Fear of the Dark

On this episode, Stacey and Matthew reflect on their undergraduate days with Mariama Diallo's 2022 horror film, Master. The film circulates around the stories of three Black women navigating the politics and social structures of higher education: Gail (Regina Hall), the master of the prestigious New England school Ancaster; Jasmine (Zoe Renee), a first-year English major; and Liv (Amber Gray), an English professor who is about to go up for tenure. Join us as we talk about the terrors and anxieties of racial minoritization in the university, as well as what the film's uneasy conclusion suggests about the possible ways forward for academia and higher ed.
**Please note: the film and our discussion of it address sensitive topics, specifically suicide. As always, listen with discretion and know that you are not alone. You can contact both the national suicide prevention hotline (988) and, if you are at UC Davis, you can text RELATE (741-741) anytime.
Film: Master (Mariama Diallo, 2022)
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 discuss Jane Schoenbrun's psychological horror film, I Saw the TV Glow (2024). It stars Justice Smith and Jack Haven as Owen and Maddy, two teenage friends who first bond over their love of a show called "The Pink Opaque," which may turn out to be more than just fiction -- and possibly more "real" than Owen's and Maddy's realities. Join us as we talk about where this film fits in across generational gaps, the cultural privileging of media forms, and the horrors of suppression and memory.
Film: I Saw the TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun, 2024)
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 special episode, Stacey and Matthew are joined by our UC Davis colleague, Elisha Hamlin, to talk about the 2021 Saw spin-off, Spiral, starring Chris Rock as Zeke, a jaded detective working in the shadow of his father and the former police chief, Marcus (played by Samuel L. Jackson). Zeke and his new rookie partner, William (played by Max Minghella), investigate a series of killings which seem to be targeting cops AND seem to resemble the elaborate "traps" of the original "Jigsaw" killer, John Kramer. Join us as we chat about the legacy of the Saw franchise and the role of the Black cop in an undefinable urban America.
Film: Spiral (Darren Lynn Bousman, 2021)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 are joined by historian Dr. Quinn Javers to discuss Christopher Nolan's 2008 superhero film, The Dark Knight. Join us as we are enlightened by our special guest's contemplations about the place of China and Hong Kong in the world geopolitical arena. We also discuss how we might watch The Dark Knight through the lens of today's US surveillance state, and additionally we discuss the functions of fear, (dis)order, authority, and the globalization of the local in the film.
Film: The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
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 talk Francis Lawrence's 2007 action horror film, I Am Legend. The film stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, the last human in New York City who has managed to survive a deadly virus that was originally engineered to cure cancer. We sit down to discuss the film's place in post-9/11 movie-making, the interracial dynamic of the film's surrogate family unit, and the role of the Black protagonist vis-a-vis the human mutants' whiteness.
Film: I Am Legend (Francis Lawrence, 2007)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 mini episode, Matthew and Stacey sit down to talk the Golden Globes and the upcoming Oscars amidst many excellent horror film "snubs" this year. Does critical recognition even matter anymore in the age of Letterbox'd and Twitter reviews? Join us for this quick conversation and let us know what you think of awards season.
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 talk about Leigh Whannell's sci-fi horror film, The Invisible Man (2020). It stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia, a young woman who believes she is being stalked by her ex-partner but finds it nearly impossible to prove it -- largely because she believes he has the power to become invisible. Join us as we discuss the metaphors and symbolism of abuse, racial difference in shared spaces, and the cinematography of absence.
Film: The Invisible Man (Leigh Whannell, 2020)
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!

In our final episode of the horror/comedy mini season, Matthew and Stacey sit down to talk about Zach Cregger's 2022 horror film, Barbarian, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long. The film follows Tess (Campbell), a young woman who arrives at an Airbnb in Brightmoor, Detroit only to find out that someone else (Skarsgård) is already staying there. The two ultimately decide to share the space, at least for the night, before they uncover a number of long-buried secrets in the house. Join us as we chat about the overlaps in the genres of romance and horror, the treatment of displacement and gentrification, and this film's iteration (and revival?) of the monstrous mother trope.
Film: Barbarian (Zach Cregger, 2022)
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!

Happy New Year! As we welcome in 2026, Matthew and Stacey reflect on 2025: What were our favorite podcast episodes to record? What horror movies did we love from the last year? And what are our hopes and dreams for the next one to come? Join us for this quick EOY wrap-up conversation.
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!

For the third episode of Fear of the Dark's horror/comedy mini season, Matthew and Stacey chat about Sorry to Bother You, the 2018 genre-bending sci-fi/fantasy/comedy/horror film directed by Boots Riley. It stars LaKeith Stanfield as Cassius "Cash" Green, a young man who finds himself rising up the corporate ladder as a telemarketer thanks to the use of his "white voice." Join us for a conversation about the film's engagements with whiteness and Blackness through voice and disembodiment - and as we think about where generic conventions and expectations fit into this story of a new speculative racial hierarchy.
Film: Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley, 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 and mastered by Stacey Baran.
Follow us on Instagram @fearofthedarkpod!