Podcasts
[Horror Queers Podcast] Discussing the Sibling Protagonists of Mike Flanagan’s ‘Oculus’
Mirror, mirror, on the fritz.
The last few weeks on the Horror Queers Podcast have resulted in plenty of great discussions and hilarious shenanigans. We’ve considered cannibalism as a metaphor for homosexuality in Ravenous, drooled over Delphine Seyrig’s fierce queer vampire in Daughters of Darkness and been baffled by the sheer ineptitude of the slasher musical Stage Fright.
In the newest episode, Joe and I discuss Mike Flanagan’s 2014 killer mirror feature Oculus. We know, we know: there’s nothing queer about this movie. But rewatching it got us thinking about the close relationship between sibling protagonists Kaylie and Tim and the role that a sibling (or siblings) can play in the coming-out process. So we made it work!
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Episode 15 – Oculus (2014)
Who would have ever thought a movie about a killer mirror could actually be A) good and B) scary? That’s right, the boys are discussing Mike Flanagan’s 2014 film Oculus! Join Joe and Trace as they gush (pun intended) over Flanagan’s oeuvre and discuss the role a sibling (or siblings) can play in the coming-out process. Plus, the boys decide which killer mirror movie is better: Oculus or Alexandre Aja’s Mirrors? Hint: it’s not the one with Kiefer Sutherland.
We’ve even got some homework for our more devoted listeners this week!
- Share your sibling’s (or siblings’) role(s) in your coming-out story.
- Send us your Oculus sequel ideas.
- And for those of you who don’t like Oculus or find it difficult to relate to the characters: Why?
Cross out Oculus!
Coming up Wednesday: we admire the balls that everyone had to follow up Hitchcock’s classic horror film Psycho with a look back at the underrated sequel Psycho II.
– Joe & Trace
P.S. Be sure to check out all of our online articles right here.
P.P.S. As an added bonus, if you subscribe to our Patreon you can listen to our reactions to Jordan Peele’s Us and the new adaptation of Pet Sematary! Also dropping at the end of the month: our thoughts on The Curse of La Llorona, the latest film in the Conjuring universe!
The Halloweenies hitch a ride out to the small town of Abaddon in Upstate New York to check out this totally killer haunted house that’s opening: Hell House LLC.
Join Michael Roffman, Justin Gerber, and Rachel Reeves as they discuss director Stephen Cognetti’s found footage gem that has since spawned multiple sequels and spinoffs. But, as with anything, nothing is ever quite as good as the original.
Note: This episode was originally released to our patrons in October 2025.
Stream the whole conversation below or subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and Universal Monsters.
This year? Hellraiser AND The Omen.
You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gremlins, Child’s Play) and one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Saw, 28 Days Later, Manhunter, Near Dark). Each month promises something new and unexpected from the wildest corners of the genre.