Imported Horror

The past is always with us. So is la Llorona - the wailing woman with a silent stare and haunted memories. This moving blend of ghost stories and historical drama puts the traumas and terrors of the Guatemalan genocide on full display. Also, who would you rather direct an unnecessary remake of your favorite foreign movie?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3 (Marcus) / 4- (Melissa) / 3+ (Grady). Quality: 5. Enjoyment: 5.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Genocide in Guatemala" by the Houston Holocaust Museum

"Efrain Rios Montt: Guatemala ex-leader tried for genocide dies" by the BBC

"Guatemala's civil war devastated the country's indigenous Maya communities," by Patrick J. McDonnell in The Los Angeles Times

"LA LLORONA AND MYTHS OF FILICIDE," by Sara Century in SyFy Wire

"The Wailing Woman," by Amy Fuller in History Today

"Crying for Justice: Jayro Bustamante on La Llorona," by Carlos Aguilar in RogerEbert.com

"Rich and Unsettling, La Llorona Demands Your Attention," by K. Austin Collins in Vanity Fair

One is understated, unnerving and grayscaled. The other has Nic Cage. Dueling adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft's short story leave the gang locked in debate over magenta hues, alpacas and the triumphant return of the "Cagenerator."

German version:

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3 (Marcus) / 3+ (Melissa) / 2 (Grady). Quality: 4/4/4+ Enjoyment: 4/5/3

American version:

MPTS: 4/1/2 Quality: 4/4/3+ Enjoyment: 5 (Marcus) / 1 (sober Melissa) / 3 (drunk Melissa) / 3 (Grady)

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"The Colour out of Space" by H.P. Lovecraft

"Hollywood Has a Lovecraft Problem," by Tom Reimann in Collider

"Gods, Monsters and H.P. Lovecraft's Uncanny Legacy," by Alexis Soloski in The New York Times

You've met the xenomorph, the predator, little green men and the thing. Now, welcome a slithering parasite to the pantheon of horrifying extra-terrestrial killers. Marcus, Melissa and Grady have a close encounter with Russia's "Sputnik," a deeper-than-you'd-expect summer movie released during a mostly movie-less summer.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 2 (Marcus), 3 (Melissa), 3- (Grady). Quality: 4 / 3+ / 4- Enjoyment: 5+ / 3+ / 4

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"53 photos of Russia's decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union," by Elena Holodny in Business Insider

"Russia's Vladamir Putin," in Throughline

"Why Period Dramas Are So Relevant Today," by Matthew Monagle in No Film School

"‘Sputnik’: Designing an Alien Inspired by Snakes and Komodo Dragons in a Rare Russian Sci-Fi — Spoilers," by Ryan Lattanzio in IndieWire

"How 'Sputnik' Puts a Unique Spin on Sci-Fi Horror," by Jo Light in No Film School

"The new sci-fi horror film Sputnik had to reinvent the slimy space alien," by Matt Patches in Polygon

Guillermo del Toro didn't write or direct this movie. Neither did J.M. Barrie. But, their legacies cast long shadows over the haunting story of worried mother Laura, her lost son Simon and all his imaginary friends on the windswept northern coast of Spain. Also, would you rather see Tommy Wiseau star alongside a kaiju or the pale man from Pan's Labyrinth?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3 (Marcus & Melissa), 4- (Grady). Quality: 5. Enjoyment: 4+ / 5 / 4-

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Juan Antonio Bayona The Orphanage Interview," in Female.com

"Guillermo Del Toro The Orphanage Interview," by Tim Nasson in Wild About Movies

"The Orphanage - Juan Antonio Bayona interview," in Indie London

"The Orphanage," by Emily Condon in Reverse Shot

"In 'Orphanage,' a masterful mix of dread and suspense," by Ty Burr in The Boston Globe

You've seen the Cage-y memes about horrifying bees. Have you seen the haunting British original? This week, the gang get cozy with earthy sexuality and casual religious persecution in an overlooked horror classic. They also explore the one thing the awful remake gets right - the other bee scene - and consider which vintage slasher would be best portrayed by Nic Cage.

1973 version: Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3. Quality: 5. Enjoyment: 5.

2005 version: Nope.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Robin Hardy: A Chat with the wicker man," by Donato Totaro in Off Screen

"Long arm of the lore: Robin Hardy on The Wicker Man," by Vic Pratt for the British Film Institute

"Hollywood's Go-to Bee Handler Tells Us What it Was Like Working with Nicolas 'Not the BEEEES!' Cage," by Alex Migdal for Vice

If you could talk to corpses, what would you say? Stenio works the graveyard shift at a busy morgue and chats with every body that rolls in - until one tells him about his wife's affair. Marcus, Melissa and Grady autopsy a grim flick that starts strong but wanders too far from its compelling premise. Also, would you rather talk to incorporeal ghosts or physical corpses?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 2 (Marcus), 3+ (Melissa), 3 (Grady) Quality: 2+, 3, 4. Enjoyment: 3

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"THE NIGHTSHIFTER DIRECTOR DENNISON RAMALHO TRADES SECRETS ON BRAZILIAN HORROR AND THE DEAD," by Jessica Rose in Nightmare on Film Street

"Dennison Ramalho Talks to Offscreen at Fantasia 2018," by Donato Totaro and Randolph Jordan in Offscreen

"A Year of Violence Sees Brazil's Murder Rate Hit Record High," by Shasta Darlington in The New York Times

"Brazil's Murder Rate Finally Fell—and by a Lot," by Robert Muggah in Foreign Policy

In an ancient convent on a strange island, a nun holding a peculiar amulet falls to her death. The amulet shatters. The pieces are buried. Years later, a girl from London travels to the island looking for answers to questions she doesn't understand. Marcus, Melissa and Grady study a little-known cult horror flick with deep roots in H.P. Lovecraft and Italian cinema. Also, would Ray from "Everybody Loves Raymond" survive a monster movie?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 2. Quality: 4. Enjoyment: 4 (Marcus & Melissa) / 3 (Grady)

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"INTERVIEW: DIRECTOR MARIANO BAINO TALKS LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR FILM DARK WATERS," by Eric Walkuski in JoBlo.com

"Rock! Shock! Pop! Presents: An Interview With Filmmaker Mariano Baino," by Ian Jane in Rock! Shock! Pop!

"'Dark Waters' is an Italian Horror Gem Worth Discovering," by Jamie Righetti in Film School Rejects

"The Unseen: Dead Waters and an Interview with Mariano Baino," by Rebekah McKendry in ComingSoon.Net

"The "Everybody Loves Raymond" effect: Why TV gets marriage all wrong," by Joel Keller in Salon

Life is surreal. So is this movie - it's got schoolgirls, killer winds, carnage, an alligator and a creepy pig monster. It sets out to criticize the fetishization of high school girls, but does it become the thing it's trying to satirize? Marcus, Melissa and Grady explore the topic and consider what sea monster they'd rather encounter in the North Atlantic with Tom Hanks.

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 1. Quality: 2+ (Marcus) / 3+ (Melissa) / 3 (Grady). Enjoyment: 2+/2/3+

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Cinema as Music – An Interview with Sion Sono," by Jeremy Elphic in 4:3 Film.

"The erotic Japanese art movement born out of decadence," by Evelyn Wang in Dazed Magazine

Haunted mansion? Check. Horrifying monster? Check. Spectacular soundtrack? Double check. This week, Marcus and Melissa dial back the clock to explore greed and ghoulish historical fantasy in India. Also, would you rather summon Bloody Mary or watch the tape from Ringu?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3. Quality: 4 (Marcus) / 4- (Melissa). Enjoyment: 4- (Marcus) / 4 (Melissa)

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"The Music of Tumbbad | Sohum Shah | Jesper Kyd | Aanand L Rai," by Eros Now on YouTube

"Fantastic Fest Interview: Tumbbad Brings Horror to India," by Richard Whittaker in The Austin Chronicle

"The Haunting, Genre-Bending Visions Of Tumbbad, And How It Came To Fruition," by Sankhayan Ghosh in Film Companion

"The music for 'Tumbbad' required a lot of experimentation, says composer Jesper Kyd," by Divya Kala Bhavani in The Hindu

"Real story of Tumbbad movie: Who is Hastar, the demon god, in Indian mythology?" in GQIndia

"What is the creation story in Hinduism?" in Patheos

There's a lunatic in the woods terrorizing innocent but very clumsy victims - but is it the redneck in overalls, or the college kid with the popped collar? This week, get cabin fever as slasher tropes get shredded in this refreshing horror comedy. Also, which fictional Mississippi native would you rather have fighting a megashark over the Fourth of July?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 1. Quality: 5. Enjoyment: 5

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Director Eli Craig talks about 'Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil,'" by Clark Collis in Entertainment Weekly

"Tyler Labine Talks TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL, LUMPY and GUIDANCE," by Christina Radish in Collider