Dark Discussions Podcast

Director Pascal Laugier made a name for himself with his French language film, MARTYRS (2008).  Though his career hasn’t taken off for a number of reasons, some of his films still have garnered a cult following by many horror fans.  One of them, INCIDENT IN A GHOSTLAND (2018), didn’t generate the amount of talk as MARTYRS, but it definitely was noticed by core fans of the director.

Colleen inherits a home from an aunt.  Taking her two daughters, Beth and Vera, with her one night, they move into the remote farm home to begin a new life.  But the evening they arrive, the two young teenagers read in the local newspaper of serial killings that have occurred in the local county.  Unfortunately, there first day in the house may not be what they had expected.

INCIDENT IN A GHOSTLAND has received mixed reviews for various reasons, including some of its subject matter as well as the twists that the director chose.  Though somewhat forgotten by horror fans, the podcast crew have decided to take a look at this interesting movie and give their thoughts.

Finally, years later, the film version of THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (2023) has been released. Stuck in development hell for over a decade, the idea for such a film has shifted between different stars, directors, writers, and even producers. But somehow Universal got it off the ground, bringing in director Andre Ovredal (THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016) on board.

When a Russian ship sets sale from Varna, Bulgaria to London, England, strange things begin to happen to the captain and crew. Members of the crew die violent deaths, others disappear, and some even say they saw a "demon" on board. Soon they wonder what really is in the cargo that they are carrying with them.

The movie is based on the seventh chapter of the Bram Stoker novel, DRACULA (1897), entitled The Captain's Log. Though based off the novel, the liberties to the source material are so immense, some wonder if it really is a Dracula tale at all. Meeting up at the Dark Discussions Podcast yearly meetup in Mystic, CT, the podcast crew (and guests) give their thoughts on the movie.

One room.  Just one room.  Horror and thriller movies have used the technique often.  It makes a film almost like a stage play where actors and actresses can shine.  The new Shutter exclusive release, BROOKLYN 45 (2023), most certainly does this.  There are only a handful of performers and truly one and only one room for 95% of the film. 

A group of friends, both military veterans and intelligence employees, meet up at the end of World War II for a dinner set up by their friend and leader Lieutenant Colonel Clive Hockstatter.  Though it is time to celebrate as the war has ended, Hockstatter’s wife recently took her own life.  Soon, the Lieutenant Colonel has let his guests know he has another intention for the invite that is more than dinner and reminiscing. 

Highly successful independent filmmaker Ted Geoghegan is back as writer/director for this new supernatural horror movie.  The film stars a number of fine actors in an ensemble cast including genre favorite Jeremy Holm.  Your co-hosts take a look at the recently released thriller and give their thoughts.

What is the definition of a legend? Well, Paul Schrader fits the bill. Though not known for his horror films, much of his work is dark and is considered in the thriller genre. Whether directing or writing, or both, much of his work is considered some of film history’s best.  His ability to show the human psyche is unmatched. The latest film by him, MASTER GARDENER (2023), was released on May 19th, 2023.  

Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) is the head gardener of the famous Haverhill Estate’s Gracewood Gardens owned by its dowager, Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). Norma decides to bring back her last blood relative, Maya Core (Quintessa Swindell), to the property to work with Narvel and his team so she could one day inherit the mansion and garden and keep it within the family. When Maya gets in trouble, Narvel decides to help the young woman, bringing back a very dark past that he has tried to move on from.

The cast includes Joel Edgerton in an amazing performance taken from the script written by director/writer Paul Schrader. The supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver and Quintessa Swindell in very important roles. The movie, though not a major release by Hollywood standards, has received excellent reviews from critics. Even from such a prominent talent as Schrader, the film seems to have been overlooked by audiences. Your co-hosts take a look at director’s latest and gives their thoughts.

Legal thrillers have been a staple of Hollywood films for decades. Long before the rating system and when film was black and white, they dominated theaters. In 2007, the film MICHAEL CLAYTON became a big hit. It was more a character study than just a legal thriller, and it included such topics as business corruption, mental illness, and family drama too.

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a lawyer for a big New York City law firm. Rather than being a partner, he’s called a cleaner or a janitor, someone that cleans up the messes of the firm’s top clients. When lawyer, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown and may expose the corruption of client U-North, U-North’s internal council, Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton), has to make a rash decision. In the meantime, Michael has to find Arthur, saving their case, and try to clean up the mess.

The film received seven Academy Award nominations including a win for Tilda Swinton for Best Supporting Actress. The movie was directed and written by Tony Gilroy and included in the cast Ken Howard, Sydney Pollack, and Denis O’Hare. Receiving amazing reviews, and considered a masterpiece, the movie went on to make $93M USD. Your cohosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts.

Anthology television shows have been quite popular over the years.  With the TWILIGHT ZONE, ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, and THE OUTER LIMITS, the genre has been around for years.  HBO’s MASTERS OF HORROR was one that pushed the limits.  An unlikely successor to these shows was BLACK MIRROR.  It eventually was picked up by Netflix after British television ended its run.  Now on Season 6, the show has picked up right where it left off.

Season 6 includes the episodes JOAN IS AWFUL, LOCH HENRY, BEYOND THE SEA, MAZEY DAY, and DEMON 79.  Each is completely different than the prior and have a mix of comedy, horror, darkness, and sadness.  One even if a throwback to grindhouse cinema from the 1970’s.

Actors include Salma Hayek, Annie Murphy, John Hannah, Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Mara.  Show creator and co-showrunner Charlie Brooker is the primary writer of the episodes.  You co-hosts take a look at this five episode season of television and give their thoughts.

Killer children has been a staple in horror films since cinema began.  Also, telepathy and other mental powers has been a common trope too in movie history.  The latest supernatural thriller from Norway entitled THE INNOCENTS (2022) joins both these horror subgenres together and gives a new spin on the malevolence of a young unformed mind with powers they cannot control.

From Wikipedia:  “Lonely young girl Ida and her older sister Anna have moved into an apartment with their parents. Anna suffers from nonverbal autism, Ida having to take responsibility for her. One day Ida meets Ben and the two strike up a friendship. Strange things begin to happen after the two explore the apartment complex's basement. Somehow Anna seems to be able to form a spiritual connection with another girl named Aisha who lives nearby. Soon Anna begins to speak again.”

Starring a very young cast from Norway, the film was directed and written by Eskil Vogt, who gained some notice for his debut film THELMA from 2017.  THE INNOCENTS has been reviewed by over a hundred English language critics who have generally given it a very positive review.  Your co-hosts take a look at this film and give their critique.

On episode 585 of the podcast, we reviewed and discussed the new horror film FOLLOW HER (2023).  All of us felt the film was a hidden gem and definitely a movie everyone should watch.  With its twists and turns, a second watch is as good a first as things that were missed are not clearly seen.  For this episode we were lucky to get actress/screenwriter Dani Barker and director Sylvia Caminer to join us and discuss their fantastic movie.

From IMDB:  “An aspiring actress responds to a mysterious classified ad and find herself trapped in her new boss’s twisted revenge fantasy.”

Though the IMDB blurb is slight on information, the movie is so much more as it focuses on social media influencers, one’s internal conscious, as well as family relationships and how those create online content may actually create nothing at all.  Your co-hosts ask our guests a lot of great questions and learn more about the film and filmmaking in general.

Back in the early 2000’s, the big horror genre that everyone was talking about was the French Extreme cinema.  Basically it was an over-the-top subgenre of horror film that was called back the shocking days of drive-in cinema but with more realistic and less grindhouse in its approach.  One of these films became an instant classic.  That film was called INSIDE (2007).

Sarah (Alysson Paradis) was in an awful car accident that leaves her a widow.  Pregnant and all alone, she keeps busy with her office job and her home chores.  On Christmas Eve, she doesn’t accept either her mother’s or her boss’s offers to spend the holiday with either.  While police are busy with city riots, a woman knocks on her door asking to use the phone.  When Sarah refuses using the excuse that her husband is sleeping, the woman says that she knows he is dead.

The film also stars French legend Beatrice Dalle.  Co-directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo off a script by Bastillo, the film received rave reviews for those who could endure it.  A patreon pick by listeners, your co-hosts take a look at this cult classic and gives their thoughts.

We may be a week late as life happens, but we are back. For our fourth lesbian arthouse film during Pride Month of June, Halloween Boutique Psychotronic Reviews takes a look at the drama ANATOMY OF A LOVE SEEN (2014). A movie where a film takes place within a film.

Zoe (Sharon Hinnendael) and Mal (Jill Evyn) are two popular actresses who star in a new film together. Playing lesbian lovers, the two actually fall in love while filming their sex scene. Unfortunately their relationship ends horribly. When the two are called back once more to film the TV edit of the movie, they are forced to face each other after no contact for months.

The film was written, directed, and co-stars prolific director Marina Rice Bader. Also included in the cast is Constance Brenneman as Anne, the producer of the film within the film. Your co-hosts take a look at the film and give their thoughts.