Carving Out Space For Disability in Horror

This week, we're slicing through the surface of the horror world to spotlight something truly revolutionary. Corey and Kendall sit down with filmmaker, podcaster, and horror disruptor Ariel Baska, whose life was forever changed the first time they locked eyes with a certain glove-wearing nightmare fiend. (Yes, we’re talking about Freddy Krueger—because of corpse we are.)

But Ariel didn’t just fall in love with horror—they reshaped it. As the founder of Access:Horror, they’ve created a hybrid film festival and industry summit that unapologetically centers disability and queerness in genre storytelling. And it’s not just inclusive—it’s “so inclusive, it’s scary.

This year’s fest is stacked:

🔪 Ten killer short films.

🧠 A panel on Blackness and Disability in Horror.

🎤 A live performance by Maya Azucena.

🎬 All shorts streaming for the first time ever on Shudder.

💀 And a silent auction that includes a literal piece of the Blair Witch house.

We talk about what it means to be the monster and the final girl, how horror became a lifeline for Ariel, and why this year’s Access:Horror is arriving at a moment when disabled communities need bold, creative resistance more than ever.

If you’ve ever felt like horror saved your life, this episode is your love letter. And if you haven’t yet? It might be the one that opens the door.

🎙 About Our Guest: Ariel Baska

Ariel Baska is a queer disabled filmmaker, podcaster, and the founder of Access:Horror. They are also the host of Ride the Omnibus, a show exploring media through a social justice lens. Ariel’s upcoming documentary, Monstrous Me, produced by Lilly Wachowski, dives into their personal relationship with horror, disability, and the monster that started it all: Freddy Krueger.

Ariel’s building spaces in horror that don’t just welcome people with disabilities—they center them. Their work isn’t performative. It’s personal, political, and pointed like the end of a clawed glove.

🕯 Access:Horror 2025 — Details

📍 In-person: August 1, DCTV Firehouse Cinema, NYC

🌍 Streaming worldwide

📺 Streaming partner: Shudder

🧠 In partnership with: George A. Romero Foundation

🎤 Hosts: Ariel Baska, Sharai Bohannon, Xero Gravity

🏆 Awards host: Phil Nobile Jr., Editor-in-Chief of Fangoria

🎟 Tickets & info: accesshorrorfest.com

Thank you for listening to Horror Heals. 

Share the show with someone who loves horror and someone who needs a little healing.

If you want to support our guests, check the show notes for links to their work, conventions, and fundraising pages.

You can also listen to our sister podcast Family Twist, a show about DNA surprises, identity, and the families we find along the way.

Horror Heals is produced by How the Cow Ate the Cabbage LLC.

Is horror good for mental wellness? Of corpse it is.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Hello, boys. It's your old pal trying to hear the voice of the good people. And I want to welcome my good friends of the Horror Heels podcast. It's horror good for mental wellness. But of course it is. I delight in the delicious steps of beautiful people on the still. So get ready for a hell of a good time with my new fiends, Cory and Kendall. On the Horror Heels podcast.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

Welcome back to Horror Heels, the podcast where fear is cathartic. Monsters are misunderstood, and sometimes your first crush has a bladed glove and a deeply complicated backstory. Today's guest is the powerhouse behind one of the most badass, inclusive, and downright chilling events in the horror world. Ariel Baska. Ariel is a queer disabled filmmaker, writer, podcaster, and horror activist. And yes, her horror origin story starts with a certain burned-up dream invader named Freddy Krueger. But Ariel's journey didn't stop at Phantom. She took all that monstrous magic and built something revolutionary. Access War, the film festival, that celebrates disability in horror and genre cinema. And this year's fest is bigger, bolder, and well, lovier than ever. Named one of the most accessible film named one of the most accessible film festivals in the US by Forbes, Access War 2025 takes place on August 1st with a six-hour program at the DC TV Firehouse Cinema in New York City, plus global online access. Shudder is going to stream all 10 short films featured in the festival. But it's not just about movies. This year includes panels like Blackness and Disability in Horror, live performances, QAs, and a silent auction with jaw-dropping items, including piece of the Blair Witch House, Yowza. So yeah, we've got Freddy, Film, Fear, and Fierce Resistance on the agenda today. Let's get into it because one, two, Ariel's coming for you. Ariel, welcome to the Horror Heels Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_03 2:48

So this is gearing up to be an exciting summer for you, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:53

It is. Kind of a ridiculously exciting summer, if I may say so myself. It's gotten a little out of control. I have a major film festival happening August 1st in New York City, and also online and on Shudder all simultaneously. So it's kind of a shocking thing.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

That's so cool. That's awesome. I mean, yeah, we're big Shudder fans and love film festivals and horror cons and all that stuff. So, and actually, you know, New York City is just like a four-hour train ride away from us here in seacoast of New Hampshire. So, you know, don't be surprised if we show up.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Sweet. That would be wonderful. I'd love to have you.

unknown 3:34

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

So at this stage, what could fans be expecting at the film festival?

SPEAKER_00 3:39

Yeah, so Access Horror this year we're doing two short blocks. We're only featuring short films this year. This year in 2025 are happening at the DC TV Firehouse Cinema in Soho. And we have two blocks of short films. We have a live podcast recording from Blurdy Massacre on Black Women in Disability and Horror. We have a live performance from singer Maya Azusena. And we have an award ceremony presided over by the editor-in-chief of Fangoria, Phil Nobel Jr. himself. And it should be a really fabulous time with QAs with filmmakers and a lot of different ways to connect with disability and horror. Our tagline is so inclusive, it's scary.

SPEAKER_03 4:35

I like that.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

I think that gives you a general sense of the vibe.

SPEAKER_03 4:38

Absolutely. And you know, this kind of representation is so important now. I mean, as you're well aware, we're living in very tumultuous times in this country. And having a film festival like this, I think, representing all sorts of folks is really important.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Yeah. I think in a lot of ways it's made the imperative clearer for a lot of people who were afraid to speak up at one time. I think in a lot of ways, you just can't afford not to anymore.

SPEAKER_03 5:09

So let's go back to your discovery of horror and how it became such an important part of your life.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Absolutely. So I'll I'll I'll just be completely frank. That's the subject of my documentary, Monstrous Me, that's coming out as a short form. The short form version of it that is specifically about the moment I discovered horror is coming out in 2026. For me, the discovery of horror came in the shape of Freddie Krueger. I was a three-year-old child who was disfigured. I had facial differences because I was born with a capillary hemangioma that covered half of my face and left me blind and deaf on the right side. And I, you know, obviously had disabilities, but I didn't recognize myself as having disabilities. And because I was blind in one eye, I couldn't actually see the right side of my face. So I didn't know what people were talking about when they were calling me monster and pizza face and things like that. But then at age three, a bad babysitter brought over a bag of weed, her boyfriend, and a VHS of a nightmare on Elm Street. And I fell in love. I fell in love with Freddy. And honestly, you know, it was like a lightning rod moment for me. But literally at age three, something unlocked for me. I suddenly had some kind of self-awareness around how other people were seeing me. I had a sudden sort of feeling of empowerment because all of the depictions my parents were giving me of disabled characters were inspiration porn, characters who are martyrs, you know, dying to be the most polite or the most, you know, pure and good of heart. And seeing Freddie slashing his way through that high school just made me so fucking happy.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

Wow. And that just even sounds like a setup for a horror movie, the bad babysitter with the boyfriend. Here's Freddie Krueger.

SPEAKER_00 7:29

You know, but I honestly love horror so much because it is the place where those of us who've been through traumatic and painful experiences in our lives can really connect with something that acknowledges that. So many of the films and TV shows we see on screen try to kind of sweep all that under the rug. And so there's always this undercurrent of, yeah, but but that's not reality for me. Like I only ever feel validated when I see someone getting their throat slit is that terrible or what? And that's not to say that horror heals everybody. Like, obviously, some people are deeply traumatized by horror and can't get images out of their head or whatever. But for the chosen few, I think horror has the capacity to do so much, promote so much resilience, and really echo the strength in ourselves.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

I think that you're spot on and you made me think of something that I hadn't really been putting together our doing this podcast. What I've learned from listening to people is that it's all in the way that we approach it, right? Like it's the medium is there. And to your point, it can be frightening, it can be funny, it can be, you know, it's all in the approach. And that's what I was we were talking about recently, Corey and I, about how great I think it is that my father was very instrumental in saying, now this is, you know, this is considered scary, but he would like preemptively get me ready for a movie, and it worked because I didn't have nightmares. I enjoyed it, you know. Maybe we were just nerds, but he was talking about the cinematography and what the effects were like, and it was a true total experience for me because of the way that my father approached it.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

Yeah, and that's so wonderful to have a warm and welcoming experience on that end. Yeah. My family was like, ew, ew, what's wrong with you? It was like, no, we cannot rent that movie. I always had to gravitate toward packs of friends that would support me in my horror habit.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Because of my love for horror, when I did become a teenager and was hanging out with friends, I was the one that wanted to watch the goriest and craziest, and you know, and I remember even my teenage friends being like, What's up with this guy? You know, like why does he want to see all this? And it was just, you know, it was my thing.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

So yeah, for me, I think I I was kind of scared of some of the stuff early on, and I think it was actually a friend of mine, you know, collected Fangoria magazine, and I think it was like seeing behind the scenes and seeing, you know, reading about how they create the gore and all that stuff. It's like, oh, okay, this is art, you know, this is you know, and I think for me that started to go away. I mean, there's still some stuff about the types of body horror that eke me out, you know. But otherwise, it's all good. As Kendall said, you're preaching to the converted, absolutely. I love your message. And even today, there is still a lack of representation in mainstream horror for uh a lot of us. I don't see Kendall and I represented in horror movies as like a middle-aged gay couple who, you know, been together for 20 years. Instead, you get the sassy, you know, best friend or whatever. Whatever. There are that those people exist. But there are all sorts of people in the queer world that aren't being represented necessarily in mainstream horror. So we would love to see that change.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

Yeah. And really, intersectional representation is so lacking everywhere. Like, it's not just in horror that this is a problem by any stretch, but when you think about it, like, you know, people with disabilities make up more than 25% of the American population and stretch across every demographic, literally every demographic. But you only ever see white men in wheelchairs. Yep. If you see anyone who's queer, they can't also have a disability. Right. And you can you're only allowed to tick one box. How dare you? And I think it's wonderful that we're finally starting to have this uh renaissance of films that actually explore these themes in really interesting ways. What I'm doing with my nonprofit, Ride the Omnibus, is promoting different forms of media that tell different forms of stories that get into the intersectionality, not because identity is the thing. The identity isn't the thing, it's the storytelling that is the thing. And the stories are so much deeper when you are representing lived experience.

SPEAKER_03 12:50

As you've kind of gone on this journey, have you gotten pushback from people saying, like, oh, there's no audience for you know, for this kind of thing? Yada yada.

SPEAKER_00 12:59

Okay, so I will be very honest. My journey actually did not start until 2020. And I will say I've definitely gotten pushback from people who said you can't do that, uh, which of course is a dare to tell me to, you know, exactly do the thing I'm gonna do. So mostly that's been the format of any pushback I've gotten. It's just been like, well, no one, no one has ever told me there isn't an audience. People have told me you can't get a named actor, you know, in your film if you cast inclusively. You know, a lot of times that's the thing. Like, you're not going to get to have a big star like Brad Pitt in your film. No one's going to pay to make your film if you don't have Brad Pitt playing the wheelchair user. We have a real problem with the pipeline of wheelchair users who need to be at the level of the Brad Pitt of this world so that we can get our stories made. But we also need to have filmmakers who even have access to the festival itself to even promote the thing and meet the funders and meet the people. And so that's part of where I'm coming from, feeling like both as a filmmaker and a film festival director, I'm thinking about the systems and the pipelines that exist for disabled people telling these stories.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Well, I think it's really great that the festival is going to be available for anybody around the world to have access to. But I also love that it's in person. And I'm curious if you have thought about the festival itself or else. Oh, we are. We are awesome. Because that is going to be so powerful.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Yeah. No, it absolutely is going to be live streamed last time around in 2023. I mean, for a first-year festival, we we actually had a fairly sizable audience. We had over 200 folks join us on Zoom to watch shorts and listen to panels about representation in horror and sci-fi. And we had panels on the history of horror, on speculative futures. It was an incredible time because we were talking about accessibility of so many different kinds, not just venue accessibility, but also looking at things like content warnings, looking at things like financial accessibility. One of the really great things that we're doing this year is that our programming is completely pay what you can, uh, unless you want to sign up for our VIP experience, and then we'll we'll do fancy, fancy shit if you if you sign up for the VIP experience. But otherwise, it's pay what you can, both to attend in person and to attend online. And then, you know, in terms of trying to create some level of sustainability, we're also having a silent auction. We're partnering with the George A. Romero Foundation to have a silent auction that benefits the filmmakers in our lineup. Because we know to make films with a disability is, I mean, to make films, period, is a losing proposition in this day and age. But to have a disability and do that simultaneously is so much harder. And so to help with financial sustainability for the folks who are making the film festival happen, we are supporting them with the silent auction.

SPEAKER_03 16:49

That's fantastic. How did you connect with them?

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Honestly, I just kind of cold reached out on their website, if I'm very honest. I just went to their contact us page, and Suze Romero, Georgia's widow, immediately reached out and said, I love your website. And oh my gosh, I love everything you're doing. And then she sort of became my patron goddess. And she's Suze is the heart and soul of the foundation and really truly like just an amazing human. And, you know, is doing so much to preserve George's legacy and support women and non-binary filmmakers, especially in places like Salem, who are fest. She's also, you know, sponsoring a lot of initiatives in other spaces as well. But what's really impressive to me is how George's vision was always about inclusivity and was always about making space for everyone. And I love that the Romero Foundation is still engaging in this work in such a deeply meaningful way.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I was fortunate enough for way back when, and spent a little bit of time with him. The entire Romero zombie family is just packed with wonderful people. I mean, they're great. One of my treasures is I've got a Polish poster from the remake and got George's signature on there, and Savini, a bunch of Tony Todd, you know, rest in peace. Amazing. And the photo of me with George is definitely one of my favorites.

SPEAKER_00 18:35

That's gotta be incredible.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

Yeah, and that's you know, that's kind of my thing, is like I just I love going out and meeting these folks and you know, getting the autographs and things like that. I've just always been, you know, that's been my obsession.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Yeah. When you get to meet someone who's had such an impact on your life, and it really transforms the way that you think about, you know, your own identity and your own way of seeing yourself in the world.

SPEAKER_03 19:03

What would it mean to you to meet Robert England?

SPEAKER_00 19:07

I will be very honest with you, I have no interest in meeting Robert England. Oh, okay. I'm kind of a weirdo in this respect because I've had multiple people ask me this question. And for me, like my fascination is with Freddie, the fictional character.

SPEAKER_02 19:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Not really so much the actor. Like, I mean, yes, he created my character, but so did Wes Craven by writing him, and so did all of the other people who brought him to life with makeup and special effects. Freddie, to me, is a collaborative team effort that is not just one person. And to me, like Freddie has a meaning beyond just the voice or the character embodiment that Robert Inkland did. It goes deeper than that. It feels spiritual and it feels like it sort of transcends like whatever they were actually going for. And I don't want to ruin it.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

Okay, I'm gonna say a thing. I've never said this publicly, even though I have my own podcast and I've recorded a lot of episodes. I've never badmouthed my heroes before. But one of my favorite people of all time is Steven Sondheim, the musical theater composer. I was absolutely obsessed with every single one of his musicals. When I was a teenager, I met him and he basically told me to fuck off. And that's not to say that he's a bad person. It's just, you know, I approached him while he was with friends. He was like, whatever. Yeah. I get it. But basically, since then I've been like, don't meet your heroes unless you have a really good reason to do so.

SPEAKER_02 21:07

Yeah. I I tend toward that feeling as well. Not because of any experiences I've had, it's that that thought that they could happen, and that I would just end up being an asshole toward the person, be like, fuck you. I made you what you are, you know. Um I could see that about myself, so I'm like, yeah, maybe I shouldn't.

SPEAKER_03 21:34

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 21:35

Uh and the fortune to watch all these movies and buy soundtracks, and you know what I mean? Like don't discredit fans, and that's one thing I love about the whole festival idea. I think it recognizes fans.

SPEAKER_03 21:51

I mean, I will say I've had a couple of minor, not great experiences, you know, meeting folks where I'm kind of like bummed for a little bit. Uh but I've befriended several of the volunteers at horror festivals, and they're quick to remind me, like, hey, you you really don't know if somebody's just having a bad day or whatever. Yeah, it's very true. Like there was the one, the last one I could think of was like, and it wasn't a horrible interaction, but it was kind of like, you know, I'm the only one standing here right now. You know, there's not like there's a line of 50 people. And but then I was later told that this person had was like freezing and like asked to be moved away from the open door and they didn't have another space for them. So it's like, okay, I get it if you yeah, if you're miserable right now, like you probably don't really care that I want to, you know, talk to you about such and such.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Yeah. And it's funny too, because the relationship between celebrity and identity is such a weird intersection. I don't know if you guys have seen the film A Different Man with Sebastian Stan. It came out from A24 uh earlier this year, I think in like March. And it's a brilliant or I'm sorry, March of 2024. It's a it's an absolutely brilliant film because it specifically looks at the experience I had of being disfigured and then transforming into something else. People encountering you on the street and thinking they know you in a certain kind of way, and feeling like they can comment on your disability or who you are as a person based on this thing they know about you. So, what I love about a different man is that it extends that metaphor between disability and celebrity, and I think it's beautiful looking at it that way because I think it also makes clear exactly what celebrity costs you because you never really have a complete sense of self when everybody around you is building up a persona for you simultaneously.

SPEAKER_02 24:05

Yep, because I see some celebrities, and you know, you want to believe that you're seeing the real person, but then all I'm thinking is, you know what? If I were constantly on display that way, I might not even know that I'm self-monitoring myself constantly, and you know how stifling that must be.

SPEAKER_00 24:25

I mean, and I can tell you also because I was a teacher for 15 years before I became a filmmaker, I was a Latin teacher and a theater teacher, and I, you know, I had boundaries, you know, there is a persona you put on to work with your students. I found after a certain amount of time that having a narrower boundary was better for me in general, and being a little more authentic in terms of how I was talking to my students. That was sort of a realization that came after my father's death. I realized that I couldn't hide my grief. Like I literally could not stop crying in front of my kids. And to me at the time, it was like, oh my God, what's gonna happen? They're seeing me cry. This is the end of the world. And then I realized, wait, no, everybody's human. We have to be allowed to show the fullness of our humanity. This goes back to celebrity by saying that, you know, everybody is human. We have to recognize that, and both sides of the coin are important. I am so terrified. I'll be very honest with you. Because I am deeply vulnerable in this movie. This movie is specifically about unpacking my relationship with Freddy Kruger, my relationship with other disability media, you know, thinking of myself in a certain kind of way and embracing myself as a monster because I didn't feel like there was anywhere else that I fit. And, you know, it's a deeply vulnerable thing to dive into the topics I'm doing. And it's literally me looking into the camera talking in the short film, which is the hardest thing I have done in my life. I've been through two brain surgeries. I've had all kinds of things happen to me in my life, but this is the hardest thing I've ever done. And I gotta say, like, really truly, it's a deeply vulnerable, deeply painful thing to have to look into a camera and tell the story of like how you came to know yourself in a very painful way. And I'm I'm kind of terrified of what's going to happen when suddenly everyone in the room knows my secrets and they're asking me questions in a QA. And, you know, I'm trying to prepare myself for that. I'm actually currently reading Hannah Gadsby's book, 10 Steps to Nanette, specifically about how she worked through a lot of those issues on that show, both in the lead up and the aftermath. And it's really fascinating to kind of again, like like I keep coming back to identity and celebrity, but like these are topics that are are top of mind for me right now. Me too. And honestly, like Nanette was such a game changer for so many people because it was the first time that people started thinking about, you know, is it is it the artist, you know, do we consider the artist or the human first? And honestly, like I have not come down on one side on that question, but I love that Hannah started exploring that in a very aggressive way. And it's an important question that I think we all have to reconcile in some way in this age of cancel culture and where consequences are much higher for marginalized folks than they are for anyone else. It's kind of a breath of fresh air to like read a narrative about an autistic lesbian in Australia worried about the carpet and how the carpet is so white at a Netflix Emmy party, and talking to John Stamos and Jennifer Aniston and obsessing over like the number of tiles in the carpet, and like it just makes me so happy to know that's out there. Freddie specifically, I kind of had a very private relationship with Freddie in a lot of ways, in that I don't think I ever saw that movie with other people until I was in my 30s. I watched the movie over and over and over again. I watched all of the franchise by myself, but it was a secret that I had to keep from my parents. Because my parents were very judgy about my love of horror and my love of sci-fi. In high school, I had a group of friends, we would have sleepovers and do movie marathons. Most memorably, one movie marathon, we selected basically everything we could that had horror in the title or was in the cult section. And in this way, I think after watching between the Omen and the Exorcist, we watched Rocky Horror Picture Show. And it was just amazing. It was glorious. You know, I was not out yet, but I was definitely queer at that point. And it made my life so happy, even though it terrified my friends who were like, What did we just watch? And it was amazing and incredible. And like obviously, like my love of horror, my love of cult, my love of queer things, my love of all of it came out to play at that one movie Marathon. But we would do these and just watch so much content so many times over. That was my sort of secret outlet in so many ways as a kid. Like if I hadn't had that experience in high school, I might not have become who I am now. But it was so incredibly important to have that bonding and connecting with other people around horror specifically. But Freddie, it's it's so funny. I I totally didn't even realize this until until we're getting into this conversation. I've been writing about Freddie for years, and now I'm suddenly realizing right, I didn't share Freddy with anyone until my 30s.

SPEAKER_02 32:05

Wow, that's cool though. It's just it was your personal thing.

SPEAKER_03 32:10

I think that's great. And we have a little confession. We have a life size ready in our basement.

SPEAKER_02 32:15

We do. Yes, we do. We haven't really we need to take more images of him. Yeah, it's funny. We've had him for gosh for years now. Just the other day. Yeah, I know he's there. He's standing sort of in a corner. And the other day I turned on the light, and I was like, it's hilarious that he still gives me that jump scare. Um he's huge.

SPEAKER_03 32:41

Yeah, that's so Kendall's favorite slasher series is Friday the 13th. And mine will always be uh the Nightmare on Elm Street, you know, series. I remember being I think 10 years old, and me and a friend used to like movie hop like we'd buy a ticket to one movie and then just keep going to different movies. One was uh Nightmare on Elm Street 3, and didn't get to see the ending because we were chased out by the Usher because we were the only two people in the you know in the theater, so they knew there were no tickets sold for the buttons. I know that they're I think they're remastering or just remastered part two, which is fascinating in itself. And I love that that conversation is still happening. Mark would be a dream guest for us, and again, yeah, I know you shouldn't always meet your heroes, but he's such a sweetheart, and I love that I've got a great picture of him holding the Freddy Claw to my neck, you know, and it's like I've also met Mark, and I agree he is his total sweetheart and gave me a huge hug.

SPEAKER_00 33:41

That's awesome. We literally just casually met at Fantastic Fest a few years ago, and I think it was because we both just needed to sit the fuck down. Yeah. And we happened to sit next to each other.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

That's awesome. I'm very excited for you. This is home festival is going to be amazing. You definitely have to keep us in the loop as to your short and the feature length. Very cool and very brave of you to open yourself up like that. And it's we know it can't be easy.

SPEAKER_02 34:10

Well, and you've already said that you're terrified, and I I just want to assure you, I can already tell you're gonna do you're gonna be great.

SPEAKER_03 34:18

You'll be great. Yes, you'll be great. Thank you. Who is your favorite final person in a horror movie? And we're stuffing.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

We don't we don't say final girl, we say that is a question no one has ever asked me.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

It's a tough one, too.

SPEAKER_00 34:33

Yeah, it is a tough one on the surface of it. My favorite final person is Jada Pinkett Smith and Demon Knight. I think she is genuinely like and just just going off the top of my head, because you didn't give me long to think about this. Come on. Anyway, but I feel like you know, when I think about favorite final people, you know, her character has something kind of transformative that she's been through. I feel like she, as a character, is someone that I would want to hang out with. I mean, on a very basic level. Like I think she's she's deeply powerful and also hilariously funny and keenly intelligent, and I would just want to know her. Cool.

SPEAKER_03 35:36

I love asking the question because then we, you know, I would say nine times out of ten, it makes us want to watch that movie, you know. And it's kind of bringing us full circle now because John Cassier, as the Crypt Keeper, does our intro.

SPEAKER_00 35:50

I do know that. That's probably part of why she comes into my mind. That's so great.

SPEAKER_03 35:55

Well, yeah, that's no, I like that, and that's the first time we've had that. So it's um, but I will say that uh Nancy Thompson is my my favorite.

SPEAKER_00 36:03

Like, I actually say in my short film that like I hated Nancy, like I genuinely hated Nancy, like with a passion. I resented her for being too perfect and too like all the things. No, it's much better to be a monster, much better to be a monster.

SPEAKER_03 36:24

Well, I love her documentary too.

SPEAKER_00 36:26

Oh, I do too. No shade to Heather Langenkamp at all, right?

SPEAKER_03 36:29

Right, right, right. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 36:31

Not at all. But I because I find that Nancy is so wonderful and you discover so many other layers in there, it's so beautiful. But like, yeah, my personal reaction as a kid was always like the same thing.

SPEAKER_03 36:48

Yeah. Okay, so I sort of lied about last question just because this popped into my head and I gotta I gotta ask, just based on what you said earlier. What do you think your gut reaction would be if you saw Robert Englund walk into the film festival? Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

My gut reaction would be that my stomach would drop and I would feel like I had to leave immediately. Yeah. No, if I'm being completely honest, that is what my body would probably do.

SPEAKER_03 37:17

Yeah. Uh he's one of the first horror icons that I met. I can't remember if I met him first or Elvira, but got to spend a decent amount of time with Robert England because this is like pre-horror con stuff. St. Louis was where I'm from and used to be kind of known as one of the top haunted traction places in the country. Now they're all over the place, but St. Louis was one of the first. And this one haunted house called The Darkness would bring in horror celebrities to meet and greet the fans, and didn't charge for autographs back then. Wow. So we just hung out with Robert and his friend and just you know, shot the shit and and just had a great old time. You know, I've got a an autograph for our nephew because our so Kendall's sister, who we found through a DNA test, is also big into horror. She named her son Gage. I'm sure you can guess why. Yeah. And uh but you know, Gage, when we met him, was just terrified of anything around Halloween. The very first horror movie he ever saw was with me, and it was the original nightmare. Wonderful. And he he was fine through it. He only had to like cover his eyes for the nudity. Oh, and so I got him an autograph because he's huge into video games, so it's like a um eight-bit uh Nintendo like artwork piece of of Freddy that Robert signed and even did like a little video for him with the voice and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

Amazing.

SPEAKER_03 38:41

Yeah, we're good uncles. Well, like when we find somebody who is into horror, we're like, okay, you know, it's on.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

Yeah, it's on like Donkey Kong. You gotta go.

SPEAKER_03 38:53

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 38:53

And and even when it's someone who's not into horror who just, you know, opens the door a tiny bit for you. Like, for example, my mother-in-law, I have the greatest mother-in-law in the world because she hates horror, but she said, Ariel, we need to sit down and watch a nightmare on Elm Street so I can understand your work better.

SPEAKER_03 39:15

Wow, that's so amazing.

SPEAKER_00 39:17

That is literally the sign of a great human being.

SPEAKER_03 39:21

Yeah, I agree. That's awesome. Yay, there's hope.

SPEAKER_00 39:24

There is hope for this world, and it comes through horror.

SPEAKER_03 39:28

Oh, wow, Ariel, I've got chills right now. Um it's been a joy meeting you. That this is, you know, we're so excited for you. So, you know, we're sending all the positivity out into the universe for the film festival.

SPEAKER_00 39:40

Thank you. And I'll save you a seat if you want to come.

SPEAKER_03 39:43

That was Ariel Basca, a true force of nature and nightmare fuel in the very best sense. She's turning horror into a haven for queer disabled folks, carving out a space where we don't just survive the final act, we own it. And with Access Horror, Ariel isn't just showing films. She's showing us what the future of genre storytelling can and should look like. Inclusive, radical, community-powered, and unapologetically weird. This year's festival arrives at a moment when disability rights are under threat, and Ariel is using the word pushback loudly, visibly, and creatively. So whether you're in New York City or watching from your crypt couch, get your tickets, stream the shorts on Shudder, bid in the silent auction, and support this community of creators who are literally fighting for their lives and telling damn good stories along the way. Because horror belongs to all of us. And thanks to Ariel, it's finally starting to feel that way. Until next time, stay haunted, stay heard, and remember, is horror good for mental wellness? Of course it is. The Horror Heals podcast is produced and presented by How the Cow Ate the Cabbage LLC.