Optimism Vaccine

THIS WEEK: Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Guinea Pig: Devil's Experiment (1985), The McPherson Tape (1989), Ghostwatch (1992), The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Paranormal Activity (2007)

We're kicking off our new series Motion Sickness by looking at the history of the found footage format in horror, from Ruggero Deodato murdering tortoises in the Amazon, to the micro-budget film that launched Blumhouse.

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THIS WEEK: Unknown Visitor (2019), Host (2020), Dashcam (2021), and Frogman (2023)

What do you do when one of your co-hosts requires emergency surgery on Christmas Day? You pivot. And prepare to pivot again. So while Jack recovers from his "back problems", the rest of us are hard at work on our long-gestating exploration of found footage horror: Motion Sickness.

Is this that? Not exactly. Consider it a prologue, in which Steve and Miros look at some of the more intriguing recent stabs at the format.

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THIS WEEK: A Magic Christmas (2014), A Christmas Eve Miracle (2015) and A Husband for Christmas (2016)

Somewhere along the line, noted shirtless hunk afficionado David DeCoteau was co-opted into the bland holiday film industry. This merits our attention. Steven Paul doesn't merit anyone's attention, but we're still talking about him.

The stars are all here: Vivica A. Fox! Eric Roberts! Burt Reynolds! Jon Voight! And half of them are voicing vestigial dog narrators!

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THIS WEEK: The Grey (2011), Cold Pursuit (2019) and The Ice Road (2021)

This December, we've decided to trudge through the snow with Liam Neeson, charting his curious journey from celebrated thespian to Charles Bronson in a parka along the way.

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THIS WEEK: Blink Twice (2024), Smile 2 (2024) and The Substance (2024)

We've nearly survived 2024, but subtlety didn't make it out alive. It's cinema via blunt force trauma as we examine an eclectic slate of the year's most interesting horror films.

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THIS WEEK: See No Evil (2006) and See No Evil 2 (2014)

It doesn't get much worse than this, folks. We're exploring the origins of WWE Films via the limp, senseless misadventures of Jacob Goodnight. Will Vince McMahon's callous attempt to christen Glenn Jacobs the new face of fear succeed? Find out next Sunday at Survivor Series.

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THIS WEEK: Dee Snider's Strangeland (1998), Feardotcom (2002) and Cry_Wolf (2005)

We’ve traveled down Route 66 and across the Australian outback but one road remains: THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY. Join us as explore the dangers of chat rooms, cyber bullying, and haunted Flash websites.

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THIS WEEK: The Cars That Ate Paris (1974), Road Games (1981) and Fair Game (1986)

Roadvember heads Down Under, where four wheels and thin sheet metal are all that stand between you and imminent, excruciating death.

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THIS WEEK: Duel (1971), Freeway (1996) and Freeway 2: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999)

It didn't take long for us to foul up our road-centric theme, as the deceptively titled Freeway series sends us hurtling down a winding road toward... Danny Elfman?

And we also watched Duel. For some reason.

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THIS WEEK: The Hitcher (1986), The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting (2003) and The Hitcher (2007)

No, we haven't immediately abandoned our proposed annual foray into artful smut... it's just rather overwhelming to curate. So outside circumstances have dictated a temporary pivot to a different sort of pistoning action. And let's face it, Rutger Hauer is steamier than any vintage pornography we were going to dredge up anyhow.

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