CW: Orientalism, Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexual Assault It's Bruce Campbell Week on Pod Sematary! We're following up our award-winning* episode on the original Evil Dead (1981) with its first sequel along with a fan-bait vanity project directed Bruce himself! The Classic Film: Evil Dead 2 (1987) "The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack" (IMDb.com). Acting as a do-over of sorts for Raimi an...
Apr 09, 2019•2 hr 47 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Suicide, Bullying, Date Rape, Homophobia It's April Fool's Day on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey discuss an 80s slasher that's greater than the sum of its parts and a remake of an 80s classic that never should have been made! The Classic Film: Slaughter High (1986) "Eight people are invited to their old high school for their ten-year reunion where a fellow former student, disfigured from a prank gone wrong, is out to seek revenge" (IMDb.com). It's a worn-out plot. It's made by people with litt...
Apr 01, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Antisemitism, Racism, Mass Shooting The aliens have invaded Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey discuss two films with radically different perspectives during an alien invasion! The Classic Film: They Live (1988) "A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth" (IMDb). Can a fight scene go on TOO long? Can a man be TOO rowdy? Can a Keith be TOO David? The answer to all of these questions is "Hell no." The Modern Film: Signs (2002...
Mar 26, 2019•2 hr 29 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Suicide, Filicide, Ableism, Depression, Pregnancy Complications It's another Haunting Week on Pod Sematary! This time, Chris & Kelsey discuss two movies that may have stolen each other's twist structure! The Classic Film: The Changeling (1980) "A man staying at a secluded historical mansion finds himself being haunted by the presence of a spectre." The Changeling is responsible for many long-tested horror tropes, but is it even that scary itself? The Modern Films: Ghost Storeis (2017) "Skept...
Mar 19, 2019•2 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Suicide, Mass Shooting/Killing, Transphobia, Interphobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Abortion It's St. Patrick's Day on Pod Sematary! That means Chris & Kelsey are going to once again find some flimsy connection to the Irish holiday! The Classic Film: God Told Me To (1976) "A New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random New Yorkers who claim that 'God told them to.'" This classic, exploitation-style, 70s horror flick certainly goes some places, but will it really give you ...
Mar 12, 2019•2 hr 50 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Prank Call Killers Week on Pod Sematary, I guess? Chris and Kelsey tackle two films with killers who antagonize their victims over the phone! The Classic Film: Scream 2 (1997) Two years after the first series of murders, as Sydney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings. The Modern Film: Don't Hang Up (2016) An evening of some drunken prank calls becomes a nightmare for a pair of teenagers when a mysterious stranger turns their own g...
Mar 05, 2019•2 hr 35 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Suicide It's another Double Feature on Pod Sematary! This week, Chris & Kelsey discuss that all-time satanic classic, The Omen! The Classic Film: The Omen (1976) Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son? Spoilers: Yes! The Modern Film: The Omen (2006) An American official realizes that his young son may literally be the Devil incarnate. Like this description, it retells the original story with only a...
Feb 26, 2019•2 hr•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Severe Domestic Abuse & Homicide, Flashing Lights/Photosensitive Seizures It's a Double Feature! This week on Pod Sematary, Chris & Kelsey watch one of Kelsey's favorite horror movies ever! And... its shiny, soulless remake! The Classic Film: Poltergeist (1982) All IMDB has to say about the plot of this Spielberg/Hooper horror is: "A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts." Somehow, hidden in this straightforward plot is an honest portrayal of a family in turmoil. The Modern Fi...
Feb 19, 2019•2 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Suicide, Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder, Drug Addictions Happy Valentine's Day from Pod Sematary! This week, Chris and Kelsey discuss films about homicidal stalkers! The Classic Film: Play Misty for Me (1971) A brief fling between a male disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening, and perhaps even deadly turn when another woman enters the picture. This calls for the "Eastwood Solution." The Modern Film: Swimfan (2002) A high school senior with a promising swimmin...
Feb 11, 2019•2 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Rape, severe mental and physical abuse of a child It's Dream Week on Pod Sematary as Chris & Kelsey discuss two films about entering the dream world to save a life! Thank god we invented the... you know... whatever... device! The Classic Film: Dreamscape (1984) A young psychic on the run from himself is recruited by a government agency experimenting with the use of the dream-sharing technology. It's remarkable for a movie to "steal" so much from films that came out the very same year. Oh, an...
Feb 04, 2019•2 hr 54 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Small Town Horror Week on Pod Sematary when Chris and Kelsey discuss two movies that might be more comedy than horror! The Classic Film: The 'Burbs (1989) An overstressed suburbanite and his fellow neighbors are convinced that the new family on the block are part of a murderous Satanic cult. What is it about this critical and commercial flop from Joe Dante that made it charm on home video and TV? Probably Tom Hanks... and the rest of the killer cast. The Modern Film: Slither (2006) A small ...
Jan 29, 2019•2 hr 38 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Rape, Suicide, Pedophilia It's another Werewolf Week on Pod Sematary! Recommended by listener TheChikapedia, these two movies have some to say about the nature of both humans in general and women in particular, respectively. The Classic Film: The Howling (1981) After a bizarre and near-deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem. When man's animal instincts struggle against their better nature, ca...
Jan 22, 2019•2 hr 43 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Suicide It's another Haunted House episode of Pod Sematary! This week, Chris & Kelsey discuss two films whose endings don't earn them any favors! The Classic Film: The Legend of Hell House (1973) This one is incredibly well filmed with tons of dramatic angles and beautiful shots. It handles the concept of hauntings so well that the very end makes you go, "Wait, what?" The Modern Film: Winchester (2018) At first, we thought the hate for this film was over-blown. It didn't seem THAT bad. But a...
Jan 14, 2019•2 hr 59 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Abortion, Pedophilia, Rape Happy New Year from Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey wrap up their two-week New Year celebration with two horror movies that have something surprising in common: talented direction without the resources to execute! Our classic film is 1981's Ghostkeeper, a little-watched atmospheric horror from Canada about the legend of the Wendigo! When three friends visiting the Canadian Rockies for the new year get lost on their snowmobiles, they're forced to find shelter in a ru...
Jan 07, 2019•2 hr 49 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Suicide, Mental Illness Happy New Year's, Pod Sematary Fossors! Chris & Kelsey are celebrating two weeks of New Year's horror "fun"! First up is a New Year's classic we've seen before an totally forgot about, if that tells you anything: 1980's New Year's Evil! Famous New Wave DJ Blaze is hosting a rocking celebration on the last night of the year! Meanwhile a killer calling himself "Evil" is on the prowl mudering women every time it strikes midnight across the various timezones of the contig...
Dec 31, 2018•2 hr 58 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Suicide, Misgendering The holiday season continues on Pod Sematary, as Chris and Kelsey tackle one of the biggest Christmas horror movies of all time and another that has the potential to become a classic! First up is the legendary Gremlins from 1984! This franchise scared Kelsey for years as a child, but she's grown to love it since. Is it the mix of true terror and nonsensical silliness that has given this horror movie the staying power of other Christmas staples? Then it's on to 2015's Kr...
Dec 25, 2018•2 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Sexual assault, attempted rape, child abuse The Christmas Season begins this week on Pod Sematary when Chris & Kelsey talk about homicidal Santas! First up is the controversial 1984 classic: Silent Night, Deadly Night! When a young boy witnesses his parents murdered by a maniac in a Santa costume, Billy is scarred for life. But will playing Santa at the toy store where he works finally push him over the edge? Yes. Yes, it will. Punish! Then it's on to 2005's Santa's Slay! Professional wrestl...
Dec 17, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Child Molestation and Murder This week on Pod Sematary, it's haunted houses and even haunteder women! Chris and Kelsey tackle two kids horror movies that maybe aren't for kids? First up is 1988's Lady in White! In this family comedy, Lukas Haas plays a young boy who also dies at the hands of a serial child murderer! When the ghost of one the victims begs Lukas to help her mom, will Lukas be able to convince the adults to do something or will he have to go it alone? Lady in White is tonal whi...
Dec 10, 2018•2 hr 43 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Sexual Assault This week on Pod Sematary, Kelsey & Chris are watching two movies all about haunted houses that feed off their living inhabitants! First up is Burnt Offerings from 1976! A small family rents a run-down mansion as a summer home that seems too good to be true. As the mother falls more and more in love with the property, the father and son find more reasons to be worried. This film was critically derided in is day and Chris & Kelsey can't for the life of them figure out why! Then...
Dec 04, 2018•2 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: miscarriage, death of a child, threats of suicide, suicide Oh, my god! It's a week of demonic family curses on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey cover two movies all about satanic cults afflicting generations of troubled families! First up is 1975's The Devil's Rain! Ernest Borgnine plays a satanic cult leader determined to get a book of names from William Shatner and Tom Skerritt's family. What is the Devil's Rain and how does it factor into everything? Who knows!? But the melting effects are aw...
Nov 26, 2018•2 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Thanksgiving on Pod Sematary this week! Chris and Kelsey watch two completely different slashers (if you can call them that) all centered around the most gratitude-filled of holidays here in the States. First up is 1981's Home Sweet Home, a delightful and dreadful little romp that has more in common with Alien(s) than you might expect! Marvel as a homicidal lunatic all hopped up on goofballs leaps at his victims from just off-screen! An extended "family" gathers in a wooded homestead to cel...
Nov 19, 2018•2 hr 42 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Pod Sematary, Chris and Kelsey talk about slow-moving killers that stalk people for having sex! First up is the sequel to the classic rip-off of Halloween, 1981's Friday the 13th Part 2! Jason makes his first appearance as the villain of the series and still does have his mask, but boy does he have mommy issues. Will he be able to resist getting revenge when an entire camp counselor training facility opens up on the lake on Friday the 13th? No. Of course he won't. Then it's on to 20...
Nov 11, 2018•2 hr 49 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Nihilism Week on Pod Sematary! In this Double Feature, Chris & Kelsey watch what amounts to the same movie twice -- a movie many people would rather not watch once! First up is 1997's Funny Games, from Austrian auteur, Michael Haneke! Then in 2007, Haneke made the picture he always wanted: the same movie again, only in America this time! They're slogs of miserable movies that, according to the man himself, are utterly pointless. Find out why these two movies are remarkable in their construc...
Nov 05, 2018•2 hr 36 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's that time of year again: Halloween Week on Pod Sematary! Each year on Halloween, Chris and Kelsey plan to bring you the next installment in this classic franchise! This year, it's a Double Feature of the 1981 follow-up to the original and the second Rob Zombie installment that definitely isn't a remake. First it's the classic Halloween II from 1981! Laurie has been moved to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital after the events of the first movie and Michael Meyers is still on the lamb. Thrill ...
Oct 29, 2018•2 hr 39 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Rape It's round two on Dark Castle Double Features this week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey go back to the same William Castle well as The House on Haunted Hill with Thirteen Ghosts! And stick around at the end of the episode for our thoughts on 2018's Halloween! First up is the 1960 original, 13 Ghosts! Ghosts come to life with the ectoplasmic color of Illusion-O (ectoplasm only comes in red or blue)! Imagine 1959's House on Haunted Hill but without the intrigue and without Vincent Price...
Oct 22, 2018•2 hr 26 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Horror Tropes Week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey get meta talking about some of the best examples of self-aware horror films that exist! (To be sure, there are more...) First up is one we've been talking about since our first episode: 1996's Scream! Wes Craven got a bit meta with 1994's New Nightmare, but that movie only covered the one franchise: Freddy. Then along came Kevin Williamson and the two really got rolling with a film the transformed the whole genre for Generation X (for goo...
Oct 15, 2018•2 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Creepy Pasta Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey review two films focused on modern folklore! First up is Clive Barker's Candyman from 1992, a movie both Chris & Kelsey had seen before and didn't expect to enjoy so much this time around! Who can mix Freddy Kruger's fear-based strength, Hellraiser's eloquent and hypnotic antagonists, and the People Under the Stairs' social themes? The Candyman can! Then it's on to Urban Legend from 1998, a movie Chris was so excited about that he managed to...
Oct 08, 2018•2 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Hidden Kids Week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey discuss two movies about a similar topic (secret children) that couldn't be more different! First up is the Wes Craven classic, 1991's The People Under the Stairs! It manages to ramp up the tension and then defuse it with some good ol' slapstick humor. All to the benefit of the core message of anti-greed and social consciousness. Oh, and there are monsters in the basement and a poor, poor puppy. Then it's the IFC slow-burner, 2013's The Har...
Oct 01, 2018•2 hr 37 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's Wish Week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey take on a couple of movies that teach you to be careful what you wish for! First is the 1997 campy classic, Wishmaster, produced by horror icon Wes Craven! Don't expect another Scream (which came out right before this), but how this hasn't become a bigger late-night staple, we'll never know. Then it's the much-maligned, modern take on the monkey paw fable, 2017's Wish Upon! We struggle to find the words, but it's as uninspired as you've been told....
Sep 24, 2018•1 hr 28 min•Transcript available on Metacast CW: Domestic Abuse It's another Double Feature week on Pod Sematary! This time, Chris & Kelsey examine that "true story" classic, The Amityville Horror! First up is the original from 1979, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. The movie is way too long and nothing happens, but it's well-made and has some good performances. Can the good make up for just how boring it is? Then it's on to the 2005 remake starring Ryan Reynolds and Chloë Grace Moretz! This one is shorter and delivers on the escal...
Sep 17, 2018•2 hr 57 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
