The Scariest Things

The Scariest Things Podcast had the honor of sitting down with one of the most inventive voices in horror today, Bomani J. Story, to talk about his new film the Angry Black Girl and Her Monster. The film had its premiere at SXSW and the Scariest Things Podcast was there to take it all in!

A hundred years on we’ve been blessed and not-so-blessed with hundreds, or maybe thousands of Frankenstein-related films. Remakes, reboots, re-imaginations, a reworking of the Mary Shelley source material, and even re-re-working of Shelley’s book.

The Frankenstein mythos has comfortably slipped into our collective horror zeitgeist. Bomani J. Story is able to craft and new and original take on this horror original.

While Bomani J. Story is the real hero of this film, there’s not a bad actor on set. From Laya DeLeon Hayes near perfect performance as Vicaria (AKA Dr. Frankenstein) to the compassion and care that actor Chad L. Coleman brings to light as her father, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is exceptionally cast. 

Listen in as we talk about Bomani’s influences, the casting for the Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, and his favorite horror film(s)! Check out our SXSW review of his film here.

Head out to the theaters everywhere to catch the Angry Black Girl and Her Monster on June 9!

Are you ready for a Unique Horror Film Festival Experience? A good friend of the Podcast, horror author Crystal Connor is launching what has to be a one-of-a-kind indie horror film festival, located near Seattle. She has been researching what so many film festivals do, and when she realized that she wanted to get in on the action, she would have to approach this from a completely different angle.

The Cabin in the Woods Film Festival will be something like a limited-edition glamping meets film festival, wherein a lucky few will get to stay at a cabin, on an island, in the woods! And, you get fed! GOOD FOOD. It promises to be a complete saturation experience. Summertime in the Sound is one of the most glorious places to be, and after spending the day hiking around and exploring the island, you get to watch horror films!

So count the Scariest Things in! In fact, if you go to the event, you will be able to meet me (Eric) at the cabin, as I have been honored to be one of the judges, and I can’t wait to give this new event a test run. It’s proclaimed to be luxurious and inclusive, and you will not get a better chance to meet filmmakers because of the limited attendance cap, you will get plenty of time to meet and converse with the people who are entertaining you.

Not only will you be watching films, but here are some of the things you’ll get to do:

Also, if you are an aspiring filmmaker, the festival is still open for submissions. Click on the link above to get information about film submissions. Note that in addition to seeing the films at the festival itself, there is going to be a streaming component through Film Freeway.

The event is scheduled for August 23-26 of 2023. If you remember your teenage years, doing sleepovers and watching the scariest, grossest things with your best friends, this is doing it as grownups. So, channel your inner slumber party massacre instincts, and come join us!

And, don’t take my word for it, listen to my conversation with Crystal Connor right here!

In this episode of Spooky Time…

Crypticon! YEAH!

There is something in the Australian waters that is spawning a micro-boom of horror films, and the Film Festival Circuit is the conduit demonstrating the concentration of great horror from Down Under. So far, in 2023, Aussie and Kiwi films Talk to Me, Evil Dead Rise, Monolith, and Late Night With the Devil have been wowing fans on the festival circuit. The Overlook Film Festival premiered the Melbourne-produced Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism, a smart, superbly grounded, and psychologically challenging contribution to the terrific Overlook 2023 roster.

The movie is now set for its TUBI debut on May 30, 2023, so it is time to present The Scariest Things interview with the Director Nick Kozakis and cast members Georgia Eyers (Lara), Tim Pocock (Daniel), and Eliza Matengu (Dr. Walsh) about their new harrowing film. The movie examines how impatience and short-sighted decision-making can devolve into abuse, assault, and sadly, manslaughter. Sloppy unsanctioned exorcisms have resulted in tragic consequences and are often set upon the weakest in our communities: the mentally ill. Tragically, it also victimizes women and children more often than men. Godless is also an indictment of the desire for a quick fix for mental health treatments and the bureaucratic entanglements that can lead to irrational and devastating decisions.

You can read Eric’s full ★★★★ review of Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism here.

The Overlook Film Festival is a place where small media like The Scariest Things gets to meet up with the independent filmmakers who create these movies that mean so much to us. The cast and crew of Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism was generous throughout the festival, and we continually crossed back and forth and compared notes throughout the festival.

Three years ago, it was Indonesia bringing horror in a big way, and now the Aussies are riding the crest of the horror wave. Embrace the wave. Give this a listen, and go get yourself some TUBI (listen in to our recent TUBI recommendation podcast while you’re at it!) and embrace the wave.

Production Note: Eric’s microphone was having technical issues, but have patience, we got it straightened out. Hang with it!

In the early ages of cord cutting, streaming services were limited to the big three: Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. Now, every network has their own service and so do most genres. In the horror genre, Shudder and Screambox lead the way, and while full of great content, having all these different services can cost the same, if not more, than the cable cords we cut!

Have no fear horror fans, TUBI is here! This free service has hundreds of genre films that are curated into categories such as cult classics, drafthouse films, art house and Italian giallo. They have a veritable cornucopia of foreign fare and are venturing into Tubi Originals, like the festival favorite, Bury the Bride .

For this episode, Mike the current Mayor of Tropetown wanted The Scariest Things to find the weirdest horror movies they could on Tubi and Eric and Liz accepted the challenge! Each of us went our own way to bring you weird but good choices and Mike even said this is the BEST EFFORT he has put into any of the 166 episodes thus far.

Weird, wacky, horrific and …good? You be the judge of that! But don’t worry, if the idea of watching the weirdest stuff on Tubi doesn’t appeal to you, we give you plenty of recommendations of top shelf horror you can stream for free.