Dark Discussions Podcast

Pretty co-eds are one of the staples of horror films.  Also girl dormitories, sororities, and even girl sports teams.  The new film, SÉANCE (2021), follows some of these tropes.  It is an obvious love letter to films of the past with slasher elements, ghostly hallways, a possible final girl, and things just not being as they appear.  Séance

The all girls prestigious high school, Edelvine Academy, gets a new student named Camille (Suki Waterhouse).  She is assigned the old bedroom of a former student that died in mysterious circumstances.  When lights begin to flicker and a faint presence moves among the shadows, Camille and the girls of her dorm wing begin to think the ghost of a former student that died years before is making its existence known.

SÉANCE is the directorial debut of the prolific and talented genre screenwriter, Simon Barrett.  Barrett’s writing of such films as THE GUEST (2014), YOU’RE NEXT (2011), and  A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE (2010) has made him a staple among horror fans.  Now with his first film as a director, does SÉANCE live up to those great films that he wrote?  Dark Discussions takes a look at SÉANCE and gives their thoughts.

“Freedom is a Human Right” says the trailer for the 2011 film CIRCUMSTANCE.  A movie with an LGBTQ theme yet it is much more.  When basic rights are taken away from people, and a power structure controls how you should act and how you should think, then what is one’s quality of life?  The movie looks at this phenomenon through the eyes of one family.

Atafeh and her friend Shireen are young women living in the Tehran, Iran.  While in public, the two follow the morality laws of the nation while also wearing the required hijab.  But privately at home, Atafeh and her family are much more liberal.  They play music, drink alcohol, and do things not unfamiliar in Western homes.  But when Atafeh’s brother Mahran arrives home from a drug rehabilitation clinic, Atafeh and her family’s daily life changes vastly.

The movie is written and directed by New York City filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz with an internation cast of Persian speaking actors and actresses.  Appearing at Sundance, the movie received impressive reviews by critics.  You co-hosts continuing their Pride Month themed films discuss the movie and give their thoughts.

THE CONJURING from 2013 was one of the most successful ghost story horror films in a long time.  Not only did it get respect from both horror fans and critics alike, but the movie spun off to its own universe.  Since then, spin off movies such as THE NUN (2018) and ANNABELLE (2014) have happened, where ANNABELLE became its own film series.  Now in 2021, THE CONJURING:  THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT (also known as THE CONJURING 3) has arrived.

In 1981, young Connecticut man Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor) murders his fiancé’s boss.  After being arrested, the Warrens (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) tell the defense attorney that Arne was possessed by a demon when he committed the atrocious act.  With most not believing such a story, the Warrens go out and investigate the crime discovering that another murder up in Danvers, Massachusetts may be related.  Soon their worries may indeed be true.

THE CONJURING 3 is the first film in the movie franchise that does not have James Wan directing.  Instead Michael Chaves takes the helm directing a script by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.  Though the franchise is well known for its quality, this third installment received mixed to positive reviews by critics.  Dark Discussions takes a look at the film and gives their opinion.

This episode contains news of the miscellany, worms with metal jaws, blacker than black  fish, and a review of The Stylist.

1971 was a very turbulent time.  As the babyboomer generation began to flex their muscles, different ways of life began to grind together like two stones rather than fit together like two puzzle pieces.  But at least discussions happened, even if a bit tense.  The 2015 French film, SUMMERTIME, takes a look at the time period through the lens of two young women trying to find themselves.

When young lesbian Delphine (Izïa Higelin) leaves her family farm for a job in Paris, she meets a young women’s lib activist named Carole (Cécile de France (HIGH TENSION, THE HEREAFTER)).  When Delphine brings out Carole’s sexuality, the two begin a torrid relationship that suddenly is interrupted when Delphine must return to her family farm due to a family illness.  Being 1971, and the cultural shock between city and rural life, can their relationship last with so many obstacles?

Halloween Boutique Psychotronic Reviews continues the theme for Pride Month with the second in a series of four lesbian arthouse films.  The movie is written and directed by Catherine Corsini and also stars Noémie Lvovsky as Delphine’s mother.  Cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie does fantastic work with the film’s rural and farm set pieces.  Your co-hosts take a look at the movie and give their thoughts.

Time travel films are an interesting lot. It’s been a trope that has been used all the way back to H.G. Wells’ novel, THE TIME MACHINE. Some of the most popular include BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) and LOOPER (2012) just to name two of them. But there have been many indy type films that used it as a plot. One recent one is VOLITION (2020) coming out of Canada.

James Odin (Adrian Glynn McMorran) has the ability of clairvoyance, ESP, or the ability to use quantum physics to his advantage. As a result, the local mob has always been friendly with him since whatever he does have, James seems to help them get around any police investigation. When the mob boss hands him a bunch of stolen diamonds to help fence, a vision warns him that something isn’t right.

The film is directed by Tony Dean Smith and includes Magda Apanowicz and John Cassini in the cast. Though unseen by many genre fans, the movie has an outstanding rottentomatoes score. Your co-hosts, on the recommendation of Eric, take a look at one of his favorite genre films of 2020.

Welcome to Halloween Boutique Psychotronic Reviews theme month. June has been designated as Pride Month for the LGBT community. So to fit with the month, once again the podcast has decided to review various art house lesbian films as we did last year. To start off, we discuss the 2006 film THE GYMNAST.

What happens when your dreams pass you by? And you begin to sleepwalk each day? Jane (Dreya Weber), a former gymnastic star who’s dreams were derailed due to a boycott of the Olympics and then having her career ended due to injury four years later, is now 42. While being a professional masseuse, she continues to keep her body in competition style. She has a chance meeting with an old friend which leads to training as an aerialist with two other women. Soon she finds out life may not have passed her by after all.

THE GYMNAST stars Dreya Weber as Jane Hawkins, not only creating a character at a crossroads in life, but also doing her own stunt work. The film was directed by her husband, Ned Farr, from a script by Michael Carp. The movie also co-stars Addie Yungmee as Serena. Your co-hosts take a look at this character study that also delves into the training behind such acts as Cirque du Soleil.

Zack Snyder’s career started off with a bang. His zombie film, DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004), based off James Gunn’s script was and is considered one of the best zombie films ever made. Though a remake, it refreshed the zombie genre and gave it a huge boost that turned it into one of the biggest subgenres of horror in the early part of the 21st century. Now, in 2021, he revisits the horror genre with his latest film, ARMY OF THE DEAD (2021).

When a zombie virus escapes from a military convoy while heading to Area 51, Las Vegas becomes ground zero for a zombie plague. Now the city is completely walled in and those on the other side are the living dead. When a casino mogul hires a brigade to enter the city to retrieve millions of dollars left behind in his casino vault, the group must survive a danger greater than any military mission.

The movie was co-written by Zack Snyder on a story he developed. The film stars Dave Bautista along with a large ensemble cast of character actors. ARMY OF THE DEAD has received generally favorable reviews from critics while getting much love from horror fans. Dark Discussions takes a look at Snyder’s latest film and give their thoughts.

Back on Volume 019, we reviewed a haunted house film entitled KNOW FEAR (2021). It was released in Q1 of this year and immediately got fantastic buzz on the internet as well as from many critics. With a little luck, your co-hosts were able to get the director/screenwriter and screenwriter/producer/composer to come on this latest episode and discuss their latest film.

Donald Capel (David Alan Basche) and his wife Wendy (Amy Carlson) move into a nice suburban home that unfortunately has a checkered past.  When Wendy finds an old book in the cellar of the house, her behavior suddenly changes greatly.  After a cooking accident, her niece (Mallory Bechtel), an amateur ghost hunter, decides to study the old tome only to unleash what may be an evil entity that has come to take all their souls.

Director/screenwriter Jamison M. LoCasio and producer/screenwriter/composer Adam Ambrosio took a bit of their time to discuss all things related to movies. They talk about the film's story, music, special effects, characterizations, among so much more. If you want to learn even more about one of the best horror films of 2021, take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

Director John Krasinski returns for A QUIET PLACE PART 2. The first film A QUIET PLACE (2018) starring Emily Blunt was a huge blockbuster back in 2018. With its great success, the producers and film company wanted to get a sequel out ASAP. After some convincing, both Krasinski and Blunt agreed, and this latest film originally was to be released in March 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic occurred resulting in its delay. Finally on May 28th, 2021, A QUIET PLACE PART 2 debuted.

After the end of the prior film, our surviving family members of the Abbott family leave their prior wrecked home for a new life. When they stumble upon a steel factory where their old friend, Emmit (Cillian Murphy), has made his home, he warns them that many people in this post-apocalyptic world are not worth saving. When Regan (Millicent Simmonds) sneaks off to go look for survivors, Emmit goes off to find her while Evelyn (Emily Blunt) stays back with her two other children to try to keep them safe.

The movie made $58.5 million USD during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, outperforming especially during a time when not all theaters were open. A QUIET PLACE PART 2 has received critical acclaim by most critics and the performances of the small cast have been given rave reviews. Dark Discussions takes a look at this new movie in the latest horror franchise.