Imported Horror

Are the people you know really the people you know? In the rustic Irish countryside, a young single mother struggles with a son who might be a fiendish impostor. Marcus and Melissa explore the lore and film history of creepy kids before diving into the trippy and claustrophobic Hole in the Ground. Also, which Matt Groening series would you rather see converted to a horror movie?

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

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Evil children subgenre of horror movies continues to chill and disturb viewers," by Douglas J. Rowe for the Associated Press and published on MassLive.com

"Interview: 'Hole In The Ground' Director Lee Cronin Talks Phobias, Changelings & More," by Kat Hughes in The Hollywood News

"'The Hole in the Ground' Used Little ... [Interview]," by Fred Topel in Bloody Disgusting. (Contains spoilers)

One street - three terrors. Marcus and Melissa stroll southward to a haunted block in Buenos Aires, where separate paranormal narratives weave tautly together in horrifying, unexpected ways. Also, as long as we're social distancing, would you rather be stalked by an invisible monster during the day or a visible monster at night? And would it get bored staying at home all the time?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 5 Quality: 4+ Enjoyment: 5

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Fox Searchlight Sets 'Terrified' Remake: Guillermo Del Toro, Sacha Gervasi, Director Demián Rugna Team," by Mike Fleming Jr. in Deadline

"Eddie Murphy - White People and Hauntings" on YouTube

None of the zombie movies we saw prepared us for toilet paper shortages. That hasn't stopped a horde of zombie references in the middle of a pandemic, though. Marcus and Melissa explore three new and innovative takes on the zombie genre - a 15th century soap opera and zombie blend from South Korea, a dude bro zomcom from India and a heart-wrenching zombie drama from Australia. They also pay respects to the late great Kenny Rogers with a poker-themed Would You Rather.

Kingdom: Motion Picture Terror Scale: 1. Quality: 3+ (Marcus), 4 (Melissa). Enjoyment: 4 / 5

Go Goa Gone: MPTS: 1. Quality: 3+ Enjoyment: 5

Cargo: MPTS: 1. Quality: 4. Enjoyment: 1 / 3

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"Zombies," by NPR's Throughline

"The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies," by Mike Mariani in The Atlantic

"Were zombies and vampires inspired by a real disease?" by Alessandra Potenza in The Verge

"The CARGO Directors Discuss Putting Martin Freeman Through The Wringer," by Tony Timpone in Birth.Movies.Death

"EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MARTIN FREEMAN ON HIS ZOMBIE DRAMA "CARGO" AND "GHOST STORIES," by Michael Gingold in Rue Morgue

"Country Music Legend Kenny Rogers Dies At 81," on NPR

Horrifying movies are the best distraction from a terrifying pandemic - especially original and innovative international horror. Marcus and Melissa discuss the early launch of Season Two and what's in store for the podcast.

Scary bears, creepy kids and a whole world of zombies - Marcus and Melissa covered a lot of ground in Season One. They look back on what worked well and consider what needs improvement before Season Two.

Imported Horror will return. New episodes launch on - or before - June 4, 2020.

Tentacled alien sea monsters swarm across the Irish coast with a thirst for human blood. There's just one problem - they're allergic to alcohol, and to anyone drunk enough to fight them. Marcus and Melissa discover that scotch mixes well with this warm 80s-style creature feature. Also, what horror characters would you rather have on a monster slaying dream team?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 1. Quality: 4. Personal Enjoyment: 5.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"INTERVIEW: Grabbing A Word With Director Jon Wright," by Steve Cummins for IFTN

"WHY YOU NEED TO SEE IRISH MONSTER MOVIE GRABBERS," by Sarah Dobbs for SciFiNow

"Kevin Lehane interview: Grabbers, Twitter, and filming in the rain," by Sarah Dobbs for Den of Geek

"Jon Wright interview: Grabbers, Christmas movies, body parts," by Sarah Dobbs for Den of Geek

Marcus and Melissa nearly spoiled some key details in their full episode on Babak Anvari's "Under the Shadow." They dive in on this spoilercast.

Spoilercasts are short bonus episodes that break down spoilers and endings for movies and television shows covered in previous episodes. We recommend you listen to the previous full episode before listening to this spoilercast.

American horror films often inject terror into ordinary suburbs and quiet forest cabins. Babak Anvari skipped that trope. Instead, he resurrected his childhood terrors from the Iran/Iraq War, when civilians were indiscriminately targeted by missiles, and added a sinister djinn to one family's nightmares. The result is a frightening and deeply authentic film. Also - what foreign horror role should be portrayed by Nic Cage?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 3 (Marcus) / 4 (Melissa). Quality: 5/4+ Personal enjoyment: 5/5

Articles mentioned in this episode:

Throughline: Rules of Engagement

"Lessons from America's First War with Iran," by Bruce Riedel for the Brookings Institute

"Iran and Iraq remember war that cost more than a million lives," by Ian Black in The Guardian

"The 'beauty' and the horror of the Iran-Iraq war," by Mike Gallagher for BBC News

"Terror in Tehran: Under the Shadow and the politics of horror," by Tom Seymour in The Guardian

"Sundance 2016: Babak Anvari talks 'Under The Shadow,'" by Tom Grater in Screen Daily

Eerie's ghost story ended with surprisingly strong feels. Its second half also included a strange detail that Melissa cannot let go. Our hosts break down the ending and plot progression of the spooky tale.

Spoilercasts are short bonus episodes that break down spoilers and endings for movies and television shows covered in previous episodes. We recommend you listen to the previous full episode before listening to this spoilercast.

If you could speak with the spirits haunting a girl's Catholic school, what would you say? Mikhail Red's Eerie is a chilling jump scare-fest that seamlessly blends Latin and Asian horror tropes with spooky stories about ghosts, nuns, religion and mental illness. Also - what politicians would you cast for a Blair Witch-style film, and do ghosts really just want personal favors?

Motion Picture Terror Scale: 2 (Marcus) / 3- (Melissa). Quality: 3+ Personal enjoyment: 4+

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"EXCLUSIVE: "Eerie" Director Mikhail Red On Pushing Boundaries And Combining Different Ideas To Create Something New," by Donna Patricia Manio in Metro.Style

"INTERVIEW: Mikhail Red's Eerie," by Jean Wong in Sinema

"Shoot them? Hang them? - Filipino heavyweights hanker for death penalty return," by Neil Jerome Morales and Martin Petty for Reuters

"Duterte confesses: 'My only sin is the extrajudicial killings,'" by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in The Guardian