Emissaries from the Void
Emissaries from the Void examines cinema that is odd, obscure, oblique, or opaque, with an eye toward theming. The tone is casual but thoughtful, and commonly analyzes content through feminist and leftist lenses, but there are plenty of jokes and silliness as well. Our goal is to make media literacy accessible for films that often defy easy explanation. Surreality, expressionism, absurdism, dream logic, Layers of Artifice, the uncanny, allegory, and occult themes are all common features of the void, and we invite you to explore it with us. Lose yourself, find yourself, transform yourself in cinema’s mirror, but be warned: When you open yourself up to change, you can never be sure where you'll end up…
Listen on:
Episodes
Sunday Nov 30, 2025
Sunday Nov 30, 2025
Stitch (2014)
Horror tropes in a blender, a single good scene, "a big ass", wasted potential, hilariously bad practical effects, quantum hell dimension, tasteless endings, would have made a good anime
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Saturday Nov 22, 2025
Saturday Nov 22, 2025
The Mask - 2023
Performance Art, the dark side of creative passion, Conor O'Malley, The Mask, conspiracy theory pipeline, dark comedy mockumentary, the decline of psyche on the Internet.
Saturday Nov 15, 2025
Saturday Nov 15, 2025
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) – The V~I~B~E~S, Christopher Marlowe, hipster art philosophy, funeral music for the world, art as "content," irony poisoning, corrupted blood, quantum entanglement, there is no shoe, creative fuel, strength in connection, Mad God, ethical consumption, nihilism vs optimism, forced commodification
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
Bears Discover Fire
Technology, Humans vs Nature, the concrete hell, ascension, mistakes made by natural beings, how we'd treat aliens
Saturday Nov 01, 2025
Saturday Nov 01, 2025
Hellraiser 1+2+RebootSensation, ongoing consent, limit experiences, addiction, a homeless dragon, sacrifice rewards program, curiosity predatio, the porous line twixt pleasure and pain, wearing Julia, releasing oneself, the anti-Lovecraft
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Saturday Oct 18, 2025
Saturday Oct 18, 2025
Antichrist (2009) – Gendered grief, "gynocide," Inland Empire, Fateful Findings, unreliable director, let buried birds lie, the grief-despair-pain cycle, pain is a tool, nature is Satan’s church, internalized misogyny, the wrong shoes, schizophrenia, therapeutic malpractice, extreme codependence, intrusive thoughtsCW: Sexual Assault, Violence and Gore, Domestic Abuse
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Saturday Oct 04, 2025
Saturday Oct 04, 2025
Possibly in Michigan (1983) -
Toxic gender, consumptive love, Ohio, masks we wear, love of perfume, commercialism, death obsessed, Dave Made a Maze
Sunday Sep 28, 2025
Sunday Sep 28, 2025
Dave Made a Maze –Imposter syndrome, ADHD, hyperfixation, why is Leonard, keeping the alligators fed, the illusion of creative control, tunnel visions, Hal Heartley, irresponsible creativity
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Monday Sep 22, 2025
Monday Sep 22, 2025
Eagles Are Turning People Into Horses (2009)
Low emotional intelligence, pushing away those you love, early internet humor, five second film core, "efficient product", people not wanting to deal with problems directly
Saturday Sep 13, 2025
Saturday Sep 13, 2025
Color Out of Space (2019) — Cosmic horror, bubble of safety, environmentalism, cosmically modified organics, invasive species, watch out: you might get what you're after, an "intellectually abusive voice," dysfunctional communication, familial legacy, contagious change, fence-sitters die first
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio