Ghouls are journeying into the Shimmer, a land where nature has reclaimed what civilization built. Gabe discusses the film and the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer to unpack the complexities of nature, the language it speaks, and why it'll never care about us. Kat finds out if the film has some truth to its science focusing on Hox Genes and Genetic Drift. Sources in this Episode: https://weirdfictionreview.com/2014/02/annihilation-weird-nature/ https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/annihilation-science-explained-adam-rutherford-alex-garland-1201934047/ https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/natural-selection/population-genetics/a/genetic-drift-founder-bottleneck Ways to Help: https://www.ienearth.org/ https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/stories/why-indigenous-environmentalism-is-more-important-than-ever/ https://www.jessicabhernandez.com/fresh-banana-leaves.html https://youtu.be/DO8aVevcAJY https://grist.org/fix/series/imagine-2200-climate-fiction/

Ghouls track a mysterious serial killer in a remote town in Poland. What is slowly picking off the hunters and poachers? Gabe unpacks this eco-feminist film that features a Lorax-like heroine, who speaks for the wildlife. Kat explains the detrimental effect overhunting has on our environment and the future of our planet. Sources in this Episode: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-01-21/spoor-review-agnieszka-holland https://www.npr.org/2021/01/20/958725897/polish-thriller-spoor-is-a-pulpy-murder-story-and-a-utopian-fable https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=133230&org=NSF https://www.greenjournal.co.uk/2021/05/what-effect-does-overhunting-have-on-the-environment/ Other Spoor Reviews: https://www.pajiba.com/movie_reviews/review-spoor-delivers-a-revenge-thriller-for-animal-lovers.php https://www.filminquiry.com/spoor-2017-review/ Ways to Help: https://youtu.be/DO8aVevcAJY https://www.ienearth.org/ https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/stories/why-indigenous-environmentalism-is-more-important-than-ever/ https://www.jessicabhernandez.com/fresh-banana-leaves.html

Ghouls discuss the eco-horror mockumentary, The Bay, that will scare you into caring about the environment. Gabe talks about how the film is 80% true and based on ecological disaster facts, making it significantly more terrifying. Kat discusses what's really happening in the Chesapeake Bay, why you should be afraid of flesh-eating bacteria, and how to help the environment. Sources in this Episode: https://www.wired.com/2012/11/barry-levinson-the-bay/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/barry-levinson-the-bay_n_2005249 https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/experts_find_an_average_chesapeake_bay_dead_zone_in_2021 https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/five_facts_about_vibrio Ways to Help: https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Waters/Great-Waters-Restoration/Chesapeake-Bay https://www.baydreaming.com/about-the-chesapeake-bay/protect-the-bay/ https://youtu.be/DO8aVevcAJY https://www.ienearth.org/ https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/stories/why-indigenous-environmentalism-is-more-important-than-ever/ https://www.jessicabhernandez.com/fresh-banana-leaves.html

Ghouls are starting a series on Ecological Horror. This week we're talking apocalypse video game series, the Last of Us. Kat discusses how in this game world, you are given characters that aren’t heroes, who have spent their time in the apocalypse as brutal as anyone else and make decisions that are incredibly human. Gabe also explains her fear of mushrooms and the very real parasite that inspired the monsters in the game. Sources in this Episode: https://venturebeat.com/2020/07/13/why-the-story-of-the-last-of-us-part-ii-is-maddening-and-fulfilling-spoilers/ https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-zombie-fungus-in-the-last-of-us-is-actually-real-26898cb71c5a https://www.livescience.com/47751-zombie-fungus-picky-about-ant-brains.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZkCBHmeeMg&ab_channel=GameInformer Ways to help: Support organizations that teach coding: https://girlswhocode.com http://www.code2040.org Learn about stuff: https://www.scienceworld.ca/stories/diversity-and-representation-the-future-of-the-video-game-industry/ Learn how to make your own games and support others who are doing so: https://itch.io/game-assets/free https://www.techjockey.com/blog/free-game-making-software https://www.renpy.org

Ghouls talk about the underrated Netflix show, Alice in Borderland. This show features an apocalyptic world where people play games not only to survive but to live another day. Gabe talks about hedonism in the shadow of death. Kat talks about millennial nihilism and our existential dread. Sources in this episode: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/2020/12/review-alice-in-borderland/ https://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=f99d8cea-af78-477d-97b5-96a7a6f6b514 https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/meritocracy-and-battle-royale/ https://unseenjapan.com/battle-royale-dystopian-thriller-cult-classic/ https://www.salon.com/2020/12/24/alice-in-borderland-netflix-the-stand-battle-royale/

Is it possible to be a truly good person? How can you do it? The Ghouls talk about the thrilling, horror-anime Death Parade where the recently deceased's morality and goodness are put to the test. Gabe explains why the Arbiters cannot be trusted and that their tests are very flawed. Kat explains the complexities in the human experience and how philosophy broke her brain. Sources in this Episode: https://www.slashfilm.com/572410/death-parade/ https://kotaku.com/death-parade-is-about-life-death-and-the-darkness-of-1705434868 https://www.worldhistory.org/Lao-Tzu/

Squid Game is a hit and hopefully a gateway show to more Korean shows but also content that covers the horrors of capitalism. Why would people willingly enter a murder-game? Gabe talks about how this show stands out from other murder-game plots, some problems with the women represented and about issues with captions or things you missed if you aren't familiar with S. Korean culture. Kat discusses how the stressful debt situations shown in the show hit a bit too close to home. Sources in this episode: https://variety.com/2021/global/asia/squid-game-director-hwang-dong-hyuk-korean-series-global-success-1235073355/ https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/10/27/why-some-korean-women-are-boycotting-squid-game https://bit.ly/3BzFj3G https://www.vox.com/22704474/squid-game-games-korean-references-symbols https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/squid-game-entertaining-world-there-s-different-feeling-south-korea-n1281119 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/business/economy/economists-take-aim-at-wealth-inequality.html Ways to Help: Know your rights in work environments: https://content.next.westlaw.com/6-508-2342?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/south-korea-entertainment-and-media Support the Korean Domestic Film Industry: https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/kofic/intro.jsp Learn about and support Labor unions fighting for worker rights: https://www.iclcit.org/south-korea-unions-and-labour-relations/ http://nodong.org/about http://fktu.or.kr/?ckattempt=1

Ghouls have survived 4 years of podcasting and all they got was this amazing and fun show with their friends. Ghouls are joined by special return guests, Isaiah Luck, Mike Levitt, Wi-Moto Nyoka, Roland Boyden, and Sergio Galeano. We played a super spooky and sexy version of Wed, Bed, Behead with some of your favorite horror characters. And Kat provided us with some horrifying and exciting horror scenarios from some of our favorite films to see how we would survive.

Ghouls chat with Alice Maio Mackay, director of the queer vampire film So Vam! Full of phenomenal drag performances, fashionable vampires, and queer representation - So Vam is an absolute delight! Check it out at this year's Salem Horror Fest (October 22nd - 31st)! Follow our guest: alice_maiomackay Watch the film (October 22nd - 31st): SalemHorror.com