What Did We Just Watch? – Episode 3
Horror & Fear

Content Considerations: 

This episode includes discussion of films and media narratives that touch on themes some listeners may find emotionally challenging depending on personal experiences and lived realities.

  • Topics discussed include:

    • Fear and emotional discomfort

    • Critical reflection and questioning narratives

    • Horror as social and cultural commentary

    • Race and racism

    • Othering and social exclusion

    • Representation and identity

    • Diversity, equity, inclusion, and power

    • Historical moral panic and social fear

    • Queerness and LGBTQ+ representation

    • Gender roles and expectations

    • Systems thinking and institutional critique

    • Class and socioeconomic inequality

    • Poverty and rural narratives

    • Media influence and public perception

    • Trauma and adverse life experiences

    • Refugee and displacement narratives

    • Grief and loss

    • Caregiver fatigue and emotional exhaustion

    • Social stigma and exclusion

    • Discussions of marginalization and exclusion

    This episode also references films that include themes of: (These topics are discussed analytically and some are depicted directly)

    • Racial inequity

    • Identity conflict

    • Grief

    • Trauma

    • Family conflict

    • Institutional failure

    • Physical Violence

    • Displacement

    • Emotional suppression

    • Survival

    • Experiences of exclusion

  • Listeners are invited to engage with curiosity rather than certainty and to pause, reflect, skip sections, or revisit content in whatever way feels supportive and appropriate.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

  • Concepts to Explore:

    • Learn More About:  

      • Horror as Social Commentary

      • Critical Reflection

      • Othering Theory

      • Moral Panic

      • Critical Media Literacy

      • DEIPAR Framework

      • Harm vs Hope Reflection

      • Representation in Horror

      • Trauma and Narrative Meaning-Making

      • Queer Coding in Film

      • Fear and Cultural Anxiety

  • Reflection Questions for movie watching:

    • Critical Reflection:

      • What fear is this story trying to make visible?

    • Questioning Narratives:

      • Who is being framed as dangerous?

    • DEIPAR:

      • Who benefits from this fear?

      • Who gets protected?

      • Whose fear is treated as legitimate?

    • Harm vs Hope:

      • What narratives feel harmful?

      • What possibilities feel hopeful?

  • Exercise:

    • Re-watch a horror movie you’ve seen before and ask:

      • What fear is being externalized?

      • Who becomes the monster?

      • What social anxieties show up?

      • What emotions feel familiar underneath the horror?

      • Did anything feel different watching it now?

  • Continue the Conversation:

    • Follow on social media

    • Watch clips on YouTube

    • Submit movie recommendations

    • Share your reflections

    • Visit the website for transcripts and full references