Ep. 086: Top Horror Films Set in Rural America

For this Halloween Special, Lyndsey Quinlan, Digital Marketing Associate for the Cardinal Institute, and Jessica Dobrinsky, Staff Writer for the Cardinal Institute, join Garrett Ballengee to discuss horror films set in rural locations. They share their favorites and explore themes of folklore, rural horror, and hicksploitation. They also take a deep dive into what makes a good horror film and look at literary themes, the power of music and lighting in film, human psychology analyzed through film, and some history behind scary movie genres. If you enjoy horror films, and even if you don’t, you’ll enjoy this riveting discussion of top horror films set in rural America. Follow Jessica & Lyndsey Follow Jessica Dobrinsky on Twitter https://x.com/jldobrinsky Follow Lyndsey Quinlan on Twitter https://x.com/its_Lynds_ Films Discussed Night of the HunterNight of the Living DeadTexas Chainsaw MassacreChildren of the CornEvil Dead 2 Sleepy HollowThe Blair Witch ProjectThe Witch Additional Resources & Mentions Nightmare Before Christmas - film Hicksploitation – theme/trope Film Noir - genre Harry Powers – serial killer West Virginia Penitentiary a.k.a. Moundsville Penitentiary Horror Film - genre Leaning on the Everlasting Arms – Hymn Once Upon a Time There Was a Pretty Fly – Song White Zombie – film Slasher – genre Head Cheese – food Video nasty – type of film Stephen King – author Carrie – novel Comedy Horror – genre The Evil Dead – film Necronomicon Ex Mortis – fictional book from a film Ash vs. Evil Dead – TV show Sam Raimi – film director Bruce Campbell – actor and producer The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – book Atmospheric Horror – genre Found footage – film technique Flying Ointment Garrett Ballengee, Host President & CEO - @gballeng Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer Vice President of Communications & Strategy - @akieffer13 Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer - @Aviv5753 Follow: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram Support: Donate, Newsletter