This is the bonus show Mike has wanted to record for a long time. This week, Jessica Scott comes on to talk about her love for 1999's dark comedy and cult classic Jawbreaker, a movie about some real mean girls that aren't above covering up a murder or two. After that Mike talks about the might Jawbreaker-the three piece punk/emo stalwarts from the East Bay. It's Mike's all time favorite band and while it might not be an in depth critical examination of their music, it certainly gets him right in...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 25 min
We bring you the second half of our dive into 2022's SCREAM. This week we look at how the legacy characters fare, why this is Dewey's movie, explore the nature of fandom, talk about what we want next, and ask what the hell a requel is anyways?
May 16, 2022•1 hr 35 min
This week we FINALLY get to sit down and talk about one of our favorite movies of the year, the fifth installment of the SCREAM series. It's a massive talk so we broke it into two pieces. This week Mike, Rachel and Stephen are joined by shoe designer and pop culture writer Andrew LaSane. Part one delves into the making of the movie, how the new crop of characters stack up and the elevated violence and gore in this entry.
May 09, 2022•1 hr 32 min
This week we wrap up our latest franchise with one of the most controversial movies we've ever covered. The Child's Play remake had longtime fans of the series up in arms as the movie and characters were ripped from series creator Don Mancini in an attempt by United Artists to cash in on the Child's Play IP. This seemed to doom the reboot from the start, as horror fans wanted little to do with s Chucky that didn't feature Mancini in a creative role, or Brad Douriff as Chucky's voice. Even castin...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 57 min
This week the crew talks about the last movie in Don Mancini's Child's Play franchise Cult of Chucky. We talk about Nica as the most tormented character in horror history, Mancini's original vision for putting Chucky on a train, how multiple Chuckys opened up whole new avenues for the series and how Seed feels like the middle chapter in a longer sage (now playing out on the series Chucky.) Read Rachel's interview with Cult of Chucky composer Joseph LoDuca here
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 48 min
Reboot? Requel? Sequel? We're not sure but we do know we're back to talk about the time they made Chucky scary again. Mike is joined by regular panelists Jessica Scott & Devaughn Taylor along with special guest Justin Gerber (Halloweenies, The Losers' Club) to break down the 2013 slasher film Curse of Chucky. This one feels like a soft remake of the original film, yet Don Mancini retains the history of the franchise and manages to weave 25 years worth of lore into this single location chille...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 53 min
This week Mike is joined by Brian Keiper as we talk the horror comedy delight Seed of Chucky.
Mar 16, 2022•1 hr 16 min
This week guest Matt Donato (Certified Forgotten, Bloody Disgusting) joins Mike, Stephen and Jessica to talk about the high point of the Child's Play series. The only thing better than one killer doll is two, especially when one is brought to life by the stunning Ms. Jennifer Tilly. This week we talk bad romance, queer horror and puppet sex and so much more.
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 38 min
In this special bonus episode, Mike had the chance to sit down with the filmmaking quartet the Adams family. This husband and wife directing duo of Nick and Tobey Adams have made seven feature films along with their daughter Zelda, who co-writes and co-directs with them, and their daughter Lulu Adams who appears in their latest film, Hellbender. Currently streaming on Shudder, Hellbender tells the story of a daughter isolated from the world by her mother, lest she unleash the powerful and potent...
Feb 28, 2022•42 min
We're back with a new episode that asks the important question: would you buy a doll if that doll was a named Larry? That's right we're talking about Child's Play 3. This Rachel Reeves (@vinylgrrrl) swings by to discuss this underappreciated slasher movie from the early 90s. It's the one with the new Andy and it's the one that's set at military school. It earns the rare distinction of being a slasher movie that only kills male characters. We discuss whether or not child play gets enough love or ...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Mike & Devaughn have a brief talk about what's been on their plate lately. We talk Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Kevin Can F Himself, Yellowjackets, what the best entry of the Big Four is, and more. Mike comes off like an old man yelling at clouds when he talks about music.
Feb 15, 2022•28 min
Sorry Jack. Chucky's back. This week we cover Child’s Play 2. This week we take a fond look back at the sequel to the hit 1988 slash movie and we ask why isn't this one as fondly remembered as other beloved sequels like Friday the 13th two or Halloween two? This 1990 slasher takes all the things we love about the original movie and builds on them including with a massive finale set in a toy factory that is full of gloopy special effects. We take a look at what it would be like to be a foster kid...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 42 min
Do you want to play? This week we kick off a brand new franchise with a look back at the 1988 slasher film Child's Play. Chucky might be small in stature, but this pint sized horror was no joke-at least not in this first installment which plays the horror straight. Mike is joined by Rachel Reeves, Jessica Scott and Devaughn Taylor to talk about what makes this such a classic 80s horror and why it still continues on today. One thing that helps, having the series and character spearheaded by one p...
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 30 min
This week we bring you part two of our revisit of SCREAM, the 1996 slasher movie that gave the horror genre a shot in the arm. Ahead of this week's fifth installment, Mike and guests Elbe (grumpire.com) and Brian Keiper (Bloody Disgusting, Movies For Life pod) talk about what distinguishes Sydney from other final girls, reckon with the legacy of Randy and fanboy culture, what made Billy and Stu tick as murderers, and talk about what we want out of the new movie.
Jan 10, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Ahead of the fifth installment, this week we go all the way back to the beginning and take another deep dive into the movie that gave the horror genre a serious shot in the arm in 1996. It's no secret that SCREAM is one of Mike's favorite movies and franchises, and he's never going to skip an opportunity to talk about it. Sometimes it's fun to go back and have a do-over. This week he's joined by Brian Keiper (Movies for Life podcast, Bloody Disgusting) and Elbee (Grumpire.com) to talk about this...
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 13 min
After the success of Gremlins, a sequel seemed inevitable. Yet despite the massive box office success and pop culture impact of the first movie, it seemed like no one aside from the accounting department at Warner Brothers wanted to make the new thing. It took a lot of coaching, a massive upgrade in pay and the promise to let him do anything he wanted as long as Gizmo and gremlins were involved to get Joe Dante behind the camera for another go-round. The result? Perhaps the best middle finger to...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 44 min
We're back this week to wrap up our discussion of Joe Dante's GREMLINS. As we get deeper into the movie we talk how it nails seasonal depression and just how hard the holidays can be for some people. We also talk some of the complicated racial stereotypes that are played for laughs in this movie, how Randall Peltzer embodies the mediocre white dude, and the unbridled chaotic energy of the bar and Snow White scenes. Brian Keiper of Movies for Life and Stephen Foxworthy of the Disenfranchised pod ...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 19 min
This movie is so massive we had to break our talk about it into two shows. Mike is joined by longtime friends of the pod Brian Keiper (Movies for Life podcast, Dread Central) and Stephen Foxworthy (Disenfranchised podcast) to talk about the 1984 horror comedy classic that thrilled and scarred children for life. We’re talking Gremlins. For the first part of our discussion, we talk about how this movie got made, where 1984 ranks in terms of best years ever for a movie and why the children’s movies...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 18 min
As we take a break in November to relax, retool and come back, we're releasing a bit of our patreon content so you still have new-to-you shows to listen to. In December, we'll be back with GREMLINS/GREMLINS 2 This week, we're releasing Mom & Dad from the vaults. This batshit crazy jam starring Nic Cage and Selma Blair finds parents actually doing what we've all wanted to do with our children at one point: murdering them stone cold dead. It's an absolute blast of a film, and one of Cage's top...
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 41 min
It's time for our third annual dad and daughter Halloween bonus show. This year Mike's daughter Ada joins him to break down the most appropriate movie of the season, the 2007 anthology and instant classic Trick 'r Treat. Along with talking about the major themes of the movie, how it taps into the holiday and what makes each segment so special, the duo have a lot more on tap. For instance, Ada gives a very detailed plan on how she'd choose her victims if she were a serial killer and which of her ...
Oct 31, 2021•1 hr 1 min
It's time kids. Gather around the television. It's officially Halloween week which means our horror movie viewing habits are kicking into overdrive. If you're like us, sometimes it's easy to suffer from choice paralysis when there are so many great things to choose from this season. Mike and Lindsay unveil a handful of their go-to picks as the 31st draws closer. PLUS: What do you do when there is so much content to pick from across so many streaming platforms? Sometimes the greatest nightmare of...
Oct 26, 2021•1 hr 10 min
This week Mike and Lindsay dive into the genre films currently making the festival circuit that are sure to be on your most anticipated horror and genre titles in the coming year. We talk about what makes the festival experience so great for horror fans and dive into over a dozen titles (without getting too spoilery) and what made them such fantastic watches. Titles covered include but aren't limited to: The Sadness, Agnes, Silent Night, Hellbender, When The Screaming Starts & more... Plus, ...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr
We're continuing our "let's try some new stuff" this Halloween season, this time with an overview of the games you should be firing up if you're in the mood of scaring the bejesus out of yourself this Halloween season. Lindsay and Mike talk about what makes a great horror-themed game and talk about some of our favorites like Friday the 13th, Until Dawn, Alien: Isolation, Dead By Dawn, Bioshock, Alan Wake, Man of Medan and more. So fire up the console, stretch out those digits, load up on Mountai...
Oct 13, 2021•48 min
We’ve gathered a list of some of our most anticipated and favorite horror comics to keep you cozy this Halloween season. It’s Halloween season, my spooky friends, and the best time to curl up with a pumpkin spiced latte, thick socks, and a good book. And the best kind of book for the occasion: a spooky graphic one. To get all your warm toes and spiced tongues in the spooky spirit, here’s a collection of my favorite new and anticipated upcoming spooky comics.
Oct 05, 2021•50 min
Beware the moon, listeners! This week, we're taking a break from the format and covering a one-off movie, and it just happens to be Mike's favorite horror movie of all time: John Landis' An American Werewolf in London. Lindsay needed to take the week off for TIFF, so Mike's brought on a pair of fantastic guests to fill her shoes, KiIll By Kill's Gena Radcliffe joins us to discuss how this movie turned her into a lifelong horror fan, and Daily Grindhouse's Jessica Scott is on board to talk about ...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 55 min
This week we're joined by Bloody Disgusting's Meag Navarro to talk about he latest entry to the Conjuring universe. We say goodbye to this series (for now at least) as Lindsay and Meg try to convince Mike how this one compares favorable to the first two. Mike has his doubts about that. Tackling the only documented case where "demonic possession" was used as a courtroom defense, this time around the Warren's are trying to hunt down the demonic forces possessing Arne Johnson, a young man that kill...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 34 min
Hey listeners. We hope you enjoy this mini episode that highlights what we're offering our patrons. Right now, we've set a goal of $150 a month. Once we hit that goal, we'll be adding reviews of the most current fare hitting theaters, VOD & streaming services. We're about two-thirds of the way to that goal as we hit publish, and could use your help getting over the hump. All of our patrons receive access to a full length bonus show every month. To that end, here's an extended excerpt from ou...
Aug 25, 2021•26 min
This week we welcome the the cohost of the long running horror podcast Kill By Kill, Patrick Hamilton to the show. We're in the home stretch of our Conjuring covering with a hell of a fun entry into the "teens trapped in a warped haunted house" subgenre of movie. This one tries to tie the spinoffs more directly to the main movies, and it does a pretty swell job of it. Does it feel like they're sometimes trying to throw too many potential spin off characters on screen at times? Sure. Does it most...
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr 35 min
This week, Stephen Foxworthy of the Disenfranchised podcast joins us once again. This week we dive into the second character and third movie to spin off the Conjuring, with 2018's The Nun. With its gothic horror trappings, including gorgeous castles shot on location in Romania, this feels like an attempt to do Hammer Horror, minus all that pesky sexual undercurrent stuff percolating underneath. We talk about what works, how The Nun fits into the Conjuring series as a whole, and why Catholicism i...
Aug 01, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Fucking dolls man. This week Mike and Lindsay tackle the midpoint of the Conjuring movies, Annabelle Creation. David Sanberg's follow-up to his own hit, Light's Out, gets to step out of the shadows a bit with this haunted house tale that mostly works by putting kids in incredible danger, but at time suffers from bloat and repetition. Hear what else we have to say.
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 18 min