- The Exorcist (1973) – The film, the franchise, and the "curse" behind it
This year’s Elevenses film club Spooktober special goes deep into the first horror film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture: The Exorcist (1973). Elysia, David, and John bring their range of experiences – from lifelong aficionado to first-time watcher – into a discussion delving into the special collaboration between book author / screenwriter William Blatty and director William Friedkin, and how this movie helped to define their already exceptional careers. Along the way, they discuss the franchise as a whole, the alleged “curse” behind the production, behind-the-scenes stories, and what’s coming next in The Exorcist universe.
The Exorcist franchise:
- The original trilogy: The Exorcist (1973), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Exorcist III (1990)
- William Blatty’s Trilogy of Faith books: The Exorcist (1971), The Ninth Configuration (1978) [1980 film adaptation], Legion (1983, adapted into Exorcist III)
- The dueling prequels: Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) vs. Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
- Alternative sequels: The Exorcist TV series: (2016-2017, 2 seasons, 10 eps ea.) vs. The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
- The Mike Flanagan “reboot” (partial sequel to Exorcist III): The Exorcist: Martyrs (2027) [trailer]
Other key links discussed:
- SNL parody: The Exorcist 2 (feat. Richard Pryor)
- Documentaries about the original film: The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist (1998) and Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist (2019)
- The Exorcist II documentary: Boorman and the Devil (2026) [trailer]
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 27m - Oct 27, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat (IwtV S3): music deep dive & season superlatives
John and Elysia are joined by Mark from Nevermind the Music to revisit the music and characters of The Vampire Lestat (aka Interview with the Vampire S3) and hand out their Song Superlatives (00:40:47), create their own album playlists (01:14:26), and name some overall Season Superlatives (01:39:08) as they look forward toward S4 (aka Queen of the Damned) and beyond.
The Queen of the Damned teaser
Autumn Brown interviews new showrunner Hannah Moscovitch
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 17m - Aug 10, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat - S01E07 - The Failures
Take a seat at the table for the 7th course (the soul!) of this feast of a season. Elysia and John become talking heads about talking heads as they recap the emotional journeys of Lestat and Louis. And of course, we can't forget our favorite murder gremlin and his emotional growth.
Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment and a Body Thief Murderboard
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 39m - Jul 22, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat - S01E06 - Montreal
Is anyone really ok after this episode? We're in shock after watching Claudia give her daddy vampires a piece of her mind. There are witches, betrayals, and heartwarming moments as Elysia and John recap the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat. Grab your finest blood vintage and join us.
Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment and a Devil's Minion Corner.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 14m - Jul 13, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat - S01E05 - New York
We're all experiencing an awakening of some kind in the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat. From ice cream scoops to vampire origin stories to reliving the losses of our pasts, this episode has it all. Elysia and John laugh and cry along to our favorite gremlins and their games.
Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment and a Devil's Minion Corner.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 27m - Jul 7, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat - S01E04 - The Devil's Road
Ask not for whom the bell of shame tolls, for it tolls for every vampire on this show. Elysia and John recap Lestat's taunting of Armand, Daniel's transformational trauma and blackout years, and the overall failure of these vampires to develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment and a Devil's Minion Corner.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 11m - Jun 29, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat - S01E03 - Toronto
Elysia and John head to Toronto to watch Lestat troll Daniel into a feeding frenzy. They discuss media handling of trauma, the truth behind Lestat's dramatizations, and the empathy machine that is Anne Rice's world.
Content Warning: This episode addresses sexual assault and abuse.
Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 16m - Jun 22, 2026 - Widow's Bay – S01E06-10 – The island's many mysteries
Eight bells toll in the Widow's Bay season 1 finale – setting Elysia, Mark (Nevermind the Music), and Lisa (Into the West) off on an investigation to uncover what they mean. Sifting through the heart, horrors, and humor of the second half of the season, they piece together the emerging mythology of the island's many secrets through lore teases and key character moments.
Links Discussed
- Sea Shanty in episode 7
- Did [Writer James Grissom] Actually Know Tennessee Williams?
- Map of the island
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 57m - Jun 20, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat - S01E02 - Toledo
Elysia and John follow Lestat through an Oedepiphany of epic proportions. They watch young Lestat grow up into a wolf killer before becoming a rock star who can troll his band into submission. They also discuss the implications of the Talamasca's involvement and the absence of Armand.
Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 11m - Jun 15, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat - S01E01 - Detroit
Interview with the Vampire is back - or maybe over. The story continues with Lestat beginning his journey as a rock star. Elysia and John are here to follow the tour and unveil the mysteries of Lestat's past.
Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 27m - Jun 10, 2026 - Backrooms (2026)
David and Elysia venture into the Horror Hounds to discuss Backrooms (2026), A24's creepypasta-turned-feature film directed by Kane Parsons and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. They trace the film's remarkable origin, from an anonymous 2019 post on 4chan to Kane Pixels' three-year YouTube web series, and unpack how a 19-year-old first-time director delivered a confident, visually stunning film on a $10M budget with a 14X box office return. The conversation digs into the film's rich thematic layers, including the backrooms as a Jungian mirror of shared anxiety and mental illness, the AI-as-mimicry subtext, the literary connection to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, the psychological character studies of Mary and Clark, and what this film signals about a new generation of internet-native storytellers reshaping the horror genre.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 9m - Jun 5, 2026 - The Vampire Lestat – Interview with the Vampire S3 preview
Part spin-off series following a new voice and perspective, part season 3 of AMC's Interview with the Vampire, all The Vampire Lestat. John and Elysia get together to discuss their favorite fanged villains and antiheroes ahead of the new season – opening with a (mostly) spoiler-free discussion of why those who haven't should tune into the first two seasons, before launching into their dive into the new season: what we know so far, the characters, the music, and awards for the vamps most likely to do anything from stand you up for a date to fall for an internet scam.
Catch up with the discussion and recap of Interview with the Vampire seasons 1 &2 here.
Lestat's music videos so far:
• “Long Face”
• “All Fall Down”
• “Dancing with Myself” (cover)
• “Your Biggest Fan”
Promo material referenced:
• “I bet” trailer (first extended look)
• Incest / “failure” trailer (“The Rolin Cut”)
• Lestat discovers the book (clip)
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy55m - Jun 2, 2026 - Widow's Bay – S01E01-05 – The characters & all the haunts
John drops in for cocktail hour before Mark, Lisa, and Elysia make a meal of all the lore-building and juicy character moments in the first five episode of Widow's Bay on Apple TV – also laying out what the many teases and blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments might mean for the rest of this season (and beyond?).
This episode begins with spoiler-free reactions to the show so far before beginning our spoiler discussion.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 58m - May 24, 2026 - 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) – Hope-punk heavy metal
Elysia and Riley kneel at the alter of Ralph Fiennes' Iron Maiden, discuss why Jimmy Crystal is scarier than Sinners' vampire Remmick, and glean hope from this film's not-so-hidden messages of humanity, sacrifice, and teasings of radical forgiveness in the second film in the game-changing 28 Years Later zoombie trilogy.
Previous coverage: 28 Days & Weeks Later (subscribers) & 28 Years Later (2025)
Find Riley online: YouTube – Bluesky
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 53m - Apr 1, 2026 - Stranger Things - Season 5 (Oneshot)
John and Elysia take one last trip to the Upside Down and discuss the final season of Stranger Things.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 12m - Jan 2, 2026 - Frankenstein (2025) – The Creature's final form?
Jean joins Elysia to discuss Guillermo del Toro's final form of filmmaking – the movie he's been making in his head for 50 years. They break down the book changes, links to the films from the '30s, and inspirations from Del Toro's own life – plus the costumes, casting, production design, and the rest as they ponder the film's many philosophical questions.
Learn more about the novel, its writer and other contributors, and the films from the 1930s* in the Wool-Shift-Dust feed.
*Featuring Ayesha from Every Single SciFi Film Ever.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2h 17m - Dec 31, 2025 - Talamasca: The Secret Order - Season 1
Elysia and John return to the Ann Rice Immortals Universe to discuss the spy-thriller spinoff that left us whelmed.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy53m - Dec 18, 2025 - It: Welcome to Derry - S01E08 - Winter Fire
Elysia, John, and Mark wade through the timey-wimey twists of a wintry season finale.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 49m - Dec 16, 2025 - It: Welcome to Derry - S01E07 - The Black Spot
Elysia, John, and Mark watch the Augury unfold in this shocking episode of horror.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 37m - Dec 13, 2025 - It: Welcome to Derry - S01E06 - In the Name of the Father
Elysia, John, and Mark send in the clowns to give more backstory to It. They discuss fake music numbers, the breaking of fellowships, and the show's three-season trajectory.
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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy1h 45m - Dec 2, 2025
