Scream Queen Podcast

This is my 67th episode and my theme of the month is EAT THE RICH.

"Eat the Rich" horror is a subgenre of horror that critiques capitalism and class inequality by portraying the ultra-wealthy as the enemy. Rather than treating the 1% as merely out-of-touch, these stories present elite privilege as a predatory force built on the exploitation, degradation, and literal destruction of the working class. And you know what, I agree with them.

For my real world example, A Swiss hacktivist found a hidden directory and participant profiles in the site's code, exposing over 200 prominent...

This is my 66th episode and my theme of the month is the horrors of AI. For decades, horror has warned us about our relationship with technology. Long before AI became a buzzword, filmmakers imagined worlds where machines learned too much, corporations moved too fast, and humanity surrendered control in exchange for convenience.

Guest:

Jeff Rauseo

Movie Creator | Collector | Author

https://www.instagram.com/jeffrauseo?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Resources:

In this episode, I interview director George Henry Horton on his directorial debut film Dorothy Project. Our conversation mainly focuses on AI and why it's such an effective topic in the horror genre.

After a botched robbery, two men take refuge in a remote and lifeless scientific facility, inadvertently awakening a monster within.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8651780/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

My theme is Motherhood in May. Uncovering the horrors of pregnancy. The virgin birth is one of the most well-known Christian doctrines. The idea that Mary had never had sex when she became pregnant has captivated the minds of artists and storytellers for the last two millennia. In the wake of the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade, new horror films are finding fertile ground in the way religious institutions, and the men who typically run them, seek to control women’s bodies.

Guest:

K.J. Brantley

The film follows a homeless woman who is eight months pregnant and fleeing an abusive relationship. Seeking a fresh start, she finds refuge in a halfway house, only to uncover that the people running it are harboring sinister motives, and young women begin vanishing around her.

Meat, is a dark psychological thriller written and directed by LaRae Wilson that was released and streams on Tubi.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37803659/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

My theme is Motherhood in May. Uncovering the horrors of pregnancy. Believe it or not, pregnancy isn’t this miraculous beautiful experience much of the media portrays to be. Pregnancy is a story of body horrors more akin to the Alien franchise chest burster then the fairy tale version we like to tell ourselves.

Today I am talking with director/writer Danny Perez about his film Antibirth.

In a desolate community full of drug-addled Marines and rumors of kidnapping, a wild-eyed stoner named Lou wakes up after a wild night of partying with symptoms of a...

Stalker Jane Interview

Written/Director Roger Glenn Hill

Jane, a stalker, becomes involved with her band-crush Demetri, a budding rock star, for whom she does terrible things to ensure his rise to stardom. While Jane schemes to support the band with bloody and chaotic effect the reality of his situation slowly dawns on Demetri, but is it too late?

This is my 63rd episode and my theme for April is Beauty is a Beast, Exploring beauty standards through the lens of horror.

I have special guest Plastic Martyr to talk about this campy classic and revolutionary film. She quotes the movie like the professional actress she is. We dive into the themes of friendship, beauty standards, conspiracy theories, and codependent relationships. You don't want to miss Plastic Martyr talking about her favorite film.

Guest:

Plastic Martyr

https://linktr.ee/plasticmartyr?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

On today's episode of Indie Horror Highlights, I interviewed Danishka Esterhazy the director of Match (2025).

logline:

After Paola is matched with a handsome online suitor, she arrives for a first date to discover a house full of dark and terrifying secrets.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37436190/

This is my 62nd episode and my theme for April is Beauty is a Beast, Exploring beauty standards through the lens of horror.

The Substance was primarily inspired by writer-director Coralie Fargeat’s personal struggles with body image, the societal pressure on women to remain young, and the feeling of being "erased" after turning 50. She aimed to express the "violence of control" women face, channeling her own feelings of inadequacy and fears of aging into a surreal, exaggerated horror format.

Sources:

https://people.com/kris-jenners-viral-facelift-everything-to-know-11844291

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17526714/

For Indie Horror Highlights I interview writer/director/actor Ricky Glore.

Bobby Sweet is a country music legend and has been the world-renowned face of "Sweet Meats" since establishing his first restaurant with his wife in 1978. How did this restaurant take off so quickly and what makes the meat so darn sweet? Sometimes a "secret ingredient" should stay that way. They always say, "you'd be disgusted if you knew what you were really eating!" They might be right.

Tagline: Meat. Murder. Music. Delicious!

Available to stream on Troma Now

https://www...

This is my 61th episode and my theme of the month is Manic March, where we analyze the manic female archetype in horror.

The protagonist May, is characterized as "manic" primarily through her sudden, drastic shifts in energy and her increasingly erratic, obsessive behavior as her mental state deteriorates. While she begins the film as painfully shy and socially anxious, her "manic" qualities emerge as a response to repeated rejection.

Guest Info:

Oriana Nichelle - Where she covers all things horror and she is a third of the Never Split Up Podcast.

In this episode, I interview Writer/Director Roger Conners for his new Indie Slasher Meat.

After a night of drugs and debauchery results in the fatal overdose of an underage gay man, an innocent bystander is left to take the blame. Upon his release from prison, the guilty party becomes the focus of an eccentric killers revenge.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16113974/

https://www.instagram.com/thescreamqueer?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

https://www.instagram.com/meatthemovie?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh...

This is my 60th episode and my theme of the month is Good for Her February. Where the trauma and torment women, children, and men go through doesn’t have to end at her suffering. It might be a fantasy to get revenge in the way the movies show it but it’s a cathartic escape from the reality we live in when justice is rare. Meir Zarchi said he was inspired to make the film after helping a young woman who had been brutally raped.

My guest Kellie from Final Girls Podcast and I recount the even...

In this episode, I interview Aimee Kuge, the writer and director of Cannibal Mukbang. This female revenge film explores themes of trauma, toxic masculinity, and normalization of violence against women. In the end, it asks "How far would you go in the name of love?"

Available for streaming on Prime and Tubi

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27480944/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

In this episode, I interview director Kyle Valle and Writer/Actress Erin Aine about their film Zombie Con Vol 1. A group of cosplaying friends trigger a zombie apocalypse and are forced to traverse a zombie-infested Los Angeles to save their loved one.

Streaming on Screamify and Tubi.

Guest Info:

https://www.instagram.com/zombieconmovie?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33481705/

This is my 59th episode and my theme of the month is Good for Her February. Where the trauma and torment women, children, and men go through doesn’t have to end at her suffering. It might be a fantasy to get revenge in the way the movies show it but it’s a cathartic escape from the reality we live in when justice is rare and even when it is prosecuted the consequences rarely fit the crime.

Help is available:

In this episode, I interview director Mary Beth McAndrews about her directorial debut with Bystanders. This "Good for Her" rape revenge film is part of a new wave of horror movies that take out the brutal exploitation of women and flip the brutality on the boys.

A group of murderous frat boys get more than they bargained for when they cross paths with a couple coming home from a wedding. This film is available for streaming on Tubi, Prime Video, Pluto TV, Plex, and Fawesome.

Links

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28546957/?ref...

This is my 58th episode and my theme of the month is Justice in January. Where black horror takes revenge and teaches us lessons that colonizers would like us to forget. In today’s movie, we are taking a look at the projects and how communities like Cabrini-Green are built into a myth. A myth about a group of people, where anyone outside of Cabrini-Green is afraid to even drive past it. This fear isn’t fueled by an urban legend though, it’s brought on by racism, segregation, and poverty. Today I will be covering the 1992 film The Candym...

I interview Chris Riggi, writer and director of the 2025 indie horror film Abduct. A woman's peaceful mountain getaway takes a bizarre turn when her boyfriend disappears, and a random naked man shows up claiming to be him. This is a well acted and written alien abduction story with a twist ending you won't expect. You can stream Abduct on Tubi, Fawesome, and Prime Video.

This is my 57th episode and I will be covering the 1991 classic horror film The People Under the Stair by Wes Craven.

My theme of the month is Justice in January. Where black horror takes revenge and teaches us lessons that colonizers would like us to forget. In today’s movie, a family is being evicted, and they are the last ones in a building that is set to be torn down to build new condominiums with “nice clean people” in there.

The film pits the impoverished Fool and his family against wealthy landlords who exploi...

This is my 56th episode and my theme of the month is A Very Corporate Christmas. With movies about the horrors of consumerism. When the system meant to ‘keep shoppers safe’ turns into the thing that hunts them. In today's movie, we have a campy take on consumerism and excess during the Reagan Era. Showing how a consumer paradise can turn into a death trap.

Source:

Chopping Mall (1986) - IMDb

This is my 55th episode and my theme of the month is A Very Corporate Christmas. With movies about the horrors of consumerism and how profit over people has led to deaths through poisoning and addiction. American corporations were feeding people radioactive water, cocaine, morphine, industrial bleach, arsenic, and embalming fluid. All while calling it “healthy”. The FDA exists because consumerism killed people and companies knew it.

Guest:

Avery’s Crypt - https://www.instagram.com/averyscrypt?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Resources:

F.D.A. Withdr...

In this episode, I interview director/writer Kyle Weingart about his family friendly sci-fi horror comedy titled Cuisine de la 'Pocalypse.

After the world ends, one aspiring chef refuses to give up on his dreams and creates the apocalypse's first cooking show.

It's available on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Fawesome.

Cuisine de la 'Pocalypse (2025) - IMDb

Kyle Weingart - IMDb

This is my 54th episode and my theme of the month is Remember November. I am covering horror movies with representations of indigenous people. The film I'm covering today has an imperfect representation of the Wendigo legend from Algonquian cultures (notably Cree and Anishinaabe). The film takes place in 1847 during the Mexican American War and cannibalism is used as a metaphor for colonialism.

Recourses:

Wendigo (folklore) | Research Starters | EBSCO Research

Windigo | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Ravenous (1999) - IMDb

Today’s episode is a special one. I interview Tobias Jelinek who played Richard Speck in the new Nextflix series Monsters: The Ed Gein Story. I asked the tough questions about the depictions of gender and Tobias didn’t flinch. He showed up with honesty, clarity, and a level of thoughtfulness that add depth, context, and perspective that I think my listeners will appreciate.

Resources:

Was Ed Gein Transgender? How Ryan Murphy's ‘Monster’ Portrayed the Killer's Identity | Them

In Episode 52, I dive deep into Jeff Barnaby’s brutal, brilliant, and fiercely Indigenous zombie film Blood Quantum. Set on the Red Crow Reservation during a global outbreak, the dead are rising, and the Indigenous people are the only ones immune. With my guest, I break down the film’s themes of sovereignty, identity, cultural resilience, and the horror of history itself.

Guest Information:

Nikki Apostolou

https://www.instagram.com/native_stardust?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

native_stardust , recycledstardust, Walking Sky Candles,

Links to h...

In today's episode, I am interviewing Joe Lam, the writer and director of The Fetus.

Starring: Bill Moseley, Lauren LaVera, and Julian Curtis

A couple become pregnant with a half-human, half-demonic fetus with a thirst for blood-and must uncover its terrifying origins before it's too late.

The movie is available on VOD for rent or purchase. I highly recommend renting this movie and supporting indie horror films.

Guest Info:

https://www.instagram.com/itsjoelam?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Delivering The Fetus...

Episode 51

My theme of the month is Slash Gender: A trans horror takeover

This month I am passing the mic to those who know what it feels like to be villainized in society. The trans community is an undeniable part of the horror genre. A vast majority of these depictions have enforced harmful stereotypes and this month I am tackling this topic with people from the trans community. Today we are tackling trans issues in horror with a wildly charismatic scientist unveiling a “perfect” creation. A living work of muscular art born in a laboratory of l...

Welcome Scream Queens, Kings, & Things,

Whether you are screaming at movies or the real life stuff, I’m your host Janecka Olen.

This is my 50th episode and I have a very special guest, Ken Boggle from Living for the Dead. In this Halloween special, we talk about the scariest movie ever made, The Exorcist. He gives me all the insider information on the spiritual side of things. Ken does tarot card readings and he's a medium between the living and the dead.

Guest:

Ken Boggle

https://linktr.ee/ke...

This is my 48th episode. My theme of the month is Slash Gender: A trans horror takeover. This month I am passing the mic to those who know what it feels like to be villainized in society. The trans community is an undeniable part of the horror genre. A vast majority of these depictions have enforced harmful stereotypes and this month I am tackling this topic with people from the trans community. Today we are tackling trans issues in horror with a mad scientist that creates a monster. Misunderstood and treated like an abomination, the monster turns into what...

Episode 47 on Scream Queen Podcast, we’re slicing into one of the most chaotic entries in the Child’s Play franchise: Seed of Chucky (2004). Often dismissed as campy horror, this film is actually one of the earliest mainstream portrayals of gender confusion and nonbinary identity. My theme of the month is Slash Gender: A trans horror takeover. This month I am passing the mic to those who know what it feels like to be villainized in society. The trans community is an undeniable part of the horror genre. A vast majority of these depictions have enforced harmful stereotypes and this...

This Month we have a LBGTQIA takeover with a focus on the Trans community. We are dragging horror out of the cis gaze and take back the narrative. This week, we’re diving into one of the most controversial films in horror history: Sleepaway Camp (1983). We aren't just talking shock endings and campy kills. We’re unpacking its complicated legacy through a queer lens.

Joining me is Nikki, they recently came out as Trans, and they open up about how this cult classic reflects parts of their own journey with gender, identity, and transitioning. It’s a raw an...

In this horror movie, A naïve Elon encounters a rebellious stoner on Day of the Dead, who seduces her down a dark path of temptation. I interview director, writer and actress Tiffany Toni about her directorial debut. We talk about the themes in her film and how her life experiences shaped the story of Bora.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12676666/

https://borathemovie.com/

https://www.instagram.com/tiffany__toney/

In Supernatural September, I am covering horror movies based on supernatural events. A family moves into a large old house in order to be closer to the hospital where their teenage son is receiving cancer treatments. Soon after settling in, the son begins experiencing terrifying visions and unsettling encounters that grow increasingly violent. As the family uncovers the building’s dark past as a funeral home, they realize the lingering spirits and sinister forces connected to it threaten not only their son’s sanity but also their very lives. This movie is based on the events that took place when...

My theme of the month is Supernatural September with four weeks of horror movies based on supernatural events. A cheerful suburban home becomes the site of increasingly disturbing paranormal activity, beginning with playful tricks and escalating into terrifying encounters with a malevolent force. When the youngest daughter is taken into another realm, her family must fight to bring her back before she is lost forever. For the true horrors, I explain the so-called poltergeist curse.

References:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084516/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Seaford Poltergeist – Garrett Collection

Park Hi...

My theme of the month is Supernatural September with four weeks of horror movies based on supernatural events. In the early 1970s, a secluded Rhode Island farmhouse became the stage for one of the most chilling cases ever documented by a pair of paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren. Or was it? With my guest Taylor Complains, we compare the movie scares vs real Perron testimony. It's scary how much has been embellished.

Guest:

Taylor Complains

https://www.instagram.com/taylorcomplains?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

...

My theme of the month is Supernatural September with four weeks of horror movies based on supernatural events. A newlywed couple moves into a charming Long Island house with a dark past, only to face terrifying supernatural events that threaten their sanity and lives. The haunting grows more violent each day, revealing the home’s gruesome history of murder and possession. What truly happened in that house remains debated, hoax, hysteria, or haunting? Listen as my guest Colby and I tally up points to determine the truth.

Guest:

Colby Does Horror

https://linktr.ee...

I this episode I cover Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), the chilling indie film that redefined the serial killer on screen. With its connection to the real serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, I dissect this film and compare it to the true crimes committed by Henry and Ottis.

Resources:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099763/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Last Podcast On The Left: four-part series on Henry Lee Lucas

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0DIvMCNVjBz0T0MLxSmkFk?si=TfLYBcYcSZacq5mQ-HwNMg

In this episode, we dive into one of the most disturbing true crime stories in Australian history: The Snowtown Murders. Also known as the “Bodies in Barrels” case, this series of killings left an entire community shaken and forever marked the small town of Snowtown with infamy. We’ll explore how John Bunting manipulated those around him, targeted society’s most vulnerable, and created an atmosphere of fear and control. The movie is told from the perspective of Jamie Vlassakis, a teenager drawn into Bunting’s world. Join us as we connect the real-life horrors with their cinematic portrayal, uncovering...