Not Quite Dead

Don't get them wet, don't expose them to sunlight, and don't feed them from 12:00AM to 5:47AM - wait no, just don't feed them after midnight. If only it were more specific!

Did you also forget this was a Christmas movie? Well, strap in, because the tale of lovable scamps turned murderous gremlins is also a holiday treat.

Episode edited by Cate Smith. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

We're wrapping up the season with a few of our favorite things: ranking items judgmentally, crafting, and celebrating friendship. Thanks for listening and share your favorite rituals with us!

Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer and Cate Smith. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

That board game you played during high school sleepovers gets a movie made about it! As thrilling as a Dream Phone movie would be, this movie is (un)fortunately about Ouija boards. Feeling more like a vehicle to sell more board games at Target than putting together a plot-driven movie at times, Ouija attempts to tell the story of a girl investigating the mysterious death of her best friend.

With plot elements of a board that can't be destroyed, inconsistent ghostly abilities, and unconvincing adults acting as teenagers, this movie leaves a lot to be desired but gives a whole lot to talk about.

Edited by Cate Smith. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

A guys' trip wrought with anger, grief, tension, and a shortcut through a dense Swedish forest. Sounds like a blast to us! 

The Ritual (2017), directed by David Bruckner, explores the dynamics of male friendship in the wake of their friend's murder against the backdrop of a remote hiking trip. The men are pursued by what seems to be a creature in the forest, but also by their own shame and guilt. This movie is a visual treat with an ending that gives us plenty to talk about. Get into it!

Edited by Cate Smith. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

In-laws, am I right? Ready or Not (2019) is the most contemporary movie of Season 6, and it is a raucous ride of real scares and real laughs. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett helmed the original concept of newlywed Grace who is unwittingly forced into a family ritual on her wedding night. The Not Quite Dead gals discuss family traditions, board games, and the institution of marriage in this episode.

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

The darkness of Rosemary's Baby comes from within and without. Unfavorably associated with director Roman Polanski, Rosemary's Baby is now often viewed through the modern lens of the post #metoo movement era. But! It is a horror movie, and one of the all-time greats. We give credit where it is due to the stellar performance of Mia Farrow and get into the controversial gray area of problematic artists.

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

The House of the Devil has all of the late 70s to early 80s horror trappings an audience could desire: pizza delivery gone awry, a teen girl babysitting in a rural old house, and a spooky title card declaring the film is "based on true events." The Not Quite Dead gals discuss how convincing this film is, considering it was released in 2009. Intended as an homage to satanic panic and slasher films of a bygone era, The House of the Devil is a slow burn...or maybe just a bit slow. Tune in!

Edited by Cate Smith. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

So iconic that it has transitioned to parody and back again, we are covering The Exorcist (1973). Loosely based on real events, The Exorcist introduced a generation to the head spinning, vomit- and curse-spewing Linda Blair and the concept of needing a young AND an old priest. The OG of satanic panic movies has a veritable wealth of things to talk about, and boy-how do the Not Quite Dead gals talk!

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Not Quite Dead is kicking off Season 6: Rituals with a double feature of everyone's favorite dance horror classic and its remake: Suspiria! The 1977 Dario Argento film is acclaimed for its iconic style, while Luca Guadagnino's 2018 remake is polarizing (as most remakes are). Get into this spooky season as we discuss all of the satanic and pagan tropes and debate which occult rituals are more effective than others.

Edited by Cate Smith. Music by Zach Pfeifer.