One Final Scare

This week, Tracy talks about going plant-based despite the fact that she just can’t turn away lamb. And thanks to a listener recommendation, she and Minki have this 80s inspired sci fi horror flick to chew on for this week’s main course. It’s colorful, it’s abstract, it’s artistically surreal, it’s got a decent synth soundtrack, but it’s a bit thin on substance. The deliberate slow pacing of each piece of the movie will probably bring back really weird nightmares from Tracy’s childhood, which she shares, and it fed on Minki’s short attention span, forcing him watch it in small chunks over the course of two weeks. That’s committment, folks. What the film is lacking in story, it makes up for it in its style, though at an hour and 45 minutes long, the hosts agree that after sitting through this whole acid trip of a movie, there should at LEAST be a climactic ending… Want to hear about it? Tune in!

What do Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze and Sam Rockwell have in common? No clue. Minki only spied on one of them. But apparently Minki and Tracy want to talk about all three of them for a while before kicking off the convo about this week’s movie. After some chatter about cut-off shirts, scientology and creepy roles that forever change the way you see actors, the hosts discuss this French Extremity film that came out with a barrage of dark and gruesome horror films in the early 2000’s which took torture porn (the ever popular sub-genre in America at the time) to a whole new level. Turns out, many actresses didn’t want to play the two lead roles in this film and it’s not hard to see why. As the director of this film noted, Martyrs and/or French Extremism is not about torture...it’s about pain. Hopefully it’s not painful for you to listen to these two retell this whole movie because it’s one of Tracy’s favorites. Au revoir!

Can you hear the cherries poppin? Tune in to hear a special discussion about Tracy’s first Horror Con experience in wonderful colonial Williamsburg and both hosts’ first Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight screening. VIRGINS NO MORE! Minki makes fun of Tracy for nerding out and winning horror memorabilia at a silent auction...signed by the late great George Romero...but Tracy makes fun of Minki for having bowel issues all the way to the con. They talk about the celebrities there, including some fierce females in horror and a few Jasons from the Friday the 13th franchise. This convention is an annual charity weekend to raise money for children with diseases and for women with breast cancer, so check out the website if you want to donate to an amazing cause. Scaresthatcareweekend.com

Yep, this is a two-parter, folks, so please listen to Part 1 and then...you guessed it, Part 2. It’s been a long time since these two have gotten together and this episode’s movie is a long one so, Minki and Tracy have a lot to talk about. Hear Minki and Tracy talk about their first live show experience (which you should listen to if you haven’t already), the short film contest they participated in recently, the horror con they’re going to next week and oh yeah...their discussion of Bong Joon-Ho’s monster movie that made waves in 2006 and remains at #4 on the list of top-grossing films of all time in South Korea. This was the movie that Minki brought to the table as evidence that CGI monsters can actually look good and believable after Tracy said that practical FX are always better and that CGI monsters suck. Well, the story impressed her most, but the monster was pretty decent. Stay tuned for the next episode recorded from the Scares That Care Horror Con in Williamsburg, VA.

Yep, this is a two-parter, folks, so please listen to Part 1 and then...you guessed it, Part 2. It’s been a long time since these two have gotten together and this episode’s movie is a long one so, Minki and Tracy have a lot to talk about. Hear Minki and Tracy talk about their first live show experience (which you should listen to if you haven’t already), the short film contest they participated in recently, the horror con they’re going to next week and oh yeah...their discussion of Bong Joon-Ho’s monster movie that made waves in 2006 and remains at #4 on the list of top-grossing films of all time in South Korea. This was the movie that Minki brought to the table as evidence that CGI monsters can actually look good and believable after Tracy said that practical FX are always better and that CGI monsters suck. Well, the story impressed her most, but the monster was pretty decent. Stay tuned for the next episode recorded from the Scares That Care Horror Con in Williamsburg, VA.

It’s the first LIVE show...and the first attempt at keeping their banter, movie recap and review to JUST 30 minutes. Quite a challenge for these chatty Cathys. Minki and Tracy introduce themselves to their audience at Laugh Index Theatre’s Comedy Festival, which ran the month of June, and then they open with a few jokes and pokes at each other before getting into this horror short which ran through the film fest circuit last year. It made waves by sending chills down the spines of its audiences starting at SXSW and it’s one of the first horror shorts that both hosts agree on for being an all around stellar film. It’s not so clear exactly who or what the Smiling Man is...but the theme of deranged clowns is clearly present which spurs Tracy to share one of the many terrifying clown photos her mother used to have hanging on the walls of her childhood home. WTF? (See pic on Instagram) Do you have Coulrophobia? If so, enjoy the show! Oh, and if you haven't already rated and reviewed them on iTunes, they'd really appreciate it! Keep the podcast ALIVE!!!

Bro-ey breweries and flavored vodkas and bourbons, oh my! Minki and Tracy talk about these things AND Tracy’s husband’s Instagram followers for his craft beer review page, which is an ironic opening to a discussion about this episode’s movie which follows a very young mom who struggles with alcoholism. Her actions as a bad mother to her 11-ish year old daughter makes us question who the real monster in the movie is...her or the unexplained monster, lurking in the woods, who tries to eat the mom/daughter duo after they become stranded on a dark and abandoned back road. Minki couldn’t get over the ridiculous-looking-man-in-a-bad-monster-suit during the whole single-location movie. Tracy reluctantly agreed that it wasn’t the best monster in a film, but she appreciated the Practical FX over CGI...which spawned a debate over how CGI monsters/creatures suck. Minki took a challenge to name one movie with a great CGI monster in order to watch for the next episode. Lucky for him...Alien Covenant is now out! So, looks like they’ll finally be watching that for the following episode. But, next week, they’ll be airing their live show, where they cover an amazingly produced and equally creepy horror short called The Smiling Man.

After watching last episode’s movie, Minki wanted to watch ANOTHER feminist movie depicting a strong female lead who has to protect herself in an antagonistic world...but this time, one written and directed by a female...since he thought the male writer and director of Teeth wasn’t quite as careful with his storytelling as he should’ve been. So, the hosts chose the first horror short, of the two covered in this episode, because it features a bad ass chick with a “fire inside,” which proves to come in handy when rape-y men come along. Then stay tuned as they hack up the second short for failing to take its decent premise and turn it into something that really goes bump...in the night. Also, this is the last episode of the show, because Minki said they just had to make it to 20 episodes when they first started, so Tracy is shutting this thing down. JUST KIDDING. They always come back...for one final scare :)

Minki’s been prepping for his big sketch comedy performance and Tracy has been cleaning up dead bunnies from her backyard, but that doesn’t stop them for doing what they do best...watching horror movies, retelling and assessing them. In this episode, they “cut their teeth” on discussing allegories for rape by diving right into the mouth of this subversive, counter-culture film. With motifs of “the avenging angel,” “rape revenge” and “the special gift” prominently used, this dark comedy horror features a lead character who goes from being an abstinent teen to an empowered woman who uses a certain special power to fight off the numerous hostile males in her life. The hosts discuss how the director wanted to make this film, based quite literally on a ridiculous urban legend, after the New Puritanism trends following 9/11 and while Tracy enjoys this feminist horror, Minki thinks it might’ve been done better if directed by a woman! Sooooo, next week they’ll watch Consommé...a short horror, made by a woman, about a woman who also fights against male antagonists.

Tracy and Minki watched a porn on Mother’s Day...or so it seems. That’s right—these dedicated hosts ditched their moms to watch and discuss this Mexican horror. There is definitely lots of nudity, close-up shots of genitalia and graphic sex scenes in this unique film. Oh wait, there was also some murder and cannibalism, but definitely less of that in this art-house, surreal erotic horror. Nice camera and lighting work, mixed with a solid portrayal of a mad man who has a very strange desire to return to the safety and warmth of his mother’s womb (HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!) should make up for the strange plot and excessively long scenes, but...not so much. For the most part, this movie doesn’t live up to its name...as a horror. Though, maybe the word “Flesh” was more indicative of all the nakedness. So, tune in to hear them recount this dreamlike, or rather, nightmarish movie.