAY film (1988), directed by Tom Holland, written by Don Mancini, and starring the mom from 7th Heaven.

There's something about prairie. Steph Grossman and Bianca Perez discuss the movie THE WIND (2018), a horror western directed by Emma Tammi, written by Teresa Sutherland, and starring Caitlin Gerard.

In this "first" episode, meet your resident Basement Girls, writers Bianca Perez and Steph Grossman, as they talk about why they love horror films, dark literature, basements, and hot Cheetos.