Penn State Altoona professors host podcast focused on 'Alien' film

The logo for the Horror Joy podcast, featuring a skull speaking into a microphone

Penn State Altoona faculty members Brian Onishi, associate professor of philosophy, and Jeff Stoyanoff, assistant professor of English and women's, gender, and sexuality studies, released a new episode of their podcast, "Horror Joy," titled "Vampires: Dracula, Salem's Lot, and Midnight Mass."

Credit: Jason Long, Spring Dam Designs

ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State Altoona faculty members Jeff Stoyanoff, assistant professor of English and women's, gender, and sexuality studies, and Brian Onishi, associate professor of philosophy, released a new episode of their podcast, "Horror Joy," titled "'Alien' (1979): An Uncanny Political Fable."

In this episode, Stoyanoff and Onishi discuss the following:

  • "The Alien as the Ultimate Other": How the alien creature embodies our fears of the unknown and the uncanny
  • "Body Horror and the Violation of the Human Form": The film's disturbing exploration of birth, death, and the body
  • "Corporate Greed and Existential Threat": The role of capitalism and technology in creating the conditions for the alien's emergence
  • "The Heroine's Journey": Ellen Ripley's evolution from a resourceful crew member to a hardened warrior

The full episode can be accessed on podcast providers or on Red Circle. Learn more about the "Horror Joy" podcast.

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