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
Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Midnight Special (2016) —
Space Jesus, cosmic forces with subdued undertones, picking a lane, unexpectedly enjoyable, good movies with underwhelming endings, electromagnetic manipulation, technokinesis, faith in the face of a cynical world.
Saturday Aug 30, 2025
Saturday Aug 30, 2025
A Dark Song (2016)
Occult as therapy, trauma, revenge, healing, dysfunctional dynamics, the mental trap we make ourselves, inner demons enacting external tolls, angel summoning, learning to forgive, the price of revenge, ""black"" magic, the rituals don't matter, dying does wonders for one's priorities, garmonbozia, the ophanim in the room, a tattooed rat speaks, Vince Gilligan
CW: Domestic violence and abusive relationship dynamics, sexual assault
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Saturday Aug 16, 2025
Saturday Aug 16, 2025
Mad God (2021) – Practical effects, Right VS Left Hand Path: Which is Better in 2025?, inside the atrocity engine, there’s always a bigger fish, as above so below, spiritual desolation, the shit we swallow, Mad as in ANGRY, endless cycles, infant alchemy, the life to suffering pipeline, ceasing the cycle within ourselves, The Last Man as Theif, The Last Man as God
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Saturday Aug 09, 2025
Saturday Aug 09, 2025
Active Volcano (2023), dir. Caroline Kopko —
Mnemonic fallibility, the creative process, V~I~B~E~S, plus listener comments about "…World’s Fair.”
Saturday Aug 02, 2025
Saturday Aug 02, 2025
The Holy Mountain (1973) – A spiritual Ocean's Eleven, ego death, mortality salience, tonal duality, paganism, horizontal conquest, sacred geometry, tossing the little man, suckling from the rebus, allegorical fourth wall, enlightened filmmaking, cinematic mercy
Saturday Jul 26, 2025
Saturday Jul 26, 2025
The Holy Mountain (1973)Occultism 101, Christs for sale, hermeticism, gnostic jellyfish, alchemy, planet people, sexretarial duties, based martian lesbians, all cops are ball-less, the fascist atrocity engine, Pluto's icy penisCW: Animal harm, police violence, systemic racismPart two will be uploaded next week instead of a liminal.
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Saturday Jul 19, 2025
Saturday Jul 19, 2025
General discussion of vampire media to companion of with last week's release!
Saturday Jul 12, 2025
Saturday Jul 12, 2025
Climate of the Hunter (2019) –
Philosophical dogs, the symbolic significance of gargling tampons, Quentin Depieux, failing to capitalize on vampiric metaphor, half-assed feminist messaging, objectification, gaslighting, nouveau rizz
CW: Sexual assault
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Saturday Jun 28, 2025
Saturday Jun 28, 2025
Inland Empire (2006) –
Layered narrative, sexually dimorphic folklore, fate, embodied sexual violence, generational trauma, sex work and Hollywood, crabs in a bucket, changing the narrative, a disinterested god, disorienting structures, going with the flow
CW: Sexual violence and abusive relationships
Outro Music is Arcadia by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Saturday Jun 21, 2025
Saturday Jun 21, 2025
Clifford (1994) —
Schizoaffective disorder, neurodivergence, selfishness, psychotic comedies, SA in stories
CW: Sexual assault