Pop DNA traces the roots of your favorite pop culture works.
We're Erin and Rhonda, and we are big old nerds. We love dissecting our favorite movies, TV shows, and more, and we're really into how literature, history, and culture have impacted the works we consume. We explore connections across mediums, from the classic novels we see reflected in our favorite horror movies, to the politics in superhero franchises, to the influence of Shakespeare in, like, literally everything. There are also bad jokes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
The Mount Rushmore of Public Domain Halloween Monsters | Vampire Summer
We're getting further down the vampire funnel into allegory and metaphor--what do vampires MEEEEEAAANN???
We start with some historical medical cases that give insight into what people in the past thought of vampires, with the case of Mercy Brown, and an explainer on the vampire-adjacent Chinese mythological creature the Jiangshi.
We also look at a few of our favorite (or at least most foundational) examples of vampires in literary or cultural works that are used to explore social and political commentary, including Dracula, Sinners, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Next episode we will look at vampire romance!
Further Reading:
More about the Jiangshi (https://www.mindbodyglobe.com/jiangshi-chinese-vampire/ )
The case of Mercy Brown (https://newengland.com/yankee/history/vampire-mercy-brown-rhode-island/ )
Edgar Allan Poe's tenuous connection (https://www.history.com/articles/vampire-history ) to vampire lore
A Colonial Reading of Bram Stoker's Dracula (https://retrospectjournal.com/2024/11/10/a-colonial-writing-of-bram-stokers-dracula/ )
Psychology Today's analysis (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asylum/202506/the-role-of-vampires-in-the-film-sinners) of Sinners
The Take video (https://youtu.be/_vQj3xtWa5A?is=IF8Dk01XNNlMlYXT) on adolescence, adulthood, and vampires in Buffy
The Psychology of Trauma in Interview with the Vampire (https://nevejay.medium.com/eternity-wounds-eternity-heals-how-interview-with-the-vampire-explores-vampirism-as-a-76226df538a5 )
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/popdnapodcast/)
14 Jun 2026
This Episode Sucks | Vampire Summer
Stake it or leave it, this is our summer series!
We decided to spend our summer deep diving into vampire lore and the ever evolving role of the undead in popular fiction.
In our first installment, we define our terms and talk a little about the folklore origins of vampire stories. We also take a quick look at vampires in popular fiction, highlighting a few works and broader trends that we will delve into deeper in future episodes.
Further Reading:
Britannica entry (https://www.britannica.com/topic/vampire ) on vampires
Vampires on the mythos fandom wiki (https://mythus.fandom.com/wiki/Vampire)
Vampire history (https://www.history.com/articles/vampire-history)
The migration of paranormal romance (https://shewrites.com/genre-trends-in-publishing-for-2025/)
The evolving role (https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/the-evolution-of-vampires-in-writing-the-reflection-we-always-need) of vampires in literature
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/popdnapodcast/)
10 May 2026
BONUS: Rhonda Wrote a Book and We Talked About It!
Pop DNA scored an exclusive early interview with up-and-coming debut author Rhonda Watts for an intimate, no-holds-barred interview.
Rhonda's debut cozy fantasy book, Spells & Sensibility, is currently on submission, so no spoilers or big news yet, but she wanted to talk about it with her friend Erin, and we recorded the conversation.
We talk about Rhonda's writing process, how she got the idea for the book, making time to write with a full-time job, the importance of finding the right agent, and how to approach writing a Jane Austen retelling.
Read Rhonda's blog post about the process here (https://rhondablogsaboutbooks.wordpress.com/2025/08/23/i-wrote-a-book-let-me-tell-you-about-it/).
Follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/popdnapodcast/), and get ready for Vampire Summer starting in June!
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
431
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 76 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
81
Social presence
91
YouTube
66
Engagement
68
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