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In this thrilling conclusion to our two-part series on the “Alien” franchise, Paranormal Pajama Party dissects the 1986 classic sequel, "Aliens."

We’re talking about Ellen Ripley’s groundbreaking portrayal of a female action hero and feminist icon, considering the ethics of care in Ripley's decision-making, and contrasting it with traditional male action heroes like Arnold.

But Ripley’s not alone in the “Alien” universe, which is the best part. We’ll examine the other diverse female characters, including tough-as-nails Private Vasquez and little Newt, discussing how they challenge gender norms in different ways.

Finally, we’ll come face-to-face with the Xenomorph Queen, the ultimate embodiment of the monstrous-feminine, exploring how she represents primal female power and fertility, and comparing her to Ripley – another mother protecting her young.

Key moments

• 0:00 – Content warning
• 1:10 – An overly detailed synopsis of James Cameron's "Aliens"
• 23:06 – Ellen Ripley, feminist icon
• 34:39 – Corporal Hicks, a feminist ally
• 35:44 – PFC Vasquez shows us another kind of feminism
• 39:40 – Why is Newt a girl?
• 42:01 – All hail the Queen Xenomorph
• 47:09 – Monsters, mothers, and monster-mothers

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*MASSIVE CONTENT WARNING FOR THIS ONE:* This episode contains well as explicit descriptions of fictional sexual violence that is 100% a metaphor for real-world sexual violence, plus discussion of pregnancy, extremely traumatic births, death in childbirth, and abortion. Please listen with care.

On this episode of Paranormal Pajama Party, we’re unpacking Ridley Scott's 1979 classic, "Alien," and its groundbreaking feminist themes. This episode explores how the film cleverly subverts genre expectations, forcing viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about gender roles and societal power dynamics.

We'll dissect the Xenomorph's lifecycle as a chilling metaphor, examining how it puts male audiences in scenarios typically reserved for female characters in horror.

We'll also discuss how Alien employs the concept of the "monstrous-feminine" through its set design and body horror elements, tapping into deep-rooted societal fears, and how HR Giger's iconic creature design plays with phallic imagery to unsettle viewers and challenge perceptions of threat and vulnerability.

Beyond the film itself, we'll discuss how Alien reflects real-world issues facing women, from bodily autonomy to constant vigilance against potential threats. Learn why this sci-fi horror masterpiece remains a powerful feminist statement over 40 years after its release.

Key moments

• 1:10 – A synopsis of Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi horror film "Alien"
• 11:54 – The underlying feminist message of the Alien franchise is my Roman Empire
• 12:35 – "Alien" and the monstrous-feminine
• 14:03 – The true horror of "Alien": Rape culture in space
• 22:07 – Why "Alien" is so scary for male viewers

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!

View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.

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This week on Paranormal Pajama Party, we're heading to Scotland to meet its green ladies and glaistigs.

Discover the tragic tale of Dame Lilias Drummond, whose ghostly presence still haunts Fyvie Castle centuries after her untimely death. Learn about the protective yet mischievous nature of glaistigs, the goat-legged women who guard cattle and castles alike. Uncover the dark histories behind other famous green lady hauntings, including those at Crathes Castle and Longleat House.

This episode examines the complex symbolism of the colour green in various cultures, particularly its association with both life and death. We'll also talk about how Scottish tourism has capitalised on these ghostly legends, transforming haunted castles into popular attractions. Is it ethical to commodify dark history, including violence against women and children?

Tune in for a haunting journey through misty moors, ancient castles, and enduring legends.

Key moments

• 1:02 – Dame Lilias Drummond
• 6:26 – Glaistigs, AKA maighdean uiane
• 13:02 – Meet the Green Ladies
• 21:30 – Folklore, superstition, and the colour green
• 25:11 – Scotland's paranormal tourism industry
• 30:33 – Sex sells – even haunted houses

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!

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This episode explores the complex figure of Rangda, a fearsome demon queen in Balinese mythology.

Tourists may be familiar with Rangda’s frightening face, as a version of a ritual dance based on the Balinese myth of the widow-witch Calon Arang is popular at Bali’s many resorts.

But Rangda is a much more complex figure than these simplified and shortened performances may lead you to believe. She’s an important player in the key Balinese concept of “rwa bhineda” – unity in duality – and a reminder that binary thinking often fails to capture nuanced realities.

Tonight on the podcast, we’re tracing Rangda's origins back to the historical Queen Mahendradatta and examining how her story became intertwined with the Hindu goddess Durga.

We’ll also get into how powerful women throughout Indonesian history (and, let’s be real, world history more broadly) have been demonised for political reasons.

Key moments

• 1:07 – The story of Calon Arang
• 9:00 – Meet Rangda
• 11:31 – "Rwa bhineda", Rangda, and Barong
• 16:05 – Queen Mahendradatta and the Mataram Kingdom
• 26:29 – The Gerwani women's movement
• 30:27 – Modern Bali and Rangda

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!

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This episode is the long-promised part two of our exploration of “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe.

Poe was doing his thing In 19th-century America, at a time middle- and upper-class white women were being encouraged to join the "Cult of True Womanhood", which idealised women as pious, pure, submissive, and domestic, confining them to the private sphere while men dominated public life. It’s all very tradwife.

Tonight on the podcast, we’ll examine how this cultural ideal influenced Poe's portrayal of women in his stories, often reducing them to beautiful, passive reflections of male characters. Madeline Usher from "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a prime example of this characterisation.

This is particularly ironic because while Poe's fictional women were often two-dimensional, he was surrounded by and attracted to strong, independent women in real life. Make it make sense!

I’ve got bad news for the tradwives who aren’t allowed to listen to this blasphemous podcast: The constraints of True Womanhood paradoxically led to the rise of the “New Woman” and first-wave feminism.

Unfortunately, if you think female characters being used as set decoration for male characters isn’t still happening, you haven’t watched television, seen a movie or read a book recently.

We’ll wrap up tonight’s chat with a conversation about the ways women are still often used as plot devices or mirrors for male characters in contemporary horror and other genres.

Key moments:

• Recap of "The Fall of the House of Usher"
• Roderick as the brain, Madeline as the body
• Was Madeline Usher pregnant?
• The Cult of True Womanhood
• True Women, New Women, Suffragettes and "The Feminine Mystique"
• Contemporary examples of refrigerator women like Madeline Usher

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!

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Paranormal Pajama Party is pro-self-care. I mean, come on. Pajamas are right there in the name.

To be kind to myself this week, I'm not releasing a new episode. Instead, I'm sharing an episode I wrote and produced for the other podcast I make – the one people actually pay me for.

This is Monash University's What Happens Next?, episode 79: "Are Reproductive Rights Human Rights?". You'll never guess what the answer is. (You will, they are, please vote this November if you're a U.S. citizen, thank you.)

Learn more about What Happens Next? or view the transcript of this episode.

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!

View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.

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When you think horror, you think of Edgar Allan Poe. His stories go hard on the eerie atmosphere, intricate plots, and unhinged characters.

But it’s important to note that most of those characters are men. And among Poe’s female characters, two recurring traits stand out prominently: they’re usually beautiful, and they’re usually dead.

This episode explores Poe's fixation with beautiful dead women, tracing it back to his tumultuous life and personal losses, including those of his mother, Eliza Poe, and his wife, Virginia Clemm.

We’ll talk about how these experiences and the cultural glamorisation of tuberculosis victims influenced scary women in Poe’s works such as Madeline Usher, the unwitting villain of his well-known short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher".

Key moments

• 1:08 – "The Fall of the House of Usher" (abridged)
• 27:26 – Welcome to the party!
• 30:55 – Eliza Poe
• 32:48 – Tuberculosis and beauty
• 38:09 – Edgar Allan Poe and masculinity
• 40:30 – Virginia Clemm
• 48:46 – Poe's beautiful dead women

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!

View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.

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The dark history of witch hunts has some unsettling parallels with modern misogynistic violence. Tonight’s episode continues our discussion on Heinrich Kramer’s witch-hunting manual, the “Malleus Maleficarum”, with a critical look at its legacy, especially as it relates to incel culture and the manosphere.

We’ll examine the parallels between Kramer's misogynistic beliefs and the 2014 Isla Vista killings by Elliot Rodger, exploring the roots of violent ideologies in both cases. We’ll use the “path to intended violence” theory to compare the steps leading to mass violence in the 15th century and today.

We’ll also talk about the origins of the incel community, its online presence, and the dangerous ideologies that stem from extreme misogyny.

This episode discusses themes of terrorism, weapons, murder, serious injury, suicide, and pervasive sexism. Listener discretion is advised.

Key moments

• 0:59 – "Witch-Burning" by Mary Elizabeth Counselman
• 2:41 – Welcome to the party
• 7:43 – Incel culture and the manosphere
• 12:41 – The path to intended violence
• 19:14 – Hunters and howlers: Jacob Sprenger and Jordan Peterson
• 21:07 – Internalised misogyny, accusations of witchcraft, and Pearl Davis
• 23:05 – More parallels between early modern witch-hunts and modern violence against women

If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!

View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.

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