Dissecting Dragons

Episode 443: 2024, the Real Life Experience - A Year in Review

As we bid adieu to 2024, the dragons are once again looking back on a year of news. There have been some definite low points, however there has also been a lot of good news this year which may have gone unremarked. Jules and Madeleine are redressing that balance with a selection of good news stories, scientific discoveries and reminiscences on their favourite books and films of the year. Join us for a hopeful episode as we gear up for taking 2025 by the horns.

(This is the last episode of 2024 but we will be back in February after a short break) 

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Episode 442: The Witches of Midwinter - Following the Wild Dance and Furious Hosts of Christmas

It's that time of year again: frantic last minute shopping, swearing at rolls of Sellotape, covering fir trees with bling....and the dragons emerge with a festive folkloric offering that adds a bit of shadow to the season.

 

This year Jules and Madeleine take a look at the strange relationship between Christmas and witchcraft. If that sounds implausible, stick around - there is a bizarre logic behind it. As with many folkloric traditions, the Christmas witch goes back centuries but some of the modern iterations bring a new level of horror to the tradition. We remember Father Christmas but forget Perchta. We tell stories about St Nicholas but forget St Lucy and her alter Ego, Bloody Lucy. And just who led the wild hunts during Saturnalia and later the twelve days of Christmas? Find out in a special festive episode.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 441: Remaking the 80s - Rewriting Classic Films for a Modern Audience

There are few phrases as bedight with dubious associations as 'for a modern audience'. In terms of storytelling, are we saying that the original story was flawed? That tends not to go down well with fans of the original. Or, conversely, does the phrase mean that a modern audience is somehow incapable of engaging with the original and needs to have the material dumbed down? Despite the trickiness of the situation, there has been an upsurge in reboots and remakes lately with even more scheduled for release in 2025. This week the dragons delve into why that is and whether it's a good use of storytelling muscles or not? 

On the slab this week: Fright Night, Road House, Disney Live action and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 440: The Devil's Music - the Occult, Rock'n'Roll and Storytelling

Music has a peculiar relationship with the supernatural, and no branch more so than the occult. Certain musical genres have a long association with the devil, both in folklore and urban legend. But why is that? Where did those stories originate? And how has this shaped modern horror and SFF? This week the dragons dive into Rock'n'Roll to unravel the devil's music.

On the slab this week - The Infernal - Kim Wilkins, We Sold Our Souls - Grady Hendrix, Evil in Me - Brom and many more.

 

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Episode 439: It Grows in Darkness - Mushrooms in Horror and SFF

From devices of comedy to alien antagonists to symbols of deep seated corruption, mushrooms and fungi make strangely appropriate side characters. They are used as set dressing, as indicators of other realms and as terrible weapons. Appropriately, they have woven tendrils so firmly through fiction that it's pretty much impossible to work out when they first entered storytelling cannon - potentially it was when storytelling pre-dated written language. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at these strange beings, examining how they have been used in a variety of genres and how you might want to use them in your own writing.

Under the microscope this week - The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson, What Moves the Dead - T Kingfisher, The Last of Us, The Girl with All the Gifts - M R Carey and many more.

 

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Episode 438: Jeeves Blackadder and Puss - Canny Domestics and Sneaky smart servants

On a lighter note this week, the dragons delve into a well loved trope which has its origins in folk and fairy tales, shifting and adapting for audiences over the centuries to reflect the socio economics of the time. The clever servant-foolish master dynamic is one which is still enjoyed today, balancing inequalities of social position, wealth and status with intellect, cunning and personability. The trope is a shapeshifter - played for laughs, delivered straight and used as supporting story. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at why. 

On the slab this week - The King's Knight, Blackadder the 3rd, Jeeves and Worcester and many more.

 

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Episode 437: Popular, you're gonna be popular - or are you? - Why Stage Production Musicals Often Fail on the Big Screen

It's no secret that the dragons are fans of musicals, so they should be delighted by all the film adaptations of popular stage shows, right? Well, that's not entirely the case. There are a variety of reasons why a stage production may not work as a film and vice versa, not withstanding any internet drama that blows up in the wake of an adaptation. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at why these adaptations can fall flat.

Under the spotlight this week: Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables and many more.

 

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DD 436: The Tiffany Problem - When Reality is too real for Speculative Fiction

It's pretty well established that truth is stranger than fiction, but what do you do when the facts are literally too unlikely for a reader to swallow? When historical accuracy or authenticity is likely to bounce your reader out of your story for being unrealistic? Welcome to The Tiffany Problem. This week Jules and Madeleine examine this phenomenon, follow a trail through some examples and finally, offer suggestions for how to counter it while still being accurate in your storytelling. 

 

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Episode 435: Snatchers surfers and Hitchers - Bodysnatching in Speculative Fiction

Possession is a regular trope in horror and sci-fi. The idea that a physical body could be taken over by an external entity is as disturbing as it is enticing. However, there are many sub categories of this kind of bodysnatching, from parasites that physically puppeteer to Freaky Friday-esque body swaps. This week, Jules and Madeleine delve into the humour and horror of the trope, drawing on a wide range of speculative fiction and there own work where appropriate.

 

On the slab this week: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, V, the Bodysnatchers and many more.

 

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Episode 434 -The Allure of the Curse - Speculative Fictions Oldest Trope

Generations of a family punished for the ill-advised actions or an ancestor? Crossed paths with the sidhe and worded an answer impolitely? Fallen foul of someone's desire for revenge? Chances are, in speculative fiction, the problem will turn out to be a curse. It may not really be the oldest speculative fiction trope but it's definitely got history. 

In this episode of the Dragons' spooky season, Jules and Madeleine drill down on the well used SFF and Horror trope of 'the curse'. How can you use the trope in a way that reads as fresh and novel? What are the main types of this trope? And what historical precedent is there for this occurrence in fiction? 

On the slab this week: Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynn Jones, Unveiled, The Ring and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic