PODCAST · tv
Scary Thoughts
by (Chad Lott & Marc Kate)
Hosts Marc Kate and Chad Lott discuss horror films, television, literature and philosophy.
Episodes
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Scary Thoughts #132 - Backrooms (Kane Parsons – 2026)
Backrooms (2026) director Kane Parsons became an auteur horror phenom through one of the strangest, but possibly increasingly common, paths imaginable: he built a YouTube-native story using open-source software and a meme. The original web series deserves the praise. It looks great. It's fun.…
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Scary Thoughts #131 - Obsession (Curry Barker – 2025)
Obsession (2026) is a film for anyone who's ever been unlucky in love or wished for the impossible. It's won praise as an indie horror darling after making hundreds of millions of dollars, but what if it's really a romcom? In this loving conversation, we cover the pitfalls of working in the movie...
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Scary Thoughts #130 - Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett – 2026)
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026) picks up minutes after where the previous, and enjoyable, installment left off. If you liked the first one, you're in for a treat because this is, quite literally, more of the same. This is one of those episodes where the film doesn't have much to say, we don't...
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Scary Thoughts #129 - Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos – 2025)
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean the Andromedans aren't after you. Chad and Marc give a brief Stranger Things wrap up before disentangling this Yorgos Lanthimos madness. They explore the differences between alien conspiracy paranoia, and the Truth. After hearing Chad's lifelong appetite…
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Scary Thoughts #128 - "What was your first scary movie and what was the damage?"
For Halloween, we always like to do something a little special, and this year we decided to ask some of our fellow fiends (Meg Elison, Joshua Grannell aka Peaches Christ, Carmen Maria Machado, Daniel Coffeen, Steven Intermill and Monique Jenkinson aka Fauxnique) about the first film they remember...
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Scary Thoughts #127 - 28 Years Later (2025)
28 Years Later (2025) seems to have divided fans of the franchise. The original film raged into theaters with an absolutely fresh take on the zombie, with new and prescient rules based on gain of function research, and a distorted digital aesthetic that still looks incredible. Plus it introduced…
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Scary Thoughts #126 - Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025) is the sixth installment in a (mostly) beloved franchise of fright films. Fans consider it one of the best in the series, and even the less enthused have found gems to enjoy. The opening sequence is a blast. The kills are hilarious and maximalist. And you even...
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Scary Thoughts #125 - Companion (Drew Hancock – 2025)
Companion (2025) comes to us at a great time in our culture's history. As of this writing, AI hucksters are incinerating the planet so anyone can prompt Harry Potter fan fiction and the innumerate can vibe code their way to enough series A funding to purchase one-way flights to the Martian…
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Scary Thoughts #124 - Nosferatu (Robert Eggers –2024)
In this episode, we sink our yellowed fangs into Nosferatu (2024). It's one of our best conversations in a while. Likely due to our occult powers ascending and a potent peasant stew of nicotine and caffeine. We talk about orthodox exorcisms, Lily-Ross Depp's rise as an actor, supernatural…
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Scary Thoughts #123 - The Substance (Coralie Fargeat – 2024) with Monique Jenkinson aka Fauxnique
The Substance (2024) is a nearly perfect example of what we like in movies. It's dripping with weighty ideas about bodies and power's putrid hold on humanity. The director is an alluring French woman who appears to be a deep fan of all the dark shit we're into. The actors are going for it hard.…
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Scary Thoughts #122 - Alien3 (David Fincher – 1992)
David Fincher's first film, Alien 3 (1992), is a notorious example of studio meddlers clashing with an auteur-minded director, leaving a franchise in the khazi. It's a shame, because xenomorphs are basically money makers. The film has some solid performances and a gloriously grimy setting. But...
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Scary Thoughts #121 - Aliens (James Cameron – 1986)
Alien$ made an enormous amount of money because James Cameron asked "What if there were a lot of aliens?" and "What if there were a ton of machine guns?" Answering "Yes, and" to these bold questions guaranteed a hit in the 80s. What a time to be alive! In this episode, we discuss Weyland-Yutani's...
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Scary Thoughts #120 - Alien (Ridley Scott – 1979) [part two]
Behold! In part two of our conversation about Alien (1979), we get more into speculative territory about UFO sightings, how a trillion dollar space-faring company might operate, and how notes from studio suits always ruin things. We get more into HR Giger's influence on the film and his firm grip...
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Scary Thoughts #119 - Alien (Ridley Scott – 1979) [part one]
Alien (1979) is a perfect movie. Which is why there is an entire Weyland-Yutani freighter worth of commentary about it. In this, our first ever two-part episode, we explore what makes the film exceptional and we explore the conversation around popular critical touch points—like Ripley's panties.…
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Scary Thoughts #118 - Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock – 1954)
Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954) is responsible for dozens of film studies books and an inexhaustible number of undergrad student theses–and now a new episode of your favorite podcast featuring our unofficial third co-host Monique Jenkinson (AKA Fauxnique). We cover all of the hits: color theory,...
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Scary Thoughts #117 - Fallout (2024)
Chad and Marc return from the prison of their career commitments to the nihilist hellscape of Amazon Prime's dystopic series Fallout Marc is a noob to this take on this apocalypse-as-western. His guide Chad, has spent some time building his own vault in the time-incinerating Fallout Shelter game....
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Scary Thoughts #116 - Clueless (1995)
Clueless (1995) is one of those films that almost everyone has a soft spot for. It defined a time and place, riffed on a classic, upholds pretty good values, is extremely quotable, and makes you feel happy when you watch it (unless you are truly dead inside). So why are we covering it on a horror...
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Scary Thoughts #115 - Rick and Morty, Season 7, Episode 10, Fear No Mort (2023)
When faced with the recent dreary Christmas horror offerings of the past year or two, we felt nothing but apathy. Which is a terrible position to be in when you're looking for a holiday episode idea. But fear not! Or rather—Fear No Mort—the season seven finale of Rick and Morty is pretty great.…
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Scary Thoughts #114 - Top Ten Tropes and Grievances of 2023
It's been a while—but fear not—we have returned, just in time for Halloween! This episode covers 10 loosey-goosey horror themes that we've been pondering as of late. We praise stuff we love and do quite a bit of bitching about the state of the world. There's a little bit of optimism and a lot of...
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Scary Thoughts #113 - The Martian
Andy Weir's novel The Martian (2011) is top-shelf hard sci-fi for nerds who love space and MacGyver situations. Just four years after (official) publication, Ridley Scott made a film version starring (South Park voice) Matt Dayyyyyymon. Both versions of the story are fast paced and fun. They…
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Scary Thoughts #112 - The Craft
The Craft (1996) is a beloved teen witch movie that helped define the 90s mall goth experience. It also made supporting actress Fairuza Balk a bit of an icon for the heavy eyeshadow crowd. Does this movie still hold up? Blessed be, yes! Other than a lame soundtrack, this is a fun movie with...
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Scary Thoughts #111 - Soviet Horror with Alexander Herbert
This episode we talk with our comrade Alexander Herbert about his great new book, Fear Before the Fall: Horror Films in the Late Soviet Union. Alexander is a PhD candidate in Soviet History at Brandeis University, specializing in environmental activism and the history of technology leading up to...
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Scary Thoughts #110 - Sunn O)))
Hear Chad and Marc tackle the monolithic drones of metal duo Sunn O))). They discuss witchery and ritual, gear and sculpture, fandom and influence, and (as usual) capitalism and art.
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Scary Thoughts #109 - Self Help for Nihilists on Discipline! with Nick "The Tooth" Gullo
Nick "The Tooth" Gullo is a 2x IBJJF Jiu Jitsu Black Belt world champion, co-host of the Infinite Worlds podcast, a writer, lawyer, world traveler, TV Star—and most importantly for this NYE resolution conversation, is absolutely shredded in his 50s. He joins us for the second time to discuss...
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Scary Thoughts #108 - Halloween Ends (2022)
Halloween Ends (2022) is Blumhouse's last shot at making that Michael Meyers money. But rather than do more of what sort of works, they introduce us to the saddest sack character ever and focus the film on his dating life, which is sort of an interesting choice for this insufferable franchise. We...
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Scary Thoughts #107 - The Munsters (2022) & Spider Baby (1967)
Our first DOUBLE FEATURE episode covers Jack Hill's Spider Baby (1967) and Rob Zombie's The Munsters (2022). Why these films together? Well, the straightforward answer is that we watched them the same week—and Sid Haig. But we do weave some viable thematic and cultural webs between the two. We...
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Scary Thoughts #106 - Terror Vault with Peaches Christ
Drag legend and horror icon Peaches Christ (Joshua Grannell) is back for a fourth episode. This time we're exploring the spooky secrets of Terror Vault, a fully immersive haunted theatrical experience that takes audiences on a terrifying journey within the dank, rat-infested walls of the old San...
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Scary Thoughts #105 - Prey (2022)
Dan Trachtenberg's 2022 Predator offering, Prey, is one of the better films in the franchise. If you're a truly misguided soul, (like Marc) it might even be your favorite. We talked about what it did well and what could've been better. Before getting to the choppa, we start with a little bit…
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Scary Thoughts #104 - Jennifer's Body (2009)
Karyn Kusama's 2009 film Jennifer's Body, is finding an audience thanks to a mix of #metoo reckoning, queer analysis, oughts nostalgia, and public fascination with Megan Fox's hematophagic pairing with male scream queen Machine Gun Kelly. This film hasn't aged well, but our age is treating it…
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Scary Thoughts #103 – Stranger Things, Season Four, Part Two
The second half of Stranger Things 4 was fun. Even Argyle and Lucas managed to have great moments. In this episode we talk about why this season won us over, how drugs help with the enjoyment of art, whether or not there are epochs (and if music in the 80s was one), and whether or not it makes...
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Scary Thoughts #102 - Stranger Things, Season Four, Part One
We started our show talking about the first season of Stranger Things, so we are compelled to continue. Thankfully for everyone, the end is nigh. But as Marc is fond of saying, "Don't let our yuck interfere with your yum." There's still a lot to like about the show, even if it is circling the…
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Scary Thoughts #101 - The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi – 1981) and Evil Dead II (Sam Raimi – 1987)
The Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead 2 (1987) are both unimpeachable classics of horror comedy. After our longest hiatus, we delve into the cult lore of these films and their influence on horror. This episode isn't exactly philosophical, but it's a fun one, especially if you grew up with Sam…
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Scary Thoughts #100 - What Have We Learned?
We started Scary Thoughts back in 2016. The years since have been–eventful. This episode rambles hard as we attempt to answer the question, "what have we learned?" Think of it as a director's commentary. We talk about what we thought the show would be, where it's going, our friendship, horror...
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Scary Thoughts #99 - Post-Quarantine Q&A
Let us help you slide into this not-quite-new not-quite-normal-not-quite-post-pandemic with some answers to your questions. You asked about news consumption, movie theaters, horror trends, Disney character team-ups, nostalgia, algorithms, the hunt for Joe Rogan, meditation—and we answered. It's…
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Scary Thoughts #98 - Titane (2021) with Monique Jenkinson aka Fauxnique
Julia Ducornau's Titane (2021) features a lot of dancing and gender theory. So who better to have as a guest than Monique Jenkinson, AKA Fauxnique? We talk about her new book Faux Queen: A Life in Drag, body horror, female violence, Sharon Stone's directing ambitions, film criticism, tarot cards,...
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Scary Thoughts #97 - Don't Look Up (2021)
Don't Look Up came out on Netflix just in time to brighten everyone's 2021 holidays. The director, Adam McKay, is one of the most successful comedy directors ever, but this movie isn't exactly a winner, even if it does have a ton of actors we love. In an episode almost as long as this too-long...
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Scary Thoughts #96 - Dune (2021)
Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021) isn't horror. But this episode was requested by quite a few people, and we aim to please. We discuss this version, the first book in Frank Herbert's series, David Lynch's superior take, and Jodorowsky's Dune. There's a little distortion in the audio up front, which…
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Scary Thoughts #95 - Halloween Kills (2021)
Halloween Kills (2021) is Blumhouse's second film in what will undoubtedly, and unfortunately, be an ongoing series. Like many entries in this classic franchise, it is awful. We discuss where it goes wrong, the few things that work well, mob violence, the relevance of the series as a whole, Rob...
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Scary Thoughts #94 - Malignant (2021)
James Wan's Malignant (2021) is a lot of things. Giallo homage. Action film. 90s horror. But even when it feels familiar, it delivers some genuinely original moments and ideas. We cover the film itself, its references, seeing films in theaters post-COVD, indie fetishism, simple pleasures, and...
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Scary Thoughts #93 - The Final Girl Support Group (2021)
Grady Hendrix's Final Girl Support Group (2021) is a love letter to the golden age of slasher movies. This episode is essentially a love letter to the author—even if we do have our crusty quibbles about a few bits. We talk about the difference between metafiction and nostalgia, Harold Bloom's...
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Scary Thoughts #92 - Halloween (2018)
In this episode we take a look at Halloween (2018), the third film of the same title, in the same franchise. Yes folks, this is the age of the reboot. We discuss the pleasures and pitfalls of Blumhouses's formula, old-timey firearms vs. modern firearms, why book clubs are lame, and we heap praise...
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Scary Thoughts #91 - Inside (2021)
Bo Burnham's Inside (2021) is one of the most unique things you'll see on Netflix. It's an angsty and existential one-man musical comedy about isolation. Though COVID-19 is never mentioned in the piece, it looms large, giving it the kind of "horror" vibes one can pick up from a pandemic thriller...
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Scary Thoughts #90 - Event Horizon (1997) with Nick Gullo
This episode we cover the 1997 sci-fi horror film Event Horizon—with deep digressions into the nature of reality, L. Ron Hubbard, QAnon, martial arts nerds, psychedelics, UFOs, and cosmic horror. We're joined by Nick Gullo, AKA Nick the Tooth. His career bio is about as complex as Buckaroo...
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Scary Thoughts #89 - Dungeon Synth with Andee Connors
Dungeon Synth is as obscure as it gets for music genres, but it might be everywhere soon. We explore the fetid foundations and eldritch evolutions of this bizarre scene with extreme music authority, Andee Connors. He co-owned the notorious Aquarius Records, curates Pandora's unholy Black Metal...
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Scary Thoughts #88 - Introducing Season 2: The Post-COVID World
This episode follows a long and unplanned break caused by a plethora of personal calamities (spoiler: Chad got The 'Rona). Rather than focusing on a single film or book, we use the episode to discuss the future direction of the show and gab about broader trends in visual art. We cover The Snyder...
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Scary Thoughts #87 The Vast of Night (2019)
Back in October of 2020 we hosted an online screening of the 2020 indie sci-fi film, The Vast of Night. The event was put together by Fulcrum Arts. This episode is a recording of the post-watch Q&A with the film's production sound team: Crow and Erik Duemig and Supervising Sound Editor and Sound...
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Scary Thoughts #86 - The Purge (2013)
The Purge franchise's first film was released in 2013. There are now four flicks, two seasons of a TV series, and a host of questionable fan content online. We discuss the appeal of this story, what Purge politics would actually mean in real life, why Rick & Morty's "Look Who's Purging Now" is…
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Scary Thoughts #85 - Us with Boston & J from Race Trader Podcast
Jordan Peele is an important Black filmmaker and a horror nerd's horror nerd. His 2019 film Us is packed full of references to obscure classics—but does that make it less original? Boston and J from one of our favorite podcasts, Race Trader, join us to discuss it (along with a little sidetalk…
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Scary Thoughts #84 - Verotika (2019)
Glenn Danzig's Verotika (2019) is a failure. But has it failed in an interesting way? That all depends on how much you like boobs. In this episode we discuss bad acting, bad effects, bad music, and bad films. We also touch on things we like: Tommy Wiseau, outsider art, The Mandalorian—and...
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Scary Thoughts #83 - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Gather 'round boils and ghouls, it's our annual Halloween episode! This year we're covering It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966). Short and sweet like a peppermint patty, we talk about television, made up holidays, bad boomer ideas, belief, trash cinema, The Boys, and renting movies in…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Hosts Marc Kate and Chad Lott discuss horror films, television, literature and philosophy.
HOSTED BY
(Chad Lott & Marc Kate)
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Scary Thoughts have?
Scary Thoughts currently has 132 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Scary Thoughts about?
Hosts Marc Kate and Chad Lott discuss horror films, television, literature and philosophy.
How often does Scary Thoughts release new episodes?
Scary Thoughts publishes regularly with 132 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Scary Thoughts?
You can listen to Scary Thoughts on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Scary Thoughts?
Scary Thoughts is created and hosted by (Chad Lott & Marc Kate).
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