Video Monsters

This is it... Nathan and Eric are Terminat(or)ing their “New Year, New View” series with a former box office heavyweight from the once and future King of the World. That’s right, we’re taking a trip to Pandora to see our favorite blue Aliens in James Cameron’s Avatar! Despite 9 Oscar nominations and Titanic ticket sales that led to this film (Piranha II: The) Spawning a whopping FOUR additional sequels, that we may or may not see before Judgement Day,  Avatar’s reputation appears to have plummeted into The Abyss over the past decade. Does it deserve these criticisms, is Avatar better than we remember, or will Nathan and Eric discover that the Tru(e)th Lies somewhere in the middle? We see you, dear listener. Now see… or, well, hear us discuss James Cameron’s (entire filmography, in case the clues I left weren’t obvious, but mostly we’re going to talk about) Avatar. Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

In tonight's episode, we are joined by director George Popov.  Having recently reviewed both Hex and The Droving and diving deep into the themes of these movies (both of which resulted in discussions that were longer than the films themselves), we were incredibly excited to dig even further into his films!  Both of his films (Hex and The Droving) take a supernatural story and place it within the context of a very natural world, focusing more on the role that faith and belief (and trauma, guilt, and isolation) have on the decisions we make, rather than focusing on the supernatural elements themselves.  The gorgeous locations, hauntingly beautiful music, and solid acting make George's films captivating enough....but it is the thematic elements (and the way that he handles them in such a way that they are incredibly relatable and endlessly discussable) that truly give life to his films!  So brew some coffee, clear your schedule, and join us for our interview with George Popov! Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com. Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Our Halloween 2020 coverage continues with special guest and friend of Video Monsters, Mike Wolfe!  Before unmasking just how much we love Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, we start things off with a quick update about the Knoxville Horror Film Fest, some highlights of the lineup of the Frightening Ass Film Fest, and a bit of a discussion of the short films and creative projects that Mike has been working on.  Even though Behind the Mask has been on our radar for a while, it has remained a blind spot for us for years...so, we are incredibly happy that it was Mike's pick for our episode as it forced us into finally getting around to watching what will undoubtedly quickly rise among the ranks to become a favorite of Video Monsters!!  This meta horror comedy mockumentary might be light in outright scares, but it more than makes up for it with its insightful analysis of horror tropes, endlessly quotable lines, and a framework that is so artfully crafted that practically every single shot and line of dialogue is intentionally woven to draw you into its web!  So double check the batteries in your flashlight, grab your pre-cut tool from the shed, and keep an eye out for red herrings as we smash through a 1st floor window and run till daylight with our review of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon!! Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.  Knoxville Horror Film Fest:  Oct. 23-25 - knoxhorrorfest.com  Frightening Ass Film Fest:  Oct. 30-31 - chattfilmfest.org  music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons

Our Halloween 2020 coverage continues with special guest and friend of Video Monsters, Matt Mercer!!  In preparation for tonight's episode we saw a film and then worked on conjuring up what to say, without sounding too much like dummies.  That's right, tonight's episode is about Dead Silence!  While we certainly do not think that this film deserves the hate that it has received, we also ended up spending most of the episode talking about the movie that Dead Silence could have been and how amazing that movie would have been!  Also, as is to be expected anytime that we are joined by Matt, we also went on several tangents, including unsolicited suggestions for Screen Drafts and whether or not Jason X is a perfect film.  So, grab your squeaky rocking chair, your electric razor, and be sure not to scream during our review of Dead Silence! Video Monsters is brought to you by the Chattanooga Film Festival and Central Cinema in Knoxville, TN. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or online at chattfilmfest.org and centralcinema865.com Links for each of these can also be found on our pages, so be sure to follow us at videomonsterpod on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well. Knoxville Horror Film Fest:  Oct. 23-25 - knoxhorrorfest.com Frightening Ass Film Fest:  Oct. 30-31 - chattfilmfest.org music for Video Monsters by Evan Simmons