Not Quite Dead

Not Quite Dead? More like "Not So Scary" when we cover nostalgic classics like the 1995 movie Casper! Fan favorites Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman and Devon Sawa star in the kid-friendly film about a dead child ghost falling in love with a living teen. 

Discussion points include: terrible uncle poltergeists, the CGI of the 90s, and dead wives. 

The Evil Dead Rise! The series is back and chock full of Sam Raimi-isms, with plenty of homages to the much beloved earlier entries in the franchise.

Stuffed to the brim with disgustingly gory effects and plenty of slyly funny jokes, Lee Cronin's 2023 addition to the Evil Dead series is a welcome one.

Discussion points include: sister relationships, where not to take a pregnancy test, our favorite callbacks.

The first found footage movie to be scary since Blair Witch! Paranormal Activity debuted in 2007 to critical acclaim and a staggering box office on a shoestring budget.

Couple Katie and Micah are already on tense terms when they get third-wheeled by Katie's own personal (literal) demon. Micah is an inept boyfriend whose only skill is pissing off a demon, while poor Katie has to be haunted while surrounded by his cameras.

Discussion points include: bad boyfriends, specializing in undead hauntings, budget filmmaking.

Come away with us to tropical Li Tolqa, home to beautiful resorts and pay-to-play murder and crime sprees! The catch is teeny-tiny: be executed for your misdeeds or pay to have a clone of yourself be killed in your place.

Infinity Pool, directed and written by Brandon Cronenberg, explores issues of privilege, tourism, and scifi existentialism in one not-so-neat package.

Discussion points include: fictional tourist countries, White Lotus, Cronenberg the Elder vs Cronenberg the Younger.

They're here! NQD is covering the classic horror film Poltergeist. Effectively a Steven Spielberg movie, this movie introduced a new cultural fear: getting stuck in the TV.

Join us as we dissect the haunting of this all-American 80s family, baby angel Carol Anne's entrapment in the ghostly plane, and a host of malicious spirits.

Discussion points include: the old timey 80s, what's a poltergeist vs a haunting, and sketchy special effects.

TW: This episode contains discussion of suicide and self-harm. If you need help or are having thoughts of harming yourself, please call or text 988.

M. Night Shyamalan, you dog, you did it again. A thrilling popcorn flick with twists aplenty, the 2023 mystery/horror movie Knock at the Cabin brings the frights. Are these four strangers really preventing the end times, or are they delusional cultists targeting a queer family?

Discussion points include: Dave Bautista's career, suicide cults, our favorite type of apocalypse.

Director Mike Flanagan, now better known for the Flanaverse of horror shows on Netflix, helmed Oculus as one of his first feature-length films. Siblings Kaylie and Tim post up in their childhood home, where they attempt to capture definitive proof that a cursed mirror caused their family’s tragedy, not their father. Jump scares galore in this one! 

Discussion points include: how to outsmart ghosts, eating things you definitely shouldn't, the nonsensical characterization of Kaylie. 

Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

The two greatest Nicks, together at last! Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage join up for a fun, albeit critically bombed, turn in the horror comedy Renfield (2023).

Hoult plays the much maligned assistant to Cage's Dracula, with variably funny turns from Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz in supporting roles.

Discussion points include: top comedy and horror moments, vampire traits, other notable Louisiana vampire lore.

Did you know that the 80s were 40 years ago? We did, and so did the film industry! This special episode covers John Carpenter’s The Thing and its 40th Anniversary Fathom event (err….one year later). 

What we consider today a masterpiece look at the horror of a perfectly-replicating alien invasion, the folks of the 80s found disgusting, depressing, and a little dull. Boo for them, yay for us! Discussion points include: lackluster Fathom events, Carpenter’s special effects, the fun of paranoia and nihilism.

Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

A hauntingly tragic story of immigration, ghosts both real and imagined, His House is a universally acclaimed horror film. The 2020 directorial debut from Remi Weekes about a South Sudanese refugee couple in the UK touches on culture, racism, xenophobia, and war trauma. Heavy but necessary topics that truly show that horror is embedded in all aspects of society. Discussion points include: UK immigration statistics, refugee trauma, what makes a good person. 

Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer.