So, what do a direct sequel to a horror classic and an adaptation of a sci-fi classic have in common? Could it be that both of them deal with themes of repressed sexuality? No, really, I'm asking could it be that? Because it seems like it's pretty clear that Dracula's Daughter is about a self-loathing lesbian, but I'm (admittedly) grasping at straws trying to conclude what Whale was saying with Dr. Jack Griffin.

So, what do a direct sequel to a horror classic and an adaptation of a sci-fi classic have in common? Could it be that both of them deal with themes of repressed sexuality? No, really, I'm asking could it be that? Because it seems like it's pretty clear that Dracula's Daughter is about a self-loathing lesbian, but I'm (admittedly) grasping at straws trying to conclude what Whale was saying with Dr. Jack Griffin.

In this first double feature, Jim recalls what works and what doesn't about Tod Browning's Dracula and makes his case for Karl Freund's The Mummy being a better film. He also talks a lot to drown out Monday Night Football by asking questions like: Is Dracula really heterosexual? Did Imhotep's lack of identifying imagery contribute to The Mummy's lack of staying power? How much does author intent mean vs. our own interpretation?

Trick or treat! Why not both? Gavin Mevius of the Midtown Comics Podcast makes his long-awaited return to IDMB to recommend some double features (tricks!) of the Universal Classic Monsters (treats!). Before evoking the spirits of dread in Jim with the monumental task, the boys discuss the roots of their love of horror films, the counter-cultural slant inherent in the genre, why the cultural fascination has shifted from monsters to people (and back), and how studios have always cared more about your money than artistic integrity.

I think I get what Jane Campion was trying to do (exploring the emotional and personal repercussions of an unwitting protagonist who finds herself swept up in sexual and illegal intrigue when a suspicious detective investigating a murder is introduced into her life), but did she have to do it for 2 hours? And with such strange and purposeless supporting characters?

A tired Jim still does his best to talk about the Wachowskis' Bound, a sexy AND smart neo-noir that sets up what will become a characteristic style of the sister filmmakers later in life and that utilizes sexuality and subversion of gender roles in ways that twist and turn the plot.

Jim celebrates (belatedly) that you've all somehow downloaded over 50,000 episodes! Then he gets much more cynical, discussing Ida Lupino's 1953 subtle classic, The Hitch-Hiker. Sure, Lupino wasn't the first choice to direct the film, but that doesn't mean she didn't add her own personal slant, including a constant sense of claustrophobia and questions about the nature of manhood.

Kristen Sales insists that she's not an expert - just an enthusiast. Could've fooled me. Kristen stops by the 90th I Do Movies Badly episode to talk about pretty much everything and anything film noir. From the rise and fall of the genre's prominence in the 40s/50s to its thematic as well as its stylistic trademarks to why the 1980s was a bad decade for it, no hard boiled stone goes unturned! The recommendations come with a delightful third-act twist: they're all directed by females!: Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker (1953), the Wachowskis' Bound (1996), and Jane Campion's In the Cut (2003). That oughta piss of Bret Easton Ellis...

Daniel Walber returns to wrap up the IDMB Summer Series by reflecting on the strange/taboo/controversial films of Pedro Almodovar. Jim largely (and unsurprisingly) rambles his way through questions and statements about films that his brain still can't quite comprehend or dismiss while Daniel (politely) goes down rabbit holes comparing Almodovar to Cronenberg, Sirk, and Gilliam and admitting that he recommended Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! just to fuck with Jim.

Wow. We really ran the gamut on this one. Seriously, the only connecting thread between David Mamet, Bride of Frankenstein, and God's Not Dead is that Tyler Smith and I talked about them all. This lengthy revisit covers topics from whether or not David Mamet is indeed an important filmmaker, how James Whale's humor and homosexuality elevated Bride of Frankenstein over the original, Christian apologetics, when and how Christian films start becoming propaganda, and so much more!