Secret Handshake

Set the diving depth for schlock! For Spine #26, Jacob and Marten travel back to '89 and dissect the underwater horror boom that arrived in response to James Cameron's THE ABYSS. The brilliant filmic foam produced by this saltwater wave? George P. Cosmatos' goopy, mean creature feature, LEVIATHAN.

The boys throw on some rocket skates and decide to jump the LA river with the greatest mondo stuntmen who ever lived. It's our JACKASS episode!

A "one for us" rabbit hole episode of the highest order, Jacob recommends the oeuvre of James Bridges to Marten, and much beer swilling, bull-riding, and fist-fighting occurs because of it. It's the mechanical bull extravaganza, URBAN COWBOY!

For our latest barrage of bad takes, Cody thinks Chris Nolan's high-minded action movie COVID bomb is "dumb", causing Jacob and Marten to clutch their pearls.

What's your favorite scary movie? Jacob and Marten go long on their love for Wes Craven, wrestle with their feelings about the SCREAM franchise as a whole, and then tackle the latest installment in the murderous trials and tribulations of Sidney Prescott, Gail Weathers, Deputy Dewey, and Ghostface.

To celebrate one of their favorite directors, Jacob and Marten commit almost three hours to Paul Thomas Anderson's operatic San Fernando Valley melodrama, MAGNOLIA. But why is Marten so resistant to the auteur's BIG emotions? Find out now.

And that's a wrap on Secret Handshake's first year of existence. But what were the boys' favorite films of 2021? Jacob and Marten compare notes on the modern movies they watched in-between ingesting every cult classic under the sun.

For the final episode of 2021, Jacob and Marten wax on about the ultimate movie bromance: Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham. But why is the life of a Hollywood stuntman so thrilling? Crack some cold Coors and find out.

Our 20th spine number sees wild tentacle abortion monsters being added to the Secret Handshake canon, as Jacob and Marten explore the slimy wonders of THE KINDRED, as well as the rest of Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter's low budget horror output.

Y'all musta thought it was White Boy Day, huh? Cody's back in town for Thanksgiving and we're talkin' Tony Scott! The master of '90s disaster gets the Secret Handshake treatment as we dive into his timeless Tarantino collaboration, TRUE ROMANCE.