The duo basically do a “Hardcore History” on the polarizing film Cthulhu (2007). We assure you, no podcast has ever dedicated this much time to this film. We discuss its origins, its many abandoned subplots, the backstage drama, and how it essentially bankrupted its writer and ruined the nascent Seattle film industry. But strangely, we come not to bury it, but to understand and maybe even appreciate what this ambitious but misguided first feature was trying to do.
Episode 86 - The Ballad of Black Tom, Part 2
We complete our discussion of the rapturously received, 2016 novella “Ballad of Black Tom,” which re-purposes Lovecraft’s “The Horror at Red Hook” with the social justice, Nation of Islam-inspired “white people be devils” perspective that’s all the rage with the NPR set. Which would all be fine with us, honestly, if the prose style wasn’t so flat, declarative and boring that this novella reads like the SparkNotes to a more interesting book. The last half even manages to make shoot outs boring.
Episode 85 - The Ballad of Black Tom, Part 1
Join us as we begin our discussion on the rapturously received, 2016 novella “Ballad of Black Tom,” which re-purposes Lovecraft’s “The Horror at Red Hook” with the social justice, Nation of Islam-inspired “white people be devils” perspective that’s all the rage with the NPR set. Which would all be fine with us, honestly. if the prose style wasn’t so flat, declarative and boring that this novella reads like the SparkNotes to a more interesting book. And to our dismay, Cthulhu was not replaced with Yakub.
Episode 84 - Mike Flanagan 6: Before I Wake
The duo finish their Mike Flanagan round-up with "Before I Wake," the filmed-in-2013-but-released-in 2018, PG-13 "supernatural drama" about a young boy who can manifest his boring, uninspiring, butterfly-heavy dreams into reality. And you got to love those dated Nintendo Wii references, which was the hot new thing when this movie was filmed back in 2013. This movie's so old that Flanagan's first wife Courtney Bell is still in it, back when they were on speaking terms, although she plays a dying person, which perhaps provided Flanagan the closure he needed to move on to his younger, more conventionally attractive second wife Kate Siegel, who went on to feature in all of his subsequent movies. What a guy!
Episode 83 - Q3 FY18 Horror Roundup
Our duo return to briefly discuss some movies and books they don't want to dedicate a full episode to. Includes Joe Hill's "Strange Weather," John Darnielle's "Universal Harvester," William Sloane's "To Walk the Night," John Padgett's "The Secret of Ventriloquism," Erik Larson's "Devil in the White City," and the films The Poughkeepsie Tapes, Personal Shopper, The Lure, Dave Made a Maze, Creep, Beyond the Gates, Deathgasm, Train to Busan, and some others. And what would an episode be without a return to J.R.'s favorite topics: depression and futility!
Season 3 Teaser
Episode 82 - Merry Christmas 6: Red Christmas
Our Christmas horror movie binge ends with the 2017 Australian horror flick "Red Christmas," a movie that also made us want to end our lives (it's that bad). How inept does a cast of characters have to be that they can be killed one-by-one by a deformed, infirm, hobbled mutant abortion survivor with Down Syndrome? Pretty damn inept. And don't worry, that's not a spoiler since this "twist" is given away in the first 30 seconds. This isn't "so bad it's good": it's '"so bad that I punched a hole in the wall because I spent 5 bucks on this and now the cops are here and I'm spending my Christmas in jail."
Episode 81 - Merry Christmas 5: Better Watch Out
The gang covers the 2016, critically acclaimed Australian/American horror/thriller "Better Watch Out." Wonder why we are being so circumspect with our description? Well, we aren't trying to spoil anything: at least not with this blurb, anyway. Come listen and have everything spoiled. Just don't read any reviews first, especially not the dreadful San Francisco Gate review that spoils the movie IN THE HEADLINE.
Episode 80 - Merry Christmas 4: Christmas Evil
If Travis Bickle drove a sleigh instead of a taxi, you might have something like Christmas Evil, the 1980 feature that was the first (and last) film written and directed by Lewis Jackson. The gang disagree on the merits of the film, which features a strong performance from Brandon Maggart (aka Fiona Apple's father), some bits of surrealism and some unfortunate 1980s hokiness. Neither of us, however, threw popcorn at the screen in impotent rage, as supposedly happened at the film's test screening.
Episode 79 - Chris Lackey, West Yorkshire's Favorite Adopted Son
Come have a listen to our very special guest Chris Lackey, co-host of the HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast and Rachel Watches Star Trek, star of many Lovecraftian comedy shorts and author of many graphic novels and films. It's the Chris Lackey you've never heard before, as we go deep in this 1 hour and 20 min+ plus interview. Lackey discusses his hopes, fears, disappointments, ambitions and radical politics while making sure to crack enough jokes to keep your interest. We got a hot one here folks!
Episode 78 - Novella 3: Altar
The gang discuss Philip Fracassi’s 2016 novella “Altar,” about a family trip to the pool gone-weird. While this story proceeds for the most part as expected, both J.R. and Derek liked it, so take that, all those people out there who say we are unduly negative (you know who you are!). But first, J.R. angrily laments the state of absurd, cliched ridden, over-promising introductions to single-author collections, so his bona fides are an irrationally angry man are secure.
Episode 77 - Novella 2: Detritus in Love
Is that a Jack Skellington tattoo on your neck? Johnny the Homicidal on your inner arm? No? Ok, what is your tolerance for lines like "he will paint a matching work with tragedy and screaming" or "a promise is just a longer lie." Hmmm.....well, are you 14? No? Ok, well still give the 2016 novella Detritus in Love a chance, where the dream of the early 2000's melodramatic emo revival is alive and well. This novella concerns Detritus, his love of the X-eyed Blank, and his battle with The Opposite. Come and have a listen!
Episode 76 - Novella 1: Sour Candy
Listen in to J.R. having a stroke as the gang discuses Sour Candy, the 2015 novella by Kealan Patrick Burke that probably keeps interminably popping up on your "suggested" list on Amazon. This novella shows how you can take a bunch of interesting elements and combine them into a flavorless mush. It's hilariously silly, filled with one note characters, convoluted mythos, a nonsensical "twist" and a girlfriend whose sole job is "sexual innuendo." Still it isn't all bad. There's fun to be had. Come and have a listen!
Episode 75 - Grady Hendrix and Paperbacks From Hell
The gang interview the lively Grady Hendrix, author of the new nonfiction novel “Paperbacks from Hell: the Twisted History of 70s and 80s Horror Fiction“ and the 2014 novel "Horrorstör" about a haunted IKEA like store, but not actually IKEA for legal reasons. Oh, and he co-founded the New York Asian Film Festival without even being Asian! How does he do it! We cover a ton of different topics, like the crazy feeding frenzy of the 70s/80s paperback boom; the psychological effect of reading so much forgotten horror fiction; how one goes about founding a film festival; the appeal of the “killer kid” and the “haunted Indian graveyard” genres and the sadness of the haunted house; why movie slashers are fun and fiction slashers are so very, very different; why bizarro horror kinda sucks; and which forgotten authors we should read.
Episode 74 - Mike Flanagan 5: Ouija: Origin of Evil
May we present to you, the most critically acclaimed... Hasbro-licensed movie of all time! Take that, Jem and the Holograms! Hope you didn't see Ouija (2014), because (1) it sucked and (2) it spoils everything about Mike Flanagan's 2016 prequel, Ouija: Origin of Evil. This is a movie that is better than it has any right to be, but still suffers from third-act problems... so... she's possessed by an evil Nazi doctor?... or... the Polish victim who is himself possessed by the evil dark things? And the family lives in a graveyard and Doris has psychic powers, but they can't hear the ghosts until they buy a Ouija board at an ice cream shop? Anyway, don't think to hard and join us in this land of digital cigarette burns and split diopter shots.
Episode 73 - Mike Flanagan 4: Gerald's Game
There's definitely some shame in Gerald's Game! We continue our discussion of Mike Flanagan's oeuvre, with the just-released film Gerald's Game, adapted from the 1992 novel by Stephen King. We discuss the origins of the film, pivotal differences from the novel, discuss the method acting of the hungry hound, whether Jessie is the world's biggest Stephen King fan given since she incorporates his work into her hallucinations, and why all men are DOGS, I tell ya.
Episode 72 - Uzumaki, Part 3
All good spirals must connect and come to an end, and so to does our discussion of Uzumaki, in our third and final part. And just like the comic we are covering, we end abruptly and make little sense. Enter a Lovecraftian world of light-emitting spirals, insufferable, entitled orphans (as if there were any other kind), bandits who inexplicably think saying "Roger Wilco" is cool, and all the juicy, juicy snail meat you can handle. And finally people throw Kirie's pretentious boyfriend out of a house, something we've wanted to see happen since chapter 1.
Episode 71 - Uzumaki, Part 2
The gang continues with Book 2 of Uzumaki. What pickles will Kirie get into this time that will have no further consequences and never be mentioned again? Corpses reanimated by car springs, slow boys turning into snails, all-seeing hurricanes, babies sprouting umbilical cords and a whole big mess of women feasting for blood on this tour of the Spiral Sagas!
Episode 70 - Uzumaki, Part 1
The gang discusses the first collection of Uzimaki, the horror manga series about a Japanese town called Kurozu-Cho infected by spirals, although when the town names translates to "Black Vortex Town" can you really be surprised? What starts in creepy village ends up veering into crazy town. The semantics of spirals, snake love, the worst ways to die, death by cochlea, peacocking hair battles and more!
Episode 69 - 57 Minutes of Nachos and Hamantaschen
New listeners: there is no reason to listen to this (same warning applies to long-time listeners).The gang capitulates to listener requests to just talk about a bunch of random movies, books, and events they’d participated in that aren’t worthy of a full episode. Necronomicon 2017, The Void, Jim Jones, Rosemary’s Baby, the Pontypool Trilogy, They Look Like People. The Invitation, The Monster, The Last Exorcism, Train to Busan, Shin Godzilla, Oats Studios… all get the cursory treatment you need, nay, demanded!