Podcast
This Place Scares Us - A Podcast
Hosted by Katya Mickelson and Laramie Dean · EN
Join Laramie Dean, PhD, and Katya Mickelson, NPhD (non-PhD), for each nonsequitur-filled episode of THIS PLACE SCARES US! Come find out why serial killers, movies, literature and pop culture scares you, me and everyone.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Witch Scares Us
Oct 8, 201901:20:06Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, We have missed you! To steal a term from one of our favorite authors (Christopher Moore) our day slave lives have been getting us down and keeping us from editing this podcast! But fear not, we are back with a Spooktober appropriate episode. This episode is a throw back to one of our collective favorite movies: 2015's The Witch (or The VVitch) by Robert Eggers. This period piece set in 1600s Puritan America has a little something for everyone. For the devoutly religious, Puritans, for the devoutly satanic, Satan, for the devoutly feminist, Witches. Robert Eggers develops a wonderful atmosphere in which to set this exploration of female power, religiously motivated paranoia, and the truly brutal nature of life 300 years ago. So join us as Katya and Laramie delve into feminism, the history of witches in America, why the woods are so scary, and also hyenas. We have just one question for you dear listeners... Wouldst thou like to live... deliciously? **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
Jerry Lee Lewis Scares Us
Jul 23, 201901:39:33Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, We have been enjoying the wonderful summer weather and doing our best to keep cool! Hopefully you are enjoying the summer sun and staying safe from the things that go bump in the night. And, what makes summer better than a nice song or two? Well this week you are in for a musical treat! Katya and Laramie discuss the one and only Jerry Lee Lewis, AKA The Killer (really this is his nickname), and the many horrible things he has been accused of doing. If you haven't had a chance give Mr. Lewis a Google and bask in the 1960s terror that is his hairdo. So join us as we delve into why you should be afraid of Mr. Lewis and people like him. **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
Salem's Lot Scares Us
Jun 30, 201901:23:09Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, Summer is in full swing and we are releasing an episode that wasn't recorded this past winter! We hope this episode will keep you creeped out as you travel for your summer fun. Maybe you can bring us with as you visit a ghost town or check out a haunted house. This week Katya and Laramie discuss Stephen King's Salem's Lot, (specifically the 1979 TV miniseries directed by Tobe Hooper). Laramie discusses the horror of vampirism and why Salem's Lot shows us that the sexual appeal of vampires is scarier than anything. Katya and Laramie also discuss if the events of Salem's Lot could take place today and the terrifying parallels between vampirism and drug addiction. Also, Katya and Laramie discuss many of Laramie's wonderful works of art, what Katya has been up to these past several months, and why language matters so much in horror and life. **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
The Cannibal Cop Scares Us
Jun 17, 201901:32:05Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, We hope you are having a wonderful start to summer and enjoying the warmth and sun. Cookouts are a wonderful summer tradition and this week we decided to bring you an epicurean focused episode. Gilberto Valle, dubbed the "Cannibal Cop" is a former NYPD officer who was found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in 2013, and later had his conviction overturned in 2014. Gilberto's charges stemmed from his behavior in online chat rooms regarding fantasy writing involving the rape, murder, and cannibalization of numerous women. To say this case is complex is an understatement, but Katya and Laramie dig into what makes this such a scary situation. Also, Katya and Laramie struggle with New York geography, discuss diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5 and try to pin down where the line is between thought crimes and real crimes. So join us for some ups and downs on this wacky episode! **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
Gremlins Scares Us
Jun 3, 201901:15:46Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, If you haven't heard, we're back! The winter/grad school/moving blues got us down for a bit, but we are all sorted out and ready to go. We are bringing you some Christmas in June fun and festivities with this week's topic! Gremlins, released on June 8 1984 and directed by Joe Dante, is this week's topic. To say that this episode is near and dear to Laramie's heart is an understatement. Join us to find out why camp, creep, and consumerism make this the perfect holiday movie to binge watch on your DVR or VCR. Also, Katya drops some knowledge on the origin of the Mogwai name, and why colonialism may be the scariest part of the movie. We want to give a very special shout out to all of you that have stuck with us though the break in this fun little project. We'll do better to keep the creepy goofiness coming your way! **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
We're Back Bumper!
Jun 3, 201900:02:27Tap to summarizeWe're back bitches! Sorry for our long hiatus. If you are curious about what's been happening in our lives give this bumper a quick listen. We've got a new episode for you tonight too! **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
The High Priestess of Blood Scares Us
Jan 21, 201901:25:58Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, Happy New Year, and sorry for the long delay. As many of you know, a lot has been going on in "Scares Us Land". But fear not because we are back and back on track! We missed you all dearly and are sincerely sorry for our absence This week we are bringing and episode back from the dead! Our lost episode on Magdalena Solis, The High Priestess of Blood has new life. Katya and Laramie discuss the terror that is a cult, and the cult of personality that emerged in Yerba Buena in the 1960s. Katya and Laramie also discuss what defines a serial killer, the ruthlessness of STDs and what is truly scary about cults. So welcome back everyone, and we will see you again in two weeks! **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
The Haunting of Hill House Scares Us
Nov 20, 201801:32:23Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, The week of feasts is upon us and we hope you enjoy this episode as you travel to see family, hunker down in your bunker, or enjoy basking in the glow of your retail therapy. If you need a good read for your holiday time, This Place Scares Us suggests reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. This week's episode is in fact about The Haunting of Hill House which has seen several screen adaptations both in movie form and now as a popular Netflix series. Laramie shares his opinions about all of the iterations of The Haunting of Hill House and why sometimes never seeing a monster is scarier than anything. Katya and Laramie debate why the origin of a monster is so important and discuss at length the horror community's view on whether to show the monsters or not. What do you think listeners: is it scarier to see the monsters, or to never see the monsters? With that we leave you to your Thanksgiving. **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
Hereditary Scares Us
Nov 5, 201801:29:48Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, We hope you had a spectacular Spooktober, a haunting Halloween, and an amazing All Souls Day! We have been hard at work getting back on our recording schedule after our big life changes. Coming at you this week is the scariest movie we have seen in a good long while. This week's topic is the terrifying 2018 film Hereditary by Ari Aster. Go watch this movie before listening to this week's episode, but find a friend because this is one crazy, scary, disturbing film! Katya and Laramie dissect all of the things that should scare you about this film and some of the things you may have missed your first time watching. Also, Katya gives you a run-down of graduate school hell, and Laramie discusses surviving Trump-land Missoula. Before we leave you this week remember: Your life does not start with choice, so why should it end with it? **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →
Fright Night Scares Us
Oct 22, 201801:40:32Tap to summarizeHello Dear Listeners, Like a phoenix we have risen from the ashes of moving, learning new technology, and having a generally chaotic two months! But, WE ARE BACK!! This is our first remotely recorded episode and it sounds a bit rough, but we've worked the bugs out and will have another episode out soon. Its Spooktober and you know what that means!? Horror movies!! In this episode Katya and Laramie discuss the 1985 classic Fright Night directed by Tom Holland (not Spiderman Tom Holland). This movie really is a window into so many things 80s: teen angst, vampires, rape culture, and queer subtext. Katya and Laramie posit that Fright Night may be the best metaphor for sexual predators. So join us as we take a walk down This Place Scares Us memory lane, discuss everything that has been happening in our lives and unpack a surprisingly complex movie from the 80s. We've missed you and love you all so much! **Clinkies** Katya and Laramie
Transcribe →