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Once Upon a Nightmare - A Horror Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Lorraine
Lorraine is the host and creator of Once Upon a Nightmare: A Gen X Journey Through Horror. Her obsession with the genre started back in the 1980s, long before she was actually allowed to watch the films—spending hours in local video rental shops staring at the gory artwork on the back of VHS cases and letting her imagination run wild.Blending horror history, fascinating behind-the-scenes trivia, candid movie reviews, and fun Top 5 countdowns. Lorraine covers everything from 1970s Video Nasties and golden-era slashers to modern releases.Grab your popcorn, lock the cellar doors, and join the conversation!
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- Yesterday54 min
Misery (1990): The Ultimate Nightmare of a Number One Fan
In 1990, director Rob Reiner brought Stephen King's terrifying psychological thriller Misery to the big screen, delivering one of the most unforgettable performances in horror cinema.Starring James Caan as bestselling author Paul Sheldon and Kathy Bates as his obsessive number one fan, Annie Wilkes, the film takes us into a nightmare of captivity, obsession and psychological manipulation.After crashing his car during a snowstorm, Paul is rescued by Annie, who takes him back to her isolated home to nurse him back to health. At first, she appears to be his saviour. But when she discovers that Paul has killed off her beloved fictional character, Misery Chastain, her admiration turns into something far more sinister.What follows is a terrifying battle of wills as Paul realises that his rescuer has no intention of letting him leave.In this episode, Raye from Being Bookish lends me her episode due to the dreaded lurgy I have. We explore the story behind the film, the performances that made it a classic, and the disturbing themes that make it just as unsettling today.Join us as we revisit a 1990 horror classic where being someone's number one fan is quite possibly the most dangerous thing in the world.Being Bookish - https://beingbookish.co.ukJoin the Conversation: Thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple, Spotify and Podchaser.For updates, reviews and behind the scenes info follow via one or all of the belowoptions:Instagram – @onceuponanightmarepodcast Threads @onceuponanightmarepodcast Facebook - @onceuponanightmareEmail - onceuponanightmarepod@gmail.comOnce Upon A Nightmare is hosted, produced, researched, recorded and edited by me, Lorraine.Music: Sleepless City by Keys of Moon [ Electronica / Synthwave / 80s / Disco ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0EQR96NygSleepless City by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- 1 weeks ago37 min
Fear Street: Prom Queen – 80s Slashes, Prom Drama & Gen X Nostalgia (feat. Special Guest!)
Host Lorraine and a fellow Gen X guest Raye from Being Bookish check into Shadyside High in 1988 for Fear Street: Prom Queen! Deep-dive into 80s slasher tropes, kills, and R.L. Stine lore.Inspired by R.L. Stine’s iconic book series, this entry takes us straight back to our teenage stomping grounds. As two Gen Xers who lived through the golden age of 80s VHS slashers, secondary school prom drama, and zero mobile phones, we break down whether this new chapter captures that authentic vintage horror magic. Being Bookish - https://beingbookish.co.ukJoin the Conversation: Does reading the book impace how you view the film?Thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple, Spotify and Podchaser.For updates, reviews and behind the scenes info follow via one or all of the belowoptions:Instagram – @onceuponanightmarepodcast Threads @onceuponanightmarepodcast Facebook - @onceuponanightmareEmail - onceuponanightmarepod@gmail.comOnce Upon A Nightmare is hosted, produced, researched, recorded and edited by me, Lorraine.Music: Sleepless City by Keys of Moon [ Electronica / Synthwave / 80s / Disco ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0EQR96NygSleepless City by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- 2 weeks ago23 min
Ranking Every Ghostface Killer (Scream 1–7) – From Worst to Best
What’s your favorite scary movie? This week on Once Upon a Nightmare, host Lorraine is taking a trip down memory lane to rank every single Ghostface killer across the entire Scream franchise—from Scream (1996) all the way through Scream 7!Growing up in the 70s and 80s surrounded by horror titans like Leatherface, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger, the arrival of Ghostface in 1996 brought a completely different, human energy to slasher cinema. Clumsy, vulnerable, and getting the absolute shit kicked out of him by teenage girls, Ghostface changed the genre forever.In this special ranking episode, Lorraine counts down all 16 killers from worst to best, dissecting their motives, body counts, unmasking reveals, and psychological damage.Join the Conversation:Thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple, Spotify and Podchaser.For updates, reviews and behind the scenes info follow via one or all of the belowoptions:Instagram – @onceuponanightmarepodcast Threads @onceuponanightmarepodcast Facebook - @onceuponanightmareEmail - onceuponanightmarepod@gmail.comOnce Upon A Nightmare is hosted, produced, researched, recorded and edited by me, Lorraine.Music: Sleepless City by Keys of Moon [ Electronica / Synthwave / 80s / Disco ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0EQR96NygSleepless City by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- 3 weeks ago1h 3m
The Shining (1980) Kubrick’s Madness & Cabin Fever
Grab your axe and step onto the elevator! This week on Once Upon a Nightmare, host Lorraine is joined by Raye from Being Bookish as they check into the snowbound Overlook Hotel to dissect Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 psychological horror masterpiece, The Shining.Unbeknown to us we watched an extended version of The Shining, seeing scenes we have never seen before. We also cover the Stephen King novel of the same name over at Being Bookish - https://beingbookish.co.ukJoin the Conversation: Does reading the book impace how you view the film?Thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple, Spotify and Podchaser.For updates, reviews and behind the scenes info follow via one or all of the belowoptions:Instagram – @onceuponanightmarepodcast Threads @onceuponanightmarepodcast Facebook - @onceuponanightmareEmail - onceuponanightmarepod@gmail.comOnce Upon A Nightmare is hosted, produced, researched, recorded and edited by me, Lorraine.Music: Sleepless City by Keys of Moon [ Electronica / Synthwave / 80s / Disco ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0EQR96NygSleepless City by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- 4 weeks ago15 min
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Put down the map and step into the Black Hills of Burkittsville! In this episode of Once Upon a Nightmare, host Lorraine dives into the 1999 found-footage film, The Blair Witch Project, directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez.We go back to a time where a trip to the woods was not equipped with GPS and the sheer terror of getting genuinely lost in the middle of nowhere without a digital safety net was something we deeply understood.Join the Conversation:Thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple, Spotify and Podchaser.For updates, reviews and behind the scenes info follow via one or all of the belowoptions:Instagram – @onceuponanightmarepodcast Threads @onceuponanightmarepodcast Facebook - @onceuponanightmareEmail - onceuponanightmarepod@gmail.comOnce Upon A Nightmare is hosted, produced, researched, recorded and edited by me, Lorraine.Music: Sleepless City by Keys of Moon [ Electronica / Synthwave / 80s / Disco ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0EQR96NygSleepless City by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Oct 6, 202621 min
Top 5 Horror Movie Icons Ranked & Analysed
Lock your doors and check under the bed! In this episode of Once Upon a Nightmare, host Lorraine breaks down the heavy hitters, the ultimate Mount Rushmore of horror franchise villains who defined decades of cinematic terror.We explore the accidental prop design behind their terrifying looks, the psychological fears they tap into, and why their legends continue to rule the box office.Join the Conversation:Thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple, Spotify and Podchaser.For updates, reviews and behind the scenes info follow via one or all of the belowoptions:Instagram – @onceuponanightmarepodcast Threads @onceuponanightmarepodcast Facebook - @onceuponanightmareEmail - onceuponanightmarepod@gmail.comOnce Upon A Nightmare is hosted, produced, researched, recorded and edited by me, Lorraine.Music: Sleepless City by Keys of Moon [ Electronica / Synthwave / 80s / Disco ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0EQR96NygSleepless City by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Sep 29, 202622 min
Late Night with the Devil | Live TV Meets Demonic Possession
Turn down the studio lights and clear the airwaves! In this episode of Once Upon a Nightmare, host Lorraine dives into the 2023 found-footage sensation Late Night with the Devil, directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes.Set on Halloween night in 1977, the film follows struggling talk show host Jack Delroy (played brilliantly by David Dastmalchian) as he attempts a live televised exorcism to save his failing ratings, with catastrophic, blood-soaked results.Are you a believer in the supernatural?Join the Conversation:Thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple, Spotify and Podchaser.For updates, reviews and behind the scenes info follow via one or all of the belowoptions:Instagram – @onceuponanightmarepodcast Threads @onceuponanightmarepodcast Facebook - @onceuponanightmareEmail - onceuponanightmarepod@gmail.comOnce Upon A Nightmare is hosted, produced, researched, recorded and edited by me, Lorraine.Music: Sleepless City by Keys of Moon [ Electronica / Synthwave / 80s / Disco ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0EQR96NygSleepless City by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Sep 22, 202616 min
Who Is the Ultimate Horror Survivor? Our Top 5 Final Girls Ranked
Who belongs on the Mount Rushmore of horror survivors? Welcome back to Once Upon a Nightmare! In our third launch-day episode, host Lorraine breaks down the ultimate horror archetype: the Final Girl.From 1970s slashers to modern survival icons, we countdown our Top 5 Final Girls of all time. What makes a truly great survivor—resourcefulness, grit, booby traps, and pure refusal to die, while tracing how the trope evolved from helpless scream queens to battle-hardened heroines who fight back on their own terms.Join the Conversation:Thank you for listening and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple, Spotify and Podchaser.For updates, reviews and behind the scenes info follow via one or all of the belowoptions:Instagram – @onceuponanightmarepodcast Threads @onceuponanightmarepodcast Facebook - @onceuponanightmareEmail - onceuponanightmarepod@gmail.comOnce Upon A Nightmare is hosted, produced, researched, recorded and edited by me, Lorraine.Music: Sleepless City by Keys of Moon [ Electronica / Synthwave / 80s / Disco ] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0EQR96NygSleepless City by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoonMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
About Once Upon a Nightmare - A Horror Podcast
Lorraine is the host and creator of Once Upon a Nightmare: A Gen X Journey Through Horror. Her obsession with the genre started back in the 1980s, long before she was actually allowed to watch the films—spending hours in local video rental shops staring at the gory artwork on the back of VHS cases and letting her imagination run wild.Blending horror history, fascinating behind-the-scenes trivia, candid movie reviews, and fun Top 5 countdowns. Lorraine covers everything from 1970s Video Nasties and golden-era slashers to modern releases.Grab your popcorn, lock the cellar doors, and join the conversation!
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