Fear of the Dark

Something's in the water on this episode: Matthew and Stacey are joined by Dr. Quinn Javers to talk about the original 1954 "Godzilla"! Join us for this fun conversation where we get continually enlightened by Quinn's insight, as we chat about the environmental threat that is Godzilla, the geography of Japan onscreen, and the aesthetics of modernity.
Film: "Godzilla" (1954)
Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive)
Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
"Fear of the Dark" is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited by Matthew Vernon. Mixdown and mastering by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!

What's that? In the sky? Quick, put on your aluminum foil headgear and hazmat suits! Join Matthew and Stacey on this episode as they discuss "Signs" and "10 Cloverfield Lane," two sci-fi flicks that are (kind-of, sort-of) about alien invasions. We chat about belief and skepticism, broadcasting, and what other kinds of threats are portended by extraterrestrial invasion...
Films: "Signs" (2002) and "10 Cloverfield Lane" (2016)
Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive)
Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
Fear of the Dark is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited and mastered by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!

What does Evil Dead look like in the 21st century? Join Stacey and Matthew for this episode on the 2026 "Evil Dead Burn," following "Evil Dead Rise" (2023) and "Evil Dead" (2013). We chat about audience reactions in the theater, the spectacle of violence in the franchise, and Sam Raimi's legacy--and path forward--in modern horror today.
Film: "Evil Dead Burn" (2026) Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive) Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
Fear of the Dark is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited by Matthew Vernon. Mixdown and mastering by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!

Have we clipped through reality on this one? Join Matthew and Stacey for this episode on Kane Parsons' feature film debut, "Backrooms" (2026), starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Clark, a used furniture store owner who discovers a hidden liminal labyrinth in its basement. We chat about creepypastas, architecture, young directors in the industry, and where Ejiofor's casting fits into today's generational conversations around horror.
NPR, "Why Gen Z is Movie-maxxing": https://www.npr.org/2026/06/15/nx-s1-5855032/why-gen-z-is-movie-maxxing
Film: "Backrooms" (2026)Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive)Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
Fear of the Dark is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited by Matthew Vernon. Mixdown and mastering by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!

On this episode, Matthew and Stacey get ready for their one-room, two-person performance - or wait, was that this film? Today we're talking about Nadia Latif's 2025 horror film, The Man in My Basement, which stars Corey Hawkins as Charles, a financially struggling Black man whose debt problems are seemingly solved by an older white man (Willem Dafoe), who offers to rent out Charles' basement for a very large sum of money. Join us as we chat about the allegory of the white man's burden and the film's exploration of Black histories against the culture of whiteness.
 
Film: The Man in My Basement (Nadia Latif, 2025)Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive)Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
Fear of the Dark is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited by Matthew Vernon. Mixdown and mastering by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!

On the final episode of our Magical Minority mini season, Stacey and Matthew sit down to discuss the new 2026 film, "Mortal Kombat II." GET OVER HERE and join us as we chat about the silver screen evolution of Raiden's character (which Matthew is much more knowledgeable about) and whether or not he has "transcended" his own magical minority trope.
Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive)Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
"Fear of the Dark" is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited by Matthew Vernon. Mixdown and mastering by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!

On the second episode of our Magical Minority mini season, Matthew and Stacey sit down to talk about "Gremlins," the 1984 Christmas comedy horror film with the iconically mysterious and seemingly adorable mogwai... Join us as we chat about the character of Mr. Wing (Keye Luke), the wise Asian elder trope, and the notion of premodern, "ancient" knowledge framed against new (and decidedly American) technologies.
Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive)
Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
"Fear of the Dark" is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited by Matthew Vernon. Mixdown and mastering by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!

On the first episode of our Magical Minority mini season, we kick things off with Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (1980) and the belovedly iconic Dick Hallorann (played by Scatman Crothers). Join us as we talk about the function of the Black magical minority in the "white world" of the Overlook (and, in turn, of Jack's psyche)...
Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive)
Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
"Fear of the Dark" is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited by Matthew Vernon. Mixdown and mastering by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!

Our fourth mini season on the Magical Minority is here! Join us as we introduce the films we'll be discussing in this short season, from "The Shining" (1980) to "Gremlins" (1984) to the recent release of "Mortal Kombat II" (2026).
Intro Music: “The Army of You” (Library of Congress Free Music Archive)Outro Music: “Late Night Indigo” (written and performed by Stacey Baran)
"Fear of the Dark" is a film podcast about race and horror, hosted by Matthew Vernon and Stacey Baran. Episode edited by Matthew Vernon. Mixdown and mastering by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!