Dr. Emily Zarka's Avatar

Dr. Emily Zarka

@dremilyzarka

Writer/host/producer for PBS 'Monstrum.' Monster expert. PhD British Romanticism & Gothic literature. Faculty at Arizona State University.

1,290
Followers
374
Following
186
Posts
19.09.2023
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by Dr. Emily Zarka @dremilyzarka

Spoiler: he does not say it

12.02.2026 17:19 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Me watching del Toro's Creature: "I am the child of a charnel house."

12.02.2026 17:03 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Ugh, I'll be on a plane back home but this seems wonderful!

08.01.2026 22:28 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Going to leave this here again as I work on my latest review on the plane to MLA. If you want to listen to me and a bunch of other smart people chat about public humanities work at #MLA2026, our panel is at 12 pm on Saturday

08.01.2026 22:26 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I've largely been working through the holidays, given an impending book deadline, and it's not easy, but damn do I love the learning part of the process. Can't wait to share it all with you (hopefully in late 2026)!

31.12.2025 19:50 πŸ‘ 22 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A Monster Expert's Take on Mascot Horror | Monstrum
A Monster Expert's Take on Mascot Horror | Monstrum YouTube video by Storied

Come for the mascot horror rundown, stay for my absolute terror playing Five Nights at Freddy's. youtu.be/uWcnJcROjlI?...

04.12.2025 17:50 πŸ‘ 24 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Yeah, what kind of merfolk are we talking about here? But my gut instinct is eggs.

04.12.2025 17:49 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
The Deep Lore Behind KPop Demon Hunters | Monstrum
The Deep Lore Behind KPop Demon Hunters | Monstrum YouTube video by Storied

I was instantly obsessed with KPop Demon Hunters (like the rest of the world) and knew I had to dig into the monsters portrayed. Meet the dokkaebi! youtu.be/5G9MvpQVLS0?...

04.11.2025 21:47 πŸ‘ 31 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

31/31 ARCANA ROYALE. A talented card player stumbles into a supernatural game that is about much more than money. Beings of all kinds wager lives for a chance to control fate. #31DaysofHorrorComics

31.10.2025 20:57 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

This was such a fun interview! Be sure to check out my "Unmissable Undead Content" list as well!

31.10.2025 17:58 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

30/31 NIGHT OF THE SLASHERS. A bus of high school kids breaks down in a small town where every year, a local curse turns its residents into brutal, mutated killers. Gives old school slasher vibes. #31DaysofHorrorComics

30.10.2025 23:53 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

29/30 LET THIS ONE BE THE DEVIL. An even more horrific origin story for the Jersey Devil that’s also a look at how legends develop and survive over the years. If you like cryptids, you’ll like this one. #31DaysofHorrorComics

30.10.2025 23:51 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

My first fictional film! I'm a consulting producer on this project, and I'm so excited to be a part of its development. I can't say too much, but get ready for some surprising monster lore inspiration...

29.10.2025 19:13 πŸ‘ 23 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ‘€

29.10.2025 16:38 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

28/31 BYTCHCRAFT. A three-witch coven in NYC learn the hard truths about dabbling in powers greater than they are qualified for, just as a prophecy threatens to tear the world apart. #31DaysofHorrorComics

29.10.2025 05:01 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

I’m sorry, but I’ve seen this movie

28.10.2025 21:04 πŸ‘ 35 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0

Oh yay! I really enjoy doing it.

27.10.2025 17:13 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

26/31 NEWS FROM THE FALLOUT. After a bomb is dropped, the soldiers in the area become something else, something violent. Part zombie story, part noir Western, it's a new take on atomic horror. #31DaysofHorrorComics

27.10.2025 03:33 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

25/31 YOU WON'T FEEL A THING. A murder mystery that goes off the rails pretty quickly. Take a disgraced cop, a memory rapidly declining, and the revival of a serial killer, and you get something truly haunting. #31DaysofHorrorComics

27.10.2025 03:32 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

24/31 A GUEST IN THE HOUSE. I’ve been a fan of E. M. Carroll since day one, and this does not disappoint. A recently married woman adjusting to life as a wife and stepmother begins a strange affair with her husband’s first wife. #31DaysofHorrorComics

25.10.2025 04:49 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

!!!!!!!!

24.10.2025 21:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

23/31 RED BOOK. The Dyatlov Pass Incident is an iconic mystery. This story examines the mysterious deaths and other alleged extraterrestrial encounters. Rooted in fact and taken into the fantastic, it’s a compelling read. #31DaysofHorrorComics

23.10.2025 15:46 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

22/31 SEANCE IN THE ASYLUM. Post-Civil War asylum inundated with patients, seeks the help of an ostracized spiritualist tasked with curing its occupants, who taps into forces that no one is prepared to handle. #31DaysofHorrorComics

23.10.2025 05:04 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

21/31 CRUSH DEPTH. A nuclear submarine receives a distress call, leading the crew to discover a strange and threatening biological threat that leads to some insane body horror. #31DaysofHorrorComics

21.10.2025 17:10 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

20/31 THE SLASHER'S APPRENTICE. A true crime podcaster with a very personal connection to the subject decides that shadowing the longest-active serial murderer in the Pacific Northwest is a brilliant idea. Brutal, but also coyly funny, it's a bloody fun ride. #31DaysofHorrorComics.

20.10.2025 17:23 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

19/31 HEXILES. Children conceived by an occultist are born with unusual powers, but when their father dies, they are made responsible for his debts. #31DaysofHorrorComics

19.10.2025 21:36 πŸ‘ 18 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

18/31 SNAPS. A mysterious figure is caught on camera but invisible to the naked eye in the deaths of a series of β€œheart attack” victims. Why it comes is revealed along with horrible truths. #31DaysofHorrorComics

19.10.2025 21:35 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

17/31 BURIED LONG, LONG AGO. Belle Gunness may have been one of the most prolific known female serial killers. Her story is retold with a supernatural twist through the eyes of her daughters, who imagine her as an ogre. But she might not be their biggest problem...#31DaysofHorrorComics

17.10.2025 17:21 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

16/31 EVENT HORIZON: DARK DESCENT. A prequel to the always haunting film, a space crew is about to complete their first jump, when things go awry even before they encounter anything preternatural. My favorite lines so far: "Hell isn't below us. It's in the void." #31DaysofHorrorComics

17.10.2025 17:10 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
ASU monster expert Emily Zarka breaks down our deepest fears. Here's what she found With more than 100 streaming episodes, the PBS web series "Monstrum," hosted by an ASU instructor, recently hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube.

The Arizona Republic recently covered my research and work in public scholarship. There's also a mini bookshelf tour! www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

16.10.2025 18:22 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0