Roald Dahl’s second children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory celebrates its 60th birthday this year. In this episode I’m joined by Dr Alessandra Pino and Vanessa Baca from the Fear Feasts Podcast . We’re delving into the wicked side of chocolate and how this is represented in Dahl’s book and its movie adaptations.

Useful Links

Fear Feasts Podcast that analyses the horror genre in films and literature through the use and symbolism of food. You can find Fear Feasts on Instagram and Twitter/X.

Vanessa is also one of the hosts of the Sharing the Flavor podcast. You can find Vanessa on Instagram and Twitter/X.

Allie is a co-host of the A is for Apple Podcast (along with myself and Dr Neil Buttery). You can find Allie on Instagram and Twitter/X. Her book A Gothic Cookbook, co-authored with Ella Buchan, will be out this autumn. Allie was also a guest on Episode 4 of this season in which we looked at murderous chocolate.

You can find the chocolate aubergine ‘parmigiana’ recipe we talked about at the end of this episode over on the A is for Apple Substack.

Suggested Reading/Viewing

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (2000)

The Witches by Roald Dahl (2022)

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (2024)

The Twits by Roald Dahl (2016)

Marvellously Revolting Recipes by Roald Dahl (2023)

Complete Short Stories by Roald Dahl (2013) - this contains many of the stories which became the television series Tales of the Unexpected.

The Gremlins : The Lost Walt Disney Production : A Royal Air Force Story by Roald Dahl (2006)

Neil Gaiman author of books such as American Gods, Good Omens and Coraline.

Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories And Funny Pictures by Heinrich Hoffman (1845)

‘Candy Boys And Chocolate Factories’ by Catherine Keyser in Modern Fiction Studies

Vol. 63, No. 3 (Fall 2017), pp. 403-428

‘The 19th-Century Book of Horrors That Scared German Kids Into Behaving’ by Sarah Laskow on Atlas Obscurer 14 June, 2014

Consuming Gothic: Food and Horror in Film by Lorna Piatti-Farnell (2017)

Sibéal Pounder author of the Witch Wars and the novelisation of Wonka

‘Roald Dahl And Danger In Children's Literature’ by Barbara Basbanes Richter in The Sewanee Review Vol. 123, No. 2 (Spring 2015), pp. 325-334

Tales of the Unexpected

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory trailer (1971)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory trailer (2005)

Wonka trailer (2023)

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