Dismembering Horror

Ryan and Tim take an unexpected liking to the third installment of this haunted house, found-footage franchise—as Tim says, “It’s the greatest movie of all time… to stream.” Of course, that earned "Paranormal Activity 3" a “rent” from him, and a strong “stream” from Ryan. So come on in, set up those video cameras, and hear the guys explain why the 1980’s setting works so well for this series (when three truly was a magic number).

Where we watched: Amazon Prime

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Written by Christopher Landon and Oren Peli

RecommenDEADtions: Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night / Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser

After Errementari, we travel BACK to España with an interesting twist on the “whodunnit.” This week’s film explores some cool themes centered around blindness: what’s seen, what’s unseen, and the tensions therein. Though even with one of Tim’s new favorite body horror moments, Julia’s Eyes floundered in the overall execution, earning a “stream” from Tim and an “avoid” from Ryan.

Where we watched: Amazon Prime

Julia’s Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Directed by Guillem Morales

Written by Guillem Morales and Oriol Paulo

RecommenDEADtions: Sleep Tight / The Orphanage

This week we turn on the gas and get blown away by "Mom and Dad," a filicidal romp that holds very little back. Our second Nic Cage movie did not disappoint. Ryan and Tim both rated it with a hearty “rent,” even though Tim was forced to bring back his old “Cobweb Continuity” segment (now with its very own, totally not-improvised intro song).

Where we watched: Hulu

Mom and Dad (2017)

Written and Directed by Brian Taylor

RecommenDEADtions: King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen / Letterboxd (social film diary platform)

Sometimes simple is scary, and boy oh boy does "Calvaire" (The Ordeal) deliver. Ryan and Tim go a little crazy themselves over the intense thematic nature of this film (including a brief foray into comparing it to American Idol), as well as the in-your-face, stark, disturbing realism. Rating it with a “stream” from Tim and an elusive “buy” from Ryan, don’t be fooled: this movie is well worth the watch for any horror fan.

Where we watched: DVD

Calvaire (2004)

Directed by Fabrice du Welz

Written by Romain Protat and Fabrice du Welz

RecommenDEADtions: The Man Who Fell to Earth / Shazam!

MEANtionables: Dancing scene from Un soir, un train that inspired scene from Calvaire

“THEY’RE US!” That’s right folks, this week we went to the theaters to see the acclaimed Jordan Peele film "Us." Not only that, but we were thrilled to have our very first guest on the show, Michael Tucker of Lessons from the Screenplay fame, as he celebrates 1 million subscribers! We coaxed him into providing his expertise, adding his dismemberment of the film. Join us, and find out why we rated "Us" with a rent/rent/buy!

This week we travel to 1942; a time when the world was at war, Tim’s grandparents were falling in love, and a Serbian immigrant was turning into a cat. Tim and Ryan almost get into their own “cat fight” over this film... just “kitten.” Despite a split rating of “stream” and “rent,” they still agree that it has “un-fur-gettable” moments.

AHOY! Get yer sea legs and jump on board this week’s episode with "Ghost Ship"—a movie where a bunch of really good actors wander around a cool haunted ship for two hours but don’t tell each other they keep seeing ghosts… UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE. Tim and Ryan almost had their souls collected by the end of this one, earning it a “stream” from both of them.

VOODOO! This sleepy New England towns love some occult Voodoo—almost as much as the town Sheriff hates it. Dead and Buried brings back the O.G. version of the zombie, earning it a hearty “rent” from Ryan; and although Tim only rated with a “stream,” there was still plenty of praise to go around.

Ah, the pit-falls of parody. This week, Ryan and Tim long for the days of the flatbed indie filmmakers after decrying Evil Ed’s failed attempt to pay homage to them. With a “stream” by Tim and a rare “avoid” from Ryan, it was clear that this film was a swing and a miss from the Swedes.

Just two episodes after singing the praises of Opera, Tim and Ryan tackle yet another Argento film: albeit this week to mixed results. Both gave Deep Red a “stream it” rating based on the artistry and fantastic deaths, but Tim only hoped the uninspired main character would fall to his death and put an early end to this muddled who-dunnit.