The Friday Nightmares Podcast: Episode 104

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Episode 104 of The Friday Nightmares Podcast. I am one half of your hosting team this evening, coming to you from the town of Swartz Creek in the county of Genesee, in the state of Michigan, in the United States of America, in the North American continent, in the Western Hemisphere, on planet Earth, in the Milky Way galaxy. I'm fully vaxxed, boosted, and waxed, and ready to climax, and if you can, please get me wet and feed me after midnight.

Heather Powell coming to you today from Waterdown, Ontario, Canada. Yeah, Scott and I remembered how to use Skype. It was very exciting for us today. You know, obviously, there's been life circumstances for Scott and I, which was why we haven't recorded.

Yeah, I think I've watched half of them.

You see, Scott, I know that you've been avoiding me because of it.

I have. I'm sorry.

And I just I want you to know that you can't run forever from the talented cinema that we have had released in the past three months. Um, fuck, it's been an interesting 2025. I in the five years we've been doing this, Scott, I have never once said it's been a bad year for movies. Yeah, it's been a bad year for movies. And I, I, I think there's been some enjoyables, but I literally have one movie that I would have in my top 10.

Oh, really?

One. Like if I had to do a top 10, OK, maybe two. There's one other one that maybe I would have. And let's see, I have watched a lot more than you because I am the true premium podcaster on this podcast.

You so are.

37 films. Now, God, seven of those films, mind you, are, you know, not good. Like really not good. And I know it. But there were some that's so bad, I didn't even bring them up. There was an alligator movie that I didn't bring up on here.

I say the same thing, probably the same movie.

The Bayou?

Yep.

Because like, you know, if this was back in the day and we were recording all the time, I would have wanted to talk about it with you and make fun of it. But, you know, it's fine. Like I'll give them credit. Practical effects. Quick shout out to the Bayou. Practical effects, in some cases, that was entertaining. But there's other ones that were so fucking boring that I didn't even bother. Like, you know, it's really...

We're just saying something, because, yeah, you're at 37. I am at a total of 18, because I've just...

And do you have a top, like, a couple for your top 10?

Yeah, right now, I have, like, three that would for sure be top 10 contenders, and one that is, like, would be kind of on the border of top 10.

Yeah, like, right now, mine's, like, mediocre 10. It's like, it's like we're raiding ourselves, like... Like, we're a mediocre podcast. It's been a mediocre year. That's... Anyway, so I'm glad that you have, you know, really took in your rest and are ready for me to talk about some of these unlicensed gemmed.

I mean, can any of us really be ready?

You know, I think that they're all masterpieces, and I really look forward to us discussing them. Though I did watch the trailer for the final destination Bloodlines film and all the real like it's a rinse and repeat. Right. You've seen one final destination movie. You've seen them all. But fuck, man, I'm here for at this point. Like, I'm just I'm just so thirsty.

Oh, I'm so I was giddy as hell watching that trailer. And then just to see, sadly, see Tony Todd, like skinny and sickly as he was in that. But still to be able to see him in his last role makes me fucking happy.

Right. Except for Rob. Rob's like fucking final destination. Yeah. I can just hear him now. It's like you fuckers in your fucking final destination. Motherfuckers, fucking shitty. Heather and her fucking opinions. Why do you want to talk about your trip? Yeah, Rob, I do have another trip coming up, motherfucker. I do. And I deserve it, Rob. Life's been hard for Scotty and I.

It has. It really has.

We've had to watch these movies, and we've been so upset, we can't even talk about them.

So true.

But here we are. So I guess we'll begin because we do have a lot. And Scott and I have many responsibilities because we're quite important people.

We are. You know, it's the life of a premium podcaster, unlike what Tim and Luffy always talk about, being the fucking beef Wellington of podcasts. Yeah, you got what I do have a quick shit talking to say to good old Tim Davis from Dummies of Horror because he was saying, you know, beef Wellington, only one person can make a beef Wellington. That's Gordon Ramsay, where unlike those tomahawk steak podcasters, you know, anybody can cook tomahawk. Yeah, that's right.

And first of all, clearly not everyone can make a tomahawk steak. We haven't released an episode in two months almost. So clearly not everyone can do it, Tim. We're not just a production line of horror movies commentaries and talking about them. I think Tim's mad at me. And our group chat, he never responds to what I say. I think he's mad at me. I don't know why. I kept my Patreon up. I don't insult him like Rob does. I ask him questions and he doesn't answer. I think Tim and I are breaking up.

That's not cool.

I know.

Tim, don't be ghosting Heather.

Yeah, I get enough ghosting Tim. Scott's ghosting me because he's like, I'm like, when we want to record? He's like, oh, wow, so busy, Heather. Saw you watched I Love Willie for the third time. So busy. Can't can't find a time. But I'm like, but I need to talk about most of horrors.

And I'm like, wait, who are you again?

Popeye the Slayer Man. I can't wait. I can't wait.

I do have to say, did you see there's another Popeye movie called Shiver Me Timbers?

I tried to watch it and even I had to shut it off.

Okay, that says something. Okay.

But I will watch it later because I was trying to watch it with someone else and they were like, what the fuck is this shit? I'm like, ah, they did it for me in my private time. It's like if you watch Really Fucked Up Porno and you know you don't want anyone else to know that you watch it, that's like my version. I'll go on one of those like addiction shows and they're like, Heather, what's your problem? I'm like, I really like bad unlicensed character films, like a lie.

Someone needs to have to do an intervention for me.

I'm like, Colby Locks Three Bears, Death and Porridge. We'll get to it.

I can't wait.

But it's been so long since I watched this first one here. It was a drop on Slasher, Shudder, Shudder, Slasher, Slasher. It was a drop on Shudder earlier this year, and I called it Gifted. It was Grafted. You guys have been so long. Did you watch this?

No, this is one I want to still watch, because this is just one Erika seeing the trailer. She's like, yeah, this one is going to be all you, buddy, because I just can't watch. She doesn't like a lot of the body horror stuff.

Oh, then yeah, she probably shouldn't watch this one then. You know, this is much better than other stuff that Shudder has dropped before. And I could see this being, I do think this is a must watch of the year. And I think a lot of people are going to skip over it. But it's what's quite interesting. So beauty is only skin deep.

I love being in and out.

Love it. Mr. Matt Wood, who I listen to, he has a little... There's a DJ platform, and he performs every Friday night. And I listen to his set, and I go into the chat room. His DJ name is Freebase, and he's a very good DJ. I know we burn Matt a lot on this show. What the fuck is he talented? His mixes are so good. So I believe it's called Old School Radio. Maybe I'll send the link to Scotty, and he can share it in our notes, just as a support to Matt.

Not American.

Yeah, they're like, are you? I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. So he gave it three stars. I'm a big fan of body horror, and there was aspects of this movie that I really liked. I won't give something away there. You're not supposed to like the character and to be fit, like the characters. And I didn't. That's true. Didn't like the lead either. But that was my problem, not giving a fuck. Did take away from it. The lead is quite weird, and she's supposed to be weird.

Nice. Yeah, this is like I said, this is definitely one I plan on watch. I just gotta find the time to watch it on my own. Yeah, this next one, though, finally got a chance to watch this. I know you watched this way earlier in the year, and I just watched it about a week ago. And that is from the Twisted Childhood Universe or the Poodiverse. I forget which one it's called now, but Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare.

It's the best made, for sure.

And it's definitely... This is one of my contenders for top 10. I fucking love this. It was way darker than I had anticipated it being and kind of played it more realistic instead of fairy tale style like the Winnie the Pooh movies are. This one definitely has more of a ground in reality situation and holy shit, like Peter Pan, creepy as fuck. Kind of reminded me of Ethan Hawke in Black Phone, like has a very similar vibe throughout this movie.

You know, this is the only one that has its separate category. Everyone else has been lumped together from the unlicensed characters. And there's a reason why. This one is a very good movie. This isn't, I do believe it had a theatrical release in some parts of the world. And I can see why. It's quite well done. It's kind of on the borderline of like, what was that really intense criminal show? It was really fucking dark. It was a TV show. Grissom, I think, was on it. And that Penelope chick.

Yes.

Right. And I, yeah, I agree with you. I think this is a British film. All the people are British in it. So it's obviously made in Britain. Like, majority of them have been. And definitely this had the most character, the most money, the most resources, the better acting, the better writing. And I think the scores say so itself. Like, Matt's given it three. Tim from The Weasel of Horror has given it four. Rob even gave it three and a half. Look at that.

Yeah, I was going to say, it's one of the few that Rob actually likes that I like. I think I gave it four and a half.

Yeah, you know, now that we're talking about it, this would be in my top 10 right now, too, if I was to do a list off of, I think when I said, what I said at the beginning, I was thinking of as the year continues, because I'm just hopeful that other better things are going to come out. But, you know, now that we're talking about it, yeah, I could see this being my number 10 or 9 right now. I did think it was a really solid film. Really good, really well done.

Yeah, I don't think it is just yet. Yeah, not even on Letterboxd, it doesn't even say where it's available yet. So it's probably going to still be a little bit before it comes to streaming. But what it does, I highly recommend this one.

Yeah, me too, definitely check it out. Now, this next, oh wait, no, the next one is me.

Yes, I have not seen this one.

So this is an indie independent film with a little bit of money. It was in a bunch of film festivals. Let's see here. It was, I don't know, you can't read them, but they were in a bunch of them. It's a dark sky film, which they're hit or miss with the stuff that they pick up as a production company.

Yeah, that says a lot.

So currently, this is available on the Google, YouTube, Apple TV, Microsoft Store, and I don't know what XUMO Play US is, but I'm assuming it's a new streaming service.

I never heard of that one.

Yeah, me neither. So if you want to rent this, I would say if what I'm saying sounds like something you would enjoy, any rental price is worth it. It's a 94 minute runtime. The average waiting is 3.0, which I think is fair. I don't think just their friends rated this. I think that actually other people watched this and went on and gave it some feedback. Tim Walker gave it three and a half stars.

No, definitely not.

I haven't taken the step to watch it. But yeah, I would say check it out, Scotty, if you get a chance to. I think it would be great for you to watch it work.

Okay, perfect. Was this a found footage one?

Because you did say no, it's not found footage. And that's what I appreciate about it is that they didn't take the low-hanging fruit of doing found footage.

Got you. Okay.

Right. Like they took that step up, but still not doing too much so the budget wasn't blown.

Right. Okay.

Yeah.

Nice. Well, I guess I could jump into the next. That's why this little gem. This is the most recent movie that I watched. I think I watched it like two or three nights ago. It is called Monster on a Plane with an 88 minute runtime. The synopsis is, yes, a nice short and sweet. An exotic animal turns into a monster and becomes a deadly danger, deadly danger for all passengers. That is the synopsis, one sentence.

Fuck yeah, I do.

Well, then you're in luck. This is one of those definitely everybody knew what type of movie they were filming and just rolled with it. It is so dumb. The acting is very wooden, but I almost felt like it was on purpose. But yeah, the monster design looks like a critter from Critter Reject, which freaking had me laughing my ass off. And it's basically just a dumb B movie where this monster is running amok on a plane, just killing people randomly, making them hallucinate.

Fuck yeah, is it on Tubi?

No, this one is available on, well, for one, a good friend of ours on Plex. Then it's available on Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home, and Spectrum On Demand.

Okay, so if you like that cheesy kind of vibe, you know, it's worth it.

Yeah, I'd say it's a silly, dumb monster movie and it goes by quick. You won't hate, most likely won't hate your time with it. Erica, she was not a big fan. She'd tune out halfway through.

I get that. I get that. I like how we both skipped over into the deep. That also makes me laugh too. Did you watch the shark one?

Oh yeah, I did. I didn't even finish that movie.

Wow, that was good life choices you made right there. So the next one I'm going to talk about is Bloody Axe Wound. This is also a release on Shudder. High school can be a killer. Abby Bladecutt, yes, that's her name, is a teenage torn between the, is that Macaude? Macaude? Yeah, I think so. Tradition of her family's bloody trade and the tender stirring of her first crush. In the small town of Clover Falls, which is also a little bit of a, you know, if you know, you know, kind of tie in.

I did. This was early on. I didn't remember much of it, but now certain pieces are coming together.

But yeah. Yeah, it's not bad. Here's the thing. I think that this movie will be very liked by some people. And I think that the concept behind it was great. I think it was clever. I think it was fun. It kind of reminded me of the one that we really liked a couple of years ago about the video store guy. It was based out of like a video store, and it had like it kind of was a satire on horror stuff.

Oh.

I can't remember exactly what it was called.

Yeah, the anthology.

Yeah.

God dang it. Yeah, I can't even remember what the hell that was called now.

That's because we've seen too many movies. But it reminded me a lot of that or the Blackening that came out last year. But I think the Blackening was funnier for me personally. I thought this was okay. I think the three and a half stars that Sandra Cain has given, three stars that Matt Wood has given, three stars that Rob has given, three stars that you have given, I would say I gave it the same. It wasn't horrible or anything like that. I don't know. I just didn't really get into it.

Yeah, I'm kind of the same way. Like I thought it was just fine. Like it was an easy watch. But yeah, definitely very predictable with where it ends up going. And but yeah, I couldn't relate with any of the characters. I did really like the beginning stuff where it was showing the different videos that were behind theaters and stuff like that. I liked the look and feel of that. And I'm going, OK, I'm on board. And then it kind of just became very generic after that. So it was fine.

Right. It was middle of the road, but it's on shutter. And if you're looking for something easy peasy to watch and you got the shutty, why not?

Yeah, exactly. And I guess we can jump on to the next one. Speaking of middle of the road.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Though I actually really liked this one. I'm not going to lie.

Yeah. Yeah. Middle of the road for me. But this was another shutter exclusive. I was looking forward to this one just because it has to do with wrestling and horror. And it is called Dark Match. With a 94-minute runtime, a small time wrestling company accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town, only to learn too late that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match. This one stars Chris Jericho. And I'm trying to look up his name real quick.

Yeah.

I really liked him a lot. And actually, he was my favorite character in this entire movie because he actually felt for him because he was trying to be a good person and do what he could, like, you know, like kind of be the hero in the show.

I would agree. He was kind of the affable one.

Yeah. And yeah. Yeah. Like the wrestling itself was not bad, especially from people that were, I don't think, really wrestlers. I thought some of the moves were fairly realistic. And yeah, there were some gory scenes, but yeah, something with this movie just didn't really connect with me.

Yeah. I felt like I was watching ECW only toned down from-

Yes.

I was waiting for Paul Eamon to come out, and with his ponytail, and we were going to go back in time. Tim should get that. I get that. Sandman shows up. I'll be honest, I found it incredibly entertaining. It was, as Tim Davis said, a low-budget horror movie about wrestling and the occult, and I watched it for what it was. I would agree with him 110%. I found the main chick annoying and kind of a bitch, and I didn't really quite get her deal.

Yes, that is 100% accurate.

And for that reason, it was definitely a guilty pleasure. Would I watch it again? Yeah, probably. If I was sick or tired or not having a great day, I probably would throw it on because it's simple. You know, like I can watch some wrestlers fight to the death. You know, and it's entertaining for me. But I think this movie was definitely for people who remember ECW and low-budget wrestling shit and horror. I think there is a niche group of people that will like this film. And that's okay.

Because I will say they did kind of pull off the whole underground indie wrestling company trying to make a name for themselves by going to this big event and the way it played out. Like, it did feel like, you know, how most of these wrestlers get started and get into like the big event stuff like WWE and all that.

Yeah.

Like the work they have to do, the traveling they have to do and all that.

Yes. And, you know, I would say that if I was to recommend this film to someone, I would be like, do you like wrestling a lot? And if you're like, I like WWE, I'm like, hmm. But do you like real wrestling? Like indie. Like, did you watch ECW back in the day?

Exactly.

Have you gone to local, your local wrestling shows? And if they were like, yeah, I'd be like, then this is a movie for you. Yeah. That's how niche I think this is.

Oh, yeah.

Personally. Yeah.

I'll say it's definitely like definitely that niche market of horror fan fandom, because I mean, horror and wrestling kind of go hand in hand a lot. And yeah, I think you just got to be more into the understanding of what it's like when you're looking at the NBC wrestling.

This is a movie where I would say indie wrestling interests first, then horror. Like, I would not recommend this to the ladies over at the slumber party massacre podcast.

Right.

Right. They'd be like, what the fuck is this? I already say that a lot when I bring things to the table. But or nor would I show my friend who likes WWE wrestling. Yeah. I think she might find it OK. But I think that this is truly a love letter to true indie. And we all know the people we're talking about, for those of us who have been to an indie match before. Those folks.

Yep, completely.

For the wrestling nerd horror convention folks that come together and know all the B-films and the wrestling. It's for that little group of misfits that Scott and I dance our toes into. It's for them.

Exactly.

So if that sounds like something you would like, it is on Shutter. If not, I would say you don't have to watch this movie.

Yeah, I'm kind of in the same. Because like, yeah, I did give it only two and a half stars, but just because I just felt like the pacing was a bit off.

Guilty Pleasure, four stars for me.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, because I liked it. I liked the indie wrestling feel to it, right? It made my little Heather Hart happy because I'm also a misfit from misfit wrestling and horror movie land. But practical movie at entertainment, two and a half is a very fair rating, Scotty.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, but that makes sense. Yeah.

Yeah.

All right.

But I liked it more than this next one. I did not like this movie. I thought it was boring as fuck. So I'm really interested to see what you say. Yes, I didn't. I thought it was boring. I fucking hated the two characters. I. Oh, yeah, I fucking couldn't stand it. I know plot twist.

Holy shit. OK. So, yeah, the movie, movie Heather is talking about is actually my number one of the year so far. And that is The Gorge, directed by Scott Derrickson, 127 minute runtime. And it is two highly trained operatives grow close from a distance after being sent to guard opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil below emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within. This one is on Apple TV, I believe is where it was available. But yeah, I fucking love this movie.

I'm happy for you.

Wow.

No, I am. Here's the thing. This isn't a bad film. Like, I can objectively be like, absolutely, Scott, the acting in this was good. The money put into it was good. You know, the the whole buildup is good. I did feel like they kind of gave the gig up really early on, something that happened to one of the other characters. You know what I'm talking about? Like, I thought it was like, come on. Like, you couldn't have, like, I get it. You know, it has to build and move the plot along.

And the reason I'm acting so surprised is because I actually thought you would have loved this.

You know, I don't know if maybe I watched it on the wrong day. Maybe if I rewatch it at the end of the year, I'll feel differently. And I may do that. You know, I've had some life events occur that can affect how you're feeling the day or whatever, right? But I will definitely say this is a high quality film.

Yeah, I'm like, since I say this is like my number one, there's two movies that are tied for my number one. This is another one we'll be talking about later. But yeah, there's a reason why I like, it just connected with me, but I will say yeah, worth every penny if you have to rent it or buy it or something like that. I think it at least is worth that.

Yeah, like I think it's worth watching. It's as it like just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean it's not a good movie. Like it just didn't, it just didn't do it for me. But who knows, maybe I'll rewatch it later this year and I'll feel differently. You never know.

Yeah, I'll say it's how it goes sometimes.

Yeah. The next one, though, was also, I don't know, was this a fucking Blumhouse film? This must have been a Blumhouse film, right?

I think I think it was.

Oh, fuck me. Wolfman 2025. Did you watch it?

I did.

Oh, yes. Okay. Protect your own. With his marriage fraying, Blake persuades his wife, Charlotte, to take a break from the city and visit his remote childhood home in rural Oregon. As they arrive at the farmhouse in the dead of night, they are attacked by an unseen animal and barricade themselves in the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. But as the night stretches on, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable. I don't know. What did you think?

I just thought this was very meh. I didn't care for any of the characters, which you don't have to care for the characters to make a movie good, but I didn't care what happened to any of them. I thought some of their decisions were very dumb throughout this movie. It also felt like it was missing the first act. It was just like immediately just jumped into the second and third act. And when did a werewolf bite slash scratch make you transform so damn quickly?

And I think it's because it was a movie representing something else.

Yeah. And I will say I did like the aspect of this where it focused on the more body horror elements of what it's like to transform into a werewolf and seeing through the eyes of the person that is transforming and kind of like hearing what they're hearing as they're kind of turning into this beast. But yeah, it just it didn't connect with me, which is a bummer because it's Lee Whannell who did The Invisible Man and I fucking love The Invisible Man.

Yeah, that's fair. I'm middle of the road. I enjoyed it for what it was. I was entertained. I did like the characters. I did feel bad for the family. Spoiler, spoiler alert, spoiler alert. Obviously, there's dealing with domestic violence here. And you know, it's an underlying theme, how there's two sometimes people inside of us. I thought that was done well. I don't think it was in your face. I don't.

Yeah, this one, like I would say I'd rewatch it if it was on TV. It's not like I hated it. It was just kind of, I was disappointed.

Yeah, yeah, like I think if you were expecting a really solid Wolfman movie that got to you, but I will say the trend, I did like that it was filmed at night. I did like how dark it was. I did like the portrayal of the man who's been infected. I did like it enough, but definitely if I look at werewolf movies, I don't know if it would be a top werewolves movie for me, but I'm not a werewolf. I'm not as into it as you and Tim are. I'm medium werewolf movies.

Yeah, and I agree with that, because yeah, like it did feel a bit long in the tooth. But yeah, like it was just fine. It just was like I was hoping for something so much more. And yeah, it was just fine. Like I would recommend people watch it. Yeah, it's available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango, Microsoft Store, and YouTube right now.

Yeah. So yeah, that's your thing. You know, it sounds like something you'd be interested in. Check it out. Now we have to talk about the big ones here.

Oh, they're so huge.

So I'm just lumping them all together because they're interchangeable. Piglet, I Love Willy, Popeye's Revenge, The Mouse of Horrors, Popeye the Slayer Man is probably my favorite title, actually, to be honest with you. And Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Death and Porridge, aka we stole our masks from The Purge and tried to do our version of The Strangers, but shittier with our friends that I've never acted before. All of these had various degrees of budgets to them.

Yeah, that is one I ended up avoiding, because even Nudie, who loves some of the low budget stuff like this, he was like, this one was bad. This one was really bad. So when he said that, I'm going, I might want to avoid it then.

So I was finishing it off and George saw some and he thought it was hilarious. Some of the kills were really funny. But I would say out of all of them, the two Popeye ones were actually the ones I enjoyed the most.

Oh, really? See? Yeah. I liked, I've only, the ones that you mentioned here, I started Piglet, I just couldn't finish it. I watched I Love Willie and Popeye's Revenge. I actually liked I Love Willie the most. Popeye's Revenge. Oh, God, that one was so just like, it felt like they went, hey, let's get a slasher villain like Jason Voorhees. Let's make a slasher movie. Oh, shit. Popeye license just came up.

And he does say, oh, no, he doesn't. That's Popeye the Slayer Man, where he says, I am what I am.

Yeah, Popeye the Slayer Man is the one I want to see because it definitely feels more like actual using of Popeye correctly in the horror movie sense.

Yes, there's also a guest experience, a guest appearance from a character from the Popeye comic book strips that unless you have actually like familiar with the Popeye story, you wouldn't get it.

Oh, wow.

So we'll see if you catch it. It's quick.

OK, that is what I want to see.

I enjoyed both. I would agree that Popeye the Slayer Man is better. Now, again, when we use that statement there, again, we're comparing them. And in The Mouse of Horrors, Woody the Pooh was in it. So was Piglet, because this guy has created all of them, by the way. He's a mad scientist that created. I kind of tried to go from the first Blood and Honey, and the second Blood and Honey, like the idea of experiments gone bad, right? So it kind of built on that.

I was going to say, there's a few of these I still plan on watching because it's becoming such a thing. We are going to have a Public Domain Horror Movie Award at the end of the year. So I'm trying to watch as many of them as I can.

I'm going to have a lot to say about that award.

Oh, I know what you are.

I may even do my pretend top 10 and have some of these on there because...

I mean, you are a sucker for these movies.

I do. I think they're hilarious. I just think they're so funny. And the acting, the Goldilocks and Three Bears death in Borage was just ridiculous. This was obviously friends that had a fucking couple of cams and a drone, and they decided to make a movie. It was pretty bad. But hey, you know what? If they had a good time, fuck, who cares?

Right, exactly.

You know what I mean? Hey, man, rock on. I get tired when people watch these movies, and then they're like, oh, they were shit. No fucking kidding, huh? Were you born yesterday? At what point did you think it was going to be good, right? Like, so only watch it if you if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you think it's cheesy or you like you enjoy cheesy, dumb films like this, watch it. If you don't skip over it, you won't you won't be disappointed in life if you do.

Exactly. And one that we'll jump on to the next one, which was definitely one of the bigger movies of the year. It kind of gives you a little bit of a 90s slasher nostalgia. And that was Heart Eyes. It's got a 97 minute runtime. No couple is safe. When the Heart Eyes killer strikes Seattle, a pair of coworkers pulling over time on Valentine's Day are mistaken for a couple by the elusive couple hunting killer. Now they must spend the most romantic night of the year running for their lives.

That's a good way to describe it.

Yeah. Because there's that will there won't a two strangers meeting awkwardly and kind of finding out there of differing levels of power in this company that work together. And now will they get together? Who knows? Oh my God, I hope they do. Oh, there's the killer now.

But I feel like they knew like they were making fun of that formula though.

They definitely were.

And I like, there's a part I knew I was going to like in the movie because they're in this coffee shop that's supposed to be a Starbucks, but not a Starbucks. And they order this like really complicated drink. And they both do. And they both think the one drink is their drink. And they have this awkward conversation. And they're like, how common is that? And the barista goes, it's quite common. Can you take your drinks and go now, please? I'm like, this is a movie for me.

Oh, yes. Yes, I forgot about that scene. Because this is the one I did watch a while ago, so I'm a bit rusty on certain things. But yeah, this definitely had some very funny moments to it. It's very cutesy moments to it. And some shockingly good gore for the kills, too.

Yeah. Yeah, it was good.

Like, the reveal of the killer was a bit lame, I thought. But it still didn't take away from the enjoyment I had with this movie. It kind of gave me that feeling of what was it? It's a wonderful knife from last year or the year before that.

Yeah.

Where it's just like, it's not a great slasher, but it's not a bad slasher. Definitely one I would revisit during the holiday.

Like, I got to say, I love that Devin Swala and Joanna Brewster was in this film. I find the detectives.

I forgot about that, too. Yeah.

Well, you shouldn't forget about one of them.

Well, yeah. Yeah.

Right. But it was, it was, I don't know. I thought this was easy palatable movie to watch. Nothing, nothing super fancy. While I watch it on Valentine's Day, fuck yeah, I will.

Yeah.

Fuck yeah, I'll watch it.

Yeah. What was it? Definitely has one of the more memorable kills, too, towards the end of the movie, which might be an award later on.

I would agree with you. I would agree. So yeah, I don't know. I think if you haven't seen this one yet, it is a must watch of the year. For some people, this may be in their top 10. If I was to do a top 10 now, yeah, it would be on there. Out of 37 films I've watched again, to clarify. But did I enjoy it? Fuck yeah, I did. Fuck yeah, I did. I thought it was fun. I thought it was easy. I went to the theater. There was a lot of people in the theater to see it. Which is awesome. Which is awesome.

Yeah, I say this is definitely worth the rental. Yeah, you won't hate it. And yeah, I think I could see this being in like Lacey's top 10.

Yeah.

I think she, I know she's watched it and I can't remember her thoughts, but I would not be surprised if it's in her top 10, because it's definitely her style of movie.

And it's fun, you know, sometimes fun and fluffy is just, it's good times.

Yeah, I'll say like, I did not hate my time with it and will definitely be one I'll revisit for sure. And the next one, this is the one that is in competition for my number one spot right now, and that is Companion. A billionaire's death sets off a chain of events for Iris and her friends during a weekend trip to his lakeside estate. That is a weird synopsis, actually. Billionaire's death. But anyways, so this is basically...

Well, it's true.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Okay. That's just that's kind of a...

Spoilers. Like that actually does kind of synopsis the movie without giving the major spoilers.

Yeah, that's true. Okay. I'll just say just kind of a weird synopsis to kind of get you to watch it. Yeah. The stars... Let's see. Sofie Thatcher. Yeah. Sofie Thatcher and Jack Quaid and Lucas Gage and Harvey Gillian, I think his name is, but he plays Gero.

Always great to see him.

Yeah.

Always great to see him.

But yeah, the acting in this is incredible. And I have to say, I had only known Jack Quaid for a while there as the character in The Boys. And in The Boys, he's just this lovable, unfortunate kid that gets involved with this shit. And he just can't take him seriously. But holy shit, does Jack Quaid show some range because he can be a he is a really good actor and can be a complete fucking dick too.

Was he like, where can I get one?

He goes, about damn time we get a decent Terminator movie. I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, this basically is like a modern day style of Terminator in a way. And it's fucking awesome.

I would agree. I thought this movie was really smart. And I the AI is going in this direction. Oh, absolutely. You know, it would be great because women have been pleasuring themselves with electronics for years. So it's nice that men are going to get a chance to do the same. I actually saw a video about a guy being like, soon there's going to be AI sex box ladies and you won't be needed anymore.

Yeah, I mean, it's especially with how realistic things are becoming. Yeah.

Yeah. Like and if you really struggle with making a person to person connection, like there's some people out there that that's they really do struggle. You know, why not?

Yeah.

Right. Like, I don't know. I'm more AI. I'm like, oh, yeah, fuck. Yeah. Sounds great. Right. Like, I really liked this movie for the concept because I do think it was the most realistic AI that I've seen in a while.

And definitely the best portrayal of AI in a horror movie instead of, yeah, smart home. Going to kill you now. Bye bye.

Yeah. Yeah. Right. And Sophie Thatcher is fast becoming one of my preferred actresses. I think she's a very good actress and I've liked her in everything I've seen. And I agree, she could be up for an award again this year. She just really has the ability for you to kind of get behind her as a character. Yeah, it's good. Definitely a must watch. Definitely a must watch for this year.

Yeah, like this is, like I said, fighting for my number one spot. I'll probably have to rewatch this in The Gorge at the end of the year to see where they both place. But I fucking love both of them and they have both just for once. Serious movies are fighting for my top spot, where before it'd be like some silly schlocky horror film.

Well, Terrifier hasn't come out yet. Let's hold up before we get too excited.

Terrifier 4 is not coming out this year. That's in 2026, so I'm good.

So I got one year where I don't have to listen to you talk about Terrifier.

I'm sure I'll bring up Terrifier some other way. Don't you worry.

Don't you worry, Heather. Have you seen this next one?

No, this one, I've been curious to hear your thoughts on it, because I hear it's very interesting. I'm not sure if people like it or not.

Yeah, this movie is very different. A couple, Rebecca, so it's presence. A couple, Rebecca and Chris and their children, Tyler and Chloe, Chloe move into a seemingly normal suburban home. When strange occurrences occur, they begin to believe there's something else in the house with them, and the presence is about to disrupt their lives in unimaginable ways. This is a very, very interesting film. It's an 84-minute runtime, and it starts off being very unique.

Okay.

So where other haunted houses movies are filmed, generally speaking, from the person's perspective, this is filmed from the entity's perspective.

Interesting.

Yeah. So you're spending a lot of this movie trying to figure out who the entity is. There's a time loop thing that I don't overly get, to be honest. I'm a little confused on how one person can be several things. But that being said, I think it's a very, very well done film. I think it's unique. Definitely one of the more unique films I've seen probably would continue to be in my top five at the end of the year if it wasn't for my questioning about how does the ending make sense.

Yeah, that has me intrigued now because I did not know it was from the entity's perspective. That's it.

Yeah. And that's not a spoiler. That happens in the first 30 seconds. Like you literally turn on the movie and it's clear that it's a ghost film because you know what the name of the fucking film is.

Right.

I know you would have to never seen a horror movie before in your fucking life to not get that.

And then you can tell it was about this mispresence.

Right. Right. And then you can tell with what's happening that it's from the entity's viewpoint, which makes it almost like found footage, but not. It's filled like a found footage, but it's not a found footage.

I say, and I got to give props for that. Like even though I make fun of Skidmore Rink and the outwaters and a couple other ones like these different perspectives definitely kind of becoming a trend. But when it's done right can be very interesting.

Yeah. And I would say this is done right. It's worth the rental. I'm not going to go much more into it besides that, because I think that you need to watch it to see. It is available on Apple TV, Google Play, Plex, because there is a renting service on Plex, Amazon, and Cineplex. I think if you like haunted houses and ghost movies, this is worth whatever cost it is. Rob the Hump gave it three and a half stars. Dave Bailey gave it three and a half stars. I don't think Tim has watched it yet.

And I would watch it.

I think Erica may find it interesting too.

Okay, sweet. So yeah, that's what we want to try to watch with her at some point then. So I'll jump on to the next one.

Sounds good.

This is the first movie I watched of 2025, so I may be a bit rusty in my memories with it, but it was a Shudder exclusive. It's called Getaway, a family's vacation to a remote getaway takes an unexpected turn when they discover the island they're on is inhabited by a serial killer. And this stars Nick Frost, so it's definitely a British horror comedy, and it's kind of like Wicker Man meets Get Out in a way, just without the racial intentions.

Yeah. I don't know if you know this, but I'm into the UK.

And what?

There's a lot of British jokes in this. There's a lot of British traveler tourist jokes in this.

Yes.

That I don't know if I would have got if I hadn't been there. I don't know if you got all of them, and you're just smarter than me. But some of them I've laughed. Because I'm like, oh, yeah, that's I get why they're making it. But it's basically like instead of dumb Americans traveling, it's dumb British travelers. Yeah. Right.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if you'd watch this one or not, because I had to add this to the list. I didn't see it on the list.

So, yes, I didn't add it because I didn't like it that much.

OK, see, I had fun with this one. I thought it was very silly. Didn't see like I did see the kind of the twist that the main twist happened. But then, like, there's a secondary twist that happened that I didn't catch. But I just love Nick Frost and almost anything he's in. He's just freaking hilarious. And he definitely knows his horror tropes and how to play around with them for a horror, because he produced this as well. So he definitely knows like the tropes and everything.

Oh, yeah, Mommy and Daddy.

And yeah, Mommy, Daddy, how are you doing? She does the same thing.

It is I can sum this up. If you like Nick Frost and you like his comedy, you'll like this movie. Yeah, but it's a lot of Nick Frost. So you've got to really like.

Yeah.

If you like Nick Frost. Yeah. Right. I I like Nick Frost and I was medium of the road on this. I thought it was quick, easy to digest. I would always give the Clare like you got to like Nick Frost. Like if you don't like Nick Frost and there's no Simon Pegg in this, so it's just Nick Frost, then you'll like it. But if you were like, man, a little lukewarm on on Nick Frost, don't watch this movie because you're going to just be annoyed. If you like them, you're going to have a great time.

Yep. Exactly.

To me, that's like the simplest way to explain this film.

Yeah, you're 100% right. Because yeah, I'm definitely of the camp of, I fucking love Nick Frost.

And this is on the Shuddy, right?

Yeah. Yep. It was the first Shudder release of the year, too, if I remember correctly.

Yeah.

Came out.

Yeah. You know what's funny? I don't think I put the next one on here. And yes, you're right. It was the first Shudder release of the year. I realized I didn't include the details for the next one on here on my on my list. So I'm actually watched 138 one.

Oh, wow. Yeah, because it looks like you are the next one, two, three. Yeah, I think you're the next three movies.

Yeah, because you haven't seen Control Freak, have you?

No, not yet.

So Control Freak. Sorry.

I am going to take a quick run to the bathroom. I'll be right back.

Yeah, yeah, I can talk when you're gone. OK, I will carry this choo choo train on my own merit.

You are good at that. You always carry it on your shoulders.

You know, just a hero. What can I say? All right, you go ahead.

All right, I'll be right back.

So here we are, Control Freak. Let me open that bad boy and get to it. So Control Freak is, I believe, the first horror film from Hulu to hit us this year. It's also on Disney+. It's In Your Head. A motivational speaker, plagued by an uncontrollable itch on her head, becomes infected with a parasitic demon from her home land. So this movie is very interesting. Personally, I hate motivational speakers. I hate life coaches. I generally speaking dislike what they stand for.

This is Control Freak you're talking about, right?

Yeah, and we do a Hulu award, so you probably should watch it because...

Yes, because there's not a lot of them, for one.

Yes, and you might want to come in and see that, so you're able to kind of show whatever. I don't know, maybe Hulu would do one other one this year. We never know, right? They tend not to always come up with a lot of stuff anymore.

Yeah, they tend to release a bunch during Halloween, but that's usually the majority of the time, like where it comes from.

Right. So anyway, Hulu, Disney, that's where you can find that one, Disney+. The next one is an independent film, and it was held at a bunch of different film, I guess, what are they called? My god. Film festivals. Thank you. My film things. The House Was Not Hungry Then. This is a really interesting film. So this film is kind of based on the concept that a house is alive, but not cheesy. Like not like, the house is gonna eat you. Nom nom nom nom nom.

I'm trying to remember. I think I've seen the trailer to this. Is this the one where it's kind of like almost filmed from like the house's perspective?

Yes.

Yeah, doesn't look interesting.

It doesn't?

It looks interesting.

Yes, it is. It is interesting. It is definitely someone wrote here that it's art house. Oh, is it art house? This is art house. Um, I think this is kind of... Those who like Skinnamorink are really going to love this shit.

Gotcha. Okay.

So there's people that had Skinnamorink in their top five. They will definitely like this movie. There's no doubt in my mind, because it plays on a similar concept. Here's the thing. It's different. I enjoy it more than Skinnamorink because I think it's easier to follow. They do a better job of presenting the house, the people that come into the house, the one character that is remaining in the house. And to me, that's what makes it good, but you've got to like that kind of thing.

All right. Yeah, this one I've been curious about it. So I will definitely be watching this.

And then the last one that's just me is Delicious. This is a Netflix film. And my letterbox is decided that it's going to like, of course, not work at this moment. But I can talk about it in my hand. It's fine. It's a 2025 release on Netflix. And it's about this well-off couple who has a house in France. I believe it is like it's a vacational home. And I can't remember what country they're from. But it goes back and forth between English being spoken and French.

Okay.

If enough people liked this, like they like Speak No Evil, I can see a American remake.

I have not even heard of this one.

Yeah, more gory, but very good. It has been awarded a couple of the Berlin International Film Festival. It did win for Best Feature Film, or sorry, it was nominated for Best Feature Film. It's a very, very solid film. I would recommend watching it.

Awesome. Okay, I'll have to jump on Netflix, because that's one place I have not really looked yet is Netflix.

Well, they don't get a lot, right?

Yeah, especially right in the beginning. It usually takes like halfway through the year before they start. And we know how Netflix is. They never really promote their horror very well. You have to kind of dig for it.

You do, right? But I would definitely say it's good. I think you'll like it, Scott. And if people like it enough, we will see American remake in a couple of years.

Nice.

Yeah. If people like it enough. Right.

Right.

And that remake will suck.

Yes. Yes, it will.

Still have James McAvoy in it again, which the guy kind of looks like James McAvoy. So I'm like, oh, yes, that'll happen on the wall for this one.

It's inevitable.

Inevitable.

So yeah, I guess we can jump in to the one that I got to see in theater this year. And I think you watched it as well. Right. All right.

I did.

I'm using IMDB for the plot synopsis because Letterbox is currently down, like you were saying. So this is The Monkey by God dang it. What's his freaking name?

Steven King?

No. Well, I mean, yeah, the story is a short story by Steven King, directed by Osgood Perkins.

Oh, yes. Osgood Perkins. Such an Osgood Perkins film.

I was going to say, you got to be you got to like Osgood Perkins films to kind of know what you're getting into. I am kind of hit or miss with him.

Yeah. Yeah.

But the synopsis to this one is when twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father's old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome death start. The siblings to decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. This Osgood Perkins took this Stephen King story, which I heard is just kind of like a novella. It's not really comedic, but he turned it into a comedy with a Osgood Perkins sense of humor to it. It's a very dry sense of humor.

Yes, yes.

But I remember Eric and I going to see this in theater during our date day, and it was the only movie I've seen this year in theaters so far. But I remember having a fun time with it. It was, like, humor definitely kind of threw me off a bit because it was not my style. But I found the sequences of events that happen around this monkey to be very final destination-ish. So, of course, that made me have a lot of fun with it. Thought the acting was really good. It was shot really well.

I think you took the words right out of my mouth. This is an Osgood Perkins film. And I liked it enough. I felt some parts of it. I was like, can we just get fucking on with it already? Yes. I found I enjoyed the ending the most. OK, yep. But Good Kills, he does get out of his actors what he wants to see. He is a unique director. I definitely think that this is his more mainstream movie that people will like. I do like I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House.

Yeah, both of us still weren't impressed by it.

No, we were like, this is an odds good Perkins film. Long Legs, I did enjoy last year. But I think The Monkey is probably the easiest to watch. But yeah, I don't know. It was enjoyable.

I was going to say, and it says something, because you are right about that, because I think this was the highest grossing horror film this year so far. Yeah. It did really, really well in theaters.

And it's easy to get behind. It's a simplistic plot that he takes, and he doesn't overly complicate it. So yeah, I enjoyed it for what it was. It's definitely the only gets a must watch. And I think it's on all areas to rent, isn't it? Like...

I believe so. Kind of hard to tell now that we don't have our access to Letterboxd at the moment, since I decided to shit the bed.

I know. Well, I would say Google Play, Apple TV, Santa Plex here in Canada. Like, it's a mainstream film. You should be able to rent this anywhere. It's not like, you know, some of these other kind of lower budget ones, or we see a screener or whatever. Like, this is going to be available anywhere to rent.

Oh, yeah.

Right.

So if you didn't see a big movie of the year or one of the big movies of the year.

Yeah. So if you didn't see it at some point, feel free to rent it. I think you may enjoy it.

Yeah, I completely agree. I think it's at least worth the rental, worth watching, especially if you're like, that's horror movie nerds. And, you know, most horror movie nerds know who Asgard Perkins is and can appreciate what he does or like at least respect it.

Yeah, like I wouldn't say Scott and I are huge fans, but, you know, he does make good movies. Yes. And he makes entertaining movies, and he's very artistic. And yeah, they're always a pleasure for the eye. Let's put it that way.

Yes, exactly. So yeah, you want to tackle the next one, and then you and I can talk about it?

Sure. The Parenting. This is a 2025 film. Meaning the parents, it's a necessary evil. Boyfriends Josh and Rohan plan a weekend getaway to introduce their parents, only discover that their rental home is home to a 400-year-old poltergeist. This movie is really silly. I had a good chuckle with this film. There were a couple lines that stood out to me. One was like when the demon dad is being very homophobic, and the kids are like, all right, demon dad, that's enough for now.

Yeah, surprised to see her. It's been a long time since I've seen her in anything.

Right. The parents are all really funny. Parker Posey is in this briefly, I believe. So she makes a nice little cameo. It's fun. It's an entertaining horror comedy. I liked it enough. I didn't like it as much as Tim Davis. I know Tim Davis liked it a lot. He gave it four stars. I probably said around three. I had a fun time with it. It was easy to watch. There were parts that made me laugh out loud. I liked the couple enough. I thought it was funny at parts.

I don't know. Yeah, I'm right there with you. I thought it was very easy. It's definitely more of a comedy horror than horror comedy. The comedy definitely comes first because it's along the lines of meet the parents, Christmas vacation, all that stuff where it's like your two families are coming together, and it's this awkward situation because one side is rich, one side is more hippie dippy and less money. And with the whole gay couple thing too, and one being more accepted than the other.

I know it's funny.

I know Rob absolutely hated this movie. And yeah, I gave it a three and a half. Like I thought I was right. I'm right there between you and Tim. I I was laughing quite a bit at this. I had some really good moments to it. It's very easy. It's yet not like I said, not really scary. And yeah, just it goes. It flew by for me like Eric and I watched it. We're just kind of having a good chuckle out of it because we're like, Oh, this is going to be dumb. And it was, but in a good way.

Yeah, like it's entertaining. It's 94 minutes. I don't think it's the worst thing in the world, despite what Rob thinks. But I don't know. Rob's kind of just a bitch. So like, I don't know. Rob just doesn't like anything. He's just like a mopey little mope mope Rob. And I had a dream that him and I went on a nice date. He brought me flowers. And then when I told him, he ghosted me for a month. Like, honestly, it wasn't even real.

What the hell, Rob?

Yeah. Like, what did I do wrong on our sleep date? That doesn't actually happen. Only in my dream. And Rob was all like, oh, fuck Heather, you weirdo. You like Final Destination. I don't like you. So.

And you tell me I don't have good taste. What the hell?

I know, right? Yeah, I would say watch this. It's on Craving Canada, Max Amazon channel in the US, Max US. Yeah, if you have access to any of those, give it a watch. It's entertaining.

Yeah, because I think this one could pretty much be watched by anybody, whether you're a fan of horror or not. I think it's just that.

I agree.

I think it's just kind of like bridges that gap there.

Absolutely it does.

But speaking of recommending, what I'm not going to recommend is called The Ruck March. Thankfully, only 53 minutes long, a desert endurance event turns ominous for two women and their fellow participants as they trek through the harsh, barren terrain. What began as a test of physical limits evolves into a harrowing struggle against unforeseen dangers. Shouldn't be more like devolves, but okay.

Sounds like hash takes something I wouldn't do exactly.

But something like those survivalist type like to do. So I was like, oh, this is an interesting concept and it's found footage. OK, so Erica actually is one that I've seen. It's like, let's throw this on. I knew we were in trouble about 10 minutes in when one of the people in the crowd of people doing the rock march was wearing a Tahoe Joe shirt. And if you remember from last year, me talking about the wonderful Bigfoot found footage films, Tahoe Joe one and two, and how fucking awful they were.

All right.

Let's keep going with this and see where it goes. And this 53 minutes felt like an hour and a half. The acting was awful. The characters were dumb. The worst character of all, shockingly enough, was the director himself, who was the main person running this rock march. He was a complete and utter asshole. It just was terrible. And yeah, it just devolved into something. It was something not good.

It was something not good is what you're saying.

Yeah, this was the this was epitome of waste of time and the worst movie I've seen this year. It was terrible. And unfortunately, it's the only found footage I've watched this year. And damn, I need to find some more found footage to kind of wash the nastiness of this one out of my mouth. So don't recommend this at all. It's on Tubi, but I don't recommend it.

I love that you brought it up, though.

I had to. It's a warning to all. Just avoid.

You know, you're a good person. You're basically like the old woman who tells people not to, you know, go into the house.

Exactly.

Right? You're like, don't do it. Don't do it. Well, one that I thought was OK. OK. I enjoyed it enough. It's called Blood Star.

Oh, yeah. I want to see this one still.

Yeah. Watch it. Yeah. Watch it. There's just one law run. A young woman is driving through the desert alone and she's drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a psychopathic sheriff. This is not a spoiler. You realize that in the first five minutes of the film. The chase escalates to deadly levels and she must use her street smarts to turn the tables against him. Definitely the young lady in this, Bobby, you will be able to get behind. She is a great final girl.

Oh yeah.

Yeah. So this is a little bit of survival horror versus straight out horror, straight out stalking. A really nice car that's in it by the way too. It's really sexy. Yeah, this is a good film. 97 minute runtime doesn't overstay its welcome. I think three and a half stars is really fair. You know, but know what you're going into with this, okay? This is a cat and mouse game. This is a young woman. Can she outsmart the law? That's dark. And you got to be here for it.

Wow.

Not that Revenge isn't. This is more realistic than Revenge.

Oh, God. Revenge was a cartoon, in a way.

But this chick you could see being a little more street smart, we'll say, than the young woman that was portrayed in Revenge. Like this girl, you kind of, I'm like, she's seen some shit. Like she's probably able to outsmart it. So even randoms have given it three stars, and I think that says something.

Yeah.

Right. So I definitely say, watch it, Scotty. We do have a copy on the Plex. We have a screener. I would say check it out.

All right. I will definitely do that. Because yeah, that's the one I keep passing over that I'm like, I want to see that. I want to see that.

Yeah. I watch it with Eric too. Like it's an easy one to watch on a weekday. Throw it on. Yeah.

All right. Perfect. So I'll jump on to the next one. This is my last 2025 that I'm going to be talking about. Did you end up finishing this one?

I'm halfway through.

Okay. So this one is 825 Forest Road. I believe this is also on Shutter. After a family tragedy, Chuck Wilson hopes to start a new life in Ashland Falls with his wife Maria and little sister Elizabeth. But he quickly discovers that the town has a dark history of being haunted by a ghostly woman who drives residents to suicide. I went into this one not knowing anything about it. And then afterwards, I found out it was made by the director of Hell House LLC.

That's positive.

Yeah, this is one that I definitely like to give another shot just out of curiosity.

Interesting. I'll have to finish it then because I'm not loving it so far so I need to push myself through.

Yeah, I'd say especially by the third act, it kind of goes a little bit of a different direction and then you're going, oh, okay, yeah. We've got some definitely some movies this year that are trying new things and I appreciate that.

Well, I love it. I will finish it. And where is it available? Shutter.

This one is Shutter, yep.

Okay. So the one I'm going to talk about is the Rule of Jenny Pen, which is my number one movie of the year. This will be in my top five. I really want to see this.

I just want to wait a little bit for personal reasons right now, but I really want to see this.

Gregory Rush and John Lithgow, do I need to say more? You know what I mean?

Basic.

As two adversaries in this retirement community. This is a movie that is on Shutter. It talks about a confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body. A former judge must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child's puppet to abuse the home residents with deadly consequences. This is a New Zealand film, and it is fucking excellent. It is like John Lithgow pulls off a New Zealand accent. And I don't know how he fucking did that.

It's probably because they're in New Zealand. That makes sense.

Yeah, probably, right? And it does show what happens when bullies age and psychopaths age.

OK.

This movie is definitely about one person who is a psychopath, a senior psychopath and bully and what they will do to others. And Gregory Rush definitely stands his ground. And definitely he may win for character you can get behind for me, because even though he's kind of a dick.

Is it Geoffrey Rush or Gregory Rush?

I thought it was Geoffrey Rush.

Because I think you just said Gregory Rush.

Oh, Geoffrey Rush. Sorry. Geoffrey Rush is someone that I can get behind for sure as a character, like a character I can get behind, because he is even though he's kind of a dick, but he's not as big as a dick as John Liscow. So yeah, when you're ready, Scott, it's worth it. It is by far, in my opinion, like I agree with, like you really have kind of highlighted how good Companion was this year, how good some of the other movies were that you brought up. I forgot about Delicious.

Yeah, because this is one I definitely have on my list. I've seen the trailer months and months ago and was like, oh, this looks good. But then, yeah, life things happen and I'm going, it might be a little too heavy for me at this very moment. So I'll wait a little bit, then definitely watch it.

Yeah, when you're ready. But it's definitely, I would say, don't let the year, because it's not, the main characters are within their faculties.

Right. So okay, that definitely helps.

Yes, they are within their faculties. There are some other characters that are side characters that are not, but who you spend the most time with are in their faculties.

Okay, good.

So yeah. And then the last one I recently watched is Opus.

Yeah, that's the A24 one, isn't it?

Yeah. Oh, and it's A24.

Nice.

You're like, yeah, babe, 24. I saw someone that was like, it's blink twice, meets, get out, meets, midsummer, meets. Like, it's just so, it's a mixture of everything. Once in a lifetime experience, a young writer is invited to the remote compound of the legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star's cult, she finds herself in the middle of the twisted plans. So this movie is very, very interesting. John Malkovich is in it. So is Juliette Lewis.

Yeah, that that trope is getting a little tired now.

You know what I mean? Like, I feel like that's a new trope that I'm like, all right, you're not even going to be like, why?

Right.

Like, no one's questioning this at all. And I don't know, maybe when you go to Big Star's houses and stuff, that's part of the deal. I don't know. Maybe that does happen. But yeah, it's a little silly now. But that being said, A24 always delivers interesting. So if you're looking for interesting, you definitely have found it. I will say that I did enjoy it and I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it wasn't for the last 10 minutes. The last 10 minutes, I was like, what the fuck?

That's what you're saying is I definitely need to watch this just to see.

You do. And I kind of want Erica to watch it too. So she's also like, what the fuck at the end? Because I definitely was trying to give a bigger message about media and, you know, all publicity is good publicity. You know what I mean? Kind of thing. Yeah. But I kind of felt like I didn't quite get it. Like it didn't hammer it home for me. But it is available on Apple TV, Google Play, Plex, YouTube, and Amazon.

Nice. Yes, I'll try to watch this before we record again. There's the rule of Jenny Penn, Opus, Bloodstar, Control Freak, Popeye the Slayer Man. Those ones I will definitely be trying to watch before we record again, just so I can have them on my list.

Yeah, I would agree. And I think if you get a chance to watch Grafted at some point.

Oh, yes, Grafted. Yeah.

The house was not hungry then. I do think it's interesting. I wouldn't say like you got to watch it when you're not sleepy and like really focused. So that may not happen this year. And that's OK if it doesn't.

Yeah. Be focused. Yeah. There's a lot of that happening right now.

So for first time watches for Summer Party Massacre, we were going to record an episode. Unfortunately, Lacey's father passed away suddenly.

And my condolences, Lacey, his shit.

But we are in the stage that our parents are aging and there are challenges that come with that. And obviously, when that happens, podcasting takes a backseat. So we were doing a 70s episode of Blind Spots. And I chose Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, and I also watched Burn Offerings. And a couple other ones do, but I'm not going to bother to talk about them because I didn't like them. So have you seen Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things?

I did. Remember when I went to that 12-hour horror movie marathon a couple years back?

Yeah, yeah.

This was one of the movies that was playing there, and I had not seen it before. And I got to say, I had a lot of fun with this movie.

Yeah, it's silly.

Yeah, I did not expect it to be silly. I like I wouldn't do think it's going to be like a serious 70s horror film. And it's like a horror comedy.

It's great. I thought it was going to be some fucking bullshit. Like, what's that big thing from the 70s? Shit, what do they call them all the time? Diallo's.

Oh, yeah. Diallo's. Yeah. Yeah.

I'm like, oh, man, it's going to be a gelato. But it wasn't it was some stupid zombie film. Um, it was great. Yeah. 1972 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things. Go out to a campsite, fucking zombies fucking in a house. They're all fucked. It was entertaining. Bob Clark. Yeah. Canadian Blob Clark. Clark. Thanks, Bob Clark. It was it was easy to watch. Very palatable. Fun little film from 1972. Burnt Offerings was actually a really good like Poltergeist haunted house shit.

Yeah. Yeah. Erica and I watched this on Tubi sometime last year, and I had always avoided it because I'd always heard it was just like a very, very slow, slow burn. And I watched it. I'm going, I didn't think it was that slow.

No.

And I was invested. Like, I really loved this movie. It was a good, scary movie.

Yeah. Yeah. Like, I enjoyed it. I thought it was like a nice OG haunted house shit, Poltergeist stuff. Like, 1976, it was decent. It was, it flowed quickly. I cared about what was going to happen.

And Karen Black, I think, was in it. She did a really good job.

Great. And you know, it was nice to see pool horror done right. Right. Congratulations on using the pool effectively, 1976. Really appreciated that. Right. So, yeah, I thought those were two good 70s movies that I hadn't seen before that were blind spots for me that I watched.

Yeah, those are both great movies, too. So good choices. And yeah, I brought one because the other ones I really can't remember much about. But I we still aren't we slowed down on this marathon of ours, but we were doing the Stephen King marathon. And I think we knocked out everything from the 70s, 80s and the 90s. And I think we're now just got what's left in the 2000s.

I'm here for it.

Yeah, I'll say if you like Ron Perlman and you like seeing him go lose his damn mind, this is a good movie to see that in.

Nice. Nice. Nothing like finding a good gem from the 2000s. 2000s always get shit on. So that's nice.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, there is definitely, like, I look forward to kind of diving back in, but we slowed down at the minute for the moment just because everything going on in our lives with other things and haven't been able to easily find some of the early 2000s King adaptations right now. So I'll have to just keep looking.

You know what? Even soldiers must rest.

It's true. We are doing the hard part for everybody.

We are doing the Lord's work.

We are. Right.

So thank you as always for being very patient with Scott and I. As we continue to record, both Scott and I are dealing with family members who are not well right now, and immediate family members, and it's a challenge for us. But at least we have each other to support each other, and really bad 2025 movies to support us as well.

Help us clear our minds of shitty life by watching shitty movies.

Right. You know, and I basically blame Scott for the downfall of America. So there's that as well.

It's technically Rob's fault.

It's probably Rob's fault. You know, and no, Scott and I haven't charged each other's tariffs, and then not charged each other's tariffs, and then charged each other's tariffs, and then not charged each other's tariffs.

I keep threatening her, though. Every single time she brings up a trip to the UK, I keep saying, these tariffs are going to go up.

Yeah, he's like, tariff per message, actually, is what we have a sign between the two of us. That would make as much sense as what's happening economically right now. But I feel as though that will be coming to a halt, I'm hoping, by October, because I'm hoping if we're not a mess at the border, tensions between our two countries are at an all time high. And I'm really hoping that there's no issue by the time we get to October.

We'll see.

Well, I think there's going to be pressures outside of a government that's going to make things a little more balanced when it comes to tariffs on things, and hopefully border tensions and everything else. So hopefully come October, for Scotty's wedding, I will be there, God willing. For it. So, but yes, we do appreciate your patience with us. We will try to put out something once a month that is always our goal. That's a realistic goal for us. We appreciate you listening. We really, really do.

Yeah, this is like our this is our hanging out session. We haven't done it in a long time, so it's been needed. Because, yeah, we have both been going through hell and back right now, family life wise. So it's been a lot. So, I mean, thank you, everybody, for being patient. If you're still with us, awesome. If not understandable as well, because, yeah, it has been quite a long time. I think last time we released an episode was February. So I mean, I know I know we we all appreciate you guys.

And we won't give up on you, and I won't give up on public domain characters, meaning made into movies. So thank you as always to our good friends at The Horror Returns, Dummies of Horror, Slasher Radio, Exploded Hand Movies Podcast.

Eternal Darkness of the Not-So-Spotless Mind Podcast.

Because you knew I wasn't going to be able to say that one properly. Go check out Matt Wood's DJ, Freebase. It's great. Yeah, thanks to all our friends along the way that have continued to support us. And if you keep listening, that's great. I hope we bring some joy to your day. And we covered a lot of movies now, so now you got a lot of work to go back and do. So when we come back again, which will probably be sometime in May when I return from my trip to the UK, Rob.

Oh boy.

Just just in case you didn't know, Rob.

I see tariffs are already going up.

All right. You know, but not to England, not to England. And I do always watch. I'm very lucky. My good friend Mark Iverson is there. And him and I, he always challenges me to watch older horror films. And that's great because if it wasn't for him pushing it, I probably went to watch a lot of older films. And also it is his book launch for his book on Peter Cushing.

Right.

And my friend Lucy, she is going, she's a Wiccan, and we are going to be talking about her practice of the Wiccan faith.

Oh, nice.

And she is going to be sharing some of her art and her journey as a Wiccan. So it's very horror related, so I will definitely be talking about that. It's very sweet. They put me on the flyer and billed me as one of the hosts of The Friday Nightmares Podcast. Because we're a big deal, Scott.

Oh, we are.

I don't see Tim Davis and Daniel and Rob's name on any fucking flyer. Do we? No.

No. That's like we're a big deal.

We're a big deal. And I have to premiumly support Scott and I. I believe that this will be videoed, so I may send it to you. It's just a brief question and answer session, but I will send it to you, Scott. It'll probably be like 20, 30 minutes. Yeah, when it's released, Amber wants to see it too. So I do think that should be fun. I'm seeing a couple of plays. One is more of a crime thriller, which I'm kind of excited about. So who knows? And sometimes we get out to a movie.

Yeah.

And I don't know. I don't think it'll be out when I'm there, but it was filmed where I will be staying.

Oh, nice.

Parts of it was filmed in Newcastle. So I think that's kind of cool. But I'm unsure of that about that one. The previews have been weird.

Yeah, I'm curious about it more than anything.

Yeah, right. So we'll probably film something at the Arabic film. Record something at the end of May, so if you don't hear from us for a little bit. That's why. Anything else housekeeping-wise we might want to touch base on, Scotty?

Housekeeping-wise, nothing I can think of besides promoting the Patreon and all that stuff for Legion. Yeah, I'll say I think it's, yeah, I'm just going to be kind of buckling down, getting ready for stuff for the wedding, and it's getting closer and closer and closer, so.

I know, poor Erica. I need to make sure I call her, be like, blink twice if you're happy and you want to stay. She's like, blink, blink. I'm like, blink twice if you want to watch Bag Head again. She's next. She hangs up on me.

No, quicksand.

Quicksand. Oh, no, Bag Head she was not a fan of either. Yeah, a lot of a lot of those tropes, right? But yes, as always, please support the Legion Podcasts Network on Patreon. They do a lot for small little podcasts like us, and they always get back. And on theme this year, this phrase will be said. But you heard it first here on Friday Nightmares because the what is it?

Yeah, if you haven't joined the Patreon yet and you're not a member, what are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? https://Patreon.com/LegionPodcasts The remake is coming soon, so what are you waiting for? Join us.

I want to see you in the remake. It's just you. What are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for? That'd be awesome.

That would honestly be the best, not going to lie. That would be the absolute best. So to everybody, take care of yourselves and your loved ones. We are, for some of us, reaching the age where our parents require a little more care and it's a little more work. And we hope that you're all doing your best to take care of yourselves. And don't worry. Terrace aside, American Canada drama aside, Scotty and I are still strong in our alliance. Nothing will tear us apart.

Yes, we will never. Nothing will get in between us. We are brother and sister at this point. There is we and our family.

So this is definitely Scott's country's fault, just to be clear.

100 percent. I ain't good at that.

But until next time, we'll catch you guys then. But Scott, do you have anything to say to the good folks that have stuck with us?

Oh, yeah. For everybody that's stuck with us and is patiently waiting for these episodes, thank you so much. Glad that you guys stuck around. And until next time, Kitties, unpleasant dreams.

See ya. That's funny.