Episode 127. In Plain Sight: Manhunter (1986)

03/23/24 • 101 min

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In this episode, Andrea and Alex investigate how multiple characters are perceived and perceive Michael Mann’s entry into the Hannibal Lec(k)tor cinematic universe. From cops to killers and the humanity in between, these cuts go deep.

REQUIRED READING

Manhunter. Dir. Michael Mann, 1986.

EXTRA CREDIT

How Thomas Harris defined a genre and created fiction’s most likeable villain. An overview of the Hannibal Lecter saga and what made it unique. The Tabloid that Launched America’s Obsession with True Crime. Joe Pompeo’s look back at the lasting impact of the Daily News. Eating Blake, or an Essay on Taste: The Case of Thomas Harris’s “Red Dragon”. An examination of the use of high art in a mass market paperback. Hollywood, Home Movies, and Common Sense: Amateur Film as Aesthetic Dissemination and Social Control, 1950-1962. How technology shaped suburban America’s leisure time. How 70 years of cop shows taught us to valorize the police by Constance Grady. A history of depictions of law enforcement, from bumbling buffoons to modern day menace.

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REQUIRED READING

Manhunter. Dir. Michael Mann, 1986.

EXTRA CREDIT

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See you at SALEM HORROR FEST 2024!

We’re packing our bags to hop onto our broomsticks for our annual trip to SALEM HORROR FEST 2024 – and you’re invited!
Listen in for important info, dates, and highlights! Buy your tickets here!

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Next Episode

Episode 128. The Feral Feminine: Cat People (1942)

Coming to you live from Salem Horror Fest, Andrea and Alex prowl the darkest corners of RKO’s cult classic Cat People. From the themes of immigration and assimilation to the parallels of sex and power, we uncover how Jacques Tourneur and Val Lewton’s dark vision of 1940s America remains a prescient warning.

REQUIRED READING

Cat People. Dir. Jacques Tourneur, 1942.

EXTRA CREDIT

What history tells us about assimilation of immigrants. The paper published by Stanford University that explains the trends that followed immigration booms in the US in the first half of the 20th century. On Female Rage: Does the Wallpaper Look Yellow to Anyone Else? The Harvard Crimson’s examination of a new age of feminine anger that is forever grappling with the past. When God Was a Woman . Merlin Stone’s 1976 exploration of pre-Christian religions where women led. The uproar over the New Yorker short story “Cat Person,” explained. Male hysteria at women writing fiction about their feelings. Gore-Geous: Personal Essays on Beauty and Horror. Alex’s new book includes more thoughts on Cat People.