Red Scare Podcast Episode Summary: "Entering the Vampire Castle TEASER"

Release Date: January 23, 2025

Hosts: Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova
Podcast Description: Red Scare is a cultural commentary podcast hosted by bohemian layabouts Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova.

1. Exploring Historical Perspectives on Women's Health and Emotions

In the opening segment of "Entering the Vampire Castle TEASER," hosts Anna and Dasha delve into the historical discourse surrounding women's mental health. They shed light on the archaic medicalization of women's emotions, particularly during puberty.

Alice:
"All of these conversations at the time about, like, women's manias and hysterias. And of course, like, it's all related to women's sexual awakening, which is related to the coming of puberty, which is related to the start of menes, which is literally the loss of blood."
[00:00]

Bob:
"Like, it's very on the nose and its symbolism."
[00:24]

The discussion highlights how terms like "hysterias" were historically used to explain women's emotional and psychological states, linking them directly to physiological changes such as menstruation.

2. Victorian Era Repression and Its Sexual Connotations

Anna and Dasha transition into a critique of Victorian-era repression, examining how societal constraints shaped the portrayal of sexuality in media and personal relationships.

Alice:
"... the repression of the Victorian era. They also far less sexy than it could have been."
[00:24 - 00:27]

Bob:
"This is about the erotic power of vampiric devil over a young waif... it was still felt a little like, frankly, bloodless."
[00:38 - 01:07]

The hosts analyze a movie portrayal where vampiric figures exert an unrelenting and unemotional dominance over young women, critiquing the lack of sensuality and depth in such narratives.

3. The Concept of Gooning and Its Cinematic Representation

The podcast delves into the concept of "gooning," a term often associated with a hyper-fixated state, typically related to prolonged engagement with pornography. Anna references Jack's review to underscore the superficial depiction of intense emotional states in media.

Alice:
"This is about gooning as like, porn brain zoomers perceive it... medicalized and unsexy."
[01:07 - 01:30]

Bob:
"Yeah. It wasn't very sensual."
[01:35]

This segment critiques how modern portrayals fail to capture the complexity and depth of human sensuality, reducing intense emotional experiences to mere twitchy motions.

4. Science, Psychoanalysis, and the Perception of Evil

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the tension between scientific enlightenment and the persisting belief in inherent evil, as depicted in the film being discussed.

Alice:
"You have this vaguely based notion now that, like, evil is real and can't be solved by, like, science, let alone psychoanalysis. There's a point when the Willem Dafoe character von Franz says, we have not so much become enlightened as we have been blinded by the gaseous light of science."
[01:53 - 02:04]

Bob:
"Yeah."
[01:53]

The hosts explore the idea that despite advancements in science and psychology, society still grapples with the concept of evil as an inexplicable force, hindering holistic understanding and solutions.

5. From Melancholia to Modern Terms: Tracing Emotional Terminology

Anna and Dasha trace the evolution of emotional terminology, discussing how terms like "melancholia" were historically used to describe women's emotional states before the advent of modern psychological terms.

Alice:
"All the young men are solicitors and all the young women are melancholics. God, who said this recently, like, before we had the term depression, they called it melancholia."
[02:04]

Bob:
"Yeah. I don't know who that's. I mean, I think that's true."
[02:08]

The conversation underscores the shift from archaic medical terms to contemporary understandings of mental health, reflecting broader societal changes in perceiving and addressing emotional well-being.

6. Nietzsche's Views on Women and Cultural Influence

The hosts reference Friedrich Nietzsche's controversial opinions on women's susceptibility to cultural influences, particularly music, and its impact on their mental and emotional states.

Bob:
"Nietzsche said that, well, if women listen to the wrong kind of music, they could become like, imbalanced, which I think is kind of true."
[02:24 - 02:35]

Alice:
"I believe that. Yeah. Like, you don't want them getting all trapped."
[02:37]

This segment critiques Nietzsche's perspective, discussing the broader implications of cultural influences on women's mental health and autonomy.

7. Modern Parallels: Birth Control, SSRIs, and Women's Emotional Management

Transitioning to contemporary issues, Anna and Dasha analyze how modern interventions like birth control and SSRIs parallel historical methods of managing women's emotional and sexual health.

Bob:
"You don't want them getting all worked up. I'll get possessed for real back then."
[02:39 - 02:46]

Alice:
"They like really suffered from like, hysteria and faints and stuff. And now they're all on, like, birth control and SSRIs, and, like, it's the same thing."
[02:46 - 03:25]

The discussion highlights the continuity in societal approaches to regulating and managing women's emotions and sexuality, drawing connections between past and present medical and social interventions.

8. Character Analysis: Ellen's Recurring Nightmare

The episode concludes with a character analysis of Ellen, who experiences a recurring nightmare symbolizing her subconscious fears and desires.

Alice:
"Ellen has this, like, premonition by way of a recurring nightmare of being, like, betrothed to death, where they, like, hold hands and say their vows, and then she turns around and all the guests are dead and the stench of their bodies is overpowering. But she's never been happier."
[03:25]

Bob:
"Yeah."
[03:26]

This exploration serves as a metaphor for the paradoxical nature of seeking fulfillment through destructive or repressive means, encapsulating the episode's themes of repression, control, and the search for genuine emotional connection.

Notable Quotes:

• "There’s this vaguely based notion now that, like, evil is real and can't be solved by, like, science, let alone psychoanalysis."
  — Alice [01:53]

• "If women listen to the wrong kind of music, they could become like, imbalanced."
  — Bob [02:24]

• "Ellen has this... premonition by way of a recurring nightmare of being, like, betrothed to death... But she's never been happier."
  — Alice [03:25]

Conclusion:

In "Entering the Vampire Castle TEASER," Red Scare's Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova offer a nuanced critique of historical and contemporary perceptions of women's mental and emotional health. Through discussions that intertwine cinematic analysis with cultural commentary, the episode underscores the persistent challenges in understanding and addressing the complexities of human emotion, particularly in relation to gender.

For more insightful discussions and to support the hosts, visit Red Scare on Patreon and follow Anna and Dasha on Twitter @annakhachiyan and @nobody_stop_me.