Plug It Up

Brother episode with off-the-charts sibling energy. Zach and Charlie join Caitlin to cover Happy Death Day, a 2017 horror comedy that features a time loop. We talk about how the time loop trope is great for setting up second chances and character redemption, and we go over funny moments from the movie.

Tangents include: ring tones, physical media, cake, cookies, Ukrop's, cereal, crunching/chewing/misophonia, oatmeal, weapons, phone cases, and hot takes. Special guest "appearance" from "Ryan."

Elizabeth joins Caitlin to talk about 1996's Scream, a movie that invigorated not just the slasher subgenre, but horror on the whole. We discuss meta storytelling, satire, subversion, and final girls, and we give Scream all the love it deserves. Tangents include: bangs, ghostface mask ideas, socks, driving, sirens in songs, the rock-and-roller to children’s-performer pipeline, lady tropes in horror, and spooking yourself with creepypastas late at night.

Mary joins Caitlin to talk about horror movies that deserve a second chance. These movies aren't necessarily "underrated" (because that means different things to different people, especially depending upon familiarity with the genre), but they're movies that got written off too soon. They deserve a second look; at least we think they do. Let us know if there are any you'd add to the list.

Maddie and Colleen join Caitlin to cover Poor Things, the new surrealist, steampunk epic from Yorgos Lanthimos. We talk about the stellar performances from Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, and Willem Dafoe, and we look at themes around sex, sexuality, identity, existentialism, gender, and bodily autonomy. There's also lots of silly joking around. The review starts around 21:45.

Tangents include: running bits, Barbie, boyfriend jumpscares, "weird Mormon pants cults," turning non-horror properties into horror properties, putting our consciousness in other bodies/robots, sleepwear, favorite toes, inedibles, wedding desserts ("that make you nut"), sperm (sorry), and letting it linger.

Mary joins Caitlin to cover Saltburn, the new controversial new black comedy from Emerald Fennell. As degenerate weirdos, we loved it, but not everyone did. We talk about the controversy, and we analyze themes (obsession, weatlh, manipulation, and more). Did you know there are two movies where Barry Keoghan slurps something, and this is not the one that traumatized Mary?

Tangents include: Kylie Jenner, Jared Leto, The Purge, texting, phones, babies, Tom Green, eating the rich, semen, Twilight throuples, wedding songs, wedding desserts, height, backpacks, and a good selection of FMKs and WYRs.

Navigating a pivot in plans, Mary joins Caitlin to cover David Gordon Green's recent body of work. We mostly chat about Exorcist: Believer, but we also talk about DGG's Halloween trilogy. To put it kindly, we weren't huge fans of Exorcist: Believer - partly because it tries to cash in on nostalgia and politics in cringe ways, and partly because it's just a bad sequel. Not even Ann Dowd could save it! Good for Ellen Burstyn for getting that bag, though.

Tangents include: general hater vibes, trends, engagement rings, Kohl's, suburban luxury, and Saltburn. Be sure to check out Skin of a Killer, the Twilight podcast we do with our buddy Charlie. Next week we'll be back with a regular review.

Eric from Bloody Good Horror joins Caitlin to cover May, a cult classic from 2002. Many of us - for better or worse - have related to May at some point. She's an often-overlooked icon of the monstrous feminine, and we wanted to give her her due. We talk about themes of isolation, identity, and being an outsider, and we look at symbols around dolls and fragmentation.

Tangents include: BGH origins, college loneliness, shoveling snow, favorite films, gangster movies, desert island books, songs of the moment, vampire universes, sleep sounds, scenes that made us horror fans, tea, and feet.

Be sure to check out Bloody Good Horror and HY-FY! And remember: if you can't find a friend, make one.

Mary and Charlie join Caitlin to cover The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the impactful David Fincher thriller. It's got it all: high stakes, revenge, heists, mysteries, Happy Meals, and more. We look at themes of misogyny, violence against women, and intuition vs politeness.

Tangents include: merkins, piercings, accents, Emma Stone, booktok, ramen, childhood aspirations, summer vs winter, takeout, Charlie's wedding, mean eggs, mean milk, sleep habits, Disney jams, Titanic, muppets, beverages, and a cutlery FMK. If you enjoy the goofiness of this episode, check us out over at Skin of a Killer.

SAIL AWAY! SAIL AWAY! SAIL AWAY!

Soju from Straight Chilling Podcast joins Caitlin to discuss Only Lovers Left Alive, an indulgent 2013 vampire movie from Jim Jarmusch. We talk about brooding, the arts and humanities, love and companionship, and O-negative popsicles. Vampirism 101, really.

Tangents include: blood types, FMK for Anne Rice vamps, which emojis are the most sinister, beverage fountains, Say Yes to the Dress, Great British Baking Show, books, lighting preferences, and upcoming movies.

Zach, Mary, Charlie, and Colleen join Caitlin to discuss the best and worst of horror in 2023. We cover our favorite and least favorite horror movies of the year, as well as our favorite horror shows. We also talk about trends in the genre, theater experiences, our favorite Plug It Up moments, and our hopes for 2024 horror. We come in SWINGING, both for movies and for one another.

Tangents include: karaoke songs, Hogwarts houses, so-bad-they're-good movies, owls, magic 8 balls, seasonal foods, gas lights, Disney characters, cringe teenage moments, chores, tattoos, drinks, sauces, and more.

Happy new year! Thank you all for your support!

Christian joins Caitlin to cover The Nun, the biggest box office success from the CCU (Conjuring Cinematic Universe). We talk about nuns (and nunneries), snakes, religion (and religious trauma), spitting, and the Marvelization of the later Conjuring movies. We give this underrated movie some love, and we talk about how the literal blood of Jesus Christ isn't that far off when it comes to relic/reliquary madness.

Tangents include: hot Patrick Wilson, Titanic, our artistic pal Milissa, Breaking Dawn, Hogwarts houses, the Holy Foreskin, Disney characters, first cell phones, seasonal food items, driving with the gas light on, "so bad they're good" horror movies, crypitds, drinks, and fantasy theater experiences.

Be sure to check out It's Only a Podcast, Teach-Her-Ama, and The Third Act Podcast!

Colleen and Maddie join Caitlin to assign "big three" astrological placements to popular horror characters. Three queer, horror-obsesed women talking about astrology, boygenius, and doms/subs? Groundbreaking! But hey. It's FUN. We have a great time, and we make strong cases for our designations. Characters covered on this episode: Carrie White from Carrie, Nina from Black Swan, Amy Dunne from Gone Girl, Jennifer Check from Jennifer's Body, Thomasin from the Witch, Rose from Get Out, Jay from It Follows, Justine from Raw, Maxine from X, Dani from Midsommar, and Norman Bates from Psycho. We'll definitelydo another episode to cover more horror chracters.

Tangents include: famous bottoms of history, towers vs bunkers, utensils, senior yearbook photos, farm chores, mascots, Maddie's hoarded memes, and more!  

Charlie and Matt join Caitlin to talk about Huesera, a recent Mexican-Peruvian horror movie that features a new take on the monstrous motherhood trope. We explore themes around identity and family, and we look at motifs regarding spiders, ritual, and religion. Definitely worth a watch. Forgive our many bone(r) jokes and our exaggerated pronunciation.

Tangents include: the Virgin of Guadalupe, cool aunts, La Milpa, Christmas lights, Christmas trees, movie sequels, cereal, desserts, soccer (el futbol, as we deftly clarify), weird dreams, signs we'd been taken over by a pod person, sleep styles, and an FMK for comfort items. Shoutout to our buddy Golob, who was named dropped a few times.

Nobody puts baby in the refrigerator!

Mathula joins Caitlin to cover 2023's Cobweb. (Mathula's pups also join for a bit of background ambiance, but they fade out after the plot synopsis.) Cobweb is a creepy, Halloween-time movie with strong visuals, cool kills, and a memorable monstrous femme figure. And an easily identifiable Busey!

Tangents include: crocs, Seth Rogen and his pottery, sequels, Tubi (sponsor the pod, please, we love you), limbs and fins, Matthew Dragonnaughey, fish sticks vs nuggets, living to 200 years old, food combinations, caffeine, falling asleep to movies, exotic pets (marsupial squad), horror TV, and mummies vs zombies.

Be sure to check out Mathula's art at Hallelujah Dystopia!

Charlie, Zach, and Mary join Caitlin to cover Slotherhouse, a 2023 movie that seeemed promising, but ultimately let us down. It's not quite a campy creature feature, and it's not quite a sorority horror story. What it does do: cringe attempts at representation, bizarre dialogue, and sloths on instagram.

We had a lot of fun with the questions, though! Tangents include: Zach's bad taste, favorite creature features, what "camp" means in horror, fraternity horror stories, music, movies we couldn't finish, fighting fictional characters, exotic pets, sloths in general, holidays and holiday foods, produce selection habits, sports, Golden Compass daemons, and chain restaurants.

Victor joins Caitlin to cover Birth/Rebirth, a 2023 monstrous-motherhood interpretation of Frankenstein. It's an impressive film about grief, scientific curiosity, and the different ways people experience motherhood. Even more impressive: this was director Laura Moss' debut film. Well done! Sitting very high in the 2023 horror rankings.

Tangents include: trivia, Reddit, Thanksgiving foods and traditions, phone numbers, fantasy spending, Purge Night crimes, phobias/fears, going up the stairs on all fours (suck it, Zach and Charlie), produce selection, sports criteria, chain restaurants, and thievery.

Maddie joins Caitlin to cover 2023's No One Will Save You, now streaming on Hulu. The townspeople certainly view our main character as a monstrous femme figure, but we are endeared to her. We talk about themes of isolation, regret, giref, and survival, and we applaud Kaitlyn Dever.

As always, the latter half of the episode is nutty and full of laughter. Tangents include: sneaking things into movie theaters, astrology, fantasy spending, couches and other furniture, hypothetical arrests, sister fights, battling aliens, UFOs/UAPs, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, books, abductions, Nicki Minaj, sibling memories, gussying up our weaknesses incorporate speak, eldest daughter syndrome, softball, and tennis.

Be sure to check out Maddie and Mackenzie on My Cryptid's Keeper!

Alyssa (of The Silver Scream Podcast) joins Caitlin to cover The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, a 2023 retelling of Frankenstein with poignant, modern social commentary. Nobody asked for two white women to reflect on a movie about Black culture and Black trauma, but we hope to use our voices to lift up this fantastic debut from director Bomani J Story. With allusions to the murders of Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin, affecting depictions of violence against Black communities, and examples of intergenerational trauma, TABGAHM strikes an emotional chord. It also has moments of humor and joy that make it an enjoyable watch (and rewatch). This movie hasn't gotten a lot of press in the horror community, but it should Check it out on Shudder.

Tangents for this episode include: book collecting, werewolf movies, our inability to pirate things, 2023 horror releases, tattoos, witches, teleportation, sunrises, moths, and long movies.

Charlie and Zach join Caitlin to cover 2023's Piglady. We dedicate this episode to our good friend Sarah, who loves pigs. (We love you, Sarah!) Piglady is a monstrous femme figure, and... that's about all we can really say. Tune in to hear Zach make a case for the movie, while Charlie and Caitlin go hard on the critique.

Tangents include: murder pigs, guinea pigs, Peppa Pig, pork in general, bacon in particular, cryptid movies, pets, "deers," costumes, tortoises, the reptile expo, and "the people's eyebrow." Also, Charlie throws down a serious accusation: that Caitlin is NOT a "girls' girl." Tune in to Skin of a Killer Podcast to make a true determination.

Sweet with the skeet, brah!

Colleen and Maddie join Caitlin on stage for the first ever Plug It Up Live! This was recorded on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Nightmare Weekend (hosted by Galaxy Con) in Richmond, VA. Instead of a movie review, we share some of our favorite monstrous femme figures, as well as our favorite final girls. Ah, the duality of woman! We had our first live Q&A as well.

Tangents include: swimming, soups, franchise horror, Koko the Gorilla, gaylor truthers, Avril Lavigne, screen names, mac and cheese, boy moms, and more. Also catch some of our friendship lore being explored live and in real time. 

HUGE thanks to Chuck Lindsey for the introduction and recording, and to everyone who came to the show!