Spookies, we've been meaning to cover The Skeleton Key (2005) for a while now, so when Swamp Ass August entered the conversation, we knew it had to be part of the lineup. An iconic mid-aughts horror movie starring not one, not two, but three Oscar-nominated actors, this flick nails the Southern Gothic aesthetic and definitely brings the talent. That being said, it's not without its blind spots — and there's always danger when you dabble in things you don't understand. Join us in the bayou as we talk comps, clues, and culture on a new Spooky Tuesday. 

References: 

https://hcagrads.hypotheses.org/5111

https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/el2d08/what_did_get_out_have_that_the_skeleton_key_didnt/

A theme month is something that can be so special and also last only two or maybe three weeks as long as your heart is pure, which is why we're coming back from summer break with Swamp Ass August. We figured our reunion was cause for celebration, Spookies, so we're hosting a slumber party double feature with Stephen King's Sleepwalkers (1992) and Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998). With some interesting parallels and illuminating opposites, these two flicks make for strange bed fellows, but we're ready to stay up all night breaking them down just as long as we can work in a little ~cat~ nap along the way. 

References:

Boadecia - Enya in Criminal Minds

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scoobydoo/comments/11nl81x/we_were_robbed_of_a_good_representation_of_velma/

This season, a new queer horror has entered the Villa! We've had our eye on Leviticus (2026) ever since it started making waves at Sundance earlier this year, and now that it's summer, we're ready for a trip to Australia. This flick may not have quite fit the requirements for our pride lineup this year, but we still knew we wanted to cover it sooner rather than later — and with its electric romance, supernatural spooks, and Biblical references, there's a lot to talk about. Starring Talk to Me's Joe Bird, relative newcomer Stacy Clausen, and comeback queen Mia Wasikowska, writer-director Adrian Chiarella's story has CLEAR references to films like It Follows and Teeth while trying to forge a path of its own. 

References:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/leviticus-review-conversion-therapy-horror-1236480516/

YouTube: Michael Johnston (Obsession) Hosts Leviticus Q&A | Director Adrian Chiarella & Cast Interview

YouTube: LEVITICUS Interview with Writer/Director Adrian Chiarella and Lead Joe Bird

https://sarata.com/bible/verses/about/frogs.html

https://johnmckeel.com/bible-study/top-five-snakes-in-the-bible/

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2016%3A7-22&version=KJV

Despite the fact that it technically premiered last fall, Obsession (2025) is the hottest horror movie of the year — and it's also the official quarterly pick of our Patrons. The theatrical film debut of writer-director-editor Curry Barker, who got his start making shorts online, this flick captivated moviegoers from the first second it hit their screens. It's also inspired about a thousand memes and plenty of discourse about how the One Wish Willow works, when a hero becomes a villain, and when exactly that villain turn started. On a new Spooky Tuesday, we're joining the conversation as we talk newcomers and nepotism while namedropping stars like Inde Navarette, Michael Johnston, and of course papa Clive Barker himself. 

References: 

Costume Designer Blair James's TikTok

Olivia Rodrigo's Take on Obsession 

If Curry Barker made a skit about One Wish Willows

Obsession if it was WLW

June may be coming to an end, but Trans Pride isn't over yet, Spookies! We've still got one week left, and we're finishing off with a real hoot of a Fifth Tuesday. For our bonus episode this month, we're hitching a ride with a few fabulous femmes in To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), a movie with a title so long it might as well be one of our themed events. In this '90s flick, leading men Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo set their action star personas aside to play a motley crew of drag queens on a cross-country trip. Full of heart and humor, this queer comedy engages with questions of identity and self-expression ahead of its time while showing audiences just what American allyship can look like. 

This month, we're donating all of our proceeds to non-profit organizations dedicated to helping and protecting the trans community. You can help by participating in our Instagram fundraiser benefiting Transgender Law Center, joining our Patreon, or streaming both old and new episodes through the end of June. Happy Pride!

References: 

https://letterboxd.com/journal/to-wong-foo-thanks-for-everything-julie-newmar-anniversary-retrospective/

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/john-leguizamo-wong-foo-legacy-25-years-after-cult-film-n1239471

https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/to-wong-foo-thanks-for-everything-julie-newmar-1200443027/

YouTube: "To Wong Foo..." (1995) - Deleted & Extended Scenes

YouTube: Trixie Reacts to To Wong Foo

YouTube: Trans Drag Queen Analyzes To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything

YouTube: Interview with Douglas Carter Beane

With those gnarly Evil Dead Burn trailers hitting theaters, we figured it was about time we got caught up on the current state of affairs in Deadite world. Thankfully, Evil Dead Rise (2023) features a trans actor and, at least according to some, a trans character, so it fits our Trans Pride purposes perfectly. A new addition to the story rather than any sort of direct sequel, this flick retreads familiar (and familial) ground while exploring a new urban setting. That's right: Forget a cabin in the woods (at least for the most part), because we've uncovered a new Naturom Demonto under an apartment building in Downtown Los Angeles. We're talking lore, giving Lee Cronin another chance, and recalling our own potentially cursed missteps on a new Spooky Tuesday. 

This month, we're donating all of our proceeds to non-profit organizations dedicated to helping and protecting the trans community. You can help by participating in our Instagram fundraiser benefiting Transgender Law Center, joining our Patreon, or streaming both old and new episodes through the end of June. Happy Pride!

References: 

https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/evil-dead-rise-director-lee-cronin-interview-1234829839/

https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/evil-dead-rise-ending-explained-lee-cronin-1234831407/

https://evildead.fandom.com/wiki/Necronomicon_Ex-Mortis

https://screenrant.com/evil-dead-necronomicon-every-version-explained/

https://loganashley.substack.com/p/the-transgender-evil-dead

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/04/25/evil-dead-rise-trans-character-danny-morgan-davies/

Back when The Matrix (1999) first came out, not everyone understood the movie's true message. In the years since, however, the Wachowskis sisters have clarified the trans allegory at the heart of their story, and now we're watching with fresh eyes. On our latest episode, we're keeping the Trans Pride party going as we veer just slightly out of our usual horror space and into the overlap with scifi action thrillers. Join us as we talk faith, fate, Keanu, and countless CLEAR references on a new Spooky Tuesday. 

This month, we're donating all of our proceeds to non-profit organizations dedicated to helping and protecting the trans community. You can help by participating in our Instagram fundraiser benefiting Transgender Law Center, joining our Patreon, or streaming both old and new episodes through the end of June. Happy Pride!

References:

https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/with-the-matrix-4-coming-lets-talk-about-how-the-first-movie-is-a-trans-allegory

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-53692435

https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/the-matrix-anniversary-trivia-facts/free-your-mind-dance-show/

https://bookshop.org/p/books/everyone-on-the-moon-is-essential-personnel-julian-k-jarboe/3c27e4717346412b

YouTube: Lilly Wachowski says Lilly Wachowski

Jamie Clayton didn't just make major headlines when she landed the role of Pinhead in the new Hellraiser (2022) movie, she also made horror history. Clive Barker's original novella — and the 1987 film adaptation — were both deeply rooted in the queer kink scene, and the reboot brings that LGBTQIA+ representation directly onto the screen through its cast and characters. But by being able to be explicit about its inclusivity, did this flick sacrifice a little of its explicitness in other areas? For our latest episode of Trans Pride, we're summoning the Cenobites for a conversation about the yuck factor and yum factor involved in the newest installment of one of the genre's biggest franchises. 

This month, we're donating all of our proceeds to non-profit organizations dedicated to helping and protecting the trans community. You can help by participating in our Instagram fundraiser benefiting Transgender Law Center, joining our Patreon, or streaming both old and new episodes through the end of June. Happy Pride!

References:

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/hellraiser-2022-pinhead-interview

https://screenrant.com/hellraiser-reboot-jamie-clayton-david-bruckner/

https://collider.com/hellraiser-jamie-clayton-director-david-bruckner-interview-pinhead-cenobites/

https://www.them.us/story/hellraiser-2022-review-jamie-clayton-pinhead

https://www.autostraddle.com/hellraiser-2022-review/

YouTube: ‘Hellraiser’ Interviews With Jamie Clayton, Brandon Flynn, Goran Visnjic & More!

YouTube: "What an absolute f*cking thrill!" Jamie Clayton On Playing Pinhead in HELLRAISER Remake | INTERVIEW

YouTube: Hellraiser || Odessa A’zion - "Riley" Generic Interview

YouTube: Hellraiser's Adam Faison and Drew Starkey Talk Blood. Lots of Blood.

YouTube: Hellraiser (2022) Interviews: Pinhead herself Jamie Clayton & More!

Pride is back, baby — and, as always, Pride is political. That's why we've decided to dedicate our whole 2026 lineup to Trans Pride and raising money for organizations like the Transgender Law Center, and we're kicking this party off with Queens of the Dead (2025). Directed by Tina Romero, daughter of Night of the Living Dead creator George A. Romero, this flick follows in the family tradition as it focuses a zombie outbreak on the queer nightlife scene. With an incredible ensemble cast that features performers like Katy O'Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Jack Haven, Dominique Jackson, and Margaret Cho, this monster movie will have you believing in the power of both calling on your community and lip syncing for your life. 

This month, we're donating all of our proceeds to non-profit organizations dedicated to helping and protecting the trans community. You can help by participating in our Instagram fundraiser benefiting Transgender Law Center, joining our Patreon, or streaming both old and new episodes through the end of June. Happy Pride!

References: 

How Tina Romero Evolved Her Father's Horror Legacy in 'Queens of the Dead'

https://www.phantasmag.com/articles/queens-of-the-dead-tina-romero-interview-katy-obrian-jack-haven-queer-zombie-movie

https://inreviewonline.com/2025/10/24/all-queens-no-divas-tina-romero-interview/

https://www.them.us/story/jack-haven-queens-of-the-dead-interview-margaret-cho

https://www.pride.com/culture/interviews/nina-west-tomas-matos

https://www.pride.com/culture/interviews/katy-obrian-riki-lindhome

Spookies, we're sure some people are suffering from grief horror fatigue, but you have space in your heart for a tight 90 about a rabid chimp, right? In Primate (2025), Johannes Roberts is mixing up the tired trope by ignoring a family's lost loved one almost entirely, instead focusing the story on what happens to a group of teens when their late mom's adopted ape goes — well, we hate to say it, but — ape shit. Straddling the line between monster movie and slasher, this flick features more gore than you might expect, and it does it all with a few classic horror references. Join us on a new Spooky Tuesday as we pack our bags and head to Hawaii for summer break. Oh, and we brought this teddy bear for someone special, too. 🧸 

References:

Primate Interview with Cast and Director

Miguel Torres Umba: PRIMATE

Primate Exclusive Featurette: Directing from the Pool

https://dmtalkies.com/primate-movie-ending-explained-2026/

https://www.animallaw.info/article/incidents-attacks-involving-captive-chimpanzees

https://www.reddit.com/r/Moviesinthemaking/comments/1q8qfwx/behind_the_scenes_of_primate_2025/#lightbox

https://www.instagram.com/p/DU34gKrDlTV/