At The Devils Ball

At The Devils Ball is a conversation between co-hosts Nathaniel J and Sammaeal Numine about horror and genre films. Their introductions say it plainly: the aim is to talk about movies positively and constructively. In practice, the pair look for what a film does well before getting to what it fumbles. That doesn't mean pretending everything works. The episodes in this window are built around themes, starting with what the hosts call Werewolf Month. The Wolf Man, An American Werewolf In London, Wolf and Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt all fall under it. The hosts call Underworld a bridge film that counts as both a werewolf pick and a vampire pick, and Near Dark belongs to the vampire run. They also admit this stretch bends one of their own rules by including more modern titles. The talk usually settles on character. For The Wolf Man, they ask whether the lead's telescope moment makes him a creep, and decide his warmth and instant rapport win out. For An American Werewolf In London, they compare David with Larry, guilt against internalized persecution, and trace how nearly every choice that leads to his friend's death is David's. Wolf gets some of the warmest praise, for screenwriting that shows how much his staff love its lead and for a boss who fires a man for being too decent. Underworld gets a longer reading of its vampire and werewolf feud. One host wonders whether its half-breed storyline is meant as allegory, then decides the film works at a simpler level, closer to Romeo and Juliet, or cats against dogs. Bill Nighy's performance gets an enthusiastic endorsement. There is criticism too. Near Dark is faulted for a romance that doesn't land the way it does in Twilight, and for what one host calls the 'Ted Mosby effect', where the lead is the least interesting character on screen. Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt is a film one host remembers chasing through IMDb lists in the 2000s, before Letterboxd, and linking to Julian Sands. It turns out to be a letdown, and barely a werewolf movie at all. Around the analysis, the tone is loose and self-deprecating. Some sessions are recorded late at night, with jokes about an 'NPR voice' and too little sleep, and in one introduction a host flubs a name and just keeps going. The sign-offs are the most distinctive part. They ask listeners to be kind to themselves and to others, riff on 'be kind rewind', and close with good night and namaste. They also include blunt comments about war in the Middle East and the political climate, encouragement to check on people from vulnerable groups, and a direct message to anyone dealing with depression that they matter.