Are You Afraid of the Dark Universe?

They said it would never happen — Dalton has written script too big for one episode! Van Helsing revisits the ruthless Adelaide, last of the Van Helsing line, in a story that wraps up Dalton's Carmilla Trilogy and reassembles practically the entire Dark Legion. It's a tall order. Can this pitch live up to its lofty expectations? PLUS: A bonus clip from the patest episode of Are You Afraid of Dylan & Dalton?, available for Patrons at Patreon.com/DylanAndDalton. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 - Start 00:06:25 - Listener Expectations 00:16:40 - Director Choice 00:20:12 - Prologue 00:25:29 - Discussion 00:26:34 - Act One 00:41:01 - Discussion 00:45:55 - Act One Continued 01:04:10 - Discussion 01:12:28 - Act Two Part One 01:40:05 - Discussion

In our latest guest pitch episode, writer and cartoonist Magnolia Porter Siddell brings us her take on the 1947 supernatural romance The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, in which a fiercely independent widow grows attached to the deceased sailor (sorry, SEAMAN, he wants to be called a seaman) who haunts her new house. Dylan & Dalton are immediately taken with the original film, but how can a story about ghosts fit into their Dark Universe, where the absence of ghosts has been an important plot point? Magnolia has some ideas, and where D&D take them might have serious implications for the upcoming Dark Legion: Death's Door! Our partner podcast this week is 52 Pickup! 52 Pickup is a podcast about the strange and wonderful DC Comics series 52. Every other week, join Gita Jackson of Aftermath and Alex Jaffe of the podcast Insert Credit as we take you on an issue-by-issue journey through a comic book series that explains everything about the DC universe, if you only look hard enough. TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 - Start 00:03:21 - Introducing The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 00:09:55 - Plot Recap 00:46:45 - The Pitch 01:25:14 - Director Choice and Final Casting 01:29:25 - Plugs

Last season, Dalton brought us a unique and ambitious reimagining of a Universal classic: THE BLACK LAGOON. It's a bleak and surreal horror story about gender, isolation, oppression, repression, and death. It's not a movie that calls for a sequel, and even less a movie that calls for a sequel from Dylan. Nevertheless, that was Dylan's assignment for this episode. Did he deliver? How does one write a follow-up to someone else's deeply personal story? Where does one find the balance between honoring someone else's voice and expressing their own? These questions answered, plus the fates of Hunter Marin and the Ferryman, in this exciting episode! This episode is brought to you by the Are You Afraid of Dylan & Dalton? Patreon, home of the monthly AYADD bonus podcast and one of the most friendly and creative Discord communites online. Start a free 7-day trial at Patreon.com/DylanAndDalton! TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 - Start 00:12:15 - Fan expectations 00:17:34 - Director choice 00:20:28 - Prologue 00:28:16 - Discussion 00:33:14 - Act 1 00:51:16 - Discussion 00:59:22 - Act 2 Part 1 01:16:49 - Discussion 01:31:16 - Act 2 Part 2 01:45:11 - Discussion 01:54:31 - Act 3 02:06:40 - Mic-Credits Scene 02:08:08 - Post-Credits Scene 02:12:18 - Discussion

Filmmaker and YouTube star Patrick Willems shares his vision of a Dark Universe reimagining of Jaws. They discuss the failed Universal Monsters cinematic universe, the impact of Jaws, and potential Jaws remakes. They explore the Dark Universe, Tom Cruise's involvement, and Richard Dreyfuss's appearance in Jaws. Patrick presents his Dark Universe Jaws remake pitch with a modern twist, focusing on character transformation and unconventional storytelling.

Dalton's informal "Carmilla Trilogy" continues with The Invisible Man's Revenge, a sequel to our breakout episode from way back in 2022! The fanbase is split as to what to expect from this one. Will this chapter be another kooky slapstick comedy, or will it be a nihilistic bloodbath the likes of which the Dark Universe has never seen? You'll get your answers, plus nearly 90 minutes of story, right here on AYADU! PLUS: A snippet from the latest episode of Are You Afraid of Dylan & Dalton? in which the hosts each introduce the other to a corner of cinema that they've never explored. Dalton has to watch all 13 Star Trek movies, including the bad ones. Dylan has to watch Richard Linklater's "Before Trilogy," one of the most celebrated film series of all time. Sounds fair, right? Get our whole library of bonus podcasts by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/dylananddalton for $5 a month. TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 - Intro 00:14:57 - Prologue 00:18:22 - Act 1 00:48:23 - Discussion 00:56:57 - Act 2 Part 1 01:09:17 - Discussion 01:17:43 - Act 2 Part 2 01:28:02 - Discussion 01:31:40 - Act 2 Part 2 Resumed 01:39:00 - Discussion 01:44:57 - Act 3 02:01:22 - Mid-Credits Scene 02:03:34 - Post-Credits Scene 02:09:02 - Discussion

Writer and comedian Avery Edison has come to pitch a new take on Village of the Damned, and she has come PREPARED. It's our most in-depth guest pitch to date! This one's got it all: Creepy children, uncanny creatures, gender feelings, and ties to our Dark Legion! And, bits? Yeah, we got those, too. You don't want to miss this one. Our podcast partner this week is No Bad Food, a show about great food and the people who love to make & eat it. Every week, hosts Tom Zalatnai & Teffer Adjemian dig into a different dish, meal, ingredient, cuisine, or piece of food media, exploring the history & culture around it, sharing favorite recipes, and learning from our wonderful guests.

After a months of sequels and spin-offs, it's time for a wholly new addition to our Dark Universe, and it's even more different than anyone expected. On this episode, Dylan pitches a new take on the 1942 classic Cat People, a small-scale, low-budget, Sundance-style horror dramedy with minimal connections to the Dark Legion mythology. It's a very rough draft, but the hosts are ready for workshop — and so are the characters! (Jump to 01:20:19 if you want to skip to the end of the deliberately uncomfortable sex scene.) PLUS: A peek at the most recent episode of Are You Afraid of Dylan & Dalton?, the monthly podcast that's available exclusively to our Patreon subscribers. Start your 7-day free trial today at Patreon.com/DylanAndDalton!   00:00:00 - Start   00:09:40 - Fan Expectations   00:21:18 - Director Choice   00:23:20 - Cold Open   00:25:07 - Act One   00:53:36 - Discussion   01:03:36 - Act Two Part One   01:16:29 - Trigger Warning Start   01:20:33 - Trigger Warning End/Discussion   01:32:20 - Act Two Part Two   01:41:53 - Discussion   01:48:04 - Act Three   01:58:04 - Mid-Credits Scene   01:59:06 - Post-Credits Scene   02:04:51 - Discussion

Hello, gentle listeners, here's a little taste of what you might be missing on our Patreon at Patreon.com/dylananddalton. Once a month, we release a new episode of our bonus podcast, Are You Afraid of Dylan and Dalton?, where we talk about horror and sci-fi movies, challenge each other with stupid little trivia games, and answer non-Dark Universe-related questions from our listeners. We’re going to start publishing clips from the bonus pod on the main feed every month, and this episode felt like a particularly good one to start with. The latest episode features Dalton digging into much greater detail about how they composed the story and music for their musical episode, The Phantom of the Opera: Love Never Dies. Here’s a little taste of that conversation, and if you’d like to hear the rest, and to join our wonderful and welcoming community on Discord, head on over to Patreon.com/dylananddalton and start your free one week trial, after which you get a steady stream of bonus shit from us for $5/mo.

Acclaimed writer and illustrator (and voice of Hunter Marin) Kendra Wells joins your hellish hosts to resurrect an infamously bad Universal monster movie, The Thing That Couldn't Die! It's a movie so weirdly unsatisfying that the only way to enjoy it is via Mystery Science Theater 3000, but Kendra has arrived with a plan to reshape it into something worth watching. CORRECTION: Ayo Edebiri is pronounced "EYE-oh ed-DEB-ree" so we were all at least half wrong. Sorry, Ayo, we love you. PLUS: We announce our latest collaboration with Kendra, a new t-shirt featuring a certain socialist werewolf and the phrase "LITERALLY EAT THE RICH!" It can be found on our Threadless store and is available on a wide array of merchandise. PLUS PLUS: Check out Dylan's bizarre new YouTube project, Future Endeavors, in which he plays a professional wrestling fan who stumbles across a supernatural threat to our very reality.

Last season, Dylan surprised Dalton by composing four original songs for his Dark Universe take on The Phantom of the Opera. "Fuck," said Dalton, "Now I have to do a musical episode!" It's finally here, and it does not disappoint. The Phantom of the Opera: Love Never Dies is a new Dark Universe story, a sequel to Dylan's Phantom, a riff on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies, and a fully produced musical EP! What does Dalton have in store for everyone's favorite monster hunting power couple, Carol and Jenny? One thing's for sure: This episode's gonna get people talking. Guest starring Ella Dawson as Jenny Halsey and Steph Salo as Carol Laemmle! Our partner podcast this week is Finding Monster Right, where hosts Adam and Allie answer questions you've never asked about monsters from folklore, pop culture, and our own world. 00:00:00 - Start   00:08:17 - Fan Expectations   00:13:37 - Director Choice   00:17:14 - Act One   00:21:45 - “Previously On!”   00:25:55 - Discussion   00:28:34 - Act One Continued   00:44:20 - “Carol’s Lament”   00:48:20 - Act One Continued   00:49:26 - Discussion   01:01:34 - Act Two   01:15:01 - Discussion   01:22:09 - Act Two Continued   01:39:17 - “The Raven”   01:42:55 - Discussion   01:51:21 - Act Two Continued   01:58:24 - Discussion   02:06:22 - Act Three   02:18:20 - “Carol’s Lament (Reprise)”   02:20:20 - Act Three Continued   02:25:18 - Mid-Credits Scene   02:27:13 - Discussion   02:39:52 - Post-Credits Scene   02:42:49 - Discussion