HeyJaredMatriarchs of Horror
A podcast that explores horror through a feminist lens. Each episode dives into horror novels, films and cultural moments to examine how the genre reflects women’s fears, desires, and resistance to patriarchal power.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 5
- Latest publication
- Sep 23, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 28, 2026
Latest episodes
Milicent Patrick (opens the original)
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Hello, Matriarchs! Today, I want to do something a little different. If you followed me on TikTok before I started this podcast, you might remember that I used to regularly spotlight women throughout horror history whose work had been forgotten or overlooked. Those women were the original Matriarchs, in my opinion. In fact, that series is where the name for this podcast came from. So I thought I would bring it back. And our first Matriarch has one hell of a story. And if you’re a horror fan like
The Female Director Problem Hollywood Refuses to Fix (opens the original)
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Hello, Matriarchs! The topic of today’s episode is something that has been weighing on my mind a lot lately. Because despite all the progress we’ve supposedly made when it comes to gender equality, Hollywood still has a massive problem with actually giving women opportunities behind the camera. According to an annual study from USC Annenberg, women directed just 8% of the films that reached the domestic box office in 2025. And when you narrow that down to horror, somehow it gets even more depres
Who Decides What Women Are Allowed to Desire? (opens the original)
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Hello, Matriarchs! This week's episode includes a recycled conversation with Haley Piper because it coincides with the release of Jane Shoenbrun's latest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. In this episode I unpack the complicated relationship between female fantasy, desire, and shame, and how horror has long played a role in judging women for what they want. From forbidden fantasies to the ways women’s sexuality has historically been policed, I'm asking a bigger question: Who decided wh
The Curse of Inheritance (opens the original)
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Hello, Matriarchs! This week, author Cynthia Gomez joins the podcast to discuss her new novel, Muñeca which is a haunting exploration of identity, class, race, and the price women pay for inheriting legacies they never chose. We also dive into what it means to be third-generation Mexican American, the complexities of navigating two cultures at once, and the feeling of existing in a cultural limbo where you're never quite "enough" of either.
Horror's Long History of Villainizing Single Mothers (opens the original)
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Hello, Matriarchs! Single mothers have long occupied a complicated place in horror, often portrayed as unstable or even monstrous. In this new episode, I unpack the history of the "single mom" trope, exploring how the genre has used motherhood and societal fears to shape some of its most memorable characters. Later I'm joined by author Emma Cleary to discuss her creepy debut novel, After Birth . We dive into postpartum horror, the pressures of modern motherhood, and why maternal fears make such
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