What Monster – Details, episodes & analysis

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What Monster

Steven Gregor

Tv & Film

Frequency: 1 episode/12d. Total Eps: 17

Maniac movies, movie maniacs, and me

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Apple

Data updated on 04/07/2026

Recent rankings

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Apple Podcasts

🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
03/11/2024
#74
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
18/10/2024
#82
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
17/10/2024
#60
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
16/10/2024
#48
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
15/10/2024
#20
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
14/10/2024
#14
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
13/10/2024
#20
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
12/10/2024
#67
🇺🇸 USA - Film History
12/10/2024
#98
🇬🇧 Great Britain - Film History
11/10/2024
#48

Spotify

No recent rankings available

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https://whatmonsterpodcast.com
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RSS feed quality

Good

Score global : 73%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

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Latest published episodes

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Criminal Law (1989)

Season 2 · Episode 16

Friday, November 1, 2024 • Duration 09:17

CRIMINAL LAW is part legal drama, part serial killer thriller. It’s high-sounding, operatic, it’s moralistic. And, yeah—at times, a little silly.

The premise is simple enough, a defence attorney with a conflict of conscience works to entrap his guilty, murderous client.

There’s a moral complexity to the killer’s motive—prescient, really—as important today as it was in the 1980s or as it has ever been. Themes that resonate with me, they’re all here:

complicated, dysfunctional familial bonds;
class and social mobility;
multi-generational wealth, the patriarchy, and entitlement; and
misogyny, bodily autonomy, and reproductive rights.

Oh, and—my absolute favourite:

repressed queerness with monstrous outcomes.

If this all sounds a bit heavy, don’t be put off. At the end of the day, CRIMINAL LAW is a trashy, popcorny thriller. I love it.

This week, Steven discusses director Martin Campbell’s underrated 1989 queer serial killer thriller CRIMINAL LAW.

Movies and TV series mentioned:

American Psycho (2000)
Hannibal (2013-2015)
Primal Fear (1996)
Psycho (1960)
The Chamber (1996)
The Firm (1993)
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Urban Legend (1998)

WHAT MONSTER is written and narrated by Steven Gregor.

whatmonsterpodcast.com

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In Defence of Halloween II

Season 2 · Episode 15

Saturday, October 26, 2024 • Duration 09:53

"John Carpenter’s original HALLOWEEN movie is elegant, sophisticated in its simplicity. A classic. One of the most important American movies ever made, no doubt. But now we’re watching HALLOWEEN II and the rules are different. The stakes have been raised. As Randy in SCREAM 2 explains, sequels are all about the: 'Carnage candy. Your core audience just expects it.' And, I do love me some carnage-flavoured Halloween candy. Let’s go!"

This week, Steven discusses Rick Rosenthal’s much-maligned 1981 slasher sequel HALLOWEEN II.

Movies mentioned:

Dead Poets Society (1989)
Poltergeist (1982)
Rocky (1976)
Scream 2 (1997)
St Elmo's Fire (1985)
Starman (1984)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Shining (1980)

Plus:

Budweiser advertisement 'King of Halloween' (2018)
Documentary 'Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest' (2003)
Film talk show 'Cinema Showcase' (1984)

What Monster is written and narrated by Steven Gregor.

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Horror Movies and Empathy

Season 2 · Episode 14

Sunday, October 20, 2024 • Duration 08:10

"Having empathy for the victims in horror movies is easy to understand. But, as a rationalisation for watching horror movies, is it too simplistic? What about empathy for the monster?"

This week, Steven discusses horror movies and empathy—for the victims and the villains.

Movies mentioned:

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Carrie (1976)
Chain Reactions (2024)
Friday the 13th (1980)
Halloween (1978)
Peeping Tom (1960)
Prom Night (1980)
Psycho (1960)
Scream (1996)
The Prowler (1981)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Plus:

TEDx talk 'How Horror Movies Taught Me Empathy' by Mark Gunnells (2019)
The New Republic article 'What It Says About You If You Enjoy Horror Movies' by Alice Robb (2015)

What Monster is written and narrated by Steven Gregor.

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Scream If You Love Slashers

Season 2 · Episode 13

Thursday, October 10, 2024 • Duration 16:21

"Kevin Williamson is a slasher movie magpie—lifting scenarios, and even dialogue, from other movies. It’s what I love most about his writing style. Well, that and—he sure knows how to write an iconic chase scene."

This week, Steven discusses the O.G. SCREAM, directed by Wes Craven. Also in this episode, he talks about the very first time he went to the movies. And, he falls into a Kevin Williamson rabbit hole—it’s his happy place—spotting some moments in Williamson's movies that are directly lifted from other slashers.

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The Substance (2024)

Season 2 · Episode 2

Friday, October 4, 2024 • Duration 18:31

Review: The Substance (2024). Plus: Slasher movies saved me. And: A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss, Feeding the Monster by Anna Bogutskaya

Strange Darling (2024)

Season 2 · Episode 1

Thursday, September 26, 2024 • Duration 14:34

Review: Strange Darling (2024). Plus: Help! I'm a spoilerphobe! And: Mike Flanagan, Stephen King

Intruder (1989)

Season 1 · Episode 10

Sunday, September 1, 2024 • Duration 31:42

Nerdsplaining INTRUDER (1989)

The Funhouse (1981)

Season 1 · Episode 9

Monday, August 5, 2024 • Duration 33:44

Nerdsplaining THE FUNHOUSE (1981)

The Final Terror (1983)

Season 1 · Episode 8

Monday, July 15, 2024 • Duration 32:28

Nerdsplaining THE FINAL TERROR (1983)

The Initiation (1984)

Season 1 · Episode 7

Monday, July 1, 2024 • Duration 41:31

Nerdsplaining THE INITIATION (1984)

What Monster – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

What Monster – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify