Is there any actual benefit to watching horror movies? It would be nice to think so, right? J.R. and Derek explore this (remote) possibility.
Episode 212 - Why Not More Bigfoot?
The Bigfoot. The Sasquatch. The Skunk Ape. It goes by many names, but why isn’t it in more horror films? The boys tell those dusty mummies, rotten Frankensteins, and goofy Loch Ness Monsters to go home and examine the quintessential American monster. They don’t call him the Wild Man of the Woods for nothing!
Episode 211 - Weird West 2, Part 2
The duo discuss two westerns where the level of "weirdness" is ambiguous and debatable: the 2016 bleakfest "Brimstone" and the 1973 Clint Eastwood picture "High Plains Drifter." One thing that isn't ambiguous: there is some surprisingly heinous stuff going on in these movies.
Episode 210 - Weird West 2, Part 1
It's a double-feature to the Weird West as we discuss Shudder's newest fiasco "The Pale Door," which was "presented" by Joe Lansdale (read: he cashed a check); and the classy if slow "The Wind," which features mind-rending wind demons . . .OR DOES IT!
Episode 209 - Why Aren't Short Horror Stories Popular?
J.R. and Derek question why, in our time-scarce modern world, horror short stories are not more popular. A bit of self-interest on J.R.'s behalf, or a way to excuse his literary failures? Sure, but genuine curiosity as well.
Episode 208 - Good/Bad Scenes Saving/Ruining Movies
There are a lot of bad films with good scenes. Indeed, the whole slasher genre is pretty much predicated on this. We discuss good scenes in bad films, bad scenes in good films, and Donald Sutherland's butt in Don't Look Now. We didn't want to, but our lawyers said we had to.
Episode 207 - The Conspiracy Against The Human Race, Part 3
The duo finish Thomas Ligotti's "Conspiracy Against the Human Race," where the topics keep coming: atmosphere in supernatural horror, painless death and anxiety, fecal build-up, Terror Management Theory, and, of all things, Sweeney Todd.
Episode 206 - The Conspiracy Against The Human Race, Part 2
The duo continue with "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race," as Thomas Ligotti discusses the fear of the body as a mechanical process, the uncanny, the self and choice, depression, transhumanism, the delusions of religion, and other topics that would get people to move away from you on the subway.
Episode 205 - The Conspiracy Against The Human Race, Part 1
Feeling good recently? Well, put that on hold because the duo cover Thomas Ligotti's non-fiction "Conspiracy Against the Human Race," which argues that consciousness has made humans a living paradox and it is better to never have been born. Meaning, don't listen to this on a Monday.
Episode 204 - Will Horror Still Hold the Same Appeal in Senescence?
As Derek and J.R. age into senility and despair (cool term: senescence), will horror still hold the same appeal? And what connection is there between supernatural horror and the transcendent or divine? Pretty heady stuff for two blathering morons, but here you go!
Episode 203 - Can a Giant Monster Movie be Horror?
Derek asks the question, "Can a Giant Monster Movie by Horror?" After two botched attempts to record the episode, it doesn't go well. For anyone.
Episode 202 - Horror Roundup, February 2021, Part 2
It's episode 202, it's a roundup, and you know how this works. We talk The Wolf House, Books of Blood, I Lost my Body, The Third Day, The Deeper You Dig, Antebellum, Super Dark Times, and Wyrd. Hours of entertainment summed up in 53 minutes for your enjoyment.
Episode 201 - Horror Roundup, February 2021, Part 1
The boys are back. In black. Because they were killed and buried in black funeral attire and then got better. Better enough to review Climax, The Quatermass Trilogy, Deadly Games, Archenemy, #Alive, Some Kind of Hate, The Night Eats the World, and the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Malleus Monstrorum. Totally worth the return.
Episode 200
Episode 200.
Episode 199 - Merry Christmas 15: Deathcember (2019)
Think covering one film isn't enough? Well, the duo discuss Deathcember (2019), comprising 26 holiday-themed short horror films, although with that marathon number it gets a bit lax on "holiday-themed" and "horror." Let's see how this film's hit-to-miss ratio works out . . .
Episode 198 - Merry Christmas 14: Nackles & Nicholas Was...
An invigorating spritz of an episode after the dregs of last week, as the duo cover two short works of Christmas-themed horror: "Nackles" by Donald Westlake, about the origins of Santa's rival; and "Nicholas Was" by Neil Gaiman, about a captive Santa who longs to retire.
Episode 197 - Merry Christmas 13: Hanukkah (2019)
Our holiday selections have us digging through the bottom of the barrel, and we've done it, folks, we've covered the worst movie ever. Join us for a discussion of Hanukkah (2019), the abysmal slasher that somehow roped in Sid Haig and Dick Miller, a film that's even worse for the Jews than Harvey Weinstein . . . and it's made by a goyim! What a schmendrick! It's a shonda! Other Yiddish phrases!
Episode 196 - Creeping Dread 3: She Dies Tomorrow (2020)
The duo discuss the 2020 critical darling "She Dies Tomorrow." She may die tomorrow, but don't let her die with your five bucks in her pocket. We discuss why, even if you were interested in watching a movie about transmittable anxiety, this one ain't worth your time.
Episode 195 - Creeping Dread 2: It Follows (2014)
The duo reexamines the 2014 indie horror phenomenon "It Follows." Stupid kids in the land of dream logic, the psychological pain of being an ugly man in the movie, and the answers to some of the odder questions about the premise. And we got solutions. Check it out!
Episode 194 - Creeping Dread 1: Anguish (2015)
The duo discuss Anguish (2015), an underseen film about a teenage girl who becomes possessed by another girl... or is it all in her mind? It could have been a whole different type of film if they'd used a line of dialogue for the title: "I think my daughter is inside your daughter.”