Episode 173: The Ugly Stepsister (2025)

Josh and Drusilla discuss another one of Dario Argento’s giallo classics, Tenebrae. From wiki: “Tenebrae (lit. '"darkness"', also known as Tenebre) is a 1982 Italian giallo[2][3][4][5] film written and directed by Dario Argento. The film stars Anthony Franciosa as American author Peter Neal, who – while in Rome promoting his latest murder-mystery novel – becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who may have been inspired to kill by his novel. John Saxon and Daria Nicolodi co-star as Neal's agent and assistant respectively, while Giuliano Gemma and Carola Stagnaro appear as detectives investigating the murders. John Steiner, Veronica Lario, and Mirella D'Angelo also feature in minor roles. The film has been described as exploring themes of dualism and sexual aberration, and has strong metafictional elements; some commentators consider Tenebrae to be a direct reaction by Argento to criticism of his previous work, most especially his depictions of murders of women.”Also discussed: Drusilla’s new house, Russ Meyer, Logan Lucky, 28 Weeks Later, Cloverfield (2008), 10 Cloverfield Lane, Collateral Beauty, Deep Red, Suspiria, Fathom, and more. NEXT WEEK: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023)Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/https://letterboxd.com/bloodhaus/Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/‪@sisterhyde.bsky.social Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

This week the ghouls discuss Romero’s iconic zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead. From wiki: “Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent zombie horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, written by Romero and John Russo, produced by Russell Streiner and Karl Hardman, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven people trapped in a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania, under assault by flesh-eating reanimated corpses. Although the monsters that appear in the film are referred to as "ghouls", they are credited with popularizing the modern portrayal of zombies in popular culture.”Also discussed: Drusilla’s new house, Clash of the Titans and Ray Harryhausen, Showgirls and gay people, Pavements the Pavement doc, Train to Busan, Diary of the Dead, Army of the Dead, World War Z, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, and more! NEXT WEEK: Tenebrae (1982) Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/https://letterboxd.com/bloodhaus/Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/‪@sisterhyde.bsky.social Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

The movie of the week is Stephen Sayadian’s Dr. Caligari (1989). From wiki: “Dr. Caligari is a 1989 American avant-garde horror erotic film co-written and directed by Stephen Sayadian and starring Madeleine Reynal, Laura Albert, Gene Zerna, David Parry, Fox Harris and Jennifer Balgobin.[2] It is a quasi-sequel to the 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.[citation needed] The film details a disturbed doctor (the granddaughter of the original Dr. Caligari) and her illegal experiments on her patients.”Also discussed: Happy Birthday, Edie, the occupation of Los Angeles, Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, Catherine Breillat’s A Real Young Girl, the posters of Brian De Palma, Forbidden Zone, Shock Treatment, Frank Zappa, Pink Narcissus, Querelle, fonts, and more!NEXT WEEK: Night of the Living Dead (1964)Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/https://letterboxd.com/bloodhaus/Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/‪@sisterhyde.bsky.social Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

Josh and Drusilla are OBSESSED with The Ugly Stepsister. From wiki: “The Ugly Stepsister (Norwegian: Den Stygge Stesøsteren) is a 2025 Norwegian-speaking satirical[3][4] dark comedy[5] body horror[6][7] film written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt (in her directorial debut). The film, starring Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, and Flo Fagerli, making use of the motif of the fairy tale "Cinderella", retells a twisted story of Elvira, who competes against her beautiful stepsister in a bloody battle for beauty. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 23 January 2025, where it opened the Midnight Section.” Also discussed: Hitchcock’s Rope, trauma dumping on friends, movies that feel like plays, classic queer cinema and the Hays Code, Alice Wu’s Saving Face, 90s lesbian films, pretty privilege, and more.  NEXT WEEK: Dr. Caligari (1989) Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/https://letterboxd.com/bloodhaus/Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/‪@sisterhyde.bsky.social Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

Josh and Drusilla discuss Roman Polanski’s Repulsion. From wiki: “Repulsion is a 1965 British psychological horror thriller film directed by Roman Polanski, and starring Catherine Deneuve.[2] Based on a story written by Polanski and Gérard Brach, the plot follows Carol, a withdrawn, disturbed young woman who, when left alone in the apartment she shares with her sister, is subject to a number of nightmarish experiences. The film focuses on the point of view of Carol and her vivid hallucinations and nightmares as she comes into contact with men and their desires for her. Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Patrick Wymark, and Yvonne Furneaux appear in supporting roles.”Also discussed: B.O., Hacks, Oslo August 31st, Joaquim Trier, A24 vs Neon, Mission: Impossible, Tim Robinson, The Watcher, the Four B Movement, and more. NEXT WEEK: The Ugly Stepsister (2025)  Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

The children return once again to David Cronenberg with his body horror banger, The Brood. From wiki: “The Brood is a 1979 Canadian psychological body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, and Art Hindle. Its plot follows a man and his mentally ill ex-wife, who has been sequestered by a psychiatrist known for his controversial therapy techniques. A series of brutal unsolved murders serves as the backdrop for the central narrative.” Also discussed: body dysmorphia, Going Down, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Clown in a Corfield, Prom Night, Hello Mary Lou : Prom Night II, Friendship, Dead Ringers, Future Ruins, and more.  NEXT WEEK: Repulsion (1965) Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

This week, Drusilla and Josh discuss Kasi Lemmon’s gorgeous 90’s gothic melodrama, Eve’s Bayou. From wiki: “Eve's Bayou is a 1997 American Southern Gothic drama film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, who made her directorial debut with this film. Samuel L. Jackson served as a producer, and starred in the film with Lisa Nicole Carson, Jurnee Smollett, Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan, Meagan Good, and Diahann Carroll. The film premiered at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in theaters on November 7, 1997. The film grossed $14 million domestically on a budget of $4 million, making it the most commercially successful independent film of 1997.[5][3]”Also discussed: may gray, non-ethical non-monogamy, Nashville, Body of Evidence, Disclosure, The Fire Within, The Great Feast, In a Year of 13 Moons, Claudine, and more. NEXT WEEK: The Brood (1979)  Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

Josh and Drusilla discuss the 1962 Japanese film, Pitfall. From wiki: “Pitfall (おとし穴, Otoshiana), a.k.a. The Pitfall and Kashi To Kodomo, is a 1962 Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, written by Kōbō Abe. It was Teshigahara's first feature, and the first of his four film collaborations with Abe, the others being Woman in the Dunes, The Face of Another and The Man Without a Map. Unlike the others, which are based on novels by Abe, Pitfall was originally a television play called Purgatory (Rengoku).[2] The film has been included in The Criterion Collection. It is known for its surreal, often avant-garde storytelling structure and themes of hopelessness, exploitation, and human suffering.Also discussed: Summer Camp Nightmare (1987), In the Spirit (1990), Free to Be You and Me, Sinners, Babylon, and more!NEXT WEEK: Eve’s Bayou (1997) Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

A classic this week! Jonathan Demme’s beloved but controversial, The Silence of the Lambs (1990.) From wiki: “The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, adapted from Thomas Harris's 1988 novel. It stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who is hunting a serial killer named "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine), who skins his female victims. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisoned Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The film also features performances from Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, and Kasi Lemmons.[3]Also discussed: crafts!, dunking on AI, The Last Days of Disco, All Over Me (1997), Girls Town (1996), The Incredibly True Adventures of 2 Girls in Love, Ma Vida Loca, The Castle (1997), Series 7, Longlegs, and more.  NEXT WEEK: Pitfall (1962) Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/  

This week the duo discusses a movie that Josh… well, doesn’t like; Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook (2014). From wiki: “The Babadook is a 2014 Australian psychological horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent in her feature directorial debut, based on her 2005 short film Monster. Starring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, and Ben Winspear, the film follows a widowed single mother who with her son must confront a mysterious humanoid monster in their home.”Also discussed: correction corner for The White Reindeer, Race with the Devil, the rerelease of The Big Heat with Drusilla’s artwork, Murder My Sweet,  Bertolt Brecht and communist screenwriters, “elevated horror” and more.  NEXT WEEK: The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Bloodhaus:https://www.bloodhauspod.com/https://twitter.com/BloodhausPodhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodhauspod/ Drusilla Adeline:https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/https://letterboxd.com/sisterhyde/ Joshua Conkelhttps://www.joshuaconkel.com/https://bsky.app/profile/joshuaconkel.bsky.socialhttps://www.instagram.com/joshua_conkel/https://letterboxd.com/JoshuaConkel/