Attention listeners, we are releasing this episode on New Year's Eve, December 31st, 2024, in the event that you might not have any other pressing plans for the evening. we actually have created a countdown that we tried to time with the ball drop for the new year. So if you start this episode over... at the very beginning, at exactly 9.56pm in 36 seconds, in your time zone, then at the end of the show, the horror Avengers will count down from 10.
and give you a very special surprise on the new year. Enjoy the show. Happy New Year's Eve and welcome to Jay of the Dead's new horror movies, The Monstrous Mustache of Horror Movie Podcasting. This is our very special New Year's Eve special. slated to release on New Year's Eve proper as 2024 winds to a close and we ring in the new year of 2025. What will it hold? And for this episode, we have one objective.
to bring you our first take review of Nosferatu 2024, which will begin spoiler-free and then conclude with a spoiler section. And I'm your host, Jay of the Dead, podcasting from Pleasant Grove, Utah. And I'm joined by 129 people today for this auditory New Year's Eve party. This is actually our biggest panel we've ever...
Been able to have of our hosts, there are actually nine of us today. We could be playing baseball right now, Jason. No. No Twilight Vampire Baseball. No, no, no. Just saying nine. I'm going to say nine. There are nine, yes. That would be enough to fill the team. Trust me, Mac was trying to suggest.
Twilight vampire baseball. We're not doing that. So one of my New Year's resolutions, which I'm already breaking, is to try to be less obnoxious on this podcast. But even so, with this many people in the call, you guys. I'm going to need to run a tight Demeter tonight. So we've got a lot to cover. I'm going to try to keep it moving. And Dave Z. stop touching my demeanor okay so so first first allow me to welcome co-hosts one by one
And guys, when I welcome you, if you don't mind, tell the listeners real quick, just one of your New Year's resolutions, if you would, please. So I want to welcome first, just outside Philadelphia PE. A, the amazing but subtle one, Dave, Dr. Shock Becker. Hello, everyone. A New Year's resolution. My New Year's resolution is to have no resolutions. Good. Perfect. That works. Bravo. All right. And then next, we want to welcome our resident Florida man who always has some sort of...
climate excitement going on in his neck of the woods. I want to welcome Gilman Joel Robertson. Jay, may I just say Happy New Year to you, to all my fellow co-hosts, and to the listeners. I am so happy you got this episode out and we are finally ready for 2026. Can I hear it? Can I hear it? New Year's 2026.
I just figured I'm being preemptive because that's probably when this will get out. So we're going to blink in 2025. We'll be over anyway. Exactly. Fair enough. Seems to be like it was with 2024. Fair enough. Fair enough. And much like. Dave, Dr. Schockbecker, I too do my resolutions to have no resolutions unless my one resolution is to just mess with Jay more. Yes. Okay. I love that. I welcome it. all right and next we want to welcome
who amounts to our resident polar bear. He has become kind of our other little mascot because we have Shockma, of course, and we also have our polar bear guy. I want to welcome Mr. Watts. Happy New Year, everybody. And, you know, I'm going to have to follow in the tradition of the gentleman who came before me in that I've got no resolutions. New Year, same me.
Good. Do not change, Watson. No matter what they try to make you do, you don't change. Right. Good. I like the way you guys think now. Okay. And then next. Dr. Kyle Bishop is unable to join us today, and so he will not be here. Through his. Yes, we're very sad. But we do have— The resolution is the same as the other guys. That's right. Probably. Yes. Yeah. His resolution will be to be here for a take two Nosferatu review. Yeah.
But we do want to welcome the southern gentleman himself. Welcome our good friend, our dear friend, Greg Amortis. Yo, yo, yo. Happy New Year, everybody. Even the panel of hosts here tonight. Love it. Love you guys. And New Year's resolution? I don't know. New scenery, Jay, maybe? I hope so, brother. Oh, wow. The beehive state. That's kind of telling you. Yeah, that would be very exciting. The northern gentleman. That's right. The high desert gentleman.
Yes. Okay. And then moving along here, we want to welcome our little buddy. He's not Gilligan. He's not Gilligan of the group. But he is our little buddy. But he's damn near. Yeah, right? No, he's one of the sweetest men I know. He's a good friend. I want to welcome Count Macula. Thank you, Jason. And I'm going to drink.
Slightly less blood. I've already had six cans today and I really need to cut back. I actually do hate New Year's resolutions because I'm like, if it's July and you need to cut back on the cigarettes or whatever it is, just start now. Don't spend six more months like. Yeah, right. Exactly. That's the way I feel, too. It's like, OK, I'm going to continue to drink.
It's July 5th. I'm going to continue to drink until like January 1st. But then I'm going to stop. Oh, yes. I see that. Yeah, the goal books would say something along those lines as well. Yeah, I'm going to try to eat healthier, but I bet you that's going to last for like all of two hours or something. Let's be honest. The Girl Scouts with their cookies. They have come up with the best marketing ploy of all time. The Girl Scouts hit with their cookies in the second week in January.
When people are done with their resolutions, they're done with them at that point. And the Girl Scouts come out with their cookies and everyone buys them like there's no tomorrow. It is the best. It is the single best marketing ploy of anyone. Yes. And in case people didn't hear Watson's reaction, I'm going to try to amplify it in the post-production because it was brilliant.
That's awesome. I'm telling you. And those caramel – what are the caramel ones with the chocolate? Delights, right? Yes. Caramel delights. Holy shit. Or Samoas. Samoas are the best. Well, check it, y'all. Check it, check it. I'm going to throw a tiny bit of shade. But it's only shade on their organization, but it's good. It's positivity for everyone else. I don't know if everybody knows this, but if you have a Dollar General in your area.
A lot of places do, and they're a corporation too. But let me say this. They basically have Girl Scout cookies year-round. They taste – dude, okay, they're not – called Girl Scout Cookies. They're family, Dollar Generals, whatever. They're a brand, okay? But all of the cookies that they sell, they basically have year-round, and you get more, and they're cheaper. What?
So I'm just going to say, do the prices of Girl Scout cookies have triple the last 10 years? Even those caramel ones? They have Samoas? All of them. Hurry on. They call them caramel delights. But check it. Go to Dollar General and get them because... I'm telling you, man, that those pimps, the frigging the Girl Scouts, they they raise those things by triple. And this was before inflation and bloodsuckers. Smaller. Yes, dude. So I do the other thing. I hope you guys do because you save money.
Wouldn't that be great if that's how they actually get them? They just raid all the Dollar Generals, clear out the boxes, and then put those cookies in their own boxes, and then mark the price up, double, triple. Yes. Yes. That's wild. I did not know. for me one for you two for me which is why the boxes are smaller you don't even get that many of the caramel ones in a box but god damn it i'm gonna buy them every time dude he's not lying
Coconut fudge caramel for $2.50? Trust me, yo. I'm telling you. Clover Valley. It says Clover Valley. I think they sell the cookies, guys. Especially at a markup in order to help the organization to fund their little Girl Scouts. But how much are they skimming? How much are they skimming? What's the CEO of freaking Girl Scouts making? You know he's driving a Bentley. Absolutely. F that in the A.
I'm up here like a Wednesday Addams. I only eat Girl Scout cookies that are made with real Girl Scouts. There you go. Yes. I love that. Well, as you were hearing there, the birdie made off of this. podcast uh we want to welcome dave z he is with us tonight and he has all kind of good little tips for us so welcome dave z what's your resolution thank you
Well, I guess I'm the rebel rouser, but I'm just doing it to help people. Sure, sure, I'm anti-establishment, but at the same time, I'm pro folks like us, working class people. But anyway. My New Year's resolution. It's easy in theory, but it's not always easy to execute. But I really this year, after not having them for a while, I'm going to really try this. And it's quite simple.
No jokes. It's just focus on the positive. That's it. Nice. Focus on the positive. Some people can do it naturally. Some people have to train their brains to do things. I'm going to try. And Happy New Year, everybody. Much love. And I hope somebody does the same. And you can start by realizing you can get these Samoa cookies for $3.50 in the box. Yes. That's right. That's a positive.
Proper. That's right. There you go. And I didn't intentionally skip Ron Martin. Our buddy Ron Martin is not able to be here today as well, unfortunately. But I just want to tell everybody, he and Dr. Bishop have very... Awesome, happy, positive things happening today, which is why they couldn't be here. So we miss them, but we're also really happy.
Okay. The rest of us are just negative. Yes. In our life. Yeah. Yeah. We, we didn't have anything to do, but we had nothing going on. I guess I was busy according to Skype. I was busy according to Skype. That's true. Yeah. Skype said Joel. too good for this but okay and then next we have our i was busy but i wanted to be here with you guys oh very positive see it's working already i like it
Trying, brother. So I want to welcome our newest edition, number 10. He is my flesh and blood. I want to welcome Spawn of the Dead. What's up? There he is. there he is i've been here the whole time that's right what's your resolution i have lots of those just pick one though um Good job. Good job prepping that. I wrote down a whole list. It's like nine things on it. One of them.
To prepare for a mission. All right. Yes. Awesome, brother. It's coming up, isn't it? Yeah, man. It's coming up for you. Soon. Yes, it is. So excited. We're going to watch the Heritage. We're going to watch. Heretic. Right. Don't visit Hugh Grant. Yeah. That's my advice to Hugh. No Hugh Grant visit. I broke down and I spent $19.99 to rent that son of a bitch.
Okay. Wow. That's awesome. Tell us how you feel, Dave. Yeah. I haven't watched it yet, but I rented that son of a bitch. That will be one of the 50 or like 50 plus. For 2024, I rented that son of a bitch. And for 1999, God damn it, I should have seen it in the goddamn theater. I'm happy. I would have saved money. I could have got the ticket plus popcorn. I'm paying for this son of a bitch on Amazon Prime. Boy. We got some Ebony. Talk to me. We got some penny pinchers around here.
on this podcast. I like it. Did I bet you $2.50 for a box of Girl Scout cake? Yeah. No! I could have got 10! of those caramel cookies yes you could have for what i for what i paid for the goddamn heretic Why do you pay so much? He wants to see it. I got to hook up, brother. I got to hook up. The same thing. Dave Z always tells us that. You should remember that, Doc. I stick it to the streaming services, too. I got the hookup. Come to me. Dave Z, I should have come to you first.
That's how the heretic begins. Yep, that's right. Somebody having the hookup. All right. And then and then we're still going through the panel. And then we have last but certainly not least today. He is our official contributor. a musical genius. He is our resident maestro. We want to welcome Kagan, the fruit brute Breitenbach. Hey, y'all. Thank you. Hey, Kagan. Yeah. Well, I've got...
I've got a couple New Year's resolutions. The one is to finish this damn musical that I've been working on for four years. And the more important one is to stop getting baited by Ron Martin. Good luck. Yeah, good luck on that one. We all fall victim to that one. I feel like he and I are the Sam and Diane of horror podcasting because his Nightmare on Elm. street coverage one minute i'm just like yes yes and then the next minute i think he's gonna put me in an early grave so love it
All right, brother. Thank you. And then in addition to me being less of a jerk on the show, my real resolution pertaining to this show, you guys aren't going to believe this. You're all going to mock and make fun, but I'm dead serious. That's right, Spawn. Everything that we have recorded in the can for new horror movies, my goal in 2025 is to get all of that out and released.
Meaning. So we'll be caught up with releases. So does that real quick, Jay, does that mean people can expect at least two episodes a week for the next year? Well, the episodes are long. And in fact, I got, you know, you're going to be so surprised here. because I have some stats for you guys that might shock you. Maybe. Maybe. But anyways, yeah, so that's my... Can I suggest something? Yeah, of course. Can I suggest something? Of course. Of course. Okay.
I suggest that you do what the movie theaters do and just release all that stuff in dump month. Just make January everything in the can, and then we can focus on new stuff February on. Then you get it all taken care of, and it's out of the way, no longer a trailer. Absolutely. Is it just me or when I see a movie trailer saying coming in January? January that I think, okay, this is going to suck. My birthday month has always been a tragedy for me.
But it's not that way anymore. I think Cloverfield came out in January. Megan came out in January. Am I right, Jay? Yes, yes. And Cloverfield, by the way, that was January 18th. Literally five days after Spawn of the Dead came out. Let's go. Wow. He was born five days before Cloverfield was released. I'm way older than that. Five days. Have you seen it, Spawn? Has he shown it to you?
Of course, like three times. Do you love it? I'm telling you, that movie, that trailer, I remember seeing the trailer for that movie leading up to January. And they said it's coming out in January. I said, well, it might suck, but I'm going to check it out anyway. Yeah. And it didn't suck. That's right. Absolutely. Okay. So. Today, guys, as we release this on New Year's Eve 2024, did you know that technically...
New Year's Eve 2024 is the three-year anniversary of the launch of Jay of the Dead's new horror movies. That was episode one, came out December 31st, 2021. And they said it wouldn't last. I know. In fact... Here's a confession. I don't know if I ever said this before. Like I was awake for literally three days trying to put that out for some reason. And when it was out, I'm like, what?
Have I done? But here we are. Episode 133. I'm so happy to be here. The next thing I want you all to know, listeners, too, is we have a. goal to bring you or at least at the very least record our three separate episodes during January when we're going to review our top 10 horror movies of 2024.
And so we're going to record them in January. I would like to get them all three released in January, but at worst case scenario might spill over into some February, but it will be, you know, this, you know. pretty close right so anyway we have three teams three team captains that's gonna be nuts and
Speaking of 2024, I thought you guys might be interested in this as well. I've got a few statistics I've prepared. And this is just a little year in review for this podcast here. So this is just releases in 2024. This year we released episode 85 all the way up through episodes 133. For a total of 49 episode releases this year, that's almost at averages to about one a week. So that's... Now, I gotta give credit where credit's due. It's not bad.
Dr. Bishop, of course, his solo cast is responsible for it. 17 of those so dead man still walking i noticed that yeah yeah he has a lot he has a lot and then we had two episode releases that included physical media versus streaming debates and i know that we have two other planned at least like we have we've been bickering over those for months and months but there are two of those out there thus far we have four
of Macula's The Collector Series episodes released. And of course, the remainder of those will come out here in 2025. Got some good stuff coming up next. Greg Amortis. And then we got Doc Shock. And then we got Ron Martin. And then we're going to have Dave Z. And I think, Mac, you got sights set on Spawn and Kagan even too, right, Mac?
Yes. Yes. I really want to. Okay. All right. We'll twist their arms. And then we had, let's see, get this. I bet no other horror podcast can say this. We had 15 releases. of top 10 episodes for 2022 and 2023. That happened. That happened this year. Wow. And we did celebratory anniversary episodes for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as A Nightmare on Elm Street, that retrospective franchise review.
And on that ladder, we've still got one more bonus episode coming out where Kagan and Ron have this big overview discussion. And we got little surprises involving Joel.
Probably the most wound up I've ever heard him on a podcast. Hell yeah. And that's saying something. Yes. It really is. Yes. And I'll say as a. As a 100% listener of this podcast, October was... a fucking marathon it was true i'm like oh my gosh i gotta get i gotta get caught up in time for halloween it was so well done thank you that was nuts yeah
We went crazy. And then big congratulations because in 2024, I'm so proud of this. Both Macula and Gilman Joel, they both released excellent horror short films. So, bravo. What? They did? Yes. Very proud of you guys. Joel got into a festival though. Oh, yes. You should maybe enter yours into one than you would. No, it did. It went into a contest and they politely put it into the rubbish bin right next to the contest. No, they didn't. Yes, they did.
Give me those bastards' names. Yes. Anyways. I will hunt them down for you, Mac. Yes. Thank you. So it's been a pretty decent year, I think, for Jay the Dead's horror movies. I'm very excited about that. So three more quick notes, and I promise we'll get underway because, gee whiz, this was a lot of stuff to cover. Okay. In case you missed it, listeners, in episode 27 of this podcast, we have already released a Nosferatu-themed episode where we celebrate its 100-year anniversary. That was...
back in October of 2022 when we did that. So we've got full-blown in-depth reviews of the original Nosferatu 1922. We've got review of Shadow of the Vampire. Nosferatu the Vampire 1979, the Herzog film. And then also Nosferatu in Venice. So all that was already discussed in cover. So therefore...
We don't necessarily need to go spend a lot of time on any of those unless you guys just have something to chime in. But I'll link it for the listeners in case they want to hear on that. So, bravo. Dude, they dropped the ball. I'll say that. I'll say that because I didn't remember that. This movie here should have been released in 2022. Hell, they've been talking about it since 2017. The 100-year thing, that would have been perfect. Yeah, that's a ball drop by somebody.
Yes, and speaking of the original Nosferatu 1922, as our newest horror avenger in training and 16-year-old gentleman, I told Spahn that if he wanted to review this new film with us... that he had to watch Nosferatu, a symphony of horror from 1922, just so he could appreciate the remake with the appropriate context. And what did he think of it? What did you think of that spawn? It sucked. No. Go ahead. I'm not going to twist your arm. Okay. Thanks. It was a slow burn.
And there was no words, like no audible words. And the colors were super messed up. But I know it was like a recovered film. So that's why the colors were so messed up. But it still hurt my eyes at two in the morning. I didn't watch it at 2 in the morning. No, it wasn't that late. It wasn't that late. We did. Okay. You made him watch it? I didn't make him. A million acts. There were like 70 billion. It's okay. I thought you made him. I didn't make him.
No, not ads. He said, he said, I said, if he wanted to review the new one with us, he had to watch the original, but he was saying, you know how there are five acts.
So there were ads. You made him stream? No. No, it was a special. It was the Kino edition. Oh, act. Yes. Oh, act. I pictured you guys like on Freebie or Tubi or whatever. No. right i am not a philistine yeah okay wow and because when it hit when it cut to the screen and said act four i i just died because i'm like oh my gosh now there's an unlimited amount of time they can take up. So did your dad tell you that there's something called the silent era before talkies? Did he give you any context?
Yeah. Give me a lecture before. Have you seen silent films before? The cat wants out. I won't throw him. under the bus at all because he's an awesome kid. But you guys would have been very pleased. We did have a beautiful film discussion. And today when he was prepping his notes, I'm like, okay, this is considered a classic. I know you didn't love it. So feel free to give your critiques. Also.
Mention what you appreciated. So there you go. He didn't appreciate much about it, I guess. So what would you rate it, though? Because I get a lot of crap. Four out of ten. Four out of ten? Yep. Wow. Wow. What do you mean wow? I understand. For me, it's a 10 out of 10. It's true. I think you have to kind of consider the context of the movie, like the fact that it's a silent picture. You can't. Yeah. You know, it's I mean, I go I go back 40 years with that movie.
Yes. Wait, why is it a 10 for you? What? Why is it a 10 for you, though? My God, because it is one of the greatest horror films ever made. It seriously is. If you look at that, it still is creepy today. OK, I agree. Yeah, we had. Doc, Doc, Kyle Bishop gave it a 10. Doc Shock gave it a 10. Watson gave it a nine. I will. I'm going to actually I'm going to play a little devil's advocate here kind of for both of you. I think you have to.
You have to acknowledge its impact and influence on where we are, how it got to where we are today. I can totally see from a 16-year-old's perspective sitting through Nosferatu, a 1922 silent picture that Sepia tinted. is probably not great. Yeah, right. I agree. Yeah, I can see that as well. The fact that he even sat through it is kind of a minor miracle. Yeah, guys. He did. I was kind of... My daughter.
Sorry. I was going to say, has anybody seen the progressive insurance commercial where the kid comes in and asks him a question? And it's like, they don't really know the answer. They're like... Okay, I'll just look it up. That's what I got out of the phone right there. Why is it the greatest? That's so funny. What were you saying, Dave Z? Sorry. No, I was going to say like my daughter doesn't even like –
Watching something that's in DVD quality. In the real instance, I have to watch a DVD or something that has bad quality. This is what her words used to be. She would basically call it old-fashioned. She goes, oh, that's an old-fashioned-looking movie. And that's just DVD quality. So think about that. So is she a big fan of shot-on-video horror, Dave? Yes. Don't think I've exposed her, but I'm not, but she's not.
That won't happen. She knows her stuff, and she appreciates it, and she'll say practical over CGI, and she believes in owning things and stuff like that, physical media.
It's just like I don't think – I don't think she could nor do I think Spawn could because I don't think they'll like it because they don't appreciate like – The art of filmmaking at this point, I didn't appreciate the art of filmmaking until I was well into my 30s and I started noticing more details about, you know, technical aspects and things like that.
It just comes with experience. Like, honestly, that's the allure of that movie is the way it's shot and the presentation and things like that. It's not the dialogue. It's not the plot. You know what I mean? It's just. We appreciate the technical aspects of it, the shots, things like that. I don't think people at that age...
I think that comes later. It did with me. So maybe I'm talking out of my ass, but that's how I feel. That's good. Spawn, they'll give you the final word and then we got to keep moving. I totally agree with you. And I feel like most Gen Z doesn't appreciate film, but I actually. Feel like I'm above that above other Jim's ears. You are. I know about like all the angles and I know about like all like these techniques and stuff and I do appreciate it. It's just.
it was really slow let me just say this respond it's hilarious to say that because literally my kids say the exact because and again probably i'm just gonna guess it has something to do with the parental influence maybe jay maybe um that that Cause literally my kids, cause you know, they don't have any of their immediate friends around them.
That will literally talk about, like, blocking a scene properly and the difference between, you know, this type of angle. Yeah, I totally get that. It's good. You know, it's good. And the fact that you've sat through the whole thing is kind of a miracle. Yes, I'm proud of it. Joel, I got to give your kids credit. Weren't they like really creeped out by the original?
Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Yes. Yeah. They creeped out more by that one than any other version, right? Yeah, and also I showed them Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt when they were really little, and that traumatized them. Nice. Well done. And Psycho. We saw Psycho at the drive-in during 2020. And ready for this? None of them knew the twist.
It was like watching Psycho in 1960 with a fresh audience. Where Hitchcock came out and threatened audience members to give away the plot. That was super cool. That's awesome. Great. It is awesome, but there is a B-side to that where because they've seen everything by now, it is not as impactful. And I noticed this when I showed my daughter Sleepaway Camp. I was expecting...
a big reaction and her reaction was, and I had, I recorded it audio just cause I wonder, see how she was going to, I played on exploding. Yeah. And well, yeah, the dick, the whole thing, you know what I mean? So just that, so that happens. And she looks at me and she says. Why is her face just looking like that? That was her big takeaway, that her face was stuck there in the same position. Not that she just saw that. Real quick, yes. But anyway. Yeah, he hasn't seen that one yet, so we'll –
We'll keep that. Spoiler. Yeah, yeah. Oh, sorry. That's all right. That's no problem. No problem. My kids were absolutely traumatized by Sleepaway Camp. Absolutely traumatized. True, true. Okay.
All right, well, final note before we start. Sorry, guys. I knew that would be a fun can of worms, and I appreciate Spawn for jumping into it like that. So, final note. I promised the... the host here we're only going to review one film and that's true and that's the new Nosferatu but to avoid confusion just wanted to clarify something in case there are listeners out there who aren't clear on this there was another Nosferatu remake
It came to pass and was released in October 2023. Also titled... Is this the one where he's on a motorcycle? No, no. This was also titled Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror. This was written and directed by David Lee Fisher, the same dude who did the 2005 Cabinet of Dr. Caligari remake.
And I actually watched it this morning, guys. And so I just I wrote down these couple of just quick notes. I promise real fast. This is the one where the vampire is played by Doug Jones and he looks good. I just want to say that he looks good. He does use the voice of Lugosi's Dracula in this. The run time is one hour, 32 minutes. It's fairly well paced, I got to say.
Mostly black and white, but it's like the golden tinted sepia look to it. It feels like a filmed play. It kind of seems like a TV, PBS production or something. Sarah Carter plays Ellen. She's super hot and loved Doug Jones. Otherwise, the casting's not great. It's like a six for me. Somewhat unnecessary, but you can clearly tell that it's a love letter made by... A genuine fan of the original. Has anybody else seen the other Nosferatu remake? No, I did not. Okay. No, just the Kinski one.
Yeah. Yeah. That's the one I saw. Yes. Same. It's worth seeing it, though, for for Doug Jones, if you're a huge fan of this. Although I will say that Dr. Caligari remake, I thought was pretty good. I like that one quite a bit. Yeah. Yeah. You can tell. Those are the two films that this dude has done. And you can tell he just loves that stuff. He loves it hard. He loves the German expressionism. Yeah. Yeah. Apparently so. Now.
Dave Becker will sing Auld Lang Syne in German with Kagan accompanying on the harpsichord. How much did you guys pay for that? Dude, I thought we was getting it. What in the world? Come on now. No, we just want to thank all the listeners for joining us for our Nosferatu New Year's Eve special here on Jay the Dead's new horror movies. standard of horror movie podcasts. You've had these spells since childhood. Tell me what you can from the beginning. It is like a dream. It was our wedding.
We turned around. Everyone was dead. The stench of their bodies was horrible. Standing before me was death. Nosferatu was written and directed by Robert Eggers, who of course gives credit to Bram Stoker and Heinrich. for their work that inspired this remake. Nosferatu is released wide in U.S. theaters on December 25th, 2024, Christmas Day. Stars Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok.
Lily Rose Depp, Nicholas Holt, and Willem Dafoe, other great actors. It's rated R, has a runtime of two hours, 12 minutes, and everybody is familiar with the premise, but essentially we have a... An ancient vampire who is destroying a young couple's marriage as well as their town. So that's it. We're going to start, listeners, everybody. This is general overall thoughts. No spoilers. And Doc Shock, you are the one, sir.
That the whole time I was watching this movie, I thought of you. I really did. And I just I was dying to hear what you think. So please tell us. Oh, my God. I was blown away. I was blown away by this movie. First off, the look of it. What would it be like the just the costumes, the the set pieces, everything about this movie I thought was amazing. And it didn't just remake Nosferatu. It gave you something more.
You know, it changed the story around. First off, Lily Rose Depp, she's amazing. I thought she gave a tremendous performance in this movie. But it was really Robert Eggers. He's the star of this film. as far as i'm concerned you know and and we we were all impressed with the the witch and um the lighthouse and i haven't seen the northman i haven't seen that one yet but This was absolutely a Robert Eggers film. He he brought it and this is it was setting itself up for a fall.
As far as I was concerned. And I heard some people talking about this movie early on that they weren't that impressed with it. It wasn't what they were expecting. It absolutely delivered on everything I wanted it to be. So I absolutely love this movie. Excellent. Thank you. OK, let's go with Mr. Watson next. What did you think? Well.
You know, once again, Eggers shows us that he is one of the most talented directors working right now. It's a privilege to see horror films operating at this high a level. This is fine literature. put to screen and it's impressive to see. Now that said, you know, Nosferatu 2024 here won't be for everyone. This film asks a lot of its audience. And as I sat in the theater last night.
packed house no fewer than 10 people got up and left before the movie was half over which is to say that i suspect there will be a lot of folks in the horror community who will be able to appreciate this movie on a technical level but will simultaneously find themselves border over Now, for my money, like Doc Shock, I was in awe of the spectacle. Eggers is a visionary.
And I wouldn't want to see a Nosferatu remake in anyone else's hands. In fact, I have said on several podcasts that I wish Eggers had been the one to do the last voyage of the Demeter. And what's neat is that we do get a quick sequence there on what amounts to this movie's version of the Demeter. And as quick as it was, I was like, this is what I wanted to see. This is what that should have been.
I mean, the world Eggers is crafting here is immersive. The performances he gets from these actors is nothing short of stellar all around. Lily Rose Depp has never been better. I mean, she's here to act. And Eggers is like, then let's do it. Let's go. And Skarsgård, Bill Skarsgård, I mean, you know, Pennywise, The Crow, he absolutely disappears.
into the role of count orlock i read that he trained with an opera singer to lower his voice a full octave for this role and when you listen to the way orlock speaks how he enunciates the vocal flourishes here and there it's truly remarkable what he's doing and i think what i appreciate most about this movie the singular thing i appreciate most is that Eggers didn't make any attempts to humanize Count Orlok. This isn't a...
postmodern depiction of Orlok that seeks to paint him as a misunderstood, sympathetic antihero or something like that. No, this Orlok is a demon from the depths of hell. He is pure evil and Eggers does a tremendous job illustrating just how intimidating and powerful this vampire is. My only issue with the movie is one I'll bring up in spoilers, so we'll get there later. There was a story arc.
I just – I don't feel that I've had enough time to sit with this film so that I can process whether or not I feel this particular story arc is an issue or if it's warranted or if – it will continue to bother me as time goes on it has to do with lily rose depp's character ellen and her link
to Count Orlok. Something about that didn't sit well with me, still doesn't. Maybe I have to see it again. Maybe we'll talk this over in spoilers. But other than that, man, what an impressive film this is. This is not a movie. This is a film. Thank you. OK, let's hear from the fruit fruit. Kagan, what do you think? Yeah, I completely agree with what Doc Shock and Watson are saying.
Especially I was really riveted in the first act of this. And there's a sequence where involving a carriage in this. That's one of my favorite sequences I've seen in a horror film in a long time. And in my mind, I was thinking. Oh, this is like a moment in history. This film is important. And I loved everything in the castle following that.
But I am going to be a little harsher. I'll spoil and say I'm going to be rating this film pretty dang high. But I walked out of the theater with a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth because for me it was – Kind of how I felt about Spielberg's West Side Story remake. It was simultaneously glorious and masterful. But to quote Kyle Bishop, I felt like it was almost unnecessary.
And the reason I say that is because we live in a world super saturated with the Dracula myth. And I... just don't think this captured enough unique story beats on the macro level to justify its existence even as artistic as it was and I'm the sort of person who grew up watching tons of classic cinema. I have a high tolerance for slow pacing. My mom and I watched three-hour D.W. Griffith movies. But I think that this movie...
felt its length in a bad way for me because I knew what was coming next so frequently. And again, while I think it's good enough to get on my top 10 list at the end of the year, I I do wish it fell more in the category of like the Suspiria remake from 2018. I just wanted Eggers to go a little bit more apeshit with his. tone and style with the plot. And I will echo what Watson said, too. I almost wish we could swap out Eggers as the director of Last Voyage of the Demeter.
Because that would have been something more unique. But yeah, overall, I really, really appreciated this on a technical level. And I have a few other minor gripes. But yeah, I just I think I had stratospheric expectations for this that it didn't quite meet. Thank you. How about you, Gilman Joel? So you brought up that this is the three year anniversary of the show. Correct, Jay? Yes, sir. OK.
And I remember us having a conversation before we started doing the show. And you told me one of your goals was for this to be like a free speech platform. Correct? Yes, it is. Right. We want to avoid groupthink. The vibe I remember us having in a conversation. Well, based on the texts that were going back and forth for this movie, I saw the movie and I thought, oh, shit.
I'm going to be on an island unto myself. However, that sounds like I hated this movie and I did not hate this movie. Okay. But thank you, Kagan, for going before me because unlike you. I'm far too lowbrow to articulate exactly how I felt the way you articulated it for me. That was like verbatim.
What I was feeling that I those whole like really for the last two days, I've been like, how am I going to express these guys that I thought this was a beautiful work of art that I just I don't care about. I didn't, I just, and I think here's the problem. We, we Kagan hit this. So like Dracula, the original Dracula, the movie, the Bela Gosi movie was always like one of my kind of meh.
universal monster movies, but over the years I watched it more and it's really grown on me, especially Renfield and Dwight Frye's performance and all that stuff. And like, there's a reason why the Bram Stoker estate sued. over that original Nosferatu because it is straight up other than like a couple of things Dracula like it's it is straight up beat like beat for beat and so watching this movie I was like
I know it's okay. I know we're going to appear and then we're going to appear. And it was like, I had seen the movie before. I had not seen it necessarily presented a totally like it was being presented. And like the cinematography was glorious. And I thought the acting was really great.
oh that was great but when you Kagan when you said the thing about the ape shit thing I was like yes because like I don't want to give anything away but there was a moment as soon as I saw these two very cherubic beautiful little girls in Victorian garb. I thought, Oh, sure. This is going to something, something jacked up is going to happen now. Something may or may not happen at some point, but I'll say I was very underwhelmed.
by that kind of moment like I didn't there was things that happened that I just kind of other than I would say maybe the very end of the of the movie that kind of went in a direction that felt different
but by and large, uh, and even then it didn't really, cause we've seen that actually that kind of scenario, like specifically, I think of like Bram Stoker's Dracula, which, so here's the thing, like I was in my head, I think also kind of compares comparing this to the Coppola film, um, in some ways. Um, and. This movie is superior to that movie in that. And I hope this isn't heresy to people. I love Keanu Reeves, but the.
One of the biggest problems with that movie, if you're going to have a big problem with it, is the casting of Keanu and, quite frankly, Winona Ryder. Like, they both feel very kind of out of place with the rest of the cast and everything else that's going on. Whereas this movie, everybody. is just perfect like they're perfectly cast like everybody feels a part of like that time and they all fit and it just feels right but as a movie experience for me
I get like more emotional connection to the Bram Stoker's Dracula from 92. Right. I think it was 92. And. I, I just, this one, I just didn't feel it. It was like an intellectual exercise for me more than it was an emotional one. And I tend to want to have an emotional experience with a movie, especially a horror movie. Cause that's the other thing. And I'm just going to be straight with everybody here and maybe I'll feel different. I did.
find this movie scary at all like on any level now i thought i will say the one thing i've heard people who seem to like this movie about which is scars guard like the orlock look i actually liked that Because number one, it was a different take. Number two, I think they were trying to basically make him look like Vlad the Impaler, which is who Dracula is based on. Yeah.
Which I loved. I agree. And I loved that. I guess it's kind of a mild spoiler to say this, but not really. If you've ever seen any kind of vampire movie or Dracula movie. I liked that when you see his flesh and things, like he's a rotting corpse. Like this guy, you know, stinks. This is, there is no hint of like, oh, he's, you know, Gary Oldman with this top hat. It's none of that.
None of that. And he totally does. And yet he's so he's so hypnotic. Obviously, he's able to override that with her. But that.
was fine. Like, I really actually liked Skarsgård a lot. In fact, that was one of my biggest praises for the movie. I thought the score was beautiful. Like I said, that's why it's so conflicting for me. Okay, maybe Kagan, it's the same problem that I have with it, which is that feeling of like, I maybe... wanted to like it more than I did and I just couldn't reconcile that like I just was like why can I acknowledge beautifully shot beautifully acted great score I just this is it but yet meh
You know what I mean? That was my – yeah. Joel, I like what you said there where you highlighted the idea about – enjoying the movie as an intellectual exercise versus an emotional one. I have been there myself over and over with movies like this. that are higher brow, if you will. I don't mean to make – because everybody knows I'll watch bad CGI gators, so let's not play. I like the high brow. I like the low brow. I go all ways. But I have run into that myself, Joel, where there are –
times where i like i know i'm supposed to like this and i know i do intellectually but there's something's missing in the heart department so you're i completely understand what you're saying that's an excellent uh critique there or an excellent uh way to describe your experience I'm glad you got it from me because I legit thought I was going to be like, well, you know, I just thought it was kind of boring. I don't like it that much at all. No, Joel. Midsommar. Midsommar. Yeah.
That's exactly it. Yeah, actually, that's a great movie to equate it to. And what was the other movie you said? Because that made me think of that one, too. What was the other movie you used as an example? Oh, well, I mentioned Spielberg's West Side Story. Yes, that was it. Yes. West Side Story. Honestly, I'll be honest with you. Most of Spielberg's later output, I felt that way about like, oh, yeah.
Really competently made. I don't really feel much like I used to with him. So, yeah, same kind of problem. Yeah. Joel, based on what you said, I'm going to go to Macula next. OK. If you're finished, that is. I didn't want to cut you short. I should definitely be finished. Is Macula back? No. It looks like he's muted on the...
Yeah. I love this tease, though. I know. It really builds suspense. I know. Okay, well, we'll come back to Macula again in a little bit. Okay, Dave Z, what do you got for us? All right. This continues to be the perfect timing for everybody what they're saying, and it's like it's – The mood started off one way, and then it kind of changed, and now here I am. And boy, how interesting. So let me start out by saying that The Witch, Robert Eggers, The Witch.
It's my favorite, not only is it my favorite horror movie, it is my favorite movie of this millennium so far. And I don't think anything else has come close. So that's how high. I am on that movie. When I heard this movie, it was being this movie here, Nosferatu, was being discussed in like 2016 or 17. I remember, and I've been waiting and very excited. The Lighthouse, really good movie. I don't find myself going back to it, which I've seen probably 20 times. So, I mean, that's...
That'll tell you something. I didn't see the Northmen, but I did. I tried to keep my expectations in check with this one, and you guys saw we were talking in text, and that's basically what I was saying. I don't want to be too jazzed up because it's so similar. because of the time period and everything else. And I'm thinking, okay, and it's Nasferatu. Story I've seen maybe too many times, but I'm thinking, okay.
Maybe this could come along the lines of the witch for me. So that's kind of the movie that I was hoping for. The style of this movie kind of reminds me of like Bram Stoker's Dracula, which is. I've seen one time I give it a 10 out of 10, and I haven't gone back to it. And I don't give a whole lot of 10 out of 10s. So as you guys know, it's like 60 now. So that blew me away, but I haven't revisited it. So we'll see what happens.
I really enjoy some of the changes that were made in this story compared to the other ones. Most of them were good. I was like, OK, let's because, again, I've seen the story so many times between Dracula and Orlok movies and other stuff. So, you know, I watched our Genos recently. I know it's not popular, but either way, I've seen the story a lot. As we all have. So this movie was excellent from a technical standpoint. The sets were great. The shots, as I kind of come to expect that.
So, excellent. The acting was great. Skarsgård, of course, as Orlok, was fantastic. Probably my favorite part of the movie was just his performance and the way Orlok was presented. Excellent. And Willem Dafoe is straight up my favorite actor. And he always gives a great performance. Awesome, awesome.
And he always gives a great performance. So can't go wrong. Lily Rose Depp, you know, obviously, I think this is the first time any of us have seen her. I don't know. She was she did a really good job acting her all around was pretty good. So. I'm going to say that Kagan made some great points earlier. I was on board with a lot of what he said on the critical side and that Joel said something about the children.
I 100% agree with that. I was expecting more, something, just not – whatever. I don't want to say any spoilers. So based on all that, there's so many positives. But for me, the story was just kind of muddled, and I have a few issues with some things that are going to be spoiler, but it just – I wasn't bored. I mean it was a long movie. But I'll tell you this, I had initially bought tickets to see it a second time because I wasn't going to have time to see it.
twice before doing this. You guys know I like to see it twice. And I canceled the second time. I decided not to go back. I am going to see it again, but I didn't have the urge to see it again the same day. I can tell you there's three or four movies I've been to the theater to see this year. And those movies I would have seen that same day. So that's saying something. I really think it's great.
But at the same time, it's a disappointment. And that's not something you hear somebody say much. But that's where I'm at now. And the second view is going to be very important. So there you have it. Thank you. Thank you. Excellent. Appreciate it. Okay, Greg Mortis, what say you, sir? Yo, Edgar is four for four for me, man. He's just a genius. I thought this was a masterpiece. I do have one.
blaring kind of if i call it a negative a negative we'll talk in the spoilery for that but other than that this this movie was awesome i agree with i believe it was you watson that said that uh you had some get up out of the theater i think pearl and i had
It looked like maybe four or five got up, maybe one family, you know, about halfway to three-quarters of the way through the movie. But other than that, it was full pack. So, you know, I was never bored. I was always into it. I loved it, man. I thought the imagery, I think... it's robert eggers i mean he's going to give you such a uh four for four movie now so obviously i'm expecting these great moments right and he gives them to us he definitely gives them to us in this movie
I think Bill Skarsgård is phenomenal in this movie. I think Nicholas Holt really done a bang-up job. That dude has been in like 100 movies in the last year and a half. He's like become the... uh god i don't know who he is now he's like freaking jess franco directing as far as acting like his dude's in so many movies now rightfully so he's great um i thought lily rose depp was phenomenal i thought her performance was
outstanding i was really was mesmerized when she was on screen and like you said daisy i've never seen her so it's like my first opportunity to see her on screen i think and i was blown away we'll see what happens with her weamed the phone i mean hello he's a fucking genius uh but man i just i really enjoyed this film from start to finish and i can't wait to see it again and
uh i don't know where it's going to rank in my top 10 but it will definitely you know be there for sure so i'm kind of like doc shot dave i'm with you where a lot of the moves that the first year i said are in my top 10 and not going to move now i'm starting to see them bumping off and i'm like wild a second part of uh 2024 just freaking came with a it was like a typhoon man i'm like holy crap i didn't think these movies were going to move and they're moving and i'm
I'm actually kind of scared because I wanted these movies in there. So maybe I'll do two top tens this year. I don't know, but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Okay, thank you, Greg. And yeah, Mac had to step away for a little while. I know he's got his kids today too, so he may or may not be back later on.
So, but I think his, well, I won't even characterize his sentiments. I'll let him save that for whenever it's his turn. Spawn of the Dead. Hi, guys. Okay, what's your overall thoughts? No spoilers. All right, so overall. I'm pretty sure. No, I know. It's better than the old one from me. When I was watching it. Better than a four. Okay, that's cool. Better than a four, yeah. Multiple times during the new one, I just had to tell myself, wow, this is really ominous.
That's why I like this movie. I like the new one because of how ominous they made it. There was way more jump scares than I thought. It kind of gets you with just the troublingness of a demon. But there was jump scares and stuff. So that was impressive. And then slow burn late at night. Yeah. Hard to stay awake. Yeah, we took him again late at night, so sorry. And then it was a little boring because of a slow burn. And then also it was like, it's long also.
But I really appreciated how ominous it was. Okay. So yeah, those are my overall thoughts. Moody, disturbing. Okay, yeah. For me, it was my second time seeing it. I had to go a second time. And the second time I saw it was Spawn, Kagan, the Vampire Lestat. Grizzly Gus and Macula. We had a crew there last night at the theater and it was really fun. But the first thing I want to communicate to my friends here and to the listeners is...
This is the best way for me to describe it. If I had a genie, like an actual genie in the lamp, like a real one, and like some nut job was crazy enough to wish that like vampires were real. And it's like, okay, I want this Nosferatu situation to actually exist in the world. I want this to happen. And I want a camera there to film it. I feel like that's what I saw. I don't love fantasy filmmaking or fantasy stories overly, but I love reality. And in seeing this monster, this monstrous story.
depicted with absolute, for me at least, absolute... veracity verisimilitude for what I imagine it would have been like back in 1838 in Germany I just I could not believe how well the production design whisked me away to that time especially since having seen I've been watching a lot of period stuff lately outside of Inside and outside of horror, it just so happens. I don't love period stuff usually, but even watching the 2023 Nosferatu with Doug Jones.
Even that one, I mean, it was obviously probably a much lesser budget, but you could just tell. I mean, it would look like a stage play that was filmed, whereas this looked like this was really happening. Now, here's my thing, guys, and this is going to be real hair. This is where I tip the boat over like I usually do and everybody comes at me with pitchforks. I do believe, I feel this film is a genuine masterpiece. I really feel that. However...
The problem is for me, whether it's Dracula, whether it's the original Nosferatu, I just feel like the story, the structure of the story. Isn't overly compelling. It has never really compelled me. Vampires are my scary. Yeah, okay, good, good. Because here's the thing, vampires are my scariest monster. Maybe next to facehuggers. I've recently realized I would hate a facehugger worse. But I am scared of vampires, and I was scared in this movie.
both times. There were scenes in this that really disturbed me. And there's a scene, like a big ending scene, which I won't say here, but there's a big ending scene where the first time I was watching that. The more I was looking at it, because it lasts for a little bit, the more I started feeling like, um... OK, I want them to cut away from that. Like it was really bothering me. And there are a couple of scenes like that that really bother me. So I think the best way I can equate this is.
Yes, it's a slow burn. Yes, it's kind of a slog. But it's like if your favorite musicians got together, and they're awesome musicians, but they're playing... the happy birthday song. They're playing a song that's just not overly compelling. I feel like, oh, we got this incredible director, these incredible performances. Excellent set design. All this stuff was just master level filmmaking. Film art. And then they're playing kind of a boring song. So...
For me, that's kind of my overall, but I was extremely impressed by this. I love this, and I do think it would be hard. not to appreciate this, in my opinion, I think if you're a lover of film in the cinema. But I can understand the critiques we've heard here where people were somewhat over, I mean, underwhelmed by things. I also kind of get that too.
I was curious because you've seen it twice. I think you're the only one that's seen it twice. And I was curious if it kept that same momentum you did the first time or if it lost anything. Well, I'll be 100% honest with you guys. The first time I was concerned that I may have gotten like drowsy here and there because apparently I'm narcoleptic or something.
So that was another reason why I'm like, I got to go back and see that. I want to make sure I get it all. And last night I was wide awake the entire time. But yeah, I mean, it still felt. I mean, it's two hours and 12 minutes. And on the Doug Jones one, they told the story in one hour, 32 minutes. I mean, even the original 1922. is like, what is it, Dave, like an hour and 35? I mean, even that one feels lengthy. But again, I just think it's a story matter. But yeah, I mean, the second time.
I mean, I probably won't be watching this again for a while. I'll just put it like that. But anyways, so now I know that. You know, I promised the guys we wouldn't have them on here forever. And some people have to leave in 10 minutes. So we'll. We'll start with our ratings and recommendations here. We're going to give our number rating and what we think people should do if they, you know, like our perspective, I guess. And then they can depart.
And then we can go into full-blown spoilers. So this is rating and recommendation. Let's start with Gilman Joel. Sorry, I couldn't unmute myself. And I know some of you were happy about that. All right. So when I say I give this a five.
I'm just kidding. Actually, I'm just totally kidding. I'm going to give you a five. No, I'm just kidding. Actually, Jay, it's funny what you said, too. And there was a part of me that thought maybe I should try to see this before we recorded it because I had the same problem. Now, my. non-excuse would be i saw it at like the 12 50 p.m showing so it wasn't like it was you know nine o'clock or something crazy um
Thank God, because I would have just fallen asleep. If I mean, because I think I just remember. And at first, you know, what I also thought was, is that there was something hypnotic about it. Like it was. And I don't mean that as a pejorative. I mean that just – it seemed the way he was shot and the pace – it just was almost hypnotizing. And that was fine at first because the one thing I didn't really get into was I loved all the Castle stuff, the Jonathan Harker.
basically a castle stuff, uh, Thomas, right. That was the Nicholas whole character. Was it Thomas? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that whole scene, and there's a moment, I don't feel like this is spoilery. To say this, Jay, if it is, you can cut it out because, you know, you love it when we give you work to do. But there's a moment where in the castle, Thomas is lit on the ground and Orlok is on him.
in like this it looked like that classic image in fact i think later on the movie they show it in a book where it's like the succubus or something on top of someone sleeping yeah and the way and the way he's just like undulating as he's it that was legit like that that wanted more of that gulping blood yes that's gulping it down yeah and like and that's i heard some people gripe too about like the breathing he did i was like what i loved about the breathing it was a death rattle
Like every time he breathed, it was a new death rattle. I think, which is horrifying, right? Just the idea, like, that's that perpetual hell that he's in, if you really think about it. Because he's ancient. Yeah, he's ancient, but he's also dead. The vampire's dead. This is a demon's possessing a corpse is what it boils down to. And then that's another thing I liked about it is that this actually. at times as a weird comparison, but it kind of reminded me of the original Exorcist.
in that that's a very slow burn, intentionally paced film. And this had a possession quality to it, especially with Lily Rose Depp's character that I really like. And again, I've heard some negative about her sort of there's some. where she goes in like seizures but the body like the way she does it is so creepy and kind of unnatural that I that kind of stuff I loved I thought that was great so again beautiful I thought beautifully shot beautifully scored, beautifully acted.
It just there's something about it where it loses me in that emotional resonance. And and maybe it's just because I felt like I'd seen this story so many times before. I was just expecting it to go in a different direction, maybe, which that's. me you know for having that expectation uh but so for me it's a 7.5 i would say definitely see in the theater because you know hey i'm all about going and seeing movies in the theater and supporting theater so do that um
I don't know if I'll ever see it again, though. It's funny, Dave Z, you said like Bram Stoker's Dracula is a 10 out of 10. For me back in the day, it would have been like an 8, 8.5. But rewatching it. a year or two ago, whenever we did it for, it was a couple of years now for spooky flicks fest. I freaking loved it. Like I, I'd forgotten how great it was, um, and what they did. And there was, and again, there's a lot of things that reminded me in this film of that film. I just think I,
prefer that take on the story to this one. But all that being said, like I said, not a horrible score. 7.5 is not like I gave it a 6 or something. So 7.5, definitely seen the theater. I'd say – especially if there's extras and cool extras on the disc, I definitely say own it. OK. Thank you.
And Joel, by the way, thanks for joining us today. I know you got a hard stop. So if you have to take off, we appreciate it. I'm going to mute myself and just listen for as long as I can. Okay. We love you. Thank you. I love you guys too. Happy New Year. Yes, absolutely. New Year. Doc Shock. There's one in every group. Happy birthday. Okay, two. Okay, too. Dog shock. By the way, I think Mac is back.
I'm listening just creepily. Oh, wait. Okay. Well, timeout. Oh, my God. It's a timeout. Okay, Mac. Do it. Mac, we love you. I'm glad you're back, brother. Yeah, I keep meaning to tell you that four o'clock at a... sunday is like the worst time ever to podcast sorry you could do it 3 a.m and it would work better for me but anyway go ahead go ahead so so you're so go ahead into your overall thoughts no spoilers and then give us your rating
recommendation who you okay okay well I in some ways I feel bad Jason I was like maybe I should just step out because I have such a weird relationship with this story because you know Brom Stoker's dracula the book is like my favorite version of that telling and so like yeah i was doing the same thing joel was where i was like okay jonathan harker but that's not jonathan harker and then renfield but that's not renfield you know and it just like
But I've also become – have become extremely well-versed in the Nosferatu-like telling. And so like I was expecting the cutting of the finger at dinner.
uh, you know, in the Nosferatu castle, right? I was expecting the locket and, and all this stuff. And, and, but I had the weirdest, I had the, weirdest experience with this director because i feel like the concept like everything with the lighthouse i'm like yes black and white yes you know like stuck on this you know rock and and all this stuff but there there's something about the way that He like decides to show what he shows that just like drives me insane. And so like I guarantee that if.
someone was like hey mac which this would never happen right but it's like you're going to co-direct with this guy i would be like eggers right i'd be like dude we are going to kill each other or someone is going to walk off the set because we do not agree on how to like Do stuff. But I mean, this movie, it was kind of driving me insane because it looks perfect. And I love Nicholas Holt. And but and but there was this moment where I was like halfway through this movie.
And I was like, I was not getting sucked in and I wasn't scared. You know, it's like the original Nosferatu scares me, but this one wasn't scaring me. And. I was like sitting there and I was kind of unhappy and I was like, I don't want to rate this. You know, it's like I don't want to give this a score. But then something happened and I was like three out of 100. I was like so pissed off.
And I will say I guess I grew used to the mustache. But when the mustache first appeared, I was so pissed off. And I'm sure it's historically accurate and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's in the book, yeah. But you have to make a decision. It's like when, you know, I get that Stephen King hates the movie The Shining, but when they made Doctor Sleep.
They told Stephen King, they cornered him and said, look, does it care what you think anymore? OK, the shining is bigger than you now at this point. So you can't make a movie that is a sequel to the TV series. You know, you have to make a movie that's a sequel to The Shining. And so I think in some ways it's like screw the whatever historical accuracy and look at the imagery of that original Max Schreck. And say, you know what, we're going to stick.
somewhat close to that and i was like this vampire and maybe that's spoilers jason i don't think this is a spoiler but i was like when you finally catch a glimpse of his teeth he has cow teeth they are the flattest fetching teeth i've ever seen in my life and i was sort of pissed
off at that and i was like this movie looks amazing but i'm giving it a two out of a hundred which you can round to zero jason i guess but i'm like i have the weirdest experience with this because it's like this story means so much to me That it's like when you misstep, it missteps hard and I don't know what else to do. I don't know what else to do. I'm just like this.
It just got wrecked for me by the end. I feel so bad. And now you guys are going to hate me and kick me out the podcast. So I should have just. No, no. Can I just say real quick before I jump off? Mac, thank you. I'm no longer feeling completely alone on my island. Okay, good. Joel with his 7.5. Yeah, exactly.
That's a recommend. That's right. I thought everybody else was going to be like a 10. I thought everybody else was going to be like a 10. Yeah, Spawn wanted to chime in. What did you say? I agree with you a good bit, actually. Okay, good. Yeah, well, you were... away mac um a lot of the guys had some complaints so you're not i mean there is some powerful like the final shot in this movie was such a powerful imagery and i liked how he's like down to his
I guess we can't talk about that. But anyway, it just – And that's not enough for a one? An excellent shot isn't enough for a one out of ten? Really? That's amazing. One out of a hundred. Amazing.
I'm not giving you a hard time. It's hysterical. That's what I'm saying. I know. For me, it's like this. I've told Jason this a little bit before, but it's like, OK, you invite me over to your house and there's a lake in your backyard. Whatever. Just go with me for a second. But it's like you have this. awesome boat. It's brand new. It's my favorite color. It has a stereo. It's got a brand new engine and you've got all the coolest wakeboards, but there's a hole in your boat. Your boat sinks.
And we're not going on your boat anymore. You know, it's like it's sort of that where it's like it tips me too far. And I just I'm just like, I'm not going to see this again. I'm not going to recommend this to people. And I'm just like left frustrated, you know.
Like I was so unhappy when this was over. I had that same feeling with the TV glow where, Jason, I'm sitting in the theaters. I'm like, I can't wait to go home and watch a movie. I don't want to feel that when I'm watching your movie, you know? But anyway. Okay. So I'm telling people there's other versions of this that are better to me. I'm like, just sit down and watch the original if you're going to watch Nosferatu.
Okay. Well, thank you. Thank you for your honest opinion. No, that's what we're here for, brother. So I appreciate you being here. Thank you. Okay. Doc Shock, what say you? Rating and recommendation. 10 out of 10. Screw you, Mac. Screw you, Joel. history. Has that ever happened in history on any podcast where one host gives a movie a zero and the other... It was called Skinnamarik. Skinnamarik, yeah.
Wow, this show is incredible. I tell you. This is absolutely 10 out of 10. I love this movie. I absolutely loved it. Again, screw you, Joel. Screw you, Mac. That's fair. Dave will always have the zombie army and ozone. Yes. He says, screw you. He gives him a 7.5. He says, screw you. Like he took a dump right on it. I do have to say like when I feel like that's my score. Right. But I totally get where you're coming from, Dave. And then it's like, it looks.
perfect i mean that's it's made masterfully i i can tell that absolutely okay so so doc shock says 10 out of 10 see it in the theater and buy it i presume Yes. Okay. I just thought so. All right. Thank you, Dave. Mr. Watson. Mr. Watson. First of all, I'm happy to hear, Macula, when you said you used the word fetching, and that was the one thing that was missing from the Hugh Grant.
movie, Heretic. I wanted to hear the girls say fetching because all the Mormon kids in high school would say fetching and I was like, you had to be there. Very, very 90s throwback there. I love it. True to your school. I dig it. boy, my boy. So look, I'm happy to call this movie a nine out of 10 for the sheer.
filmmaking brilliance at work here. But as I said earlier, this movie asks a lot of its audience and a lot of horror fans might just not want to give that much for the experience. There's nothing wrong with that either. I happen to have the tolerance that this particular movie requires. I don't always have. But for this one I did such that I was able to have both the intellectual satisfaction and the emotional satisfaction that we discussed earlier with Joel. And I believe…
It's because, and it's funny because this is where Mac and I are straight on with one another. It's because the Dracula story, which this is, is important to me. My favorite novel, in fact, only after The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, which is my number one, Dracula Beeman number two. Love me, them non-sparkly vampires, my friends. And yes, we've seen the story told over and over throughout the decades, but I'm happy to see you.
to see someone of Edgar's caliber take a crack at it. And I will say that his version of this story is just about what I hoped it would be. But that isn't to say that I found this to be a perfect film. Some things that happened in this movie did leave a bad taste.
to my mouth like Kagan had said. And it seems like these things all revolve around this Ellen Orlok connection, which we'll get into later. I don't know how often I'll be revisiting this. It's like Dave Z said, he saw Francis Ford Coppola's. Bram Stoker's Dracula. And it was like, 10, don't feel like I need to watch this again. It's kind of like that for me. I'm rating this high. I may get to this in the next couple years.
So that's where we are. I'm happy to say, like Jay said, it is a masterpiece. So high marks, but it is one of these that it's going to be slow going for me to get back to it. Watson, do you tell people to see it in the theater? Is this a strong rental? Is it a buy? Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Follow your heart and you do what you need to do. Okay. Thank you. Be yourself. No one will do it better than you. That's right. Okay. Yeah. All right. Kagan, what do you got, buddy?
Yeah, I want to hit a few points real fast. So to your point about the verisimilitude, I think that applies really strongly to the monster itself. But there was one thing that really pulled me out, which is the use of language in this. It always kind of bothers me when you have films set in a certain country and that's not what language people are speaking. I know that that was set up with these particular characters, but it would have gone a long way for me if...
There was some actual German speaking going on in this town, maybe at the hospital or somewhere else that pulled me out a fair amount. And then to spawns point about the jump scares for me, that actually was a. bit of a detractor because it felt a little bit I don't want to sound really pretentious, but if you've listened to my music segment, I'm pretentious AF. I think the jump scares are a little below Eggers, at least this particular presentation. A few of them were just like really standard.
like PG-13 horror-level jump-scare setups. A few positives, though. I think the wardrobe in this is Oscar-worthy. Every dress is just a... Sorry, will you say that? Sorry. kagan skype cut out you said every dress will you take that again yeah uh everything i love doing a second take on saying something that sounds dumb every dress was a treat for the eyes Yeah. So and then the cinematography, I don't think we can overstate how good it looks. There are just some masterful shots in this. And Jay.
I think this movie probably is a masterpiece. Its problem for me is that it exists in this world where we all have so much... context. And like I said, super saturation of this particular story. And I don't know, like you and Dave Z, you say that the original story itself may might not be as compelling as we might want it to be. And I don't know if that's the problem for me or if it's just that I've seen it too many times.
And I love that Mac and Doc and I know Kyle Bishop is going to love this because the original story is so important and Watson. But ultimately for me this – This could go up for me, but it's an 8 out of 10 for me as much as I've griped about it. And I say see it in the theater and buy it. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.
And you said – so you're saying it's a masterpiece as well or not? I just wanted to clarify. I'm saying it's like – it's at very least a technical masterpiece. But it's hard to celebrate it like – other masterpieces because it exists in this world where there are so many dracula adaptations which i consider this one of okay thank you okay dave z let's hear it brother okay You know, it's a great movie. It really is. I just, it didn't hit me exactly the way I would like it to, but I can't.
deny all the great stuff going on. And of course, for me, that second watch is very, very important. I can't stress it enough. So things might change when I... Watch it a second time. Matter of fact, I've had movies this year that I watched a second time and go up a full two points. So anything's possible. I figured this out about myself watching movies once. This is a comparison I came up with. I think the first time I watch a movie, it's like reading the cliff notes.
And the second time I watch it, it's reading the novel. That's just the way things feel for me. I don't get everything. Thank you. There's only decent comparison I can come up with. That's awesome. We got to write that down for me. I don't have a normal brain. So that that's the way things work for me. It's not that way for.
Right. You know, it's well documented at this point. But I do think it was great. I'm glad that I didn't notice the jump scares that people mentioned. I don't remember them. And I should have mentioned this. The subtitles would have helped in this movie because I'm going to be honest and say that I probably only 100% understood. 75 to 80 percent of the dialogue, and I had that same problem with The Witch the first time I saw it, yet.
I felt ecstatic when I left The Witch. So that didn't even bother me. I was like, oh, my God. You only get better when I watch it with subtitles. And it did. It sure did. And Kagan. I wanted it. Okay. I just realized that our favorite horror movie is The Shining and our favorite movie of the last 25 years.
is uh is the witch so let me ask you this my friend did i really find okay let me ask you this and then it'll be over with do you happen to love slashers and found footage movies absolutely a lot Oh my gosh, I might have a real brother in taste. This has never happened 100%, but more on that. Okay, anyway, because of how great it is, I want to say...
I'm going to give it an eight because the eight is great to me. That's how I do it. When a movie becomes great, it's automatically an eight. So I sound like Johnny Cochran. But anyway, it's an eight. And I want to recommend that people go to the theater to see it. But I want to put a little asterisk there. I want to say after that, that if you don't like slow burns.
and are never ecstatic about the Dracula story that we've seen so many times, maybe not for you. Don't go to the theater. You might get tired and want to leave. I'm sorry to say that, but for the people that do like... and can appreciate a slow burn done really well, then yes, go to the theater and see it and buy it when it comes out because I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to do. Okay. Yeah. Thank you.
Awesome. I was just making the notes there. Thank you. So Greg Mortis, what say you, buddy? I'm glad I finally got up here because I'm going to tell y'all, y'all wrong is sitting. I'm just kidding. I don't, Mac. I love you, buddy. But, no, it's a 9.5 for me. I only had one little quirk that's keeping me from a 10, but a Sackett Viewing may take care of that for sure. But for me, it's a 9.5, absolute own. And, yeah. This is Eggers, man. I mean, the Northmen, a freaking masterpiece.
Yes. The witch, a freaking masterpiece of all masterpieces. Lighthouse. I mean, come on, dude. Like, dude, all I need to do is Halloween next and it'll be all perfect. So there you go. Oh, that would be wild to see an Eggers Halloween. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Wow. Wow. Okay.
Thank you, Greg. So 9.5, you say, is he in the theater and buy it? Oh, she wants him to. Oh, oh, oh, oh, I got to say this. I just mentioned that he is on board. I think they're linking him to the Labyrinth remake. What? She's very pissed about this because. He doesn't want the labyrinth to remake, but he has been linked to trying to remake the labyrinth. I saw my baby crying hard as she could cry.
I've never seen it. We got all these David Bowies here. I love it. Does the Twisted Temptress have a rating on this? 7.5. She's with you, Joel. Oh, he's gone. Never mind. Okay. So she's like a theater rental theater by it. Okay. All right. I'm buying it. So she's got it. Okay. I gotcha. Okay. Spawn of the dead rating and recommendation. Um, let me turn on. Oh boy.
yeah let me go to the app that has the notes on it okay cut that part out a little bit hey notes are important yeah guys yeah he's got his notes he's got his notes All right. I'm going to say. Notes and second watches. Yes. Yeah. Six out of ten for me. And then stream it and a low priority buy. Stream it and low priority buy. Okay. I like that. Yeah. Six out of 10. Cool. All right. Thank you. Okay. And for me.
I said it already. This is a masterpiece, and I believe that. I'm right there with Mr. Watson, of course. We usually are like this. Nine out of ten, see it in the theater and buy it. Because there are so many of us on this call, not complaining, I'm actually elated by that. I'm sure all of us have like probably 80% more to say about this film.
And so I'll just, I'll just kind of leave it at this and just say the way the vampire speaks, the depth of his voice, like his, his accent, he is difficult to understand, but the way. Oh my goodness, the depiction of him. I don't love 100% the way he looks, but at the same time, he's a really old dude. You know, like I do agree. I love how people have said I forget it was Mac. Actually, Mac was saying, why didn't we just kind of stick to because, you know, Max Schreck is count or look.
Just kidding. Max Streck is Count Warlock. I mean, he looks freaky and creepy. And by the way, Doug Jones, they nail that really well with his. So on one hand, yeah, the vampire looks like that, and that's really cool. I love the master like Barlow in Salem's Law, which is a tribute to this. But at the same time, the other part of me, the realistic side of me is like, well, he's just an old dude, you know?
So, like, I don't know. So, anyway, I'm just saying 9 out of 10. I'll save my main complaints for the spoiler section. But there you have it. This is an interesting spread. We've got 10. And we've got a Mac gave it two out of a hundred Mac. Typically. Yeah. I mean, I guess that goes down to zero. Typically our lowest rating. Don't round it down to zero. Definitely. Give me.
Our lowest rating typically is .5, but you can do what you want. I'm not going to try to control you like a vampire. So, do you. do you want a zero or do you want a 0.5 or do you want a two out of a hundred? I'll put it in the notes. One good shot. Remember 0.5.
Okay. Yeah, 0.5. Okay, 0.5. Again, I have the weirdest relationship with this movie because I cannot say that this isn't... masterfully made and shot and it looks amazing the costumes are amazing i mean i was dazzled by the costumes and everything in that so it's such a hard thing for me but it's just like
I don't know how to feel. I think my ratings ultimately go up to because I remember someone asking me some one day, like, how do you decide how to rate something? And for me, I think it's ultimately how I feel. And it's like, if I feel. awful at the end then what else can i do you know but
OK, can I can I chime in on that? Yeah, go ahead. I guess Jay and I were talking about it and it's, you know, when we were doing our top 10 movies from last year. And I think like my number rating is almost a little more objective. I try to be, but then there's almost like a secondary metric. Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. This is such a tired conversation on horror podcasting, but it's endlessly compelling somehow. I love it. I love it.
The movie Dunkirk for me is like one of my go-to examples where to me that movie is a 9 out of 10, but I enjoyed it 0 out of 10. You know what I mean? It's really well done, but I cannot stand it. Yeah, that's like with me with Midsommar, which is one of Dave Z's favorite movies. It's like a 10. I'm at a 10 on it. And then enjoyment like at a five. And yeah, it's one of those things where, you know, and it's just one of those things. And I would love for us to all to.
be on a call or at least do our double takes where we can nail down how we rate our films the way we do, because we all do it differently. It lines up sometimes. And even then. My rating used to be complicated like Max, and I'm at the point, and Dave Z, you're going to be the only one who gets this. I'm almost at the point where it's basically just Brian and Jamie Sammons with the one that loved it. I'm there now.
So it's like simplified over the years. So this is a great conversation that one of these days in the new year, happy new year, everybody, that we're going to have to sit down as a special episode, get Kagan back, get Spawn, get all of us, all of us here to. say how we rate things. Let's do that. I think people would too. Yeah. Okay. A great concept discussion. And then, and then in the future we'll have that and we can just refer to people to it when they ask about it. That's good. Thank you.
So Jay, can I ask you something? Yeah. Well, actually, can I share something? Because as I'm talking to you guys here, I'm getting messages from the Exploding Heads and Christian. I just thought I'd throw this in. I know you're going to love this, Jay, about Christian. And Watson. Yeah, they love busting his balls. So anyway. Out of nowhere, Christian text me as we're recording this. Dave, how did you endure that movie twice yesterday? That was his question. I said, well.
I actually didn't go the second time. I canceled. I'll go again, though. Just not sure when next weekend, probably. Then he said, I never expected this to be a boost the numbers kind of a movie, but I can safely say I'm not an Eggers fan. Now. He goes on to say, listen, yeah, he says that he gave it a 2.5 out of 5, but as usual, I'm the lowest out of the community. Bottom line is he said, I couldn't wait. to get out and I'm not being dramatic. So a completely different type of reaction.
Then not everybody here, but still, that's kind of surprising. So I thought I'd pass that on. He said he would give it a 5 out of 10 officially. Wow. I can hear him saying all this, by the way. Yeah, me too. Is that right? Me too. I just found it kind of surprising. This movie is all over the board. That's fascinating. I like that. Yeah. Yeah. Me too. Me too. Interesting. Honestly, I didn't anticipate that it would be this.
I thought, you know, I thought people would be anywhere from 6.5 and up probably. I think if it wasn't the same Dracula story that we've all seen so many times, I think that kind of figures into it. Seriously, I think that – because someone else mentioned it earlier, that it's the Southern Kagan, that when you see it so many times –
It has to do a little bit more to earn some love. And in this movie, some of that was done, but not enough for some. But Dave Z, my only pushback to that, because you're right, except for me. The stuff they added was the stuff I didn't want. I wanted the story. Oh, really? Yeah. And we'll get into this when we get into our spoilers section because I have just one thing to say, and it's just kind of my hang-up.
Anyways, we'll get there. Okay, let's do it. But you know the Exploding Heads motto, Watson? The Exploding Heads motto? If you're going to remake a movie, remake it. I think you did, right? That's what I'm saying. So those aspects, I'm fine with that. Cool. Yeah, agreed. Okay. Well, at this point, Dave Becker will sing Ring Out Wild Bells with Kagan accompanying on Flugelhorn. I don't have a flugelhorn either. I'm so irritated with you two. Where's your flugelhorn?
I have a guitar. All right, I'll get my guitar. We'll go. All right, listeners, at this point, we're going to proceed into full-blown major spoilers for Nosferatu 2024 right now. Okay, who wants to kick this off? I'll do it. Okay, Watson. Yeah, I was just about to say, I want to hear what Watson says. Let's hear it, Watson. Thanks, Mac. So, look, this film goes through a lot of effort to put it out there that Lily Rose Depp...
Ellen, Ellen Hutter has some profound and carnal link to count or lock that precedes the events of the story with which we're all familiar now on its face. I love the idea of. Ellen essentially praying in the darkness for a companion. And instead of God answering that prayer, Orlok is the one who hears that call and he comes calling. I like that. And I'm fine with this new angle.
But suddenly the idea of Thomas Hutter being the one who delivers Orlok's paperwork comes off as a dumb coincidence. Like, hey, of all the people. In the world who could be issuing me these legal papers so I can make this move to Germany and make this real estate move. It's the husband of this girl who I'm linked to psychically. What are the odds of that? And so.
The movie doesn't address this in any meaningful way. I would even take the Halloween route where they're wondering how Michael Myers learned how to drive. And then he says, oh, he was doing really well last night. And I'm like, you know what? Thank you for just putting that out there, just addressing that and then walking away. This movie is just kind of like, I don't know. She's got a thing with him. And that's all. And so, you know, this movie. Yeah, it's it. And it made me miss the way.
The original story handles Orlok's obsession with Ellen, but just having him snatch Thomas's locket and going, all right. I like the look of this one. Now, I guess I got other things I got to be doing when I get to Germany. It's that simple. And I didn't feel like there needed to be this extra fluff in the story department. You can still have Orlok. obsessing and possessing and messing with Ellen, this could all still happen.
It just doesn't need to be under the guise of this pre-existing spiritual relationship. I didn't need any of that. I'd be fine with him making his real estate moves, seeing the locket like he does, and then going... Not like, oh, it just so happens you're here and this is the girl I'm already kind of spiritually chilling with. I just – I think that the – you know, Occam's Razor, it's the fewest steps to get to the point. I would have liked if it had just been like, you know what?
I'm taking your girl and your town instead of, oh, you're the guy and I already have her or whatever it is. I didn't need this extra stuff, which leads to some conflict later in the film that's pretty cool, but I didn't need this preexisting story. I just didn't need any of that. It didn't do anything for me.
Actually, I kind of understood. You all know I'm open to stuff. You all know it. So if somebody can talk me out of it, it's just maybe a second viewing. You just swayed me. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Before that would be, I got the impression that the Renfield character. Drew I know it's not Renfield it's somebody else but like I got the impression that he
Like was aware of the psychic connection, right? Was commanded to seek out. Correct. Jonathan Harker. Correct. I picked up on this too, Mac, that the boss is basically Orlok's Renfield. However. I needed, again, I don't want to do the work. I'm not the one who's making the movie. I want you to do the work for me, filmmaker. So give me the line where that isn't just.
a thing we kind of have to desperately and sort of desperately connect. I want them to, I want it addressed. I want it out there. And not as even, like I said, just a simple, he was doing really well last night. I'm like, okay, I have no. Wait. I have no more issues. They addressed it even in their way. And I'm sorry. I mean to interrupt, Jay. No, please. Go ahead. Finish. This did nothing for me as a story arc, even though it is like the extra.
bits they're trying to throw in that I think that Eggers was going, hey, let me throw in my little piece here. I think the original was better where Orlok's like, all right, I'm making my moves. I'm about to mess stuff up over there by making these real estate. He's making money moves. And then he's like, wait a minute. Hold on. Let me look at this locket. Yo. All right. You know what?
I'm in on this too. We're going to be doing a lot of things when I get over there, including taking this girl. And listen, Lily Rose Depp, fine. Do what you got to do because good lord. Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis passed those jeans down. She couldn't look.
any better i love the shape of her head anyway that's just me uh watson i guess you're right it does kind of it does kind of lessen the impact when he takes a lot because there's really no point for him to know right because now he's just like Why is he swiping the locket anyway if he already knows this person inside and out? Now, exactly. Now, if there had been a point where he's expecting him or he knows or if they give two lines to the fact that you're not here by accident.
And I'd be like, all right, that's all I needed. I need that bridge to get there. I don't want to do the work to make the bridge. You make the bridge for me. Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. So, okay, I just want to make sure. Because having seen it twice, not that I'm an expert or anything, but there are some establishing where Eggers does put it in there. Now, maybe I'm misunderstanding your critique, where you're just simply saying...
oh, I don't like the connection and I liked it better the other way. But for example, there are a couple instances where this is established, like... where Nock is commissioned to orchestrate this and to send him over there, specifically because they are... Newly married. And yes, somehow the psychic connection, he knows that. And in it, you know, at one point, the when you see the knock sitting there on like a weirdo on the floor.
And he's like, it's all going according to your plan and everything. And then the document that Orlok has him sign, has Hutter sign. Which is in Orlok's ancient, is his family language. To break the oath. Yes. The oath of marriage. And it's written up. You're convincing me back in the other direction, I guess. I just needed like...
Because I was even listening to the way that Knock was like kind of laughing to himself as he's sending Hutter on this thing. I picked up on that. I didn't need a second watch to go, OK, I'm hearing this. Something sinister is about because this is weird behavior. I think I just. Jay, and thank you for this document. I had forgotten about that momentarily. I'm remembering it now. So it does seem like something was – it was planned. I guess it –
You know, maybe a second watch will do this – will do this complaint away for me. But it didn't feel like – again, like I said, I don't mean to make it this base and this – this low brow i needed that like line just like uh you know with loomis where he says he was doing really well I think I needed one more little thing to get me over to that bridge that this pre-existing condition of hers with this relationship means or rather gets Hutter.
to that castle and i guess i didn't feel that now maybe a second watch will will do that thank you for putting that information out there i have a lot to think about it's not it's not connected real well and and one last thing i'll say dave z and then you go for it yeah yeah i mean it's You really have to be watching for it. So I agree that it's not...
overly established very clearly, but he did keep the locket. I would surmise he kept the locket because it had her hair in it, which he likes sniffing. But anyway, go ahead. Go ahead, Dave Z. Go ahead, Daisy. Okay, well, what happened was, thank you. Watson, you swayed me with that. That blew my mind. I was like, holy cow, 7.5 now because, wow. No, hold on now.
Well, that's how it is, man. If someone presents me with facts to me that all of a sudden put a plot hole in something, I mean, that's going to hurt the movie. You've been clear about this ever since I podcast. Yeah, right. So that brought me down a little, but then I hear what Jay's saying, and I'm thinking, okay, second to watch. However, here's the thing. His boss is just a commoner. He's just a lowly familiar. He's insignificant as you or I. He just has a desire. So he does not.
have any power or anything like that. So there's no way he would know that she has this connection with him. That's what I'm saying. And if there had been a line, Dave Z, because I agree with you. If there had been a line where he's like, I am delivering her groom to you, my lord, to blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. One line, we're gone. I'm like, all right, I'm in. You bridged it for me. Right. I'm with you that.
Did he know? Did he? Wait, wait. So you guys are saying. Why did he want to move? Why did Orlok want to move in the first place? What was his reason? Go ahead, Kagan. Go ahead. Oh. Well, yeah, it's because he wanted to get where Ellen was, right? And I think I am doing a little bit. So he knows her there.
Yes. Right. So I think the original Orlok's Orlok's connection, not in the original, but in this film, Orlok's connection to Ellen, it's like sort of transcends space and time. And that's the most foundational thing. And I think when Ellen ends up in this. in Germany, Orlok intentionally preys upon this sort of real estate.
character knock and seeks him out intentionally because he happens to be in the same town as ellen and establishes a connection with him as a servant and so it makes him uh knock going after thomas very intentional and so for me and none of it none of that really felt coincidental to me it i don't know okay i mean i guess the only coincidence would be that
that hutter happens to work for a real estate firm that would be doing that right he could be a basher or a bricklayer well you know film is a reductive medium so we just go okay i guess that's Because, Kagan, you explained that. And exactly, I was actually going there to say, I get these pieces. And like I said, I was even picking up on Nock laughing and kind of smirking while he's sending him on this mission as though to say, I know where I'm sending you, but not maybe the why.
I didn't get the why. I knew the what but not the why. And we know that Ellen – because in the original, he's just – he's making real estate moves just to get where the people are to – kill um in this movie it is specific well that and for her and so this was the thing that just wasn't quite adding up and i'm still stuck on this little thing where well hutter could just be a bricklayer uh oh he's the guy well
deliver the papers because he'd want to make the move anyway it just so you know because he would do that if he hey this girl prayed she i answered like the devil instead of god and oh her husband happens to work in this business and that i need right yeah get me And that's all, it's a stupid hangup, guys. I know it. No, it's not. It's not. Okay. No, I don't. Let me ask you about him.
Can I ask you one more question about the character? Because that was one of my issues with the movie. His boss. After he escapes... Right. And does this thing. He disappears from the movie for a while. And again, this might be something I miss. So it's not necessarily a complaint. It's a genuine question. But why was he all of a sudden taking to sleeping in the coffin, which left him?
easily disposed does anybody get that why all of a sudden i think he's in a coffee he was supposed i think he was like a distraction intentionally he was a decoy yeah yeah i think so too yeah Okay, so I missed something in the plot, which does happen. That's fine. So, okay, so that was done. There's a plan for that. There's a reason for it. That's good.
Okay. And Willem Dafoe's character knew that that's what was going to happen, knew that there was like a sort of misdirection going on, but he let them carry it out anyway. Yeah. He even said it to her. He said, we'll engage with this false hunt. But why would they want to kill him anyway? What do they care about him? They don't. Yeah, who cares? Then why did they go there to kill him? Well, they went there to go destroy Orlok's lair.
They thought – yeah, they were doing that. And I think they did a good work because I guess Orlok could have been like, hey, hold on. I got topless Lili Rose Depp here, which is – Great. But then it's like, oh, shoot, the sun's coming up. Better get out of here. Oh, crap. I have nowhere to go. Yeah, that was weird, too. Why would he go there at that time? He knows what he's doing. He's collected. I don't get the choice.
I think he could probably instantly get back to bed with his powers, but they destroyed home. So he has nowhere to go now, I think. So why would he go so late though? He knows what's going on with the sun and the moon. He's a vampire. He's a good one. This is the King Kong thing. This is the King Kong thing. It was beauty killed the beast. He was so, uh, he was so into sucking on her neck that he was chest. Yes. That too. Yeah. Okay. I know it did. Okay. That's fine.
So one more thing. This was my major hangup. Why did everybody get affected differently by the bite? And why was, what's his name, Harker or whatever the hell, left for dead, and then later on he's completely back to normal and has no signs of anything going on. And while others are doing this, and the one girl did this, and she fell sick, and then she came back.
person a great question well i don't get it it didn't make sense to me it initially bothered me too the nunnery convent place nursed him back to health through religious and spiritual means Yeah, they said his evil can't come here. Yeah. Yeah, they – so they got him back. Okay, so there's an excuse for him. Yeah. Okay. Okay. But it still doesn't explain why everybody's reaction was different.
It was like whatever was going to advance the plot or make for a story, it's like they just did it. They go, well, we don't have to explain it. It's Dracula or it's Nosferatu. We can just have whatever. We want and it doesn't have to make sense. And that may be true, but it doesn't quite work for me, brother. That's all. I have a dumb question along those lines where like.
And I probably totally missed this, but you're talking about people reacting differently to the bite. Were the rats actually spreading a plague that was independent of Count Orlok? Well, in the original, that is what I got. In this one, it seems like his power is tied to this plague. Then why need the rats? Agreed. Because it's like when he's killed at the end, it's like, well, the plague's gone? Is it?
Aren't there still rats? Yeah. I admit I struggle with that a bit. I sort of went with the film going, OK, I see what they're trying to do here. I think there's an effort to say his power. was empowering these rats such that their plague was as mystical as he is, that it is a preternatural in that way rather than maybe they, if you studied any of those rats, you'd be like, hey, these aren't plague infected.
That would have been a cool scene where they're like, hey, these aren't plague-infected rats, yet they're still spreading a sickness. What's going on here? See, again, we're at a line I would have thrown in there had I been script doctor, been like, hey, how about we do this?
Thank you. Oh, boy. We don't need to be spoon-fed, right? We don't need – we're not asking to be spoon-fed, but we still like some dialogue. Yeah, like a bridge from one thing to the next. If you're going to give me a concept – that a complex concept. Yeah, sure. I can wrap my mind around it. And sometimes it doesn't need any words, but sometimes it does. And you take that issue by issue, I guess. So.
I want to bring in Doc Shock. We haven't heard from him in a little bit. Dave, what do you think about what these gentlemen have been discussing? Screw you, Kagan. Screw you, Dave. Screw you, Mr. Watson. This is a 10 out of 10 for me. I love this movie. I love you. You know what? You've got to take it on the back. You've got to take it on the chin from your elders. You know what? I willingly submit. Yeah, I love this movie. I love this movie.
It is a 10 out of 10 for me. That makes me so happy. I knew you would, Dave. Dave, what are some spoiler aspects you'd like to discuss with the listeners and us? Yeah, I'd be curious to know, Dave. No, I'm going to leave it to you for the spoilers. I'm going to leave it to you, Jay, and to Mr. Watson and Dave Z. I'll leave it to you for the spoilers.
Okay. All right. No problem. No problem. Thank you. He may be my brother. Hold on. He may be my brother in taste. You be nice to Kagan. I do want to tell you my favorite part. of seeing this movie was when it ended, like after Ellen had screwed count or lock to death, uh, Jay leans over and looks at my, it looks at my husband and says, that's how I want to go out.
Oh, well, it's safe. I think I was there in spirit. I think that was me channeling through Jay. Yeah, absolutely. What better way? Oh, my gosh. If it can't be in the theater, might as well be there. Can I read you guys something? This is the craziest thing. I find it funny. It's just a review.
that's on letterbox that i read yesterday and i just can't get over it because you know on letterbox it shows all your friends ratings right so i see stuff mostly favorable of course uh But – and I'm not going to say who it is because I'm not going to – I mean they wouldn't care, but still I don't feel comfortable.
But this was a – see, this is the big difference. Yesterday it was real easy. Now it seems everybody has seen this movie. So now I have to find the rating because they gave it a one and a half I believe on – Yeah, it is. Okay. This is what they said. And I just find it a little amusing. So not trying to start a debate at all, but I want to pass it on. Okay. This person gave it a one and a half.
And said, despicable and disgusting, highly misogynistic. What does this movie have to tell us in the middle of 2024? One of the most anti-woman endings I've ever seen in a movie. How are these women giving this a good rating? And that's the end of it. So, well, put that in your pipe and smoke it. Yeah, indeed. It's one of these, you know, you can get the ideology behind that. And all I'll say is if every, if you're a hammer, everything's a nail.
Right. Well said, Watson. Boom. Yep. Yeah. That's my mic drop. That is a good mic drop. Well, on that note, we so we've been talking about this. Well, we've been on for a while and I want to be respectful of everybody's time. And I know what we what I think we should do. This is my suggestion. I think we should do a take-two full-blown spoiler review. We'll start with spoilers, and we'll get Ron Martin and Dr. Walking Dead Kyle Bishop on that.
And Greg had to take off. Joel had to take off. I think Spawn got bored and left. Hey, listen, you can't be Iron Man's son if you don't have some benefits to be like, hey, I've got other things to do. That's right. I love Spawn. I do too. Speaking of Spawn, speaking of Spawn.
I gave Christian and Brandon the ratings, but I didn't tell him who they were from. I said, I want to tell you guys because they were talking about it. I go, these are the ratings from everybody. So I sent them, right, and included everybody, including Pearl. So everything there. Christian just said something. He said, Jay's son – well, here's what happened.
Brandon said, I think the six is that. I go, well, six is from Jason and he's 16 years old. So I'm just letting you know, whatever. And then he says. Christian comes back after and says, Jay's son is the only one with any sense, he said. And then he said, then that zero person. Oh, that's funny. My son would have aligned with Joel, I think. Yeah.
I think he would have been there. I don't want to speak for him because he hasn't seen the original, but we've watched silent films, and we've actually seen a live presentation of Haxan. And with musical accompaniment and they were doing a real ritual, which freaked me out. I was like, I got to get out of here. But yeah, so he has an appreciation for that silent era stuff, but he's never seen.
The OG Nosferatu, let alone the 70s one or this one. But he does like Eggers and he loves the witch and the Northmen. So I got to show him this at some point and find out. I think he'd be about where Joel is. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. Well, I appreciate you guys taking so much time today. And to conclude, we're going to have Dave Becker singing. Same old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg with Kagan. Kagan accompanying. No saying whatsoever. Wait a second. What if Kagan accompanies you on the theremin?
Oh, I actually do have a theremin, so I'm stuck on that. Wow. Suck on that, but no. All right. Well, we're going to – oh, there's Mac. Hi, Mac. Welcome back again. Hi. We're just wrapping – here's what we're going to do, Mac. We're wrapping up now because we've been on for a while. But we're going to do a take two full-blown spoiler review with Kyle Bishop and Ron Martin and anybody else who wants to join again. Because I think we got it at midnight. Okay, good. Good plan.
I like Mac's night owl taste. Yes, yes. But as we wrap up, we just want to thank the listeners, and we want to wish you a happy new year. Thank you for being here with us through 2024. We really appreciate it. And just a side note. for our crossover listeners. Almost all of us on this podcast, we have other shows as well. So if you're only listening to this, I hope you will go to the show notes and check out all the other shows we have. For example, you wouldn't know it for the past half.
a year but Watson and I do another horror podcast called Horror Movie Weekly and then we've got Land of the Creeps we've got Exploding Heads I mean it just goes on and on I don't want to forget people, but all, you know, retro movie geek. Here we go. Just on and on. Anyways, I just want to tell you that. The other thing I want to tell you is because I'm just paranoid on social media.
Like X, for example. There is another Jay of the Dead out there based out of Southern California. His handle is JayOfTheDeadMF. And, you know, he seems like a... perfectly nice person. But I just want to say that account is not me. My accounts are always the name of the podcast. I don't have a day of the debt account. And I am making an actionable threat to, no, I'm just kidding. If I see you. No, I'm kidding.
Thank you. Yeah. So that wraps up this special New Year's Eve episode. We want to thank you all for listening and joining us. And on behalf of Dave. Dr. Shock Becker. The Gill Man. Joel Robertson. Mr. Watson. Dr. Walking Dead. Kyle Bishop. Greg Amortis. Macula. Ron Martin, Dave Z, Spawn of the Dead, and The Fruit Brute, Kagan Breitenbach. We all want to thank you for listening to Jay and the Dead's new horror movies.
The ball droppers of horror podcasting. Here we go. On behalf of Jay of the Dead's new horror movies, we wish all of you a happy new year. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year. We love you. And never brought to mind Should old acquaintance be forgot In the days of old Lang Syne For Old Lang Syne, my dear, for Old Lang Syne. yet for the sake of all one more time, Dave. For all one sign, my dear. For all one sign.
Happy New Year, Dave. I love you, brother. Thank you. Happy New Year, my friend.