Dispatches from The Sunken Place: How Horror Keeps Us Safe

This October, the Charlotta Bass Lab is asking: Where does the mind go for protection?

This episode explores how the Black Horror Renaissance—from Jordan Peele's Get Out to Ryan Coogler's Sinners—goes beyond entertaiment, transforming into works of subtle activism. By inverting the monster movie and revealing the monsters lurking in society, this style of horror not only processes our collective anxiety but helps us acknowledge and survive the real threats.

We dive deep into the meaning of this genre shift, discuss the historical roots of monster fear, and feature an excerpt from an interview with filmmaker Tevin Tavares on witnessing the daily horror of displacement in Los Angeles.