The Lorehounds

David and Jean return for a thematic breakdown of Tumbleton. The conversation moves through the strategic nightmare Ormond has created by garrisoning his forces inside a civilian town, the unsettling picture the show is painting of who he really is and what Daeron's life in his custody may have looked like, and Rhaenyra's continuing struggle to make sound decisions without the support structures a ruler needs around them.Contact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: hotd@thelorehounds.comOr, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website...

Is anyone really ok after this episode? We're in shock after watching Claudia give her daddy vampires a piece of her mind. There are witches, betrayals, and heartwarming moments as Elysia and John recap the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat. Grab your finest blood vintage and join us.Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment and a Devil's Minion Corner.Contact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: askdan@thelorehounds.comLinks to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehounds<...

David and Jean return to dig into listener feedback on "Rhaenyra Triumphant," with voicemails and messages from community members and fellow podcasters. The conversation tackles lingering questions about the Tessarion and fake Daeron storyline, how the episode's score and sound design illuminate Rhaenyra's inner world, and the staggering weight of everything she is suddenly being asked to carry.Contact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: hotd@thelorehounds.comOr, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone...

David returns from holiday to join Jean for a deep dive into "Rhaenyra Triumphant," the third episode of House of the Dragon Season 3. The conversation covers the Hightower capitulation at Oldtown, Ormond's treacherous gambit with a fake Daeron, and Daemon's spectacular failure of tactical judgment throughout. At the heart of the discussion is the show's richest ongoing theme: what it truly means to rule when the entire system around you was never built for you to wield it, and how the complicated bond between Rhaenyra and Alicent remains the emotional core of the Dance of Dragons.Contact...

We're all experiencing an awakening of some kind in the latest episode of The Vampire Lestat. From ice cream scoops to vampire origin stories to reliving the losses of our pasts, this episode has it all. Elysia and John laugh and cry along to our favorite gremlins and their games.Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment and a Devil's Minion Corner.Contact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: askdan@thelorehounds.comLinks to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee...

Mothers mourning, Black beach bonding, a new unlikely comic duo, and a whole bunch of dragons – there's a lot happening in House of the Dragon season 3, episode 2: "Queen's Landing" even before it reaches its game-changing climax. And Jean and Elysia are here to break it all down.Stick around after the outro music for additional book-spoiler discussion.Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: hotd@thelorehounds.comOr, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on yo...

Ask not for whom the bell of shame tolls, for it tolls for every vampire on this show. Elysia and John recap Lestat's taunting of Armand, Daniel's transformational trauma and blackout years, and the overall failure of these vampires to develop healthy coping mechanisms.Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment and a Devil's Minion Corner.Contact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: askdan@thelorehounds.comLinks to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated...

Jean and Elysia kick off the new season of "horrible people doing horrible things to each other" – aka House of the Dragon season 3, episode 1 – with a dive even deeper than a dragon's fall into the Gullet. They discuss character motivations, the meanings of new revelations, one misused quote, Green Men lore, our new favorite dragon, and arguably the most beautiful battle ever committed to screen.Stick around until after the outro music for the final full-book-spoiler discussion of these events and what might be coming next.Links DiscussedHBO BTS: How to F...

Elysia and John head to Toronto to watch Lestat troll Daniel into a feeding frenzy. They discuss media handling of trauma, the truth behind Lestat's dramatizations, and the empathy machine that is Anne Rice's world.Content Warning: This episode addresses sexual assault and abuse.Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment.Contact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: askdan@thelorehounds.comLinks to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated are ours personally...

Eight bells toll in the Widow's Bay season 1 finale – setting Elysia, Mark (Nevermind the Music), and Lisa (Into the West) off on an investigation to uncover what they mean. Sifting through the heart, horrors, and humor of the second half of the season, they piece together the emerging mythology of the island's many secrets through lore teases and key character moments.Links DiscussedSea Shanty in episode 7Did [Writer James Grissom] Actually Know Tennessee Williams?Map of the islandContact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: lo...

John is joined by Marilyn R. Pukkila to discuss the second part of Of Túrin Turambar, the twenty-fifth portion of The Silmarillion. They discuss classical heroes, the grimdark present in Tolkien's writings, and how a character gets in their own way.Marilyn's WebsiteMarilyn R. Pukkila, Research & Instruction Librarian Emerita, Colby CollegeLinks to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsDeep lore questions, comments and/or thoughts to share? Send us an email at lotr@thelorehounds.comAny opinions stated are ours personally a...

David and Elysia work through their own and the community's mixed-but-leaning-positive feelings about Steven Spielberg's new alien-focused movie Disclosure Day (currently in theaters). They get into the greatest cinematic moments, the cast and performance(s) they loved best, and (yes) the lore holes nagging at them after the fact – and why this film is worth seeing in theaters, and even if it engages the heart more than your critical thinking skills.Contact Us lorehounds@thelorehounds.comOr, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, th...

Jean and Elysia talk the good, the great, and the even better of the recently released first season (of, they hope, more) of Spider-Noir on Amazon Prime. They talk about the multiversal source of this Film Noir flavor of Spider-Man, here going by the name Ben Reilly – one of the many decisions that diverge this version of the 1930's New York webslinger from his comics inspiration and appearance in the animated Spider-Verse films.After a spoiler-free overview of the show and why you should watch it, they talk through all the important characters, their relationships and motivations, ho...

Elysia and John follow Lestat through an Oedepiphany of epic proportions. They watch young Lestat grow up into a wolf killer before becoming a rock star who can troll his band into submission. They also discuss the implications of the Talamasca's involvement and the absence of Armand.Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment.Contact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: askdan@thelorehounds.comLinks to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated are ours...

David, Lisa, and Bryan conclude their Gene Hackman coverage with a deep dive into The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 psychological thriller and the film chosen by community vote. The trio explores Gene Hackman's portrayal of Harry Caul, a surveillance expert whose paranoia, guilt, and isolation unravel him as he becomes convinced his latest recording may lead to a murder. The conversation covers the film's remarkable production history as Coppola's decade-long passion project made between the two Godfather films, its uncanny resonance with the Watergate scandal, and the contributions of editor and sound designer Walter Murch and composer David Shire...

Interview with the Vampire is back - or maybe over. The story continues with Lestat beginning his journey as a rock star. Elysia and John are here to follow the tour and unveil the mysteries of Lestat's past.Stick around after the credits for a book spoiler Inside the Coffin segment.Contact UsQuestions or comments? Send emails to: askdan@thelorehounds.comLinks to Patreon, Supercast, Discord, and Network Affiliateslinktr.ee/thelorehoundsAny opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or...

David, Elysia, and Jean reunite to kick off their season three coverage of House of the Dragon, outlining what listeners can expect from the pod as the Dance of Dragons reaches its most explosive chapter yet. The team walks through their hosting lineup, with Elysia stepping in to lead episodes one and two while David is away and Jean on board as second chair for the full season, before David returns from episode three onward. Episodes will drop Tuesdays to Wednesdays at the latest each week, with a curated Notion show guide available for listeners who want character and...

David and Elysia venture into the Horror Hounds to discuss Backrooms (2026), A24's creepypasta-turned-feature film directed by Kane Parsons and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. They trace the film's remarkable origin — from an anonymous 2019 post on 4chan to Kane Pixels' three-year YouTube web series — and unpack how a 19-year-old first-time director delivered a confident, visually stunning film on a $10M budget with a 14X box office return. The conversation digs into the film's rich thematic layers, including the backrooms as a Jungian mirror of shared anxiety and mental illness, the AI-as-mimicry subtext, the literary connection to Charlotte Perkins Gilm...

Part spin-off series following a new voice and perspective, part season 3 of AMC's Interview with the Vampire, all The Vampire Lestat. John and Elysia get together to discuss their favorite fanged villains and antiheroes ahead of the new season – opening with a (mostly) spoiler-free discussion of why those who haven't should tune into the first two seasons, before launching into their dive into the new season: what we know so far, the characters, the music, and awards for the vamps most likely to do anything from stand you up for a date to fall for an internet scam....

Elysia and John continue the journey of the galaxy's favorite father and son in The Mandalorian and Grogu. They catch up with the New Republic before meeting Hutts of various sizes, watching stop motion and puppetry showcases, and overall having a fun, standalone adventure.Contact Us Questions or comments? Send emails to: starwars@thelorehounds.comOr, send us a voicemail! You can use the voicemail tool on our website, thelorehounds.com/contact OR record a note on your smartphone and email it to us at the same address.Links to...