PODCAST

Fear of the Dark

staceyabaran

A film podcast about race and horror. Hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran.

tv & film

All Episodes

40:19

Thanksgiving (2023)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/11/26

In this seasonal holiday-inspired episode, Matthew and Stacey fight over a waffle iron at the Black Friday sale (disclaimer: no one actually got hurt)... Join us today as we discuss Eli Roth's 2023 slasher film, Thanksgiving, based on the fictitious trailer originally advertised in Grindhouse (Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, 2007). We talk about the corporate phenomenon of Black Friday, the film as an homage to the slasher genre (is it though?), and where Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, 2002; Hostel,

42:54

Frankenstein (2025)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/11/21

On this episode, Matthew and Stacey go to the movies (separately this time) to watch Guillermo Del Toro's 2025 horror film, Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac as Victor and Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein's creature. Matthew opens this conversation with a spooky excerpt from Mary Shelley's original novel, and then we dive in. Where has the body horror of the creature gone in the newest adaptation of this horror classic? How do we think about race and the production of whiteness in the creature? What's

49:41

The Long Walk (2025)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/11/14

On this episode, Matthew and I discuss The Long Walk (2025), a dystopian horror film directed by Francis Lawrence and based on Stephen King's 1979 novel. The premise is straightforward: a large group of young men from all across the nation volunteer to walk in an annual marathon, and if they stop for too long at any point or fall below a certain base speed, they will be killed. Join us as we talk about the spectacles of violence and the abject, what the film suggests about the nation's future in the

52:52

Talking with Dawn Keetley: HIM (2025)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/11/07

On this very special episode - a little "bonus" after our Jordan Peele mini season - Stacey and Matthew sit down to talk with Dawn Keetley, Professor of English and Film at Lehigh University, about HIM, the 2025 sports horror film directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Jordan Peele. The story follows Cam (Tyriq Withers), a rising football star who goes to train with Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), the famed and nearly worshipped quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors, for the opportunity to

56:57

Nope (Jordan Peele, 2022)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/10/31

Happy Halloween! On the final episode of our Jordan Peele mini-season, Stacey and Matthew talk about Nope (2022), the Western sci-fi horror starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, two siblings who discover an unusual phenomenon in the skies near their family's horse ranch. Join us as we close out the season, talking about the many cinematic influences on Nope, the equivocation of the racialized human and the animal, and how the movie inserts itself into the longer legacy of American cinema.Film:

61:24

Us (Jordan Peele, 2019)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/10/24

On the second episode in our Jordan Peele mini season, Matthew and Stacey talk about Us (2019), starring Lupita Nyong'o as Adelaide, a young mother whose family vacation is violently disrupted by the arrival of another family that looks, uncannily, just like them. We talk about the fear of the doppelgänger, Black childhood and femininity, and how the film might speak to some of the tensions and internalized pressures of Black leisure.Film: Us (Jordan Peele, 2019) Intro Music: “The Army of You”

71:36

Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/10/17

On the first episode of Fear of the Dark's mini season on Jordan Peele's filmography, Stacey and Matthew discuss the now-classic Black horror film, Get Out, Peele's 2017 directorial debut. We chat about the veil of Black subjectivity in the film, the mobility and performativity of whiteness, and where the Asian figure fits into the racial dynamics of Peele's modern America.Film: Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music: “Late

22:25

Jordan Peele Mini Season Intro

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/10/14

Fear of the Dark's first "mini season" is here - just in time for spooky season! Join Matthew and Stacey for a brief introduction on our Jordan Peele season, where we'll be talking about the three movies in Peele's filmography: Get Out, Us, and Nope.Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran) Fear of the Dark is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited and mastered by Stacey Baran. Follow us on Instagram

40:23

Talking with Eleanor Johnson: The Green Knight (David...

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/10/10

On Part 2 of Matthew and Stacey's conversation with Dr. Eleanor Johnson (Columbia University), we continue with a discussion on David Lowery’s 2021 medieval fantasy film, The Green Knight. Join us as we chat about medieval texts and their generic translations into contemporary fantasy and horror, the idea of masculinity and racial inheritance as it is mediated by Gawain (played by Dev Patel), and the resurgence of the monstrous older woman in horror today.Film: The Green Knight (David Lowery,

41:21

Talking with Eleanor Johnson: "Scream with Me"

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/10/03

On this very special episode of Fear of the Dark, Matthew and Stacey are joined by Dr. Eleanor Johnson, Professor of English at Columbia University. We meet up in cyberspace to talk about her new book, Scream with Me, which reads several classic horror films from the 1970s and 80s alongside the rise of American second-wave feminism. Eleanor shares with us some of the background and thinking behind her book, her writing process, and what to look forward to in this exciting new piece of accessible

62:45

Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/09/26

Candyman... candyman... third time's the charm! On this episode, Matthew and Stacey talk about Bernard Rose's 1992 horror film, Candyman, starring Tony Todd as the ghost of a Black artist who was murdered in the nineteenth century and haunts Chicago's Cabrini-Green public housing project. Join us as we chat about Candyman's iconic costuming, the domestic B-plot of Helen's (Virginia Madsen) cheating husband, and how Clive Barker's original story complicates the American translation of race in this

53:43

Ma (Tate Taylor, 2019)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/09/19

In this episode, we get a little too close to the friendly woman who lives in town... Today, we discuss Ma (2019), the horror film starring Octavia Spencer as Sue Ann ("Ma"), in which a group of high school students get wrapped up in her pursuit of vengeance against those who wronged her when she was younger. Join us as we talk about the the horrors of service and hospitality, the aestheticization of Black femininity, and, interestingly, Octavia Spencer's recent turn to network television cooking

76:53

Pearl (Ti West, 2022)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/09/12

Matthew and Stacey sit down to talk about Ti West's 2022 slasher Pearl, starring Mia Goth as the titular antiheroine in this prequel to X. Join us as we discuss the film's representations of the American (immigrant's) dream and the history of cinema, as well as whether we might consider this film a contemporary contribution to American folk horror.Film: Pearl (Ti West, 2022) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and

53:19

It Comes at Night (Trey Edward Shults, 2017)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/09/05

In this episode, Stacey and Matthew sit down to talk about Trey Edward Shults' It Comes at Night (2017), starring Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. This post-apocalyptic horror film explores the dynamics of two families who decide to live in the same house in hopes of increasing their chances of survival, and whose secrecy and mistrust eventually lead to a horrific set of tragedies. In this conversation, we discuss how alienation factors into

67:39

Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/08/29

On this special, slightly-out-of-the-ordinary episode of Fear of the Dark, Matthew and Stacey celebrate the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's classic, Jaws. Join us as we geek out over the film together. We chat about our favorite lines and funny moments, the iconicity of the shark in horror, and how a movie like Jaws imagines the animal as compared to the apex predator in Jordan Peele's Nope (2022). Film: Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free

56:43

His House (Remi Weekes, 2020)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/08/22

On this episode, Matthew and Stacey talk about the 2020 horror film His House directed by Remi Weekes. The film stars Wunmi Mosaku as Rial and Sope Dirisu as Bol, a South Sudanese couple fleeing to London for asylum, as they find themselves struggling to conform to the pressures of belonging in England while also being haunted by the ghosts of their past. Tune in with us as we discuss historical and personal trauma, anxieties around cultural assimilation, and the function of the haunted house in the

62:30

Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/08/15

In this episode, we stave off the zombie apocalypse by heading to the second floor and taking out the staircase... Join us as we talk about George A. Romero's 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead, the symbolism of the farmhouse in the 60s, the doomed heroism of our protagonist Ben (played by Duane Jones), and the sociopolitical milieu of the film's release. Film: Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music:

39:02

Final Destination (2000) and Bloodlines (2025)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/08/08

"AUTOPSY IN PROGRESS"... On this episode of Fear of the Dark, Stacey and Matthew chat about Final Destination (2000) in tandem with the newest installment in the franchise, Final Destination Bloodlines (2025). We reminisce a bit on what it was like for us to first see the original, and then we discuss the role of William Bludworth, played by the late Tony Todd, to think about the actor's cinematic history playing "dark" characters, the (dis)embodiment of Blackness, and the personification of Death

61:45

Blink Twice (Zoë Kravitz, 2024)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/08/01

On this episode, Matthew and Stacey are joined by Rosette Simityan, a fellow UC Davis colleague in the English Department. Join us as we talk about Zoë Kravitz's 2024 psychological thriller, Blink Twice, which stars Naomi Ackie as Frida, a cocktail server, and Channing Tatum as Slater King, a tech CEO who invites Frida and her friend, Jess (Alia Shawkat), to his private island. Once there, Frida and Jess start to realize that they and the other women there are trapped in a horrific cycle of brutal

56:18

Midsommar (Ari Aster, 2019)

Fear of the Dark ·

2025/07/25

On this episode of Fear of the Dark, Stacey and Matthew talk about Midsommar, the 2021 broad-daylight horror film directed by Ari Aster that came out six years ago this month. The film stars Florence Pugh as Dani, a young woman who has just tragically lost her immediate family and decides to join her boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), and a handful of other doctoral students on an extended stay at a small commune in Sweden over the summer. Join us as we talk about the representations of Black

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