Weird Studies

In this episode, long overdue, Phil and JF discuss one of the great American horror films: WIlliam Friedkin's 1973 adaptation of Willam Peter's Blatty's _The Exorcist_.

Music: "Nascent Red," from PY Martel's Weird Studies Vol. 1.

For details on Quentin S. Crisp's upcoming Weirdosphere talk on literature and the supernatural, visit Weirdosphere. The event takes place on October 31 at 3 pm EST.

Support Weird Studies on Patreon.

References

William Friedkin (dir.), The Exorcist

Richard Donner (dir.), The Omen

Fulton J. Sheen, On the Demonic

William Blatty, The Exorcist

Gyrus, North

Don Siegal and Clint Eastwood (dir.), Dirty Harry

Weird Studies, Episode 88 on Mr. Punch

Joe Bob Briggs, American film critic

Matt Cardin, "Teeth"

Ryan Duns, The Theology of Horror

Norman Mailer, "The White Negro"

Ray Brassier, Nihil Unbound

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man"

Thomas Ligotti, The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

John Lennon, "Imagine"

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On September 26, JF and Phil took part in the Dream Mapping Symposium, a three-day event organized by the Dream Mapping Project and the Dream Library Foundation, and held at the Brooklyn Public Library. Their mission was twofold. First, Phil was to read Dostoevsky's short story "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man," and then, he and JF were to have one of their conversations about it. Despite inclement weather, exploding lighting equipment and the labyrinthine NYC subway system, it went off like a dream. In this episode, we offer you the full recording of the event.

Special thanks to Alisa Minyukova and Kelly Bulkeley for a thought-provoking weekend.

To support Weird Studies, ⁠become a patron⁠ of the show.

It's not too late to sign up to Erik Davis's Weirdosphere course, Do Androids Dream of Reading PKD? The first of two live Q&As with Erik is on Sunday, October 11, 2026.

Music in this episode: "Springtime on Ganymede" from PY Martel's Weird Studies vol. 2.

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In this episode, JF and Phil are joined by their beloved assistant and invaluable collaborator Meredith Rigby (formerly Meredith Michael) to discuss her recently completed doctoral dissertation, Composing the Cosmos: 20th Century Musical Mythologies of Outer Space. Meredith explains how classical music, in the last century, became a privileged zone for exploring the meaning, threat, and promise of the starry void after the collapse of the old cosmologies.

Music: "Fogcutter" from Pierre-Yves Martel's Weird Studies Vol 3.

Support Weird Studies on Patreon.

Upcoming Events

Registration is open for Erik Davis's course on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? , starting October 1, 2026, on Weirdosphere.

On September 26, 2026, join JF and Phil at the Brooklyn Public Library for a live recording on dreams and Dostoevsky. Part of the Dream Mapping Symposium, organized by The Dream Mapping Project and the Dream Library Foundation.

On October 3 and 4, ⁠HitchCon 26⁠ will feature talks on Hitchcock and David Lynch. Speakers include JF and Victoria Nelson.

References

Meredith Rigby, "Composing the Cosmos: 20th Century Musical Mythologies of Outer Space"

Charles Taylor, A Secular Age

Henri Bergson, Creative Evolution

Jerry Goldsmith, Theme from Star Trek: The Next Generation

Richard Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra

Gustav Holst, "Mars" and "Neptune" from The Planets

Lili Boulanger, "Les Sirènes"

Alan Leo, The Art of Synthesis
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Having taken up the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in episode 207, Phil and JF turn to part two, The Two Towers. Together, they peel back the husk of familiarity to reveal the strange object underneath: a story about stories, about life and destiny in a storied world.

Music: "Wotan Hangs" from Weird Studies Vol. 1 and "For the Sun" from Weird Studies Vol 3.

Support Weird Studies on Patreon.

Upcoming Events:

JF's course on the metaphysics of the horror genre, The Awful Truth, starts September 17, 2026, on Weirdosphere.

Erik Davis's course on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? starts October 1, 2026, on Weirdosphere.

Click here for details on JF and Phil's appearance at the Brooklyn Public Library on September 26, 2026. Part of the Dream Mapping Symposium, organized by The Dream Mapping Project and the Dream Library Foundation. Attendance is free.

References

J. R. R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

Viktor Schlovsky, “Art as Technique”

Arthur Machen, “A Fragment of Life”

Joshua Cutchin, Fourth Wall Phantoms

Cristina Campo “On Fairy Tales”

J. R. R. Tolkien, “On Fairy Stories”

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
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Episode 218 will drop at the end of our summer break on September 9, 2026. Today, enjoy this recent audio extra, originally released for members of the Weird Studies Patreon. In the intro, JF announces two important Weirdosphere events: a talk on language in the age of AI by Emma Stamm, and a new six-week course on the idea of truth in horror cinema and literature. To learn more and enroll, visit Weirdosphere.

The musical piece following the intro is "Hypnagogic," from PY Martel's recent album Weird Studies Vol. 3.
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