W. Scott Poole

Dr. W. Scott Poole, College of Charleston professor and author of “Monsters in America,” discusses monsters in popular culture, their sociological causes, the influence of religion on monsters, and explores the nature of evil and subconscious fears. They also critique the Twilight series and touch on various -ologies while covering a wide range of topics.

W. Scott Poole, historian of modern horror; Lynn Kozak, scholar of ancient literature and fear; Catherine Wynne, literary critic of du Maurier. They explore why birds became terrifying: migrations and environmental loss, Hitchcock’s shift to domestic and psychological dread, ancient ornithophobia and group behavior, and the story’s resonance with nuclear, technological and ecological anxieties.

Stacey St. Clair, a reporter with the Chicago Tribune known for her work on the Tylenol murders, teams up with W. Scott Poole, a history professor and horror author. They dive into the origins of Halloween fears, tracing them from ancient traditions to today's panics like the rainbow fentanyl scare. The conversation also reveals how the Tylenol case amplified public anxiety about candy safety, highlighting the media's impact on societal perception. Together, they debunk myths and explore the eerie evolution of Halloween's cultural landscape.