In this debut episode of Horror Heals, your co-hosts Corey and Kendall Austin Stulce introduce themselves and set the stage for what the podcast is all about—exploring the therapeutic benefits of horror movies, books, comics, and horror culture. They share their personal stories about how horror has helped them manage anxiety and provided mental wellness, while also previewing future episodes featuring horror icons, fans, and artists. The episode begins with a familiar voice for horror lovers—John Kassir, the voice of the Cryptkeeper, who provides the show's eerie yet exciting introduction.

Horror Heals? Of Corpse It Does!

Episode Highlights:

What is Horror Heals About?

Corey and Kendall explain how horror, despite its scary elements, can offer therapeutic benefits, especially for those dealing with anxiety, depression, and trauma.

The podcast will feature interviews with horror celebrities, artisans, and fans who will share how horror has positively impacted their mental health.

Corey & Kendall’s Personal Connection to Horror:

Both hosts share personal anecdotes about their early introductions to horror and how it became a therapeutic escape. Kendall recalls sneaking a peek at The Exorcist as a child, despite his mother’s strict “no horror” rule. This childhood experience sparked a lifelong love for horror, especially The Exorcist, which remains his favorite movie.

Corey discusses how watching E.T. at a young age helped him feel seen, identifying with the character Elliot and his outsider status. This connection to film is something he now recognizes as an early form of emotional processing through media.

Horror Fandom and Acceptance:

Kendall and Corey talk about their experiences with horror conventions and the inclusive, supportive nature of the horror community. Corey describes horror conventions as his "happy place," filled with cosplayers and vendors that make him feel an instant sense of belonging.

The couple shares how horror fans, regardless of background, come together in a shared passion for the genre. This sense of camaraderie and acceptance was especially significant when they attended a horror convention in Massachusetts with Kendall’s newly discovered birth family.

How Horror Films Help with Anxiety:

Both Corey and Kendall discuss how horror helps them manage anxiety, explaining that after a stressful day, they often unwind by watching demonic possession films like The Evil Dead.

The adrenaline rush and escapism of horror allows them to release stress in a healthy way, showing how films that might seem frightening to some can actually be calming for others.

Family Twist & Finding Connection:

Corey and Kendall talk about their first podcast, Family Twist, which focuses on DNA surprises, adoption stories, and family reunions. The themes of family and identity are close to their hearts, and they plan to weave these themes into Horror Heals by discussing how horror can help people navigate complex emotional landscapes.

They share the personal story of how Kendall met his half-brother Chris through a DNA test and how this reunion led to their first horror convention together—a powerful moment of connection with his newfound family.

What’s Next for Horror Heals?

The hosts tease the upcoming episodes, including their first guest, horror icon Dee Wallace. They hint at fascinating discussions with celebrities, artisans, and fans who have used horror to cope with trauma, find healing, and build community.

Corey and Kendall express their excitement for the future of the podcast and invite listeners to join them on this unique journey of horror and healing.

Key Takeaways:

Horror isn’t just about being scared—it’s about emotional release, facing fears, and building resilience.

Kendall and Corey’s personal journeys with horror show that the genre can provide comfort and connection, even during challenging times.

The Horror Heals podcast will explore how horror can benefit mental health through insightful interviews with fans, creators, and celebrities.

As members of the LGBTQ+ community, Corey and Kendall also highlight how horror can help outsiders and marginalized individuals feel seen and empowered.

Next Episode Preview: Don’t miss the first guest episode featuring horror legend Dee Wallace! Dee discusses her experiences in horror films like Cujo and The Howling and how her work has impacted fans on a deeply emotional level. Tune in to hear how horror movies can be a powerful tool for personal growth and healing.

Call to Action: If you enjoyed this introductory episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review Horror Heals. Join Corey and Kendall as they explore the transformative power of horror, and be sure to follow them on social media to stay up-to-date on upcoming guests and episodes.

Have friends or family who might like horror? Please share!

And subscribe and leave a review so we can reach more people who need to know that Horror Heals!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-horror-heals-podcast/id1764754181

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/corey-stulce3

https://www.youtube.com/@horrorhealspodcast

https://horrorheals.com/#

Suggest a guest: HorrorHealsPodcast@gmail.com

Welcome to the Horror Heals podcast. I'm one of your co -hosts, Kendall Austin Stulce. I'm Corey Stulce. And that voice sounded very familiar at the intro, didn't it? It did. That was voice of the Cryptkeeper, John Kassir, who graciously agreed to do our introduction. The Horror Heals podcast is all about the therapeutic benefits of horror movies, horror culture, horror art, novels.

comic books, the whole gamut, how it's all good for our mental wellness. In the Horror Heals podcast, we're going to be interviewing horror celebrities, artisans who work in a variety of media to create horror -themed artwork, and horror fans who are open to talking about their own experiences with horror and mental wellness. Kendall and I have been

partners in life for almost 20 years and partners in podcasting for two years with our existing podcast, Family Twist. And we decided as huge horror fans and two people that definitely benefit from the therapy relief of horror movies, we decided it was time to do a horror podcast. Kendall and I both deal with ongoing anxiety and one of our solutions after a particularly stressful day.

is to unwind with a great demonic possession movie. We're able to get lost in some sort of crazy fantasy world with demons spewing bile. The Evil Dead is often one of our go -tos because it combines horror, gore, and humor. And of course, the great Bruce Campbell. For me, my ultimate happy place is a horror convention.

Just walking in and seeing all the cosplay artists and the awesome vendors just fills me with positive tingles. I'm floating on a cloud the entire time I'm there. Kendall and I were both introduced to horror at a young age. Kendall, do you want to talk a little bit about your introduction to horror through your adoptive parents? My parents I knew always loved horror films and books and anything that you get their hands on. But

My mother was very hesitant to allow me to be involved in anything they watched or read. But my dad kind of sneaked things in on her, but she put her foot down about some things. And one of the things that I remember vividly when the television version of The Exorcist came out when I was six, and I really wanted to watch it because I had already heard buzz about the film and it seemed

just in theory about as something I would like. But of course I was forbidden and for good reason. I think a lot of six year olds could not handle that level of intensity and a of adults couldn't handle that level of intensity. But my parents put me to bed one night and I don't know what night of the week it would have been on, but they settled down on the couch in the den to watch the exorcist and

I remember knowing that that's what they were going to do and sneaking down the hall and lying with my head barely in the den where my parents couldn't have seen it from where they were on the couch. And I was watching it along with them until it got to when Linda Blair's character's head starts spinning around. That's when I gasped and

I remember my mother very vividly saying, no. Cause she realized what was happening that I was there. And of course my dad took me back to my bedroom and put me back to bed and said, you're not supposed to be in there. And they continued watching it of course, because for people who are young, you won't remember the days when you couldn't pause live television. And that was just one of the first times that I did the sneaky thing and watched a film.

or read a book that I shouldn't have. And when I say shouldn't have, that's only because I think of the social mores of the time, because I was never scared. I enjoyed it. I never minded reading horror or watching horror. And I think it's because my parents normalized it for me really early on and made it not scary because they told me it was make believe, which Corey and I

we'll talk about, I'm sure at length on this podcast, but I don't believe in spirit stuff. Like I didn't believe that it really happened, that Reagan McNeil's head really spun around. Come on, let's get real. We will probably debate things like that on this podcast because I had this healthy skepticism. It never bothered me. And I think that has served me well throughout my life. Well, it's funny that

The Exorcist was one of the first things you were exposed to, the TV version, because same for me, and there's a five year age difference between us. I'm not sure which year it was that my mom was watching The Exorcist on TV, but I too was also intrigued and wanted to see it or at least hear it. I sneaked down the hall after bedtime and stayed just out of sight of my mom. And once I heard the voice of the demon, like,

I about lost it that that just sent me off because I think I'm a little bit more open to the idea of other worldly stuff. Demons, spirits, that sort of thing. And whoo flipped me out. But it's funny that here we are, however many years later and Kendall and I both consider the exorcist to be our favorite horror movie. Yep. Still do. I think I always will. And I don't know if it's connected to that first viewing and that

first excitement, then the fact that it was forbidden and all of those things. But I just love it. It's quote, based on a true story, which makes me laugh. But I just love it. I thought Linda Blair did a great job. I thought the other actors did great jobs.

I think one of the reasons why Kendall and I realized that this theme for the podcast would be helpful for us is obviously we're both gay. And I think growing up and watching horror movies and really identifying with the characters and there's the popular term final girl, but we're going to say final person on this podcast. But I think we definitely identified with those characters who were outsiders.

who found a way to persevere or who found the courage to do bigger things. And while this isn't necessarily a horror movie, it's science fiction, I definitely identified with the character Elliot from E .T. when I was a little kid. I think I was age six or seven when I first saw that. And there was just something about that character and his bond with E .T. and his drive to make sure that, you know, E .T. got back home.

So at this point, we were living in San Francisco. We'd moved from St. to San Francisco nine years earlier and did that almost on a whim. It was August when Kendall first connected with his half brother, Chris. And within two months we were in New England visiting them and thank goodness in Worcester, Mass. There was a horror going on that weekend. We were excited to find out that Kendall's half sister, Monica was a huge

horror fan. In fact, name her son age after the Pet Sematary movie. A lot of us went to this horror con together. It was just fantastic. There were several people there from the Friday the 13th series. I was just sharing the story with everybody because I think we were so just still excited and buzzing from this meeting new family. And soon enough, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a photo with Kane Hodder who played Jason.

in Friday the 13th, seven through 10. And he was just fantastic. think we all really had really good vibes about meeting him for whatever reason. And in subsequent years, I've run into Kane at several horror conventions. He always remembers the story. Just a very, very cool dude. And I think that sort of gets us into why I think horror is good for our mental wellness. There's just this sense of camaraderie and togetherness that these

What siters feel when we get together at the horror convention or a horror screening or a book signing or whatever. Horror fans, they're from all walks of life. Everybody comes together in this big old soup of whatever. There's something kind of magical about it. As Cory mentioned, we got to go to that horror convention in Worcester, Mass with my brand new family. It was a first, of course, because we didn't know that family, but it was a first for me as well, because it was my

first ever HorrorCon. Cory had taken me to other conventions like comic book conventions and pop culture conventions, but I agree with Cory. Those had a different vibe and I really enjoyed the time that I was in Worcester. And back then I used to question whether I was just feeling euphoric because I'd found my brand new family, but I don't think so. I think it really was a good setting and

as Corey mentioned, very accepting of us because as a gay couple coming from San Francisco, we didn't know exactly what to expect in suburban Massachusetts in general, but it was a great experience. think getting together with like -minded people. Yes, we love the gore and the excitement and the thrills and everything, but at the end of the day,

We're all just really nice, good people. mean, the horror community will bend over for each other. There's just something really, really special about this group of people. We'll get into the story, the specific ha story as to where this podcast was inspired in the next couple of episodes. But we just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves and just wanted to let everybody know that we take horror and mental wellness very seriously. Our other podcast, Family Twist,

As we've mentioned, each story that we tell on there deals with some kind of family trauma. And as we've done 15 or 20 of these interviews for Horror Heal so far, it's the same. It's not just the fans or the artists. It's the celebrities too, as you'll find out, who have experienced trauma and have found healing through the horror fans, which I think is just fantastic. We're super, super thrilled that

Horror legend D Wallace is our first guest. So please take a listen to that episode right now.