Knowing Your Neighbor: Horror Rewind
DULUTH, Minn. — When Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl first met, they immediately bonded over their shared love of all things horror.
So, seven years ago, the pair decided to start a podcast called Horror Rewind, which has become a huge success.
“We realized that every week we’re talking about the latest movies that we watched, latest TV shows, books that we’ve read, and we started to think, what if we reexamined these horror movies from our childhood through the lens of today, did they hold up, did they not,” said Florence.
Both of the horror fans developed a love for the genre from a young age, especially with the feeling of being scared.
“I think that people love horror movies because there’s an empathetic nature to it, watching somebody go through such a horrible event and see them get through it, it kind of makes you feel good,” said Hafdahl. “I think there’s something really thrilling about being scared, but knowing you aren’t actually in bodily harm.”
While examining the horror genre, the duo found many popular villains were inspired by true stories.
Such as Freddy Krueger in the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ franchise.
Krueger’s persona stemmed from a series of mysterious deaths.
“There’s so many villains that are based on real killers and it’s fun when it’s in a movie and I think it just makes it all the more scary when you know the back story,” said Hafdahl.
The podcast has become very popular in the horror community and has also gained attraction from newcomers, who may just be beginning their own horror journey.
“Our plan is to take over the world with horror,” said Hafdahl.
During research the horror buffs discovered that women invented the genre, and they have played a significant role in some of today’s most famous films and stories.
Such as Agatha Christie, an author famous for her thriller and murder mystery books.
The pair also hope their audience discovers the true role of women in horror.
“There are so many great female characters in horror literature and horror films and that’s something that I really want people to hopefully take away from what we’re doing,” said Hafdahl.
Because of the popularity of the horror rewind podcast, Florence and Hafdahl have developed a series of books surrounding the science of the genre.
“We’re always coming at from the perspective of, what was happening in the world at the time, what inspired this move to be made, or this story to be written and what are the real facts behind it,” said Florence.
The newest book by the duo is now available. It is the seventh installment in their Science behind Horror series: The Science of Agatha Christie and it can be found on Amazon.
The Horror Rewind Podcast is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, such as Spotify, I Heart Radio and more.
