Your Favorite Bad Movie Podcast

JJ Bersch, researcher for the podcast Blank Check, is with us today and they’ve brought a prior piece of “research” with Uncle Drew (2018).  Based on a viral Pepsi Max internet campaign, this Charles Stone III adaptation sees Little Rel Howery losing his team for the Rutger Classic and so he relies on the likes of Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller and Nate Robinson to fill out his new roster.  The catch: they’re all playing old people.  There are plenty of real-world actors and players supporting this picture including Lisa Leslie, Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, Mike Epps and Nick Kroll in the role he was born to play: Kooky Villain You Love To Hate.  JJ originally saw it for the product placement “research” (and there’s a lot), but was won over by the quirky, light-hearted fun of a bunch of non-actors having a great time on screen together. It’s been a pleasant surprise for the whole panel and you can share it too, just tune in!

Sharon Cunningham is back after being forced to watch Powder twice, but this time she’s put her own money down on Hot to Trot (1988).  Bobcat Goldthwait makes both his debut and departing role as a leading man with this Michael Dinner directed comedy about a man getting vengeance on his evil stepfather via the talking horse he inherited. Dabney Coleman and some prosthetic teeth are that stepfather and John Candy is that horse. Also, Virginia Madsen is playing one of our favorite roles: a female in a film. A troubled production (including some wild prior attached stars) led to a luke-warm response at the box office. However, time and constant repeats on cable have softened the audience to this one, but can this horse still beat the competition with its one-liners? To find out, just tune in!

Michael McDaniel, co-host of the podcast Your Roots Are Showing, is showing their roots with The Beastmaster (1982).  After the success of Phantasm, Don Coscarelli moved onto a swords and sorceries epic.  Adapted from the book The Beast Master, It stars Marc Singer as our Oil and Tanned Protagonist, Dar, who’s fighting the evil forces of Rip Torn’s Maax who’s sacrificing a lot of babies and gumming the scenery to death while croaking with vocal chords made of wood.  Luckily Dar can talk to animals and see through their eyes, which is perfect for the task?  He makes it work and his ferrets are just the best.  There’s also a hawk, a black tiger and human sidekicks played by Tanya Roberts, John Amos, and Joshua Milrad.  It’s a riot out there in wherever it is that Dar lives and we’re loving it.  We have a feeling you might too, so tune in!

This week we're joined by the one and only Jesse Black, co-host of Savant Garde to talk about the baker's dozen of ghosts in this week's movie, Thir13en Ghosts. There's a Black Zodiac, a house made entirely out of glass, and Mr. Monk himself, Tony Shalhoub. All that, and Matthew Lillard joins the four timer's club. We go long, but only because there's so dang many ghosts! Don't miss it!

Larry Brown is back and they’ve brought a European romp: Watch Out, We’re Mad (1974).  This action comedy stars the classic duo of Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer who must find a way to figure out which of the two gets to keep a dune buggy they’ve won in a race.  What ensues is full of madcap action scenes, demure reactions, comedy routines and lots of wild stunts.  It’s even got Donald Pleasence as an evil psychologist or doctor of some nature who goads man-baby villain John Sharp into the real estate game.  It’s either playing it cool or swinging for the fences and succeeding at both.  There’s also one song that will play over and over and over, and we’ve all got thoughts on that.  We’ve got thoughts about the whole crazy ride, honestly, so tune in!

Mark Hensley is back and they’ve brought a recent discovery with Beyond the Darkness (1979).  Prolific Italian filmmaker Joe D’Amato sends us down a psycho-sexual path through taxidermy and lost love. After the death of his girlfriend, a man preserves the body forever and this upsets his “wet nurse” who placates her anger by offering him sexual favors and cleaning up his messy kills.  It’s a wild, gory ride with, maybe, the only instance of a love triangle that involves a corpse but at least is ridiculous and committed.  Any way you slice it, it's got us in stitches and it offers up the kinds of questions that can’t help but make us laugh.  That’s right, despite all the entrails and weird sexual practices we’re having a very good time with this one and you can too, tune in!

We’ve got another installment of Your Favorite Bad Movie Podcast Classics, and it’s a whooper of a tale with Serenity (2019).  This Steven Knight neo-noir/thriller is a more recent film, but it made quite a stir for its very gutsy and, frankly, bizarre twist.  Matthew McConaughey is an unhinged sea-boat captain who’s in search of a tuna named Justice when his ex-wife, Anne Hathaway, rolls into town and needs her husband dead.  Diane Lane, Djimon Hounsou and Jason Clarke are also present in this tale of fishing, death, sex and physical abuse, but is this film worthy of being a bad film classic?  The panel can all agree that it’s bad, and they can all agree that it’s stupid, but the currents of the sea have them all in different places.  Tune in!

Alice Ebenhoe is returning once again for another look at a “historical document” with Troy (2004).  It’s in quotes because this epic poem adapted by Wolfgang Peterson is not exactly what you’d call accurate: it’s largely full of heterosexual atheists who will absolutely STOP fighting at the drop of a hat.  And boy do they talk.  If you want to hear Brad Pitt, Brian Cox, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Brendan Gleeson or Peter O’Toole deliver a monologue then you’ve got a banger on your hands.  Also Diane Kruger is Helen of Troy and she’s important for reasons, along with some horse.  Oh, there’s also a lot of fighting. We get into all the plot holes and have a pretty good time while doing so.  Who knew that swords and (lack of) sorceries films could be this much fun?  Tune in!

Ross Lennon, film historian and host of The History on Film podcast, has got something enticing for us to fence: Gun Girls (1957).  Do you want to see powerful young women commit crimes, push people around and flaunt their figures?  Well, will you settle for feisty 30-year-olds poorly executing crimes and changing their blouses?  Don’t worry, there’s a moral at the end so we all at least feel okay about all the “violence” and “nudity” they just showed us.  Directed by Paul Dertano and hailing from the teen delinquent genre, it’s a blast from the past and a pretty good time for the curious.  We’ll also get into just what the genre is and its place in the greater cinematic canon.  It’s a trip down culture’s memory lane and you can join us, just tune in!

Artist and musician Preston Spurlock is back again with a real charmer, it’s Nude on the Moon (1961).  A nudist film directed by famed nudist director, Doris Wishman, it supposes, “What if we went to the moon, and there was a nudist colony there?” With its silly dialogue, quaint state of undress and the wonderful costumes on those that are clothed it’s a winner. After all, it’s just a nice little film about topless people hanging out in a very fascinating structure, Coral Castle. We’ve even going into the history and the mystery of that very castle itself as we explore another piece of Florida cinema. It’s a lot of lounging and a lot of laughter, so tune in!

Al Bates is back and he's brought something that left a real impression the first time, Grimsby (2016) a.k.a. The Brothers Grimsby.  Sacha Baron Cohen isn’t doing his usual routine of playing an exaggerated caricature around real people attempting to get heightened reactions, this time he’s just a soccer hooligan that teams up with his long-lost brother (Mark Strong) who happens to be an MI6 spy.  Full of gross out/extreme humor, this Louis Leterrier comedy did better outside of the US upon release, but it didn’t really light any fires, except in the hearts of the few who have enough sense to just laugh at fake genitals, human or non-human.  Certainly a film that has made strong choices that causes strong reactions, we’re getting into it all today, so tune in!

Bryan Quinby, host of Guys: A Podcast About Guys, is in the studio and they’ve mixed up something very tasty with Cocktail (1988).  This Roger Donaldson directed film was a hit at the time and an early win for lead Tom Cruise, but critics were not fans.  It’s not hard to see both sides as it’s charismatic, energetic, sexy and having nothing but a good time while also being angry, doing too much, not explaining itself and occasionally getting pretty weird.  Still, Bryan Brown has charms aplenty and Elizabeth Shue is also there along with Gina Gershon.  Come for the drinks, stay for the stories and cheer every time Tom Cruise gets punched for good reason.  It’s just a good time and you can have one too, so tune in!

Welcome to the first installment of Your Favorite Bad Movie Podcast Classics, a series in which we let viewers decide what we’re watching from a choice of classic bad films. Today’s “winner” is Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010).  This James Nguyen directed, independent horror film had a hard start, but immediately made waves with viewers upon its eventual release.  It’s got everything you’d want: a software company merger, a successful start to a relationship and a strong focus on the environment.  Also, eventually people are attacked by poorly animated birds.  It has so much that we recall, and so many things that we forgot.  It’s a trip down memory lane and you can go there too, even if it’s your first time, so tune in!

Justin Remer, author of the upcoming 33 1/3rd of “Weird” All Yankovic In 3D, is back and they’ve brought a recent discovery: Stunt Rock (1978).  We’ll call it an Ozploitation film for reasons.  Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, it stars Grant Page as Grant Page, a stuntman (as he is in real life), and Monique van de Ven as Monique van de Ven, an Undercover Girl (which she is not in real life), as he does stunts for film and on stage with a band called Sorcery, played by real band Sorcery, which includes their actual magicians. Yes, it’s stunts + rock music with stage magicians. This fake documentary (mockumentary?) is a lot of things and has a lot going for it on paper, what it doesn’t have is a traditional plot.  This makes for a very strange, but interesting watch, and we’re breaking it down while having a pretty swell time.  You too can get in on this musical adventure, just press play!

Melissa Louise, the artist behind emoseal.com, is surprising everyone, including themselves, with The Good Girl (2002).  Miguel Arteta directs Jennifer Aniston and a young Jake Guyllenhaal in this romantic drama/comedy that’s written by Mike White.  We’ve also got White, Zooey Deschenal, John C. Reily, Deborah Rush and Tim Blake Nelson all fliting about as smalltown yokels bearing witness, in one way or another, to Aniston and Gyllenhaal’s budding affair and its dire consequences.  Well-received at the time, but sort of forgotten about, it weaves a strange tale on an episode full of surprises not just in plot.  Will it hold up, or has time lost the shine on this one? There’s only one way to know, tune in!

Charles Star, host of No Homework Podcast, ALAB Series and City Saint/Country Saint, has sauntered into town to propose a bet that we can’t turn down: Diggstown (1992).  This Micheal Ritchie directed sports con film stars James Woods and Oliver Platt teaming up to trick Bruce Dern into a ludicrous bet that Lou Gosset Jr. can take on 10 Diggstown’s boxers in a day.  Will Heather Graham kiss James?  Will a young Jim Caviezel stand up to Gosset’s fists?  Will anyone explain the tonal shifts?  This one is all over the map in smalltown Georgia and we’re trying to keep the fight card up to date over here, but there will be surprises.  Such as a new segment and a robust breakdown of what we think the film was attempting.  It’s going to the judges by the end, and you’ll never know the result unless you tune in! Patreon.com/nohomeworkpodcast

It’s our 100th episode and we have very special guests, Stefa Nunes and Gloria Yip are back and they have a fun surprise: they have attended the premiere of the film we’re talking about.  It’s Little Italy (2018), the romantic comedy that was mostly known for Emma Roberts and Hayden Christiansan having a sad time on a moped.  The collective talents of Allysa Milano, Adam Ferrera, Andrea Martin and Danny Aiello can’t save this poor-tasting pizza covered in stereotypes, trite romance tropes and dick jokes.  What it lacks in joy and verve can be made up for by all of it’s product placements?  Truly a film so bad that it deserves to be talked about, dissected and examined and we’re doing all of that while having a splendid time.  Besides, pizza is better shared with friends, so tune in!

Róan Robles, friend of the show, has us in the operating theater and on the table for Nurse 3D.  This Doug Aarniokoski directed Horror film stars Paz de la Huerta as a nurse who falls into an obsession with mentee Katrina Bowden while at the same time killing as many cheating men as she can.  Corbin Blue, Judd Nelson, Neicy Nash, and Boris Kodjoe are there as well, but it’s hard to take your eyes off of Paz as she’s nearly always bottomless and/or covered in blood and making some of the most bold and bizarre choices an actor can make. It’s also sort of electric? At times, at least. Truly indelible, this one sticks in the mind and our guest has some very insightful commentary to boot.  It’s a bloody, good time today, so tune in!

Kyle McLachlan, host of the podcast Combat Chronicles, appears to be leaping off the screen and into the studio with the horror comedy Piranha 3D.  This Alexandre Aja remake of an 80s horror classic promises all the joys of skinny dipping + piranhas, and it delivers whole-heartedly.  A packed cast of known names (Elizabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connel, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd, Kelly Brook and others) appear for varying amounts of screen time, and some of them even live until the end.  Also Steve McQueen’s grandson is in it, you know him right?  It walks the strange line of Bad On Purpose, So Bad It’s Good, and Knowing the Assignment that it’s a delightful cinematic ride through boobs and gore, so tune in!

Shelly Walston, host of the podcast Your Roots Are Showing, is back and is further exploring her past with Weird Science (1985).  For those who haven’t seen this John Hughes directed sex comedy, it’s about two young dweebs (Anthony Micheal Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith) who want to have sex so badly that they invent a whole person to do it with.  It’s less about plot and more about growing up, with Robert Downey Jr. and Bill Pullman playing the closest thing we have to antagonists. Everything is done with complete commitment and verve from all, but it’s a premise that has aged like milk.  Luckily Kelly LeBrock plays our Frankenstein’s monster and is the highlight of the 80's film that’s often remembered but actually forgotten.  Not so today, tune in!

Baker, musician, and artist Angela Carlucci is in the studio today and there’s taking us someplace dark with The Pit (1981).  This Canadian chiller is the story of a sexually-deviant 12-year-old boy, the long-term babysitter he lusts after and the sentient teddy bear who tells him to throw his enemies into a pit of trolls. The first two details make sense together, that bear and the titular pit are like a bolt out of the blue, much like this film.  No one will learn anything, nor will anyone respond appropriately to the boy who was “only watching you sleep.”  And, again, there’s the bear and the pit, also the trolls.  It’s a lot, yet turns out to be an oddly good time.  You can join us, have some laughs, and learn a little about the film financing trick that truly bolstered the output of Canadian cinema.  Tune in!

Podcaster and sex therapist Julie Setting is back, and they’re taking us through a pipe to the dystopian urban jungle of Super Mario Bros. (1993).  Be warned, this ain’t your kid’s Super Mario Brothers… which is probably why is maligned/ignored at the time.  This dark, sci-fi interpretation sees Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as the titular plumbers saving Samantha Mathis’s Princess Daisy from the evil King Koopa, played by Dennis Hopper.  Apart from those recognizable bones, the rest is bonkers and along the way you’ll see a mugging, a night club, several electrocutions, dino-headed goombas and, dare I say, a revolution. Some see it now as an interesting effort that can stand on its own merits and some don’t.  It’s a film of strong reactions and we have some explanations, so tune in!https://www.youtube.com/@bedroombrainiacs

Friend of the show Ryan Meyers has got our panel going because they’ve brought in almost literally a bang; it’s the cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!(1965). This Russ Meyer directed exploitation film sees a trio of go-go dancers off on a spree of crime and sexy situations across the California desert. It’s got violence, sex, kidnapping, drag racing, wrastlin’ and all the good stuff, yet was not positively met at the time.  It has since been reappraised (even once famously by noted feminist film critic B. Ruby Rich) and Tura Satana as Varla has entered the annals of time.  She’s basically electric and shot like a superhero: a true badass for the times and beyond.  We’re talking about the film that John Waters called “the best movie ever made”, so tune in!

Discord Dawg Mack Eochada sits down with us and they’ve brought their horny friend, Zandalee (1987).  This erotic drama combines the raw sexual energy of Judge Reinhold, Nicholas Cage and Erika Anderson along with his production chops, his acting skills and her body, respectively.  It’s weird, not sexy, but absolutely sexual and follows a relatively basic story arc: One is impotent, the other is spilling out sexuality and the last one is a female in a film, so pretty basic stuff.  Somehow, it’s not really like anything else, which is probably for the best.  Also, Nicholas Cage is really not phoning it in, he’s metaphorically swallowed the phone and he’s literally tearing through the scenery.  It’s great?  Tune in to find out!

Podcaster Dylan Roth (The Pod Universe with Dylan and Dalton) is back and this time they’ve brought a returning director, M. Night Shyamalan and his film Old (2021).  That’s right, we’re going to the beach that makes you old with Gael García Bernal, Rufus Sewell, and Ken Leung on the sand with us.  Adapted from the graphic novel Sandcastle, it manages to bulldoze over the existential horror of dying rapidly and just focus on how much physical ailments suck.  We’re really examining what works in this one and what flies too close to the sun.  You won’t want to miss it, so tune in!

Our good friend Pete Speer is back and he’s got a mission for us, it’s MegaForce (1981).  After a string of successes, Hal Needham could not land a hit with this action film, even with Barry Bostwick and Michael Beck to help.  It’s about a crack team of super soldiers from around the world as they proceed to get into at least 4 minutes of action (it’s timed), a mission they don’t complete and a courtship that often takes place over short distances while one or both parties are in the air.  It makes almost no sense, but it sure is flashy and we’re gonna break it all down and have a great time doing it, so tune in!

It’s our second annual Your Favorite Bad Reality Competition Show Special, and this year Chris and Anna are looking at Hell’s Kitchen.  Ostensibly a show about finding a chef to work in one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, it’s often more an excuse to watch people crack under pressure and to hear Gordon’s trademark creative expletives.  There’s never a dull moment to be had and we’re introducing a very special segment: our very own blind taste test!  Tune in!

Sharon Cunningham, a friend of the show and Chris’ first date, along with the crew are caught in a case of signing the contract before reading it and, unfortunately, we’re all watching Powder (1995).  This film stars Mary Steenburgen, Jeff Goldblum, Lance Henriksen, and Sean Patrick Flannery and it’s been buried due to reasons that can be googled (but don’t do that).  The attempt was to reexamine the film from the first date and have a lighthearted, good time, but this one got heavy very fast.  It’s up there with Shallow Hal (2001), but we’re doing our best so tune in and do not watch Powder! 

Friend of the show Courtney Collins is here to usher us out of the holidays and onto Dante’s Peak (1997).  One shouldn’t stay long on Dante’s Peak the mountain or in Dante’s Peak the town because one or both is going to erupt in this Roger Donaldson disaster picture that shouldn’t be confused with Volcano (1997).  This is the one where Peirce Brosnan has a strong feeling that the plot is going to happen and only mayor Linda Hamilton believes him.  This film, pun intended, is a blast and constantly outdoes itself with scene after scene that makes even less sense.  Plus gore!  Tune in!

It’s time, once again, to pick Our Favorite Bad Movie of the Year and it’s no secret; it’s Primitive War (2025).  This low-budget, sci-fi actioner is directed by Luke Sparke and stars Jeremy Piven, Trisha Helfer and Ryan Kwanten.  It centers around a war-worn unit of soldiers who are sent into the heart of the Vietnam to find out what happened to a lost unit and it turns out that the answers is… dinosaurs!  Do we need to say more?  Action packed and seriously full of dinosaurs, this film never relents in giving you what you want (dinosaurs) all while being competently made and deliciously stupid.  And we’ll discuss some other hits from the year, so don’t miss out.  Tune in!

Honorary employees Mallory and Rebekah Rine are extending the holidays here at the podcast and they’ve brought Mixed Nuts (1994) to pass.  This Nora Ephron directed remake of a French film that translates to Santa Claus is a Stinker stars Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Rita Wilson and too many others to list. It follows the “dark” adventures of non-profit workers being evicted for not making profits, and it’s Christmas Eve! Landing like a year-old fruit cake on the unsuspecting masses, most dodged it and the critics weren’t kind.   Still, it’s a classic holiday snack for the Rines, but will it pass muster with the panel?  Has age allowed the flavors to bloom? Tune in to find out!

It’s the last of our Employee Picks for the Holidays and Anna has a sweet treat for us all, Dear Santa (2011).  This Jason Priestley directed Lifetime movie stars Amy Acker as a woman desperate for a job or a man by Christmas Day.  Intercepting a child’s letter to a Santa seeking a wife for her father, Acker proceed to stalk and then work for the man she’s pining for.  Will they or won’t they? Can they save the non-profit soup kitchen from the bank? Will little Olivia get a wife for her father that isn’t Jillian?  You know the answers to these questions, but you don’t know the true weirdness of this mundane little heartwarmer, so tune in!

Our Holiday Employee Picks continue and Greg’s pick is another with Christmas in peril; it’s Ernest Saves Christmas (1988).  Jim Varney plays our titular character and he needs to help Santa find a replacement before we all lose Christmas FOREVER.  Get ready to see Ernest rip the wiring out of a wall, Reindeer walk on the ceiling and Santa confront his own failing mind.  It’s heartwarming, has just the right amount of that classic Ernest shtick, and has many pleasant surprises.  Then everyone will propose a concept for a new Ernest film, so it is a Happy Holiday.  Tune in!

It’s that time of year again and Chris is kicking off our Holiday Employee Picks with The Boy Who Saved Christmas (1998).  Despite the title, it’s actually about Santa’s adventures in LA dealing with amnesia all while trying to get back to the North Pole to save his wife from the clutches of his evil brother.  That’s correct: we’ve got a love triangle involving the Clauses.  There’s also henchmen that aren’t elves, email and lasers.  It’s not a stretch to say that this movie is kind of nuts.  In other words, it’s the perfect holiday treat, so get some cocoa and a blanket and tune in!

Lucy Valentine, host of the podcasts Boonta Vista and Savant Garde, is in the guest seat today and we’re excited to talk to her because she’s brought North (1994).  This Rob Reiner adaption of a young adult book stars Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis and too many others to list.  Despite all that talent on screen, the film did not land well, famously inspiring Roger Ebert’s hatred.  It’s a film for the neglected child in all of us while being full of adult humor and some very bizarre choices. All in all, it got us all talking and inspired many strong reactions, so tune in!

Manolo Moreno, host of Dr. Gameshow, is back and with him is Melisande Osnes who’s calling at the bottom of a tower for Barbie as Rapunzel (2002).  But Barbie will not let that hair down (don’t hold your breath), because this CGI family tale is about painting and being yourself, even if that means that you can’t tell anyone who you are.  It’s not what you’d expect and sits squarely in the uncanny valley.  Come for the life lessons, stay to watch a poorly animated otter/weasel coil around Anjelica Houston’s character’s neck.  It’s unforgettable, and an inspiration to the child in us all that doesn’t know what to paint, so tune in!

Molly Rich, a friend of the show, has got us out of horror-fueled haze with the breath of fresh air that is Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985).  Inspired by the popular song by Cyndi Lauper, it follows the exploits of new girl Sarah Jessica Parker who befriends Helen Hunt as they both attempt to get a part on Dance TV, all while navigating catholic school, an angry father, boys and nerves. Jonathan Silverman and Shannen Doherty are in the mix, too. It’s a good-hearted, fun coming-of-age film that can’t decide if it’s sexual or not, but who cares?  We all had a blast, and so can you, so tune in!

Ethan Sarezky, America’s foremost expert on collectible VHS tapes, is in the studio to talk about, and I can’t believe I’m typing this, My Father the Hero (1994).  Part of a wave of French remakes in the 90s, this film is about a young Katherine Heigl convincing an entire resort that her father, played by “complicated” actor Gerard Depardieu, is actually her boyfriend just to make someone else jealous.  It’s full of puzzling, if not upsetting choices, and leaves one with many questions and concerns, but we’re doing out best to field that.  Spoiler alert, listening is better than watching this time around, so tune in!

Finally, the leaves are changing color, Kennedy Cooper, host of the podcast The Most Important Election of Our Lives is here, and we’re getting the pumpkin spice lattes out for… Evil Bong(2006)?  While it may sound like a horror film (and it is), this Charles Band directed effort is more of stoner comedy that’s a love letter the Full Moon universe that also has a bong puppet and Tommy Chong in it.  Despite the fact that a good portion of the film takes place in the nightmarish strip club that Kennedy calls “bong world” the film feels much closer to hanging out with a group of friends rather than watching a movie.  Evil Bong can unite us all, even you, all you need to do is tune in!

Our final episode of Spoooooky Season is here and writer/editor/gamer Merritt K is back to throw open the doors of the haunted house that is Conquest (1983).  Not a typical horror film, but a gory, phantasmagorical, fantasy epic directed by famed Italian director Lucio Fulci.  A gauzy, meandering yarn of young demi-god(?) who brings the mind-boggling tech of a bow and arrow to a “primitive” people, which really freaks out the nude, mask-wearing woman who has dominion over therm.  It’s a lot of people in prosthetics, fog and arresting imagery and a pretty solid time with others, so tune in!

Friend of the show Christy Admiraal is here for Week Three of the Spoooooktacular and she’s brought up something mysterious from the basement, it’s Graveyard Shift (1990).  This Ralph S. Singleton film was based on a Stephen King short story and contains, if briefly, the enigmatic Brad Dourif.  It’s both a horror film and a slice-of-life film that both contain lots of rats.  One works better than the other, but that’s not exactly a compliment, though we all agree it has a certain charm.  And lots of thick, questionable accents.  And cute rats!  Anyways, shifts startin’, better punch in, then tune in!

Our spooktacular continues with journalist Dais Johnston whose got an especially wicked treat in their goody bag, The Last Horror Film (1982).  From former song-and-dance-man David Winters, it’s many things and one of those things is a meta-horror film about Joe Spinell’s Vinny stalking Caroline Munro’s famous scream queen Jana Bates at Cannes.  It was filmed guerilla style in France, has a cast of friends and (probably) people just found on the street and it’s full of inexplicable nudity and montages.  Sometimes the last two are even combined.  Anyway you slice it, this horror film got our attention, so tune in!

​Spooooooky season is here and so is our dear friend Kate Bellock.  This librarian is kicking off our spook-tacular by taking us to Horror School with Student Bodies (1981) a horror-comedy parody of slasher films.  Directed by Mickey Rose and staring a bunch of unknowns (including an unforgettable unknown called The Stick), it skewers many tropes of the genre all while flinging jokes at such a rapid pace that it’s hard to linger on the ones that don’t land.  All in all, it’s a pretty good time, so tune in!

Max Graves, cartoonist behind What Happens Next, drops round to our server and has something to stream, it’s Gamer (2009).  The penultimate feature of the directing duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, it stars Gerard Butler taking cover, has Michael C. Hall doing an accent and has Kyra Sedgewick, Jon Lequizamo and Terry Cruise as a TV anchor, a target and a homicidal maniac respectively.  It’s stupid, with hard to follow action, but it’s still compelling in its own way.  Both full of Bad Things and Good Things, it begs conversation, so tune in!

Matt Finnegan is back with another 90s sci-fi “classic”, Screamers (1995).  Peter Weller is our main star in this dystopian, sci-fi, horror film which is based on a Phillip K. Dick short story and written by Dan O’Bannon (Alien).  That’s a strong start, but the finishing touches of another writer punching up the dialogue, O’Bannon having no idea it was being made, and the direction of our first returning director, Christian Duguay, leaves an acrid taste.  At least it’s really interesting and has some strong visuals?  We’ll break it all down, so tune in!

Sara Lautman, New Yorker published cartoonist, has taken a chance on Quigley (2003) and struck gold.  This one isn’t Tom Selleck in Australia, or whatever, this is the one that has Gary Busey come back from death as a white Pomeranian who expressly can’t talk.  Can Busey/Dog change hearts?  He certainly won all of us over and it’s got us talking; we even get a bit existential.  It’s a journey of discovery as we ponder life with a dog/man who can save the day by playing video games.  Be sure to tune in!

David Weiner, director of the In Search of Darkness series of documentaries, is in the studio and they’ve brought something very unique: Terror in the Aisles (1984).  Far ahead of its time, it’s a compilation of "terror films" from cinema’s past that has Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen narrating from the audience, watching the films we’re watching.  Very meta, and full of so many great films! We’ll talk all about it with David AND we'll discuss his newest film, In Search of Darkness 1995-1999.  It’s not one to miss, so tune in!

Trevor Henderson, author of Scarewaves: Beyond the Grave and creator of Sirenhead, is sitting down with Chris and Anna to access a nostalgic pick, Creepshow 2 (1987). George Romero and Stephen King have smaller, behind the scenes roles in this anthology horror film sequel than it's predecessor.  It also had fewer stories, included some terrible animations and had Tom Savini appears in a mask, so you can’t tell it’s him.  Despite all of questionable choices, everyone agrees that  one section is one of the strongest pieces of horror cinema every recorded.  Tune in to hear all about it!

Yennaedo Balloo, host of the DnD Versus podcast, has the crew revisiting a cable staple, The Devil’s Advocate (1997). This faustian horror has Keaunu Reeves as a lawyer taken under the wing of Al Pacino’s Devil, all while ignoring his wife, Charlize Theron, who’s having her own set of problems.  Often gory and intense, too long, and full of scenery chewing it’s obviously gotten high ratings from the entire panel. Spoiler Alert, everyone will attempt a Pacino Impression, so tune in!

Friend of the podcast Larry Brown has brought something tasty for the panel, it’s Popcorn (1991).  Mark Herrier directed this meta-horror film that had a cast of largely unknown “teens” with veterans Dee Wallace, Tony Roberts, Tom Villard and Ray Walston rounding out the roster.  Ostensibly the story of a killer stalking a film festival, it also contains segments of four other fictional movies that make light of classic horror films and audiences.  It all adds up to a heady mix of horror, comedy and commentary, if that’s your thing.  And you’ll only find out… if you’re brave enough to tune in!