Nosferatu (2024)
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to 1830s Germany (and Transylvania) with Nosferatu! Join us as we learn about the folklore of garlic, exhuming suspected vampires, plague ships, and more! Sources: Booseum: Vampires! Carnegie Museum of Natural History, available at https://carnegiemnh.org/booseum-vampires/#:~:text=Garlic%2C%20specifically%20the%20chemical%20compound,would%20%E2%80%9Ckill%E2%80%9D%20a%20vampire. Vampire Myths Originated With a Real Blood Disorder, available at https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/vampire-myths-originated-real-blood-disorder Eater Video: How Garlic Became a...
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American Psycho
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to the 1980s with American Psycho! Join us as we learn about Wall Street killers, men's skincare products, Page 6, "Hip to be Square", and more! Sources: Cynthia Weiner, "What We Miss When We Talk About the Preppy Killer," Crime Reads (2025), https://crimereads.com/what-we-miss-when-we-talk-about-the-preppy-killer/ James Feron, "Wall St. Analyst Guilty in Murder of Second Wife," The New York Times 17 March 1989, B2, 38. Leonard Buder, "Suspect Seized in Two Murders in Wall St. Area," The New York Times 23 June 1982, B1. ...
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Some Like It Hot
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're going back to the Roaring 20s with Some Like It Hot! Join us as we learn about the Valentine's Day Massacre, speakeasies, Shell Oil, blood typing, and more! Sources: "Prohibition," Mob Museum, available at https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-prohibition-underworld/the-speakeasies-of-the-1920s/ Legends of America, Prohibition Speakeasies: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-prohibitionspeakeasy/' Farhud DD, Zarif Yeganeh M. A brief history of human blood groups. Iran J Public Health. 2013;42(1):1-6. Epub 2013 Jan 1. PMID: 23514954; PMCID: PMC3595629. Mitra R,...
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Zola
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to the ye old internet days of 2015 with Zola! Join us as we learn about Vine, Backpage, Florida strip club rules, and more! Sources: Casey Newton, "Why Vine Died: Closing the Loop" The Verge (2016) https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/28/13456208/why-vine-died-twitter-shutdown John Herrman, "Vine Changed the Internet Forever. How Much Does the Internet Miss It?" New York Times (2020). Justin Perlman, "What was Backpage? Why Did It Shut Down?" Philadelphia Weekly February 29, 2024....
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Aguirre, The Wrath of God
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're going back to 16th-century Peru with Aguirre, The Wrath of God! Join us as we learn about Spanish women who went on expeditions, the real Lope de Aguirre, the wild stories behind the production of this film, and more! Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of incest and sexual abuse. Sources: Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aguirre,_the_Wrath_of_God Roger Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-aguirre-the-wrath-of-god-1972 Geoff Andrew, "Great Beginnings: Aguirre, The Wrath of God," BFI:...
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65
Did That Really Happen?
This week we travel back to dinosaur times with 65! Join us as we learn about all kinds of prehistoric weirdness, including pack-hunting dinosaurs, Spanish moss, swamp creatures, the big asteroid, and more! Sources: Emily Osterloff, "How an Asteroid Ended the Age of the Dinosaurs," Natural History Museum, available at https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-an-asteroid-caused-extinction-of-dinosaurs.html#:~:text=The%20impact%20site%2C%20known%20as,largest%20crater%20on%20the%20planet. Eric Hand, "Updated: Drilling of Dinosaur-killing Impact Crater Explains Buried Circular Hills," Science,...
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Blade Runner
Did That Really Happen?
It's a new year, so it's once again time for our annual special episode on depictions of the future! Join us as we take a look at 2019-as-imagined-in-1981's Blade Runner, with discussions of gas flares, Japanese influence on American culture, the resurgence of 1940s fashion, and more! Sources: Ryan Britt, "Blade Runner: How Its Problems Made It a Better Movie," Den of Geek, available at https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/blade-runner-making-of-history/ Roger Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blade-runner-directors-cut-1992 Ben Sherlock, "Like Tears in Rain," Screen Rant,...
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Singin in the Rain
Did That Really Happen?
For our last episode of 2024, we're traveling back to 1920s Hollywood with Singin' in the Rain! Join us as we learn about mood music on set, elocution lessons, fan magazines, stunts, and more! Sources: Pamela Hutchinson, "The Silent Era Film Stars Who Risked Life and Limb Doing Their Own Stunts," The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/07/silent-era-film-stars-risked-their-lives-doing-film-stunts "The Evolution of Stunts: Part I," British Action Academy, available at https://www.britishactionacademy.com/blog/the-action-reel/the-evolution-of-stunts-part-one/ Ronald...
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Lisa Frankenstein
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to 1989 with Lisa Frankstein! Join us as we learn about leg warmers, intuitive people and emotional vampires, the world's biggest contraceptive sponge, tanning beds, and more! Sources: Tori Telfer, "A Brief History of Leg Warmers," Bustle, available at https://www.bustle.com/articles/29436-whatever-happened-to-leg-warmers-hint-animals Rare Historical Photos, "The Legwarmers Craze of the 1980s," available at https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/legwarmers-fashion-1980s/ Ngram, "Intuitive person:"...
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Wicked Little Letters
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to 1920s England with Wicked Little Letters! Join us as we learn about the real women who appear as characters in this movie, including Edith Swan, Rose Gooding, and Police Officer Gladys Moss! Sources: Audrey Cartron, Women in the Police Forces in Britain, 1880-1931, MA thesis, full text available at https://library.college.police.uk/docs/theses/CARTRON-Women-in-the-police-forces-in-Britain-1880-1931.pdf Sislin Fay Allen, National Archives: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/significant-people-collection/sislin-fay-allen/ History of Women...
info_outlineToday we're traveling to early 2000s Chile (but also 18th century France, and some other times, too) with vampire-themed political satire El Conde! Join us as we learn about Lucia Hiriart, Augusto Pinochet's shady money dealings, that time he got arrested in London, and more!
Sources:
John Bartlett, "Widow of Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet Dies at 99," The Guardian, available at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/16/lucia-hiriart-widow-chilean-dictator-augusto-pinchocet-dies-age-99
Eva Vergara, "Lucia Hiriart, Widow of Chilean Dictator Pinochet, Dies at 99." Washington Post, Available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2021/12/17/pinochet-widow-hiriart-dead/
Andres Oppenheimer, "Ex-Dictator Had Millions in U.S. Bank," (2004). https://archive-yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/ex-dictator-had-millions-us-bank
Hector Tobar and, Eva Vergara. "The World; New Evidence Shatters Chileans' Image of a Frugal Pinochet: [HOME EDITION]." Los Angeles Times, Aug 02, 2004.
O'Brien, Timothy,L. "At Riggs Bank, A Tangled Path Led to Scandal." New York Times (1923-), Jul 19, 2004.
TIMOTHY L O'BRIEN and,LARRY ROHTER. "U.S. and Others Gave Millions to Pinochet." New York Times, Dec 07, 2004, Late Edition (East Coast).
TIMOTHY L O'BRIEN and,LARRY ROHTER. "The Pinochet Money Trail." New York Times, Dec 12, 2004, Late Edition (East Coast).
Minder, Raphael. "Spain Reopens Pinochet Inquiry into Tax Evasion and Laundering: [Foreign Desk]." New York Times, Jul 31, 2021, Late Edition (East Coast).
Robinson, Eugene. "Thief of State: [FINAL Edition]." The Washington Post, Dec 12, 2006.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6606013
RT: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/el_conde
Jessica Kiang, "'El Conde' Review: Pablo Larraín’s Bizarro-World Reckoning With Pinochet’s Bloodthirsty Legacy," Variety, https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/el-conde-review-pablo-larrain-the-count-1235708790/
Drew Gillis, "El Conde review: Dictators suck in Pablo Larraín's vampiric satire," AV Club, https://www.avclub.com/el-conde-review-pablo-larrain-1850832103
Carlos Aguilar, "El Conde," https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/el-conde-movie-review-2023
Variety, "'El Conde' Cinematographer Breaks Down the Flying Vampire Nun Sequence Using a 90-Foot Crane & Wires," https://youtu.be/bUBbN_xWnCE?si=LRZrkhtwn1zCBhcE
Veronica Diaz-Cerda, "General Pinochet's Arrest: 20 Years On, Here's How It Changed Global Justice," The Conversation, available at https://theconversation.com/general-pinochet-arrest-20-years-on-heres-how-it-changed-global-justice-104806
"""Pinochet Arrested in London,"" The Guardian, available at https://www.theguardian.com/world/1998/oct/18/pinochet.chile"