Plug it Up is a horror movie podcast about the monstrous feminine. Host Caitlin Grant and her funny guests look at the monstrous feminine in all its forms, including: monstrous menstruation (like Carrie and Ginger Snaps), monstrous motherhood (like Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen), femmes fatales (like Jennifer’s Body and The Love Witch), black widows (like Dolores Claibore), body horror in women (like Teeth and Raw), treacherous friendships between women (like The Craft), women battling horror ...
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the film club that dissects the eerie intersections of gender in horror
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Queen of the Damned: And Nu Metal Lestat
1:21:00
1:21:00
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Soju from Straight Chilling Podcast joins Caitlin to cover 2002's Queen of the Damned, a movie about fame, loneliness, and desire. It's got soundtrack for the ages, and it hits some of our favorite vampire tropes. We also talk about Aaliyah and the tragic circsumtances surrounding her death. Tangents are mostly vampire related, as we got a ton of g…
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Maddie and Colleen join Caitlin to cover MaXXXine, the third installment in Ti West's X franchise. We are pretty critical of the movie's shortcomings, but we enjoy talking about what could've been. It's a big entry to the 2024 horror catalog regardless of where you stand. Tangents are unhinged and many, and include: our beach week t-shirt exchange,…
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Zach and Nick join Caitlin to discuss Tarot, a 2024, PG-13 release. We discuss fate, monstrous motherhood, astrology, and, of course, tarot. It may not make the top of any lists, but it's a perfectly serviceable horror movie for tweens with some cool kills. Tangents include: Zach's birthday, Nick's knee, horror subgenres, 2024 horror so far, Shudde…
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Mary joins Caitlin to discuss Longlegs, the highly anticipated new film from Oz Perkins and Neon. We talk about monstrous motherhood and the Satanic Panic, and we address the comparisons to Silence of the Lambs and Se7en. Tangents include: pets, a "would you rather," horror trope pet peeves, Mary's podcast bumpers, favorite art items, drinks for a …
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This is a non-horror solo episode. Unless you count the trauma of growing up fat as horror (personally, I do). It's a weird and vulnerable episode where I talk about pretty privilege, thin privilege, and the frustration of wanting to reject beauty standards while feeling like you need to reach them in order to survive. It's a strange, dissonant spa…
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Bodies Bodies Bodies: Gen Z's And Then There Were None
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1:05:50
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Colleen joins Caitlin to cover Bodies Bodies Bodies, a 2022 horror-comedy from A24. The movie touches on themes of technology, messy interpersonal relationships, and privilege, all while making us laugh. Forgive my goof of conflating Rachel Sennott and her character, Alice. Tangents include: Ms. New Booty, astrology, whisper singing, A24, Zach, pod…
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I Saw the TV Glow: There is Still Time
1:15:41
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Randy from the Straight Chilling Podcast joins Caitlin to talk about I Saw the TV Glow, a surreal new A24 movie from director Jane Schoenbrun. We talk about identity, gender, memory, nostalgia, and the importance of media. With its smart direction, melancholic tone, moody aesthetic, both universal and specific themes, and potent symbolism, it's a r…
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Bob joins Caitlin to cover After Midnight, a relatable, romantic monster movie from Jeremy Gardner. We talk about identity, interpersonal relationships, taking inventory of the past, and looking at the future. What a cast, what a soundtrack, and what direction! A banger, start to finish. Check it out; let us know what you think. Tangents include: p…
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Mary joins Caitlin to count down a list of the best redemption arcs in horror movies. What makes a good redemption? A swell of courage? Alignnment of a previously skewed moral compass? Teamwork while fighting a common enemy? Sacrifice? Join us as we analyze our favorites. Tangents include: backstories in horror, things we're looking forward to, bes…
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I had the honor of interviewing writer, director, producer, actress, and film festival organizer Heidi Honeycutt. Heidi discusses her new book I Spit On Your Celluloid: The History of Women Directing Horror Movies, which is available for pre-order from Headpress Books. We talk about the making of Heidi's book, including her inspiration, her impress…
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S4 Ep 11: Pride Special - Love Lies Bleeding (with Reem)
1:39:55
1:39:55
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Hi gay! 🏳️🌈For this extra long Pride Special, we are covering the gory gay thriller ‘Love Lies Bleeding’, directed by Rose Glass. 🏋️♀️💉💪🍳💘💥🔫🚬We discuss love and addiction, giantess kinks and bodybuilding as a form of drag. We also praise this film’s refreshing disregard for queer respectability politics with its messy central couple. Get pumped!T…
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Immaculate and The First Omen: Deviled Eggs
30:46
30:46
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A solo episode with mini reviews on Immaculate and The First Omen, two similar movies that came out right around the same time. I talk about why the conversation around bod[il]y [autonomy] horror is particularly relevant right now, given the rollbacks to access to reproductive healthcare. Credit to Victor for the subtitle idea! Tangents and questio…
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Late Night with the Devil: Bohemian Grove
1:40:27
1:40:27
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Zach and Charlie join Caitlin to cover Late Night with the Devil, one of 2024's most anticipated horror movies. We all loved the movie, which is a bottle piece told in real time. We dig a little deeper into Bohemian Grove ("the grove" mentioned in the movie), the AI controversy, the effects, the acting, and the film's overall themes. Tangents are m…
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Our last dream horror film of the month is the 2021 crime mystery ‘Malignant’, directed by James Wan.👹🧥This film is nothing like what you’d expect. We delight at the action-movie sequences, and marvel at the camp. We also debate this movie’s bonkers biology, and manage to identify every single monstrous-feminine trope in all the seemingly shallow t…
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Maddie and Colleen join Caitlin to cover Love Lies Bleeding, the A24 movie "by and for the world's dyke perverts." Naturally, we loved it. We talk about themes of: obsession, rage, catharsis, gender, and loving things that are bad for you; we also discuss magical realism, body horror, and the importance of media literacy in stories like these. Oh, …
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Continuing our dreams in horror theme, we are covering the 2021 horror mystery ‘Last Night in Soho’, directed by Edgar Wright. 👩🎤💄🧥🔪👵🔥In this episode we discuss how we had some trouble pinning down the message of this film, and we didn’t quite take to the female revenge storyline (shocking for us, I know). We also unpick the uneven characterisation…
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Zach joins Caitlin to antagonize her, and to cover Abigail, a new release from the folks a Radio Silence Productions. It's a great horror comedy with an ensemble cast, lots of blood, and fun vampire lore. We also recount our somewhat eventful theater experience. Tangents include: trailers, 2024 horror releases, cartoon outfits, bugs, rings, taste b…
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S4 Ep 8: Dreams - A Nightmare on Elm Street
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This month we’re tackling dreams in horror. Our first film is the seminal 1984 horror ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, directed by Wes Craven. 💤🛏️🩸😵📞👅In this episode we talk about how this film set the bar for the dream horror canon. We also debate the Freudian and monstrous-feminine readings of this film, and ponder how modern audiences might receive …
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Keith from Horror Convos joins Caitlin to discuss The Ring (2002), a groundbreaking J-horror remake that many of us found formative. We discuss all kinds of Ring-things: monstrous motherhood, cultural and psychological influences around fear, practical effects, architecture as a storytelling element, color theory, scores, performances, and more. Si…
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S4 Ep 7: Children in Horror - The Devil’s Backbone
51:19
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Our last children in horror episode is the 2001 horror mystery ‘The Devil's Backbone’, directed by Guillermo del Toro. 👹🔙🦴In this episode we talk about how the characters function as allegories for the many different political allegiances within the Spanish Civil War. We also delve into horror as a political tool, and how ghosts frequently symbolis…
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S4 Ep 6: Children in Horror - The Sixth Sense
37:33
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Continuing our children in horror theme, we’re tackling the 1999 psychological thriller ‘The Sixth Sense’, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. 👂👅👃✋👁6️⃣In this episode we debate the different depictions of motherhood and fatherhood, address why this film works so well as a ghost story, and discuss how ‘The Sixth Sense’ makes a poignant commentary on fam…
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Sugar and Spice: and Semi-Automatics
1:30:56
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Morgan from CandleCore and the Good For Her film screening series joins Caitlin to cover Sugar and Spice, a less-horror-more-heist comedy from 2001. We talk about sisterhood, americana, motherhood, and finding identity in archetypes in this stylized, subversive cult classic. It was very formative for both of us! Tangents include: Scream, Spice Girl…
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S4 Ep 5: Children in Horror - Children of the Corn
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This month our theme is children in horror, and we’re kicking off with the 1984 horror classic ‘Children of the Corn’ directed by Fritz Kiersch. 👦🏻🌽✝️👧🏼🌽✝️In this episode we discuss how the presence of children affects the genre, and what children symbolise in horror. We also identify the folk horror elements of this film, and discuss how it operat…
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Scream 2: Sharted on the Dancefloor
1:40:35
1:40:35
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Mary and Charlie join Caitlin to cover Scream 2, a movie with an interesting production history and a star-studded cast. We talk about sequel tropes, monstrous motherhood, and the franchise entering the conversation around the effect of violent media. Tangents include: sharting, pranks, product placement, Bob Dole, spiced coke, Scream rankings, fra…
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Everybody's little brother Zach joins Caitlin to cover Slaxx, a movie about possessed pants. We talk about retail madness, the myth of "ethical" consumption, and how this movie nails horror comedy with a message. It's goofy and silly, but also affecting. We also talk about: camp counselor stories, retail work experiences, brushing teeth with twigs,…
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Our last folk horror film of the month is the 2022 psychodrama ‘Enys Men’, directed by Mark Jenkin. 🗿☎️🚤📻🔦📘For us, this film raises the central question: what do you want from horror? I.e., do you like style (vibes) or substance (plot)? Is style without substance just monotonous? We debate this film’s effectiveness, and then go into the potential p…
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Mathula joins Caitlin to cover 2003's Dogville, the first installment of Lars Von Trier's unfinished United States trilogy. It's an impressive undertaking with a unique production history and bleak plot. We talk about themes of hopelessness, arrogance, and man's tendency towards harm. It's a rough watch at times, but a really interesting movie over…
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Bob, Randy, and Soju of Straight Chilling Podcast join Caitlin to discuss Spring, the Benson and Moorhead body-horror-romance from 2014. We look at themes of travel, love, time[lessness], monstrous motherhood, and science. Thanks for joining, boys! Tangents include: HBO, actors, one-hit-wonders, strange addictions, celebratory meals, favorite citie…
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Continuing with our folk horror theme, our next movie of the month is the 2019 film ‘Impetigore’, directed by Joko Anwar. 🏚🤰🏽🌲👺In this episode we discuss the many thrilling slasher tropes in this film, talk about how ‘Impetigore’ plays with the folk horror subgenre conventions, and finally, we locate this film’s true horror: the wrath of ‘boy mom…
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It's been a while since I've shared a solo episode, but I wanted to chat a little bit about my recent bilateral salpingectomy, in case any other folks out there had questions or wanted to learn more about the procedure. This is always something I've wanted for myself, and it means even more now post-Roe. Take charge of your bodily autonomy and repr…
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Zach joins Caitlin to review a list of favorite horror comedies - some old, some new, and some that might just be funny to us. Let us know if you think we missed any! Just do so gently, for we are sensitive. Tangents include: Candy's house, sandwiches, cosplay, Victor meeting Bruce Campbell, white boy songs, CiCi's, spiders, and pets.…
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This month, we’re exploring the ‘happenings’ of folk horror, and we’re kicking off this theme with the 1973 horror musical ‘The Wicker Man’, directed by Robin Hardy. 🌾🐰💐🌈🃏In this episode, we give an overview of the global folk horror canon and discuss its tropes. We then focus on British folk horror films, and ask ourselves in what ways do its clas…
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Brother episode with off-the-charts sibling energy. Zach and Charlie join Caitlin to cover Happy Death Day, a 2017 horror comedy that features a time loop. We talk about how the time loop trope is great for setting up second chances and character redemption, and we go over funny moments from the movie. Tangents include: ring tones, physical media, …
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Scream: What's Your Favorite Scary Movie?
1:39:33
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Elizabeth joins Caitlin to talk about 1996's Scream, a movie that invigorated not just the slasher subgenre, but horror on the whole. We discuss meta storytelling, satire, subversion, and final girls, and we give Scream all the love it deserves. Tangents include: bangs, ghostface mask ideas, socks, driving, sirens in songs, the rock-and-roller to c…
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Horror Movies That Deserve A Second Chance
1:29:24
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Mary joins Caitlin to talk about horror movies that deserve a second chance. These movies aren't necessarily "underrated" (because that means different things to different people, especially depending upon familiarity with the genre), but they're movies that got written off too soon. They deserve a second look; at least we think they do. Let us kno…
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S4 Ep 1: Valentine’s Special - The Handmaiden
1:18:17
1:18:17
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WELCOME TO SZN 4. To show our love, we’re kicking off the year with a one-off Valentine’s Special, and our patreon pledges have selected the 2016 thriller ‘The Handmaiden’, directed by Park Chan-wook. 🍭👄📚🐙In this episode, we discuss the cinematic gaze as a tool to explore queerness, subvert patriarchal and colonial violence, and break down the thin…
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Maddie and Colleen join Caitlin to cover Poor Things, the new surrealist, steampunk epic from Yorgos Lanthimos. We talk about the stellar performances from Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, and Willem Dafoe, and we look at themes around sex, sexuality, identity, existentialism, gender, and bodily autonomy. There's also lots of silly joking around. The revi…
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Mary joins Caitlin to cover Saltburn, the new controversial new black comedy from Emerald Fennell. As degenerate weirdos, we loved it, but not everyone did. We talk about the controversy, and we analyze themes (obsession, weatlh, manipulation, and more). Did you know there are two movies where Barry Keoghan slurps something, and this is not the one…
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Impromptu Hatersode on Exorcist: Believer
1:08:54
1:08:54
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Navigating a pivot in plans, Mary joins Caitlin to cover David Gordon Green's recent body of work. We mostly chat about Exorcist: Believer, but we also talk about DGG's Halloween trilogy. To put it kindly, we weren't huge fans of Exorcist: Believer - partly because it tries to cash in on nostalgia and politics in cringe ways, and partly because it'…
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Eric from Bloody Good Horror joins Caitlin to cover May, a cult classic from 2002. Many of us - for better or worse - have related to May at some point. She's an often-overlooked icon of the monstrous feminine, and we wanted to give her her due. We talk about themes of isolation, identity, and being an outsider, and we look at symbols around dolls …
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: May I Kill Him?
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2:01:19
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Mary and Charlie join Caitlin to cover The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the impactful David Fincher thriller. It's got it all: high stakes, revenge, heists, mysteries, Happy Meals, and more. We look at themes of misogyny, violence against women, and intuition vs politeness. Tangents include: merkins, piercings, accents, Emma Stone, booktok, ramen, …
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Only Lovers Left Alive: Slow-Livin' Cutie Pies
1:31:05
1:31:05
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Soju from Straight Chilling Podcast joins Caitlin to discuss Only Lovers Left Alive, an indulgent 2013 vampire movie from Jim Jarmusch. We talk about brooding, the arts and humanities, love and companionship, and O-negative popsicles. Vampirism 101, really. Tangents include: blood types, FMK for Anne Rice vamps, which emojis are the most sinister, …
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Our final femcel case study to discuss is the 2019 film ‘Ma’, directed by Tate Taylor. 🍻🤘🏿🏓😈The general takeaway from this movie is: don’t think too hard about it. Are there plot holes? Yes. Are there bizarre character and plot inconsistencies? Absolutely. Does race add a strange dimension to the film? Definitely. However: do you have a good time w…
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Zach, Mary, Charlie, and Colleen join Caitlin to discuss the best and worst of horror in 2023. We cover our favorite and least favorite horror movies of the year, as well as our favorite horror shows. We also talk about trends in the genre, theater experiences, our favorite Plug It Up moments, and our hopes for 2024 horror. We come in SWINGING, bot…
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Christian joins Caitlin to cover The Nun, the biggest box office success from the CCU (Conjuring Cinematic Universe). We talk about nuns (and nunneries), snakes, religion (and religious trauma), spitting, and the Marvelization of the later Conjuring movies. We give this underrated movie some love, and we talk about how the literal blood of Jesus Ch…
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Continuing our exploration of femcels movies, we’re tackling one of Tyia’s favourite films, ‘Gone Girl’, directed by David Fincher. 📍🔍 💇♀️🗞Cool Girl ~gender neutral~/ku:l/ /ɡəːl/noun1. The unrealistically chill persona you adopt during the early days of a relationship in order to seem more desirable to your new partner.‘In my youth, I definitely p…
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Assigning Zodiac Signs to Horror Characters: Part One
2:16:34
2:16:34
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Colleen and Maddie join Caitlin to assign "big three" astrological placements to popular horror characters. Three queer, horror-obsesed women talking about astrology, boygenius, and doms/subs? Groundbreaking! But hey. It's FUN. We have a great time, and we make strong cases for our designations. Characters covered on this episode: Carrie White from…
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Charlie and Matt join Caitlin to talk about Huesera, a recent Mexican-Peruvian horror movie that features a new take on the monstrous motherhood trope. We explore themes around identity and family, and we look at motifs regarding spiders, ritual, and religion. Definitely worth a watch. Forgive our many bone(r) jokes and our exaggerated pronunciatio…
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Mathula joins Caitlin to cover 2023's Cobweb. (Mathula's pups also join for a bit of background ambiance, but they fade out after the plot synopsis.) Cobweb is a creepy, Halloween-time movie with strong visuals, cool kills, and a memorable monstrous femme figure. And an easily identifiable Busey! Tangents include: crocs, Seth Rogen and his pottery,…
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Our final theme of Szn 3 is femcel horror and we’re kicking off with the 1997 anime ‘Perfect Blue’, directed by Satoshi Kon. 🎤🎀👁In this episode we explain the history and origin of the term ‘femcel’, discuss the dangers of internet stan culture and delve into the exploitative nature of the music and television industries.You can find us on most pla…
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