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Nov 5 2015

How Grimm's Fairy Tales Work

51 min 11 movies discussed
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Unless you were raised alone in a basement (in which case you may be the subject of one), you probably grew up on fairy tales. That's appropriate because they may be humanity's greatest psychic projection screen.

AI Summary

Join Josh and Chuck as they dive deep into the origins and evolution of fairy tales, exploring everything from the Brothers Grimm to the disturbing stories that got sanitized for children. They uncover the shocking truth about how ancient these tales really are, reveal what the Grimm brothers were actually up to when they collected their famous stories, and examine the dark violence and twisted morals that somehow survived Disney-fication. You'll discover why fairy tales are way weirder and more horrifying than you remember, and learn about the various theories scholars use to explain what these strange stories are really trying to tell us.

Movies Discussed

Dragnet
Dragnet
1951
★ 6.4
"That's like the episode of Dragnet, where they have a pot party — Josh compares a dark fairy tale to an episode of Dragnet involving neglectful parents." — Josh
Freeway
Freeway
1996 1h 42m
★ 6.4
"have you ever seen Freeway with Reese Witherspoon? — Josh mentions this movie as an example of a modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood." — Josh
Hey Dude
Hey Dude
1989
★ 6.8
"stars of the cult classic show, Hey Dude — Mentioned in a promotional ad for another podcast featuring the show's stars."
Mr. Show with Bob and David
Mr. Show with Bob and David
1995
★ 7.6
"Did you see Mr. Show's coming back on Netflix? — Chuck mentions that the comedy show Mr. Show is returning to Netflix." — Chuck
The Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm
2005 1h 58m
★ 5.8
"Matt Damon and. Heath Ledger. Right. RIP. — Chuck references the movie starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger when discussing the Grimm brothers." — Chuck
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2005 2h 23m
★ 7.1
"I did read the first couple of the chronic what-cools-of-Narnia — Chuck references a Saturday Night Live parody rap about The Chronicles of Narnia." — Chuck
The Company of Wolves
The Company of Wolves
1984 1h 35m
★ 6.3
"in the company of wolves. Wasn't that a, that was a rewrite of — Josh discusses this as another modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood." — Josh
The Crying Game
The Crying Game
1992 1h 52m
★ 6.8
"I think that was Neil Jordan, right? Crying game. — Josh mentions this when discussing director Neil Jordan's work." — Josh
The Night of the Headless Horseman
The Night of the Headless Horseman
1999 1h 3m
★ 5.1
"they were from the same place as the headless horseman from the Sleepy Hollow legend — Josh mentions that the Grimm brothers were Hessians like the headless horseman from Sleepy Hollow." — Josh
Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass
Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass
2025 1h 44m
★ 5.8
"think about all the horrible things that Jerry did to Tom — Josh compares the violence in fairy tales to the cartoon violence in Tom and Jerry." — Josh
Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are
2009 1h 41m
★ 6.5
"Maurice Sendak with where the wild things are — Josh discusses how Maurice Sendak brought fantasy back to children's books." — Josh

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