Franchisography

After three films, Purge creator James DeMonaco was ready to step away from the director’s chair to focus on other projects but agreed to stay on as screenwriter. What better way to introduce a new director (Gerard McMurray, fresh off his Sundance hit Burning Sands) to the franchise then by going back to the very beginning of the Purge to show how it all started?

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss THE FIRST PURGE, the highest grossing entry in the franchise, and get to the bottom of the horror behind a Staten Island social experiment that would become a nationwide annual event.

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

After Anarchy proved that the concept had legs, writer/director James DeMonaco wanted to push the franchise to its limits by exploring how the potential end to the Purge would affect society after more that 20 years of the annual event, and using it for an allegorical commentary on the very real political landscape that was building up at the time.

But when THE PURGE: ELECTION  YEAR was released in the midst of the 2016 presidential election campaign, DeMonaco had no idea that his would actually be prognosticating on the very real events of the 2020 election and beyond…

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss the eerie similarities to the real world and this sequel’s tonal struggle between grounded political action thriller and campy dystopian horror film.

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

While The Purge had been immensely successful, financially, the response to the film was disappointing. Audiences felt the premise had been wasted by staying inside a suburban home, turning a great idea into a generic home invasion thriller. With the sequel, producer Jason Blum and writer/director James DeMonaco wanted to give the people what they wanted, settling on a budget 3x that of its predecessor and shooting on-location in downtown Los Angeles in order to show what it was like to be out on the streets during Purge night.

Opening in the summer of 2014, the sequel had a slightly muted opening weekend box office, but as word of mouth spread that this was the movie that people wanted from the concept, THE PURGE: ANARCHY ended up taking home a bigger box office total than the original film.

Join Nick and Scott as they marvel over just how much of a level-up the second film is from the first movie, from concept to character to themes and more, making both hosts wonder… is this the biggest step up in FRANCHISOGRAPHY history?

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

This is not a test, this is FRANCHISOGRAPHY announcing the commencement of a new mini-series sanctioned by the founding fathers of the podcast.

Screenwriter James DeMonaco found himself disturbed by an offhanded comment made by his wife about how great it would be to have one free murder a year after a road rage incident with a drunk driver in Brooklyn. From there, DeMonaco pitched the concept to Jason Blum who saw the potential for it as a new Blumhouse franchise and greenlit the film immediately. A year later, THE PURGE was released in theaters.

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss the fascinating socio-political thought experiments found within the margins of this otherwise unexceptional home invasion thriller that leaves one host describing the film as “like putting a V8 engine inside of a Pinto.”

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

It’s a Betweenisode!

Join Nick & Scott as they rank the Underworld franchise, discuss how an Underworld reboot/remake should be handled (including cast ideas), and announce our next mini-series!

Next week: A new franchise begins!

FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: I, Frankenstein (2014) episode now available on PATREON!

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

Kate Beckinsale’s beloved leather-clad killer is lost and on the run in a new future. When an old ally tries to bring Selene in from the cold, she finds herself in a new web of coven intrigue. Who can she trust? What secrets of this eternal war between Lycan and vampire remain?

The most unexpected FRANCHISOGRAPHY season draws to a conclusion as Selene the Death Dealer makes one last ride in 2017’s UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS. Can this scrappy franchise stick the landing or did Nick and Scott just waste five weeks of their lives?

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Underworld goes back… to the future with its fourth and most financially successful chapter. Kate Beckinsale returns as Selene as she awakens to a new world and a new war. Humans have hunted Lycans and vampires to the brink of extinction and a new hero must rise. But the biggest surprise in this dark future still waits, as Selene meets a mysterious girl with an explosive connection to the brooding Death Dealer. This is 2012’s UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING

Nick and Scott are riding high with this series after last week’s Rise of the Lycans. Will this fourth movie continue the trend? Find out on an all-new FRANCHISOGRAPHY

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The Underworld franchise changed direction with its third installment, traveling back to the origins of the Vampire Lycan war. Here we meet again Michael Sheen’s Lucian and Bill Nighy’s Viktor, and learn of the tragic events that led them to become bitter enemies in the centuries that follow. Attend the dark tale of UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS (2009)

Will a new director, new lead actress and entirely new time period lead the series to new heights for Nick and Scott? Find out on an outrageously entertaining FRANCHISOGRAPHY!

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Even before the release of the first Underworld movie, director Len Weisman knew the original script had far too much story for just one film, so it was cut in half to fit two movies. Once the first Underworld proved to be a surprise success, the second half of Selene the Death Dealer’s quest for the truth behind the war between vampires and Lycans was quickly put before film cameras, resulting in the quintessential January movie, 2006’s UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION.

Nick and Scott are in unknown waters on this FRANCHISOGRAPHY as they weather the twists and turns of this franchise for the very first time!

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

After covering some of the biggest and most successful franchises in cinema history, Nick and Scott shift their focus to a much scrappier, less celebrated series of gothic action thrillers: The UNDERWORLD franchise!

Our saga begins when a group of excited, inexperienced young filmmakers are given the green light to make their make on Hollywood. Director Len Weisman and star Kate Beckinsale are both out to make a name for themselves and get their fledgling careers off the ground. Will they succeed? Find out as Franchisography returns with its boldest and most surprising mini-series yet! 

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra