Not Quite Dead

Like a monster you can't keep down...we're back! NQD is reviving our Patrick Wilson season with the cult classic Bone Tomahawk. Released in 2015 and the first feature film from director S. Craig Zahler, this slow-burn western horror is a delight for almost everyone. An all star ensemble rounds out this excellent movie: Kurt Russell, Matthew Fox, and the always endearing Richard Jenkins. The Girls are joined by friend of the podcast, Jeremy who HATES horror movies. What a cruel (and/or hilarious) movie to endure him to.

Cate and Meg discuss colors, social justice, corny writing, and of course, our guy Patrick Wilson!

NQD is kicking off an all-new season focusing on the horror scream king Patrick Wilson! The modern horror icon stars in our first movie of the year: The Conjuring (2013). Director James Wan kicks off this horror movie franchise with Patrick Wilson alongside Vera Farmiga playing real-life paranormal investigator couple Ed and Lorraine Warren. They're skeptical of the haunting at the Perron house...until they get there. Discussion points include: 1970s sideburns, vintage real estate, mother/daughter relationships.

Don't say his name a third time! Tim Burton is back 30ish years later with the long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara from the original are back too, joined by newcomers Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci and Justin Theroux. Beetlejuice is surprisingly helpful in this jaunt to get Lydia's daughter out of the underworld. Discussion points include: stitching fetishes, unnecessary B-plots, the excellent Catherine O'Hara.

Is this our silliest episode yet? You tell us! To cap off the 2024 year and our zombie season, we're bringing you Dead Snow. The 2009 flick Dead Snow delivers exactly what's on the label: a Nazi zombie campy horror movie. Come for the cheesy plot, stay for the copious blood and guts. Discussion points include: Nazi zombies (duh), snowmobile skiing, a disgusting outhouse rendezvous.

Planet Terror introduces NQD to yet another type of zombie: the biochemical-warfare induced mutant! Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror was released as one-half of the Grindhouse production alongside Quentin Tarantino's Deathproof. Arguably and demonstrably the more successful of the two, Planet Terror follows a ragtag group just trying to survive: a go-go dancer, her ex-lover, an unhappily married pair of doctors, the town sheriff, and the sheriff's BBQ-joint running brother. Discussion points include: tongue abscesses, campy quantities of blood, unnecessary director self-inserts.

NQD tackles their first Uwe Boll-directed movie, and it lives up to his reputation! House of the Dead (2003) is a zombie movie of contradictions - so much death, yet so very boring. A group of friends are going to a rave on a remote rainforest island, but quickly discover zombies are on the rampage. With help from the smuggling boat crewmen that took them to the island, a handful of ravers, and a harbor patrolwoman, the friends attempt to kill as many zombies as they can. Discussion points include: video game cut scenes, immortal Spanish priests, movie references or ripoffs?

The Girl with all the Gifts is a beautiful, thought-provoking zombie movie. We loved it and we think you will too! It's a criminally under-watched film, so make sure to add it to your rental queue! Melanie, a zombie-human hybrid child, escapes the military compound she's lived her whole life in and helps guide a group of humans across London. Discussion points include: alignment charts, military compounds, next-generation zombies.

Milla Jovovich, how we love you. NQD is bringing you the original 2002 Resident Evil, the very first in a five movie franchise. Special guest David Celarie from the horror movie podcast Knight Light joins us to discuss all of the gruesome action and play a special game! Jovovich fights off amnesia, zombies, and a shady tech company in this horror-action flick. Discussion points include: video game adaptations, memory loss, evil mega-corporations.

It’s World War Z, the blockbuster sensation filled with the fastest zombies we’ve ever seen.  Based on a global best-selling book, WWZ is an action-packed jaunt around the world with Brad Pitt at the helm as UN special investigator.  Discussion points include: plane crash scenes, traumatized spare children, unnecessary family plot. 

A remake that’s…pretty good! Dawn of the Dead is already a zombie classic, and while this version doesn’t update much, it does place us squarely in the early 2000s. Special guests High on Film’s Brad Davis and Chris Maxwell join us for this action-packed episode!  Before he was releasing cuts of DC movies, Zack Snyder directed the remake of Dawn of the Dead. Featuring the iconic mall setting and a creepy little zombie baby, it’s a modern classic!  Discussion points include: mall theft, power-tripping security guards, and the saddest chess game ever. 

Lupita Nyong'o stars as the cutest zombie killing teacher ever in the Hulu-released horror-comedy flick Little Monsters (2019). Slacker Dave joins his young nephew on a field trip strictly to get closer to his cute teacher, Miss Audrey. Dave quickly learns he needs to take at least a little responsibility when the field trip has to face a horde of zombies. Discussion points include: disrespectful houseguests, the slacker-to-hero storyline, children's entertainers.

Train to Busan was director Yeon Sang-ho's gift to the world in 2016. Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead fame calls it the best zombie film ever made - and who are we to disagree? Gong Yoo (known now for Squid Game) plays Seok-woo, a hedge fund manager who prioritized work over his family - until a zombie apocalypse traps him and his young daughter on a high speed train. They are up against zombies and the selfishness of their fellow passengers, making for a thrilling horror film. Discussion points include: undead animals, Korean horror themes, multiple villains.

Edgar Wright wraps his love of the zombie genre in many layers of era-specific humor in the buddy horror comedy Shaun of the Dead! Guest Jason Burk from Hemispheric Views joins us again to reminisce on this not-so-cult classic. Shaun is your typical Gen X slacker who shirks responsibility at every available opportunity. That is, until a zombie apocalypse arrives in his garden. With the help of his equally lame best friend, Shaun embarks on a quest to save his mum and ex-girlfriend, and maybe do a little bit of growing up along the way (but, probably not). Discussion points include: the loser hero's journey, hot skeletons, witty dialog, and - oh, wait, you've got red on you.

Director Danny Boyle reinvigorated the zombie genre with 2002's 28 Days Later. Cillian Murphy wakes up alone and naked in a hospital bed 28 days after a rage virus decimates England. Zombies, lack of resources, and some really gross military dudes round out some real horror in this episode! Discussion points include: how quickly men become terrible in a disaster, falling in love in an apocalypse, how to flag down help.

NQD couldn't kick off a Zombies season without George Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead! Bringing the zombie genre to life, Romero shocked 1960s audiences with his tale of the undead. It's gruesome, it's seminal, it's a ghoulish good time! Discussion points include: earlier zombie movies, a useless woman, space radiation.

The Grudge came out hot on the heels of global interest in J-horror, and is one of the better American adaptations! Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in Sam Raimi's 2004 ghost horror story as an American exchange student attempting to solve a haunting. Discussion points include: Japanese horror history, onryo, the ghosts' rules.

Are you ready for a Saw X-travaganza?! We here at NQD certainly are! Join us as we talk all things prequel, play the drinking game we came up with way back in Season 1 of the podcast, test each other's Saw trivia knowledge, and re-rank the films in the franchise. It's a blast, and not just the kind that makes you lose a limb. Discussion points include: what makes a critically acclaimed Saw film, the return of director Kevin Greutert, John Kramer's doodling.

Smile (2022) may be director Parker Finn's feature length film debut, but it has the style and scares to feel like a veteran effort. Psychiatric therapist Laura already has a lot of baggage - workaholic, abusive childhood, a strained relationship with her sister - when a delusional patient seems to transmit a terrifying curse onto her. Is it all in her head, or is there an entity really after her? Discussion points include: homages to other horror films, a useless fiancé, poor trauma processing. 

The 2007 Spanish film The Orphanage has horrors of multiple levels: a missing child, playful ghosts, and home renovations. The J.A. Bayona horror flick was a smash hit internationally, bringing acclaim to the Spanish film industry. Not Quite Dead gets into the details of a woman buying the orphanage she grew up in with her family, only to be plagued by ghosts and the loss of her son. Discussion points include: abandoned beach-front real estate, watching the wrong movie, Peter Pan references. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

Not Quite Dead? More like "Not So Scary" when we cover nostalgic classics like the 1995 movie Casper! Fan favorites Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman and Devon Sawa star in the kid-friendly film about a dead child ghost falling in love with a living teen.  Discussion points include: terrible uncle poltergeists, the CGI of the 90s, and dead wives. 

The Evil Dead Rise! The series is back and chock full of Sam Raimi-isms, with plenty of homages to the much beloved earlier entries in the franchise. Stuffed to the brim with disgustingly gory effects and plenty of slyly funny jokes, Lee Cronin's 2023 addition to the Evil Dead series is a welcome one. Discussion points include: sister relationships, where not to take a pregnancy test, our favorite callbacks.

The first found footage movie to be scary since Blair Witch! Paranormal Activity debuted in 2007 to critical acclaim and a staggering box office on a shoestring budget. Couple Katie and Micah are already on tense terms when they get third-wheeled by Katie's own personal (literal) demon. Micah is an inept boyfriend whose only skill is pissing off a demon, while poor Katie has to be haunted while surrounded by his cameras. Discussion points include: bad boyfriends, specializing in undead hauntings, budget filmmaking.

Come away with us to tropical Li Tolqa, home to beautiful resorts and pay-to-play murder and crime sprees! The catch is teeny-tiny: be executed for your misdeeds or pay to have a clone of yourself be killed in your place. Infinity Pool, directed and written by Brandon Cronenberg, explores issues of privilege, tourism, and scifi existentialism in one not-so-neat package. Discussion points include: fictional tourist countries, White Lotus, Cronenberg the Elder vs Cronenberg the Younger.

They're here! NQD is covering the classic horror film Poltergeist. Effectively a Steven Spielberg movie, this movie introduced a new cultural fear: getting stuck in the TV. Join us as we dissect the haunting of this all-American 80s family, baby angel Carol Anne's entrapment in the ghostly plane, and a host of malicious spirits. Discussion points include: the old timey 80s, what's a poltergeist vs a haunting, and sketchy special effects.

TW: This episode contains discussion of suicide and self-harm. If you need help or are having thoughts of harming yourself, please call or text 988. M. Night Shyamalan, you dog, you did it again. A thrilling popcorn flick with twists aplenty, the 2023 mystery/horror movie Knock at the Cabin brings the frights. Are these four strangers really preventing the end times, or are they delusional cultists targeting a queer family? Discussion points include: Dave Bautista's career, suicide cults, our favorite type of apocalypse.

Director Mike Flanagan, now better known for the Flanaverse of horror shows on Netflix, helmed Oculus as one of his first feature-length films. Siblings Kaylie and Tim post up in their childhood home, where they attempt to capture definitive proof that a cursed mirror caused their family’s tragedy, not their father. Jump scares galore in this one!  Discussion points include: how to outsmart ghosts, eating things you definitely shouldn't, the nonsensical characterization of Kaylie.  The Lasser glass, while not real, was hung in a real place - Balmoral Castle.  Learn about other myths and folktales from the Bavarian forest. Pica is a real and scary condition!  Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

The two greatest Nicks, together at last! Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage join up for a fun, albeit critically bombed, turn in the horror comedy Renfield (2023). Hoult plays the much maligned assistant to Cage's Dracula, with variably funny turns from Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz in supporting roles. Discussion points include: top comedy and horror moments, vampire traits, other notable Louisiana vampire lore.

Did you know that the 80s were 40 years ago? We did, and so did the film industry! This special episode covers John Carpenter’s The Thing and its 40th Anniversary Fathom event (err….one year later).  What we consider today a masterpiece look at the horror of a perfectly-replicating alien invasion, the folks of the 80s found disgusting, depressing, and a little dull. Boo for them, yay for us! Discussion points include: lackluster Fathom events, Carpenter’s special effects, the fun of paranoia and nihilism. Check out some of the practical special effects in the movie. Learn how you too can work in Antarctica. Read about the real-life Nauls of Antarctica. Mick Garris throws shade like no other. BONUS! See Meg's many pages of notes for this movie, unfiltered. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

A hauntingly tragic story of immigration, ghosts both real and imagined, His House is a universally acclaimed horror film. The 2020 directorial debut from Remi Weekes about a South Sudanese refugee couple in the UK touches on culture, racism, xenophobia, and war trauma. Heavy but necessary topics that truly show that horror is embedded in all aspects of society. Discussion points include: UK immigration statistics, refugee trauma, what makes a good person.  Read about the cripplingly high bonds that immigrants have to pay to be released from detention.  Learn about UK immigration statistics. How much does the average grocery bill cost per week? Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

The requel has become a franchise! Scream 6 returns with the same cast from Scream 5 - Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera as the leads - with a few extras from the Scream days of old. Appearances from Gail Weathers and Kirby keep the franchise foundation in what we find to be a very strong entry to the series. Discussion points include: how meta is too meta, ranking the Scream films, and fakeout kill counts.

A family psychodrama wrapped up in a ghost story - the stuff of nightmares! Nicole Kidman's turn as a 1940s mommy dearest in The Others is a stellar performance, a welcome retreat from some of the campier ghost movies this season. Discussion points include: WWII, creepy children, the place of religion in an ambiguous afterlife.  Read all about Nicole Kidman's behind the scenes trivia.  Are light allergies real? Learn about the novella that this movie - and The Haunting of Bly Manor! - is based on, The Turn of the Screw. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

This isn’t the 100 Acre Woods you remember! Much to the mouse house’s chagrin, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was fast tracked for release once the IP came into the public domain. What else is there to do but make a gruesome, terrible horror movie out of a beloved childhood character? Discussion points include: copyright law, the uselessness of adult Christopher Robin, B-movie horror tropes.  Learn all about the Copyright Act of 1909 What other IPs went into the public domain when Winnie the Pooh did?  Read about the company that made the frightening masks Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

Special guest Jason from the podcast Hemispheric Views joins us for 13 Ghosts (also known as THIR13EN GHOSTS). A family inherits a mansion stuffed to the brim with arcane and creepy artifacts - throw in a character that can see ghosts and an occultist uncle and you've got a good time brewing! Discussion points include: the illustrious Matthew Lillard, what it would be like living in a glass house, and two brand new games. Check out Jason's podcast Hemispheric Views!  Read Roger Ebert's most hated movies list. If you can't get your hands on the DVD to watch the special features, read all of the ghosts' backstories here.  Episode edited by Cate Smith. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

She's cute, she plays games, and she can kill the annoying people in your life - it's Megan! Wait, not, it's not our podcast host Megan, it's M3GAN! Evil doll and new best friend M3GAN took the internet by storm in 2022. Discussion points include: other evil doll comparisons, who needs parents when you have consumerism, and how movies go viral on TikTok now.  Buy your own classic Furby on eBay! Learn the iconic M3GAN dance.  Check out some behind-the-scenes trivia from director Gerard Johnstone and producer James Wan.  Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

Amazingly, The Frighteners (1996) once held the title of most cutting-edge special effects. Primarily a slapstick comedy set to a Danny Elfman soundtrack, watching it today leaves a lot to be desired. Discussion points include: the most WTF moments of the movie, Michael J Fox's career, Peter Jackson's special effects company Weta FX history.

What makes a Barbarian? Director Zach Cregger's 2022 movie gives the Not Quite Dead gals much to ponder on the topic. A refreshingly smart, scary, and at times hilarious movie, Barbarian is a fun new entry into the modern horror canon. Discussion points include: AirBnBs, Justin Long scary movie supremacy, the horror movie three-act. Read about The Gift of Fear, the book that director Zach Cregger based the first act on. Learn about Brightmoor, a real (sad) place. Just one real life example about how dangerous underground tunnels can be. Yuck! Here's the world's most inbred family. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

The very well-received yet little-known film We Are Still Here brings 70s ghostly delights to our screen. Couple Anne and Paul uproot their lives after family tragedy strikes, only to find themselves in a haunted new house with even creepier neighbors. Discussion points include: avoiding your weird new neighbors, what decade are we even in?, ghostly revenge. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

The 2022 new release The Menu stars favorites Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult. The film, written by Will Tracy and Seth Reiss, is about a young couple visiting an exclusive, high-end restaurant on a remote island. What's on the menu? Death! Discussion points include: social commentary, how terrible foodies are, the food we'd want to try off the tasting menu. Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

7 days.... Not Quite Dead is kicking off the new year with the 2002 classic The Ring, a remake of Hideo Nakata's 1998 Ringu. Director Gore Verbinski helms this atmospheric, genuinely scary flick. Discussion points include: symbolism of the movie within the movie, the excellent special effects, and alternative pay-it-forward schemes. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

The girls wanted to wish their listeners a very Merry Christmas with this special episode that explores the horrors of the holiday season. There will be merriment, shared fears, and of course, spoilers.  Check out the movies we cover in this episode: Dec 1 - Love Actually Dec 2 - Gremlins Dec 3 - Friday After Next Dec 4 - The Santa Clause Dec 5 - A Charlie Brown Christmas Dec 6 - Bad Santa Dec 7 - Falling for Christmas Dec 8 - A Merry Friggin’ Christmas Dec 9 - Home Alone Dec 10 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas Dec 11 - Miracle on 34th Street Dec 12 - Santa’s Slay Dec 13 - Ernest Saves Christmas Dec 14 - Batman Returns Dec 15 - Christmas, Again Dec 16 - Spirited Dec 17 - Christmas Vacation Dec 18 - A Muppet Christmas Carol Dec 19 - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Dec 20 - It’s a Wonderful Life Dec 21 - Die Hard Dec 22 - Elf Dec 23 - Jingle All the Way Dec 24 - Nightmare Before Christmas Dec 25 - A Christmas Story

Thank you for joining us for Season 9: Kids Horror! In this finale, we keep it short and sweet for all you busy parents - we rank the movies in age-appropriateness, and share a finger painting craft!

They're creepy and they're kooky / Mysterious and spooky / They're all together ooky - that's right, we're covering The Addams Family! Featuring everyone's favorite macabre characters, the 1991 movie introduced a new audience to the bizarre aristocratic family. Episode Extras Watch the trailer Read about the history of the movie Learn more about the troubled production of the movie Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Ostensibly a real movie and not just a vehicle for Universal Studios to sell merchandise, The Monster Squad is a late 80s kids' classic horror movie. Featuring iconic characters like Dracula and the Wolfman, the plot of the movie is loosely draped around a group of kids trying to prevent the monsters from taking over the world. This episode is a classic debate of nostalgia versus quality - tell us what you think!

Not Quite Dead covers the 2015 movie Goosebumps, a film jam packed with references to the classic kids horror book series. The film takes a meta approach to author R.L. Stine and his creations, for better and worse! Controversially, Megan believes this to be the worst movie we have ever covered on the podcast. Come unpack that with us in this episode! Episode Extras Check out the huge list of Goosebumps books in the series Read an interview with author R.L. Stine Do you agree with this ranking of the books in the series?

The final installment of the Fear Street trilogy takes us all the way back to 1666 - and then forward to 1994 - then back again - then back again. Sheesh! Should this series have been four movies instead of three? Were all of the plot lines resolved in the final chapter? Tune in and find out!

If you were an 80s or 90s baby, you may be entitled to financial compensation for emotional trauma from the illustrations featured in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. This movie pastiches some of the more famous stories from the children's books into a plot involving a historic local woman accused of witchcraft, the haunted house she lived in, and the high school kids compelled to stop the murders in their town.

Fear Street 1978 pays homage to the campground slashers of the era, with all the blood, sex, and pot you'd expect. "Wait!" you're thinking, "Isn't this a kids' movie?" Well, listen to this minisode and hear what the NQD gals have to say about that.

The Roald Dahl classic children's book gets the movie treatment in the 1990 flick The Witches! This movie is notably creepy with its Jim Henson puppetry and intense witch makeup on Anjelica Huston. The Not Quite Dead gals debate the film's ending - markedly different from the book - and discuss the legacy of Roald Dahl's books. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Netflix's three-part Fear Street series is getting the Not Quite Dead minisode treatment this season! Come listen to discussion on the surprisingly (to some) mature content and debate with us when you can introduce kids to their first slasher movie. Episode edited by Cate Smith. Music by Zach Pfeifer.