We’re heading to the suburbs with Night of the Reaper (2025), a love letter to 80s slasher classics with a modern, blood-soaked twist. Our Final Girl is Deena, a criminology major home from college for what should’ve been a cozy fall break. Instead, she finds herself at the center of a violent, terrifying mystery… and face to face with a masked killer who is dragging the past to the surface.

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Spoiler warning: If you haven’t watched Night of the Reaper, now’s your chance to press play before the body count rises.

Theme by Max Anson

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In this episode, we’re slipping into glass slippers and fairy-tale trauma with The Ugly Stepsister (2025). This gruesome, pink cottagecore fever dream reimagines the story of Cinderella from the perspective of Elvira, the not-so-fair stepsister in a kingdom obsessed with perfection. In a world where beauty is currency, conformity is survival, and every flaw could be fatal, Elvira’s transformation arc is a brutal, bloody reminder of how far women are expected to go to be “enough.”

We dive deep into this film’s feminist body horror, unpacking its commentary on societal pressure, cosmetic violence, and the cost of chasing beauty in a culture that demands it at any cost. We also talk about why we need way more horror films that get real about the psychological and physical toll of being a woman in a world built to break us.

Spoiler warning: We’re spilling all the tea and the beauty serum. You’ve been warned.

BUY SARAH'S BABY BOOKS!

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This week, we’re worshipping at the altar of cleavage and camp with Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. She may not be your traditional Final Girl, but make no mistake, Elvira is horror’s ultimate Final Baddie. Armed with quick wit and zero tolerance for puritanical nonsense, she battles small-town hypocrisy and misogyny and slays while she does.

We dig into Elvira’s iconic blend of sex positivity and self-possession and why this 1988 cult classic still stands out in 2025. Elvira outlasts the villains AND she roasts them alive with double entendres and drag-queen-level charisma.

Elvira's Cookbook from Hell

Listen to The Hesh Files (Eric's podcast)

Listen to Dead Man's Mic podcast (about Halloween Horror Nights)

Spoiler warning: We’re opening the spellbook and the movie vault. You’ve been warned.

Theme by Max Anson

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We’re entering the twisted trap of Heretic (2024), a psychological survival thriller that pits two Mormon missionaries against a villain who tests their belief in God and themselves. We dig into what makes Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton unlikely Final Girls: their young and indoctrinated moral rigidity, growing doubts, and eventual transformation from passive believers into active resistors. Plus: we unpack the film’s commentary on purity, obedience, and the dangers of not asking questions.

Spoiler warning: We’re going full Book of Revelations on this one: expect plot details, intense themes, and some side-eye at organized religion.

Kellie’s 31 Days of Shudder Originals minisode

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

Theme by Max Anson

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She babysat, she survived, and she started it all. This week, we go back to where the slashing started (Haddonfield, 1978) to honor the OG Final Girl, Laurie Strode. Played with brilliance by Jamie Lee Curtis, Laurie is smart, watchful, responsible… and unknowingly marked. As her friends get picked off one by one, Laurie arms herself with knitting needles, coat hangers, and sheer willpower to face down the Boogeyman.

We dig into the birth of the Final Girl trope, how Laurie’s character helped define it, and why her survival still resonates nearly 50 years later.

Spoiler warning: We’re talking all things Halloween — expect major plot details, lots of love for Laurie, and some strong opinions about men in jumpsuits.

Theme by Max Anson

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It's the Season of the Witch! For this minisode, Sarah is diving into her favorite fictional witches, both from horror and non-horror TV and film. Witches are far more than just magical beings who cast spells; they fight the patriarchy together and work tirelessly to create a better, more just world for all. Because if she's not using magic for the greater good, is she even a witch?

So grab your favorite magical potion or drink and get comfy, because we're about to summon some feminine power together!

Keep an eye out - Season Two starts very soon!

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It's finally October! Kellie is serving up a horror buffet straight from Shudder’s vault. In this minisode, she counts down 31 Shudder Originals from the past decade, one for every night of the spookiest month of the year. Consider this your guide to streaming survival for the season. Grab your popcorn and stay spooky!

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In our inaugural Final Cats minisode, our claws are out for one of horror’s most beloved survivors: Jonesy, the orange tabby who prowls the Nostromo in Alien. While Ripley faces down the perfect organism, Jonesy earns his own place in Final Cat history by keeping calm in the face of interstellar terror. From his iconic hisses at the Xenomorph to his safe ride home in the escape pod, we unpack how Jonesy embodies survival, luck, and pure feline vibes.

Join us as we purr over his legendary status and celebrate the fluffiest member of the Alien franchise. Spoilers ahead for Alien (1979).

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