Don’t Push Pause

Finally, the Halloween episode has arrived! And no other movie better illustrates the scary, fun-loving spirit of the season than Tom Holland’s Fright Night (1985). It’s not just a run-of-the-mill vampire flick... it’s responsible for altering the entire vampy genre, which has been around since the beginning of moviemaking. In the years that preceded Fright Night, many felt the vampire genre had become stale and played out, definitely moving away from being anywhere near terrifying. And in 1985, writer/director Holland changed the vampire genre landscape forever.

▶️ Fright Night skillfully blends horror and comedy, which makes for a supremely fun and entertaining film. When a teen boy-next-door type discovers his charming new neighbor is an enthralling and murderous vampire, how will he ever convince anyone to believe him? We dive into how this film reinvigorated the vampire genre with fresh blood (pun intended) and a different take on vampires, the smartly casted crew of actors, practical special effects vs. digital effects, the hauntingly sexy synth-heavy soundtrack and how a simple idea with a smartly written script can result in brilliance.

▶️ Picks of the Fright Night Week hold strong to the vampire genre. Justin chose Near Dark (1987) with Bill Paxton, an early film by Kathryn Bigelow that departed from typical vampire movies, this time going for more a western-style, action film. Lindsay went for Once Bitten (1985), a Jim Carrey vampire comedy roped into teen sex-comedies of the day more so than the vampire parody realm.

▶️ Who woulda known there was a way to connect Billy to Fright Night’s Roddy McDowall!? Find out how in this week’s MurrayMoment deep cut!

▶️ Fright Night isn’t a tired old vampire yarn and it’s not a slick, teen vampire movie either. Holland’s self-referential, directorial debut means to scare, while making you smile at the same time. It’s a treat for horror fans, and for those non-horrorheads ... You may actually enjoy being frightened this time out! 

Bonus episode time! And in celebration of Halloween, we wanted to stick to a classic horror film — Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). It’s the movie that revived the tired slasher genre of the 1980s with a pizza-faced, claw-wielding fiend named Fred Krueger. Nightmare made him a household name, spawned six sequels and influenced countless films after it. Non-stop merchandising for Nightmare still persists today, thus showing what a strong hold the film still has on the psyche of anyone who crosses Krueger’s path.

▶️ No matter how dated it seems at times, the complexity of Nightmare’s story remains solid and deeper than ever expected, especially since it originated 30 years ago. It’s still a strong, smart film that never lets up. Our bonus episode this week is jam-packed with everything A Nightmare on Elm Street, so don’t. fall. asleep.

Horror movies don’t always have to scare you senseless or be overflowing with blood. When you’re a legendary director like John Waters, horror could certainly mean violence, but it can also be the horrid human behavior capitalizing on said violence or the suppressed psycho living under your same roof. Serial Mom (1994) is a perfect satire about a murderous mother’s influence on pop culture and how society views these unbelievable, “true” crime events.

▶️ When an ideal, all-American mom played by Kathleen Turner starts defending her family from life’s annoyances, the bodies begin to mount up. Waters’ film pokes a hole in what people think of as a “normal” family, and makes us think about our own exposure to media. With an uncommon female lead, how does Serial Mom fit in with other serial killer films? Is it possible Serial Mom is even more relavent nowadays? We deconstruct the themes behind the film, and also relive some of favorite scenes that never get old. The brilliant cast of the movie and Waters’ intended vision for the film are discussed, as well as hitting on his supremely influential career, in general.

▶️ Justin and Lindsay stick with two Waters-related movies for their Picks of the Week. The writer/director had always, and famously, teamed up with the amazingly over the top, cross-dressing actor known as Divine. The two made some of Waters’ most memorable films together. But for this Pick, Justin went with Lust in the Dust, one of very few films not written or directed by Waters, but that starred Divine. Lindsay takes the opportunity to talk about her favorite Waters film, Desperate Living— a film so trashy and filled to the brim with filth, it makes you want to shower after watching it.

▶️ If you didn’t think there was a way to connect Billy Murray to John Waters, you’re sorely mistaken. We take you behind the scenes of the Waters and Divine classic, Polyester (1981), and reveal the Murraymoment that has been hiding in plain sight.

▶️ The genre-blending Serial Mom may not frighten you to the core, but the performances and deeper understanding of the film may chill your bones on another level. Episode 14 is a truly fun film — laughing through the horror is highly advised.

We’re kicking off October with another Stephen King brainchild, Pet Sematary (1989). King has always been a sought after writer, but during the 1980s, people started to get burnt out on seeing his name. Director Mary Lambert takes this incredibly dark, heartbreaking story and makes it come to life with the ability to scare on multiple levels.

We’re big fans of Bill Murray here at the podcast, so we’d be remiss if we didn’t have a special episode the week of his birthday. This time out, we went for some stellar deep cuts, focusing on 1990’s Quick Change. It’s been called the best Billy Murray movie you’ve never seen, so we think it’s high time to reintroduce this mainstream, yet obscure favorite.