Hey there, horror fans! We’re back in the basement where we're talking all things The Fly. How did this underdog of a movie become such a success? And seriously, how does a movie about a man turning into a fly work so well on the screen?
We're taking a trip back in time to the 1950s when paranoia and fear were all the rage after the A-bomb and World War II. We're also exploring the 1980s when Reagan and the AIDS epidemic were in full swing. Let's just say the political and cultural context of each era definitely influenced the movies. We’re digging into performances like Patricia Owens' impressive work despite having an insect phobia while filming, Jeff Goldblum's iconic turn as Seth Brundle, and Eric Stoltz's weirdly on-brand turn in The Fly II.
David Cronenberg's direction made the movie his own, and we're discussing how the creature design worked in each film. Plus, did you know that The Fly (1958) was actually in color? We fully Mandella’d ourselves. It’s weird, y’all. There be color here.
Join us for a discussion about the compatibility of horror and sci-fi and why The Fly continues to give us chills even after all these years.
Curious to check out the short story that started it all?
Check it out here!- (00:00) - Welcome to Sitting in the Dark
- (06:33) - The Fly, the Story, and Playboy Magazine
- (18:54) - Technophobia
- (22:07) - What makes this scary?
- (26:07) - The Fly II
- (34:53) - The Monsters
- (42:13) - The Women
- (46:16) - The Sequels
- (50:09) - Where you can watch 'em.
- (51:47) - Coming Attractions
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What is Sitting in the Dark?
Sitting in the Dark is a podcast about horror, but not the kind that hides in a single shadow. Each month, hosts Tommy Metz III, Kynan Dias, and Pete Wright pick a theme — an idea, a trope, a nightmare that keeps winding back — and explore it through three films that share its DNA. Sometimes the connections are obvious, sometimes they’re unexpected, and sometimes they lead you deeper into the maze than you expected to go.
One month might bring The Drac Pack, three wildly different takes on cinema’s most famous vampire. Another, a journey through The Bride, the Boy, and the Firetruck, unpacking coded queer horror across decades. We’ve explored maternal terror in Mommy Acts This Way Because She Loves You, broken into the home-invasion subgenre, tiptoed through haunted houses, and stared down both classic monsters and blockbuster franchises.
What ties it all together is a love of horror as a labyrinth — a twisting path where every turn reveals something new about our fears, desires, and cultural obsessions. With smart conversation, dark humor, and a willingness to look behind the curtain (or under the bed), Sitting in the Dark invites you to settle in, turn down the lights, and find out what connects the nightmares.