Horror Science

Episode eight focuses on media effects. The top of the show explores a couple copycat crimes related to the Scream franchise; however, copycat crimes are less common than the news media would have you believe. The episode closes with a look at George Gerbner's cultivation theory, with a focus on mean world syndrome.

Episode seven explores the criminology behind The Silence of the Lambs. What is life like at the FBI Training Academy at Quantico? How are serial killers profiled, and what role do modus operandi and signature play? Which real-life serial killers inspired the characterization of Buffalo Bill? Finally, would an incarcerated killer ever help with a current investigation?

Episode six explores several questions raised by the Swedish vampire horror Let the Right One In. What medical conditions could have lead to the creation of the burning in sunlight myth? Have children ever been part of a serial killing team? How have animals adapted to survive on blood? What do the history books leave out about the creation of Morse Code? What are the side effects of hydrochloric acid spills? Finally, how long can humans hold their breath underwater?

Episode five covers the science behind John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween. Is Halloween more dangerous than any other day of the year? What happened in the case of the Liske family murders? Could Michael's parents have been warned about his violent tendencies by the MacDonald Triad? Why does Michael wear a mask? Finally, would Michael really have been able to escape from Smith's Grove? Ask John Straffen, who escaped from a mental hospital for the criminally insane in England.

Episode four differs from the usual content of the podcast; it begins by providing historical context for the film. Who is Pan, and how does the translation of the film's title from Spanish to English affect its meaning? What was life like for the Republicans in Francoist Spain? After this, we get back to the usual science. What are the uses of and symbolism behind labyrinths? Is there any truth behind the myth of the mandrake root?

Episode three looks into the medical science of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and offers a case study. Could the weather be to blame for Jack's mental decline? What impact would alcoholism have upon the father? Is there any scientific basis for the shining abilities, including precognition, telepathy, and retrocognition? The end of the episode offers a case study of Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain, who claimed to have experienced something like the shining.

Episode two provides psychological, biological, and physiological explanations for Jennifer Kent's 2014 The Bababook. What effects can mental illnesses, such as postpartum depression and psychosis, have upon a new mother? What is the normal response to grief, and how do complicated grief and stress manifest themselves physically? Finally, what would Sigmund Freud have to say about The Babadook?

Episode one explores the biology, psychology, and culture surrounding Wes Craven's 1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street. Why do we have nightmares? Why do some people act out their dreams? And is it possible to die as a result of your nightmares? Learn the story of the Hmong people, an inspiration for Craven's script.