Best Erik F Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 197 - Sounding the Otherworld: On Bryn Chainey's 'Rabbit Trap' 1:10:31

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8h ago1:10:31

1:10:31

In a rare surfacing in the contemporary world, JF and Phil discuss a film that has just been released. Bryn Chainey’s Rabbit Trap is psychological horror in the tradition of Repulsion, Jacob’s Ladder, and Angel Heart. But it is more: a metaphysical film exploring the mystery of sound and the Otherworld of Faerie—an excursion into that weird country…

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Episode 594: Smell The Glaive 1:59:32

3h ago1:59:32

1:59:32

This week in physical media certainly plays to the cult audiences that embraced them. That may not include an inspirational Ron Howard sports movie or the unnecessary remakes on the pile but Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski talk you through an early Lizzie Borden film and one of the craziest near-lost crime films of the ‘70s. There is fun stuff …

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MoNo Encore: The Murder of Dr. W.D. Broadhurst w/ Patrick Gallagher 1:15:26

4d ago1:15:26

1:15:26

(Orig pub date: 2/15/22) In October of 1946, a chiropractor and rancher named Willis "W.D." Broadhurst was beaten with a wrench and finished off with a shotgun on a lonely eastern Oregon road. Investigators would soon accuse his wife Gladys of plotting the doctor's murder with the help of his young cowhand and her lover, Alvin Williams. Stunning de…

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Episode 593: A Fine Line Between Stupid & Clever 1:15:30

2h ago1:15:30

1:15:30

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy are back on the review beat with seven new films this week. Steve looks at a documentary about model and photographer Bunny Yeager (Naked Ambition) as well as the conclusion of everyone’s beloved big house (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale). Corey Hawkins deals with a mysterious offer from Willem Dafoe (The Man In My…

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The Case for Democracy (w/ Osita Nwanevu) 1:20:27

5d ago1:20:27

1:20:27

Since the start of the Trump Era over a decade ago, few words have been deployed as often as "democracy": how it's become imperiled, who threatens it, and what to do to defend it. In The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding, Osita Nwanevu sets out to understand the true meaning of democracy and defend it from its …

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405: A History of Eugenics in America w/ Mark A. Torres 1:06:50

7d ago1:06:50

1:06:50

In the early twentieth century, eugenics captivated scientists and the public alike, giving researchers license to exploit the infirm, the mentally ill, prisoners, Native communities and many others considered "defective" or "feebleminded" under the guise of genetics. At its center stood the Eugenics Record Office in Cold Spring Harbor, directed by…

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Weird Studies Trailer 2:00

10d ago2:00

2:00

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy SpectreVision Radio

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An Officer and a Spy (w/ John Ganz) [Teaser] 3:48

12d ago3:48

3:48

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. Roman Polanski's 2019 film about the Dreyfus affair, An Officer and a Spy, only recently made it's U.S. "premier," running for a few weeks in August at Film Forum in New York City. When it originally was released, it couldn't find an American distributor (and li…

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404: Gunfighter Clay Allison w/ Donna Blake Birchell 1:04:17

14d ago1:04:17

1:04:17

Clay Allison was both liked and loathed in his lifetime, embodying the contradictions of the American frontier. He could show moments of kindness for the downtrodden, but also carried deep hatred for Northerners and Black people. Dangerously unpredictable, he was capable of generosity one moment and chilling violence the next, a quality that made h…

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Mid-Break Bonus: On Trust 57:06

10d ago57:06

57:06

We're breaking up our late-summer pause with an audio extra originally recorded for our Patreon supporters. This episode also includes an essay JF wrote on the philosophy of Henri Bergson. A whole course on Bergson's philosophy begins on Weirdosphere later this month. Weird Studies will be back with a brand-new episode on September 17th. Learn more…

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Episode 592: Highs, Lows and Dicks (Private & Public) 2:04:34

15d ago2:04:34

2:04:34

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski look ahead in the world of physical media and reveal what you can add to your library this week and next. For those who have seen Spike Lee’s remake, Highest 2 Lowest, Crtierion offers up the Kurosawa original in OK. You may have been issued it when you first bought your DVD player but now you can get the TV sci-…

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Episode 591: We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Podcast 2:09:22

11d ago2:09:22

2:09:22

It is Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer, and just before festival and awards season begins, Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy serve up 12 films to review and talk about. The wayback machine gets set to 2023 when they first reviewed the absolutely lovely new film with David Strathairn and Jane Levy from Sundance now in theaters (A Littl…

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Frank Meyer, Inventor of Conservatism (w/ Daniel J. Flynn) 1:45:13

20d ago1:45:13

1:45:13

Devoted Know Your Enemy listeners will recall that, in November 2021, we released a fairly dense, theory-driven episode on Frank Meyer, the Communist from New Jersey whose exploits on behalf of the Party in the UK got him kicked out of the country and back to the United States, where he eventually turned right and became a key figure in the post-wa…

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403: The Madman of Crystal Beach w/ M.F. Gross 1:23:19

21d ago1:23:19

1:23:19

In the sultry summer of 1949, a sleepy Florida beach town was rocked to its core. A brutal home invasion, a shocking murder, and a desperate, month-long manhunt captivated and terrified an entire region. At the center of the storm was John Calvin “Rastus” Russell, a cunning ex-con and former asylum patient who unleashed a wave of fear unlike anythi…

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Episode 590: Buy These Blu-rays Or We Will Taunt You A Second Time 1:43:22

15d ago1:43:22

1:43:22

Physical media is serving up a smorgasbord of films with reevaluations and those that have found their audiences over the year. They include a pair of LBGTQ films hovering around their 20th anniversaries. Horror remakes, prequels and sequel adjacent films as well a package of hard-to-find Larry Cohen projects. Martin Scorsese went to bat for a 1952…

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The Christian Right's "Wild Faith" (w/ Talia Lavin) [Unlocked] 1:00:48

25d ago1:00:48

1:00:48

This episode was first published in October 2024, and has been un-paywalled following the death this week, on August 21, of Focus on the Family founder and influential figure on the religious right, James Dobson, at age 89. Subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon to hear more episodes just for subscribers. In this episode, Matt is joined by journal…

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Episode 589: Ethan, Don’t. Just…Don’t! 1:32:38

20d ago1:32:38

1:32:38

The summer continues to wind down but Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy still have eight reviews for you this week. Steve takes a look at one of the most successful films of all-time, outside of the United States (Ne Zha 2) as well as a Sophie Turner thriller the studio apparently wanted nobody to see or even hear about (Trust) while Erik looks at t…

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402: The Reno Redfield Heist w/ Gavin Schmitt 1:03:10

28d ago1:03:10

1:03:10

The 1952 burglary of eccentric multi-millionaire LaVere Redfield’s mansion in Reno, Nevada was the largest of its time, but also a comedy of errors. "Masterminded" by a French-Canadian woman with a questionable relationship to Redfield, it also included a failed safecracker and a crew of Italian-American hoodlums from the Milwaukee underworld. My g…

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Episode 588: 15,000 Cars, Suddenly, By Magic 1:45:02

22d ago1:45:02

1:45:02

This week in physical media with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski they look at everything from Italian neo-realism to blaxploitation. There is also James Stewart and his invisible rabbit, Jane Austen and her lovelorn sisters plus a little Jess Franco. One of Leslie Nielsen’s lesser known parodies is discussed along with the Coneheads feature and…

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The Minority Voters Moving Right (w/ Daniel Martinez HoSang) 1:27:05

1M ago1:27:05

1:27:05

A major topic following Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election has been his gains with racial and ethnic minorities, a trend that's scrambled many people's assumptions about American politics, not least those of anti-racist liberals. Why have minority voters drifted toward Trump, despite his many comments and campaign pledges that…

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Episode 587: Call Me Sometime When You Have No Class 1:54:28

25d ago1:54:28

1:54:28

It is another epic review week on the show with Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy tackling 11 films. They range from a documentary about comedians navigating their worst condition (Anxiety Club) to an animated film about horny dogs (Fixed). A black family deals with the aftermath of an intruder in their home (The Knife) while a toxic dead mother int…

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401: The First Forensic Hanging w/ Summer Strevens 55:12

1M ago55:12

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The First Forensic Hanging: The Toxic Truth That Killed Mary Blandy by Summer Strevens tells the story of Mary Blandy, executed in 1752 for poisoning her father Frances Blandy with arsenic. Her trial was the first in Britain to use toxicology as evidence in an arsenic poisoning case, marking a turning point in forensic history. Drawing on period ne…

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Episode 196 – Lost and Never Found: On 'The Blair Witch Project' 1:32:13

1M ago1:32:13

1:32:13

Of all the flavors of horror, few are as dreadful as that of being lost in the wilderness. In this episode, JF and Phil revisit The Blair Witch Project, the classic 1999 found-footage film that inspired a thousand imitators. What makes this film so gripping, they argue, is the way it lingers over the subtle stages of disorientation in a hostile pla…

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Episode 586: Let’s Get Some F#!$in’ FRENCH Toast! 1:27:18

29d ago1:27:18

1:27:18

This week in physical media with Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski they look at a staple of Egyptian film noir as well as a noir box that features an early version of Gatsby. There’s a double feature with Sylvia Sidney and a double dip of Sleepaway Camp. Hear about the horror film that Peter despises as well as the better one also getting the 4K …

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From Armageddon to Zionism — More Listener Questions [Teaser] 4:59

1M ago4:59

4:59

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. Our mailbag runneth over! Unsurprisingly, we received so many excellent questions from subscribers for our most recent episode that we decided to answer even more of them. Once again religion seemed to be on the minds of listeners, and we take up charismatic Chr…

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Episode 585: Choose Your Weapon And Draw 1:55:11

1M ago1:55:11

1:55:11

Lots of movies this week on the show. 11 of them to be precise with full reviews from Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy. Steve flies solo with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan back in the wrong bodies (Freakier Friday) plus a new serial killer thriller (Strange Harvest) and a documentary focusing on the fandom of Eminem (Stans). Erik looks at a st…

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Episode 195 – On John Keel: Live at the Lily Dale Symposium, with Erik Davis 1:51:21

1M ago1:51:21

1:51:21

This marks the third year that Weird Studies is honoured to open the Lily Dale Symposium, organized each summer by photographer Shannon Taggart in the upstate New York community famed for its roots in Spiritualism. While J.F. wasn’t able to attend this year, Erik Davis joined Phil on stage for a conversation about the life and work of John Keel, th…

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MoNo Encore: The Bermondsey Horror w/ Gavin Whitehead 1:17:12

1M ago1:17:12

1:17:12

(Orig pub date: 2/3/24) On August 17th, 1849, London police officers made a grisly discovery at the home of George and Maria (born Marie de Roux) Manning. Her former beau, Patrick O'Connor, had been buried under the floor. A nationwide hunt for the couple would follow, and after that a trial and executions. The murder case would grip London so ferv…

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Episode 584: Are You Ready For Your Close-Up? 1:16:57

1M ago1:16:57

1:16:57

It is a light week for physical media but that does not mean there aren’t some heavy hitters. Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski are here to catch you up including a pair of grim anti-war films from Kon Ichikawa. There is a whole new batch of martial arts films from the Shaw Brothers. Peter Weir’s dad-movie maritime epic gets an upgrade as does a …

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Has Trump 2.0 Been a Success So Far? — And Other Questions 1:10:29

1M ago1:10:29

1:10:29

It's been nearly a year since we asked our subscribers to send us questions for a mailbag episode—which they did, with remarkable thoughtfulness and intelligence, for our 100th episode back in September 2024. A lot has happened since then (to say the least), so we wanted to once again open up the mailbag and find out what was on the minds of Know Y…

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400: The Legend of Belle Starr w/ Michael Wallis 1:08:09

2M ago1:08:09

1:08:09

Myra Maibelle Shirley, better known as Belle Starr, was one of the most notorious female outlaws of the Old West (if you believe period newspapers, anyway). My guest, bestselling and award-winning author Michael Wallis, made it his mission to tell the true story of Belle Starr, and in the process dispels many of the myths that surround her. He shar…

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Episode 583: Breakthrough Comedies and MST4K 2:19:32

2M ago2:19:32

2:19:32

Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski guide you through a wacky week of physical media. It includes the breakthrough comedies from Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler. Eddie Murphy makes his first foray into fantasy and Norm MacDonald gets three versions of his first starring role. A cinephile incel turns to murder. Meanwhile, Pulp Fiction gets a spinoff and…

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Trump's Epstein Problem [Teaser] 4:27

2M ago4:27

4:27

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. Over July 4th weekend, the Department of Justice and FBI put out a memo essentially declaring "case closed" on the matter of Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected sex criminal and pedophile who died (apparently) by suicide in federal custody in 2019. No more files…

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Episode 582: First Steps and Big Swings 1:24:42

2M ago1:24:42

1:24:42

Erik Childress and Steve Prokopy review seven movies for you this week. They include a documentary about one of the most famous journalists of her time (Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything). Erik check out Hell in the Pacific meets the Creature from the Black Lagoon (Monster Island) while Steve looks at a new romantic thriller from Michael Winterbo…

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399: The Life & Crimes of Robert Spears w/ Jerry Jamison 1:45:48

2M ago1:45:48

1:45:48

"Doctor" Robert Spears was arguably one of the greatest con artists of the twentieth century, and very likely a mass murderer. In thirty nine years of grift, he had 25 aliases, 28 arrests in 20 cities, and was imprisoned close to a dozen times. He performed, without any medical degree, abortions on countless women, and in 1959 tricked his best frie…

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Episode 581: The Fantastic Four: First Steps 2:09:56

2M ago2:09:56

2:09:56

Just a few weeks after their incredible disappointment with James Gunn’s Superman (which they briefly revisit), Erik Childress and comic book expert Erik Laws dive back into comic book cinema with Marvel’s latest attempt to do justice to the Fantastic Four. After two films by Tim Story and the infamous disasters of 2015 and the shelved Roger Corman…

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Episode 194: Animal Songs, with Meredith Michael 1:23:02

2M ago1:23:02

1:23:02

In this episode, Phil and JF are joined by Meredith Michael—musicologist, podcaster, and Weird Studies production assistant—for a conversation about animal songs. The phrase is intentionally slippery. Are we talking about songs about animals, or songs by animals? Both, as it turns out. Beginning with three very different human compositions—The Beat…

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Episode 580: Your French Fries Are Drowning And Stuff 1:59:14

2M ago1:59:14

1:59:14

Physical media offers a lot of pleasures this week. Do Erik Childress and Peter Sobczynski feel guilty about any of them? Certainly not of Jack Nicholson’s collaboration with Mike Nichols or one of their “Why Is This Not On Blu-ray” titles getting the 4K treatment. There’s a little history of the nudie plus Bertolucci does a family film. An MST3K s…