The Hitcher wasn't particularly well-received when it was released in 1986, but it has developed a dedicated following in the intervening years. And a big part of that is unquestionably due to Rutger Hauer's standout performance as the title character. It's as menacing, beguiling, and unusual as the film itself. So join us as we hitch a ride with this cult classic and open up a case file on the mysterious John Ryder. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotif...
Mar 20, 2024•1 hr 37 min
Be our guest as we dive into the enchanting world of Beauty and the Beast . In this episode, we explore the origins of the original fairy tale, Disney's prior attempts to bring it to the big screen, why the character of Gaston was instrumental in finally making this all work, how the film helped set the stage for the era known as the "Disney Renaissance", its direct-to-video follow-ups, the live-action remake from 2017, and much more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Go...
Mar 06, 2024•2 hr 13 min
The legacy of The Crow is inextricably intertwined with tragedy. A devastating loss inspired the creation of the original comic book and then another would cast a shadow over its feature film adaptation. But this blistering tale of love, revenge, and catharsis struck a chord with a legion of fans... and for one of your hosts, this was a story that found them at exactly the right time. In this episode, we're doing a deep dive into all of it: the comic, the film, the accident, the aftermath, and s...
Feb 21, 2024•2 hr 57 min
Fargo , eh? You're darn tootin'! After the disappointing reception to their previous film, the Coen brothers decided to retreat into something much smaller in scope. And although they expected Fargo to have somewhat limited appeal, it would go on to become one of their biggest hits. Topics include: the nebulous nature of the movie's claim that this is based on a true story, the lengths William H. Macy went to in order to secure his role, how Roger Deakins' cinematography reinforces the major the...
Feb 07, 2024•1 hr 32 min
This is no dream. This is really happening! Join us as we move into the Bramford building and get to know the new neighbors. In this episode, we're investigating the history and impact of Rosemary's Baby . Topics include: the state of the horror genre when this movie was released, why there was initially some resistance to the idea of hiring Roman Polanski to direct this, their atypical choices for the two lead roles and the more conventional names that were considered, how the decision to make ...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 52 min
It's a brand new season of Rogues Gallery and we're kicking things off with what's become our most requested title... The Silence of the Lambs ! Topics include: Hannibal Lecter's first on-screen appearance in the film Manhunter , why director Jonathan Demme was an unlikely choice to helm this, alternate casting choices for the lead roles, how hard Jodie Foster campaigned for Clarice and the reason this project meant so much to her, Anthony Hopkins' transformative (and star-making) performance, w...
Jan 10, 2024•2 hr 25 min
Welcome foolish mortals... to the season finale of Rogues Gallery! To celebrate Halloween, we're investigating the history, development, and lasting legacy of the world's most famous haunted house attraction: Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Topics include: earlier iterations of the ride's plot, why the opening was delayed for so long, key differences between the Disneyland and Disney World versions, the surprisingly low-tech approach to many of the incredible effects, how the ride has evolved over...
Oct 18, 2023•2 hr 7 min
This one's probably not taking the top spot in anyone's ranking of the Halloween movies, but The Revenge of Michael Myers has a pretty interesting behind-the-scenes story brimming with fascinating what-ifs, missed opportunities, and cautionary tales. Topics include: how earlier drafts tackled Part 4's cliffhanger ending, Rachel's early exit and her controversial replacement, mixed feelings about the inclusion of more overtly supernatural elements, the underdeveloped subplot about Jamie and Micha...
Oct 04, 2023•2 hr 6 min
The leaves are changing color and the air is feeling a little crisper. Fall is here and you know what that means... It's time for Fall Verhoeven! It's our annual retrospective of the films of Paul Verhoeven and this year we're enlisting for a tour of duty with the brave citizens of Starship Troopers. Although it's loosely based on Robert Heinlein's seminal (and controversial) novel, the movie is less an adaptation and more of a satirical takedown of its source text. A fact that went over the hea...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 46 min
We're canceling the apocalypse and opening up a case file on Guillermo del Toro's kaiju vs. mech slugfest Pacific Rim . Topics include: how the film reignited del Toro's passion for filmmaking after a handful of other projects fell apart, the deliberate decision to avoid any gratuitous references to its key influences, whether or not the incredibly detailed lore is offset by occasionally thin characterization, the underwhelming sequel, some surprisingly strong comic book and animated tie-ins, a ...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 56 min
In honor of its 30th anniversary, we're opening up a case file on The Fugitive ! Although the film wound up being a critical and commercial hit, it first had to survive a surprisingly arduous development process and an even more chaotic production. It's actually kind of a miracle that it turned out this good. So join us as we investigate The Fugitive 's long journey from development hell to bona fide classic. Topics include: the 1960s TV series and the real-life case that inspired it, how drasti...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 59 min
Park Chan-wook's action/thriller Oldboy was a watershed moment for South Korean cinema. Here in the West, the film's success led to a slew of "extreme" movies that emphasized over-the-top gore and violence. And while Oldboy certainly doesn't skimp on bloodshed, its most disturbing aspects emanate from the taboo subject matter and dark themes it's exploring. Topics include: the original manga that the film is loosely based on, how Park Chan-wook's attitude towards the depiction of sex and violenc...
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 35 min
It's time to re-open our case film on the Springwood Slasher and investigate the chaotic production of A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child . We're entering a particularly rough patch of this franchise and by all accounts, everyone involved with this entry realized pretty quickly that the deck had been stacked against them. Topics include: the producers settling on a title and a poster before there was a script, their desire to return the series to its darker roots, how successfully this...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 40 min
The plot of World War Z is pretty straightforward, but the film's journey to the big screen was anything but. In this episode, we investigate why the filmmakers deviated so substantially from the novel and how this became one of the most troubled productions in recent memory. Topics include: why they rejected an initial script that was much closer to the source material, how almost everyone involved was in over their head, the disastrous first cut, the extensive reshoots, bizarre remnants of tha...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 57 min
There have been several adaptations of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley novels, but 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley remains the definitive cinematic interpretation of the cunning con artist. And that's despite the fact that it makes some pretty substantial changes to the source text and the title character. In this episode, we compare and contrast the book and the film, discuss Highsmith's complicated reputation and how her own personal demons infused her work, discover just how many new elements writ...
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr 43 min
For many fans of the Predator franchise, Prey was simultaneously a welcome return to form and a refreshing expansion of the mythology. In this episode, we track the film's top-secret development, detail its grueling production, and speculate where the series might go from here. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler Chris's Substack N...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr 27 min
The Mist is a largely faithful adaptation of Stephen King's original novella with one major exception. It's a decision that viewers have been debating since the film was released in the fall of 2007. In this episode, we compare and contrast both versions of the story, the film's long road to the big screen, how its box office success was hobbled by its marketing and release date, where it ranks in the pantheon of King adaptations, and much more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | St...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 54 min
When Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in 1984, many audiences and critics felt it was too dark and too weird in comparison to its predecessor. But for a whole other subset of the fandom, those elements were precisely what made this one so special. In this episode, we investigate the behind the scenes circumstances that led to an Indy sequel that zigged instead of zagged and see how the most divisive entry in the franchise holds up nearly forty years later. Facebook | Twitter | I...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 51 min
Gird your loins! The Devil Wears Prada gave Meryl Streep an opportunity to sink her teeth into a deliciously villainous character, but you might be surprised to discover how different the film is from the bestselling novel it's based on. In this episode, we investigate the real-life inspiration for the character of Miranda, how that bolstered and hindered the development of the movie, a major subplot from the book the filmmakers decided to excise, why so many fans dislike Andy's boyfriend, how t...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 47 min
When it was announced that Heath Ledger would be playing the Joker, a firestorm of controversy erupted. But when The Dark Knight hit theaters in the summer of 2008, naysayers found themselves with a whole heaping plate of crow to eat. This isn't just the best villain in a Batman movie, it's one of the great movie villains PERIOD. In this episode, we're investigating the way Christopher Nolan and his team radically reinterpreted this iconic character and forever changed the perception of what com...
Apr 19, 2023•2 hr 25 min
Although it's one of the most beloved movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz was also nightmare fuel for a lot of us when we were kids. But while The Wicked Witch and her flying monkeys terrorized Dorothy and her friends on screen, it turns out the real nightmares were taking place behind the scenes. Join us as we investigate the troubled production of one of Hollywood's most iconic films, the tragic life of its leading lady, and the enduring legacy of a magical land that exists somewhere over the...
Apr 05, 2023•2 hr 3 min
Try as they will and try as they might, whoever steals his gold won't live through the night! Join us for a (slightly belated) St. Patrick's Day celebration as we revisit the 1993 horror/comedy Leprechaun . We discuss the reasons behind the bizarre tonal shifts in the film, the vaguely defined powers of the title character, how Jennifer Aniston really feels about her big-screen debut, the savage reviews, its box office success, the wild ride the sequels take viewers on, and much more! Facebook |...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 38 min
We're back! And on this episode, we're putting together a case file on the ghost with the most - Beetlejuice... Beetlejuice... Beetlejuice! Our investigation digs into the original (and much darker) version of this script, the pivotal point Tim Burton's career was at, the unusual first choice for the title role, our favorite sequences, other media Beetlejuice has appeared in, whether or not the proposed sequel could still work, and much more! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitc...
Mar 08, 2023•2 hr 4 min
This week we've got a Thanksgiving Turkey Triple Play! Each of us has chosen a movie that was critically maligned upon its original release and we're going to debate whether or not they've earned a reappraisal. On the chopping block we've got Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Volcano, and Alien 3! The RG gang is going to be taking a brief break for the holidays, but follow us on social media using the links below to stay up to date with the show and our other endeavors. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram A...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 40 min
We're going all the way back to 1933 to investigate one of the most influential films of all-time: the original King Kong . The technical innovations employed here catapulted the entire industry forward by leaps and bounds, but Kong also set the template for the structure and pacing of modern action/adventure films. We explore the cinematic landscape it was released in, some interesting alternate versions of the script, the special effects wizardry that brought Kong to life, their revolutionary ...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 35 min
As part of our ongoing retrospective of the Halloween franchise, we're heading back to Haddonfield for 1988's Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers . After the lackluster box office performance of the Myers-less Halloween III , the mandate for this installment was simple: back to basics. Too basic? Maybe. But at the time, Return 's adherence to a tried-and-true formula was what fans were looking for and the film's success helped get the series back on track... temporarily, at least. Topics in...
Oct 24, 2022•2 hr 18 min
It's Fall Verhoeven on Rogues Gallery! This is the magical time of year where we revisit the films of Paul Verhoeven. And WOW is this one a doozy. Showgirls was a critical and commercial failure when it was released in the fall of 1995, but the film found new life as a midnight movie and went on to become a cult favorite. So what's going on here? Is this so bad it's good? A misunderstood masterpiece? Or is it just as terrible as everyone seemed to think at the time? Let's find out. Topics includ...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr 58 min
Domestic thrillers were all the rage after the success of Fatal Attraction in 1987, but it was the early 90s that marked the zenith of the subgenre's popularity. Which made 1992's The Hand That Rocks The Cradle a perfect choice for revisiting this particular trend and unpacking all of its conventions. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Play | Spotify Chris's Instagram & Twitter | Kristen's Instagram Chris & Kristen's Web Series: The Strange Case of Lucy Cha...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 29 min
The title alone made Snakes on a Plane an internet sensation, but by the time it finally hit theaters the whole thing had become more meme than movie. And by that point, the joke was pretty played out. So instead of the blockbuster the studio had been anticipating, Snakes became a cautionary tale about online hype not always translating to actual ticket sales. On this episode, we're investigating the origins of this absurd premise, how the internet took hold of it, the last minute attempt to tra...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 51 min
After an unbelievable two-year hot streak where every Jim Carrey movie was doing bang-up business at the box office, The Cable Guy became a sobering reminder that nothing lasts forever. The film was not a bomb by any means, but when compared to the performance of his previous hits, it was unquestionably a major disappointment. And there's no shortage of theories as to why - it was too dark, the marketing campaign was misleading, there was cynicism about Carrey's $20 million payday, etc. So the f...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 41 min
