One of the few genre-adjacent films to be embraced by the Academy, the critical darling “Poor Things” is both subversive and accessible.
Show host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer takes a deep dive into Poor Things. This wonderfully odd but beautifully crafted modern-day Frankenstein tale, an adaptation of a novel by Alasdair Gray, is a coming-of-age story that explores themes of self-discovery, sexuality, free will, classism, and the complexity of existence. – Stephanie (Editor-in-Chief)
SHOW NOTES FROM HOST CAROLYN SMITH-HILLMER:
POOR THINGS (2023) is nothing short of a nightmare. Although it is typically described as a romance, a drama, and science fiction, all of those elements somehow come together to create the most beautiful nightmare you will ever witness.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Tony McNamara, Poor Things stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, and Jerrod Carmichael. Based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, the plot follows Bella Baxter, a young woman in Victorian London who comes to life through a brain transplant and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery.
The film was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review and has grossed over $102.1 million worldwide. It received five wins at the 77th British Academy Film Awards and was nominated in 11 categories at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Poor Things also won two Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Stone.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 354 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website’s consensus reads: “Wildly imaginative and exhilaratingly over the top, Poor Things is a bizarre, brilliant tour de force for director Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone.”
SOURCES/INFORMATION
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14230458/
Entertainment Article: https://ew.com/poor-things-yorgos-lanthimos-making-of-world-8404852
Camera Lens Discussion: https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/poor-things-cameras-lenses-cinematography-1234927983/
Emma Stone & Bradley Cooper Actors on Actors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o14-SeLGl2c
ABOUT THE SHOW:
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a weekly show where host, Carolyn Smith-Hillmer, dissects an arthouse/elevated horror film. Each episode includes a detailed play-by-play of the film itself and a subsequent deep dive into the thematic elements and symbolism. Because elevated horror is sometimes viewed within the horror community as pretentious, Carolyn makes sure to use her down-to-earth tone and unique perspective to make these films less intimidating for the casual horror viewer and less ostentatious for the genre lover.
Listen to more episodes on the show’s website here.
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a bi-weekly podcast where host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer reviews arthouse horror films in a non-pretentious way.
Lars von Tier and Horror
Lars von Trier has been called a visionary, a sadist, and a self‑mythologizing provocateur—sometimes all in the same breath. In this episode, we unpack how an anxious kid from Copenhagen became one of the most controversial figures in world cinema, and why his work looms so large over modern horror and “extreme” art‑film. Focusing on Antichrist, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac, and The House That Jack Built, we explore von Trier’s “Depression Trilogy,” his use of grief, sex, and violence, and the ongoing debates about misogyny, ethics, and audience complicity. Along the way, we bring in film scholarship, critical essays, and production histories to ask a simple but uncomfortable question: when von Trier pushes horror this far, is he revealing something profound about suffering—or just building a house out of pain?
SOURCES/INFORMATION
Biographical and career overviews
“Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – Simple English Wikipedia.” Simple Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier.” Encyclopaedia Britannica (biography, awards, filmography).britannica
“Lars von Trier filmography.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – IMDb.” IMDb.imdb
“List of awards and nominations received by Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
Context and Danish film culture
“Lars von Trier and Cultural Liberalism.” Danish Film Institute.dfi
Excerpt from Regional and Global Dimensions of Danish Film Culture and Film Policy (on Dogme 95 and Danish film branding).catalogimages.wiley
Critical profiles and interviews
“Lars von Trier: Behind the Curtain.” The New Yorker (profile on von Trier’s persona and controversies).mubi+1
“Lars von Trier: A Problematic Sort of Ladies’ Man?” NPR radio piece and transcript (Pat Dowell, with Caroline Bainbridge).npr+1
“The Many Faces of Lars von Trier.” BFI feature.bfi
“Lars von Trier: An Overview.” Film Festival Today (career overview).filmfestivaltoday
Horror‑specific and film‑specific sources
“The Immersive Examination of Depression and Grief in ‘Antichrist’ [Unveiling the Mind].” Bloody Disgusting.bloody-disgusting+1
“Antichrist (2009)” – film entry and production details. IMDb and Wikipedia.imdb+1
“The House That Jack Built (2018).” IMDb (plot, reception).imdb
“Manically Macabre: Lars von Trier as Horror Icon.” Horror Obsessive.horrorobsessive
“‘Terrifier 2’ and 9 Other Horror Movies Which Famously Made Audiences Sick.” Collider (section on Antichrist).collider
Scholarly / analytical work
“Lars von Trier – The ‘Sex’pression Ideology.” Academic essay (via Academia.edu PDF).academia
Caroline Bainbridge, The Cinema of Lars von Trier (discussed in NPR and academic contexts).npr+1
Career primers
“Notebook Primer: Lars von Trier.” MUBI Notebook.
Episode play icon
Lars von Trier has been called a visionary, a sadist, and a self‑mythologizing provocateur—sometimes all in the same breath. In this episode, we unpack how [...]
May 1, 2026
Episode play icon
In this episode, we explore why we willingly scare ourselves — unpacking the neuroscience of fear, the psychology of personality and anxiety, and the surprising [...]
March 1, 2026
Episode play icon
The Final Girl looks a little different for 2026… in the best way! Join in for the first episode of 2026 where we uncover what [...]
January 21, 2026
Search Results placeholder
Follow Us!