Pleasers & Punishers

This week is our first foray into the very controversial world of nazisploitation with a very messed up love(?) story.

Returning to parse this out is Amanda Jane Stern, who brings us some incredible historical insights as well as infectious and uncontrollable giggles…we had to get through it somehow, right?

Also, big content warning for discussion of SA

Find Am...

Get ready for erotic subjugation and sapphic exploration, because we’re lacing up for Park Chan-Wook’s sexy crime/revenge thriller.

Joining us is author, programmer, video editor, and film critic Payton McCarty-Simas, who brings incredible insights into the discussion, as we go on tangents about No Other Choice and learn a lot about Korean history.

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Stay well-hydrated and don’t you dare wear those comfy pajamas, because this week we’re talking Peter Strickland’s kinky, sapphic love-letter to Jess Franco.

From queer history and kink dynamics to this mysterious world without men, special guest Chelasea Stardust joins us as we search every nook and cranny for a place to curl up and sleep, because we’ve been bad…

Just kidding, we’re the be...

Hang out by the highway and get ready to stop & bang, because we’re closing out Giallo January talking about Lucio Fulci’s rural horror masterpiece with special guest Michael Varrati.

From Barbara Bouchet’s inadvisable flirtations to the concept of a “murder twink”, tangents about M. Night Shyamalan, and the role of religion in small towns, we went long on this one!

*A f...

Pack your one dress and clean out that meat locker, because we’re heading to an isolated island for an Agatha-Christie-like Giallo from maestro Mario Bava!

Tangents & giggles abound as we discuss Italian-German co-productions, Bava’s production design & style, and of course, Edwige Fenech!

Find us online:

https://www.instagram.com/pleasersandpunishers

Life is like spaghetti—it’s hard until you make it! Join us for another installment of Giallo January as we cover Emilio P Miraglia’s final feature.

From Giallo genre standards to ill-advised threesomes, we’ll once again confer with our occasional co-host Kayte Terry to get to the bottom of this potentially supernatural murder-mystery.

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https://w...

Pull on your black gloves, grab your straight razor, and organize your newspaper clippings, because we’re taking a deep dive into Dario Argento’s incredible giallo.

From John Saxon’s hat to Argento’s penchant for defenestration, real life inspiration, and the world of film censorship, we’ll dig through all the clues to piece together this mystery!

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Welcome to 2026, bitches. It’s our end of year review and we’re doing it a little differently than most folks, so buckle up! From first-time watches to major disappointments, pleasing punishers, and punishing pleasers, we’ll cover a lot of ground, and also go on a lot of tangents. Thanks for listening to us, and we look forward to bringing you more in a year that’s hopefully better than the last one.

Take your measurements and be careful with those mushrooms, because it’s time to dive into the world of mid-century fashion.

We’re very divided on this film, from the kink dynamics to Daniel Day Lewis’s performance, but at least we agree on the incredible dresses!

Find us online:

https://www.instagram.com/pleasersandpunishers

https://bsky.app/prof...

Patch your condoms and practice your singing saw, because we’re taking a trip to post-apocalyptic France in the debut feature from Jeunet & Caro.

We’ll talk class struggles, advertisement idea theft, and the mixed effectiveness of the film’s whimsy. Plus, a test of Mae’s willpower against her coulrophobia!

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https://www.instagram.com/pleasersa...

Pop open some Timmy Chardonay & put out that cigarette, because we’re heading to Hawthorne for a meal you won’t forget…

Joined by gastro-horror expert Sarah Stubbs, we go long discussing food, class, and the inherent misogyny in the restaurant industry. Plus, tangets about SOV & found-footage horror, weddings, and more.

Find Sarah online: @sarahstubbssays

Please take your seats for the beginning of Decadent December with our conversation about Peter Greenaway’s Brechtian, singular vision, rendered with gorgeous colour and grotesque imagery.

Joining us is author & critic Gretchen Felker-Martin, who helps us parse out the film’s rich, horrifying world, and brings some excellent perspective about filmmaking and storytelling.

We’re closing out nunsploitation month with Jeff Baena’s underseen, raucus convent comedy. We’ll discuss its stacked cast, irreverent humor, and delightful horniness.

We'll also get very giggly even as Caitlyn delves into the history of the middle ages & the damaging effects sexual repression, and Mae gets eager for a Brie & Franco sandwich.

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This week, we’re getting pervier than two horny nuns as we discuss Paul Verhoeven’s historical nunsploitation film. From masturbatory objects & self-flagellation to the ridiculousness of the catholic church & trans-masc jesus, we have zero filter.

Joined again by honorary co-host Kayte Terry, we delve deeper than Bartolomea’s hand into whatever the hell was happening in Pescia in the 17th century...

Don your habit and enter the gateway to hell as we journey into Bruno Mattei & Claudio Fragasso’s 1981 nunsploitation shocker.

We’ll talk about the history of the Catholic church, the true story that forms the basis for the film, and how to make the most of your budget!

Find us online:

https://www.instagram.com/pleasersandpunishers

https://bsk...

Get thee to a nunnery, strap in to your torture chair, and prep that herbal enema, because we’re getting horny for Oliver Reed in Ken Russell’s epic tale of corruption in 16th century France.

Joining us is special guest Amanda Jane Stern to talk Brechtian theatre, the Catholic church, and forearms & foreskins—Goodness will we giggle!

Find Amanda online:

Let...

Scoop up your potatoes & molasses, eat your dirt, and beware the beast! It’s time to venture into the unknown with a stacked cast of voice actors, incredible tributes to classic animation, and POETRY & CLARINET!

We’ll dive into the history of Betty Boop, the importance of the music on the show, and more, just in time for Halloween.

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https...

Rip that skin off your face and get ready to transform, because we’re diving through the portal into Jeremy Gillespie & Steven Kostanski’s goopy practical effects extravaganza.

We’ll talk about the problematic origins of cosmic horror, the history of Astron-6 (RIP), and the efficacy of actors doing their own stunts, but we may wander off into hellish hallucinations, so hold on tight!

Podcasting is never a straight line. It's a forest. And like a forest it's easy to lose your way... To get lost... To forget where you came in. Special guest Ian Carlos Crawford joins us to talk about Japanese metallurgy, the Wu Tang Clan, & possibly forming a group of deadly assassins!

Find Ian online:

@ianxcarlos @slayerfestx98 @mybloodyjudy

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