ScaryCrit: A Black Horror Podcast

Hey now, we're aware another, more famous arachnid done had a Brand New Day at the domestic box office earlier this summer but we're talking about a different kind of spider on today's episode of ScaryCrit! Sébastien Vaniček returns to the forefront as we bravely endured his 2023, creepy-crawly debut Infested.

Filmed with real spiders and feeling as fresh as it was frightening, we put this many-legged horror on full display for y'all, from Sébastien's stylish signature shots, the double-sided themes, and how the scares were expertly rooted in the authentic. 

So get your bug spray, shoes, small glasses and shoeboxes—ScaryCrit is crawling outta some speakers near you!

*recorded August 30th, 2026

Timestamps

3:53 - Negronomicon

23:50 - Crit

1:10:02 - Final Curls

Gems from Ep. 123

• Clue (1985)
• Muppet Treasure Island (1996) 
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
• Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
• IT (1990)
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
• Scary Movie 2 (2001)
• Ice Princess (2005)
• Remember the Titans (2000)
• A Bug’s Life (1998)
• One Life to Live (1968, television series)
• Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011)
• Malcolm in the Middle (2000, television series)
• Scream 4 (2011)
• Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)
• Heroes (2005)
• Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026)
• Buddy (2026)
• Too Many Cooks (2014, short)
• Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell (2013, television series)
• Coyote vs. Acme (2026)
• Looney Tunes (1930, animated television series)
• Spider Man Brand New Day (2026)
• Evil Dead Burn (2026)
• Infested (2023)
• Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
• Arachnophobia (1990)
• America’s Next Top Model (2003, television series)
• Alien (1979)
• Attack the Block (2011)
• The Grudge (2004)
• Deadmail (2026)
• Resident Evil (2002)

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C'mon, season 12! Let's get sickening! 

For this season, we're breaking out the shovels to dig y'all up some Graveyard Gems, underrated or lesser known horror movies we think are worth some exposure and a good, healthy crit. One thing about this podcast is that we continously put y'all (and each other, honestly) on to some good stuff. So we intentionally wanted to build a season around that!

Our first jewel of the season is going to be Dead Mail (2024), a sharp horror/thriller indie (that you can find on Shudder!). Make note of the modified timestamps if you haven't seen the movie yet! We implore you to have a watch before you listen to truly bask in the shine of this hell of a gem. We hope you enjoy!

Also, we just crossed the six year mark! Like, what?! For every listen, every like, comment, share, or watching of the movies we've talked about... Endlessly grateful to have your support, Critters. Thank you!

*recorded August 9th, 2026

Timestamps

4:40 - Negronomiocon

22:30 - Crit

• 28:09 - PAUSE HERE IF YOU AIN’T SEEN THE MOVIE YET!!!
• 28:15 - RESUME IF YOU’VE WATCHED

1:07:18 - Final Curls

Gems from Ep. 122

• V/H/S/Mixtape (2026)
• V/H/S/Halloween (2025)
• V/H/S (2012)
• Saw (2004)
• Malcolm X (1992)
• Juice (1992) 
• Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knights (1995)
• Exit 8 (2026)
• Nightborn (2026)
• Host (2020)
• Unfriended
• Wildwood (2026)
• Wildwood (Carson Meloy, Balzer + Bay, 2011, Print)
• Coyote vs. Acme (2026)
• Deadmail (2024)
• Halloween (1978)
• It Follows (2015)
• Stranger Things (2016, television series)
• Twilight (2008)
• Get Out (2017)
• Casper (1995)
• Criminal Minds (2005, television series)
• Barbarian (2022)
• Godzilla (2014)
• The Finals Girls Support Group (Grady Hendrix, Berkley, 2021, Print)
• Horror Movie (Paul Tremblay, William Morrow, 2024, Print)
• The Blair Witch Project (1999)
• How to Sell a Haunted House (Grady Hendrix, Berkley, 2023, Print)
• Horrostor (Grady Hendrix, Quirk Books, 2014, Print)
• My Best Friend’s Exorcism (Grady Hendrix, Quirk Books, 2016, Print)

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For our season finale (to quote Tom from Spongebob: "HAHAHA, FINALLY!"), we're switching gears a bit ending our Halloween-perrenials focus on a funny note with 2013's A Haunted House. Sometimes funny but always committed, we unpack what we've found to be Marlon's signature formula for these spoof films, how this film plays with its combo of genres, and our curiosity about the accessibility and inaccessibility of some of the humor.

Now. We've said it before and we'll say it again. Thank you for listening and hanging on throughout such a crazily drawn out season. Making it to the other side has been revitalizing and we are beyond excited to unearth S12 when we return in two weeks. So get those shovels ready and happy listening!

Timestamps

3:22 - Crit

54:36 - Final Curls

Gems from Ep. 121

• A Haunted House (2013)
• The Blackening (2023)
• Scary Movie 2 (2001)
• The Conjuring (2013)
• M3GAN (2022)
• Paranormal Activity (2006)
• South Park (1997, television series)
• Ted (2024, television series)
• Waiting… (2005)
• Euphoria (2019, television series)
• Legally Blonde (2001)
• Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
• Scary Movie 6 (2026)
• A Haunted House 2 (2014)
• 50 Shades of Black (2016)
• Naked (2017)
• Sextuplets (2019)
• Half Baked: Totally High (2024)
• Date Movie (2006)
• Disaster Movie (2008)
• Epic Movie (2007)
• Airplane! (1980)
• Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
• The Other Guys (2010)
• Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) 
• Stepbrothers (2008)
• Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
• The Original Kings of Comedy (2000)
• The Queens of Comedy (2001)
• Left 4 Dead (2008, video game)
• Boomerang (1992)
• The Invite (2026)
• Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
• White Chicks (2004)
• Norbit (2007)
• The 6th Man (1997)
• Above the Rim (1994)
• Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2018, Print)
• Children of Blood and Bone (2027)
• The Odyssey (2026)

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*recorded June 7th, 2026 (#KNICKSIN5)

In the penultimate episode of our Halloween Perennials season, take the scenic route with us down to Friendship, Maine, where we’re set for a spooky stay at Whipstaff Manor. That’s right, Your faves are crittin’ the one and only Casper (1995), a certified 90s baby classic and a movie that hit as re-runs during ABC Family’s 31 Nights of Halloween (IYKYK!!!). 

Speaking of hit, Casper is definitely one of those movies that hit different watching it as an adult. We talk about that along with some ghostly tropes that the film broke or outright disregarded, one incredibly taut three-act structure, the anchor that was the theme of grief (a reoccurring one this season), and how the interpersonal relationships of characters like Casper and Kat helped define the heartfelt core of this spectral romp. 

We hope you enjoy because we wanna know: can we keep you? …At least for the length of the episode. I mean, it’s longer than what Capser got (Melle is still mad about it, y’all). Happy listening!

Timestamps

2:10 - Negronomicon 

15:56 - Crit

57:00 - Final Curls

Gems from Ep. 120

• Scary Movie 6 (2026)
• The Bride (2026)
• Scream (1996)
• The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
• The Haunting (1999)
• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)
• Scary Movie (2000)
• Scary Movie 2 (2001)
• Scary Movie 3 (2003)
• Scary Movie 4 (2006)
• Scary Movie 5 (2013)
• Longlegs (2024)
• Where Evil Lurks (2023)
• Waiting… (2005)
• Casper (1995)
• Casper the Friendly Ghost (1945, animated shorts)
• Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986)
• Beauty and the Beast (1991)
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
• Beetlejuice (1988)
• American Horror Story: Murder House (2011)
• Re-Animator (1985)
• Twitches (2005)
• Paranorman (2012)
• Touched by an Angel (1994, television series)

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...You already know what the hell is going on here on this day. Your favorite Black horror podcasters experienced Evil Dead Burn (2026) opening day and gave y'all two weeks to get hip! 

   But now, it's time to unpack. 

   This time, French director Sébastien Vaniček (ahhh, we're such big fans and apologies for any mispronunciations of your name!) is in possession of the Book of the Dead and through his twisted vision, wicked camera work and acerbic humor, we are taken into a family in turmoil: supernatural, vicious, bereaved, Deadite-smashed-my-fingers-in-the-car-door turmoil. I mean, you think your family is crazy? Chile. We get into all the things: the smouldering family dynamic and themes that anchor the film, our many likes and honestly just our overflowing, fiery excitement to be crittin' another new Evil Dead film. This franchise is truly the hot gift that keeps on giving so unwrap and get your fill! 

Gems from Ep. 119

• Evil Dead Burn (2026)
• Evil Dead Rise (2024)
• Infested (2023)
• Arachnophobia (1990)
• The Night Eats the World (2018)
• Evil Dead (2013)
• Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015, television series)
• National Treasure (2004)
• Obsession (2026)
• Backrooms (2026)
• The Rugrats Movie (1998, animated)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005, television series)
• The Evil Dead (1981)
• Evil Dead II (1987)
• Army of Darkness (1992)
• When Evil Lurks (2023)
• I Am Legend (2007)
• The Sadness (2021)
• From (2022, television series)
• Kingdom Hearts (2002, video game)
• Get Out (2017)
• Hereditary (2018)
• Poltergeist (1982)
• Now You See Me (2013)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• Inception (2010)
• Film Fights with Friends (podcast)
• Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (2026)
• The Mask (1994)
• Coraline (2009)
• Little Nightmares (2018, video game)
• Little Nightmares II (2021, video game)

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*recorded May 30th, 2026

We are back from the dead yet again with a new episode, Critters! Grab your luggage and take the scenic route with us to the 1999 period classic, Sleepy Hollow. Between how the film started out as a garish slasher to the influential, character-driven spooky favorite it is, to a bunch of mispronunciations of "Ichabod" and how our first encounters with the film made this a Halloween perennial, there’s much to discuss. So make haste! …Because!

Timestamps

4:09 - Negronomicon

20:55 - Crit

57:01 - Final Curls

Gems from Ep. 118

• Hokum (2026)
• Oddity (2024)
• Passenger (2026)
• Backrooms (2026)
• Obsession (2026)
• The Chair (2023)
• The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)
• The Drama (2026)
• Anora (2024)
• Deep Water (2026)
• Saccharine (2026)
• I Love Boosters (2026)
• Riverdale (2017, television series)
• The Vampire Diaries (2009, television series)
• All American (2018, television series)
• Smallville (2001, television series)
• One Tree Hill (2003, television series)
• Backrooms (2026)
• The Backrooms (found footage) (2022, short)
• Hereditary (2018)
• Weapons (2025)
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• Sleepy Hollow (1999)
• Casper (1995)
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820, Washington Irving)
• The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949, animated)
• Hocus Pocus (1993)
• Batman and Robin (1997)
• Harry Potter (2001, film series)
• Death on the Nile (Agatha Christie, Collins Crime Club, 1937, Print)
• Clue (1985)
• Silent Hill (1999, video game)
• The Ring (2002)
• Cinderella (1997)
• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
• Black Sunday (1960)
• Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
• Van Helsing (2004)
• Beetlejuice (1988)
• Strange Horticulture (2022, video game)
• The Last of Us Part II (2020, video game)
• The Last of Us (2023, television series)

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To start, there is...SO much we didn't talk about. And there's a lot we DID talk about. But there was a lot of it we had to cut for time! In short, we could go on and on about this movie but we'd be here all day—which we're sure a lot of you would love! But as we close out Black History Month, we hope our love and enthusiasm is tangible for the focus of this Special episode of ScaryCrit, devoted to one of 2025's greatest hits, a new crown jewel in Black horror and honestly a piece of Black History itself: Ryan Coogler's Sinners (2025). 

This special pulls triple-duty as a critique, analysis, and overall appreciation piece for what the phenomenal cast and crew of Sinners (2025) brought into the world, a truly creative disruption in the Hollywood zeitgeist and one that is unabashedly FUBU. Thank you, Ryan! And to our Critters, we hope y'all enjoy listening as much as we did recording. Have fun!

Episode Gems from Special

• Them (2021, television series)
• Them: The Scare (2024, television series)
• Sinners (2025)
• Get Out (2017)
• Hamnet (2025)
• Obsession (2026)
• Quarantine (2008)
• REC (2007)
• Parasite (2019)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003, talk show)
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014, talk show)
• Conan (2010, talk show)
• Relationship Goals (2026)
• Midnight Mass (2020, limited series)
• 30 Days of Night (2007)
• Twilight (2008)
• True Blood (2008, television series)
• Pluribus (2025, television series)
• Black as Night (2021)
• Fruitvale Station (2013)
• The Wire (2002, television series)
• Black Panther (2018)
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
• Creed (2015)
• Abigail (2024)

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This week on Scary Crit, Lauren and J catch up on the holidays before cracking open the Negronomicon. Our hosts break down Sinners domination of the Oscar nominations, some dark horses in the awards race, and turn the page to a surprising announcement of a brand-new Kenan and Kel movie. 

For the Crit this week, we're revisiting ParaNorman (2012), the stop motion gem that combines zombies, witch trials, and small town fear into a love letter to the genre. From the emotionally heavy themes to why this movie sticks out as a Halloween perennial in the horror canon, we dig into what makes ParaNorman (2012) quietly powerful more than a decade after its release. 

Timestamps

00:05:21 - Negronomicon

00:15:50 - Crit

01:18:31 - Final Curls

Gems from Episode 117

• Rollbounce (2005)
• Mario Kart 64 (1996, video game)
• Bedazzled (2000)
• Sinners (2025)
• Lovecraft Country (2020)
• His House (2020)
• Loki (2021, television series)
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• The Substance (2024)
• ReLiving Single (2025, podcast)
• Living Single (1993, television series)
• Anora (2025)
• F1 (2025)
• Hamnet (2025)
• Bugonia (2025)
• Frankenstein (2025)
• Marty Supreme (2025)
• The Smashing Machine (2025)
• One Battle After Another (2025
• The Secret Agent (2025)
• Sentimental Value (2025)
• Train Dreams (2025)
• A Thousand and One (2023)
• The Ugly Stepsister (2025)
• Good Sports with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompspn (2025, web series)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009, television series)
• Kenan and Kel Meet Frankenstein (upcoming)
• Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein (1948)
• Abbot and Costello meet the Mummy (1955)
• Good Burger 2 (2023)
• Alvin and Chipmunks meet the Wolfman (2000)
• Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
• At Midnight (2023)
• 31 Candles (2025)
• Paranorman (2012)
• Coraline (2009)
• The Thing (1982)
• IT: Welcome to Derry (2025, television series)
• Glee (2009, television series)
• Stranger Things (2016, television series)
• Wildwood (2026)
• The Rip (2026)
• Halloween (1978)
• Friday the 13th (1980)
• Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost (1999)
• Heroes (2006, television series)
• Talk to Me (2022)
• Don’t Look Under the Bed (1999)
• Little Nightmares II (2021, video game)
• Teen Titans (2003, animated television)
• Teen Titans GO! (2013, animated television series)
• The Thrifting (2025, short)

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Remove those grubby shoes and those synthetic wigs, Critters! There are no kids here (#FTK) and we're among equals to have a small conference about The Witches (1990). Watch for mice! 

An enduring childhood classic, we give praise to Anjelica Huston's committed and iconic performance as the Grand High Witch, insight into why children's movies of today don't seem to really have it for their young audiences, and practical effects leaving the most out-of-this-world impressions, amongst other things. 

So happy listening! But if you speak out of turn, you best be ready to be Formula 86ed. 

Timestamps

3:21 - Negronomicon

20:12 - Crit

1:11:06 - Final Curls

Gems from Episode 116

• Ready or Not (2019)
• Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)
• The Blackening (2022)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997, television series)
• The Sopranos (1999, television series)
• The Wire (2002, television series)
• Friends (1994, television series)
• Game of Thrones (2011, television series)
• The Bachelor (2002, television series)
• Looney Tunes (1930,animated television series)
• The Pitt (2025, television series)
• True Detective (2014, television series)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000, television series)
• The West Wing (1999, television series)
• Euphoria (2019, television series)
• The Wizard of Oz (1939)
• Citizen Kane (1941)
• IT (2017)
• The Shining (1980)
• The Conjuring (2013)
• Frankenstein (2025)
• Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)
• Roadhouse (2024)
• The Witches (1990)
• The Witch (Roald Dahl, Jonathan Cape, 1983, Print)
• Aliens (1986)
• 50/50 (2011)
• The Witches (2020)
• The Princess Bride (1987)
• Stranger Things (2016)
• The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)
• Mr. Lucton’s Freedom (Francis Brett Young, W. Heinemann Ltd., 1940, Print)

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Happy Turkey Day! To celebrate, we're pivoting away from our Halloween theme to snap our fingers to the hilariously morbid 90s Thanksgiving classic, Addams Family Values (1993). We've got the whole spread: campiness done right, the enduring icon that is Joan Cusack's Debbie, satire that reflects with a sting, and what went down at Camp Chippewa. So whether you're cooking or on dish duty, press play and let us (and The Addams) keep you company!

Timestamps

Negronomicon - 6:50

Crit - 18:46

Final Curls - 1:08:30

Gems from Ep. 115

• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
• Thanksgiving (2023)
• Addams Family Values (1993)
• The Real Housewives of Atlanta (2008)
• The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (2010)
• Jersey Shore (2009)
• Love is Blind: UK (2024)
• Love & Hip Hop (2011)
• Love Island (2015)
• America’s Next Top Model (2003)
• Chad Powers (2025)
• Survivor (1999)
• The Addams Family (1991)
• Sister Act (1990)
• A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• V/H/S/Halloween (2025)
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
• The Bad Seed (1956)
• The Parent Trap (1998)
• The Parent Trap (1961)
• Heavyweights (1995)
• The Santa Clause (1994)
• Wednesday (2022, television series)
• The Addams Family (1964, television series)
• Riverdale (2017, television series)
• Columbo (1968, television series)
• Bewitched (1964, television series)
• Monk (2002, television series)
• School of Rock (2003)
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2001, animated television series)
• The Addams Family Reunion (1998)
• Scary Movie 6 (2026)
• Scary Movie 2 (2001)

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