The Smell Test Podcast

This week on The Smell Test Podcast, we're taking on the 1968 musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! From romanticized poverty and questionable parenting to gender roles, childlessness, and authoritarianism, we unpack the film's surprisingly complicated messages. Does this childhood classic still hold up, or does it belong in the cinematic scrap heap? We put it to the smell test!

We revisit the 1980 slasher classic Friday the 13th to see if it still passes the smell test. We critique its dated treatment of sexual harassment and questionable moral logic around who lives and dies. We also discuss the film’s B-movie acting, memorable kills, and the surprising origins of Jason Voorhees. Does this horror classic hold up, or does it belong at the bottom of Crystal Lake?

In this episode, we revisit David Cronenberg’s 1986 body-horror classic, The Fly. We discuss its unsettling transformation scenes, questionable scientific ethics, and surprisingly complicated love story. Along the way, we revisit 1980s dating norms, unpack the film’s treatment of women and consent, and consider how our perspectives on relationships, reproductive rights, and technological innovation have changed over the last 40 years. We also debate whether Seth Brundle deserves our sympathy (spoiler: probably not). Join us for a conversation about body horror, bad relationships, and why sometimes the biggest red flag is the guy with a teleportation machine in his apartment.

Spooky san continues! In this episode, we unpack the 1992 horror classic Candyman. Together, we explore the film’s tangled relationship with race, gentrification, and urban legends, questioning how horror can expose systemic racism while reinforcing harmful stereotypes. We also dig into the ethics of academic research, the outsider’s gaze, and what happens when scholars study communities without fully reckoning with the power dynamics at play.

It’s Spooky Season, and we’re digging into the 1990 cult classic Tremors! Join Diane and Jess as they revisit Kevin Bacon, Reba McEntire, and giant underground worms while debating cheesy monster mayhem, gun culture, women’s expertise, and what makes a good leader. Does this creature feature still pass the smell test, or should it stay buried?

In this episode, we revisit A Very Brady Sequel (1996). We discuss our personal connections to The Brady Bunch, the movie’s parade of cameos and retro references, and its heavy reliance on nostalgia. We also examine the Brady family’s naïveté, Jan’s treatment, the uncomfortable Greg-and-Marcia sexual tension, and the film’s handling of Indigenous art.

Summer of Sequels continues! This week, we cover Return of the Jedi (1983) and talk about colonialism.

The Summer of Sequels is in full effect! Diane's pick Carrie 2 (1999) is loosely based on the original. Tune in as we talk about the first movie we've covered that is a sequel to a previous episode. Topics include the propensity to protect young affluent men, similarities and differences with the original film, and of course: virginity.

Our Summer of Sequels begins with Naked Gun 33 1/3rd. Tune in to hear us talk about police culture, race, and Anna Nicole Smith.

This episode we discuss Corrina, Corrina (1994) starring Ray Liotta and Whoopi Goldberg. Tune in to hear us talk about interracial relationships in the 1950s, childhood trauma, and the fact that behind every successful man is probably a woman who helped him get there.