For our final Festivus episode of 2024, we're taking a look at a film we thought we already did for the show: 2004's Christmas with the Kranks! It also happens to be the 20th anniversary of the film. We're talking all things Kranks, including our drinking game, the spirit of community/communism throughout the movie, and the muddled themes about being coerced into the Christmas tradition. We're also drinking Jack's Abby's Cranberry Chaos lager.

Approximate timeline

0:00-15:00 Intro

15:00-25:00 Beer talk

25:00-end Christmas with the Kranks

We hope you enjoyed our Festivus series this year, and we'll be back with more episodes of random cult films in 2025. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, yada yada yada.

We're tackling another classic Christmas horror slasher, this time replacing a killer Santa with a guy who kills Santas. This 1984 English thriller melds slasher with giallo and everything in between, and we talk about what makes this one different from things like, say, Silent Night, Deadly Night besides the killer's motive. We're also drinking Deschutes' Black Butte Porter!

Approximate timeline

0:00-7:00 Intro

7:00-15:00 Beer talk

15:00-end Don't Open Till Christmas

Next up: the end of this year's Festivus Series!

No, this isn't Chaberting Gifts Pt. 2 but it's understandable you might think that seeing Lacey Chabert in another Christmas movie on this podcast. This time we're covering the new Netflix original Hot Frosty, a modern retelling of the timeless children's classic where a snowman comes to life with really rockin' abs. We talk about the town of Hope Springs and the sexualization of this Hallmark-esque Christmas movie, and we even get into some holiday cheer! We're also drinking Hardywood's Gingerbread Stout.

Approximate timeline

0:00-12:00 Intro

12:00-20:00 Beer talk

20:00-end Hot Frosty

Festivus continues next week!

We know Pauly Shore isn't everyone's boat of gravy, and he's even Martin's not a fan. But we thought this year's Thanksgiving episode would go good with a side of Shore, so we're doing the oft-overlooked classic Son in Law. A favorite of Ryne's family, we get two opposing views about this comedy that involves a California transplant learning the farm life in South Dakota and, eventually, being roofied by his friend's ex-boyfriend. We talk about the movie, our Thanksgiving festivities, and a lot more on this special episode. We're also drinking 3 Floyds War Mullet Double IPA, the first 3 Floyds on the show.

Approximate timeline

0:00-10:00 Intro

10:00-20:00 Beer talk

20:00-end Son in Law

Soon: Festivus Series returns!

RIP Tony Todd.

In honor of the Candyman himself, we decided it was high time we tackled a classic Gothic slasher that we've put off for too long. In this episode, we discuss the complex themes of gentrification, systemic racism, and seduction at play in Bernard Rose's Candyman. We also discuss who wins in the battle between Candyman and Bloody Mary - or is it Helen? We're drinking Saranac's newly revitalized White IPA on this episode!

Approximate timeline

0:00-10:00 Intro

10:00-20:00 Beer talk

20:00-end Candyman

Next up: our Thanksgiving episode!

For our last episode of Saxon Samhain, we're tackling a lesser known, horny and hair-raising John Saxon film with My Mom's a Werewolf from 1989. This film seems like it would meet the pre-teen dynamic of other films of the time like Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead but it's a lot more risque than that, banking on sexual innuendos and the inner animal as part of its werewolf metaphor. And you know what, it's pretty fun for what it does - we talk about the great Saxon in a Vincent Price-style role, the film's hamfisted comedy, and there's even some actual Halloween in the movie too!

We're also drinking 1911 Hard Cider's Loganberry Buffalo Bills tie-in.

Approximate timeline

0:00-12:00 Intro

12:00-17:00 Beer (cider) talk

17:00-end My Mom's a Werewolf

That does it for Saxon Samhain and the Halloween season! Thanks for sticking with us through thick and thin. We'll be back in a couple weeks with some more usual coverage and then move into the holiday fare.

Not to be confused with Sergio Martino's other scorpion movie The Case of the Scorpion's Tale, this pseudo-giallo film follows an ancient Etruscan history, the murder of John Saxon's character, and a drug-smuggling ring in a very muddled plot that was originally intended to be a limited run TV series. Unfortunately, this movie is often tedious to get through and has no real grasp of the viewer throughout, so we struggle to find some interesting things to say about this misstep in Martino's filmography. We're also drinking Goodwater Brewery's McAllister Irish Red Ale!

Approximate timeline

0:00-11:00 Intro

11:00-18:00 Beer talk

18:00-end The Scorpion with Two Tails

Next up: we finish Saxon Samhain with a look at My Mom's a Werewolf!

We're tackling a creature feature of sorts with The Bees, not the only movie about stinging insects to be released in 1978. It is, however, one of the weirder ones in the canon due to its scientific exploration of bee language, their sentience, and a lot of mumbo jumbo about the Big Honey industry. We talk about all of that and more, and it's important to note this one scores big on the Saxon-y Scale.

We're also drinking Burlington Beer Company's Light in the Window Rye IPA.

Approximate timeline

0:00-10:00 Intro

10:00-17:00 Beer talk

17:00-end The Bees

More Saxon Samhain on the horizon next week!

Oof - beyond a stinker! This 1980 possession film starring John Saxon and Lynda Day George was a tough one to get through and a tough one to talk about, mostly because not a lot happens. As a haunted house movie, it's boring; as a tale of a housewife overcome by the ghost of a malevolent spirit, it's boring; as a John Saxon movie, it's boring. There's just no better way to put it, and we talk about where it all goes wrong on this episode.

We're drinking Fidens' Festbier for the beer on the show! At least that was good.

Approximate timeline

0:00-8:00 Intro

8:00-15:00 Beer talk

15:00-end Beyond Evil

Saxon Samhain continues all month long. Thanks for your support! As always, please subscribe on any podcast app to continue getting us in your feed.

Also known as Cannibal in the Streets, we're talking about John Saxon's contribution to cannibal film with a look at this PTSD-turned-cannibal-virus film. It's a strange concoction from Italian director Antonio Margheriti and we discuss how the PTSD element works, the inclusion of the kind of icky romance, the various cannibal gore effects, and a whole lot more.

We're also drinking Whitman Brewing's Festbier AND their Oktoberfest!

Approximate timeline

0:00-8:00 Intro

8:00-15:00 Festbier

15:00-50:00 Cannibal Apocalypse

50:00-55:00 Oktoberfest

55:00-end More Cannibal Apocalypse!

Continuing Saxon Samhain all Halloween season!