The Pod and the Pendulum: A Horror Movie Podcast

This week concludes our supersized review of TERRIFIER 2. We dig into the movie and explore the moments that made this an indie horror sensation. Brian, Mike, Nichole and Ariel talk not just why Art the Clown is such an icon, but also how Laura LaVera has quickly entered the pantheon of best final girls as Sienna Shaw. Plus all the kills, chills, laughs, and stomach turning gore is explored. 

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This week we finally get to talk about the indie horror sensation TERRIFIER 2. What was supposed to be a one-night theatrical event went on to become one of the most successful independent horror movies of all time as audiences could not get enough of Art the Clown’s return. This time our master of mayhem in greasepaint isn’t alone as he’s joined by a demonic sidekick in The Pale Girl, while also getting a worthy adversary in Sienna Shaw, played wonderfully by Laura LaVera. Damien Leone upped the ante in not only the gore, but also added more lore, mythology, and backstory to Art this time around. The end result is an audacious slasher that pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable for cinemas with a multitude of some of the sickest deaths committed on screen, including one that is still talked about two years later as one of the nastiest yet most crowd pleasing kills in horror history. For the first part of our two part episode, Mike is joined by Nichole Goble, Ari Hellraiser, and Brian Keiper an we talk about why we loved this movie in all its bloody, gloopy, sticky glory. So head on down to the Clown Cafe, pour yourself a bowl of Art Crispies and enjoy this in depth discussion of Terrifier 2. 

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This week we kick off our coverage of the TERRIFIER franchise with the 2016, over the top infamous slasher film. While Art the Clown got his start in a pair of short films that became the anthology All Hallows' Eve, its really this one where he started down his path to iconic status. Mike and Ariel are joined by author Josh Millican (Teleportasm) to do what we do best: dive into the back story of how this came to be, from its humble beginnings as the short The Ninth Circle, to the feature films debut at Telluride Horror, to the litany of people that told writer/director Damien Leone that the film was too bloody, too gory, too offensive, and just too damn much. Whatever your opinion on the first film (and its one where your hosts' opinions vary to a degree) Terrifier is a story about an artist betting on himself, and that' something we'll always respect.

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This week we wrap up another franchise with 1989's sci-fi monster movie THE FLY II, starring Eric Stoltz. While it doesn't reach the creative heights or thematic depths of Cronenberg's earlier remake, there's still a  lot of fun to be had with this oozy, oddball straight up monster movie. Mike and Devaughn are joined by guest Jay Krieger to talk its charms and where it falls a bit flat. We do have to warn folks, this can be a tough watch for all of us who love dogs. 

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We're back with the second half of our massive episode on David Cronenberg's THE FLY. If you haven't already make sure you go back and listen to our previous episode on the background and elements of this movie. This time around Mike, Brian, Devaughn, and guest J Blake Fichera dive into the movie proper. We examine the romance between Seth and Ronnie that makes the horror all the more unbearable. We argue over the various themes and implications Cronenberg explored over what it means to be human along with the disease and aging metaphors that are front and center with Brundle's own horrific transformation. We discuss how The Fly ends up as Cronenberg’s ultimate dissertation on biological horror after a decade of mining the body for material in his work. All this and more on this week’s show. 

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This week brings us the first half of our two-parter on David Cronenberg's remake THE FLY. Mike, Brian, and Devaughn are joined by Scored to Death author J Blake Fichera to talk about one of the true masterpieces of 80s horror. 

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This week marks the release of Ariel's long awaited book Millennial Nasties: Analyzing a Decade of Brutal Horror. We chat about how the book came to be, why these films still stick with us twenty years later, and why horror became more brutal and often bleak at the turn of the century. 

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Mike and Brian talk about the last installment of the original FLY series. This one throws continuity out the window, and i a truly low budget affair. Still, while the lack of funds limit the sets and the performances, it offers a lot to chew on and tackles some fairly high concept ideas, even if it can't take them all that far. It's also the only FLY movie to date that seems to have a complete lack of its titular creature. 

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This week, the buzz is back! Brian and Mike tackle one of the great, underappreciated B-movies of the 1950s, with Return of the Fly. Vincent Price is the only cast member to return from the original cast and crew, this time getting top billing and lending his charm and winking good time of a performance style in order to deliver a mash up of a classic monster movie with more than a few nods to film noir. The end result is a movie that-for the first hour at least-truly slaps. From a great mustache twirling villain in Alan, to a plot that borrows from the Son of Frankenstein “I must redeem my father’s work” to some gorgeous black and white cinematography that hides the fact that this had half the budget of The Fly, we argue that “Return” more than deserves another look.

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This week we're all "abuzz" to start on a new franchise. We're dipping our toes back into classic horror with 1958's science fiction / horror tale of experimentation gone amuck with THE FLY. This is the film that made Vincent Price a horror icon (even though he's in a supporting role) and contains marvelous special effects, a fantastic creature reveal, and one of the most disturbing finales ever in a horror movie. This week Mike, Brian, and Nicole are joined by Shawn Murphy from the Men Who Like Men Who Like Movies podcast to talk B-movies, the ethical dilemmas in science research The Fly raises, how the film reflects the status of disabled persons during this time and why those last five minutes still pack a nightmarish wallop. 

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