PODCAST · tv
Secret Handshake
by Jacob Knight, Marten Carlson & Cody Bouchard
The podcast that covers the movies that help you identify your friends...and maybe make a few more along the way. Every week, Jacob, Cody, and Marten introduce a new title into their ever-growing collection of shared favorites, break them down to the basics, and decide whether or not they deserve to be bestowed with the oh-so-holy award of being a Certified Facemelter. What spine number will they cover this week? Tune in and find out.
Episodes
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DuoVision #5 - Back to School (1986) + Old School (2003)
We'd be great teachers...of what we have no idea. Two old guys go back to college to kick off a DuoVision mini-series with a couple of movies...about old guys going back to college. We paired the classic Rodney Dangerfield vehicle BACK TO SCHOOL (a professed Jacob Knight Classic) with the movie...
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Spine #90 - Brothers Till We Die
Ciao boys! Marten's Eurocinema education continues, as fellas dive into the Italian underworld once again, exploring the trashy crime team ups between Umberto Lenzi and Tomas Milian. Scotch, machine guns and multiple car chases await!
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Bonus Episode - Disclosure Day
Keep your eyes to the skies. The boys dive into the sci-fi driven portion of a young, up-and-coming filmmaker by the name of Steven Spielberg. Ever heard of him? In celebration of his late style masterwork, DISCLOSURE DAY, it's a dissection of all things alien, dinosaur, and robot. Dig in.
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DuoVision #4 - The Brave One (2007) + Panic Room (2002)
Someone (or something) has gotta keep us safe at night. Wrapping up this first round of DuoVision double features is a pair of aughts Jodie Foster thrillers from major auteurs: David Fincher's PANIC ROOM (2002) and THE BRAVE ONE (2007). Who knew the little girl from Scorsese's TAXI DRIVER would...
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DuoVision #3 - Pacific Heights (1990) + Desperate Measures (1998)
We're back boys! Even when he's not donning cape + cowl as Batman, Michael Keaton is one of the weirdest and most interesting movie stars to emerge from the '80s, For their third installment of DuoVision, the fellas find themselves taking in the eccentric Pittsburgh actor's '90s thrillers…
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DuoVision #2 - Breathless (1983) + Internal Affairs (1990)
Hellooooo baby! DuoVision returns with two Richard Gere thrillers (well, one's definitely a thriller and the other is...something else entirely. It's BREATHLESS and INTERNAL AFFAIRS, showing us the flipsides of one of Hollywood's most beautiful leading men. Jump in the car, we're getting all…
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DuoVision #1 - Breakdown (1997) + Unlawful Entry (1992)
Welcome to DuoVision - a new, regular feature here at Secret Handshake where the boys pick a themed double feature and vibe out for an hour or so. Kicking the series off is a pair of "Kurt Russell gets cucked" '90s thrillers: 1997's BREAKDOWN and 1992's UNLAWFUL ENTRY! Will Kurt rescue his wife...
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Spine #89 - All the Colors of the Dark
Ciao Secret Handshake listeners! Marten's Italian genre cinema education continues with a crash course in gialli, courtesy of the undersung maestro of the genre, Sergio Martino. It's an episode filled with nothing but black gloves, razor blades, and beautiful ladies. Grab your bottle of J&B, it's...
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Spine #88 - Excalibur
"Look into the eyes of the Dragon...and DESPAIR!" An episode long in the making, the boys dive into the wild filmography of John Boorman, as they watch the new documentary BOORMAN & THE DEVIL, travel to Chicago for Beyond Fest and see THE HERETIC on the big screen (via a beautiful 35mm print!)…
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Bonus Episode - The Strangers Rebootquel Trilogy
Nobody knows anything about The Strangers, and that's what makes them scary. Nor does anyone know why you would reboot The Strangers into a min-requel trilogy of films that have been, to put it mildly, disliked by all (which makes the proposition of watching them terrifying). Still, despite the…
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Spine #87 - God Told Me To
Mass shooters! Religious cabals! Alien invaders! Despite their promises otherwise, the boys dive down another rabbit hole, exploring the wild, cerebral, and insanely irreverent filmography of Larry Cohen. Was the greatest voice of the '70s exploitation era? Find out here!
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Spine #86 - Keoma
"A MAN WHO IS FREE NEVER DIES!" Marten begins his journey through the annals of Italian exploitation cinema, with Jacob giggling along for the ride. His first stop: the violent, entertaining, marinara genre collaborations between Enzo Castellari and Franco Nero, including the acid trip spaghetti...
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Bonus Episode - Primate
Happy New Year! We took a quick break to settle in, but now we're back with all the killer monkey movies in celebration of Johannes Roberts' badass creature feature PRIMATE. A movie that answers the question: what if Cujo was a rabid chimp? Find out in our latest Bonus Episode.
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Bonus Episode - Our Favorite Films of 2025
Another one in the books! To celebrate a truly special year in cinema, the boys count down their favorite films of 2025. Did your personal picks make the cut? Find out!
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Spine #85 - Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair [Feat. James Emanuel Shapiro]
Silly Caucasian boys like to play with samurai swords. With the unedited edition of KILL BILL finally hitting theaters, the fellas sit down with their buddy James Emanuel Shapiro to talk about Quentin Tarantino's magnum opus. Is it the best movie ever made, or the most movie ever made?
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Spine #84 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Ho ho ho motherfuckers, It's Christmas Time at Secret Handshake, so we fired up some of our favorite holiday set neo noir shoot 'em ups for old time's sake. Shane Black has always been one of the best, and it's time to tell you why.
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Spine #83 - The Devil's Backbone
It's not a podcast about Guillermo del Toro...it's a podcast with Guillermo del Toro in it. To commemorate the release of FRANKENSTEIN, the boys look back at El Gordo's artsy creature feature filmography, starting with one of Marten's all-time favorites: THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (2001). You might be...
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Spine #82 - Night of the Demons
Let's party! They boys head to their local mortuary (not to mention the Exhumed Films Horror Thon) to throw a Halloween party and end up getting menaced by some dirty, horny monsters with NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988). Are there razor blades hidden in those candy apples? Take a bite and find out.
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Spine #81 - Robocop
BITCHES LEAVE! The boys break down the filmography of one of Jacob's heroes: the Mad Dutchman himself, Paul Verhoeven. How many Facemelters does one man have in his body of work? We're not sure, but we'd certainly buy them all for a dollar!
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Spine #80 - Darkman
I am everyone. No one. Everywhere. Nowhere. Call me...Darkman. The boys talk about their favorite comic movie that's not actually adapted from a real comic: Sam Raimi's Darkman. Is it as good as they remember? And where does it place in their Raimi rankings? Find out.
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Spine #79 - [REC]
Never stop recording, for fuck's sake! The boys delve deep into the found footage phenomenon, starting with Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza's deeply unsettling Spanish sensation, [REC]. Will anyone put the camera down, or will we see the last things they ever did before their untimely demises?…
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Spine #78 - To Live and Die in LA
WHY YOU CHASING ME? WHY YOU RUNNING? The boys are in hot pursuit of the filmography of Bad Boy Billy Friedkin, using his coked out '80s crime opus TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA as a jumping off point to discuss one of the great bodies of work in American cinema history. Will they catch Rick Masters in…
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Spine #77 - Ride the High Country
If they move...kill 'em! The boys jump on their trusty steeds and make sure their iron's loaded as they head toward Mexico to interrogate the nasty, violent works of "Bloody" Sam Peckinpah, starting with his watershed transitional Western, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY ('62). Saddle up for a long ride...
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Spine #76 - Razorback
G'Day boys and girls! On this installment, the boys go Down Under to explore the wacky, wild world of Ozploitation, starting with Russell Mulcahy's psychedelic killer pic flick, RAZORBACK. Grab yer beers, as this one of those jam packed episodes with a bunch of titles you can't miss.
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Spine #75 - Blue Velvet
In dreams, I walk with you. In dreams, I talk to you. The boys return to say goodbye to the late, great David Lynch, celebrating one of his crowning achievements as America's foremost avant garde pervert: BLUE VELVET. Things get just as wistful as they do weird.
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Bonus Episode - The Filmography of Mean Gene Hackman
The Grim Reaper is quite active in 2025, so the boys decide to do the first of a few tribute episodes, this one in honor of the great character actor-cum-leading man, Mean Gene Hackman. Was he the greatest actor of his generation and why did he inspire so many of his colleagues (not to mention...
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Bonus Episode - The James Bond Franchise (Feat. James Emanuel Shapiro)
It's Handshake, Secret Handshake. The boys are back after a brief hiatus and they brought one of their best buds, James Emanuel Shapiro (formerly of XYZ Films, Drafthouse Films and NEON), with them to talk 007. Now that the franchise is in the hands of big tech villains, will the world's greatest...
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Bonus Episode - The Best Films of '24
Another year in the books! For this Bonus Installment of SH, the boys break down their ten favorite films of 2024 (and may have already picked at least one film that will make their 2025 list!).
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Spine #74 - Den of Thieves
Big Nick Fever has hit Secret Handshake! To celebrate the release of DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA, Jacob tries to convert Marten into being a Butler Boy and even makes him watch Gerard's HAS FALLEN trilogy (OLYMPUS/LONDON/ANGEL) for good measure. How does the first experiment of 2025 turn out? Tune…
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Spine #73 - Return of the Living Dead
Braaaaaaaains! For our last episode of 2024, the boys bust out what the consider the second best zombie movie of all time: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. Send more cops! These things are hungry!
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Spine #72 - Maniac Cop
You have the right to remain silent...FOREVER! It's getting chilly out, so the fellas have decided to tackle NYC Grime Godfather Bill Lustig's winter nightmares, the MANIAC COP trilogy! Serve. Protect. KILL. Is this the finest collection of urban slashers? Find out now.
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Spine #71 - The Night Comes For Us
YAHHHHHHHHHHH! In celebration of his latest psychotic Facemelter (THE SHADOW STRAYS), the boys throw down over their favorite action filmmaker in the world right now: Timo Tjahjanto; tracing his roots back to his partnership with fellow Indonesian asskicker Gareth Evans. How much bodily damage…
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Spine #70 - The Chocolate War
One of Marten's favorites is the focus of our 70th spine: Keith Gordon's anti-authoritarian prep school fantasy THE CHOCOLATE WAR. We pair it with three other Adam Baldwin-starring coming of age classics to highlight an underseen subgenre of American teen cinema. Crank up the Peter Gabriel, this…
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Spine #69 - Candyman
The boys say the dreaded hook killer's name five times in front of the mirror to conjure...CANDYMAN. To close out Spooky Season '24, Jacob and Marten dissect what's arguably their favorite Clive Barker adaptation, not to mention one of the scariest films of all time.
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Spine #68 - John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness
You will not be saved by the Holy Ghost. You will not be saved by the God Plutonium. In fact, you will not be saved. The boys debate whether John Carpenter's '87 anti-God particle exploring weird out is one of his secret masterpieces, while also diving into the enduring influence Nigel Kneale's...
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Spine #67 - Night of the Demon ('80)
Bigfoot's comin' gonna getcha, gonna getcha! Spooky Season continues with a bevy of weird ass Bigfoot movies, including the all-time psycho monster movie transmission NIGHT OF THE DEMON (no, not that one...the other one!). What happens when a gay porn director is allowed to let Sasquatch tear a...
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Spine #66 - A Nightmare on Elm Street
We're your boyfriends now, Nancy! To kick off both the start of Season Six and Spooky Season, the boys dive into the filmography of Wes Craven and the last big slasher franchise they haven't covered in depth: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. How does Freddy stack up against the other slasher icons in...
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Mini-Series: Summer of Brat(s) - Jon Cryer
For the final episode of our Summer of Brat(s) mini-series, we cover the films of the Brat Pack's defining nerd: no, not Anthony Michael Hall, but the Duck Man himself, Jon Cryer! Sure, you've seen him star in one of the worst sitcoms ever, but have you seen him in possibly the best teen movie of...
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Mini-Series: Summer of Brat(s) - Rob Lowe
It's bad boy time! Our Summer of Brat mini-series rolls on to cover the sex tapes and legitimate work of Rob Lowe, one time hot boy and current TV heartthrob. Is he actually a good actor? Let's get down to business with some erotic thrillers, sad boner jam comedies, and a minor Francis Ford…
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Mini-Series: Summer of Brat(s) - Emilio Estevez
EMILIOOOOOOOOO! In the second installment of our Brat Pack mini-series, we cover the output of Martin Sheen's favorite son (that's unquestionable these days, right?), beginning with THE BREAKFAST CLUB, stopping by with REPO MAN, and ending on his outlandish directorial effort, WISDOM. Saddle up,...
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Mini-Series: Summer of Brat(s) - Andrew McCarthy
It's Brat Girl Summer! Well, kind of... We're in-between seasons here at Secret Handshake, so we decided to do another mini-series, this time focusing on the '80s kids from the Brat Pack. And what better way to kick this run off than with three films starring Andrew McCarthy, the guy who helmed...
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Spine #65 - Body Double
We did it Joe! We (finally) made it to the end of Season Five! To celebrate, the boys finally crack open the filmography of Jacob's favorite stylist: Brian De Palma, running down the reasons why his 1984 porno gialli is the Ultimate BDP Picture. Bring the wet wipes, this one gets sticky.
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Spine #64 - Beverly Hills Cop
The boys hitch a ride with Axel Foley to help investigate multiple crimes committed against his best friends, all in celebration of Netflix's legacy sequel, AXEL F. Does one of the great buddy cop comedies still stand the test of time? Let's hit it, partner.
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Spine #63 - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Staaaaar Waaaaars! Nothin' but Staaaaaar Waaaaars! The boys celebrate the 25th birthday of one of the most divisive movies of all time, then use it as an excuse to get some feelings about the biggest franchise of all time off their chests. Bonus Content: Jacob grills Marten about his weird politics!
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Spine #62 - Class of 1999
Take a look at our face, we are the future! The boys toss out a quick collection of killer robot cinema, including the greatest entry into the "our substitute teacher is really a killer robot installed by a mercenary contractor to keep gang violence to a minimum" sci-fi/horror subgenre: Mark L....
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Spine #61 - Mad Max
WITNESS US! In celebration of George Miller's epic FURIOSA, the boys travel to the Wasteland and become History Men, chronicling the rise and fall of Max Rockatansky, as well as other legends of a post apocalyptic, guzzoline fueled suicide landscape.
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Spine #60 - Planet of the Apes
Apes! Together! Strong! The boys go ape for the entire PLANET OF THE APES saga, covering every entry from the '68 OG to the newest YA installment, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. You'll never make a monkey out of us!
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Spine #59 - House of Wax (2005)
Heads up! The boys are back, talking about the haunted multiplex attractions offered by Dark Castle Entertainment during the late '90s/early aughts, slathering some gory love on Jaume Collet-Serra's HOUSE OF WAX redux. Who wants to see Paris Hilton take a pole to the head? We do!
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Spine #58 - Judgment Night
The second film from sturdy genre workman Stephen Hopkins to enter the SH collection (following the gory glory of PREDATOR 2), Marten gets to wax lyrical about everything from Dennis Leary to bloodthirsty lions to Gene Hackman's addiction to Puerto Rican prostitutes. Don't play yourself and tune…
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Bonus Episode - The Best Films of '23
Because "belated" is our middle name, the boys sit down and discuss the best movies they saw in 2023, which cover everything from Copenhagen Cowboys, Italian race-car magnates, and Leo's teeth. Tune in and zone out.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The podcast that covers the movies that help you identify your friends...and maybe make a few more along the way. Every week, Jacob, Cody, and Marten introduce a new title into their ever-growing collection of shared favorites, break them down to the basics, and decide whether or not they deserve to be bestowed with the oh-so-holy award of being a Certified Facemelter. What spine number will they cover this week? Tune in and find out.
HOSTED BY
Jacob Knight, Marten Carlson & Cody Bouchard
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Secret Handshake have?
Secret Handshake currently has 132 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Secret Handshake about?
The podcast that covers the movies that help you identify your friends...and maybe make a few more along the way. Every week, Jacob, Cody, and Marten introduce a new title into their ever-growing collection of shared favorites, break them down to the basics, and decide whether or not they deserve...
How often does Secret Handshake release new episodes?
Secret Handshake publishes regularly with 132 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Secret Handshake?
You can listen to Secret Handshake on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Secret Handshake?
Secret Handshake is created and hosted by Jacob Knight, Marten Carlson & Cody Bouchard.
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