Fear of the Dark

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!

On this episode, Stacey and Matthew chat about Curry Barker's new horror film, Obsession (2026). Join us as we talk Gen Z horror (and comedy) and what this film tells us about the fears of human connection.
 
Film: Obsession (Curry Barker, 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 the final episode of our Nazi Zombie mini season, Stacey and Matthew chat about the alternate history action-horror film, Overlord, which follows an integrated band of American soldiers who arrive on D-Day in France, only to discover the Nazis' horrific medical experimentation in an effort to create "super-human" zombies. Join us as we wrap up our mini season and discuss what the Nazi zombie has become - and what it means - today.
Film: Overlord (Julius Avery, 2018)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 our third episode of the Nazi Zombie mini season, Matthew and Stacey talk about Dead Snow (2009), a Norwegian film about a group of young medical students on a skiing trip. Their vacation quickly turns to a splatterfest as they discover the long-dead Nazi soldiers who once occupied the local area aren't so dead after all.
Film: Dead Snow (2009)
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!