Wicked Psychotherapists

Wicked 80s: Horror and Thriller Movies That Defined Our Fears

• Erin Gray and Tanya Dos Santos • Season 2 • Episode 35

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In this episode of Wicked Psychotherapists, Tanya and Erin dive into the iconic horror and thriller movies of the 1980s. 

They discuss the cultural and psychological impact of these films, their personal experiences with them, and how these movies continue to influence modern media. 

From Stephen King's masterpieces to the eerie paranoia of the Cold War era, this episode explores why the 80s remain a beloved era for horror and thriller aficionados.

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You are listening to Wicked Psychotherapists, a podcast where two psychotherapists show you that taking care of and learning about mental health doesn't have to be wicked hard.

both:

Hey everyone, this is Tanya. Hi, this is Erin, and welcome to Wicked Psychotherapist.

Tanya:

so today we have a really great topic, one that is close and near and dear to our hearts, I think. 80s horror movies and the greatness of that, decade. So we wanted to talk about what is the draw back to 80s movies. Like today, for some reason, I keep seeing a lot of 80s movies like or I'm sorry, current movies that are set in the 80s or like current kind of thriller horror that are set in the 80s. And so it seems like there's something about that decade that really sets up for the horror genre and kind of thrillers. So we thought let's talk about some of the movies that made that decade. we kind of wanted to talk about just the 80s if you don't really remember them and you're listening, or if you just want to, go back and have a little bit of a throwback. Some of the things that I had seen and looked up, like Why were the movies made the way that they were? Why was there like so many slasher movies or, you know, kind of people in the woods alone? What was the atmosphere culturally in the United States that we had these movies being made? Because that definitely influences it. And a lot of things pointed to the rise of the Cold War and paranoia about the other, and things happening, people being obliterated, good versus evil, that kind of, those dichotomies. So there's definitely that atmosphere. Stephen King happened you know, there's like The Shining and Firestarter I think was, like Drew Barrymore I think was, yeah, Christine,

erin:

Firestarter, Cujo, those are all, yes, oh my god, those are like the big ones that were out during that time and, I remember my, my mom was a huge Stephen King fan. And so she always had like tons of Stephen King books and then she would hand them down to me. And I just remember very excited. I think it was like the whole family would watch all the movies. We were very into Stephen King.

Tanya:

and very much part of our area, right? He's from a, he kind of stays in Maine. I don't know if he's from there or if he just kind of lives there, but he's a New Englander. But I think his creativity and being able to get into our psyches really influenced like, oh, this could be a whole genre in and of itself, like a dog that just doesn't stop or a car that just takes over. Tesla's. But, you know, like, different types of cars. Did you say like Teslas? Like Teslas. I was like, oh my god, a car that can drive itself and like talk and stuff. so like this rise in technology and maybe thinking about things like horror from a different kind of psychological impact. Stephen King was all over that, right? I also think that, I saw this a lot, it was a decade where special effects were used and there was probably more money pumped into that and even though it may look kind of cheesy now because we have CGI, you know, it looks more authentic and I think there's an appreciation for that and the craft of it. I think people have a liking for that even if it's oh, we can tell that's not real. It's like, Look how much work went into that. Look at the creativity. This wasn't just to say that CGI doesn't take work and everything, but it's just more hands on. And I think a lot of people respond to that and they really like that. A different type of artistry too.

erin:

Like, it's probably, it'd be very, well, you'd be artistic for any of it, but it's, probably just really difficult to make it look real when there wasn't that extra computer animation. Yeah.

Tanya:

Yeah, and I think there was also a rise during that time in the technology of cameras, and, use of different shots and also money being invested in different special effects and different shots and everything during the 80s is definitely something I think that was, like, kind of at a peak at that point, The money that was being invested towards that technology was very much kind of meeting the need and the desire for people to go see those types of movies. It was like they kind of met concurrently there in the 80s, like, whereas I don't think there was as much of an appetite for it. And so the investment kind of really paid off in those types of movies. It was like the perfect peak of it. and there was also, you know, with other paranoias, like, you know, the rise of the AIDS crisis, and there's this paranoia of like, wait, we don't even know what this is, how this functions. And, you know, also there's look at, you know, like terrestrial not terrestrial, what am I trying to say? UFOs, extra terrestrial, like area

erin:

51 type of stuff.

Tanya:

Yeah. Like that, there was like such a curiosity in that.

erin:

Yeah.'cause what was the, what was that one alien movie? The, that's the

Tanya:

Bernie Weaver?

erin:

No, well, alien just completely freaked me out. But the yeah, alien

Tanya:

was like freaky.

erin:

Yeah, and then there was the one alien movie where they're, do, like they had the music where they'd play it back. Do you remember that one?

Tanya:

I don't, but I'm sure other people would. Yeah, I'll probably have to. If you remember that, let us know. I don't know, maybe I, you know, cuz I, I was kind of. Fourth kind

erin:

or something like that? I don't know. Someone's probably screaming right now. It's Is it something of the fourth

Tanya:

kind encounters of the fourth kind, encounters of the fourth kind?

erin:

I think that's what it

Tanya:

was. Something like that, that movie sounds because, but I don't remember was, it

erin:

was like really creepy sci-fi horror ish, you know, just very different.

Tanya:

Yeah. That's another thing too is like sci-fi stuff, because there were a lot of novels and books and maybe even like, you know, attempts prior to the eighties, I think they were all kind of. Out there, but this is a way to kind of make it visually, you know, and kind of see like, okay, this comes out on screen. I think it was just so different from the other types of movies. To be able to see, alien slime and, you know, E. T. And, you know, kind of, even though it's not a horror movie, but still, you know, kind of

erin:

It was freaky.

Tanya:

It definitely was, yeah. because it was supposed

erin:

to be E. T. was a weird movie, because I don't know, because it wasn't supposed to be like a family movie, but it was just like this creepy alien who is just so creepy and scary and I don't know. Has

Tanya:

a

flashlight on

Tanya:

his finger, yeah. Yeah,

I mean

Tanya:

that's a horror. The way he spoke was weird too, I didn't like it. I think it kind of freaked me out, I think I saw that in the movie theaters, like as a four year old, and I don't think I liked it. Yeah. But, yeah, so there was also, you know, kind of that going on, and I think people were really trying to push the boundaries with gore as well, like those slasher films and, for some reason do remember in a lot of those movies, like Friday the 13th, there was a lot of like, how do I say this? Female exposure, like a lot of like ripping off shirts and like, That's exactly

erin:

what I was thinking, like all the slashers, they just accidentally rip They slash right through the shirt and oops, they're just wearing their bra. Like,

Tanya:

yeah, it was very weird and it would have been like, Oh, she was just with her boyfriend, like having sex and, It was always kind of like her running in her bra, and then he got her, like, as she tripped over, like, you know, of course, a log and just sat there and, you know. That's

erin:

because she's just a dumb girl who, that's all they want to do is just wear bras and die. Run around, yeah.

Tanya:

And die, wear bras and die. did, yeah. Yeah that's the 80s. It definitely reflects that, like, that was kind of the way, I don't know if, like, that's how they thought women should be seen or, like, maybe that's just something fascinating to these movie makers, but it's definitely,

erin:

yeah,

Tanya:

it's definitely been parodied since and kind of, it's a little bit, I think looking back, some people, you know, that are not from that generation might be like, what the heck is this? It's like

erin:

the formula and that's why I like in this those movies the scary movies like the came out But that was more 90s and we're talking like 80s now Oh scream

Tanya:

like the

erin:

scream and then also the movies scary movies You know making a whole parody of everything. But yes, it's it was definitely a formula of You know, friends, it's a couple people get lost from the group. Someone gets murdered and the murderer is someone that was betrayed by a similar type of group earlier on, or a ostracized or something.

Tanya:

Yeah, there's definitely always, or there's some element of like, people are invited to this abandoned. house or this like really looming mansion or something or something that's very isolated and you don't really know who is kind of like the killer and then slowly you start to figure out who this killer is and why they want to kill all these people kind of thing. I think that was one of the scary movie parodies that they like had. A dinner and yeah, they did. They thought it was like the butler and it ended up being one of them or something. And it was just, I just remember laughing at that. I thought that was hilarious. Anna Faris, she was great. She was just so like. dumb and ditzy with her voice and like just have the facial expressions just downright. So I mean, I think that was definitely, you know, it started to even be recognized in the nineties. Nevermind now where people are, you know, like think like movies or sorry, sitcoms like Stranger Things is set in the eighties and, you know, kind of things now are brought back to the setting of the eighties because I think it allows for those certain elements to be expressed in that like formula as well as. Some cheesiness and nostalgia. I think a lot of people just really liked what formulated in that decade. Yeah. It was something really potent. It

erin:

felt familiar, too. See, even though we're making jokes about, like, the formula, you kind of knew what you're gonna get, and it's like, whether, okay, Freddie's gonna get you in the dreams. Don't fall asleep. don't go to this camp.

Tanya:

like, you know,

unless you want to get

Tanya:

slashed up. Don't go to Crystal Lake, yeah. Do you know I actually, this is such a weird aside, but I read somewhere that there, I don't know if it's a place called Crystal Lake or if it's a place where the movie is based, but They do have underneath this lake, and I don't even know where it is, but it's supposed to be maybe the setting of where the movie was filmed, or it's just called Crystal Lake. They really played into it and they put a Jason mannequin chained to the bottom. Oh my gosh, that's creepy. Yeah, so people can see that if they want to like go investigate, but I would not. No. Yeah. So they really played into that. I just remember reading that randomly once. I don't know where it is or I, but I think it was called Crystal Lake as well. So they played on that. But yeah, I mean, there's always it's what goes bump in the night, you know, kind of thing with, Mike Myers and Halloween, you know, like what, what's that person behind that costume? Are they really a killer? Like they're, you know, holding a chainsaw, are they really gonna, you know, chop me in half kind of thing? So some of those, I think, freaky fears that we have were really kind of recognized during that time. And I think looking back, it's kind of like you can laugh at it, but it, like you said, it's comforting because there is a pattern to it. And it's kind of just nice to see that, even though, like, you know, the cheesiness of it all. Yeah, so that's you know, the big like triad there, Freddy, Mike Meyers and Jason. Those were like the box office, like blowouts, you know? The eighties and into the nineties too. Yeah. But they really kind of defined like the slasher films or like the, you know, being abandoned alone and, and the log cabin kind of thing.

erin:

Yeah.

Tanya:

And I think that was very popular. And like you said, it's still actually popular with.

kids now,

Tanya:

right? Yeah,

erin:

because yeah, because you still see like you're looking at Halloween stuff or you know, there's still costumes that have those type of mask and you know, you'll see Kids dressing up in striped shirts and stuff like that, it's like, all right, have you ever seen the movie? But it's just so ingrained or maybe, you know, it's just interesting.

Tanya:

it really is. I mean, I think there, there is, you know, a certain type of nostalgia felt, even if you weren't in that decade, even if you maybe didn't even watch the movies, just from your parents, maybe. You know, kind of relaying that and feeling like, oh, that's really cool. So that says something about the, atmosphere in the 80s, you know, with the horror genre. I also think there was like a very much, like a supernatural type of growth in the 80s. You know, with like, Poltergeist was the early 80s. Exorcist had been in the 70s, but I think it kind of led up to this, like, experimenting and, I don't know how spirits and electricity with, like, new technology could be, like, possible, like, the possibility of it, and talking about radio waves and all these things that could be kind of freaky, kind of supernatural, sci fi ish. Yeah, kind of

erin:

demons, kind of, yeah, it's a little different, a different edge than it probably had gone before.

Tanya:

You know what really freaks me out and I'm sure a lot of people have heard this, Poltergeist

erin:

yeah that movie was one that I was telling Tanya before we even started That was like one of the movies that I like remember sneaking down my stairs when I was in like either fourth or fifth grade and it was on TV and Watching it and then just and then coming down and then seeing it after too, but at my house In my bedroom, I shared with my sister, we had a closet, and then in the closet, there was a door that went into our attic. And I used to play in there. And after, after Poltergeist, I was like, oh my god. This is just like Poltergeist. My closet's gonna take me. And I just remember being like, oh my gosh. I was so afraid. And plus I couldn't really say anything because I wasn't supposed to watch the movie. So it was

Tanya:

like,

erin:

yeah, so I was sitting with it until I told my sister and I remember too, like, the closet had an attic, had the door to the attic that it could go across the way of the stairs into my brother's room, so my brother would come and like, try to scare us. Like, because you know brothers are awesome. Yeah.

Tanya:

I wouldn't know, didn't grow up with brothers,

erin:

but that does not sound good. Yeah, but yeah, so that, that movie traumatized me for a few different reasons. You know, like, it was just very, I think that was like the trauma that kept giving, my God. Yeah, and then, but I think, I was very happy when we moved out of that house because of that closet and because of the Poltrogist.

Tanya:

I

wonder if you, do you still have nightmares

Tanya:

about that closet?

erin:

I don't know, I mean, it, enough that I am way past fourth or fifth grade and I still remember being so afraid, because I loved it. I loved the closet, I loved being able to go into the attic, and I had my little Barbies in there, and I just was playing, and Because it was like a little It was like so

Tanya:

comfy before, and then it became scary. Yeah, it was like a fun

erin:

It was a fun retreat, because there was even like a little light that I could pull, you know, it just You know, like, it wasn't a finished attic. It was just like, probably really dangerous to have your kid play in your attic.

Tanya:

Again, the 80s of it all, right? Yeah.

erin:

So I was like, hey, go play with the asbestos. Go play with the lead. But I really liked it. It was like my little retreat. but then after Poltergeist, I was like, nope. Not gonna play there. I'll move everyone out of the attic and you're gonna be just in the bedroom now.

Tanya:

Aw, so that ruined your, like,

both:

your safe space. Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure eventually I was able to go back, but I just remember I was traumatized. And, you know, in kid brain it probably felt like a year, but it was probably like a month that I was traumatized, but it was But that's a long time for a

Tanya:

kid. Yeah. And, you know, that's a really good point, is that for some reason, these movies, and I don't know if you've experienced this too, but I've definitely, like, heard it from a lot of people and read it. A lot, you know, in like articles that people write about opinions and things like that with movies. For some reason in the 80s, young kids watched A lot of these movies, like I don't know why, I don't know if like we all just snuck down or if our parents were just like, nah, they didn't really, you know, I know for me it was you know, with A Gaggle of Sisters, I kind of was just there and I don't know that it was just like watch something, you know, kind of thing. Yeah,

erin:

because if the siblings are watching it or mom and dad aren't home. And they're supposed to be babysitting you. They're not really going to say like, all right, you need to be watching Sesame Street. Like, we want to be sitting and watching Poltergeist or Amityville Horror or whatever we're watching. And you're going to sit down and watch it or go upstairs and do nothing. So that was pretty much, but. I know a lot of the other stuff we tended to watch as a family, like, maybe my family just warped, but we would know my

Tanya:

family did it too. Like, I remember that being like, oh, there's a new and we'd all just kind of sit there and watch it. Like, I don't know why. And I'm thinking like, now I'm like, oh, man, nobody would ever let their like, five year old watch.

erin:

Oh, there's a new Hellraiser on. Oh, there's a new this like, it's like, come on, kids. Let's see what pinheads doing.

Tanya:

Yeah, that's what's he up to. Yeah that it really was. And I think this was a lot of 80s parenting. It was cut maybe because the genre was so kind of new and they were just like, I don't know, maybe it just kind of wasn't. I don't know. It was kind of the newness of it. There wasn't

erin:

any, like, there wasn't all the websites we have now where it could be like, oh. Is there going to be nudity? Will the person's shirt be ripped off? And will they be having the car smash the person? Will the kid be afraid of dogs forever?

Tanya:

Which, that is something I do remember with seeing Cujo. I had already been pretty afraid of dogs. I mean, I love dogs now, but I Had this image, like, I, where I grew up, I had these two, these neighbors across the way that they had these two Rottweilers. And I believe one of their names was Rambo. And maybe the other one was Cujo? I don't remember, but it was something very like, it didn't sound friendly, and they were always chained in the back.

Oh gosh.

Tanya:

Like, just like, you know, and they would get free sometimes, and I would just freak out walking down the street, like, are they going, like, they felt like they were going to kill you. Like, it wasn't really, and I don't know, back then there were a lot of dogs, maybe it was because I watched Cujo, but they were not friendly dogs, and so Cujo just reinforced that to me, and that became, like, I was very afraid of dogs for a while, because I thought, like, they just, if given any little trigger, they can bite, you know,

erin:

like, and especially, like, the dog they use, like a big Saint Bernard, you know, because, like, you picture Saint Bernard's to be, like, they have their little whiskey thing where they're going to save you. Like they're, you know, like in the cartoons, they're always like with like the little thing of Oh my gosh, the little keg of whiskey. So when you're all frozen in snow, the St. Bernard can just give you all the whiskey. In every cartoon. Is that what it's for? I never realized that. I don't know. I mean, that's what it always, like in all the cartoons, they're always like, they have their little See, that seems right. They always have their little, but so, so you always think like, oh, St. Bernard's are rescuers. I remember, like my mom had a St. Bernard growing up, and she used to always talk about how great St. Bernard's are, but then watching Cujo, I was like, oh my God, St. Bernard's can kill you. St. Bernard's are like, humungous io was

Tanya:

a Rotweiler.

No. Was that just in

Tanya:

my head? Did I transpose that? I definitely could have.

erin:

Oh my gosh, now I have to look. Sorry everyone. No. Kujo was at St. Bernard. What dog He was at St. Bernard.

Tanya:

I must have. Yeah, I must have, in my head, transposed that as a St. Bernard, or sorry, as a Rottweiler because of how afraid, see that's, like, just imposed, like, I have a memory of a Rottweiler. That's

erin:

why you're giving me the look, those that can't see because it's a podcast. Tanya was just, like, looking at me like I was insane. She's probably like, why are you talking about a St. Bernard and the little thing? And this is

Tanya:

trauma and action people, like, it really, so that's really interesting. So

erin:

that's, so we're seeing like, Tanya's post traumatic stress reaction, yeah, related to her neighbor's Rambo and Cujo dog tied up and her walking down the street, being afraid of the chained up dogs. But yeah, it was a it was a big drooling. I

Tanya:

do picture it as those dogs. I definitely do. Wow. But it, that's so crazy. Oh my gosh, I just unlocked some things from them. But now, I mean, I've come to love dogs, like I always thought they, I was always like, ooh, I like them, like, but I was too afraid of like going near them, you know, for a while. And then now I have, you know, my dog Lucy, who's very sweet, and would, I don't think she understands the concept of biting, honestly, other than if it's her food to chew, but yeah, and I've realized, like, how many dogs just don't seem that way, and it's probably because, Again, the 80s of it all, and how, just my own environment, it just seemed like every dog was unfriendly and would kill you. Well, and also,

erin:

most people, like if you go back in time to the 80s or whatever, people just use, especially like probably in New England, I don't know how it was in Florida, but people just use runs, tree to tree, your dog's on the run if you don't have a fenced in backyard, or your dog's loose. So our dog, our dogs are both, we were like the neighbors that everyone probably hated. So our dog O'Grady was always loose. And just like, we're such cats. But like O'Grady was always just, O'Grady was always loose, walking around the neighborhood. I'd have neighbors call me getting mad because O'Grady just got my dog loose and da. Because O'Grady would have friends and then go play. O'Grady would go get his

Tanya:

pack and like let them loose. He would go get his friend,

erin:

He had one friend, my old science teacher her dog. He would go get him, and then they'd go play in the woods for hours. And then they'd both come back muddy, you know, muddy, because he was a lab and O'Grady was a golden. But they'd be like muddy, and the teacher.

Tanya:

How

erin:

can you be good at that? That's like two kids running off. Yeah, the teacher would be so mad, and she would just call, she'd be like, O'Grady! Buh buh. It was like your kid. And she was my science teacher too, and so she would always get so mad. Like, I'm like, I'm sorry, my dog loves your dog.

Tanya:

Oh my god, yeah, like, they're best friends! They're running off to the woods playing, that's awesome! I didn't know he was a liberator, wow, he was just like, I'm gonna set you free, we're gonna be friends. But then sometimes, like, we'd have to have him

erin:

on the run, because we didn't have a fenced in backyard, because we were on a couple, like, you know, like, on a couple acres, and so, but yeah. The teacher. Wow. That's so cute. Her dog's name was Comet. Her dog's name was Comet. And but she, yeah, she'd get so mad. And we'd be like, but, oh great, he loves, and he'd come home, and she was the one that would probably groom her dog, you know, cause he's all muddy.

Tanya:

Oh she was, she wanted to keep them like, pristine, kind of thing. Yeah, Grady was

erin:

always like,

Tanya:

covering, it was funny, so yeah. Did she ever drop your grade or anything, or threaten to? I don't know, she

erin:

was my, she wasn't my teacher during the, she had already been my teacher. But yeah, she lived like one, one street away from me, you know, small New England, small town.

Tanya:

Yeah, for sure. Like, everybody kind of knows each other, like, you're in the same neighborhood as your teacher. Yeah, the

erin:

history teacher was two, two doors down from me. So, like, I lived in, like, high school. Street area every all my teachers like yeah,

Tanya:

that must have been kind of tricky cuz you're like if I got to do something bad Like my teachers are around. I'll just be walking in the woods and they'll just see me Smart Erin's resourceful. Yeah, I wasn't going

erin:

to get murdered in the woods with yes I would keep my slashed in a trip over a log and just sit there and scream on the ground Yeah, I'd always have my big golden retriever with me. So I felt safe

Tanya:

Aww. Not Cujo. Yeah, Goldens are friendly, but they are protective of their nursery. Yeah, especially boy dogs.

erin:

You know, like, he, yeah, he was very large, and. All my friends knew who he was. He was yeah. Did he

Tanya:

have a fluffy tail? He did have a fluffy tail.

He was like a gold, he was like a very red one. He was very pretty.

Tanya:

Aw, that sounds so pretty. Aw, Brady. What a cute name, too. Yeah,

I

Tanya:

know. He's a good Irish dog.

Yeah.

erin:

Yeah, for sure. Did you ever put the little, like, kerchiefs on him or whatever? I did! I would put he, he would often wear bandanas. And yeah, he'd have like different colored ones and yeah, he was like, my dad would take him, He was my dad's jogging buddy, he was my buddy all the time, my, my bedroom was probably always full of, Dog fur. So I was probably full of dog fur, cigarette smoke, because my family.

Tanya:

sounds very 80s. I, this is bringing me back already.

erin:

Ah, memories. I was that kid. I was that kid and teenager. Yeah,

Tanya:

I totally get that. That was, I, we had cats we took in as like strays. Against my mother's, like my mother didn't agree to it. We just kind of started feeding strays and they became sort of our pets. Yeah. They weren't really well taken care of. And so yeah, there was definitely cigarette smoke and cat fur. Yeah, as well. They should have done, they should have done

erin:

horror movies on that, like more, like that would have been more related to the 80s, like, Pet Sematary, was that? Oh yeah, Pet Sematary. Yeah, that was That one scared

Tanya:

me. Oh my god. That

erin:

was so creepy, because it's like, that I think really tugged at the heartstring too, because, Yeah, when you have a pet that dies, you want them back or you don't want to think about your pet dying. So yeah, I'll do whatever I can to bring them back.

Tanya:

Yeah, that's so true. Like it really is like, why would I not try and go against this curse of this? You know, like I'm just gonna, I want animal back and then eventually Like, person, you know, that they tried. There are so many scenes there that haunt me to this day. That movie truly scared the bejesus out of me. Yeah. really did. Yeah. And

erin:

because it is, it's like, oh, don't do it. Don't, you know, you don't want to. And it's like, oh, but, you know,

Tanya:

Remember the little boy, Gage, when he gets hit by a car? Oh my god, that haunts me to this day. Like, that his sweet little, like, running in, and he gets hit, oh my god, by this Mack truck.

erin:

Yeah.

Tanya:

And then the jogger, who's already dead, who appears, ugh. Now you're giving me nightmares remembering it all. Sorry, it's, yeah,

erin:

Don't bury Gage in the pet cemetery. That's just what we're going to tell you. That's

Tanya:

cursed with with some, I think, Native American curse, I think it was that they said. Yeah. Yeah, and have them come back and, oh my gosh. They're not going to be the same. It freaks me out. Do you know, oh, and then the sister in the, that's in the mangled and she's got

erin:

red

Tanya:

hair. And like, I don't know. I'm sorry. I am not at all. There was something we were having a discussion about before, but that's why I'm pausing about that. But. Yeah, so it was very scary. That that one truly scared crap out of me. I, yeah, I remember because I read the book first. Oh, you read the book? I never read the book. Yeah, I think, yeah, because my mom was a very avid reader, but a very avid Stephen King reader. She, like, was, like, devoured, like, she, she wasn't like the mom, she wasn't the 80s mom reading all the love stories, Harlequin books. My mom was, like, any. Slasher, Stephen King type of book. She was all about it. So she would read it. I love it. We had our own little distorted book club I remember starting when I was in like middle school or whatever. That's awesome. Yeah, but I read it. I remember that one And Christine just giving me nightmares, like, reading it. I was like, what the heck am I reading? Like, Christine didn't really haunt me, like, because I loved Knight Rider at the time, and I had a Knight Rider big wheel, and I was so a firm believer in like, no, this is my Knight Rider, like, it would not come, this would be my buddy. Yeah,

erin:

I was gonna say Michael Hutchins, but that's in excess. What was his name, Michael what is the guy's name from Knight Rider? Michael Landing? Or no? No, that's Little House on the Prairie. I don't know, Michael something. Wasn't it Hasselhoff? Oh yeah, Michael Hasselhoff. Is it David Hasselhoff? Oh David,

Tanya:

that's why. I was thinking of like Mike, yeah, I was thinking of Mike Landing and then I'm like wait, the curly haired, no wait, it's Hasselhoff. Yeah, he was in Knight Rider, right? Yeah, David Hasselhoff. He's a, yeah, he was Knight Rider. Who knew that he would go from like this awesome car to like just being on the beach and I'm like, you know, I know that like.

And all the Germans now love him, like he's like a big hit in

Tanya:

Eastern Europe. Yeah. He's the, he's like, he's the shiza there. Yeah, everyone loves 80s there. Yeah, oh my gosh, that's, yeah that's totally like that. That was my jam, I love that. But. Kit yeah, so there was a lot of those like kind of things taken to an extreme, right? Like I mean nowadays that doesn't sound too. No. Well now it's all like shop value

erin:

where it's almost like the 80s I don't say it had like a deeper storyline because it usually didn't but as you watched each movie because there was never just one there's always like three or four you start to really know that care the character development of the You Murderer even of the slasher of the and you start to understand their why they became who they are but there also is always in all the storyline or the arcs or whatever is the one or two people that survive and they're never quite the same In the next movie, they're a little harder, a little And they

Tanya:

might end up being dead first in the next movie. Yeah. Or like only one survives all throughout, like, like Jamie Lee Curtis and Yeah. And kind of thing. Yeah. That's so true, though. That's, like, there was, plotline wasn't really like a big thing. It was more about the, like, grab factor, right? You know, and kind of that type of thing. Whereas now I think there are I don't like gory movies like I did when I was a kid. I really, you know, loved all that stuff. But nowadays I like, like psychological thrillers. And even then I have to be careful because that scares me the most because those are things that like are truly human and showing what people are capable of. And that's, It's kind of interesting because we work within psychology, right? And it's like, it's an attraction, but it's also like, so frightening to look at the limits and the bounds, the boundaries of that.

erin:

I noticed, and I don't know if it's because I'm just a big baby, I can't watch a lot of the really realistic ones. Like I can't, and it could also be that I was raised Catholic, even though not. I'm not really practicing now or whatever, but I can't watch anything with demons. I did watch Exorcist and I did see all those like in the 80s and whatever, but now I notice I have to kind of pause. I'm like is this one going to be a little too scary? And a lot of alien esque are kind of, but I love sci fi. I'm like such a sci fi nerd. But some really creepy alien stuff, I'm like, I can't do it. But yeah,

Tanya:

because it probably feels too real now. I think back in the eighties, at least for me, I felt like, Oh, this is all made up. And like, I don't know, it was just kind of my like realistic Aquarius, like worldview at that point, you know? And I was just very much like, this is made up. That's cool. You know, kind of thing. And just watching that, but. Nowadays, I'm like, that's I believe it, you know, like, ooh, that's scary, they could do that, you know, like, Yeah. It's like the, it gets very real, and, Yeah. Yeah, so I, sci fi is really cool, like, I love Black Mirror nowadays you know, like, I, it's, it freaks me out because it really does reflect a lot of our realities, Yeah. And like, where we're headed and it just gets to this core of like, oof, this could actually happen, I think reality is more, freaky. Freaky. No, than like just kind of this extraordinary gore and slasher type murders, you know, that kind of, not to say that doesn't happen, of course, but you know, it just, it gets like more and more ridiculous, I think, in the 80s. Well, and also I think in the 80s

erin:

too, what draws people or continues to draw people, you know, even though it's been decades, is the campiness of it. That it, you know, like, some of the, you know, even like, chirp, chirp, It's like people still talk about like 70s movie. They still talk about The Shining, like, here's Johnny. You know, like people still, like there's certain things about horror or scary. I think that was the 80s actually. Was it?

Tanya:

I think that's, yeah.

erin:

I thought it was like late 70s. Okay, maybe. I think it was 82. Okay, so then that too then, like it's like, again, Stephen King. Like,

Tanya:

like. Yeah. He's a master, I mean.

erin:

I think also because it's like some of them are, I don't know if they meant them to be funny, some of the slasher horror movies, but I think so, because Freddy, even as disturbing as he was, he had some really funny lines.

Tanya:

Yeah, he did. They kind of, like, I don't know if that was like to cut the scariness of it or just to be like kind of make him more personalized to like really be drawn in more with him, but he did say some funny, sarcastic comments. Yeah.

erin:

Like while he was. Killing you. and some of the things are just so disturbing that he would have them dream or hallucinate or whatever. I mean, it was just really terrifying and I'm sure a lot of people lost sleep after those movies.

Tanya:

Oh yeah. And they even, they persisted into the 90s with like, and they would have battles between them, like Jason versus Mike, Michael Myers or something like that. Freddy versus

erin:

Jason,

Tanya:

yeah. Yeah, kind of those types. And I think they actually just released something not too long ago between two of the three or something, I don't know. That was like a revival. I don't know, something like that. So it's still ongoing. Like, it's a franchise, basically. It is. Yeah, the three of them,

erin:

had a good system and now I'm like, okay, well, how can all three of the movies work together too.

Tanya:

Yeah, it's Marvel, like how one character will come, into another like Marvel Universe kind of thing and that type of setting, but it's like in the horror genre, and kind of playing on some of those. I haven't seen any of the new revivals. I don't think I saw one in the 90s. they like played on the campiness of it. And it was more just about seeing what creative ways they're going to like try and.

Kind of play this

Tanya:

up, you know, and we kind of together.

erin:

Yeah, I haven't seen that was just picturing it was kind of like them trying to kill each other But it's them trying to figure out how they can kill other people. Is that more what it is?

Tanya:

I think so. I think that's the one I saw in the 90s. I don't know, correct me if I'm wrong people, whoever, you know, is like, I know there are like huge fans and like Facebook pages and Instagram pages and clubs, like, oh my God, I sound like so old, but you know, like pages and stuff like clubs, like popularity. I don't know, whatever, like things that are you know, kind of dedicated to this, but I, oh, it was 2003 Freddie versus Jason. I think I saw that. I think I saw that with someone. I don't know, but it was just like a, you know, a cool crossover where Freddy awakens Jason to stir up fear and grow his power so that he may return and kill again. Yeah, so they're working together. Oh. Sounds like he like woke him up. Radio Awakens, Jason. This is courtesy of Wikipedia. Well, thank you, Wikipedia. Yeah, very informative. But, yeah, like that, there's this, you know, really cool, I think, nowadays, it's like it can certainly be used for nostalgia and just like if I were to ever watch it, I would be like, oh, this is just kind of interesting to see how they're gonna, do this and make this combination and work together and the creative ways they're gonna, you know, kill people and stuff. It's all like a

documentary. Oh, let's just see how it comes. Yeah. Yeah, like

Tanya:

It's that's the, you know, because in the 80s, it was very much like the thrill of it and like the newness of it. And like, we got so used to that, that like, kind of now it's like, if you were to watch that, it would just be for like the nostalgia, the campiness, how does this unwind kind of thing, you know, or unfold. It would be interesting

erin:

to go back now and to re watch it, you know, just to see, like, how, if they still have that shock and scream and they may. I remember Halloween really scaring me more than Friday the 13th and, you know, Nightmare on Elm Street, well, Nightmare on Elm Street was just, Sometimes it had like an ick factor with the creep vibe but for sure, but I had to watch all of them.

Tanya:

Yeah, it felt like necessary like that was something that I don't know everybody was talking about and you just kind of had to know like be in the know for it and there was no way you couldn't see if you were a person that had like, you know, a television at home, it was even on like basic channels, you know, a lot running, you know, at a certain point. Yeah it really was its own era, I think and that's why we wanted to pay, you know, some reverence to it in this episode to just kind of showcase how it, it was its own niche, you know. It really was a time that I think it can't be duplicated. And that's why we kind of keep going back to 80s films, like in the settings and the clothing the kind of, you know, maybe. Ignorance of like during that time that we would now look back on and say it's ignorance, right? You know in certain issues and outlooks on things and also being able to not trip and get up And your clothes can stay on if you fall and your clothes can stay on. Yeah, you don't have to rip it off And also

erin:

it was like thing it was kind of like a different era was okay to have things like over sexualized. It was okay to have just the theme just so dumb and no one would really call you out on it. Well, they would just be like, all right, this is ridiculous, but, or this wouldn't really happen or why can't a guy fall? Why does it always have to be the woman, Ed?

Tanya:

Yeah. Yeah. And there was a lot of tropes that were made there, like the, yeah, the dumb woman, or like the spare black man, right, that would just kind of get killed, that was the friend, and there's like a lot of things that are referenced in Common Day that are like, oh, I'm just the black friend, you know, that gets killed off, and I'm like irrelevant kind of thing. You know, so there's a lot of, like, undercurrents of misogyny, racism that you can see in there that I think, you know, that's the ignorance factor is kind of, you know. Yeah, I mean, it is,

erin:

yeah, and. And we did reference the scary movie and Scream and stuff like that and they definitely Pretty much call out these type of movies in a fun way,

Tanya:

right? Yeah. Yeah. I loved the scary movies. I wasn't a big fan of Scream like that series. No. But yeah, I really like get into that. A scary

erin:

movie was so funny that it made me like gag a couple times. Like I can't remember the guy's name. Chris. Chris something. When he's like playing the butler and he's like, oh, do you want some? And he grabs it and he has this little hand. And he just like scoops it with his hand on their plate.

Tanya:

Oh my gosh. I loved him. He was so funny. Him and Anna Faris, I thought, like made that movie. That was just, that was hilarious. God, it's creepy. Boys. Oh my God. I kind of wanna watch shows now. Like that's, yeah, I forget. I wanna go back. But

erin:

he was in a really funny show. That guy where he was like a, was it Paper Boy? Was it? Yeah. He was like a paper delivery boy. He was like an adult. He delivered Paper.

Tanya:

Boy.

erin:

Yeah. It was so funny. He was, it was such a funny show. It was

Tanya:

I loved that. Yeah, I'm trying to look it up right now to kind of see.

erin:

Yeah, I can't remember what it was, but I remember thinking it was so funny. My brother and I used to watch it. Like, of course, at that time, we'd talk about the show all the time. It was so funny. I can't remember the guy. Oh, Chris

Tanya:

Elliott, Paperboy was the show. Yeah, Chris Elliott.

It was so funny.

Tanya:

I loved that. Yeah, that was really funny. It was only on for like two years, and I remember being like, why? It's better than some other stuff. Yeah,

erin:

That and, what is it? My Name is Earl. Those were two really funny shows that just got cancelled. You know, that were like,

Tanya:

Oh,

yeah.

Tanya:

Oh, my gosh. Yeah, that was a good one. I did watch that. I didn't get as into that, but that was funny. Yeah, but Paperboy

was hysterical.

Tanya:

Bring it back! Yeah, let's do it. Yeah, they're doing all these remakes. Yeah, remake Paperboy. Yeah. Is Chris Elliott,

he's still with us? I don't know. He probably is.

Tanya:

I actually was just thinking, like, I mean, He's I always picture him young because it was like back in the early 90s when he didn't, he was still kind of,

he still kind of had like receding hairline, didn't he? Yeah, he's still alive.

Tanya:

Oh, okay. Yeah. He's like, he's in his 60s. So he's, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, I kind of just, you know, I know we've been talking a lot about kind of what we think, but what, Were there any favorites that you had? I know we've already mentioned some, but are there any, like, when you think of 80s horror film, like, the decade and that genre, is, what stands out to you?

erin:

Well, you know, like, I, I think probably Friday the 13th, if we're just doing those three, probably Friday the 13th, probably, and then also, I think, what is the, is it Firestarter, or what is the one where she gets all the blood splattered on her? Oh Carrie, that's right. That's another Stephen King. Yeah, that one was pretty traumatic and also kind of called out all the mean girls and stuff like it just kind of made you really realize like, Oh, yeah, everything isn't always perfect in high school or, you know, like, and don't always don't be mean to people. Don't pick on people. You don't know what's going on with them.

Tanya:

Yeah. You don't know if they have psychic powers that can destroy you. Yeah. So

erin:

that's Carrie. Yeah, Friday the 13th hell starter, whatever that was super traumatizing. like with Pinhead. Oh yeah. That was really scary. Fire,

Tanya:

starter Fire with Drew Barrymore. Yeah, that one was the little one. Yeah.

erin:

And then but yeah, I think like if I had to pick, I'd say Friday's the 13th and. I did really like, Nightmare on Elm Street, but it just got really creepy, it, like, some of them were just so creepy and scary, well, I guess that's the whole point, it's a horror, it's scary, it's supposed to be creepy and scary, but what about you?

Tanya:

what do I think of? I would definitely say, like, Halloween stands out with Mike Myers, because, just like, The creepiness of he's just on the block and like with the mask and he's just silently standing there.

Yeah, scary.

Tanya:

Holtergeist stands out because that just scared me being near the TV and being like, am I gonna get sucked in? Yeah. Oh my gosh.

erin:

Yeah, that, I mean the whole, everything about that movie. Oof. The old man with the bolster tie. The little old woman, psychic woman. The, every single thing about that movie is just really scary. Yeah.

Tanya:

Creepy. Oh, you know, another one is, I think it's the 80s. The Omen? Was that? That was another Stephen King, right? Oh, yeah, with Malachi. Was that Malachi or was that Children of the Corn? That was Children of the Corn, I think, which is another one, yeah. Oh, yeah, that Children of the Corn was Malachi. That was so scary. Was that the 80s? Oh my gosh, that was terrifying. Let's see. Yeah. It seems like it was. Yeah, the Omen was really scary. That was with Damian. Damian? Was that the kid's name? Damian, yeah. Yes. And he had the 666 carved. Oh, that was the 70s, the Omen. But let's see. I think Children of the Corn was definitely the 80s, I think. Yeah,

that

Tanya:

one was. That was Stephen King too, right?

erin:

I don't know. It was just really, maybe it was, maybe the 80s were Stephen King. You know, it was just all about

Tanya:

Yeah, he defined that decade. Like, he really Yeah, it is Stephen King, and it was Oh, it was The story was written in 1977, but the film came out in 1984. Yeah. Yeah, that one was really terrifying. That one always scared me. I was always like, there's something about Like, I always associated like, cornfields. I was like, there's something scary in there. Yeah. I mean, like, of course, you know, it could feel like that, but I would never And now

erin:

people pay money to go into cornfields, into mazes, and Malachi could be there. We don't know. Yeah. You purposely pay money to get lost in a cornfield maze.

Tanya:

Yeah, I still I kind of hesitate, I mean, I never really did that too much but I did do one, I went to one with my dog and my husband few years back and I kind of was like, ugh, but the corn was really low so I was like, okay, I feel safe. And

erin:

usually they give you a flag too, but yeah, they are kind of creepy and I notice my anxiety is really high in those and I wonder if it is because the children of the corn because I'm always afraid, like, oh my gosh, what if I get lost and this is where I live? Yeah. Yeah. I

Tanya:

wonder if there's a lot of people who watch those movies, like if they have core anxieties based on like cars coming to life, dogs, cornfields, like just defined by that generation. I mean, things that people don't know. Yeah, exactly. Oh my gosh, yes. It's just it really is in our subconscious. I think it really defines a lot of our camping and a dark scary You know, I don't know thoughts and subconscious Yeah

erin:

Cuz I mean I know woods and stuff like that creep me out at night like and I'm sure a lot of people and not just because I'm afraid of bears or whatever, but Yeah, because there could be someone waiting to murder you in a Jason style. You don't know.

Tanya:

Yeah, I kind of wonder now. I'm very paranoid about a lot of things that are kind of strange and I think it all ties back to like Stephen King. Like, I think we can, like, Stephen King probably owes us some money for therapy. Yeah,

erin:

We should have just been like, let's just talk about Stephen King. Maybe we should do that one episode. Just Stephen King. I mean, it's just very, it is very interesting though, that a lot of, yeah, cause Carrie, Firestarter, those are really scary movies, and very scary premise, too and Cujo, Christine, yeah, I just remember Christine, this, you, this guy is so happy with his new car, and then the car tries to kill him, or kill other people, it's just really

Tanya:

scary. Yeah, and it won't stop, it won't give up, and it just comes, it has its own conscious, consciousness.

erin:

that is interesting, though. I would want to know, like, how many people have seen horror movies when they're younger or scary movies when they're younger and they notice, like, wait a minute, I'm kind of afraid of this or that. I won't go in cornfields. I won't do this. Let us know

Tanya:

about that. We want to start taking polls of that. That would be really interesting. Like, I bet there is something or maybe somebody's done a study somewhere like that because obviously movies and, you know, especially. Now with like social media and stuff like that, there's TikToks and things like that, but movies and shows are all going to influence kind of our core

erin:

being if we watch it when we're younger. It's core memories. Like so I was saying like with my First real scary movie that I remember was in like fourth or fifth grade. It's probably fourth. Like really scary, like Poltergeist. But I know I saw Amityville Horror, but I don't know if that was before or after. But I just, I mean, that really shaped, you know, like it was just so, I mean, I still remember that closet. I remember the feeling, and I remember being afraid, and I remember my sister having to be like, it's, you're fine. The door, and because we would even, but you could lock the closet on, We locked the attic closet because it had a little hook thing and then we locked our closet door. Sometimes I'd even put something in front of the closet door because I was so afraid and it was because of that movie.

Tanya:

Yeah, so I, I think that's our biggest takeaway, honestly, is that a generation of people were just Frickin traumatized by all these things and yeah, we likely are still walking around unaware of how this is affecting us because I just like made that connection right now with Cujo like I, you know, Rottweiler and stuff like, there's probably so many other things

erin:

and it's so interesting too that you've created Cujo to be a Rottweiler because your neighbor's dogs really scared you and probably when you watch that movie, something in your brain just associated. Nope. It's the neighbor's dog. It's something that looks like that.

Tanya:

Yeah. Like they had the face. Cause those are the dogs. I was definitely afraid of. Wow. Yeah. I would run down the street. Oh wow. Like, I was scared to death. Or I would, like, kind of look and be like, okay, I can get to the gate if I can get back here. I was just so, so, so frightened of them.

Yeah.

Tanya:

But, yeah. So that's, I think this is a good place to stop and where you all pick up and tell us your traumas, if you're of that era, or of what you think about that. Or maybe you have seen some of these movies and you're not from that generation. I'm curious about that, too.

erin:

Share. And because we do get on our thing, you can do fan mail, you could. Leave as a review or anything like that, but yeah, it would be interesting to see what movie you're most influenced by or gave you the most psychological trauma, you know, like we want to know your psychological trauma. Okay, yeah, I, yeah, I'd say mine is probably more than I'm thinking about is probably a poltergeist as far as the psychological trauma.

Tanya:

Yeah. Holtergeist, Pet Sematary. Yeah, Gage.

erin:

Maybe Carrie too. Yeah, Carrie for, definitely affected for, because I wasn't, I can't remember when it came out, but I just remember thinking like friendship groups and different like that and feeling like, oof, you don't want to mess with, you don't want to mess with people you don't know what their whole story is or what's going on with them.

Tanya:

Yeah, and like what their power, their individual power is, you know. that horrific flashback to the 80s, we would like to close out and again hand it over to you and let us know how you were traumatized or, you know, maybe you weren't. Maybe this sparked up, I don't know, a whole creative career for you.

erin:

or maybe you've never seen these and now you're like, wait a minute, now I want to see some of these movies. I've never watched. Yeah, go check

Tanya:

them out.

Yeah.

Tanya:

I mean, they're

really good. It's a whole thing. They're good. They're good and scary. They're scary.

Tanya:

You gotta experience it to know, and maybe you gotta live during that time. Maybe not. I don't know. Yeah. We really don't know that, but let us know. We just to hear that. Yeah. Some

hold up, some don't.

Tanya:

Yeah. I mean, I, well, I probably don't hold up, but I think that, you know, in terms like some of the takeaways definitely do So we would love to hear from you, you know, we have Instagram at Wicked Psychotherapist, Facebook, the Wicked Psychotherapist subscribe. Follow anywhere where you're following right now. Leave us a review. We love that. Send us some fan mail. We love that too. Let us know any future episodes.

Yeah, so this will be coming out the week after Halloween. So we're trying to keep you in the Halloween spirit.

Tanya:

Yes, because the veil, I read somewhere that the veil that, that fends between the living and the dead, it starts on October 17th, and it goes until November 10th, so we'll still be in the shadow of Halloween. Really?

That's interesting. I don't,

Tanya:

yeah, it's I don't know if this was completely made up or what, but it sounded nice, so just keep that in mind. Yeah, so there's your random facts that is maybe not a fact for

the day. So talk to those that have passed. Yes, you know,

Tanya:

all right, and don't forget, stay wicked.

And keep your mind well, and have a good week,

erin:

we will see you next week. All right, bye bye. Take care, guys. Bye.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.

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Erin

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Tanya Santos

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