The Asteria Magazine's Echoes

🎙 Episode 7 – “The Conjuring Tapes”: When Found Footage Finds You

Ever wonder what would happen if you popped in an old VHS… and saw yourself staring back? This week, we’re diving headfirst into the cursed, claustrophobic world of The Conjuring Tapes, the indie found footage anthology from Robert Livings and Randy Nundlall Jr. that turns déjà vu into pure dread.

Two women cleaning out a late friend’s belongings discover a stack of unmarked tapes — but these aren’t just ghostly home videos. Each one shows them living out different horrors: séance gone wrong, influencer ghost hunts, cult encounters… all captured in unsettlingly crisp 4:3 footage. The question isn’t just what’s on the tapes — it’s why they’re in them.

We’ll break down how stars Brenda Yanez and Samantha Laurenti seamlessly shift between alternate selves, why the shaky handheld visuals feel more voyeuristic than chaotic, and how the film’s slow-burn pacing pays off in psychological paranoia rather than gore. Plus, we’ll talk about that nesting-doll narrative that folds reality in on itself like an M.C. Escher nightmare.

So grab your popcorn (and maybe a crucifix) as we hit play on The Conjuring Tapes — the horror anthology that might just make you afraid of your own reflection on tape.

In this episode, Asteria Echoes dives into Prima Queen’s debut album The Prize, celebrating the London duo’s seamless blend of old-school indie rock charm and fresh, emotionally charged storytelling. Hosts explore how Louise Macphail and Kristin McFadden craft witty yet vulnerable portraits of modern relationships across eleven tracks, from the empowering title song to fan favorites like Mexico and upbeat breakup anthem Oats (Ain’t Gonna Beg). They unpack the album’s thematic core of self-worth, its playful touches in tracks like Meryl Streep, and the duo’s ability to balance intimacy with infectious hooks. Drawing comparisons to peers like The Big Moon and influences such as Laura Marling, the discussion praises The Prize as a confident, consistent debut that cements Prima Queen’s place in the UK indie scene and hints at an even brighter future.

In Episode 5 of Asteria Echoes, host Atanaria dissects Prime Video's "The Pickup," a lackluster buddy action comedy starring Eddie Murphy as a veteran armored truck driver and Pete Davidson as his bumbling rookie partner. Hijacked by Keke Palmer's scheming heist mastermind for a $60 million casino score, the film promises thrills but delivers stale chases, wasted cameos (including Marshawn Lynch and Roman Reigns), and zero laughs—despite Murphy's recent successes like Dolemite Is My Name. Tune in for our breakdown of the script's napkin-level quality, mismatched genres, and why this 94-minute dud earns a dismal 3.5/10. Is this the worst movie of this year? We discuss!

In this episode of Asteria Echoes, we turn our attention to the sun-soaked suspense of Prime Video's "We Were Liars," the eight-episode adaptation of E. Lockhart's 2014 bestselling novel. Join host Alex and guest reviewer Jordan as they dissect how the series captures the book's twisted tale of privilege, amnesia, and family secrets on a private island near Martha's Vineyard.

We start with the core story: Cadence Sinclair Eastman (played by Emily Alyn Lind) returns to Beechwood Island after a traumatic brain injury in "Summer 16," grappling with fragmented memories and her tight-knit group known as the "Liars"—cousins Johnny (Joseph Zada), Mirren (Esther McGregor), and outsider Gat (Shubham Maheshwari), who's also her love interest. Through poetic voiceovers and flashbacks, the show unveils escalating tensions in the wealthy Sinclair family, led by patriarch Harris (David Morse) and his wife Tipper (Wendy Crewson), where old-money hypocrisy masks deep rifts among Cadence's mother Penny (Caitlin FitzGerald) and aunts Carrie (Mamie Gummer) and Bess (Candice King).

Alex and Jordan praise the series' unflinching critique of ultra-rich entitlement, drawing parallels to real-world issues, while highlighting how creators Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie expand the novel for TV. They discuss key changes: shifting the pivotal events to Summer 16, introducing a fourth deceased Sinclair sister for added family depth, exploring Johnny's queer identity with a coming-out arc, and giving Mirren a romantic subplot. The shocking twist—a tragic fire accidentally started by Cadence in a rebellion against greed, leading to the deaths of Johnny, Mirren, and Gat—still hits hard, but the hosts debate if the TV version's tweaks dilute the book's raw, introspective solitude and razor-sharp conclusion.

Standout performances get their due, from Lind's vulnerable yet fierce Cadence to Morse's chilling control as Harris, though some abstract memory sequences feel like unnecessary horror distractions. Is the adaptation a binge-worthy thriller akin to "The Summer I Turned Pretty" or "Cruel Summer," or does it fall short of the novel's haunting nuance? Tune in as we explore themes of memory, loss, and the illusions of perfection, rating it a solid 6.5/10 overall. Spoiler alert: This episode dives deep into plot reveals, so watch or read first!

Listen now on your favorite podcast platform—all episodes of the series are streaming on Prime Video for those ready to unravel the facade.

Next week: Episode 5 on Prime Video's epic failure : "The Pickup", a movie to forget?

In this episode, the Asteria Echoes team dives deep into the freshly unearthed first half of Wednesday’s second season—four tightly packed episodes that leave fans both satisfied and impatient for the September 3 return. After a long hiatus, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) reemerges on Netflix, sharpening her psychic skills over the summer while casually hunting serial killers. A quirky cameo from Haley Joel Osment sets the perfect macabre tone before she heads back to Nevermore Academy, where unwanted fame, eccentric new faces, and complicated family dynamics await.

We discuss standout additions to the cast, including Steve Buscemi’s unnerving headmaster Barry Dort, Joanna Lumley’s joy-inducing Granny Hester Frump, and Fred Armisen’s delightfully twitchy Uncle Fester. The central mystery—Wednesday’s chilling vision of Enid’s demise and her sudden loss of psychic powers—offers emotional stakes, but the show’s rapid pacing and overly generous clue-dropping keep it from reaching full gothic-thriller potential.

Despite narrative rush and split-season frustrations, Wednesday still delivers sardonic wit, stunning gothic visuals, and scene-stealing performances. Episode 3 of Asteria Echoes weighs the series’ morbid delights against its structural missteps, leaving listeners ready to pry open the coffin lid for Season 2’s second act.