Horror as a Mirror: What Netflix’s MONSTER Makes Us See

Oct 23, 2025

In this discussion, Joey Pollari—an actor, musician, and director known for his role as Anthony Perkins in Netflix's *Monster*—explores the psychological depths of horror. He shares how Jungian ideas shaped his artistic process and discusses the complex interplay between personal trauma and public persona. The conversation addresses the nature of monsters within us, the allure of horror, and the impact of embodying monstrous characters. Joey also reflects on the lessons of resilience learned through rejection in the acting world.

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INSIGHT

Mother As Devouring Archetype

The show frames the mother as a devouring archetype driving repression and violence.
Pollari links repressed love and parental prohibition to fascination with darkness.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Therapist Scene Shift

Pollari describes a therapist scene where Perkins shifts through fear, hiding, and a charming mask to please authority.
That moment captured the collision of persona and private longing in performance.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Dream Journals Guided Coming Out

Pollari kept a dream journal for ten years and used dreams to guide coming out and career choices.
He credits dream work with reducing nightmarish content and clarifying life moves like Love, Simon.

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How Joey Found Jungian Work

01:56 • 1min

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Jungian Perspective and Acting

03:09 • 2min

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Preparing to Play Anthony Perkins

04:40 • 3min

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Effects of Playing Monstrous Characters

07:11 • 2min

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Who Is the Monster in MONSTER?

09:37 • 2min

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The Mother as Archetypal Monster

11:45 • 2min

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Freudian Readings and Psychoanalytic Moments

13:38 • 54sec

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Playing Vulnerability in the Analyst Scene

14:32 • 2min

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Casting, Persona, and Personal History

16:51 • 3min

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Resolution of Inner Tension and Coming Out

19:40 • 2min

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Dreamwork, Dream Parties, and Interpretation

21:51 • 6min

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Limits of Self-Interpretation

27:38 • 1min

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Art, Intuition, and Leaving Room for the Unconscious

29:02 • 3min

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Typology and Creative Method

32:12 • 7min

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Techniques Versus Intuition in Therapy and Acting

38:48 • 2min

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Melancholy, Creativity, and the Artist’s Inner Life

41:10 • 8min

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Accessing the Fourth Function Through Embodiment

49:12 • 2min

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Defense Mechanisms and Artistic Blocks

51:15 • 4min

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Resolving Resentment with a Dying Parent

54:56 • 3min

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Showing Up: Process Over Plan

58:11 • 2min

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Shadow Work Through Acting

01:00:04 • 4min

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Why We Seek Darkness in Horror

01:03:54 • 5min

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Fairy Tales, Taboo, and Bringing Things to Consciousness

01:09:16 • 3min

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Fantasy, Film, and Viewer Participation

01:11:53 • 3min

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Stories About Directors and Non-Actors

01:14:32 • 2min

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Humiliation, Rejection, and Learning in the Business

01:16:50 • 1min

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Watching the Finished Series as an Actor

01:18:05 • 4min

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Symbolic Image: The Vase Metaphor

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Addiction to perfection

Marion Woodman

Marion Woodman's "Addiction to Perfection" delves into the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship and its profound impact on women's lives. The book explores how societal pressures and unresolved maternal issues contribute to eating disorders and other forms of self-destructive behavior. Woodman uses Jungian psychology to illuminate the unconscious dynamics at play, emphasizing the importance of integrating the feminine aspects of the self. She offers insightful perspectives on the search for wholeness and the journey towards self-acceptance. The book is a valuable resource for women seeking to understand and heal from the wounds of their past.

#3103

• Mentioned in 15 episodes

Man and His Symbols

Marie-Louise von Franz

This book is an introduction to Carl Jung's work and ideas, particularly his theory of the unconscious and its role in human psychology. It emphasizes the importance of dreams and symbols in understanding the unconscious mind. The book is divided into five parts, each written by Jung or his closest associates, and includes chapters on approaching the unconscious, primitive myths, the process of individuation, symbolism in art, and symbols in individual analysis. Jung's concept of individuation, where the conscious and unconscious minds learn to live in harmony, is a central theme. The book is richly illustrated and provides insights into how symbols in dreams reflect and influence our lives.

#13276

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

Dream Wise

Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams

Deborah Stewart

Lisa Marchiano, LCSW

Joseph Lee

Dream Wise offers a structured approach to dreamwork, synthesizing Carl Jung's theories with practical methods for deciphering dream meanings. The book provides 69 keys to unlock the symbolism and hidden wisdom in dreams, focusing on personal growth and self-discovery through the integration of the unconscious and conscious selves.

#12372

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The inner world of trauma

Donald Kalsched

#14123

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The anxiety of influence

a theory of poetry

Harold Bloom

In 'The Anxiety of Influence', Harold Bloom presents a theory of poetry that explores how poets are influenced by their precursors and how they strive to create original work despite this influence. Bloom argues that poets must engage in a process of 'poetic misprision', or creative misreading, to carve out their own space in the literary canon. The book is divided into six revisionary ratios, drawing on Freudian psychoanalysis and classical rhetoric.

Split Image

Don Pendleton

In 'Split Image', Mack Bolan takes a break from his usual Mafia targets to work for the government, focusing on defending American freedom and tracking down a missing pilot. This novel marks a shift in Bolan's operations, highlighting his versatility as a character. The story involves Bolan's efforts to locate the pilot, who was recently exchanged for Bulgarian prisoners, and delves into themes of national security and espionage.

DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!⁠

The new controversial Netflix series MONSTER: The Ed Gein Story offers a window into the devouring mother archetype, a transformation fantasy gone horribly wrong, and the human capacity for monstrous behavior. Gein’s crimes inspired the Hitchcock movie Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs. It challenges the audience to confront its fascination with evil and begs the question, where do the monsters hide in our own Psyche? To help us wrestle with these questions, we’re joined by Joey Pollari—actor, musician, director, editor, and the man who plays Anthony Perkins in the show. We’ll explore how intimacy with darkness affects a performer, how public persona and private pain intersect, and why we continue watching when the camera reveals what we’d rather not know. Trigger warning: this episode discusses violence, death, criminality, and severe mental illness.

Learn More about Joey Pollari:

Listen to Joey’s new song, I’ll Be Romance

Joey’s Music

Joey’s Directing and Editing Work

Joey’s Acting Roles