Show Notes
Acknowledgement of Country
I would like to acknowledge that I live, work, and learn on the traditional lands of the Dharug and Darkinjung peoples. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.
Just like the Carrie novel, we are going to divide this episode in 3 parts. We are even keeping the OG names! So you can listen to either or all (or none), depending what you’re most interested in!
This is part 1 - ‘Blood Sport’, we are dissecting into the original 1974 Carrie novel by Stephen King. Expect scary spoilers, deep dives & terrifying tangents!
In part 2, ‘Prom Night’, we are following Brian de Palma to the epic school night of his 1976 iconic movie adaptation.
In part 3 - BONUS, ‘Wreckage’, we are peeking behind the curtain to see what Monsters hide behind the Archives with Caroline Bicks’s 2026 exploration of Carrie’s earlier drafts & alternative plot twists!
If you’re keen to come along on this bloody ride, make sure to stash some of those sanitary napkins & tampons from the broken vending machine in the bathroom, and get ready to PLUG IT UP!
Content Warning: like all of my eps, this is an explicit episode which is targeted at adults. It is labelled accordingly on your pod platforms with *E* symbol. However, if you’re listening on my website - take care of yourselves & your fam first! Please go through the triggers below before jumping in!
Potential Triggers: discussion or mentions of blood, menstruation, trauma, parental abuse towards their children, bullying, violence, school systems, sexual assault, religious mania.
Cold Open: passage fromBicks, Caroline. Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King. New York: Hogarth, 2026. [FL's copy]
Music:
- Tiga Maine - Tiga Maine - Uhamba Nami (ft. Bhlaklyn & Lady Kay)
- Grumplefunk - Questions
- Pufino - Vibing (Chill Lofi Royalty Free Music)
- Julia Felix - The Topography of Metaphysics & Actuality
- Ethos - Forever Ending
- Mr Smith - Harmonics and the Night
Equipment:
JBL Quantum Stream Studio | Quad pattern premium USB microphone for streaming, recording and gaming
Audacity - recording & editing - free!
Mentions. lit:
Finger & Rainy Season short stories from Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993)
Night Shift (1978)
Survivor Type & The Jaunt short stories from Skeleton Crew (1985)
Good Neighbours (2021) & Trad Wife (2026) by Sarah Langan
Yesteryear (2026) by Caro Claire Burke
We Sold Our Souls (2018) & Witchcraft for Wayward Girls (2025) by Grady Hendrix
Girl Dinner (2025) by Olivie Blake
Danse Macabre (1981) by SK, non-fiction on writing
The Dorians (2026) by Nick Cutter
'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (1977), Pet Sematary (1983), It (1986), The Institute (2019), Firestarter (1980), Doctor Sleep (2013) by SK
Sources:
Bicks, Caroline. Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King. New York: Hogarth, 2026. [FL's copy]
Birzer, Bradley J. "The Haunting of Hill House." The Imaginative Conservative, January 6, 2017. https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2017/01/shirley-jackson-haunting-of-hill-house-bradley-birzer.html
"Book Review of Monsters in the Archives by Caroline Bicks." BookPage, April 28, 2026. https://www.bookpage.com/reviews/monsters-in-the-archives-caroline-bicks-book-review/
"Carrie Is Shining: Internal Monologue in Stephen King's Carrie and The Shining." Cool Lima Bean, January 22, 2018. https://coollimabean.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/carrie-is-shining-internal-monologue-in-stephen-kings-carrie-and-the-shining/
Hong, Ze. "The Evolutionary-Cognitive Foundation and Cultural Persistence of Menstrual Taboos in Human Societies." Evolution and Human Behavior 47, no. 4 (2026): 106899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2026.106899
King, Stephen. Carrie. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2011. [FL's copy]
Rumel, John E. "Back to the Future: The In Loco Parentis Doctrine and Its Impact on Whether K-12 Schools and Teachers Owe a Fiduciary Duty to Students." Indiana Law Review 46, no. 3 (2013): 711– https://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/practice/law-reviews/ilr/pdf/vol46p711.pdf
Sechrest, Jason. "Firestarter and Standing Up to 'The Man.'" Cemetery Dance Online, August 24, 2018. https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/what-i-learned-stephen-king-firestarter/
"Stephen King's Early Carrie Draft Featured the Telekinetic Teenager Morphing into an Alien Being." Fangoria, April 24, 2026. https://www.fangoria.com/stephen-kings-original-carrie-draft-alien-being/
"UMaine English Professor Caroline Bicks Talks New Book: 'Monsters in the Archives.'" UMaine News, June 8, 2026. https://umaine.edu/news/2026/04/umaine-english-professor-caroline-bicks-talks-new-book-monsters-in-the-archives/
"What Was Found in Stephen King's Private Archive Changes How You'll Read His Books Forever." Yahoo Entertainment, April 21, 2026. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/found-stephen-kings-private-archive-171027031.html
"Witchcraft for Wayward Girls Summary and Study Guide." SuperSummary. https://www.supersummary.com/witchcraft-for-wayward-girls/summary/