This week on the Atomic Cult, we are kicking off 2026 with a literal face-rip. Wes sits down to dismantle Primate, the surprise creature-feature that blends slasher logic with animal horror.

We discuss why this movie is more than just "trash cinema," breaking down the relentless grindhouse score, the brilliance of casting Troy Kotsur to build tension, and the "Uncanny Valley" terror of a chimp that uses a speech tablet to taunt his victims.

In this episode:

• The Hook: Why this is Cujo meets Hannibal Lecter.
• The Gore: Practical effects that will make you wince.
• The Analysis: Why a monkey unlocking a car door is scarier than a shark in the water.
• The Verdict: Is this the best horror surprise of the year so far?

If you enjoyed HBO’s Chimp Crazy but wished it had a higher body count, this episode is for you.

Is 2026 going to be the year of the "prestige" reboot, or are we staring down the barrel of another year of hollow IP farming?

Wes and Lucas crack open the 2026 release calendar to separate the treasure from the trash. We’re looking past the family-friendly tentpoles to find the movies that actually matter to us—the gritty sci-fi, the unhinged horror sequels, and the cult classics in the making.

In this episode:

• The Heavy Hitters: Why 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Avengers: Doomsday might actually live up to the hype.
• The Horror Slate: Breakdown of Scream 7, the new Evil Dead spinoff, and Lee Cronin’s take on The Mummy.
• Sci-Fi Hopes: Can Mickey 17 and Project Hail Mary save the genre?
• The Wild Cards: Why we are unironically excited for Street Fighter and the Cliffhanger reboot.

Grab your popcorn and prepare for some "inside baseball" analysis on what we’ll be watching (and what we’ll be roasting) this year.

Connect with Atomic Cult Media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AtomicCultMedia Twitter/X: https://x.com/AtomicCultMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atomiccultmedia/

Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) returns with No Other Choice, a pitch-black satire that asks a terrifying question: How many people would you kill to keep your upper-middle-class lifestyle?

In this episode of Atomic Cult Media, we dissect this "velvet painting done in blood." We break down Lee Byung-hun’s sweaty, desperate performance, the most visceral DIY dentistry scene in cinema history, and why the film’s automated ending is scarier than any ghost story.

We discuss:

• The Setup: Why this is Death of a Salesman meets Battle Royale.
• The Deep Dive: Analyzing the geometry of the cinematography and the "Vietnam War Gun" symbolism.
• The Verdict: Is this actually better than Oldboy? (Wes thinks it might be).
• The Ending: Did Man-su have a choice, or was he just looking for an excuse to let the monster out?

Join the Cult: If you enjoyed this deep dive, please leave us a 5-Star Review—it helps us keep the lights on in the bunker.

Connect with Atomic Cult Media:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AtomicCultMedia
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/AtomicCultMedia
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atomiccultmedia/

Tags: #NoOtherChoice #ParkChanWook #KoreanCinema #HorrorMovies #FilmAnalysis #LeeByungHun #AtomicCult

We wanted to love this movie. We really did. But The Carpenter’s Son proves that even a heartbroken Nicolas Cage can’t save a script that doesn't know if it wants to be an A24 masterpiece or a SyFy original.

In this episode, we dissect the "Beautiful Mess" of 2025’s biggest religious horror swing. We discuss why the "Teenage Jesus" (aka Teenjus) angle turns biblical awe into CW drama, the problem with the "Skinny Satan" reveal, and why the ending feels like it was edited with a Snapchat filter.

Discussion Points:

• Why Nicolas Cage is the only thing holding this movie together.
• The "Lore & Logic" of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas.
• Why "Skinny Satan" is the most disappointing reveal of the year.
• Is religious horror actually subversive anymore?

Begonia is a film that combines the Greek Weird Wave with a John Carpenter conspiracy thriller, exploring themes of satire in the information age and critiquing human arrogance. The story follows the abduction of Michelle Fuller by Teddy Gatz, who believes she is an Andromedan, leading to a series of tense and tragic events that culminate in a nihilistic ending.

Takeaways

• Satire of the information age
• Critique of human arrogance

Chapters

• 00:00 Begonia: The Greek Weird Wave Collides with a John Carpenter Conspiracy Thriller
• 05:06 Hitchcockian Sequence and Tragic Turning Point
• 10:38 The Nihilistic Ending and Brutal Critique of Human Arrogance

Is Pluribus a boring slog, or did Vince Gilligan just trick us into watching a masterpiece?

In this episode of Atomic Cult Media, we break down the entire first season of the most polite apocalypse in television history. We defend the controversial "slow burn" pacing, analyze the body-horror twist that recontextualized the entire show, and debate the true meaning of that cliffhanger ending.

Discussion Topics:

• The "Gaslight": Why the silence in the first six episodes was a trap designed to lower our defenses.
• The Horror Reveal: Breaking down "HDP" (Human-Derived Protein) and why the Hive Mind’s kindness is actually terrifying.
• The "Acebaby" Theory: Was Zosia’s romance a genuine connection, or a biological attack to harvest Carol’s eggs?
• The Crate: Did Carol actually bring a nuclear weapon, or is it a metaphor for the truth?
• Season 2 Predictions: Why the genre is shifting from "Survival Drama" to "War Movie."

Whether you are Team Manny (Burn it Down) or Team Zosia (Peace at Any Cost), this is the deep dive you’ve been waiting for.

Timestamps: (00:00) Intro: Did Vince Gilligan gaslight us? (00:46) The Atom Bomb & Carol's Immunity (01:04) Fly-Over: Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Terrence Malick (01:31) The Hive Mind: Viral RNA & Bagged Milk (02:19) HDP Explained: The Cannibalism Twist (03:40) "Charm Offensive": Weaponized Intimacy (04:23) Finale Deep Dive: "La Chica o El Mundo" (05:51) The Stem Cell Twist & "Acebaby" Theory (06:26) Ending Explained: What is in the Crate? (06:55) Final Verdict: Better than Breaking Bad? (08:29) Season 2 Predictions: The Ticking Clock (09:37) Is it worth the binge?

Usually, on Atomic Cult Media, we dig for the obscure and the weird. But today, we’re looking at the complete opposite: the highest-grossing film of all time.

We’re revisiting James Cameron’s Avatar. Is it a cinematic masterpiece that changed the industry, or just a tech demo with a forgettable story? We break down the visuals, the cultural impact (or lack thereof), and whether Pandora holds up without the 3D glasses.

Tags: #Avatar #JamesCameron #FilmReview #SciFi #Cinema