And just like that, we've finally made it to the end of season 10! For this season finale, gather 'round the table, lock arms, and open yourself up to J & L's interpretation of 2023's The Reading. There's so much to get into about this film that was on the page (and glaringly left off it) but one thing is clear: horror could be Mo'Nique's second wind and ScaryCrit is all the way here for it. 

A huge thank you to our Critters for sticking beside us throughout our jagged prescence throughout the season. Life stay happenin' but we love doing this show and don't take a single listen for granted. And remember, if you have any recommendations for a future Crit, our lines our open. 

Thank you all and we'll see you again for Season 11!

Timestamps

• 5:14 - Crit Intro
• 06:52 - Crit
• 1:12:25 - Final Curls

Gems from Ep. 110

• RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009, television series)
• Them (2022, television series)
• The Reading (2023)
• Precious (2009)
• Jumanji (1995)
• Late Night with the Devil (2024)
• The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
• The Haunted Mansion (2003)
• The Muppet Movie (1979)
• I Love Lucy (1951, television series)
• The Brady Brunch (1969, television series)
• Ouija (2014)
• Crimson Peak (2015)
• Ma (2019)
• Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
• Whiplash (2014)
• Whiplash (2013, short film)
• X (2022)
• Ghost (1990)
• The Deliverance (2024)
• M3GAN (2023)
• Nope (2023)
• Get Out (2017)
• Halloween (1978)
• Ma 2 (upcoming)

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And we're back yet again with a delicious dish for this everlong season of ScaryCrit! Get ready to whet your whistles with J & L's foodie review of 2024's House of Spoils. From L's need for more desperation, J's love of the intersectionality sprinkled throughout, the horror of The Struggle™, and wondering if they both watched the same movie, there's something in this meal of a Crit all of you listeners will love. So dig in!

Timestamps

• 4:04 - Negronomicon
• 26:46 - Crit
• 1:23:49 - Final Curls
  
  

Gems from Ep. 109

• I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)
• Smile (2022)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
• M3GAN (2023)
• I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
• Him (2025)
• Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (2024)
• Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991)
• Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
• Teen Witch (1989)
• Atlanta (2016)
• Weapons (2025)
• Barbarian (2022)
• Parasite (2019)
• Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022)
• Companion (2025)
• The Village (2004)
• The Nun II (2023)
• The Nun (2018)
• Together (2025)
• Better Half (2023)
• House of Spoils (2024)
• West Side Story (2021)
• Argylle (2024)
• Hamilton (2015, stage musical)
• Wish (2024)
• Kraven the Hunter (2024)
• Love Hurts (2025)
• Hunger (2023)
• The Wretched (2019)
• The Wicker Man (2006)
• Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Flint Street (2007)
• The Bear (2022, television series)
• Black Swan (2009)
• Smile 2 (2024)
• Love Island (2019)
• Lovecraft Country (2020, television series)
• Crimson Peak (2015)
• Nancy Drew: The Haunted Carousel (2003, video game)
• Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Seven Keys (2024)
• Little Nightmares III (2025, video game)
• Fortnite (2017, video game)
• Little Nightmares (2018, video game)
• Reanimal (upcoming, video game)
• Little Nightmares II (2021, video games)
• Coraline (2009)
• LIMBO (2010, video game)
• INSIDE (2016, video game)

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🎶Beeeee who you aaaare for your priiiiide🎶

We're back just in time from yet another unscheduled sabbatical for Pride Month! And what better way to celebrate than by turning the channel to our crit of the hazy fever dream that is 2024's I Saw the TV Glow? A conversation about identity, nostalgia, and concept over story, get comfortable and be ready for the laughs and analysis! We're so happy to be back. 'Preciate y'all and your patience as we do this show and this thing called life. 

Timestamps

5:50 - Negronomicon

29:39 - Crit

1:13:29 - Final Curls

Gems from Ep. 108

• Sinners (2025)
• It (2017)
• It Chapter 2 (2019)
• Ironheart (2025, television series)
• Black Panther 3 (TBA)
• Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)
• Final Destination (2000)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• Final Destination 3 (2006)
• The Final Destination (2009)
• Final Destination 5 (2011)
• The Fast and the Furious (2001)
• 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
• The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
• Fast & Furious (2009)
• I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
• We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021)
• Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990, television series)
• Inception (2010)
• Poltergeist (1982)
• Growing Up, Vol. 1 (2017, album)
• Growing Up, Vol. 2 (2018, album)
• Growing Up, Vol. 3 (2019, album)
• Goosebumps (1995, television series)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997, television series)
• Moesha (1996, television series)
• One on One (2021, television series)
• Moonlight (2016)
• Insecure (2016)
• M3GAN 2.0 (2025)
• 28 Years Later (2025)
• Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
• Superman (2025)
• Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025)
• M*A*S*H (1972, television series)
• George of the Jungle (1997)
• Batman & Robin (1997)

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A day late, but not a dollar short! 

In Episode 107, J & L discuss the horror-effort Imaginary (2024), getting into the many disconnected subplots, what genre the film could've really benefitted from, and the fact that this film is a movie that just...happens. Ideas and concepts, y'all. Ideas and concepts...

Disclaimer: We love you, DeWanda Wise (and Issa Rae)!!! And we know it's pronounced MAHN-guh—y'all know's J's heart. 

Timestamps
4:04 - Negronomicon
32:14 - Crit
01:20:52 - Final Curls

Gems from E107

• Imaginary (2024)
• Sinners (2025)
• Fruitvale Station (2013)
• Black Panther (2018)
• Love & Basketball (2000)
• The Substance (2024)
• The People Under the Stairs (1991)
• Get Out (2017)
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
• A Minecraft Movie (2025)
• Despicable Me 3 (2017)
• Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
• The X-Files (1993, television series)
• The Twilight Zone (2019, television series)
• Muder, She Wrote (1984, television series)
• Black Mirror (2011, television series)
• The Woman in the Yard (2025)
• Truth or Dare (2018)
• Kick Ass 2 (2013)
• The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022)
• Ted (2012)
• She’s Gotta Have It (2017, television series)
• Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
• Coraline (2009)
• Don't Look Under the Bed (1999)
• Hide and Seek (2005)
• The Front Room (2024)
• Heart Eyes (2025)
• Companion (2025)
• Parasite (2019)
• Deep Blue Sea (1999)
• Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
• The Boogeyman (2023)
• The Monkey (2025)
• Danger Girl (upcoming film)
• Charlie’s Angels (2000)
• Totally Spies (2001, animated series)
• Resident Evil: Village (2021, video game)
• Monster’s We Make (CoryxKenshin, New Edyn Press, 2024, Print)

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The horrors persist but so do we! Life is lifin' which has led to our most drawn-out season yet but not to worry, Critters. We're still here, we're not going anywhere and we've got Ep. 106 for you, hot off the presses! Listen as we take it back to 1990's Def by Temptation for an episode that captivates with conversations about filmmaking on a budget, Melle's beef with lack of quality sheets, how Temptation's victims were all character studies, Black masculinity + power-plays, and some fish named Steve. We've missed y'all and hope you enjoy the episode! Dig in!

Timestamps
7:12 - Negronomicon
37:05 - Crit
02:02:19 - Final Curls

Gems from E106

• Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• Final Destination (2000)
• Final Destination 3 (2006)
• The Final Destination (2009)
• Final Destination 5 (2011)
• Thunderbolts* (2025)
• Wicked (2024)
• Gladiator II (2024)
• Scream (1996)
• 28 Years Later (2025)
• It (2017)
• M3GAN 2.0 (2025)
• M3GAN (2023)
• The Fast and the Furious (2001)
• Fast X (2023)
• Happy Death Day (2017)
• Drop (2025)
• Child’s Play (1988)
• Child's Play (1990)
• Child's Play 3 (1991) 
• Bride of Chucky (1998)
• Seed of Chucky (2004)
• Curse of Chucky (2013)
• Cult of Chucky (2017)
• Chucky (2021, television series)
• Charlie’s Angels (2000)
• The Woman in the Yard (2025)
• The Night House (2020)
• The Babadook (2014)
• Heart Eyes (2025)
• The Substance (2024)
• The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020, television series)
• Def by Temptation (1990)
• Do the Right Thing (1989)
• Ganja & Hess (1973)
• Videodrome (1983)
• The X-Files (1993, television series)
• Psycho (1960)
• The Monstrous Feminine (Barbara Creed, Routledge, 1993, Print)
• Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
• The Boondocks (2005, television series)
• Blood of Jesus (1941)
• Renfield (2023)
• Goosebumps (1995, television series)
• Black as Night (2021)
• The Last of Us (2023, television series)
• The Last of Us Part II (2020, video game)
• The Last of Us (2013, video game)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023, video game)

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In episode 105, Lauren and Jared jump through the many timeline paradoxes of Don't Let Go. The supernatural mystery loses its punch and the emotional drama dosen't quite hit home as we stumble behind Detective Jack Radcliff (played by David Oyelowo) on his journey to save his nieces life. 

We break down the film's time-warping premise, the emotional stakes, and how the world building fails to deliver. Is it a crime thriller? A ghost story? A time travel tale? Or none of those things? Join us as we try to unpack the time travel, grief, and second chances of Don't Let Go. 

Timestamps
11:59 - Negronomicon
25:50 - Crit
1:18:26 - Final Curls

Gems from E105

• Ghosts (2021, television series)
• Abbott Elementary (2021, television series)
• The Monkey (2025)
• Longlegs (2024)
• Thinner (1996)
• Scream (1996)
• Lights Out (2016)
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
• The Sandlot (1993)
• Keeper (2025)
• Don’t Let Go (2019)
• The Butterfly Effect (2004)
• See You Yesterday (2019)
• Hot tub Time Machine (2010)
• Back to the Future (1985)
• Project Almanac (2015)
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005)
• Frequency (2000)
• The Twilight Zone (2019, television series)
• Three Pines (2022, television series)
• Happy Death Day (2017)
• Until Dawn (2025)
• Before I Fall (Lauren Oliver, HarperCollins, 2010, Print)
• Before I Fall (2017)
• Law & Order (1990, television series)
• Sing Sing (2024)
• Jockey (2021)
• Rent (1994, musical)

Support the show

In episode 104, we dive into the 2021 horror film Black as Night. This not-so-unique blend of supernatural horror and social commentary takes us deep into the heart of New Orleans, where a young girl must confront a terrifying vampire threat that lurks in the shadows.

We’ll discuss the film’s themes of colorism, gentrification, and the coming-of-age throughline that has a hard time hitting the mark.  

Grab your garlic and stake, and tune in for a deep dive into a film that will leave you questioning what’s lurking in the dark.

Timestamps
04:56 – Negronomicon

• 34:16 (pause here to avoid plot spoilers!)

29:17 - Crit

1:37:34 – Final Curls

Podcaster's note:

A video that Mami Wata Mayowa posted online gave me the language I was looking for when we recorded this episode. The trope with colorism is that dark-skinned women are jealous of light-skinned women. This underlying belief colored the conversation this film was trying to have into a weird coming-of-age story that didn't sit right with me. I have a hard time understanding the perspective of the film has and I think there were a lot of other elements in the story that made this theme seem shallow at best. 

xo, Lauren

Gems from E104

• Black as Night (2021)
• Cheers (1982, television series)
• The Twilight Zone (1959, television series)
• The Faculty (1998)
• Scream 7 (upcoming)
• Companion (2025)
• The Blackening (2023)
• Barbarian (2022)
• 22 Jump Street (2014)
• Idle Hands (1999)
• The Devil Wear Prada 2 (upcoming)
• Moana 2 (2024)
• Moana (2016)
• Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996)
• Jason X (2021)
• Wolf Man (2025)
• Van Helsing (2004)
• 28 Years Later (2025)
• The Last of Us (2023, television series)
• Fear Street trilogy (2021)
• Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)
• Goosebumps (2023, television series)
• Goosebumps: The Vanishing (2025, television series)
• Goosebumps (1995, television series)
• The Nightmare Room (2001, television series)
• The Haunting Hour (2010, television series)
• Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001, television series)
• Squid Game (2021, television series)
• Virgin River (2019, television series)
• Locke & Key (2020 television series)
• Sinners (2025)
• Mickey 17 (2025)
• Black Panther (2018)
• Spongebob Squarepants (1997, animated television series)
• Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999, animated television series)
• The Monkey (2025)
• Longlegs (2024)
• Until Dawn (2025)
• Until Dawn (2015, video game)
• Black Christmas (2019)
• Black Christmas (1976)
• Happy Death Day (2016)
• Cabin in the Woods (2012)
• Annabelle: Creation (2017)
• Lights Out (2016)
• Shazam: Fury of the Gods (2023)
• Groundhog Day (1993)
• Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)
• Chlorine Sky (Mahogany L. Browne, Crown Books for Young Readers, 2021, Print)
• The Babadook (2014)
• The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022, television series)
• Blade (1998)
• Day Shift (2022)
• 30 Days of Night (2007)
• Fright Night (1985)
• True Blood (2008, television series)
• Twilight (2008)
• The Vampire Diaries (2009)
• Abigail (2024)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997, television series)
• Underworld (2003)
• Queen of the Damned (2002)
• Interview with a Vampire (2022, television series)
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
• Poppy Playtime (2021, video game)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s (2014, video game)

Support the show

Happy New Year, Critters! Wishing you a spooky start to 2025.


In episode 103, Lauren and Jared wrap up 2024 and talk birthday shenanigans and Christmas games before diving into one of the most talked about horror movies of last year, The Deliverance. If you couldn't tell by the title of this episode, we were whelmed. There is something important missing from this film and this episode explores what exactly that thing is.  

Gems from E103

• The Play That Goes Wrong (play) (2012)
• Super Mario Party Jamboree (video game) (2024)
• Nosferatu (2024)
• Crimson Peak (2015)
• Nosferatu (1922)
• Citizen Kane (1941)
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1922)
• Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009)
• The Wire (2002)
• The Sopranos (1999)
• Breaking Bad (2008)
• Game of Thrones (2011)
• House of the Dragon (2022)
• Holiday Heart (2000)
• Infinity Train (2019)
• Precious (2009)
• The Deliverance (2024)
• The Conjuring 2 (2016)
• Saw (2004)
• Hide and Seek (2005)
• The Number 23 (2007)
• The Babadook (2014)
• The Conjuring (2013)
• Sinister (2012)
• The Addams Family (1991)
• Edward Scissorhands (1990)
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023)
• RENT (play) (1996)
• Insidious (2010)
• Hamilton: An American Musical (play) (2015)
• The Butterfly Effect (2004)
• The Last Exorcism (2010)
• Paranormal Activity (2007)
• Drag Me to Hell (2009)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• When Evil Lurks (2023)
• Sinister (2012)
• The Reading (2023)
• Speak No Evil (2022)
• Godzilla (2014)
• South Park (1997)
• Lovecraft Country (television series) (2020)
• The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (2024)
• The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (2020)
• Origin (2024)
• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (Isabel Wilkerson, Random House, 2020, Print)
• Dora the Explorer (2019)
• Stranger Things (2016)
• Concrete Cowboy (2020)
• The Butler (2013)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
• Five Nights at Freddy’s (video game) (2014)
• Monsters We Make (manga) (2024)
• Dragon Ball Z (animated television series) (1989)
• Bad Parenting (video game) (2024)
• Mouthwashing (video game) (2024)
• Fears to Fathom -  Ironbark Lookout (video game) (2023)
• Poppy Platime (video game) (2021)
• Amanda the Adventurer 2 (video game) (2024)

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In episode 102, Lauren and Jared get in their early aughts bag and discuss Jim Gillespie’s lesser-known film Venom. 

We don't have a newsletter anymore but...! You can find us on Instagram @ScaryCritPod

Timestamps
12:35 - Negronomicon
32:55 - Crit
1:37:57 - Final Curls

Gems from E102

• Oddity (2024)
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
• Hoarders (reality show) (2009)
• South Park (animated series) (1997)
• Ed, Edd n’ Eddy (animated series) (1999)
• Dexter’s Laboratory (animated series) (1995)
• The Powerpuff Girls (animated series) (1998)
• Courage the Cowardly Dog (animated series) (1999)
• 28 Years Later (2025)
• Killing Eve (television series) (2018)
• Kraven the Hunter (2024)
• 28 Weeks Later (2007)
• 28 Days Later (2002)
• As Above, So Below (2014)
• The Last of Us (2023)
• 28 Years Later Part 2: The Bone Temple (upcoming)
• Conclave (2024)
• Sing Sing (2024)
• Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
• Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023)
• Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines (2012)
• Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
• Wrong Turn (remake) (2021)
• Wrong Turn (2003)
• Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)
• Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (2009)
• Pet Sematary (1986)
• Pet Sematary (remake) (2019)
• Final Destination 5 (2011)
• Smile 3 (upcoming)
• Final Destination (2000)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• Final Destination 3 (2006)
• The Final Destination (2009)
• Venom (2005)
• Saw V (2007)
• Eve’s Bayou (1997)
• The Haunting (1999)
• Friday the 13th (1980)
• Left 4 Dead (video game) (2008)
• The Mortuary Assistant (video game) (2022)
• Doom (video game) (1993)
• Stay Alive (2006)
• The Skeleton Key (2005)
• Spell (2020)
• Jumanji (1995)
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? (animated series) (1969)
• Ghost (1990)
• The Shining (1980)
• Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2003)
• Shazam (2019)
• Shazam: Fury of the Gods (2023)
• Interstellar (2014)

Support the show

In episode 101, Lauren and Jared discuss their most recommended film of 2024, Oddity. 

We don't have a newsletter anymore but...! You can find us on Instagram @ScaryCritPod

Timestamps
6:18 - Negronomicon
22:14 - Crit
38:26 - Pause here if you haven’t watched!
1:30:48 - Final Curls

Gems from E101

• Heretic (2024)
• Candyman (1992)
• Final Destination (2000)
• Creepshow (1982)
• Night of the Living Dead (remake) (1990)
• Scary Movie (film series) (2000)
• In Living Color (1990)
• Vampires Suck (2010)
• Scary Movie 2 (2001)
• Scary Movie 3 (2003)
• Scary Movie 4 (2006)
• Airplane! (1980)
• Scary Movie 5 (2013)
• The Boondocks (animated television series) (2005)
• A Haunted House (2013)
• The Conjuring (2013)
• Smile (2022)
• Hereditary (2018)
• Midsommar (2019)
• Scream (1996)
• The Haunting (1999)
• The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)
• Signs (2002)
• War of the Worlds (2005)
• Oddity (2024)
• Get Out (2017)
• The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
• Criminal Minds (television series) (2005)
• How Olin Lost His Eye (short) (2013)
• Laura Hasn’t Slept (short) (2020)
• Sinister (2012)
• Law & Order: SVU (series) (1999)
• Hell House LLC (2015)
• Creepshow 2 (1987)
• Insidious (2010)
• Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
• Crimson Peak (2015)
• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
• Nosferatu (2024)
• Gladiator II (2024)
• Wicked (2024)
• Chicago (2002)

Support the show