Dismembering Horror

Well, we’ve finally arrived at the end. The big question on everyone’s mind: will Laurie Strode triumph over evil, or will Michael Myers plunge his knife deep into the heart of the queen of the final girls once and for all? Or perhaps the bigger question...will it be any good? For the THIRTEENTH installment of the Halloween franchise, the filmmakers put to question the role of evil in Haddonfield and the effects it’s had. Although not everyone seemed to feel the same way, Ryan and Tim were very satisfied with this conclusion to what has become known as the “H40 Timeline,” rating it a “double buy.” Clearly there is a box-set in the future for the guys.

Halloween Ends (2022)

Directed by David Gordon Green

Written by Paul Brad Logan, Chris Bernier, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green

Where we watched: AMC Theaters

RecommenDEADtions: Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon / The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time

This week we welcome fellow podcaster Michael Osborne to dismember yet another Wes Craven classic, “The Hills Have Eyes.” Shocking for its time, the original stays true to the despair of the desert and the underpinnings of classism that Craven does so well, and our guest brought his knowledge of geology and a general revelry to help us dig deep. Although the costumes of the “hill people” may have left something to be desired, Michael and Tim concluded that this one was a double “stream” for them, but made it to a “rent” for Ryan. Check out our conversation as well as Michael’s podcast, “Famous and Gravy!”

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Written and Directed by Wes Craven

Where we watched: Amazon Prime Video

RecommenDEADtions: A Return to Salem’s Lot / Watcher / Love Death and Robots / You’re Wrong About Podcast 

Michael’s Dead or Alive app: https://deadoraliveapp.com

Director Ti West has done it, folks. He and Mia Goth have catapulted us back in time to see the how and why of the titular killer Pearl, whom we were so gloriously acquainted with in “X.” Keeping in step with the slow burn and build that Ti West has become known for, Pearl leaves little doubt that not only is he making really innovative choices, but Mia Goth is staking her claim as an incredible actor with this mesmerizing and remarkable performance. Tim and Ryan had a ton to dismember with a rating of “rent” (which likely turned to “buy”) and “buy” respectively.

Pearl (2022)

Directed by Ti West

Written by Ti West and Mia Goth

Where we watched: Theater

RecommenDEADtions: 3,000 Years of Longing / House of the Dragon (TV show)

This week we welcome special guest Brendan Lucas to dismember a completely insane film per his request, "Arrebato." This 1979 Spanish art house horror film has been gaining a cult following, and Brendan insisted that the guys take a look. Going to a theatrical screening, Ryan and Tim got the full effect for what is an indefinable, drug-addled, mind-bending, meta-mystery masterpiece. Our co-hosts agreed that it is weird and wild enough to tell themselves to “rent it,” while our guest of course lived up to his enthusiasm with a “buy.” 

Arrebato (1979)

Written and Directed by Ivan Zulueta

Where we watched: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

RecommenDEADtions: Salem’s Lot (Novel) / The Sandman (Netflix) / Apocalypse Now and Angst

An indigenous-centric, woman-led, trial-by-fire to defeat a teenage alien Predator dropped onto earth to hunt down the apex prey? Uhhh, yes please! We welcome the exquisite chef and bruja Denise Vallejo, founder of Alchemy Organica this week to help us dismember the “Predator” prequel, “Prey.” We had a great conversation, touching on why the setting was perfect for this series, the use of animal actors in today’s world, and the Predator’s private hormonal angst. We agreed overall on our assessment, leading to solid double “streams” from Tim and Ryan, while squeaking out a “rent” from Denise.

Prey (2022)

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg

Written by Patrick Aison

Where we watched: Hulu

RecommenDEADtions: Light and Magic (documentary series) / The Misfits / The Alien Anthology

This week the guys revisited a film that is widespread on nearly every haunted house horror movie list. Any film that pulls a legendary actor like George C. Scott to star in it, certainly deserves high accolades right? Well… although it scores some points for mood and eeriness, "The Changeling" seemed to fall short of its praise. Tim and Ryan had to give a medium rating of double “stream” due mostly to, despite his talents, some character choices that didn't gel with us for George C. Scott, and the ultimately convoluted murder mystery.

The Changeling (1980)

Directed by Peter Medak

Written by William Gray and Diana Maddox

Where we watched: Amazon Prime

RecommenDEADtions: The Funeral / The Hustler

We are back with another Jordan Peele film, but that’s not all that we are back with! This week we welcome back none other than our first ever guest Michael Tucker from “Beyond The Screenplay.” Since Michael joined us for Jordan Peele’s last film, we thought why not make that a tradition. Once again the thoughts and opinions on this one were flying around like a giant flying saucer, and much like that saucer we sucked up all we could to dismember "Nope." With a shocking reveal of our ratings, you’ll have to give it a listen to find out what we thought!

Nope (2022)

Written and Directed by Jordan Peele

Where we watched: Theater

RecommenDEADtions: Stranger Things: Season 4 (TV show) / Elvis / Severance (TV show)

Another Cronenberg so soon? Well in a manner of speaking, yes! This time we test drove Brandon Cronenberg’s "indie" horror film, “Possessor.” Starring familiar faces from previous episodes as well, “Possessor” melds stunning visual design, the spy thriller, sci-fi, and horror all into one. Moody and ethereal, with just the right splashes of Cronenbergian gore, the guys were impressed even if it didn’t completely land on all the story elements. Tim and Ryan both rated this one a “rent” and had lots to dismember!

Possessor (2020)

Written and Directed by Brandon Cronenberg

Where we watched: Hulu

RecommenDEADtions: 15 Minutes of Shame / Making Movies (book)

More like “Chef’s Kiss,” *mwah!* Why, you ask? Well because for the first time we welcome two, yes TWO, special guests to the show! None other than our fellow Connectd Podcast, macabre-minded family members, Averyn and Vonia from their incredible podcast, Rom Crime. They were the perfect guests to talk about this Nic Cage delight, and we all had a blast dismembering it. With (as usual) Tim being the outlier of opinion rating a “stream,” the ladies and Ryan all agreed that Vampire’s Kiss was worth a "rent" and even two “buys!” Take a bite out of our conversation (as well as the podcast Rom Crime)!

Vampire’s Kiss (1989)

Directed by Robert Bierman

Written by Joseph Minion

Where we watched: Blu-ray

RecommenDEADtions: Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe / The Trixie Motel / The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent & The Bear (TV show) / Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (TV show)

Cronenberg’s back, baby! The latest from the famed “King of Venereal Horror” did not disappoint. For this episode we are joined by Alex Calleros from the podcast Beyond the Screenplay to help us with our dismemberment of “Crimes of the Future.” Rich with thematic layers, our conversation pushed Alex from a “stream” to a “rent,” making it a triple “rent.” Join us as we dive deep into this strange, gooey, biomechanical dream that Cronenberg has conjured.

Crimes of the Future (2022)

Written and Directed by David Cronenberg

Where we watched: Theater

RecommenDEADtions: Ambulance / Ms. Marvel (TV series) / The Northman