That's Pretty Dark: An '80s & '90s Nostalgia Podcast

Otherworldly invaders, radio Tricks, and Well(e)s of Treats… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids as they investigate one of America’s most notorious Halloween hijinks—the 1938 'War of the Worlds' radio broadcast—through the lens of everyone’s favorite Football Head on All Hallows Eve. With a harrowing recap of the myths and realities of this historical “alien invasion” entwined with a walkthrough of Hillwood's own recreation, they’ll raise all kinds of questions about what we collectively believe and the mechanics of how and why we decide to believe it.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Wicked purple ooze, violent programming, and enslaved parents ... Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids getting real about the silliest and most sinister(?) sides of the Power Rangers prism. Come tie together the loosest ends, bemoan missed opportunities, insert more euphemism than ever thought possible, and round it all out with the realization that maybe a dose of accessible empowerment and planetary preservation wasn’t the worst thing to feed your child-self.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Capitalistic considerations, Morphin mythos, and erotic planets… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids as they learn the layered history behind one of the biggest franchises (complete with infinite merchandise) their show has ever seen. Whether you were, yourself, a childhood Mighty Morpher or you’ve always wondered where all of its colorful chaos originated - the complex cultural overlap and monetary motivation are plentiful… and pretty dark. Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

The Law of the Jungle, ripples of consequence, and a childhood lost…or gained… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids as they STAMPEDE through a recap – and reevaluation – of Jumanji’s darkest truths, traipsing through the strange comfort and coping found in urban legend, the enduring-if-harmful performance of “masculinity,” and the unraveling of a town’s legacy…. Society’s games may have been established long ago, but if there’s anything this sentient tabletop teaches us, it’s that it’s our decision which ones to keep playing.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Imposter syndrome, improbable illustrations, and Robin’s legacy… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids for a JUNGLE of a time as they dig up long buried lore around Jumanji’s original author and its picture-book beginning, hit harrowing production highlights, and pay homage to one of the greatest comedians and thinkers the world has ever known. Like most good fiction, it turns out Jumanji was born from a reserved mind with a chaotic craving… A sense of wonder, a curious “what if…?”… a persistent itch only imagination – and a few million in special effects – could scratch.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Bicycle independence, Blockbuster Fridays, and a revenant paradox… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these rusty ‘90s kids for a crash course through Christian’s favorite 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' tale, which thrusts us all into the golden, glowing nostalgia of a good ol’ fashioned bike ride, offers a snapshot of how the ‘90s handled PTSD, and chills with the poignant reminder that some friendships reach beyond the grave. Strap on your bike helmets, your fishing boots, and your most haunting “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve,” and meet us down at our bridge…. You know the one.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Tower of Terror stories, the great Disney vs. Nickelodeon debate, and a look at modern horror conventions… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids as they continue to pick the brain of DJ MacHale, Co-Creator of Are You Afraid of the Dark, and get his thoughts on everything from his film projects, to his TV show with Lizzie McGuire producer Stan Rogow, to his honest thoughts on Goosebumps! It’s a far-reaching, nostalgic-as-ever episode culminating in some of DJ’s own worst fears… if you’re brave enough to hear ‘em!Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Nostalgic Nickelodeon, the schematics of fear, and D.J.’s own haunted house… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids for their 100-episode-extravaganza! Here, they celebrate a cornerstone of children’s horror, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, WITH the mastermind behind its success. Together, they’ll share insights from the show’s conception and excavate societal and psychological ingredients that make up the DNA of AYAOTD. Honored, amazed, and as spooked as ever, your Ghost Hosts and their proverbial patron saint FINALLY get the chance to geek out about TPD’s most timeless themes… and realize the question isn’t whether you’re afraid of the dark… but why.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Campy dialogue, stucco surreality, and the history of the Pet Detective… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids for a dose of tongue-in-cheek noir as their season binge takes them back to suburban xenophobia and the fascinating intersections of vampire and werewolf lore. Somewhere between after-school-special and self-aware ‘60s horror, it serves as a unique metaphor within the AYAOTD catalog - not only an early LGBTQ+ pride flag, but a reminder that we shouldn’t judge books by their covers…. Though we’d do well to keep our pets indoors.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Fractured personalities, toilet humor, and reparenting your inner self… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids as they apply a heaping helping of psychology and personal reflection to the cringiest and most chaotic parts of adulthood. They get deep about the roles of mothers (and women) in society, pick at their own parental wounds, and thoroughly excavate this Jack-In-The-Box chocked full of everything you repressed... and everything you were socialized to believe….. or not to. Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Snot faces, imaginary “friends”, and impending doom… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids to get into the history behind one of the deepest darkest…loudest and most obnoxious… corners of your childhood memory. If ever you (or your parents) wondered how the hell this film came to be, you’re in the right place. Clutch your pearls and hang on to your cobwebs as we find psychological through lines and open the doors for a deep dive into what it means to reparent oneself. We’ll be on our worst behavior, we promise!Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Man-handed crocodiles, moonshinin’ muskrats, and the building blocks of feminism… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids down on the bayou to examine everything from The Rescuers’ infectious hope and faith (and some real-life messages-in-bottles), to the film’s feminist slant and the ways it managed… or failed… to manifest. So many of these charming (and violent) southern frames have stayed tucked away in children’s minds decades over. It’s high time we hold them up to our flashlights, together in this shimmering swamp of nostalgia, and maybe even try to see them from a new angle or two.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Tearful tributes, scandalous snafus, and the birth of Medusa… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids, returning in all their Movie Night glory, to regale you with the history behind this… gem… of a Disney classic. Bridging the gap between the studio’s famed Nine Old Men and a whole new class of animators that would eventually herald the Disney Renaissance, this murky production story, and the PR nightmare that followed, are sure to turn some heads.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Generational grudges, queer-coded aunties, and home-owning horrors… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids for one of Are You Afraid of the Dark?’s most chilling hauntings as they unpack the lasting impression of a singular phrase, raid the corners of the internet for “real” frozen ghost stories, and reminisce on the magical career of Melissa Joan Hart. The day might’ve been saved, but there are still plenty of dark conclusions to draw surrounding the disappearance of this little boy turned ghostly ‘90s icon.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Possessed babysitters, Leap Day haunts, and a Black Parade… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids for a year-late Midnight Society meeting as they indulge millennial references and roadside ghost nostalgia, get the history behind one of the most notorious figures in capitalistic Americana, and connect the dots between many of the horror genre’s most enduring tropes. This liminal episode begs the question… What happens when the house itself does the haunting?Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Hot nerds, killer dinner parties, and disturbing duality… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids, and the Midnight Society, as they explore the complexities of the human experience through yet another surprisingly literary SNICK lens. Examine with them their own ties to societal norms, ponder the effects of rigidity vs. fluidity, and, at long last, learn fascinating truths behind the oft referenced Jekyll and Hyde. Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Wrathful grapes, magnetoreception, and a crazy, psychopathic freak (affectionate)… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids as they get a crash course in the history of homing pigeons, reminisce on a time when the streetlights signaled THEM home, and let their jazzy, melancholy little hearts break for the misfits and outcasts. They’ll send a jolt of New Year inspiration to your hobbies and hyper-fixations, iterate the necessity of wonder, and remind Darkling-kind that we’re all a lot more alike than we are different – pizza toppings notwithstanding.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Major life updates, nostalgic debates, and UNEDITED un-seriousness… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark as the sun has set on 2024! Join your '90s kid Ghost Hosts around the proverbial campfire to unpack their personal lives over the past year, answer some thoughtful listener questions, discuss plans for 2025 (we’re creeping up on episode 100!), and through their ramblings, ravings, and unscripted nonsense, continue to remind you how not-alone you are. Cheers to the new year!Have a frightfully nostalgic memory to share or a pretty dark topic you'd like us to cover? Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Foreign invaders, squirrelly stair lifts, and class consciousness… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids as they walk through the terrors, tropes, and stereotypes littering the Rockwellian landscape of Kingston Falls, appreciate unexpected parallels to current events, and have some… less-than-clean fun with this gutsy, gooey ‘80s horror. Its hyperbolic contrasts and reflections on societal ignorance truly hold up a mirror to moviegoers and ask what they might do when saddled with great responsibility, or perhaps more importantly, if they understand that the REAL enemies are entitlement, greed… and the ultra wealthy.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Historical hijinks, mischievous miniatures, and the birth of the PG-13 rating… Oh lawd, it's about to get pretty dark! Join these ‘90s kids as they learn how society’s need for a scapegoat evolved from imps and elves, took to the sky to vex the Royal Air Force in wartime, and eventually inspired a slapstick horror comedy… with some sticky parental guidance suggestions. Between Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus, its production story is a who’s who of ‘80s cinema blending behind the scenes serendipity and on-screen mayhem… To understand, one only has to listen.Email us at thatsprettydarkpodcast@gmail.comGive to our Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/tpdpodcastFollow us on Instagram and Facebook @thatsprettydarkpodcastMentioned in this episode:BetterHelp Online TherapyLet our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit https://betterhelp.com/prettydark and enjoy a special discount on your first month. If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: https://www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/