Switchblade Sisters

Just in time for Halloween, we have the amazingly talented Alice Waddington (director Paradise Hills) on the program to talk about Logan's Run. She discusses creating specific fantasy worlds, being inspired by Logan's Run, and the pleasures of working with Awkwafina. We also get Vulture associate editor, Jordan Crucchiola, on the line to talk about what horror films we should check out this Halloween.

Paradise Hills is in theaters and streaming on November 1st.

And if you haven't seen Logan's Run, you simply must!

With April Wolfe, Alice Waddington, and Jordan Crucchiola.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

We have royalty on this week's episode. We are graced by the presence of Kiwi Smith, writer of 10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde, She's the Man, The House Bunny, and so many more. She's on the show to talk about a VERY different film from her own work - Bob Rafelson's 1987 neo-noir, Black Widow. Kiwi gushes over the obsessive relationship between Debra Winger and Theresa Russell's characters. She discusses having to change the ending of Legally Blonde several times. And she talks about how she physically mailed pages to her writing partner during the writing of 10 Things I Hate About You.

Watch Kiwi's show, Trinkets, streaming on Netflix now.

And if you haven't seen Black Widow, you simply must!

With April Wolfe and Kiwi Smith.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

We have the honor and distinction to be graced by the presence of Dawn Luebbe & Jocelyn DeBoer, the actors, writers, and directors of the new film Greener Grass. They discuss a classic film that would pair perfectly in a double feature with their own movie - that would be John Waters' Polyester. They elaborate on the notion of "shock value" and how Polyester is shocking for different reasons than Waters' previous films. They also open up about the production of their own film, and how they lucked into shooting in the "Golf Cart Capital of the World."

Greener Grass is streaming and in theaters on October 18th.

And if you haven't seen Polyester - GO NOW!

With April Wolfe and Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

This week we initiate another woman into the Switchblade Sisterhood. Avra Fox-Lerner, writer of the new Seann William Scott led horror, Bloodline, is on the show to talk about 1999's Ravenous. She and April discuss this bizarre and twisty cannibalistic horror film, and how it's a miracle that it got made in the first place. Avra elaborates on discovering aspects of her film through the editing process. Plus she details how she finally broke into the film industry by pitching a screenplay to Blumhouse that they said they would never make.

Bloodline is streaming now.

And if you haven't seen Ravenous - you should!

With April Wolfe and Avra Fox-Lerner.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

This week we are joined by multi-talented writer, actor, and director Ashley Nicole Black. She can most recently be seen as a regular on A Black Lady Sketch Show. And prior to that she was a writer and correspondent on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. The movie she has chosen to discuss also has its origin in the comedy world - Jordan Peele's Get Out. Ashley discusses how efficiently this film works at getting information out quickly, and how those same lessons can be applied to writing sketches. She reveals the origin of her character "The Most Annoying Woman in the World" and how it is based on the worst aspects of her personality. And she elaborates on writing jokes for black and white audiences.

You can watch A Black Lady Sketch Show on HBO.

And if you haven't seen Get Out - what's wrong with you?

With April Wolfe and Ashley Nicole Black.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

Recorded LIVE at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, this show has a little bit of everything - special guests, witchcraft, and a stuffed animal version of Black Phillip. Mattie Do, Laos's first, and only, female film director, is our special guest. And she's on the show to talk about 2015's The Witch. She details her own personal connection to magic and witchcraft, and how this film influenced the look and feel of her own horror-folk film, The Long Walk. She and April are also joined by Tigers Are Not Afraid director Issa López to help decide which member of the audience gets to sell their soul to the devil.

You can see Mattie's film The Long Walk on the film festival circuit.

You can see Issa's film Tigers Are Not Afraid on Shudder.

And if you haven't seen The Witch, you simply must!

With April Wolfe, Mattie Do, and Issa López .

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

Caroline Williams is a screenwriter originally from Atlanta, Georgia. In 2008 she created the ABC series Miss Guided starring Judy Greer and Chris Parnell, about a high school guidance counselor who must relive her unpopular high school days when another old classmate joins the faculty and staff. From there, Caroline went on to write for The Office, Modern Family, Up All Night, BoJack Horseman and others including, most recently, Arrested Development and Maniac for Netflix. In addition to television, Ms. Williams has written on studio features and directed short films, and she’s currently setting up her feature directorial debut. She is also married to fellow filmmaker Drew Goddard, Oscar nominated writer of The Martian and director of Cabin in the Woods and Bad Times at the El Royale.

The movie that Caroline chose to discuss can be found in the video store under "dreamy" - that would be Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock. She and April explore the makings of a good mystery and how sometimes things are better left unexplained. Caroline elaborates on the importance of writing structure - by both knowing when to follow it and when to stray. And she also talks about the joy of being able to direct something she has written.

You can see Caroline's work all over the place.

And if you haven't seen Picnic at Hanging Rock, you simply must!

With April Wolfe and Caroline Williams.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

Heather Buckley is a grand maester of film and horror. The first feature she produced, Jenn Wexler’s The Ranger, for Glass Eye Pix and Hood River Entertainment, premiered at SXSW and played numerous festivals on an international run before it was released in NYC and LA. Heather’s work as a film analyst and journalist spans over a decade, with bylines in Vulture, Dread Central, and Fangoria. Her background in SFX work includes: Circus of the Dead, Dead Still, and We Are Still Here. She is currently a Blu-Ray special features producer, creating documentaries for Kino Lorber, Lionsgate/Vestron, Arrow Films and Shout Factory releases, including John Carpenter's The Thing, Barton Fink, The Long Riders, Saw 10th Anniversary Reissue, and Army of Darkness.

The movie that Heather chose this week is a real doozy - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Heather talks about how she believes it's one of the most important films ever made. She discusses how this film forces the audience to root for violence. She elaborates on the fact that this movie has no moral center, and how it's the audience's job to gauge morality. And she and April also discuss the controversy this film sparked upon release and why the movie was initially difficult to get a hold of.

You can see Heather's work all over the place. Plus, you can watch The Ranger on Shudder.

And if you haven't seen Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer yet, be careful.

With April Wolfe and Heather Buckley.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

Jovanka Vuckovic is an award-winning filmmaker and writer. In the past two decades, she has worked as a visual effects artist, earning a Gemini Award, and cemented a reputation as a genre film authority—she was twice named one of the most important women in the history of horror, serving for a time as editor-in-chief of famed Rue Morgue Magazine. In 2016, she spread her wings into the US film market, joining the DGA after directing a segment of XX, the first-ever all-female horror film anthology from Magnolia Pictures, which had its premiere at Sundance 2017. Her debut Riot Girls, written by Katherine Collins, will see its release this year. The film tells the story of two young women who must save a young man from the clutches of a little psychopath on the wrong side of Potter’s Bluff — a town divided after a mysterious disease wiped out all the adults.

The movie that Jovanka has chosen to discuss is a grossly underappreciated classic - 1981's Dead & Buried. Jovanka talks about how she named the small town of Potter's Bluff in Riot Girls after the Potter's Bluff of Dead & Buried. She even goes as far to say she envisions that both films exist in the exact same town. Jovanka also opens up about her intense fear of death and how that influences her films. And she and April discuss the struggles of getting a movie made as a female filmmaker.

You can see Riot Girls in theaters and on demand on September 13th.

And if you haven't seen Dead & Buried yet, you simply must!

With April Wolfe and Jovanka Vuckovic.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.

Liza Mandelup is an award winning film director from New York residing in Los Angeles. Starting her career in photography, she graduated from New York’s School of Visual Arts and embedded herself in fascinating communities for photo series that culminated in two photo books. In 2018, Liza received the prestigious Sundance Documentary Fund grant for her film Jawline, following a handful of online teen heartthrob boys to chronicle the curious rise of a burgeoning yet fleeting economy. Jawline premiered at Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker. She was also named by Filmmaker magazine as one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Cinema in 2018 and one of 10 Documentary Filmmakers to Watch by Variety.

The movie that Liza chose to discuss ties in effortlessly with her own film Jawline - that would be 1988's dark comedy Heathers. April and Liza discuss the nature of being a teenager and just how serious everything feels. Liza talks about interviewing all the wannabe influencers for her film Jawline and how, no matter the place, everyone dressed the exact same. She also discusses the effects of "follow culture" and how that is demonstrated in both Heathers and Jawline.

You can stream Jawline on Hulu now.

And if you haven't seen Heathers yet, watch it now!

With April Wolfe and Liza Mandelup.

You can let us know what you think of Switchblade Sisters on Twitter or Facebook.

Or email us at [email protected].

Produced by Casey O'Brien and Laura Swisher for MaximumFun.org.