At these dark times (read: Halloween, not the burning hellscape of our democracy, come on!) we look to the “Prince of Darkness” himself for frights and insights into the state of horror. This week, Chance and Noah watch and review John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” “The Fog” and “The Thing.”

We’re joined by Andy Crump and Niela Orr to unpack articles they wrote for The Hollywood Reporter and The Ringer, respectively, about the legacy of 1978’s “Halloween” as it celebrates its 40th birthday and hits theaters again in its latest sequel form. Your hosts discuss everything from how Carpenter uses space to create terror, whether “Halloween” gets a free pass on its mediocre dialogue, and what makes the special effects in “The Thing” so brilliantly disgusting.

Read Niela’s essay here and Andy’s here.

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BE REEL is brought to you by the MFA in Writing Program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Learn more about CCA’s den of poets, raconteurs, playwrights, and novelists at cca.edu/writingmfa.