The Fear of God: A Horror Movie Podcast

We have something a little different for you this week FoGers. We're taking a look at the "found footage" subgenre with a series of films all about a haunted hotel and its extended mythology. In 2015, writer/director Stephen Cognetti gave us HELL HOUSE LLC, a pseudo-documentary about 5 individuals seeking to renovate a supposedly haunted hotel in Abaddon, NY and turn it into a tourist haunt. Over the course of three sequels, Cognetti would explore an ever-widening mythology that was -- at times -- very refined and intimate and -- at other times -- went almost cosmic with its spiritual warfare elements.

Joined by friends of the show Andrew Nelson and Matt Ruff, we survey these unique and fascinating films for all they're worth: including where they sit in the trends and tropes of found-footage horror and the psychological depths they sometimes brush up against. Not to mention the scary AF clowns!

The conversation is a bit more free-wheelin' this week and we really hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed having it!

(Be sure to check out Andrew's recently released album - Love at the End of the Earth and Matt's most recent novel - The Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country)

3:35 - Catching up with Andrew Nelson and Matt Ruff

13:16 - HELL HOUSE LLC Franchise

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Surprise FoGgers! Welcome to the first B-Side of 2024. The recent, heavily-acclaimed continuation of the classic 90s cartoon, X-MEN '97, has not only reinvigorated interest in Marvel's misbegotten mutants, but also prompted Nathan Rouse, Ian Olson, and Matt Murray to traverse an epic conversation about all things brand X.

The first hour, they discuss their history and affection with the characters broadly, as well as their favorite individual story arcs. Then, they dive into the new Disney+ series and unpack some of the reasons it has struck such a strong cord with both senior and freshman fans of the X-Men.

As a special pre-summer treat, this Patron episode will be available FOR A LIMITED TIME in the main feed before taking up permanent residency in our Patron catalogue.

So buckle up in the old Blackbird friends and enjoy this oversized B-Sides edition all about the X-MEN!

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We wrap up our mini-series #Franklymydear by going further back to another direct adaptation of the novel (albeit one that makes a TON of changes to the text). THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN from 1957 was Hammer Studios attempt to see if they could get in the game of horror cinema. It was a smash success, fueling 6 sequels and launching nearly 2 decades of prolific output of horror films from the studio. Starring Peter Cushing as the infamous doctor and Christopher Lee as the creature, the film takes a decidedly gothic -- almost elegant -- approach to tell its story. It leans heavy on the theatrics and the morality tension to deliver a film that is brief, dense, and surprisingly hefty in emotional and moral resonance.

Foreign Correspondent and Quarterly Queen Vera Goudie joins us to discuss this flick, as well as for a Patron-only segment featuring Lackey the Listicle counting down the top 5 mad scientist films that AREN'T based on Frankenstein. It's a brisk and thoughtful conversation that we really hope you enjoy.

Patron Only Segment: LACKEY THE LISTICLE'S Top 5 Mad Movie Scientists who AREN'T Based on Frankenstein

4:07 - THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN

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We have a real treat for you today. We had the opportunity to sit down with writer/director Francis Galluppi about his feature film debut: THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY. The film is a gritty, textured, character-rich mystery thriller and we really think you'll love it.

While awaiting the next fuel truck at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, a traveling young knife salesman is thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two similarly stranded bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty – or cold, hard steel – to protect their bloodstained, ill-begotten fortune.

We get to dive deep on the craft of putting this film together, including an exceptional cast of character actors, a meticulously crafted visual palette, and a script filled with clever and surprising turns. Galluppi is an exciting new voice in filmmaking and his debut feature is available in limited theatrical run and on video on demand as of today. Check out our really fun conversation and definitely check out the film. We hope you enjoy it!

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We continue our series called #Franklymydear on films inspired by Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein with our penultimate installment. This week we're examining an independent production filmed right in one of our guest's backyard. THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER delivers a smart and disarmingly thoughtful approach to the Frankenstein scenario, repositioning the narrative in the modern, rural south and tackling some pretty heavy themes. It follows Vicaria, a brilliant young student who theorizes that death is merely a disease awaiting a cure. When she resurrects her brother following his untimely death, she unknowingly releases a horror upon the community, although it is not immediately the horror you might imagine. The film is a compelling portrait of the power of identity in the face of systemic obstacles and systemic abuses that -- despite its heavy subject -- leaves a remarkably hopeful statement with us.

We're joined by new FoGger Chris Clark and Quarterly Queen Jess Fischli to discuss this impressive film as well as for a Patron-only segment of "Whatcha"s. This is a vibrant conversation and we really hope you enjoy it.

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

6:35 - Getting to know new guest Chris Clark

13:32 - THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER 

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We continue our mini-series looking at quite recent films which are taking their inspiration from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This week on #Franklymydear, we look at a truly stunning film from last year called BIRTH/REBIRTH. The film stars Judy Reyes and Marin Ireland as two women who become connected after one of them suffers a dreadful loss. What follows is a complex, deeply compelling portrait of two women suddenly thrust into confrontation with the cultural and social stigmas of our era as well as their own personal ethics. The film is thoughtful, provocative, and exceptionally crafted. It is the rare horror film that manages to unsettle and unnerve without any gimmicks or sensationalism. It tells a very textured, very feminine, and very human story in a way that's difficult to shake off.

We're joined for this vulnerable and thoughtful discussion by Vera Goudie and Jocee Worley who help us start to merely scratch the surface of this excellent and compelling film. We hope you enjoy!

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We continue our mini-series #Franklymydear which examines horror films inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with a very recent film from this year. LISA FRANKENSTEIN is the feature debut of Zelda Williams and was written by Diablo Cody. It features a very 80s aesthetic and a darkly comic story of death, resurrection, murder, and how difficult it is to be a teenager. We debate the film's effectiveness and unpack some of our own personal difficulties with finding out how we fit in with a world that is rarely easy and doesn't always seem to want us.

Also featuring a Patron-only Whatcha Watchin', Readin', and Listenin' segment, we hope you enjoy this week's stroll through the graveyard!

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

3:36 - LISA FRANKENSTEIN

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Having concluded our series on some of the best horror films of 2023, we are launching a new series focusing on a classic from modern literature that seems to be having a creative moment. A handful of films were released within the past year that took their inspiration directly from Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein. So we're kicking off a mini-series of a few of those this week by taking a look at an adaptation of the original story.

Kenneth Branagh's lavish -- and somewhat indulgent -- film is grand in ambition and a bit uneven in pacing. But it remains one of the most faithful adaptations of Shelley's novel to date. We dive into its merits and its oddities as we launch this series exploring what makes this tale so timeless and why it is striking a particular chord for this season.

Also featuring the long-awaited listener voted Top Ten Horror Films of 2023, this is a fun and thoughtful conversation that we hope you enjoy!

5:52 - Listener Voted Top Ten Horror Films of 2023

25:57 - MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN

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As an epilogue to our look back series on some of the most noteworthy horror films of 2023, we ventured into the largely dialogue-free, alien-infested world of the Hulu thriller NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU. Joined by Quarterly King Ian Olson, this is one of our more heavily debated films, as opinions widely vary between the three of us on what this film is trying to say and whether or not it succeeds at what it's aiming for. What emerges is an investigation of the desire to be redeemed, and how the hand offering us salvation may not always put us in the place we truly longed for.

Featuring a Patron-only segment detailing some fun "Whatcha"s of late, this is a strong conversation that we really hope you enjoy!

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

3:52 - NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU

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We culminate a conversation that's been playing out for 2 months on our Patron segments by circling up a broader conversation about Netflix's series THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, adapted by Mike Flanagan and his team from the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Over the past eight episodes, our Patron segments have been tracking each episode of the show in detail, focusing on what we liked, what we didn't, and what simply "ain't right". Now, we culminate the conversation by diving into the show's central conceit and the thematic implications of what it means to gain the world at the cost of your soul.

We hope you enjoy this concluding chapter in our coverage of the Netflix series!

4:20 - Our Favorite Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe

21:05 - Poe's Prose

25:52 - The Deaths of the House of Usher

44:38 - THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

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