The Retro Nostalgia Podcast

Is there any movie that epitomizes the term "cult classic" more than THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW!? Starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick, this outrageous horror-comedy musical is now over half a century old, yet it's so unconventional you'd think it was made today! From its flamboyant characters and outrageous musical numbers to its unapologetic exploration of sexuality and gender norms, this movie was decades ahead of its time!

When THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW first hit theaters in 1975, its bizarre blend of science fiction, horror, comedy, and sexual liberation was a little too much for mainstream audiences, and the movie initially flopped at the box office. But in 1976, a clever decision to revive the film through midnight screenings helped transform it into a cultural phenomenon. Audiences began showing up in costume, shouting at the screen, singing along, and turning ordinary movie screenings into wildly interactive events. A cult classic was born!

Cristina first saw ROCKY HORROR in high school and immediately became captivated by its wonderfully weird world. Chad, on the other hand, had always known about the movie but never had much interest in actually watching it. Until NOW! More than 50 years after its original release, Chad is finally experiencing THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW for the very first time!

Will he become the newest convert to the cult of ROCKY HORROR, or will he be left wondering what all the fuss is about? Watch and find out!

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Check out our friend Amy's channel👉  ⁨@PopCultureRetrospectivePodcast⁩ 

In this EPIC 5-podcast crossover, seven panelists debate which horror movie franchise reigns supreme as the BEST of the 20th Century! All the A-list names are here: Freddy Krueger; Jason Voorhees; Michael Meyers; Chucky; Ash; and more monsters, ghosts, ghouls, zombies, and apparitions than you can count! Will the Champion be a well-known property like A Nightmare on Elm Street; Friday the 13th; or Jaws? Or will the panel opt for quality over quantity and rank lesser-known properties like Sleepaway Camp higher? The victor of this bracket may shock you! (or not)

This is the second installment in our series of 20th Century Movie Franchise Brackets. We define a "franchise" as any series of movies with at least three entries. Many of these franchises are still producing new content today, but for the sake of this bracket we're only considering films released prior to 9/11.

Be sure to check out all the content creators in this panel

 @megamikethemovieman 

 @The80sand90sCom 

 @TheReelLifePerspectiveShow 

https://bit.ly/prettybadmoviegab

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Horror-Comedy is an interesting subgenre when done right. We've already looked at several successful examples: GREMLINS, FRIGHT NIGHT, and THE LOST BOYS. However, this week we're looking at a mostly forgotten attempt: THE MONSTER SQUAD. The idea behind this movie was essentially THE GOONIES vs The Universal Monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolfman, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon). It's one of the many 1980s movies where children managed to defeat supernatural villains.

This was a first viewing for both Chad and Cristina; which is surprising because Chad loved "kids as heroes" movies back in the day, and Cristina was a fan of horror even at a young age. Chad remembers the famous "Wolfman's got nards!" marketing, but Cristina doesn't remember this movie even existing.

So how will they enjoy this "cult classic" from 1987? Is it closer to STRANGER THINGS or HOWARD THE DUCK? Listen and find out!

Check out our friend Amy's channel  @PopCultureRetrospectivePodcast 

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Watch the video version👉 https://youtu.be/ZkvW0Nt3L48

Chad grew up loving comic books and comedy; Cristina grew up as a fan of horror (and especially vampires). So it seems only fitting that THE LOST BOYS would be the perfect synthesis of their favorite genres! This was actually Chad's first time seeing the 1987 horror-comedy hybrid directed by Joel Schumacher. It stars Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz and Dianne Wiest.

But is it really a horror-comedy or just a horror movie with some campy moments? We debate that in this podcast. We also discuss the film's subtle homo-eroticism; its clear inspiration on STRANGER THINGS; the two Coreys; its 80s vibe and aesthetic; its [undeserved] R rating; the hilarious grandpa character and plenty more.

P.S. Leo and Logan Cat both make cameos in this episode ;)

Check out our friend Milo's channel:  ⁨@The80sand90sCom⁩ 

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Last October we revisited the original Ghostbusters movie from 1984, so naturally we had to review GHOSTBUSTERS 2 this year. Ivan Reitman directs Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson all return in their respective roles to combat a new ghostly villain - Vigo The Carpathian.

Many GenXers remember GHOSTBUSTERS 2 being a flop akin to Howard the Duck. But that's a Mandela Effect as this movie actually had a bigger opening weekend than the original and still pulled in well over $200 million worldwide; making it the seventh highest-grossing movie of 1989! That's hardly a bomb. While it didn't garner huge critical acclaim the way the original did, it wasn't universally panned, either.

Chad and Cristina decided to give GHOSTBUSTERS 2 a fair shake after all these years and were rather surprised at what they saw versus what they remembered. They reminisce on the Bobby Brown "On Our Own" theme song, special effects, casting, The Real Ghostbusters animated series and toyline, and take plenty of detours along the way. Did they enjoy it as much as the original? Listen and find out!

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We're getting started on Horror Movie Month a little early this year. First up is FRIGHT NIGHT - a 1985 genre-defying film starring Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowall, William Ragsdale and Amanda Bearse. It was Tom Holland's directorial debut (he'd go on to direct Child's Play, Amazing Stories, Tales From The Crypt and several Stephen King adaptations).

FRIGHT NIGHT was one of Cristina's favorite horror movies as a kid and even claims she was "obsessed" with it as a teenager (mostly due to Chris Sarandon). Chad wasn't familiar with it at all and assumed it was just another cheesy 80s slasher flick. He was pleasantly surprised to find it to be an interesting combination of horror and satire (which Wes Craven's SCREAM series would go on to perfect).

But how well does FRIGHT NIGHT hold up in 2026? Listen to our show and find out.

Watch the video version👉 https://youtu.be/6nxlcHbCLpk

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Check out our friends at The Retro Resurgence Podcast👉 https://theretroresurgence.com

NOTE: This is a re-upload. somehow the audio was muted the first time. it should be working now!

A lot of podcasts have debated the greatest comedies of the 20th Century, but we decided to debate the greatest comedy FRANCHISES. It was an epic showdown between A-list properties such as Ghostbusters; Bill & Ted; Monty Python; Jay & Silent Bob; Home Alone; Austin Powers; The Naked Gun and more! We couldn't do this alone, so we brought in Mo and George from  @GenXGrownUp  and Amy from  @PopCultureRetrospectivePodcast .

We're planning on making three more of these franchise brackets: scifi/fantasy; horror; and action/adventure. Be sure to subscribe to see which movies we think were the BEST franchises of their genres in the minds (and hearts) of Gen Xers!

FYI: we defined "franchise" as any series of movies that originated in the 20th Century that included 3 or more films; or 2 films plus one or more of the following: a TV show, animated series, video games; toys, etc. We did bend the rules a little at times, but anyone can reasonably agree these are some of the biggest properties in comedy movies in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

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HOWARD THE DUCK has already gone down in cinematic history for being one of the biggest flops of all time. Not even STAR WARS creator George Lucas, nor the screenwriters from INDIANA JONES could make this thing work. Most people don't know it's actually based on a MARVEL comic book (which would technically make it the first entry in the MCU).

We collab'ed with Mike and Christian from the PRETTY BAD MOVIE GAB podcast to look back at this infamous flick. We all saw it as kids in the 1980s, but it's been DECADES since our last viewing. Is it really as bad as its reputation, or is it one of those so-bad-its-good movies? Is there ANYTHING to enjoy, or is it just 110 minutes of puns, dad jokes, wildly inappropriate adult situations, and special effects that have aged like organic produce?! Listen and find out!

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Terminator 2 really needs no introduction. It's an EPIC Arnold Schwarzenegger action/scifi spectacle directed by James Cameron. As ground-breaking as the original Terminator film was, "Judgment Day" ups the ante to an extreme degree. Though its remembered for its mesmerizing "liquid metal" CGI; those SFX only add up to a few minutes of runtime. Everything else is practical effects and real stunts. They're still as impressive in 2026 as they were in 1991.

We saw this movie in the theaters for its 35th anniversary, and it was quite an event watching it on the big screen. Both Chad and Cristina had seen this multiple times back in the 1990s, but it's been a while since our last viewing. Going the old school route of actually leaving the house was the retro nostalgia experience we were hoping for.

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We conclude "Animation August" with a modern classic of sorts: BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA! This movie was penned and directed by Mike Judge who went on to create KING OF THE HILL, OFFICE SPACE, and IDIOCRACY among many other shows and films. Judge was also the creator of Beavis and Butt-Head, and provided their voices (along with many other characters).

GenXers probably remember Beavis and Butt-Head as being edgy, controversial characters of the 1990s. They were making crude, boorish jokes and literal toilet humor years before SOUTH PARK. At some point they just kind of vanished, but their 1996 movie will forever be remembered as the point Beavis and Butt-Head broke into the mainstream.

But does the lowbrow sense of humor still work 30 years later (if only as time capsule nostalgia)? Or are these characters aged relics who don't hold up today? Watch this episode and find out!

Watch the video version👉 https://youtu.be/SmlRjETxmPg

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