Horror Authorities: Five horror podcasts that diversify the genre

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The first horror movie was a silent film from the late 1800s called The House of the Devil, and even before that, there are written works that utilize horror as a storytelling device. The concept of tapping into fear as a form of entertainment is a classic storytelling tool because fear is a strong emotion. 

Horror has evolved over the years as entertainment has evolved. However, it’s often misunderstood as a genre. Most of the time, people think about surface-level stuff like slashers and monsters. But there are other concepts that are worthy of being explored, like how the concept of zombies was a metaphor for slavery, or how the concept of the final girl is a trope that highlights how women in horror movies can symbolically destroy patriarchy; or how Black History is a great resource to tap into. 

For example, Jordan Peele’s latest film, Nope, is about aliens on the surface, but a deeper dive delves into other elements that he’s highlighting such as grief, trauma, and the exploitation of spectacles for financial gain. If any of this is the type of stuff you like to geek out on when you watch horror movies, then you are going to need outlets where you can find like minded people to discuss. That’s why we’ve rounded up some podcasts that expand the conversation about horror from a Black and BIPOC perspective.

Here are five horror podcasts that diversify the genre:

Girl, That’s Scary

Two girlfriends who love all things horror got together and created this Podcast for the #HomeGirlHorror enthusiasts. They discuss horror,  sci-fi and all things spooky, but from the perspective of your homegirls who pull no punches. They talk about everything from their beef with some IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes ratings to what’s new and or worthy of watching. 

Blerdy Massacre 

This trio of Black and nerdy content creators discuss all things blerdy: fantasy, sci-fi, pop culture and horror. However, they are especially fans of horror, so much so that they recently teamed up with Girl, That’s Scary for an episode that breaks down The Retreat and how not to stereotype queerness in movies. 

Homies of Horror

Hosts Erika and Roshane break down all the latest in horror films. One of their most recent episodes is a dive into Jordan Peele’s Nope. They are courteous with their commentary because when it comes to theater releases, they’ll give people some time to see it before they actually drop their well thought out analyses. 

Nightlight 

Nighlight is an award-winning horror fiction podcast, largely funded by Patreon donations also known as “The Nightlight Legion.” You can expect to hear creepy stories written by Black writers and performed by Black actors from all over the world. The scary stories range from tales of hauntings to bloodthirsty creatures, and more. Episode transcripts are alway available and if you listen to each episode until the end you get a creepy fact about Black folklore. 

ScaryCrit

ScaryCrit is led by another duo who bridge all things horror and pop culture with their commentary. They discuss horror, new and old, analyze classic tropes and also discuss Blackness in the genre, or the lack thereof through an analytical lens.  

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