Review It Yourself

Sean and Sarah welcome Author, YouTuber, Journalist, Speaker, Podcaster, Film Critic and Baptist Minister, Peter Laws to discuss his upcoming book 'The Frighteners: Why We Love Monsters, Ghosts, Death and Gore'. The book will be published on 9th October 2025.

'The Frighteners' finds Peter on a paranormal pilgrimage to seek out what is it that draws people to both the dark and macabre, but also to the light and faith.

With a healthy dose of dark-humour including threatening a zombie in a wheelchair with a shotgun, enticing a werewolf with peppered steaks from a Sainsbury's Local, to a festival which Peter described as a sort-of meta-physical Come Dine With Me, this thought-provoking book is one not to be missed. When I say thought-provoking, mainly death if we're honest but we'll get into that.

As the book blurb proclaims: 'Grab your crucifixes, pack the silver bullets, and join the Sinister Minister on his romp into our morbid curiosities!'

Sean, Sarah and Peter share their own ghost 'experiences'.

Guest Links:

-Peter Laws Website: https://www.peterlaws.co.uk/

-Into The Fog with Peter Laws: https://www.youtube.com/@IntoTheFog

-Creepy Cove Community Church Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3238cjOfCXGgXHI3SKI4ka

-Uncanny: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010x7c

Acknowledgments: Thank You To Peter, Elle-Jay from Icon Books and Paul Bavill from the 'History Rage' podcast.

Chapters:

0:08 Welcome to Review It Yourself

1:06 Literary Exploration of the Macabre

2:25 Introducing Pleasure a.k.a. Peter Laws

3:42 Childhood Memories of Fear

8:52 The Psychology of Horror

12:20 The Cultural Significance of Death

18:01 High vs. Low Culture

22:45 The Evolution of Female Representation in Horror Films

26:03 Personal Paranormal Experiences

36:50 The Quest for the Paranormal

45:11 The Nature of Belief and Skepticism

56:07 The Role of Coincidence

1:00:00 The Intersection of Science and Supernatural

1:08:09 Blasphemy and Artistic Expression

1:11:42 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

1:18:29 Conclusion and Acknowledgements

Most Importantly: Thank you to you for Listening!

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Review It Yourself.

'The podcast with the sigh. Film Reviews (mostly) without the Faff'.

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Ryan Walker is back! He joins Sean to discuss the iconic film Total Recall (1990). They also swear-ily discuss 1980's/90's action films, dating fails and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

0:05 Welcome to Review It Yourself

0:44 Manifesting Nicknames

2:07 Worst Dating Stories

3:39 Total Recall Discussion

8:12 Classic Action Films

16:43 Violence and Nostalgia

17:58 Practical Effects vs. CGI

21:44 The Memorable Characters

28:48 Theories and Interpretations

37:23 The Film's Legacy

45:11 Film Recommendations

50:42 The End of an Era

1:05:39 Closing Thoughts

1:12:08 Where to Find Us

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Sean has just got home from seeing the legacy-sequel 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' (2025) in cinemas. Clayton can't wait to see what Sean thinks of the film.

Chapters:

0:05 Welcome to Review It Yourself

1:15 Free Popcorn and Awkward Dates

3:19 Nostalgia and Killer Reveals

8:46 Cinema Renaissance and Legacy Sequels

11:49 A Dive into the Conjuring Universe

15:40 Merch and Film Memories

20:02 Throwbacks and True Crime

23:47 Flaws and Fun in Horror

26:36 Tales of Past and Present

28:50 Town Hall Meetings and Tension

29:50 Theories and Creepy Diaries

32:29 Bold Moves and Expectations

35:24 Critics and Opinions

38:50 Late to the Party?

43:04 Final Thoughts and Future Sequels

48:07 Wrapping Up and What's Next

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Paul from 'History Rage' continues to argue that his favourite film in the Alien series is Alien (1986). One snag: Sean and Sarah prefer Alien.

This conclusion to the Aliens (1986) review is chockful of laughs, disagreements, tangents and nit-picking.

Chapters

0:01-Sting from 'Pods Like Us'

0:15 James Cameron's Deleted Scenes

1:21 Practical Effects vs. CGI

3:43 Thematic Elements of Alien

6:06 The Complexity of Ripley's Character

10:34 The Role of Supporting Characters

13:42 Corporate Villains in Alien

17:58 Sequels: A Comparative Analysis

21:38 Robot Sentry Guns Debate

23:45 The Tension of the Motion Tracker

27:24 Ripley's Maternal Instincts

33:28 Newt: The Unexpected Hero

36:45 The Importance of Hiding

39:58 The Threat of the Aliens

42:15 The Showdown with the Queen

47:00 The Catharsis of the Final Confrontation

50:14 Concluding Thoughts on Aliens

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Paul returns to discuss his favourite film in the Alien series: Aliens (1986). One snag: Sean and Sarah prefer Alien (1979).

Sean tries to derail the review by discussing his frustration with James Cameron's latest films. Paul thinks Terminator 2 "broke James Cameron".

Did Paul really prefer Barbie over Oppenheimer?

With a sting from the fantastic Marv at 'Pods Like Us'.

1:21 Aliens vs. Alien: A Controversial Debate

2:07 James Cameron's Unique Filmmaking Style

5:50 The Last Train from Hiroshima

9:31 Directors and Their Creative Freedom

12:19 Fun vs. Tension in Filmmaking

22:23 Bureaucracy in Aliens

31:28 The Importance of Ripley's Journey

36:54 The Role of Newt in Ripley's Life

45:41 Iconic Moments and Character Development

55:55: Pods Like Us sting

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In Space No-One Can Hear You Rage! Sean and Sarah are joined by Paul from 'History Rage', to begin yet another franchise: The Alien Franchise. Beginning with arguably the best (at least according to Sean and Sarah), Ridley Scott's Alien (1979).

Chapters:

0:07 Welcome to Review It Yourself

0:24 Terminator Talk

1:19 The Alien: The One That Began It All

1:49 Cramming Alien

3:15 Ground-breaking Science Fiction

4:38 The Template for Horror Survival Films

5:10 The Gritty World of Alien

5:27 Comparing Worlds

7:38 Character Depth and World-Building

10:53 The Horror of Alien

17:36 The Unseen Threat

24:49 The Emotional Impact of Death

28:39 Ripley's Leadership

33:52 Strong Female Characters

37:31 The Company's Agenda

38:24 Ash's Revelation

54:14 The Alien Lifecycle

1:04:13 The Self-Destruct Sequence

1:11:41 Realism in Space

1:15:18 The Sound of Space

1:21:35 Recap and Reflection

1:22:26 Thank You

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Clayton and Shawn from 'Men Who Like Men Who Like Movies' return to hear what Sean thought of his first-time watching I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998).

Chapters:

1:28 Welcome Back, Clayton and Shawn

1:31 Thoughts on the Sequel

3:28 Voodoo and Quirky Characters

4:56 Obvious Plot Points

6:51 Recognizing Actors

7:40 The "Nice Guy" Trope

9:59 Julie's Character Shift

11:36 Jennifer Love Hewitt's Musical Career

12:56 Concealed Weapons and Survival

13:37 Carla's Love Interests

14:39 Julie's Trauma

15:16 The Importance of Character Depth

19:20 Contagion (2011)

22:14 Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Limited Screen Time

24:32 Cops in the 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' franchise

27:49 British Friendships

30:16 Seasickness Tales

32:17 Flying Fears

36:55 Karaoke and Song Choices

41:52 Justice for the House Cleaning Lady

43:45 The Pacing of Kills

45:05 Plot Holes and Confusions

49:45 Tanning Bed Trauma

1:16:31 Dissecting the New Sequel

1:32:17 Critiques and Comparisons

1:38:00 Podcast Wrap-Up and Reflections

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Sean and Cliff continue their in-depth review of the 2012 TV Film 'Saving The Titanic'. The film focused upon the Engineers and Firemen, who fought to save the ship.

With a podcast sting from the fantastic Marv at 'Pods Like Us'.

1:48 Titanic's Youngest Crew Members

4:59 The Engineers Behind the Ship

8:35 Cliff's future writing projects

11:54 The Role of Music on Titanic

20:21 The Dilemma of Survival

30:18 Cliff's Book on Bruce Ismay

40:42 Upcoming Spooky Projects

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Sean is once again joined by author of 'Understanding J. Bruce Ismay: The True Story of the Man They Called The Coward of Titanic', Clifford Ismay.

Cliff brings his life experience as an electrician to bear during this in-depth review of the 2012 TV Film 'Saving The Titanic'. The film focused upon the Engineers and Firemen, who fought to save the ship.

-The book which Sean references is 'Titanic: The Unfolding Story', by Carol King and Richard Havers, published by Haynes Publishing in 2011.

-The ship which Sean was trying to think of was the White Star Line's RMS Republic which was built in 1903, and sank in 1909, but unlike the Titanic, the lifeboats were able to ferry almost all of the passengers onto rescue ships.

With a podcast sting from the fantastic Marv at 'Pods Like Us'.

Chapters:

0:05 Welcome to Review It Yourself

0:47 Titanic Film Discussion

2:54 Engineers of the Titanic

6:40 The Role of Engineers

9:50 Heroism in Crisis

11:44 Film Reception and Awards

15:07 Behind the Scenes of Saving the Titanic

19:57 The Tragedy of Titanic

21:46 Attitude Towards the Sea

25:26 Design Flaws and Considerations

26:26 The Emergency Generator

28:38 Misconceptions of Titanic’s Fate

29:21 The Role of Luck

31:33 Character Portrayals in the Film

34:56 The Quest for Heroes

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@CinnamonToastCrunch3842 joins Sean to discuss his favourite moments of Doctor Who Series Four (2008). Originally live-streamed on YouTube in February 2024.

Chapters

0:51 Introduction to Doctor Who Series Four

2:46 Childhood Memories of Doctor Who

3:30 Favourite Episodes and Themes

3:48 The Evolution of Doctor Who's Tone

5:18 Darker Elements in Series Four

6:55 Viewer Questions: Ideal Casting

7:33 Discussing Potential Doctors

9:33 Donna Noble's Introduction

14:49 Partners in Crime Analysis

15:18 Character Development in Series Four

20:37 Donna's Unique Dynamic with the Doctor

21:52 The Impact of Donna's Character

24:29 The Significance of Fixed Points in Time

25:45 Scary Monsters and Childhood Fears

33:22 The Effectiveness of Doctor Who's Horror

37:07 The TARDIS and Personal Preferences

38:17 The Sontaran Stratagem Overview

41:23 The Return of Martha Jones

44:29 The Role of Classic Villains

46:44 The Unicorn and the Wasp

50:44 The Mystery of the Library

1:06:54 Introduction of River Song

1:12:10 The Complexity of Doctor Who's Storytelling

1:18:01 The Emotional Depth of Midnight

1:24:49 Viewing Order of River Song's Episodes

1:26:47 The Brilliance of Midnight's Writing

1:27:02 The Best and Worst of Doctor Who

1:27:07 Cast and Characters

1:28:53 Exploring Themes of Money and Value

1:32:58 The Importance of Character Interaction

1:34:41 Representation in Doctor Who

1:35:48 The Darker Side of Doctor Who

1:38:10 The Doctor's Control and Human Fear

1:39:31 The Role of the Hostess

1:42:36 The Impact of the Doctor's Choices

1:43:34 The Role of Supporting Characters

1:45:06 The Unknown Consequences of Fear

1:45:50 The Significance of Character Development

1:47:14 The Journey of Donna Noble

1:50:06 The Concept of Time and Choices

1:53:56 Social Commentary in Doctor Who

1:56:04 The Dangers of Nostalgia

2:05:48 The Legacy of the Tenth Doctor

2:07:30 The Future of Doctor Who

2:09:36 The Return of Characters

2:12:50 The Complexity of Rose Tyler

2:14:47 The Evolution of Donna's Character

2:20:57 The Role of the Daleks

2:25:01 The Reunion of Doctor and Rose

2:26:50 The Nature of Regeneration

2:32:11 The Bittersweet Conclusion of Donna's Story

2:38:57 The Message Behind Character Growth

2:49:13 The Importance of Good Writing

2:56:26 The Doctor Who Podcasting Community

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