Dismembering Horror

What is the titular “phenomena” to which our favorite Italian director Dario Argento is referring in this week’s film? Your guess is as good as ours, but one thing is for sure: Ryan and Tim get right to the point in discussing the true power of “Phenomena:” chimpanzee acting. Could the extraordinary work of a primate and her relationship with both Donald Pleasence and Jennifer Connelly save the day? Listen in and find out why Ryan and Tim both rated it a “stream,” despite (for Ryan) and in spite of (for Tim) the film’s simian antics.

Phenomena (1985)

Directed by Dario Argento

Written by Dario Argento and Franco Ferrini

Where we watched: Shudder

RecommenDEADtions: Plus One / Rust Valley Restorers (TV show)

Ready or not, here we come... to make a deal with Satan to give us back the time we lost watching this movie. Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh, because we really, really loved Samara Weaving in it (from our very first episode, “The Babysitter”)! For all the “promises of the premise” that “Ready Or Not” did deliver on, it was only able to earn a “stream” from the guys. Either way, join us as we hide then seek for solutions to fix this disappointing attempt at a clash-of-classes could-be-classic.

Ready Or Not (2019)

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Written by Guy Busick, Ryan Murphy

Where we watched: Los Feliz 3

RecommenDEADtions: Terrace House: Boys and Girls in the City (TV show) / The Collector

If you buy a dilapidated hotel in Louisiana with a giant, creepy, flooded basement, rest assured some cosmic stuff is gonna go down. In this case it means opening a portal to "The Beyond." With deaths that involve a lot of eyes being mutilated, and a sweet funky bass line keeping us in rhythm, Ryan and Tim couldn’t resist the novelty of this week’s film. Don’t be deceived by the double “stream:” the guys had enough praise to balance out the shortcomings of Lucio Fulci’s fantastical foreign flick.

The Beyond (1981)

Directed by Lucio Fulci

Written by Dardano Sacchetti, Giorgio Mariuzzo and Lucio Fulci

Where we watched: Shudder

RecommenDEADtions: Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey / Mindhunter - Season 2 (TV show)

A new entry in the Old Hollywood/Path-to-Fame/Demon Cult subgenre?! This week Ryan and Tim explore their relationship with living (and dying) in Tinseltown and the pitfalls of pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. Starry Eyes hit particularly close to home for Tim and his past life as an actor, while Ryan was compelled to explore a more esoteric, philosophical, hypothesis, and wonders if the traditionally competitive industry could someday change its measure of success to include more people. With a standard “stream” from Ryan and an unusual “buy” from Tim, the guys really balance the good with the bad on this one.

Starry Eyes (2014)

Written and Directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer

Where we watched: Shudder

RecommenDEADtions: Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling / Contracted

This week “S#!$ GETS REAL” as we enter the "Demon House." Tim’s guilty pleasures were on full display when the opening credits rolled and we discovered that we were about to watch a Zak Bagans film. The host of the Ghost Adventures series continues his “work” with a feature length documentary covering one of the more recent and high profile exorcism cases, spurring Ryan to ask Tim “why do you love these shows so much?” Demon House stays true to the obvious yet fascinating shlockiness of Zak’s TV show, earning it a double “stream” despite Tim’s love for all things Zak.

RecommenDEADtions: Scream 4 / Ghost Mine

Demon House (2018)

Written and Directed by Zak Bagans

Where we watched: Amazon rental

No, not the 2015 Sisters with Tina Fey… the 1973 Sisters with Margot Kidder! Even as a clear homage to the work of Alfred Hitchcock (complete with Bernard Herrmann score), Brian DePalma puts his own stamp on it as only DePalma can. With a winding plot and psychedelic third act, Sisters earned a “rent” from both Ryan and Tim, in spite of Ryan needing a little help clarifying the nuances of the story at times. Regardless, it touches on one of our favorite, recurring fear-points in horror: the uncertainty of our own reality.

Where we watched: The Criterion Channel

Sisters (1973)

Directed by Brian DePalma

Written by Brian DePalma and Louisa Rose

RecommenDEADtions: Man on the Moon / The Sinner 

For episode 50 of our show, we eschew our usual hat pull due to circumstances beyond our control and go with a listener recommendation: and boy did we choose a doozy. Ryan and Tim do their best to define “camp” when discussing this week’s body-melding, skin-tastic “Society,” earning an astonishing “buy” rating from Ryan, and an all-too-common “stream” from Tim who just couldn’t get behind the hokier aspects. Nonetheless, both guys find merit in the satirical story so much that they envision their own remake of this Lovecraftian, latex-laden classic. Let the shunting begin!

Society (1989)

Directed by Brian Yuzna

Written by Rick Fry and Woody Keith

Where we watched: Shudder

RecommenDEADtions: Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice / Blow Out

Del Toro really dropped a bomb on this week’s episode with his second major feature. Going off the reviews and high praise, as well as the mystique that surrounds Guillermo as a filmmaker, Ryan and Tim were surprised by how much they disliked "The Devil’s Backbone." Earning it an “avoid” and a “stream,” the guys explore the elements that make a movie “del Toran,” ultimately deciding that even with all of the classic things we associate with his films, this one fell short of having them coalesce into an enjoyable movie.

The Devil’s Backbone (El espinazo del diablo) (2001)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Written by Guillermo del Toro, David Muñoz, Antonio Trashorras

Where we watched: Amazon rental

RecommenDEADtions: Toy Story 4 / The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

“Go to see the 90-year Hårga Midsommar Festival” they said, “it’ll be the trip of a lifetime” they said, “you could even become the May Queen” they said… Well, “they” were quite right, and then some. This week we drank the tea and entered another twisted reality from the mind of Ari Aster. With a double “rent” and possible future double “buy,” Ryan and Tim really dive head-first off the cliff into this one. Already at 2 hours, the guys could have gone on longer, but are not shy about how this film made them feel (hint: it gave Tim nightmares). 

Midsommar (2019)

Written and Directed by Ari Aster

Where we watched: Mann's Chinese 6

RecommenDEADtions: The Strange Thing About The Johnsons / Headhunters

Hope you like needles, because this week we go “deeper and deeper” and take a poke at the modern classic, Audition. A revisit for Ryan, and Tim’s first time, it did not disappoint in either case, earning a double “rent.” The guys explore the film’s dual misogynistic and feminist readings, as well as the complete mind bender of a final act that set the stage for a decade’s worth of influence.

Audition (2003)

Directed by Takashi Miike

Written by Daisuke Tengan

Where we watched: Blu-ray

RecommenDEADtions: Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack / Too Old To Die Young