The Evolution of Horror (podcast)
| The Evolution of Horror | |
|---|---|
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Mike Muncer |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Mike Muncer |
| Language | English |
| Updates | Weekly |
| Length | 30–150 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Audio format | MP3 |
| No. of episodes | 355 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | August 27, 2017 – present |
The Evolution of Horror is a weekly podcast created and hosted by journalist Mike Muncer alongside guests. The podcast is serialised by subgenres including folk horror, paranormal and slashers. Episodes have reviewed classic horror films, cult films, contemporary and new releases.[1]
Premise
Muncer worked as a TV producer on BBC's Film 2018 [2] and he worked on the BBC Radio 1 film podcast Screen Time.[3] Episodes of Evolution of Horror review horror films with a different returning guest reviewers with Muncer, and they have a typical runtime of one to two hours. The show typically releases one episode weekly.
Main episodes are hosted by Mike Muncer (and guest) and are focused on reviewing two films who meet the criteria that series' subgenre. At the end of the episode Muncer will typically ask the guest reviewer their personal favourite horror film.[4][5] Other episodes feature Muncer interviewing film writers and directors including Robert Eggers, Damien Leone and James Watkins.
List of episodes
| Season | Title | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slashers | 15 | August 27, 2017 | ||
| 2 | Ghosts | 20 | January 10, 2018 | ||
| 3 | Folk Horror | 17 | June 21, 2018 | ||
| 4 | Zombies | 23 | January 21, 2019 | ||
| 5 | The Occult | 22 | October 24, 2019 | ||
| 6 | Mind and Body | 35 | June 11, 2020 | ||
| 7 | Aliens | 30 | June 11, 2021 | ||
| 8 | Vampires | 27 | May 6, 2022 | ||
| 9 | Home Invasion | 36 | March 24, 2023 | ||
| 10 | Nature Bites Back | 37 | January 5, 2024 | ||
| 11 | Bonus Episodes | 58 | September 24, 2027 | ||
Season 1
The first season explores the history of the slasher subgenre and reviews films including Psycho (1960), Halloween (1978) and It Follows (2014).
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "An introduction to horror" | 1:24:00 | August 27, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by Rob Watts | ||||
| 02 | "Slashers Pt 1: An Introduction" | 1:12:00 | September 8, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by BFI Programmer Michael Blyth and hosts of "The Final Girls" podcast | ||||
| 03 | "Slashers Pt 2: Psycho & Peeping Tom (1960)" | 1:33:00 | September 22, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by Ollie Charles and film composer and historian Neil Brand. | ||||
| 04 | "A Brief History of Horror Music" | 55:00 | September 24, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted with film historian and composer Neil Brand | ||||
| 05 | "Slashers Pt 3: A Bay of Blood" | 1:29:00 | September 29, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted with film critic Alan Jones | ||||
| 06 | "Slashers Pt 4: Black Christmas (1974)" | 1:00:00 | October 6, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted with Rhianna Dhillon and features a psychoanalytical perspective from Mary Wild | ||||
| 07 | "Slashers Pt 5: Halloween (1978)" | 1:49:00 | October 13, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted with film critic Chris Hewitt and Jacob Stolworthy | ||||
| 08 | "Slashers Pt 6: Dressed to Kill (1980)" | 1:05:00 | October 19, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted with film critic and journalist Boyd Hamilton | ||||
| 09 | "Slashers Pt 7: Friday the 13th (1980)" | 1:09:00 | October 27, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted with Rob Watts | ||||
| 10 | "Slashers Pt 8: Slasher Mania (1980-1985)" | 1:10:00 | November 3, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted with Michael Blyth | ||||
| 11 | "Slashers Pt 9: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)" | 1:06:00 | November 10, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by film critic James King | ||||
| 12 | "Slashers Pt 10: The Slasher Slump (1987-1995)" | 1:12:00 | November 17, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by Brad Hanson | ||||
| 13 | "Slashers Pt 11: Scream (1996)" | 1:30:00 | November 24, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by journalist Helen O'Hara | ||||
| 14 | "Slashers Pt 12: 21st Century Slashers" | 1:16:00 | December 1, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by Jonathan Hatfull and Katherine McLaughlin | ||||
| 15 | "Slashers Pt 13: It Follows (2014)" | 1:05:00 | December 8, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by film critic Tim Robey | ||||
| 16 | "Slashers Pt 14: Conclusion & Final Exam" | 1:00:00 | December 15, 2017 | |
|
Co-hosted by Bryan Ryan for a quiz | ||||
Season 2
The second season explores horror film featuring ghosts and the paranormal. Film reviews include The Innocents (1961), The Amityville Horror (1979) and Paranormal Activity (2007).
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Ghosts Pt 1" | 1:59:00 | January 10, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Andy Nyman, writer of Ghost Stories, and Kev Lyons, editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Films & TV (EOFFT). | ||||
| 02 | "Ghosts Pt 2: House on Haunted Hill (1959)" | 1:17:00 | January 19, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Michael Blyth | ||||
| 03 | "Ghosts Pt 3: The Innocents (1961) & The Haunting (1963)" | 1:28:00 | January 26, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by film producer Jen Hardof | ||||
| 04 | "Ghosts Pt 4: Whistle & I'll Come To You (1968) & The Stone Tape (1972)" | 1:46:00 | February 2, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Michael Blyth and Ren Zelen | ||||
| 05 | "Ghosts Pt 5: The Amityville Horror (1979) & The Changeling (1980)" | 1:03:00 | February 16, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Dan Martin | ||||
| 06 | "Ghosts Pt 6: The Shining (1980)" | 1:48:00 | February 16, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Danny Leigh, from the BBC Film (tv series) and journalist Louise Blain | ||||
| 07 | "Ghosts Pt 7: The Fog (1980) & Poltergeist (1982)" | 1:35:00 | February 23, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by filmmaker Prano Bailey-Bond and Bryan Ryan | ||||
| 08 | "Ghosts Pt 8: The Entity (1982)" | 1:25:00 | March 2, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Mary Wild | ||||
| 09 | "Ghosts Pt 9: Ghostbusters (1984) & Beetlejuice (1988)" | 1:20:00 | March 9, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Roger Watts | ||||
| 10 | "Ghosts Pt 10: The Woman In Black & The BBFC" | 1:53:00 | March 16, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by actor Steven Webb | ||||
| 11 | "Ghosts Pt 11: Ghostwatch (1992)" | 1:25:00 | March 22, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by director Ghostwatch Lesley Manning and film and TV critic Boyd Hilton | ||||
| 12 | "Ghosts Pt 12: Candyman (1992)" | 1:23:00 | March 30, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Sam Ashurst | ||||
| 13 | "Ghosts Pt 13: Ringu (1998) & Ju-On (2002)" | 1:16:00 | April 6, 2018 | |
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Co-hosted by Digital Spy film editor Rosie Fletcher | ||||
| 14 | "Ghosts Pt 14: The Sixth Sense (1999) & The Others (2001)" | 1:10:00 | April 13, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by BFI writer Henry Barnes | ||||
| 15 | "Ghosts Pt 15: The Devil's Backbone (2001) & The Orphanage (2007)" | 1:11:00 | April 20, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by film critic Clarisse Loughrey | ||||
| 16 | "Ghosts Pt 16: Paranormal Activity (2007)" | 1:00:00 | April 26, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Jacob Stolworthy | ||||
| 17 | "Ghosts Pt 17: The Conjuring (2013)" | 1:03:00 | May 4, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Louise Blain | ||||
| 18 | "Ghosts Pt 18: 'Also-Rans' with Brad Hanson" | 1:44:00 | May 17, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Brad Hanson | ||||
| 19 | "Ghosts Pt 19: The Babadook (2014) & Under the Shadow (2016)" | 1:27:00 | May 18, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Rhianna Dhillon | ||||
| 20 | "Ghosts Pt 20: Conclusion" | 1:26:00 | May 25, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Bryan Ryan for a quiz | ||||
Season 3
The third season explores the folk horror genre. Film reviews include The Wicker Man (1973), The Blair Witch Project (1999) and The Witch (2015).
| No. | Title | Running time | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Folk Pt 1" | 1:03:00 | June 21, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by actor and director Alice Lowe and TV and film graphic artist Richard Wells | ||||
| 02 | "Folk Pt 2: Witchfinder General (1968) & Blood on Satan's Claw (1971)" | 1:30:00 | June 29, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by film producer Jen Handrof | ||||
| 03 | "Folk Pt 3: The Wicker Man (1973)" | 1:11:00 | July 6, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh | ||||
| 04 | "Folk Pt 4: TV Folk Horror & The Psychology of Cults" | 1:59:00 | July 13, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Mary Wild and Thom Burgess | ||||
| 05 | "Folk Pt 5: The Night of the Hunter (1955) & Onibaba (1964)" | 2:10:00 | July 20, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Paul Ridd and Kevin Lyons | ||||
| 06 | "Folk Pt 6: The Seventh Seal (1957) & The Virgin Spring (1960)" | 1:00:00 | July 27, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted with Sam Ashurst | ||||
| 07 | "Folk Pt 7: Straw Dogs (1957) & Deliverance (1972)" | 1:19:00 | August 3, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted with journalist Elena Lazic | ||||
| 08 | "Folk Pt 8: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)" | 1:35:00 | August 10, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted with Jamie Graham from Total Film | ||||
| 09 | "Folk Pt 9: Hicksploitation (1977-2010)" | 1:41:00 | August 17, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted with Brad Hanson | ||||
| 10 | "Folk Pt 10: The Blair Witch Project (1999)" | 1:21:00 | August 24, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted with Rosie Fletcher | ||||
| 11 | "Folk Pt 11: Kill List (2011) Sightseers (2012) & A Field in England (2013)" | 1:26:00 | September 2, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Dan Martin | ||||
| 12 | ""Folk Pt 12: The Witch (2015)" | 1:24:00 | September 7, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Louise Blain | ||||
| 13 | ""Folk Pt 13: Slender Man (2018) & Viral Folk Horror" | 1:35:00 | September 14, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Alex Ayling | ||||
| 14 | ""Folk Pt 14: 20th Century 'Also-Rans'" | 1:57:00 | September 21, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Giles Edward | ||||
| 15 | ""Folk Pt 15: 21st Folk Horror" | 1:16:00 | September 28, 2018 | |
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Co-hosted by actor Stevie Webb | ||||
| 16 | ""Folk Pt 16: Green Room (2015) & Get Out (2017)" | 1:00:00 | October 5, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Rhianna Dhillon | ||||
| 17 | ""Folk Pt 17: Conclusion, Quiz & Listener Emails" | 1:00:00 | October 8, 2018 | |
|
Co-hosted by Bryan Ryan | ||||
Reception
ScreenRant included Evolution of Horror in their list of the "10 best podcasts for horror movie fanatics" in 2020.[6] The podcast has won 'Best Media Outlet' in 2024 and 2025 at the Horor Critics Group's The Golden Claw Awards.[7] In August 2018, Evolution of Horror was one of the Guardian's podcasts of the week picked by readers and was described as feeling "like Desert Island Discs for the horror genre".[8]
References
- ^ McGowan, Em (2020-02-21). "British Movie Podcast of the Week ? The Evolution of Horror". Film Stories. Archived from the original on 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ "BBC One - Film 2018, A Wrinkle in Time, Unsane, Pacific Rim: Uprising". BBC. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1 - Radio 1's Screen Time, The Best Of Horror special with Mike Muncer - and Speak No Evil's James McAvoy". BBC. 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
- ^ ICO (2023-07-14). "Podcasts at the Cinema: plugging into new audiences". Independent Cinema Office. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ Dee, Jake (2023-12-25). "The Best Horror Movie Podcasts for Genre Fans". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ Summers, Megan (2020-05-31). "10 Best Podcasts For Horror Movie Fanatics". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ "The Golden Claw Awards". Horror Critics Group. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ Slaney, Rowan; Mumford, Gwilym; Davies, Hannah J. (2018-08-03). "The fantastical world of Studio Ghibli – podcasts of the week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-07.