Pod Sematary

It's Thanksgiving on Pod Sematary this week! Chris and Kelsey watch two completely different slashers (if you can call them that) all centered around the most gratitude-filled of holidays here in the States.

First up is 1981's Home Sweet Home, a delightful and dreadful little romp that has more in common with Alien(s) than you might expect! Marvel as a homicidal lunatic all hopped up on goofballs leaps at his victims from just off-screen! An extended "family" gathers in a wooded homestead to celebrate Thanksgiving, and maybe just kill each other before the villain gets to them! (Wocka Wocka!)

Then it's on to the little-known Kristy from 2014! Thanksgiving is the reason Justine (no, not Kristy) is all alone on her college campus, and she'll really need to show what she's made of to survive being hunted by homicidal internet trolls. This one is both wonderful and frustrating in equal measure! What's the whole point of it all? We're not really sure even the movie itself knows!

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1062856813597601797

Audio Sources:

"Die Hard" produced by Twentieth Century Fox, et al.

"Home Sweet Home" produced by Intercontinental Releasing Corporation & Movies Anonymous Partnership

"Kristy" produced by David Kirschner Productions, et al.

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Tombstone" produced by Hollywood Pictures, et al.

This week on Pod Sematary, Chris and Kelsey talk about slow-moving killers that stalk people for having sex!

First up is the sequel to the classic rip-off of Halloween, 1981's Friday the 13th Part 2! Jason makes his first appearance as the villain of the series and still does have his mask, but boy does he have mommy issues. Will he be able to resist getting revenge when an entire camp counselor training facility opens up on the lake on Friday the 13th? No. Of course he won't.

Then it's on to 2014's It Follows, one of the best horror films of the past decade. A shambling terror stalks a line of sexual partners. What can a couple of teenagers from Detroit do to stop it? Can it be stopped? We often talk about "What now?" endings, but for the beautiful, nostalgic, and melancholic It Follows, that question is the entire point of the movie.

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://t.co/rX0e9AGGRk

Audio Sources:

"Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" produced by Apatow Productions, et al.

"Forgotten" (from the "Fez soundtrack) composed and performed by Disasterpeace

"Friday the 13th Part 2" produced by Georgetown Productions Inc. & Sean S. Cunningham Films

"It Follows" produced by Northern Lights Films, et al.

"Old Maid" (from the "It Follows" soundtrack) composed and performed by Disasterpeace

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Science Fiction/Double Feature" written by Richard O'Brien & Richard Hartley and performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

"Stranger Things" produced by Netflix, et al.

"Title" (from the "It Follows" soundtrack) composed and performed by Disasterpeace

It's Nihilism Week on Pod Sematary! In this Double Feature, Chris & Kelsey watch what amounts to the same movie twice -- a movie many people would rather not watch once!

First up is 1997's Funny Games, from Austrian auteur, Michael Haneke! Then in 2007, Haneke made the picture he always wanted: the same movie again, only in America this time! They're slogs of miserable movies that, according to the man himself, are utterly pointless. Find out why these two movies are remarkable in their construction but lead Chris to proclaim he hates their pretentious architect.

Get more at podsematary.com!

Audio Sources:

"Funny Games" (1997) produced by Wega Film, et al.

"Funny Games" (2007) produced by Halcyon Pictures, et al.

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Science Fiction/Double Feature" written by Richard O'Brien & Richard Hartley and performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

It's that time of year again: Halloween Week on Pod Sematary! Each year on Halloween, Chris and Kelsey plan to bring you the next installment in this classic franchise! This year, it's a Double Feature of the 1981 follow-up to the original and the second Rob Zombie installment that definitely isn't a remake.

First it's the classic Halloween II from 1981! Laurie has been moved to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital after the events of the first movie and Michael Meyers is still on the lamb. Thrill as hospital staff walk down hallways! Join us for John Carpenter and Debra Hill's final word on Michael Meyers -- he's never coming back after this one, folks!

Then it's on to Rob Zombie's 2009 sequel, H2: Halloween II! This movie is chock-a-block full of Zombie cliches, but is it possible that it's actually better than the 1981 version? Find out what got Chris to say, "Like Icarus, he approaches greatness!"

Get more at podsematary.com! Read afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1056678173612494848

Audio Sources:

"Black Christmas" (1974) produced by August Films, et al.

"A Clockwork Orange" produced by Warner Bros. and Hawk Films

"Halloween" (1978) produced by Compass International Pictures and Falcon International Productions

"Halloween II" (1981) produced by Dino De Laurentiis Company and Universal Pictures

"Halloween II" (2009) produced by Dimension Films, et al.

"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" produced by Dino De Laurentiis Company and Universal Pictures

"John Carpenter Plays the Halloween Theme on Nintendo Labo… Kind Of" via IGN @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIRG6reVYLs

"Mr. Sandman" written by Pat Ballard and performed by The Chordettes

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Science Fiction/Double Feature" written by Richard O'Brien & Richard Hartley and performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

"Whirly Brains" (SpongeBob SquarePants S10E01) produced by United Plankton Pictures

"The Worst Witch" produced by Central Independent Television

CW: Rape

It's round two on Dark Castle Double Features this week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey go back to the same William Castle well as The House on Haunted Hill with Thirteen Ghosts! And stick around at the end of the episode for our thoughts on 2018's Halloween!

First up is the 1960 original, 13 Ghosts! Ghosts come to life with the ectoplasmic color of Illusion-O (ectoplasm only comes in red or blue)! Imagine 1959's House on Haunted Hill but without the intrigue and without Vincent Price... it's fine... it's fine.

But, then... oh, then... there's the 2001 Dark Castle remake, Thir13en Ghosts. A movie so batshit crazy that Matthew Lillard is the only one that can see it for what it really is: an ironic comedy.

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1053869938144796673

Audio Sources:

"13 Ghosts" produced by William Castle Productions

"The Cabin in the Woods" produced by Lionsgate, et al.

"Excess" written and produced by Tricky and performed by Tricky w/ Alanis Morissette

"The Fly" (1986) SLM Production Group & Brooksfilms

"Halloween" (2018) produced by Blumhouse Productions, et al.

"Mirror Mirror" written and performed by Rah Digga

"Orgazmo" produced by Orgazmo inc., et al.

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Science Fiction/Double Feature" written by Richard O'Brien & Richard Hartley and performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

"Thir13en Ghosts" produced by Dark Castle Entertainment, et al.

It's Horror Tropes Week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey get meta talking about some of the best examples of self-aware horror films that exist! (To be sure, there are more...)

First up is one we've been talking about since our first episode: 1996's Scream! Wes Craven got a bit meta with 1994's New Nightmare, but that movie only covered the one franchise: Freddy. Then along came Kevin Williamson and the two really got rolling with a film the transformed the whole genre for Generation X (for good or ill). Is this clever classic worth all of the not-so-great imposters?

Then it's on to the film that doesn't just want to observe the tropes but tear the whole genre down and start over: 2012's The Cabin in the Woods! Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard bring their experience and wit to address the big questions. Why do characters act like idiots in horror movies? Why only use that great weapon once? And what happens when the audience doesn't get what they expect?

Plus:

--a trip to Knott's Scary Farm!

--the new Pet Sematary trailer!

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1051648875990118400

Audio Sources:

"The Cabin in the Woods" produced by Lionsgate, et al.

"Ice" (The X-Files S01E08) produced by Ten Thirteen Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television

"Jamie Kennedy Ruins E3 - Activision Press Conference 2007" via gamesradararchive @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IifE-EAuSAI

"Like Father, Like Son" produced by Partnership for a Drug-Free America

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Pet Sematary" (2019) produced by Alphaville Films & Paramount Pictures

"Red Dawn" produced by United Artists & Valkyrie Films

"Red Right Hand" written by Mick Harvey, Nick Cave, and Thomas Wydler and performed by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

"Roll with the Changes" written by Kevin Cronin and performed by REO Speedwagon

"Scream" produced by Dimension Films & Woods Entertainment

It's Creepy Pasta Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey review two films focused on modern folklore!

First up is Clive Barker's Candyman from 1992, a movie both Chris & Kelsey had seen before and didn't expect to enjoy so much this time around! Who can mix Freddy Kruger's fear-based strength, Hellraiser's eloquent and hypnotic antagonists, and the People Under the Stairs' social themes? The Candyman can!

Then it's on to Urban Legend from 1998, a movie Chris was so excited about that he managed to talk about just about everything else but it! This Scream-wannabe lacks much of the charm of its predecesor, but does its nostalgia factor hold it up?

Audio Sources:

"Burns' Heir" (The Simpsons S05E18) produced by Gracie Films & 20th Century Fox Television

"Candyman" produced by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, et al.

"Christine" produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Sleepless in Seattle" produced by TriStar Pictures

"Urban Legend" produced by Phoenix Pictures, et al.

"Wicker Man" produced by Warner Bros., et al.

"Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" produced by Wolper Pictures Ltd.

It's Hidden Kids Week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey discuss two movies about a similar topic (secret children) that couldn't be more different!

First up is the Wes Craven classic, 1991's The People Under the Stairs! It manages to ramp up the tension and then defuse it with some good ol' slapstick humor. All to the benefit of the core message of anti-greed and social consciousness. Oh, and there are monsters in the basement and a poor, poor puppy.

Then it's the IFC slow-burner, 2013's The Harvest. It's halfway through before anything remotely resembling horror manages to slip into this film, but that doesn't prevent creeping dread from permeating throughout. It's a killer concept with a great twist that is ill-served by an average production and poor writing. But there's Michael Shannon!

Audio Sources:

"The Beginning: Making Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace" produced by Lucasfilm Ltd.

"Do The Right Thing" written and performed by Redhead Kingpin & The F.B.I.

"The Harvest" produced by 120dB Films, et al.

"The People Under the Stairs" produced by Universal Pictures & Alive Films

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Split" produced by Blinding Edge Pictures, et al.

It's Wish Week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey take on a couple of movies that teach you to be careful what you wish for!

First is the 1997 campy classic, Wishmaster, produced by horror icon Wes Craven! Don't expect another Scream (which came out right before this), but how this hasn't become a bigger late-night staple, we'll never know.

Then it's the much-maligned, modern take on the monkey paw fable, 2017's Wish Upon! We struggle to find the words, but it's as uninspired as you've been told. It's the anti-Wishmaster.

Thanks to listener Will for the recommendations!

Get more at podsematary.com!

Audio Sources:

"Be Careful What You Wish For" performed by Wayfarers

"The Beginning: Making Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace" produced by Lucasfilm Ltd.

"Mallrats" produced by View Askew Productions, et al.

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"The Picard Song" produced by DarkMateria

"The Simpsons Already Did It" (South Park S06E07) produced by Braniff

"Wish Upon" produced by Broad Green Pictures & Busted Shark Productions

"Wishmaster" produced by Image Organization & Pierre David

CW: Domestic Abuse

It's another Double Feature week on Pod Sematary! This time, Chris & Kelsey examine that "true story" classic, The Amityville Horror!

First up is the original from 1979, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. The movie is way too long and nothing happens, but it's well-made and has some good performances. Can the good make up for just how boring it is?

Then it's on to the 2005 remake starring Ryan Reynolds and Chloë Grace Moretz! This one is shorter and delivers on the escalating events, but Reynolds goes from zero to fuckhead in the first 15 minutes and things are a little less believable. Does this remake squander everything it does better than the original?

Plus, spoiler-talk about the season finale of Castle Rock!

Audio Sources:

"The Amityville Horror" (1979) produced by American International Pictures, et al.

"The Amityville Horror" (2005) produced by Platinum Dunes, et al.

"The Amityville Horror" (In Search Of... S04E03) produced by Alan Landsburg Productions

"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

"Science Fiction/Double Feature" written by Richard O'Brien & Richard Hartley and performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

"Treehouse of Horror" (The Simpsons S02E03) produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television

"The Wedding Singer" produced by New Line Cinema, et al.