Slasher & the Final Girls
Every horror story has an origin. Ours began beneath Fourth of July fireworks in Nikki's backyard horror bar, where three horror nerds made the completely reasonable, and sober, decision to start a podcast instead of simply arguing about movies like everyone else.
Slasher & The Final Girls is where Courtney, Nikki, and Austin celebrate the films, books, legends, and gloriously unhinged corners of horror. From iconic slashers and haunted houses to creature features, overlooked gems, and the occasional wildly passionate tangent, nothing is safe from our autopsy table.
Our trio brings three very different perspectives to every episode.
Courtney (Crown + Crypts) is a former psychology teacher who can't resist a hauntingly beautiful film, a devastating Mike Flanagan monologue, or any story that lingers in your mind long after the credits roll. She'll happily unpack a killer's motivations just as quickly as she'll swoon over gothic cinematography.
Nikki is our resident gore hound and the closest thing you'll find to a real-life horror expert. A latent fingerprint examiner, former deputy death coroner, and former CSI, she pairs real-world forensic experience with an undying love for '80s slashers, practical effects, entomology, and all things Ice Nine Kills.
Austin is our Senior CSI and the podcast's resident encyclopedia of wonderfully specific knowledge. Whether he's explaining why a boat anchor works the way it does or debunking a movie's window mechanics, he has a knack for spotting the details everyone else misses. His perspective keeps us curious, grounded, and constantly learning something new.
Whether you're here for the body count, the deep dives, or the spirited debates in our After Party, pull up a chair. We saved you a seat... just don't go into the basement.
Summer of 84 (2018)
What if the serial killer next door was the person everyone trusted?
On Slasher & the Final Girls, we’re heading back to 1984 for bikes, paper routes, neighborhood festivals, teenage crushes…and one seriously suspicious neighbor. We break down Summer of ’84 through forensic science, crime scene investigation, and psychology, from hidden bodies and sodium hydroxide to blood evidence, clandestine crime scenes, authority bias, and suburban paranoia.
We also dig into what makes a killer hiding in plain sight so unsettling—and why the film’s nostalgic summer setting makes its final act hit even harder.
Plus, we head to the Afterparty for 1984-inspired snacks and drinks and debate which is scarier: the obvious monster, or the familiar person you never saw coming.
The Love Witch (2016)
This month we enter the colorful, campy, and dangerously romantic world of The Love Witch.
Austin and Nikki break down Elaine’s deadly search for perfect love, from suspicious heart failure and a hastily buried body to a ritual dagger attack that raises serious questions about blood spatter, wound depth, toxicology, DNA evidence, and how investigators uncover clandestine graves.
Courtney explores the psychology beneath the film’s glamorous surface, including the fear of rejection, the pressure to perform, desirability, and the danger of falling in love with a fantasy instead of the person standing in front of you.
Then, join us at the Afterparty for vibrant Love Witch-inspired cookies, cocktails, and mocktails as we answer the question: What is your favorite example of horror using beauty to make something feel even more unsettling?
The Wicker Man (1973)
The Wicker Man (1973)
This month, we’re trading jump scares for folk songs, flower crowns, sabotaged seaplanes, and one very bad May Day itinerary. Join us as we wander into The Wicker Man, where the villagers are friendly, the rituals are fertile, and the harvest demands a little more than rain. We’re breaking down the forensics of fire, the psychology of sacrifice, and why cheerful singing around a giant wicker effigy is, actually, a huge red flag.