So, You Like Horror? Podcast

This week on So, You Like Horror?, we’re revisiting the 1990s Nickelodeon anthology classic Are You Afraid of the Dark? in a true family roundtable format. Joined by Sarah and our daughter Sophie, we break down why this series worked as gateway horror for an entire generation and why it still holds up today. We explore the show’s unique campfire framing device, the cultural context of its 1990 premiere, and how The Midnight Society trusted kids with atmosphere instead of jump scares. From eerie standouts like “The Tale of the Phantom Cab” and “The Tale of the Twisted Claw” to emotionally layered episodes like “The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors” and the unsettling “The Tale of the Captured Souls,” we examine how the series handled big themes, mortality, prejudice, aging, isolation, and consequence without gore or spectacle. We also discuss the 2019–2022 reboot era, including Carnival of Doom, Curse of the Shadows, and Ghost Island, and how modern pacing shifts the tone from campfire storytelling to serialized survival horror. This episode looks at horror through three lenses: a parent revisiting childhood nostalgia, a child experiencing it for the first time, and a lifelong horror fan analyzing why it works. We talk about emotional regulation, storytelling as invocation, and why slower, atmosphere-driven scares can be more powerful than anything loud or fast. If you grew up with Nickelodeon horror or you’re introducing it to your own kids, this conversation is for you.

In this episode of So, You Like Horror?, we take a closer look at The Haunting, a big-budget gothic horror film released at a turning point for studio horror in the late 1990s. Directed by Jan de Bont, the film reflects an era defined by massive sets, early CGI, and a growing belief that scale and spectacle could replace restraint. Loosely inspired by Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, the 1999 adaptation makes a deliberate shift away from psychological ambiguity and internal dread, choosing instead to externalize horror through aggressive architecture, visible supernatural forces, and clearly defined evil. We break down the film’s three-act structure, examine Eleanor “Nell” Vance as the emotional center of the story, and explore how Hill House functions as a physical manifestation of trauma rather than a space of uncertainty. Along the way, we discuss recurring themes including caretaking as self-erasure, fate versus free will, faith reduced to aesthetic design, and the tension between spectacle and subtlety in horror storytelling. We also place The Haunting in conversation with earlier and later adaptations, including The Haunting from 1963 and the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House from 2018, to ask a central question: is this film a misunderstood gothic tragedy, or a cautionary tale about what happens when visual excess overwhelms emotional weight? Thank you, everyone, for your support. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠@so_you_like_horror⁠⁠⁠ or email us directly at [email protected]. We’re open to all conversations, suggestions, topics, and criticisms.

In Part 2 of our The Haunting of Hill House breakdown, we cover Episodes 6 through 10 of the 2018 Netflix series and track how the Crain family’s grief finally stops hiding behind coping mechanisms. We start with “Two Storms,” the episode built around extended long takes that trap the siblings in the funeral home while the past and present collide. Shirley’s anger, Theo’s suppression, Steven’s denial, and Luke’s bargaining all play out in real time as Nell lingers silently in the background. From there, “Eulogy” reframes Hugh Crain as the quiet protector whose secrecy was meant as love but turned into long-term damage, while “Witness Marks” forces Steven to confront the evidence he’s spent years explaining away. “Screaming Meemies” centers Olivia’s descent and shows how Hill House weaponizes maternal fear through bargaining and the illusion of safety. We close with “Silence Lay Steadily,” where the Red Room is revealed, each sibling is pulled into a personalized illusion, and the series lands on its central idea: the real haunting is grief, and the only way out is to witness it, name it, and live with what it leaves behind.

In this episode of So, You Like Horror?, we begin a two-part discussion of The Haunting of Hill House, focusing on Episodes 1 through 5. We start by tracing the series’ literary roots back to Shirley Jackson’s original novel, a foundational work of psychological horror that reframed haunted houses as emotional spaces shaped by grief rather than simple sites of terror. We also acknowledge earlier film adaptations, The Haunting (1963) and The Haunting (1999), before examining how Mike Flanagan reimagines the story for television, shifting the emphasis from a single haunted location to a fractured family haunted across decades. From there, we break down the opening episodes of the series, beginning with “Steven Sees a Ghost,” which establishes Hill House as a living presence and introduces the Crain siblings as adults still shaped by childhood trauma. Steven’s skepticism and denial, Shirley’s obsession with control, Theo’s guarded empathy, Luke’s addiction and bargaining, and Nell’s growing isolation form the emotional backbone of the show. Rather than treating these characters as archetypes, the series positions them as embodiments of the five stages of grief, each coping differently with the same formative loss. As the episodes progress, we explore how funerals, addiction, psychic sensitivity, and sibling estrangement function as extensions of the haunting itself. The Bent-Neck Lady is introduced not simply as a ghost, but as a mystery tied to time, memory, and inevitability, culminating in Episode 5’s devastating revelation that reframes the entire series. Throughout this discussion, we return to a central question: is The Haunting of Hill House more effective as a horror series or as a family tragedy, and does the distinction even matter? This episode examines how trauma lingers, how grief reshapes identity, and why Hill House continues to follow the Crain family long after they leave its walls.

<p>In 2026, <em>So, You Like Horror?</em> turns its focus to horror television and how fear unfolds over time. Across twelve episodes released throughout the year, the show will examine how episodic and serialized horror builds tension, develops character, and reflects cultural anxieties in ways that film often cannot.</p><p>Each month centers on a single series, exploring themes, narrative structure, historical context, and why the show continues to resonate. The lineup spans decades, formats, and audiences, from gateway horror and classic anthology television to modern prestige streaming series.</p><p>The 2026 series schedule includes <strong>The Haunting of Hill House</strong>, <strong>Are You Afraid of the Dark?</strong>, <strong>Midnight Mass</strong>, <strong>The Twilight Zone</strong>, <strong>Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!</strong>, <strong>Tales from the Crypt</strong>, <strong>Welcome to Derry</strong>, <strong>True Blood</strong>, <strong>Black Mirror</strong>, <strong>The Fall of the House of Usher</strong>, <strong>Lovecraft Country</strong>, and <strong>Them</strong>.</p><p>This year isn’t about rankings or shock value. It’s about understanding how horror changes when it has space to linger, how fear evolves through repetition, memory, and time.</p><p>New episodes release every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month throughout 2026. Watch along, revisit the shows, and explore what horror television reveals when the story doesn’t end after two hours.</p><p>Thank you, everyone, for your support. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠@so_you_like_horror⁠⁠⁠ or email us directly at [email protected]. We&#39;re open to all conversations, suggestions, topics, and criticisms.</p>