5 - Ghosts in the Burbs by Liz Sower

Drawn to Darkness

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Do your friends think you’re weird because you find slasher films relaxing and can drift off into a dreamless sleep after a serial killer documentary? We're here for you. Welcome back to Drawn to Darkness, the podcast where we deep dive on our favourite horror and true crime. In this episode, we’re discussing Ghosts in the Burbs, Liz Sauer’s delightfully creepy podcast that reads like Real Housewives meets The Exorcist and Poltergeist—with a little Pinterest board, Joanna Gaines envy on the side.

Liz interviews neighbors in the New England suburb of Wellesley, Massachusetts—a place dripping in generational wealth, expensive taste, and terrifying ghost stories. We unpack everything from Ouija boards to tapping poltergeists, demonic possessions, fashion envy, Catholic guilt, and why (the mayonnaise of) motherhood might be the scariest horror trope of all. These first 8 episodes of GITB include bunk beds, suburban covens, privileged moms with dark secrets, and one very creepy paint scraper. Expect relatable mom confessions, literary tangents, and a little real talk about envy, privilege, and why we’re drawn to darkness in the first place. Also, one of us may or may not have ordered Domino’s while pregnant from a doctor's office parking lot.

Spoiler alert and Trigger warning:
We cover the first 8 (or is it 9?) episodes of Ghosts in the Burbs and yes, there are major plot spoilers ahead. This episode includes discussion of post-partum depression, home invasions, trauma and PTSD, sexual assault (in the context of Back to the Future, Catholicism and possession.

Palate Cleanser
Amy Poehler’s new podcast. For when you want funny, low-key conversations that aren’t haunted. (Bonus: Paul Rudd talking about Wet Hot American Summer. You’re welcome.)

Also: Back to the Future. Yes, there’s an upsetting scene. But seriously, it’s a perfect movie.

Recommendations if you like Ghosts in the Burbs:

• Come Closer by Sara Gran – possession horror
• The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty – the iconic possession story that inspired decades of demonic media
• The Winter People and The Invited by Jennifer McMahon – Vermont coziness meets ghostly secrets
• The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James – 80s ghosts, missing girls, twin timelines
• The Conjuring – Classic haunted house vibes (with jump scares!)
• The Ice Storm (film) – wealthy suburban repression and tragedy in 1970s New England
• Radio Rental – real-life horror stories that sound too strange to be true
• The ‘Burbs (1989) – Tom Hanks suburban paranoia done right
• Scared to Death – A podcast of paranormal stories with a creepy-fun twist and delightful husband and wife banter

Homework:

Next week, we shift from fictional ghost stories to real-life horrors. Your assignment? Pour a drink of anything but chardonnay (Joking! Like what you like!), dim the lights, and watch Spotlight, Tom McCarthy’s Oscar-winning film about the Boston Globe’s investigation into clergy abuse. This one’s heavy but important.

Thanks for joining us on this haunted suburban stroll. Review us, share with your fellow horror and true crime weirdos, and remember—if you find yourself considering buying a haunted designer handbag on Facebook Marketplace, maybe just close the app.

Special thanks to Nancy Azano for providing our cover art. You can find her on Instagram @nancyazano.

And Harry Kidd for composing and recording our opening score. His Instagram is @harryjkidd and you can also find him on Spotify. https://o