Episode 239: Halloween sadists with Joel Best & zombie evolution with Mikel Koven

Squaring the Strange

Happy Halloween! If we sound like we're on a submarine, apologies--we recorded part of this on a submarine. I mean a small hotel room. After a recap of Skeptoid's Death Valley adventure and CSI Con 2024, Ben and Celestia discuss "pink slime journalism" and phony Catholic newspapers. Then sociologist Joel Best discusses the Halloween sadism urban legend and how the idea that children are being poisoned with candy has stuck around through the ages. Folklorist and film buff Mikel Koven takes us on a tour of zombie films, from "White Zombie" to "Get Out," and all points in between. Zombies have roots in fears about slavery and colonialism, but they evolved to be representative of a mindless enemy army, a personal security force, and even protectors of a night club in blaxsploitation film "Sugar Hill." Koven goes through the taxonomy of zombies and monsters, and we discuss where mummies, djinn, and golems fit in with zombies--as creatures that protect, guard, or serve in some way.