The Pod and the Pendulum - podcast cover

The Pod and the Pendulum

The Pod and The Pendulum is a new horror movie podcast covering every movie in every franchise. From heavy hitters like Friday the 13th, to the direct-to-video titles like Subspecies, we’ve got you covered. We feature guests on every show in order to discuss their love of movies like The Blair Witch Project, Scream, Alien, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jaws, Halloween, The Conjuring, and many more. Support the show and become a patron today at www.patreon.com/podandthependulum and get access to exclusive bonus content. Tweet us at @podandpendulum Email us at podandthependulum@gmail.com Become a patron and receive bonus shows for as little as $2 a month at https://www.patreon.com/podandthependulum
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Episodes

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)

We proclaim this The Summer of George (Romero)! Your favorite horror podcast crew are barricading themselves in the basement in order to break down all six films in Romero's Living Dead series, as well as the 1990 NOTLD remake, and 2004 Dawn remake (which we're sure will be a very chill affair, with no one getting mad about it online). Mike, Brian, & Stephen are on hand to talk about what is widely considered the birth of both the modern horror movie, and the zombie subgenre itself. While we...

Jul 14, 20252 hr 46 min

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES

After almost fifteen years away, Final Destination is back with it's most successful entry to date: Bloodlines! Far be it from us to turn down those sweet, sweet clicks as we tiptoe through the minefields of death and try to keep that pesky Rube Goldberg machine from going off and decapitating us with a handful of Q-tips. If we're not careful will Death will come for this podcast, and wipe out all our previous episodes one by one? That's the risk we are willing to take for our listeners. Mike, D...

Jun 23, 20251 hr 50 min

WISHMASTER 4: THE PROPHECY FULFILLED

Mike, Ari and Devaughn find their last wish is granted with a shockingly solid entry to close out the Wishmaster franchise. With solid performances all around and frank discussions on sex and romance, the mental wear and tear of caretaking for a disabled loved one, and a Djinn that finally says, "Maybe I shouldn't be such a dick if I want to actually get my plan to come to fruition" all three of us enjoyed this one. No existential crisis this week dear listener. If you like what you’re listening...

Jun 16, 20251 hr 21 min

WISHMASTER 3: BEYOND THE GATES OF HELL

Note to the listeners: Due to some computer snafus onMike’s end, the first five minutes of this episode are lost. We join this one as it is already in progress. This week, Mike and Ariel are on hand to talk Wishmaster 3Beyond the Gates of Hell. While we were warned we might experience something on par with the lows of the worst Wrong Turn franchise, this one is, just sort of there. It’s not the worst thing we’ve ever watched, but it isn’t all thatmemorable either. What is memorable is the mid-ep...

Jun 09, 20251 hr 30 min

WISHMASTER 2: EVIL NEVER DIES

This week Mike and Devaughn are joined by guest Matt Konopka ( Killer Horror Critic ) for a boys night on the town. Along with our fun-loving, wish-granting Djinn, we're hitting our two favorite hotspots the casino, and jail! Join us for a spirited discussion on how this straight to video sequel might be responsible for the downfall of American democracy, why the Djinn should just follow every good grandma's plan of "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar," and how Mike discovered that got...

Jun 03, 20251 hr 21 min

WISHMASTER

This week we're making dreams come true with 1997's throwback creature feature WISHMASTER. Featuring a who's who of horror both in front and behind the camera, the birth of the Djinn makes for a fun romp in the vein of not only 80s splatter horror, but also the classic Universal Monsters of yore. With FX from KNB and appearances from Robert Englund, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Reggie Bannister, Ted Raimi, the voice of Angus Scrimm along with an executive production credit by Wes Craven, this is a Dr...

May 27, 20251 hr 32 min

An Interview with Payton McCarty Simas, Author THAT VERY WITCH

In this bonus episode, Ariel interviews author Payton McCarty-Simas about their upcoming book, That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film. The two of them discuss how witch films follow the cycles of feminism and other political movements in the US, why history matters in horror, and why Heather in The Blair Witch Project did nothing wrong. Preorder "That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film" here .Follow Payton on Instagram @paytplace .Add The Devonsville Te...

May 21, 202525 min

WRONG TURN FRANCHISE RANKINGS

Let's do what all shows love to do: rank things! Mike, Ari, and Devaughn have counted the votes and we're here to put the Wrong Turn series in proper order.

May 12, 20251 hr 17 min

WRONG TURN (2021)

Mike and Devaughn are joined by returning guest Kat Hughes to talk about the way better than it has any right to be reimagining of Wrong Turn. Mike would also recommend you check out Mathew Modine's other masterpiece, Vision Quest, the only movie about high school wrestling you need to see.

May 07, 20251 hr 32 min

WRONG TURN 6: LAST RESORT

Mike and Ari are happy to report that Wrong Turn 6 is one of the most unabashedly horniest movies we've ever covered on the show. Eschewing the traditional hot couples hooking up, this one has more of flair for kink, sadomasochism, and voyeurism. At least, it certainly does compared to most slasher movies, let alone the sixth entry in a long running, straight to video franchise. Is it a great movie? No, but it's a hell of a fun watch marked with some truly cheeky humor, a number of spectacular k...

Apr 28, 20251 hr 14 minSeason 6Ep. 17

WRONG TURN 5: BLOODLINES

A movie so bad it made Mike question whether he actually liked horror movies. Luckily he's joined by Ariel, Devaughn, and special guest Kinell to talk this one through.

Apr 21, 20251 hr 30 min

WRONG TURN 4 BLOODY BEGINNINGS

This week we go back to the beginning with Wrong Turn 4:Bloody Beginnings, Returning guest and queen of the B-movie and culinary horrorSarah Stubbs ((Final Girls Feast) is on Mike’s side championing the merits ofthis blizzard-set, asylum located slasher. Meanwhile Devaughn has recruited firsttime guest Sean Abley (creator and co-editor of Queer Horror: A Film Guide) to talk about why returning director Declan O’Brienjust doesn’t have the juice to make this anything more than standard direct to-v...

Apr 14, 20251 hr 56 minEp. 15

WRONG TURN 3: LEFT FOR DEAD

This week Mike and Ariel reach the nadir of the Wrong Turn franchise, with the third entry, Left For Dead. It's the film that dares to as who one would root for in this situation: a murderous Cartel warlord, a white supremacist, or the cops? Filled with poorly rendered CGI, dodgy acting from a cast that looks like generic versions of much better performers and an overstuffed plot, this one is a tough hang. However, we made the best of it, and talked about the important issues like Stone Cold Ste...

Apr 07, 20251 hr 7 minSeason 6Ep. 13

WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END

Mike and Devaughn are on hand to talk a straight to video follow-up that just might improve on the original. Director Joe Lynch shot right out of the gate with a nasty, gory, funny splatter film that has the feel of an over-the-top 80s sequel while still being grounded in its own moment in time. Henry Rollins leads a rag-tag crew of wanna be stars into the woods for a survivalist reality TV series, only for the cast and crew to be hunted down by Three Fingers and more of his hillbilly mutant fam...

Mar 31, 20251 hr 22 minSeason 6Ep. 13

WRONG TURN (2003)

This week, Mike, Ariel and Nichole have loaded up the jeep with our camping gear, a cooler full of beer, some beef jerky and a way out of date paper map as we’re about to break down WRONG TURN as we kick off our latest franchise. This nasty hillbilly horror bridges the gap between the second wave of slashers and the more extreme “torture porn” that SAW would usher in only a year later. Featuring one of the most attractive casts of the period, anchored by Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, D...

Mar 24, 20252 hrSeason 6Ep. 12

THE BEST EXORCISM MOVIES THAT AREN'T THE EXORCIST

This week Mike, Rachel, Nichole and Devaughn are all on hand to talk about the best movies that features exorcisms (of a sort) that aren't The Exorcist. It's a wide ranging list and as we're prone to do, we get fast and loose with some definitions. This is what Mike loves to call the "notepad" style of episode, because we think listeners will want to jot down a handful of titles they maybe haven't seen or even heard of yet. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you...

Mar 17, 20251 hr 36 minSeason 6Ep. 10

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER

Mike Stephen, and Ariel are back to wrap up another franchise with 2023's Exorcist: Believer. This one isn't divisive as audiences and critics alike hated this one seemingly from the moment David Gordon Green announced it would be his next project after Halloween Ends. What was planed to be a legacy sequel that would launch a trilogy wound up scrapped after the first film failed to recoup anything close to the $400 million (ouch) Universal shelled out for the rights alone. Between lazy callbacks...

Mar 10, 20252 hr 6 minSeason 6Ep. 9

DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST

We’re back to talk about ANOTHER prequel to The Exorcist (afilm so nice they had to tell the origin twice), but fortunately, this week Mike and Stephen are here to talk about the good one. Yes indeed, this week we’re here to talk about the most expensive DVD feature of all time, the completedvision of Paul Schrader’s Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. It’s the Gallant to Harlin’s Goofy, and as one might expect from a Schrader jam, it’s a contemplative rumination on man’s fallibility and culpabil...

Mar 03, 20251 hr 20 minSeason 6Ep. 9

EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING

This week we’re talking about Renny Harlin’s The Exorcist: The Beginning because we’re contractually obligated to due to the format of the show. Mike and Stephen are here to talk about hot moms, the 1995 coming of age movie Angus, (featuring not one but TWO Oscar winners), the Angus soundtrack, what makes up the weakest entry in the Back to the Future series, whether or not Paul Schrader directed Clifford the Big Red Dog, the latest addition to our soundboard and so much more. All right, we talk...

Feb 24, 20251 hr 46 minSeason 6Ep. 7

THE EXORCIST III

After what Mike called the low point of the show in terms ofmovie we’ve covered, this week we’ve rebounded with a minor classic, WilliamPeter Blatty’s The Exorcist 3. Or is it Legion? Or is it The Exorcist 3:Legion? Or is it The Exorcist 1990? As you can see already, this one had a long, winding, andoften confusing path to the screen. From creative differences that led toBlatty ultimately taking the helm, to forced reshoots, and a wedged in exorcismin the third act, to recasting three of the pri...

Feb 18, 20252 hr 16 minSeason 6Ep. 6

EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC

This week we’re talking about a movie so awful it made Mike question the whole format of the show. Do we really want to cover every franchise if it means films like The Exorcist II: The Heretic are forced on our eyeballs? Widely regarded as one of the worst films of all time, it had the unenviable task of following up one of the most successful horror films in history. Directed by a filmmaker that had nothing but loathing for the first film, and viewed by Warner Brothers as a way to cash in quic...

Feb 10, 20251 hr 54 min

THE EXORCIST (Part 2)

After last week's episode on the background of the movie, Brian and Mike are back to dive into The Exorcist proper. We discuss where it fits in the canon of the great 70s, auteur driven works, how Friedken's insistence on reality lifted this above genre conventions and gave birth to the modern horror movie, and how making the Church the heroes in this narrative hasn't aged so well for modern times.

Feb 03, 20252 hr 11 minSeason 6Ep. 5

THE EXORCIST (Part One)

What a wonderful day to talk about The Exorcist. This week Mike, Brian, and Stephen start our discussion on one of the foundational films in modern horror, 1973’s The Exorcist. For the first half of our two parts on this title, your hosts share their initial reactions to this masterwork, as well as how our thoughts on the film have evolved as we’ve grown older. From there we take a deep dive into the history of the film, including a look at its architects, director William Friedken and writer Wi...

Jan 27, 20253 hr 30 minSeason 6Ep. 3

LONGLEGS (Unlocked Patreon Episode)

This week we're unlocking our patron vaults and giving everyone a taste of what you get when you become a subscriber. Mike, Brian, and Stephen joined forces to break down the Oz Perkins smash hit, and one of the most commercially and critically successful genre offerings of 2024. With Nic Cage as the titular serial killer, audiences could expect a wild ride, but what really surprised our crew was just how much of a homage this was to the psychological thrillers of the early 90s, and how at its c...

Jan 13, 20252 hr 32 minSeason 6Ep. 2

THE BEST HORROR MOVIES OF 2024

Before we go out with the old and in with the new, your fearless crew is taking one last look back at 2024. Mike, Devaughn, Steven, Brian, and Ariel are all on hand to unveil their top ten genre films of the past year. While there was near unanimous consensus on our number one movie of the year, each of lists represent just how wide a net horror covers. From horror comedies, to noirish thrillers, slashers, the supernatural, serial killers, body horror, teen angst, coming out horror and classic m...

Jan 06, 20252 hr 43 minSeason 6Ep. 1

GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

This week we talk Frozen Empire, the 2024 semi-return to form for the series, along with the landmark Supreme Court case, Grooberson vs. The State of New York, which determined whether the proton packs fall under the protection of the second amendment.

Dec 31, 20241 hr 38 min

HOME ALONE

This week we deliver our annual Christmas episode in your holiday stocking. This year we’re covering the heartwarming story of a young boy and his family as they learn the lesson of love, togetherness and what the holidays are really all about When poor young Kevin is left “home alone.” Along the way Kevin (a brilliant, young Mccauley Caulkin) gets into zany hijinks and has to overcome his fear of the basement, old man Marley, and the dreaded Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern) Another wa...

Dec 25, 20242 hr 4 min

GHOSTBUSTERS AFTERLIFE

For the folks that asked, "What if Ghostbusters, but with none of the jokes?" we present "Afterlife." In 2021 Jason Reitman heled a sequel to his dad's two entries from the 80s, ignoring the existence of the 2016 movie altogether. The result is a good looking, well acted, well directed, two hour slog of a film filled with Easter Eggs and nostalgia bait meant to pull at the heart strings of every guy that said the previous film "killed their childhood." Mike, Brian, and Ariel are here to talk abo...

Dec 16, 20241 hr 46 minSeason 1Ep. 268

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)

This week Mike and Brian look back at the 201 reboot of Ghostbusters. Featuring a cast of four of the most gifted female comedians, the movie seemed doomed from the start as fandom reared its ugly head. We look back at the online backlash, the trolls, and the litany of abusive, racist and sexist comments the cast had to endure. We ask what kind of moron thinks a movie can "ruin their childhood." We do our best to evaluate the movie on its own merits, both its strengths and flaws.

Dec 09, 20242 hr 9 min
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