Haunted Spouse
Hysteria or Haunting? Madness or Murder? Each episode, the haunted spouses explore a haunted house film or tale through literature and psychology. They discuss macabre tropes, intersectionality and power dynamics, and trace the genealogy of the haunted house, all while trying not to get too spooked.
Episodes
The Haunted Spouses give the screw another turn with Mike Flanagan's THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR. They discuss the ways the series builds upon its source material as well as its use of both literal and metaphorical ghosts to illustrate characters' traumas and grief. They also place their picks for what stories they would love to see get the "The Haunting" treatment.
The Haunted Spouses check in to Stephen King's 1977 novel, The Shining. They discuss the story's place on the cusp between the old dark house and suburban horror, intersecting power structures, and, for some reason, VFX.
The Haunted Spouses throw several more logs on the fire and settle in with Jay Anson's 1977 book, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. They discuss themes of suburban horror, play a new game, and go over some of the reasons why this book may not, in fact, be a true story.
The Haunted Spouses set sail for Netflix's THINGS HEARD AND SEEN, discussing how the film serves as both an homage and a subversion of 70's and 80's horror. They also cover poetic justice and the ways in which haunted houses can be metaphors for abusive relationships.
The Haunted Spouses take shelter in J. B. Priestley's 1927 novel, BENIGHTED. They discuss its foundational contributions to the "old dark house" genre, the idea of houses as metaphors for the human mind, and themes of the living vs. the dead.
The Haunted Spouses pounce on the 1927 silent film adaptation of THE CAT AND THE CANARY, discussing its place in the "old dark house" genre, as well as how that genre gives rise to the tropes seen in haunted house stories. They also discuss heeled slippers, potential influences on Scooby Doo, and Laura La Plante's fantastic eyebrow acting.
The Haunted Spouses take a break until the new year. See you again on January 6, 2022!
The Haunted Spouses eerily peek through the window at Henry James's 1898 novella, THE TURN OF THE SCREW. They discuss unreliable narrators, the Satanic Panic, and James's love of punctuation. Note: A dark miasma led to a series of colds in the Haunted Spousehold the week this episode was recorded. They hope to return to their regular states of full(-ish) health by their next episode, which airs January 6, 2022.
This Friendsgiving, the Haunted Spouses are joined by ghostly guests to discuss Avalon Hill's BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ON THE HILL board game. They discuss its numerous haunted house tropes as well as how the game's mechanics make you feel like you're a part of the story.
The Haunted Spouses take on the tale of Sarah Winchester's famed mansion, as told by the WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE attraction and the film WINCHESTER (2018). They discuss the legend's impact on the haunted house genre, what the film got right, and what it got very wrong.
The Haunted Spouses pay a visit to Shirley Jackson's genre-defining novel, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (1959), discussing its themes of agency, identity, and humanity's seemingly conflicting needs for community and solitude. They also lay out their thoughts on what sets haunted house stories apart from other horror genres, as well as the ways privilege can influence what themes we find the most scary.
The Haunted Spouses hop into their doom buggies and take a ride through Disneyland's HAUNTED MANSION attraction. They discuss its history, technology, and "narrative," as well as how the ride's creation is, itself, a haunted house story.
The Haunted Spouses watch William Castle's HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959)—twice! They introduce their plans for the pod, discuss haunted house tropes, and try to follow the film's twists and turns.
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