Mind Over Splatter
Dylan Ferguson, Sheldon Kilcullen, William O'Donnell and guests discuss, dissect, and debate horror movies. Each episode digs into a different subgenre, series, or style of flicks. We reappraise underseen or underrated gems, and (over-)analyze films from unusual angles. Sometimes we get into fights. Various expert guests will appear to provide context and vaunt their particular obsessions.
Episodes
26 episodes
The Devil You Don't: Now Available
Introducing "The Devil You Don't" - a new, four-part history series about the Jersey Devil, and the birth of the modern world, from Dylan Ferguson. Soon, you can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can listen on Spot...
•
2:08
Coming Soon: The Devil You Don't
Sneak peak at a new limited history podcast from Dylan Ferguson, featuring Sean O'Rourke, with music by Rob What. What is the Jersey Devil, and why has it left its grubby little claw-marks across 300 years of American history? Learn surprising ...
•
2:44
What Dreams May Come, Part 4: New Nightmare, Freddy vs. Jason, and the remake
The final chapter. We begin by digging into Wes Craven's complex, thoughtful meta-sequel New Nightmare (1994), discussing how it reassesses the themes of the first film. Then, it's time to argue over the contentious Freddy vs. Jason (2003) - is...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 4
•
39:20
What Dreams May Come, Part 3: The Dream Master, Dream Child, and Freddy's Dead
These ones get real weird. It's time for an increasingly drunk Dylan, Sheldon, Will - and special guest Scott Crompton - to delve into the zany, unhinged worlds of Nightmare 4: The Dream Master (1988), Nightmare 5: The Dream Child (1989), and F...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 3
•
38:39
What Dreams May Come, Part 2: Freddy's Revenge and Dream Warriors
The second part of our exploration of the Nightmare on Elm Street films probes the notorious gay themes in Freddy's Revenge (1985), and the contentious ways that the AIDS crisis, and the homophobia of the period, are incorporated into the movie...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 2
•
36:12
What Dreams May Come, Part 1: The Origins and Implications of A Nightmare on Elm Street
In late-70's and early-80's America, Laotian men began suddenly dying from their dreams. Newspaper coverage of the medical mystery would inspire one of the richest and most enduring classics of horror cinema. We begin with the true...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 1
•
50:51
Parasocial Activity 2: Picking the Best Horror Film for Each Year of the 1990's [Video Episode]
For the full experience, go to our YouTube page! Dylan, Sheldon, and Will got together in the same room, for the first time, to record a special video episode for the second season finale. The topic? Nineties horror. We each picked our favourit...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 9
•
2:02:15
Shake and Fake: Blair Witch and the Found-Footage Horror Boom (1998-2008)
An exploration of the ideas, people, and films behind the found-footage horror boom - including Paranormal Activity and Lake Mungo - with Dylan, Sheldon, and Sean O'Rourke. Featuring a deep-dive into the origins of The Blair Witch Project, with...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 8
•
1:50:16
Trial and Terror: British Folk Horror and Witchcraft 1966-1974
Dylan, William, and special guest David Annandale break down eccentric British horror movies dealing with paganism and the rural occult, like The Wicker Man and Witchfinder General. Featuring an interview with Gary Parsons, a filmmaker and film...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 7
•
1:28:19
Internal Inferno: Pain and Pleasure and the Hellraiser Movies
A comprehensive discussion of Clive Barker’s 1987 classic Hellraiser – then all nine sequels – featuring Dylan, Sheldon, and Will, plus an interview with Peter Tupper, a cultural historian of BDSM, who provides some fascinating insight into the...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 6
•
2:09:46
A Very Splattery Christmas: Discovering New Horror Through the Magic of Gift-Giving
For this special holiday episode, Dylan, Sheldon, and Will have decided to gift one another horror movies that they know (or hope) the giftee has never seen. The six strange, wonderful, lesser-known gems that we've helped each other discover ar...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 5
•
1:00:02
Shock and Paw: Late-70's Animal-Attack Natural Horror Movies
Dylan, Sheldon, Will, and guest Sean O'Rourke plunge into weird and fascinating big-killer-animal flicks from 1976-1980, including Orca, Grizzly, and Tentacles. We discuss animal intelligence, environmentalism, and America's relationship to wil...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 4
•
1:42:22
Northern Frights: Scandinavian Silent Horror Films
Dylan and Will are joined by Nick Wolfe to discuss the haunting silent films that emerged from Sweden and Denmark between 1917 and 1922, including Häxan and The Phantom Carriage. Featuring interviews with film professor Anne Bachmann, theologia...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 3
•
1:23:32
Notes on Summer Camp: Analyzing and Ranking the Friday the 13th Films - The Final Chapter
The second half of a two-part season premiere investigating the Friday the 13th movies. Dr. Stella Castelli of the University of Zurich drops by to explain why Freddy vs. Jason is really a vaudeville double-act, while Dylan, Sheldon, and Will d...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 2
•
1:47:09
Notes on Summer Camp: Analyzing and Ranking the Friday the 13th Films - Part 1
The first half of our epic deep-dive into the entire Friday the 13th franchise. Featuring an interview with Dr. Michael Smith, an expert on the history of American summer camps, the Season 2 premiere sees Dylan, Sheldon, and Will analyzing, deb...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 1
•
1:55:01
Prized Possessions: The Exorcist and Its Sequels
Dylan, Sheldon, and Will delve deep into 1973's The Exorcist, and argue about the various sequels they love and hate. To help provide some fascinating context for the original classic film, theologian Dr. Bernard Doherty drops by to explain how...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 11
•
1:51:52
[Special Video Episode!] Parasocial Activity: Our Favourite Horror Film of Each Decade
For the tenth installment of Mind Over Splatter, we decided to do our first video episode (currently available on YouTube!) and play a drinking game involving some of our favourite movies to celebrate. Dylan, Sheldon, and Will unveil their numb...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 10
•
2:19:06
Bumblecore: 1970's Killer Bug Movies
Dylan, Sheldon, and Will chat bugs, with a special guest appearance by renowned bee expert and author Mark L. Winston. We break down strange and unique creepy-crawly flicks from 1974-1978, including Phase IV, Squirm, and The Swarm, while also d...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 9
•
1:18:59
Purge Overkill: Analyzing and Ranking All The Purge Movies
Dylan, Sheldon, and guest Sean O'Rourke dig deep into the mythology of The Purge. We break down each of the four movies, scrutinizing their themes for how they reflect and interpret the current events dominating American discourse in the years ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 8
•
1:11:52
Gamera Obscura: Unshelling Our Top-10 Favourite Kaiju Movies
Dylan and William are joined by author and film professor David Annandale to discuss Japanese giant monster movies. The three committed kaiju geeks unveil their top-10 lists one entry at a time, while debating the merits of recent Godzilla film...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 7
•
1:25:52
Trick or Treatise: Ranking the Halloween Movies
Dylan, Sheldon, and William discuss the entire Halloween franchise chronologically, from start to finish, ranking the films separately as they go. We weigh the various filmmakers' approaches, break down the meanings and the cultural contexts be...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 6
•
2:10:39
The Crone Zone: Vivisecting Our Top-5 Favourite Cronenberg Movies
Dylan and William are joined by special guest Nicholas Wolfe to chat David Cronenberg. We've each prepared a list of our top-5 favourite Crone films, kept secret from one another, and we reveal the picks one at a time while counting up towards ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 5
•
1:24:45
A Loaf of Various Horrors: Anthology Films We Love
Dylan, Sheldon, and Will discuss and spar over some of their favourite horror anthology films, including Creepshow, Tales from the Hood, Spirits of the Dead, and many more. Along the way, we appraise Miike, Bava, King, and Fellini, while trying...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 4
•
1:28:12
Wilderness Now: Late-90's Animal-Attack Natural Horror Movies
Dylan, Sheldon, and special guest Sean O'Rourke dissect big-killer-animal flicks from 1995-1999, including Anaconda, Deep Blue Sea, Lake Placid, and the profoundly insane Congo. We try to develop a theory of why there was a boom in big-budget n...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 3
•
1:51:55
Recency Bias: Discussing Saint Maud, PG: Psycho Goreman, and Possessor
Dylan, Sheldon, and William break down some recent horror (or horror-ish) movies, diving deep into the chilling Saint Maud, the zany PG: Psycho Goreman, and the mid-numbing strangeness of Possessor. We speculate if these very unique releases ca...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 2
•
56:57
