SHRINK CHAT: The House of the Devil, Ginger Snaps & Stingy Jack

Where does the jack-o’-lantern really come from? An Irish drunkard who tricked the devil twice, a babysitting job that pays way too well, and a film the critics called revolting.

Trigger warning: The Bloodsucking Freaks discussion (about 20:20 to 23:30) describes sexual violence, torture and violence against a teenage girl.

It’s Shrink Chat, our weekly horror roundup, one week out from Halloween. Cathy’s Horror Facts lead to a 1993 cult classic, then comes the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, the man too wicked for heaven and too clever for hell. Our buddy watch is Ti West’s The House of the Devil, and a Joe Bob Briggs drive-in night serves up Bloodsucking Freaks. Plus, Gerald’s Game, Ginger Snaps, Disturbia and our favorite Halloween comfort watches.

Therapists Shannon and Cathy talk about why horror characters have to minimize threat to stay in the house, how the satanic panic of the 1980s shaped a whole genre, and what separates psychological horror you can sit through from exploitation that exists only to degrade.

Covered in this episode:

• Leprechaun (1993), Warwick Davis, Jennifer Aniston and the Lucky Charms that said no
• The legend of Stingy Jack and the origin of the jack-o’-lantern
• The House of the Devil (2009), Ti West and the satanic panic
• Bloodsucking Freaks (1976) with Joe Bob Briggs and guest Chris Jericho
• Dario Argento and giallo
• Gerald’s Game (2017)
• Ginger Snaps (2000)
• Revenge (2017) on Shudder
• The Crow, Fright Night, ParaNorman and Hocus Pocus
• House on Haunted Hill and House of Wax, the Vincent Price originals and the remakes
• The ‘Burbs and Disturbia with Shia LaBeouf and David Morse

Clinical themes: minimizing threat, the satanic panic of the 1980s, folklore as a moral lesson about guilt and sin, psychological horror versus exploitation, misogyny on screen.

A correction: Vincent Price died in 1993 and does not appear in the 1999 House on Haunted Hill. Geoffrey Rush’s character is named Price as a tribute.

Related episodes:

• PSYCHOLOGY: Michael Myers, Laurie Strode & Every Halloween Movie
• SHRINK CHAT: Hubie Halloween, Spiral, Bly Manor & Evil Bong
• SHRINK CHAT: The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Fade to Black & Followed

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Two licensed therapists, one forensic psychologist, one clinical LMFT, take apart the minds behind the crimes.

Until then... sleep safe. 😴
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