The boys wrap up Pride Month with the film that inspired the Godsmack song ‘Voodoo’, Wes Craven’s 1988 Bill Pullman horror vehicle, ‘The Serpent and The Rainbow’. Where exactly does it fall on the voodoo cultural insensitivity spectrum between ‘Live and Let Die’ and ‘Weekend at Bernie’s 2’? You’ll just have to listen to our 300th episode spectacular to find out.
Episode 299 - Pride Month 2: Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
If you thought that ‘Mandy’ moved too fast for you, the boys cover another Panos Cosmatos film that might be more your speed. Despite what you may have heard, ‘Beyond the Black Rainbow’ is not a sequel to last week’s ‘Black Rainbow’, and is probably closer in tone to ‘Reading Rainbow’. Indeed, you watch this one under the right circumstances (recommended) and those butterflies will truly be flying twice as high, but don’t take a look at the mad doctor’s book in this…
Episode 298 - Pride Month 1: Black Rainbow (1989)
The boys begin Pride Month with the under seen 1989 Rosanna Arquette film ‘Black Rainbow’. Also, instead of patting yourself on the back and thinking you’re doing good because you acknowledged something rainbowey this month, maybe actually go help some disenfranchised people? To apply this to the film, be a Tom Hulce, not a Jason Robards.
Episode 297 - No Longer Live from New York, April 2023, it's a Roundup! Part 3
A stuffed animal, a Ghostface, a Dracula, Panama! In the final roundup of this NYC visit (which could not be contained to just one physical location) the boys talk 2019's 'Benny Loves You', 'Scream 6' and the franchise as a whole, and Nic Cage's return to not straight to streaming films in 'Renfield'. Opinions vary.
Episode 296 - Live from New York, April 2023, it's a Roundup! Part 2
The boys CLICKBAIT REVIEW more MOVIES. JR goes VIRAL and FUMES about 2021’s “Ultrasound”, leaving listeners speechless. Derek ABSOLUTELY DESTROYS 2021’s “Let the Wrong One In”, but ABSOLUTELY LOVES its script. Lastly, you’ll NEVER BELIEVE the NEWLY UNEARTHED bog men in 2022’s “Moloch”, but they might MAKE YOU BOYCOTT it. 3 HOT TAKES on movies the directors don’t want you to know about!
Episode 295 - Live from New York, April 2023, it's a Roundup! Part 1
The boys are live and reviewing some old, some new, and then some other movie. For something old, not to be confused with Robert Downey Jr.’s star turning vehicle, 1989’s Tetsuo The Iron Man gives those early David Lynch vibes with a dash of metal fetishry. The new is 2023’s From Black, a film that is just daring the creative team behind A Dark Song to sue them for copyright infringement. Lastly the other, 2018’s Incident in a Ghost Land, retells that classic Lovecraft story trope of following a trail of pee to solve a mystery… it’s not worth a critical reexamination.
Episode 294 - BRUCE ON THE LOOSE! Bruce Campbell and Evil Dead Rise
Bruce is on the loose, Bruce is on the loose! Live from NYC, the boys discuss the time Derek got to play a trivia game with his hero, and then the time they went and saw Evil Dead Rise. Hope you saved room to swallow your soul.
Episode 293 - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Part 3
The boys finish up The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and surprise, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same person! Hopefully that 137 year old spoiler won’t ruin your reading of the story, because even with that knowledge it is still a very good tale. Just imagine if you were a prude Victorian reading it for the first time though, oh what a surprise you’d be in for…
Episode 292 - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Part 2
The boys dig into the first half of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and while it's not particularly "strange" yet, it's getting there. It does give a new meaning to Antoine Dodson saying, "Hyde yo kids", as it could get you between $70 and $700 thousand. Robert Louis Stevenson didn't know what money was worth.
Episode 291 - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Part 1
In one of the oldest reviews of the podcast, the boys check out the 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson classic, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, notably in the form of the 2022 Leslie S. Klinger annotated version. Before you even start, we know it should be pronounced “Jee-Kill” and not “Jeck-Ill”, but don’t be the weirdo that says it like that because we’re going to use both. If you’re going to be that pedantic, you might as well go ask S. T. Joshi how to pronounce “Cthulhu” too…
Episode 290 - Kids vs. Aliens (2022)
The gang is watching the only horror-comedy from the director of 'Hobo with a Shotgun' that's loosely based on the 1967 Shag Harbour UFO Incident, 2022's 'Kids vs. Aliens'. If you liked the last segment from V/H/S/2 but wished the characters weren't garbage and it was 75 minutes long your wish is granted! Channel your inner 12-year-old and hear about what would be your new favorite film if you weren't quite yet a teenager.
Episode 289 - The Innocents (2021)
Tired of the worn out and offensive trope of special needs people having magic powers? Well you better give The Innocents a pass then! If you can overlook that however, this tale of Norwegian children discovering that they possess strange and undefined powers could be a Chronicle or Scanners, but for kids. Much less, but not zero, head trauma though...
Episode 288 - Crimes of the Future (2022)
Forget your washed up Hollywood stars, mopey billionaires in limos, and boring psychiatrists, Cronenberg is back on that body horror goop train baby! The boys watch a sadly Nick Cage/Cave free version of 2022’s Crimes of the Future, which is not to be confused with Cronenberg’s 1970 film of the same name. What’s changed in the last 52 years with him? If you can put up with the burping, gurgling, and farting you’ll find out.
Episode 287 - Skinamarink (2022)
Finally, someone telling you about a dream, but you are actually interested in hearing about it! Are you interested in hearing about it for 100 minutes though? Depending on that answer you may be into the buzzy TikTok amped Skinamarink, or you might find it to be the most boring film ever. Give it a listen before some monster steals your doors, windows, and toilets.
Episode 286 - Benson/Moorhead 4: Something in the Dirt (2022)
The boys get back to their roots and continue the Moorhead-Bensonathon with Something in the Dirt (2022), which should not be confused namewise with Ben Wheatley's In The Earth, or contentwise with David Robert Mitchell's Under the Silver Lake. Or Richard Kelly's Southland Tales. Or Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's first film Resolution.
Episode 285 - Horror Roundup, February 2023, Part 2
The boys mosey back to the farm with another roundup of horror, so imagine last week, but more! They cover Dead Space 3, Dead Space 2023, A Wounded Fawn, Heck, The Last of Us, Infinity Pool, and Tenebrae. Lot of video games and giallo huh? Hope that’s what you’re in the mood for.
Episode 284 - Horror Roundup, February 2023, Part 1
Another year, another chance for the boys to talk about all the horror experiences they endured while on break. Dead Space 3 was played. Hellbender was watched. Reassuring Tales was read. V/H/S/99 was streamed. JR also "peddles" some "new" books, but doesn't seem to know anything about them. This is what taking time off does folks.
Episode 283 - Merry Christmas 18: Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
When watching “ A Zombie Christmas Musical”, you would hope to have about a third of each for a good mix of a film. The 2017 film Anna and the Apocalypse is more of “A Musical with some Zombies that happens to take place at Christmas”, but that' isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Forget the comparisons to Shaun of the Dead and watch it as its own film and give us a listen. Or just give us a listen if you hate musicals, we promise Derek only sings a few times.
Episode 282 - Merry Christmas 17: Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
All the boys wanted for Christmas this year was a horror movie with a killer Santa that wasn't the typical Christmas cash in garbage. Guess they must have been bad this year because what they got was Christmas Bloody Christmas, which, despite what the internet has implied, is a completely run of the mill Christmas horror film. Obviously JR should have asked for better eyes, and Derek, I don't know, some nachos or something. Give it a holiday listen!
Episode 281 - Merry Christmas 16: The Advent Calendar (2021)
Quad·ri·ple·gic - /ˌkwädrəˈplējik/ - adjective - affected by or relating to paralysis of all four limbs; tetraplegic. Normally we wouldn't start out a description with a word definition, but the 2021 film The Advent Calendar demands that we do. Also a lot of talk about dumping, but that could be a German to French to Shudder translation issue...