Send us a text

Raygun Busch, frontman of Chat Pile and lover of all things Jason Voorhees, stops by to celebrate and interrogate the Friday the 13th franchise and tell the world and God WHY IT RULES.

Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th doesn't exist without John Carpenter's Halloween, but what did the saga of Jason Voorhees and his vengeful mother actually help codify for mainstream audiences in a way no other slasher had at that point?

Raygun delves into the behind the scenes history of the franchise and bares all about why the original Friday the 13th may be his favorite movie ever. The different director's are discussed, with Sandy trying to make the case for why Steve Miner should be canonized as a great director, while Mr. Busch has a bone to pick with Jason Lives director Tom McLoughlin for disrespecting the mythology.

Also, is the Michael Bay produced 2009 remake actually a worthy film in the franchise?

And this barely scratches the surface of what all these nerds dive into and talk about. Shit gets kooky, so pitch your tent and get ready for a deep dive into one of the totemic slasher franchises.

Follow Raygun on Instagram and Letterboxd, stupid!

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

Superhero summer comes to an end with M. Night Shyamalan's Eastrail 177 trilogy - Unbreakable, Split, and Glass, the very normal trilogy that had very normal audience reactions!

And who better to dive into Shyamalan's attempt to deconstruct superhero mythology than with actual comic book shop owner (Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma!) Matthew Price?

The origins of the contemporary superhero are laid out, such as vigilantism's racist roots and Fredrich Nietzsche's ubermench's Hitler/Nazi hijacking being repurposed and repackaged by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in Action Comics #1, as well as the comics boom of the 80s and 90s, and one comic shop owner's perspective on how lovely the empathy that reading inspires can be.

Also discussed are the pros and cons of the comics and film mediums, and the individual strengths of both.

And then, WE GET INTO IT. What was M. Night Shyamalan actually trying to explore with this trilogy? How much does Unbreakable have in common with Spider-Man 2 with regards to middle-aged impotence? Why does it sound like Sanford's trying to justify the cannibalism in Split? Matthew Price saw Glass for the first time about twelve hours before recording this, and boy does he have some questions.

And just what sort of philosophy or messaging does this trilogy land with by the end of Glass? Is it a nightmarish vision of a lack of agency and not being able to see your place in the world? Is it an uplifting and hopeful love letter to the interconnectedness of humanity? Is it neither and both? Some truly wild stuff!

Follow Matthew Price on Substack and Instagram!

Watch these videos for more learning and context!

Not Just About Superheroes - The Hidden Metaphor In Glass

M. Night Shyamalan 2018 Drexel Commencement Speech

How Marvelman Changed Superheroes

Logan: Superhero Movies Get Old

Maus: How To Design A Comic Book Page

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

Podcast listeners, assem--*falls down an elevator shaft*

Superhero summer nears its end with its penultimate episode, looking at the legacy of the mega-blockbuster Avengers films.

Caleb Masters (The Cinemetropolis) makes his debut on this very podcast, alongside Dalton Stuart (GoodTrash Media) who makes his fifth appearance and is newly-anointed as Death By Movies' Resident Little Stinker, a very serious responsibility, and they join Stupid Sandy to discuss how the Avengers movies hold up half a decade later as movies, what the experimental form of the MCU did for mainstream serialized storytelling and media literacy, and wondering if the MCU might jerk off militaristic thinking a little too much?

It gets super weird and kooky! So snap your fingers together (or press play) and see if these movies are just light fun or if society is doomed!

Follow Caleb on Instagram and Letterboxd, stupid!

Follow Dalton on Instagram and Letterboxd, stupid!

Further learning:

What's Next For Superhero Movies

The Marvel Symphonic Universe

The Avengers - Defining an Act

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

Andrew McDonald (fixer of Madame Web!) swings by to visit the podcast he helped build to keep our superhero summer rolling along by talking about our friendly neighborhood Spider-Movies!

We deep-dive into all ten theatrically released films dealing with The Human Spider, starting with Sam Raimi's 2002 paradigm-shifting Spider-Man all the way through 2023's paradigm-shifting Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, answering important questions like:

Does Spider-Man 3 really need to be fixed? Are the two Amazing Spider-Man movies abominations that must be thrown into the sun? Do the MCU/Tom Holland-verse movies focus too much on Iron Man and nostalgia for other Spider-Men? What do Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse do to explore the fundamental ideas of what makes a Spider-Man, and how do they push the boundaries of mainstream animation?

And there are even a few atrocities committed, such as Sanford comparing the stories of the first Spider-Man to puberty and Spider-Man 2 to a mid-life crisis filled with impotence and frustration, and he just keeps going and everyone gets uncomfortable.

Like, god, stop.

And finally, we try to break down the various wants and desires of each iteration of Peter Parker (and beyond!) such as his romantic interests and commitment to responsibility and how those relate or kick against the movies around them, as well as the magic that the normal person Danny Elfman brought to the cinematic legacy.

Strap in, because this shit gets kooky!

Baked In A Buttery Flaky Crust

Follow Andrew on Instagram and Letterboxd, stupid!

Further learning:

The Horror Short Film in Spider-Man 2

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

Bat-freaks! An extra-stuffed episode awaits you as legendary comedian BradChad Porter grapple-guns by to try and unpack why Batman seems tailor made for the big screen!

Important questions are raised, such as: what does Batman have in common with Zorro and Davy Crockett? Has any actor had as much fun as Jack Nicholson did while making Tim Burton's Batman? Why does the character seem to thrive so much on reinterpretation? What made Batman Begins feel so revolutionary? Is Batman Forever actually kind of a secret masterpiece?

BradChad shares why he thinks animation is "cinema perfected," mass shootings and real-life violence in relation to Batman's ever-moving stature in culture are unpacked, and Will Arnett is given his rightful due in the Bat-canon.

It gets personal and kooky, sometimes all at once, so settle in with some popcorn WINK WINK.

Find BradChad on Letterboxd and Instagram, stupid!

Further learning:

The Problem With DC Action Scenes

The Evolution of Batman's Gotham City

The Dark Knight - Creating the Ultimate Antagonist

Why The Batman's Sound Is Different

Why Vigilantes Can't Deliver Meaningful Justice

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

Superman's arrival was the apotheosis of the contemporary comic book superhero, the character all superheroes after were measured against or reacting to.

Yet for the character's massive pop cultural footprint across the decades, his cinematic legacy has been largely wonky at best and divisive at worst. What is it about the design of the character that makes him so tricky to adapt in the film medium?

Actor, filmmaker, and fellow Superman nerd Adam Hampton (Play It Loud and Out of Exile) stops by to help dissect the live-action Superman movies and ruminate on the importance of the character and why he means so much to so many.

Important questions are asked, such as: why does it not matter that Christopher Reeve isn't super jacked? What exactly the hell is going on with Lois Lane's son in Superman Returns? What does, despite its flaws, Man of Steel "get right," and what even is "getting it right" with this particular character?

And looking ahead, what are our hopes and fears for James Gunn's take on Superman, starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan?

Follow Adam Hampton on Instagram!

Further learning:

Superman 2: What Happens When You Change Directors Mid-Movie

Batman v Superman: The Fundamental Flaw

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

Jaws is one of the most effective and consequential motion pictures in this history of the medium, and an absolute staple around Fourth of July, so naturally we're giving the people what they want by devoting time to unpacking Jaws' three widely dismissed and maligned sequels - Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D, and Jaws: The Revenge.

Marnie Vinge (Eerie Okie Podcast and author of I Remember Everything and Cold Blood) stops by to help try and give The Jaws Sequels their due and see what value can be found in them. What deleted scene from Jaws 2 is one of the most moving moments in the entire franchise? What's Dennis Quaid got on his nose in Jaws 3-D? And would Jaws: The Revenge have been better if they could've been more like another certain long running holiday-based horror franchise?

Then, Marnie and Nick dig into their personal five favorite Non-Fourth of July Fourth of July movies - movies that aren't specifically set around Independence Day but are still solid viewing around the holiday anyway!

Order Marnie Vinge's books here and find her on Instagram!

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

1999 is regarded as one of the most consequential Hollywood movie years ever - bold films about identity and perception that play with the cinematic form (The Matrix, Being John Malkovich, The Sixth Sense, just to name a few), and many from major studios connecting broadly with audiences. What a time! But a quarter century later, which major releases still hold up and admirably define the year, which get close, and which have aged like milk?

Frightful Femme Kirsten Therkelson and Good Trash Media's Dalton Stuart stop by to look back on a formative year with Dick Sanford - but wait...they've been tasked by the U.S. government to build a MOVIE HALL OF FAME for 1999, or else there will be serious geopolitical consequences! These three podcasters must bravely become arbiters of culture and decide together on the NINE best or most culturally representative films of 1999 in order to save the world! The stakes have never been higher!

There are over thirty films to choose from! How will they ever do it and come out with their sanity intact?!

The Hall of Fame Shortlist

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

The Mummy

American Beauty

Wild Wild West

American Pie

Deep Blue Sea

Jawbreaker

Galaxy Quest

Bowfinger 

The Blair Witch Project

Three Kings

Eyes Wide Shut

The Green Mile

Cruel Intentions 

Toy Story 2 

The Sixth Sense

Girl, Interrupted

The Talented Mr. Ripley 

10 Things I Hate About You

Fight Club

Man on the Moon

Lake Placid

The Insider

The Iron Giant

Being John Malkovich

Magnolia

Bringing Out the Dead 

Big Daddy

Election 

Boys Don’t Cry 

Office Space

The Straight Story

The Matrix

Follow Kirsten on Instagram and Letterboxd, stupid!
Follow Dalton on Instagram and Letterboxd, stupid!

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

James Oster (Jimmy O from JoBlo.com!) stops by on his spiky dirt bike thing and we ride away from the Podcast of Inaccessibility and across the wastelands of Internet movie discourse to talk George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and have a wide-ranging conversation of topics including:

How does Anya Taylor-Joy follow in the footsteps of movie stars like Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich? Is Furiosa some sort of bizarrely beautiful hybrid of The Wizard of Oz and For A Few Dollars More? How much does Chris Hemsworth rule as a villain? And what does the perceived box office failure of Furiosa mean for the moviegoing landscape in general - and is it even the movie's fault?

Find James Oster on Instagram!

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Send us a text

Marlena Williams (author of Night Mother: A Personal and Cultural History of The Exorcist) shines in from across the country to talk about Stanley Kubrick's The Shining!

Are the conspiracy theories about the ghastly Overlook saga overblown, or is there any truth to them? Was Stanley Kubrick actually a cinematic puzzle maker, or was he actually more of a "vibes" guy? What's the value of how "boring" the opening of the film is? Was The Shining kind of the first A24 horror film? Did The Shining kind of break film discourse and culture? How do the differences in Shelley Duvall and Jack Nicholson’s acting styles make the film unique? What does the Tippi Hedren film Roar (you know, the movie where tigers and lions are mauling the cast and crew on film) have to do with any of this bullshit?

All these topics and so many more are delved into, so hang your weird naked lady artwork on the wall and strap in for a conversation about one of the wildest and most totemic horror films in modern Hollywood history!

Buy and read Night Mother: A Personal and Cultural History of The Exorcist from Amazon or The Ohio State University Press today!

Find Marlena on Instagram and Letterboxd!

Nick on Instagram
Nick on Letterboxd

Elusive | Official Website
Elusive | Stream Free on Tubi
Elusive | Rent/Buy on Prime Video