Podcasts
[Horror Queers Podcast] Evil Esther is a Threat to the Nuclear Family in ‘Orphan’
After making a brief detour into the world of television with In the Flesh last week, we return to Hollywood with Jaume Collet-Serra’s Orphan (just in time for its 10th anniversary!). In the film, a couple (Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) adopt a mysterious 9-year-old girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) after the death of their unborn child. That’s really under-selling the movie, though, because it contains one of the most ridiculous (and amazing) twists in horror history. Joining us for the discussion is Sade Sellers, one of the co-hosts of the Afro Horror Podcast.
And in case you missed it: we spent the first half of the summer covering entries from popular horror franchises! Here’s a quick recap: we got a little too deep into a discussion of bodily fluids when we watched Ginger Snaps, drooled over Billy Zane’s gay Collector in Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight and lamented how poorly 1999’s killer crocodile horror comedy Lake Placid has aged.
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Episode 31 – Orphan (2009)
Joe and Trace are traversing the spooky halls of Dark Castle Entertainment to discuss Jaume Collet-Serra’s (The Shallows, House of Wax) creepy-kid movie Orphan! Joining them on their tour is Sade Sellers, one of the co-hosts of the Afro Horror Podcast! Her expertise on black horror cinema will prove crucial when the boys analyze Sister Abigail’s (C.C.H. Pounder) brutal death by hammer!
Other topics on the table are the film’s obscenely long 123-minute runtime, Trace’s thoughts on Taissa Farmiga’s acting abilities (or lack thereof) and Joe’s fight for deaf actors’ rights.
Also: Why is Peter Sarsgaard’s character the absolute worst? Why doesn’t Character Actress Margo Martindale believe anything Vera Farmiga says? And what is Asia Argento’s secret connection to the film?
Cross out Orphan!
Coming up Wednesday: We cover our first family film as we travel to Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts to raise the dead with ParaNorman and its shocking gay character reveal in its final moments!
– 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 a full-length bonus episode on Alexandre Aja’s insanely fun killer alligator movie Crawl!
It’s always a cruel summer, but 2026 is about to get crueler.
To blow off steam, the Losers hit the road to visit all the towns in Stephen King’s Dominion. Derry, Castle Rock, Ludlow, Boulder, the list goes on. They’ve got miles to drive and so many (scary) sights to see. At the end of the day, though, they have to ask themselves: Which one’s the best? And, more importantly, what does “best” mean in this context?
Stream the episode below. PayDays and Nozz-a-La, optional. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).