TV
‘Monstrum’ Halloween Episode Celebrates the Holiday’s History with Bats [Watch Now]
PBS series “Monstrum” celebrates monsters and myths all year round, but this Halloween, the series is giving a special spotlight to an enduring symbol of the holiday: the bat.
Catch up on the Halloween history and lore associated with the bat on Halloween Eve; you can stream the episode below.
The show, hosted by Emily Zarka, Ph.D., takes us on a journey to discover a new monster for each new episode. Dr. Zarka looks at humans’ unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film.
As the episode’s synopsis puts it, “Bats have long been symbols of death and darkness. But why? Their rise as Halloween’s spookiest icon traces back to ancient Celtic traditions, revealing how these harmless creatures turned into something far more evil. Join us under the Congress Street Bridge in Austin as we unravel the spooky myths, vampire lore, and Halloween history that turned these sky puppies into creatures of the night!”
Dr. Emily Zarka earned a Doctor of Philosophy in English from Arizona State University, specializing in British Romantic literature with an emphasis on the Gothic. Dr. Zarka approaches literature and film through monsters, applying the theory that human history is monster history. She is the writer and host of the PBS Digital Studios series “Monstrum “, which looks at complex histories and motivations behind some of the world’s most famous monsters. Her teaching experience includes literature, composition, film and media, and humanities classes. Currently, she is on the faculty of the English Department at Arizona State University, teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in composition and literature.
The series that celebrates and examines monsters of all kinds is now in its seventh season. Catch up on recent episodes about The Beast of Gévaudan, creepypastas, ghost whales, and more on the PBS Storied YouTube Channel.
Netflix announced today that the fan-favorite series “Devil May Cry” has been renewed for a third and final season following the recent debut of season two.
Created by “Castlevania” showrunner Adi Shankar, the animated adaptation of the popular Capcom game introduces a world where sinister forces seek to open a portal between the human and demon realms.
Caught in the middle is orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire Dante, unaware that the fate of the balance falls to him.
Across its two seasons, the series has appeared on the Netflix Global Top 10 for four weeks, with season one accumulating 21.7M views in 2025, and season two already off to a strong start, accumulating 6.4M views in just two weeks. All of which to say that the rapid renewal for the third and final season doesn’t come as a surprise.
“For those of you who have been paying attention to the episode names, I have been showing you the structure the entire time. This was always Dante’s Divine Comedy with guns and a red coat. Season 1 was Inferno. Season 2 was Purgatorio. Season 3 will be Paradiso. These three seasons make up ‘The Force Edge Saga.‘ Since its inception, ‘The Force Edge Saga‘ was designed as a movie trilogy disguised as a television series,” Shankar said of the announcement.
The voice cast for “Devil May Cry” Season 2 is led by Johnny Yong Bosch (“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”) as Dante, Robbie Daymond (“Critical Role”) as Vergil, and Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) as Lady.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his second season review for BD, “Winning chemistry between Dante and Vergil, as well as a narrative that isn’t afraid to put other characters in the spotlight, helps this season overcome some of the past season’s hurdles. This is a tight, economical season that doesn’t overstay its welcome, but part of the charm and impact is weakened the second time around. “
Created by Hideki Kamiya, the first Devil May Cry game was released in 2001. There are now five main games in addition to several reboots, spin-offs, special editions, and mobile games.
Catch up on the first two seasons now streaming on Netflix.
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