Alien | Mother is Calling

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In this episode, the Clever Ghouls wander off into deep space to discuss Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror sci-fi masterpiece, Alien. The film stars Sigourney Weaver and follows her and her crew through space on their commercial spaceship, Nostromo, as they investigate an unknown distress signal.  But once the crew finds an egg aboard, things quickly turn to chaos. Pull up a seat and follow along as we dig deeper into this classic film and discuss topics like gender roles and how this film set the tone for feminism in sci-fi, allegories of motherhood, the rampant sexual and phallic imagery in this film, why we fear the unknown, how sci-fi has changed as technology advances, and which Ghoulie would be the last one standing against a Xenomorph.

We are also THRILLED to be joined by our very first guest,  Sarah Sheppeck (they/fae/she). Sarah is the co-Editor-in-Chief of biannual queer fashion magazine just femme & dandy. Born and raised in upstate New York, she lives with her beloved pit bull, Chloe, and her horrible cat son, Rita Moreno. Find her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok: @EpicSheppeck; and the magazine: Instagram @justfemmeanddandy and on Twitter and TikTok @femmeanddandymag They also do astro-drags and rootwork on a pay-what-you-can scale.

Related minisodes for even MORE content:

• Technostress: Sci-Fi & How It Reflects Our Societal Fears | Minisode w/ Maegan
• That Thing You Do: Let's Talk About Vibrators | Minisode w/ Blair
• Blue Collar Claustrophobia: The Costumes of Alien | Minisode w/ Blair

A note about the movie and therefore the subject matter of our discussions: Alien is rated R by the MPAA sci-fi violence/gore and language. Some content warnings to be aware of are: strobe effects, violence and mild gore (including mild body horror), implied penetration, and lots of jumpscares.

The Clever Ghouls podcast, hosted by Maegan and Blair, is a show dedicated to watching, analyzing, and discussing the movies that make us think about them long after we’ve left the theater or turned off the TV. We bring quick wit and unique perspectives from backgrounds like art history, cinematography, psychology, analysis, public education, mysticism, mythos, and more to create a curated, inclusive conversation around the spooky movies we love. Tune in on your favorite podcast hosting platform to listen along, join the conversation, and chime in with your own observations!

Our intro and outro music was created for us by Josh Marshall. For more episodes and other spooky content, find us on your favorite social media platform through our handle: @CleverGhouls. Don’t forget to subscribe and share, and if you really like our content, please leave us a review. Or we’ll haunt you forever. Thanks for listening!