Dark Discussions Podcast

Welcome to The Rise of the Cordyceps Infected: A Last of Us Podcast. We discuss weekly each episode of the television series THE LAST OF US seen on HBOMax.

The V/H/S found footage film franchise has been a huge success. Cheap to make, bringing in established and up-and-coming talent, both behind the camera and on the pen, the series has made a ton of money and brought us some solid found footage in an anthology format. The latest in the franchise is V/H/S BEYOND (2024) which links together shorts mostly based upon visitors from another planet.

From IMDB: Six bloodcurdling tapes unleash horror in a sci-fi inspired hellscape, pushing the boundaries of fear and suspense.

The talent behind the camera includes Jordan Downey, Jay Cheel, Virat Pal, Justin Martinez, Kate Siegel, and Justin and Christian Long. The film was one of the highest rated in the franchise by critics, and received a release in September 2024 on the streaming service Shudder. Your co-hosts take a look at this film and give their thoughts.

Robots and artificial intelligence seems to be the wave of the future. There have been a number of interesting films discussing such a thing including SUBSERVIENCE (2024) and THE ARTIFICE GIRL (2023). Now the latest in the horror subgenre is COMPANION.

From IMDB: A weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns into chaos after it’s revealed that one of the guests is not what they seem.

Directed and written by Drew Hancock, the film stars Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, among others. The film was released on January 31st, 2025 and has received splendid reviews by both critics and audiences alike. Your co-hosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts.

Holiday films are themselves a subgenre of slasher films. For St. Valentine’s Day, we’ve had a few examples including VALENTINE (2001) and MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1989 and 2009). Now in 2025, we have a brand new one entitled HEART EYES.

From IMDB: For the past several years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. This Valentine’s Day, no couple is safe.

The film is directed by Josh Ruben and written by Philip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy. The cast includes Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding. Released on February 7th, 2025, the movie has received phenomenal reviews. Your co-hosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts.

Vampires don't die. Literally. They are still one of, if not the most popular monsters in literature. They have been modified and changed through time as their lore has evolved. The new Mexican horror film, VIOLENT DELIGHTS (2025), focuses on the psychopathic and violent nature of these monsters.

From IMDB: The already rocky relationship of expecting lovers Lizbeth and Javier is put to the test when they become entangled with a disenchanted vampire couple.

The movie was directed and written by Edin Martinez and had done well at festivals. The cast includes Ana Paulina Martinez, Guillermo Zapata, Ernesto Salinas, Jitzel Galicia, Paoola Hernandez, and Olivia Adriana Perez. Your co-hosts take a look at this new film and give their thoughts.

Stephen King’s THE SKELETON CREW from 1985 was a highly regarded collection of short stories and one novella that he collected together as a major release. The book has had a few of the stories made into film. One of them, THE MONKEY (2025), was just released to theaters only a week or two ago as this is written. After THE MIST, it is possibly the most famous of the tales in the book as the original hardcover had a picture of the drumming monkey toy that the story and movie is about.

From IMDB: When twin brothers Bill and Hal find their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start. The siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years.

The film is directed and written by the highly prolific Osgood Perkins. The film stars Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, and Colin O’Brien. Receiving positive reviews, the movie has gone on to make back its $10M USD budget and more. Your cohosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts.

Spectacle. That’s what old Hollywood was known for. And the 1972 film THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE was one of those big budget spectaculars with a huge superstar ensemble cast. When disaster movies were “fab” and this one definitely stood out as one of the best.

The last voyage of the wonderful cruise ship the Poseidon sets sail between New York City and Athens. After, it will be retired and decommissioned. While during the last leg of the cruise in the Aegean Sea, it is New Year’s Eve and many of the paying customers are having fun. However, an earthquake underwater creates a tsunami and the ship is in great peril.

The movie’s stars include Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, and Stella Stevens among many more. The film was directed by Ronald Neame and based on the novel by Paul Gallico. Getting fine reviews and making tons of money, the movie was a huge hit. With the recent passing of Gene Hackman, your co-hosts take a look at this classic film in cinema history and give their thoughts.

Post-apocalypse films are usually centered around a zombie apocalypse, a disease epidemic, or the results of a nuclear war. But also a religious apocalypse is as common when it comes the end of the world. The new film AZRAEL (2024) that appeared on Shudder is just that film.

From RottenTomatoes: "In a world in which no one speaks, a mysterious, devout community hunts down a young woman named Azrael (Samara Weaving) who has escaped their imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, she is to be sacrificed to pacify an evil which resides deep within the surrounding wilderness -- but Azrael will stop at nothing to ensure her own freedom and survival."

The film is written by highly acclaimed screenwriter Simon Barrett (YOU'RE NEXT (2011)) and directed by E.L. Katz (CHEAP THRILLS (2013)) while starring Samara Weaving (THE BABYSITTER (2017)). The film has received mixed reviews and is from IFC/Shudder. Your co-hosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts.

Mental health, cluster B, bipolar, and OCD - there are so many types of behavioral health disabilities. The new movie, RED ROOMS (2025), seems to be a film about a man that has been arrested as a potential serial killer. But is it? The movie actually focuses on a person that in no way is involved in the case or the trial or the crime, until she places herself into it.

From RottenTomatoes: "The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the puzzle: the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl, to whom Kelly-Anne bears a disturbing resemblance."

A Quebec produced French language film, RED ROOMS (2025) is directed and written by Pacal Plante. The film stars Juliette Gariépy as a fashion model named Kelly-Anne in a fabulous performance. The casts also includes Laurie Babin, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, and Elisabeth Locas. Getting excellent reviews, your co-hosts take a look at this new movie and give their thoughts.

Artificial Intelligence is one of the greatest technologies and is changing the world as we know it. Some scientists are trying incorporate it with robots and even first generational androids. Either way, horror movies have run with the “robot gone bad” scenario. The latest film starring Megan Fox doesn’t disappoint.

From IMDB: Follows a struggling father who purchases a domestic SIM to help care for his house and family, unaware she will gain awareness and turn deadly.

Directed by S.K. Dale (TILL DEATH (2021)) and starring Megan Fox, Michele Morrone, Madeline Zima, and Matilda Firth, the film was cowritten by Will Honley and April Maguire. The movie has received mixed reviews. Your co-hosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts.