We’ve reached the end of our Christmas Carol Summer as we discuss the three-hour 2019 BBC/FX television miniseries. Of course, we do wrap things up by returning to the ’80s with an episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks.
This will be the 6th year we’re hosting our Horror Movie Marathon! We’ll be watching and discussing horror movies each weekend from late August through October. As always, I’ll have weekly posts with quick reviews for each film that we watch, and I’ll be around on our social media sites if anyone wants to discuss any of the movies. We’ll also likely have a bonus podcast episode or two.
Since we’re focusing on the 1980s this year, we’ll be doing the same with our horror marathon. Starting a week earlier than usual, we’ll assign one year of the decade to each weekend. Also, instead of picking two movies per week, we’re doing three this year.
You’ll notice we’re following the timelines for some of the big horror franchises and their ’80s output, which will have us repeating some films we’ve covered in past years. This time we’ll be discussing the movies based on our own list of ’80s horror tropes. Check out our blog for our full lists of tropes for ’80s movies, ’80s horror, and ’80s Christmas.
August 28-30 (1980): Terror Train, Prom Night, Friday the 13th
September 4-6 (1981): Possession, My Bloody Valentine, Friday the 13th Part 2
September 11-13 (1982): The Fan, Julie Darling, Friday the 13th Part III
September 18-20 (1983): Sleepaway Camp, Sweet Sixteen, Mausoleum
September 25-27 (1984): A Nightmare on Elm Street, Firestarter, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
October 2-4 (1985): A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, The New Kids, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
October 9-11 (1986): April Fool’s Day, Body Count, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
October 16-18 (1987): Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, Blood Rage, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
*Crystal Lake TV series is set to premiere on Peacock on October 15th!
October 23-25 (1988): Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
October 30-31 (1989): Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
I’d pretty much forgotten everything about this one, so it was a surprise to hear Peewee’s voice and the Beach Boys song (checking off something from the ’60s, of course). There are maybe 10 times the amount of computers and triple the Coca Cola required for our scores. Throw in a couple of McDonald’s references (not even on our list), and you know this thing is totally ’80s.
This one is definitely an ’80s classic; however, it’s evergreen enough that it doesn’t use a lot of the tropes we’d expect, particularly on the horror side. In many ways, it feels a bit like the Universal films. It manages to hit a decent score while not really feeling dated.
Black Roses (1988)
Rating = 5/10 ’80s Horror Movie Score = 12/30 (includes +1 for Carmine Appice and the soundtrack)
Make no mistake. While it doesn’t contain many of the items on our checklists, this film could really only exist in the ’80s. Like they say in the movie… it’s just “bad kids, bad music, bad news.”
We’re celebrating Leon Day by kicking off a summer full of Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol! We will be covering some adaptations we haven’t reviewed yet and will be releasing four weekly episodes, starting with this one, where we discuss versions from 1901, 1910, and 1951. There’s also a bonus Family Ties episode discussion because it’s still the ’80s around here, after all.
These 1981 slashers are both fun favorites, but they lead me to a couple of important points as they relate to this exercise of analyzing films through our self-made ’80s lenses.
First of all, I naturally lean toward slashers, which is my favorite horror subgenre by far. When creating our list of ’80s horror tropes, I purposely left out ideas that occur frequently in slashers. (Perhaps at some point, I can circle back and do a general list of slasher tropes.) Therefore, there are no points here for a category like “set at a camp or a school.” Or maybe “cast contains a future celebrity.” So, sorry, but no points here for George Costanza (Jason Alexander) or Vanna White, although they’d definitely get points on a slasher tropes list.
The other issue I noticed here, something we’ve discussed on the show before, is that decades obviously don’t just switch on at the beginning and off at the end. The mid-’80s is mostly what we all have in mind when we think of “the ’80s.” By 1988 and 1989, we’re creeping into the ’90s, of course. Similarly, the beginning of the decade is going to see filmmakers, musicians, and other artists attempting to get away from the ’70s.
So here, we have two slashers whose directors are very clearly trying to capture the magic from Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980, but filmed in 1979). While The Burning would later be used as inspiration itself as the decade moved along, at its core, it feels more like the late-’70s.
So I think we need to consider the release year along with the score, and perhaps we should accept that a 12/30 on the horror scale for a 1981 film is probably fairly different from the same score for a film released five years later.
Either way, I’m having fun with all of it. Let me know if you have any requests!
We’re fully diving into the ’80s now and will be posting some reviews throughout the summer. Check out our post with our scoring rubric here.
Light of Day (1987)
Rating = 6/10 ’80s Movie Score = 10/20 (includes +1 bonus for Voltron pajamas)
Don’t know how I’d never seen this one, but Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett are siblings in a rock band. It’s actually pretty dramatic at times and isn’t always a super fun summer watch. Fortunately, however, most of the music stuff is pretty legit, which is absolutely necessary for a film like this. According to Wikipedia, Bruce Springsteen stole the original title for a song (“Born in the USA”) and wrote the title track here to make up for it. I don’t know. But it’s worth a watch, especially if you like ’80s rock music.
What are the qualities needed for a “good” ’80s film? As we prepare to really dig in to the 1980s for the rest of this year, we decided we should come up with some checklists to help us discuss (and maybe compare/contrast) a lot of these movies. We’ve seen most of them, and many feel like classics to us for different reasons (usually just nostalgia). But these lists will give us a sort of reference point to come back to with each discussion.
These lists are ours and could have easily contained 50 points. We realize these may not be the most important tropes to everyone, but it gave us enough categories to include most of the things we believe a good ’80s movie should have. We kept the main list limited to 20. We then added an additional 10 tropes for ’80s horror films and another 10 for ’80s Christmas movies. As we review and discuss films this year, we’ll give them scores out of 20 (regular movies) or 30 (horror and Christmas). And sometimes these tropes will be open to interpretation. We made the rules, and we can break them.
To be fair, I think 50% is a good score here. If you’re wanting to show an ’80s movie to your kids, for example, I think a 10/20 has enough fun stuff in it to make it work. For horror or Christmas, of course, that’d be a 15/30. Some will have higher scores, and that just tells you that you’re really dealing with the ’80s on a whole different level. But I don’t think any movie will check off every box. A blanket list across the board is just too difficult to expect a “perfect” score.
Finally, if the word “trope” doesn’t work for you with some of these, think of them more like “things that make it feel like an ’80s movie to us.” We tend to make up a lot of our own rules around here.
Here are our lists we’ll be referencing this year. Feel free to criticize us by reaching out to snowinsouthtown@gmail.com, and we’ll probably read your message on the podcast at some point.
Snow in Southtown ’80s Movie Tropes
Computer, video games, robot, gadget, etc.
Phone with large antenna or car phone
Rolodex or phone book
Boombox or stereo with equalizer
MTV, music video, or live band
’80s band posters or shirts
Anything from the ’50s or ’60s
Fancy restaurant
Rich people or unrealistic spending
Nerds
Bullies (sometimes a whole group)
Evil boss, parent, teacher, or principal
Half shirts, knee socks, or sweater over shoulders
We’re officially kicking off our year of the 1980s with our Easter episode, discussing The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986). We also stay in 1986 to talk about some music from the Billboard Pop Chart released on April 5th of that year.
Throughout 2026 we’ll be visiting the ’80s, leading up to our Christmas season, where we’ll cover all ’80s movies, TV shows, music, and more. We’ll also take a side trip this summer to take a deep dive into Dickens and A Christmas Carol.
It’ll be a fun year. Be sure to reach out if you have any comments or suggestions!
Last month we shared 10 songs that were featured on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart in January 1986. Now we’re sharing our personal Top 10 songs from 1986. These tracks alternate between Rusty and Mike, counting down from 10 to 1, with a few other sound clips from 1986 mixed in along the way.
Notes:
We tried not to double up bands, but with Run-DMC and Book of Love, it couldn’t be avoided. Sorry for hitting you with three Book of Love tracks in the past few months (including our 2025 Thanksgiving playlist).
Shout out to Patreon supporter Kent for randomly sending me the Green “Gotta Getta Record Out” 7-inch in the mail one day a few years ago. Neither of us had heard that one, and it went right into my rotation after hearing it.
If you’d prefer this mix as a YouTube playlist, here’s a link:
Feel free to let us know your favorite songs from 1986!
R-10. Run-DMC – Peter Piper M-10. Ramones – Something to Believe In R-9. Book of Love – Book of Love M-9. Green – Gotta Getta Record Out R-8. New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle M-8. Mr. T Experience – Disconnection R-7. The Art of Noise – Backbeat M-7. Crowded House – Don’t Dream It’s Over R-6. Prince and the Revolution – Mountains M-6. Poison – I Won’t Forget You R-5. Pet Shop Boys – Suburbia M-5. Run-DMC – Raising Hell R-4. Talking Heads – Wild Wild Life M-4. Beastie Boys – Paul Revere R-3. Paul Simon – I Know What I Know M-3. Beach Boys – California Dreamin’ R-2. They Might Be Giants – Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head M-2. Book of Love – I Touch Roses R-1. R.E.M. – The Flowers of the Guatamala M-1. The Smiths – There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
In 2026, we’ll be taking things back to the 1980s! So here’s a short playlist to help us all get settled in, featuring 10 songs that were listed in Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart exactly 40 years ago today, the first week of January 1986.
There’s no talking in this episode. Just the music. Happy ’80s, guys!
The Cars – Tonight She Comes Bruce Springsteen – My Hometown The Hooters – Day by Day The Dream Academy – Life in a Northern Town Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star Simple Minds – Alive and Kicking Survivor – Burning Heart Starship – Sara John Cougar Mellencamp – Small Town Night Ranger – Goodbye
In 2025, we actually covered four films that had been released in the previous 10 years; however, you probably know that isn’t normal around here! And now this year, we’ll be focusing on the two general themes of the 1980s and A Christmas Carol, so don’t expect to hear much from us about recent releases anytime soon.
Still, we did just share some of our favorite 2025 stuff. And here, I thought I’d take a quick look back at some Christmas films from the first half of this decade.
So here is a ranked list of the Christmas movies I’ve enjoyed that were released between 2021 and 2025.
9/10
Violent Night (2022)
8/10
Spirited (2022)
The Holdovers (2023)
Merchants of Joy (2025)
7/10
A Christmas Story Christmas (2022}
8-bit Christmas (2021)
Carry-On (2024)
6/10
Red One (2024)
It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023)
5/10
Dear Santa (2024)
Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)
Hot Frosty (2024)
The Sacrifice Game (2023)
Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)
Candy Cane Lane (2023)
Oh. What. Fun. (2025)
The Advent Calendar (2021)
The Apology (2022)
Note 1: If we included Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving (2023) on this list, it would be somewhere in that 7/10 group.
Note 2: I haven’t seen The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024) or Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025).
Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s our annual Thanksgiving playlist bonus episode with 10 songs that could go on your Thanksgiving mix. This year’s songs include tracks by Book of Love, Vince Guaraldi, Brian Wilson, First Aid Kit, Linus of Hollywood, Enya, and more!
Also, here’s a Spotify playlist with most of the songs we’ve chosen for our Thanksgiving playlists over the past five years.
The Houses October Built (2014) – 5/10 – I think I’ve established that found footage is not for me. This one is fine, I guess. But really I’d just prefer a good movie about haunts. Like, I don’t know, Haunt. Or Hell Fest.
Tales of Halloween (2015) – 7.5/10 – I love this film, and I can’t believe it’s not something everyone talks about each year. You walk into Spirit and see a million Killer Klowns, but this is nowhere to be found. It’s absurd. Ten fun shorts in 90 minutes, plus Adrienne Barbeau back on the radio in the wraparound? It’s not Trick ‘r Treat. But it’s good enough to be in everyone’s rotation every year or two. I especially love how the stories are all linked. I don’t know that I’ve ever ranked each short (we probably did on the horror podcast when it was released), but here’s where I’m at now. Sweet Tooth (8/10); The Night Billy Raised Hell (6/10); Trick (6/10); The Weak and the Wicked (3/10); Grim Grinning Ghost (6/10); Ding Dong (4/10); This Means War (6/10); Friday the 31st (10/10); The Ransom of Rusty Rex (8/10); Bad Seed (10/10).
Clown in a Cornfield (2025) – 7/10 – OK, I’ve watched this one three times in the last few months now, and it’s grown on me. I didn’t really like the book a whole lot and really don’t plan to read the sequels. I also don’t think clowns are scary. But this is just a lot of fun, and I think the writing translates well enough on the screen. It’d still be better if it were scarecrows.
Jack-O (1995) – 2.5/10 – I remembered this one being tough to get through back in the day, but then just a few weeks ago, I put it on to see if maybe it wasn’t so bad. But it was. Then Joe Bob added it as the second film in this year’s Splatterween special, so I actually had to sit through the whole thing again! Luckily GWAR was here this time, and it was still a fun episode.
*The Long Walk (2025) – 7.5/10 – I kept my expectations low here, thinking it may not work as a film, and I was pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, I think it’s just the right climate for us to watch something like this and have any sliver of imagination that it could actually be realistic in any way. To be honest, I think we’re closer to it being a possibility than being total fantasy. Surprisingly the hardest part for me to believe was that they were actually maintaining a pace of 3 miles per hour. I average between 3 and 4 when I walk at the park, and I feel like I blow past the people who move the way these guys seem to be moving.
*The Home (2025) – 6.5/10 – It was going to take something cool to top The Rule of Jenny Pen as my favorite 2025 horror movie set in a retirement home, but the ending here managed to do it.
*Bone Lake (2025) – 4/10 – The terrible plot of this slow, Lifetime-ish horror drama can’t be saved by the decent amount of tension and gore that does finally arrive.
Hell Fest (2018) – 6/10 – This film is always a lot of fun, and it’s a great Halloween watch. I do wish there were a few more kills, but overall it proves that it’s still possible to produce quality horror without a huge budget.
*The Strangers: Chapter 2 (2025) – 6/10 – I fully accept that I will be in the minority here. I love the original and hated Chapter 1, so I was prepared to hate this one even more. But I didn’t! I was even fine with things that people are ranting about online (back stories, the wild pig, etc.), and while some of the plot is tough to accept, I was never bored.
We discuss The Evil Dead (1981), share some Halloween trivia, and preview our upcoming Christmas season. This episode was livestreamed on our Prankcast channel. Use the link below to subscribe, and receive notifications when we go live!
Pumpkinhead (1988) – 4/10 – I sometimes wonder why I don’t watch this one more, but then as soon as the kid shows up, I remember why. I’m convinced that anyone who says they like this movie really just likes the monster. And that’s fine. But give me a highlight reel.
*Scarecrows (1988) – 3/10 – Look, I really want scarecrows to become a thing. I don’t understand how they aren’t used more in horror and associated more with Halloween. They’re so much scarier than, say, clowns. And the word “scare” is literally right there. Dark Night of the Scarecrow did a great job, and it’s very effective in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. We need more! That being said, this movie is straight up garbage. But I’d love a two-minute highlight reel of the scarecrow.
*The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) – 8/10 – For someone who doesn’t typically like ghost movies and can admit that these all follow the same basic patterns and timelines, I sure do like the Conjuring films for some dumb reason. I don’t like all the films in the universe unfortunately, but the actual Conjuring titles are always fun, and this one is the second best (after the first), I think. Of course, you shouldn’t try to connect any of it to any actual real events because that could drive you crazy. Just watch the ghost stories.
*Witchboard (2025) – 4/10 – I’m a huge fan of the original from 1986, so I was really looking forward to seeing what Chuck Russell (Dream Warriors!) could do with that story here in 2025. And it was an extreme letdown. Right now off the top of my head, I could give you three alternatives that would’ve been 10 times better than what we got here. It’s not related to the original movie at all. It isn’t even a Ouija board. They could’ve even just connected it all to a single character somehow, and that would’ve been something. But no. No Malfeitor, no Zarabeth, no LLOYD?? Just some dumb witch and annoying characters. There is a lot of New Orleans (mostly not cringy) and a couple of great kills, which are the only redeeming qualities for me. Otherwise, it was a 2. As Lloyd would say, it’s basically “multiple sadness.”
*I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) – 3/10 – I was happy to see the original actors (see, Witchboard?), and the kills are fine, I guess. Other than that, it’s just a mess and a waste of time. Why not just watch the original instead?
It (2017) – 7.5/10 – OK, so following those last two, I guess you could say this is a remake done correctly, but it’s really just working from the same great source material. Either way, it’s a fun update, and I’m totally fine with this one (and any quality reboot, remake, etc.). The kid actors here are good, and while I’d seen this one when it first came out, I’m now looking forward to watching the second one for the first time.
*V/H/S/Halloween (2025) – 3.5/10 – Everyone goes nuts for these films, and I never like them. The “Fun Size” segment might be a 5 or 6 on its own, and I’d probably rate the “Diet Phantasma” wrap around and maybe “Home Haunt” around a 5 as well. As for the rest of this (and even the whole found footage “gimmick” itself at this point)… yikes.
*Mute Witness (1995) – 4/10 – This was the first film in The Last Drive-In’s Survival Night double feature on Shudder this weekend. While this is better than most mid-’90s horror (I don’t enjoy a whole lot of horror from the period), it just doesn’t work for me as a full length film 30 years later. First of all, it’s mainly just one long final girl chase for most of the film. But my main issue is how she basically says, “Well, no one knows what I’m trying to say because I’m mute. Too bad there is no other way to communicate with people about this.” I’m sorry, but I can’t move past that. People seem to like this one a lot, but I’d never watch it again without Joe Bob’s great commentary.
*The Final Terror (1983) – 5/10 – I had a lot more fun with this one, a 1983 wilderness slasher with a great cast (including Daryl Hannah and Joe Pantoliano in the same year that Eddie and the Cruisers was released). Joe Bob’s rating (out of four stars): “One star if you’re here for the kills. Two stars if you’re doing mushrooms. Three stars if you’re doing Arkansas Polio Weed. And four stars if you’re watching it with the biggest fan of The Final Terror, C. Robert Cargill!” Well, I was only here for the kills, although I was definitely into the Cargill interview, even if I think his undying love for this film has to at least partially be an act. But hey, maybe some Arkansas Polio Weed also made its way into my pumpkin brownies.
Note: I’m not rating A Nightmare on Elm Street or Freddy vs. Jason from The Last Drive-In double feature on AMC’s FearFest, cause I love both films and have seen each a billion times. It was a really fun six hours, even if we had to sit through commercials and censored versions of the films. But a Wednesday night??
It (1990) – 6/10 – Neither the great source material nor the excellent cast could prevent this TV version from feeling dated. I don’t think I’ve seen it since it first aired, and now that feels about right. It was fun to see the original version of Pennywise in action again, and there’s a lot to like. But it’s also pretty cheesy and disappointing at times. Unfortunately I found out the upcoming Derry series is actually a prequel to the more recent It films, so I now I need to watch those. Stay tuned…
*Boys in the Trees (2016) – 5/10 – Halloween + 1997 = two of my favorite things! This movie definitely looks and feels like Halloween at times! But it’s also pretty slow and takes a while to get where it’s going. Still, there are enough creepy parts along the way to the ending, which itself is fairly predictable.
*Satan Wants You (2023) – 6/10 – This Tubi original documentary about Satanic Panic seems like it should be surprising, yet it’s actually not surprising in any way. While I learned stuff about this particular story and the Catholic Church’s involvement, I was never really shocked. Great for fans of Amityville, the Exorcist, and other crazy stories like those that went “viral” before that was the word for it.
*Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) – 5.5/10 – If you like autumn and Ray Bradbury, there is a lot to enjoy here. I really couldn’t believe I’d never seen this one, which is super fun at times. Unfortunately, you can tell the production was completely botched, and reading about the messy history confirms it. This had the potential to be our Halloween version of A Christmas Story (in fact, I wonder how it would look with Peter Billingsley as the main kid!), but the filmmakers shot their eyes out somewhere along the way. While I love the outdoor scenes, the stuff on the Disney sets totally flops for me. But the acting is good, and the music is great. And fortunately, Bradbury and Hanna-Barbera brought us The Halloween Tree ten years later, giving us the Halloween classic that Something Wicked could’ve been.
*The Devonsville Terror (1983) – 5/10 – Another one I’ve been missing out on. Ulli Lommel brings us a fun story about a town dealing with a curse 300 years after a scene inspired by the Salem Witch trials. The town is full of a bunch of creepy guys, who are all pretty excited by the arrival of three different young women: a teacher, a scientist, and a radio DJ. Of course, these dudes are all going to learn their lessons when they decide these new girls are reincarnated witches, and luckily Donald Pleasance is here to help figure it all out. This doesn’t stand out in any particular way, but it’s certainly worth a watch in the fall every couple of years or so. Halloween III and The Fog are two of my annual watches, and this one kinda fits in with those.
*The Midnight Hour (1985) – 6/10 – I don’t how I’ve missed this one for the last 40 years, but it was really fun. It’s like “Thriller” video meets Monster Squad. It has that whole “people in the ’80s wishing it was the ’50s” thing going for it, along with a pretty great soundtrack (which is probably why a physical release isn’t really available as far as I can tell). And from the classic Beistle decorations in the classroom at the beginning to the individual monsters themselves throughout the film, it just feels like Halloween. Overall, yeah, it’s really goofy, and the “plot” is just kids hanging out with monsters at a party until they each become monsters. But that’s not really the point if you’re just putting on something fun for Halloween. While it may not be an annual watch, it’ll be in my rotation for sure.
*Night of the Reaper (2025) – 5.5/10 – A new Shudder original slasher that isn’t quite enough of a slasher for me. Still, it’s far better than most indie horror productions these days, and director Brandon Christensen does a great job of using the ’80s setting (no cell phones!) without overdoing it and making it cheesy (no Rubik’s Cubes!). The acting and score are good, but the cinematography is even better.
The Blair Witch Project (1999) – 4/10 – This was released on July 30, 1999. We went to the theater the following Friday, August 6, and I haven’t seen this movie again since that night. I remember being really excited to watch the movie that a bunch of dummies were talking about all week, asking each other if it was “real.” I don’t even remember if I liked it or not! But I remember the theater being packed, and the people next to us almost got into a fist fight over friends holding seats for each other. I don’t know if it’s a film that ever NEEDS a second watch, but 26 years later, it was a little better than I expected it to be. There were definitely some parts that wouldn’t work for a good found footage film today, but we have to accept some of that since so much was inspired by this, and the genre has had a good 2.5 decades to evolve past this. I think we should all do this again in 2049. Maybe by then we’ll have a brain code that can wipe our memories, and we can all re-experience the Blair Witch hype for the first time! It’s probably still only a 4.5 at best, post-Y2K.
*Lords of Salem (2012) – 3/10 – It’s crazy marking this as a first watch, but I never made it all the way through in my previous attempts. And I had to make myself do it this time. I think as much as I want it to be my kind of movie (a radio DJ receiving a cursed vinyl record related to the Salem witches??), it just isn’t my kind of movie. And that’s disappointing. The one thing that really could’ve elevated this one would be the music, which just doesn’t have any effect for me. When a film revolves around music that is supposed to be amazingly powerful, it has to at least be interesting in some way for me to suspend any disbelief. I just can’t see a world where this Lords of Salem music is captivating in any way. On the other hand, as always in Zombie’s films, some of the soundtrack songs are fine.
*Weapons (2025) – 8/10 – I was hoping this wouldn’t be a letdown, and it absolutely wasn’t. I liked Barbarian (maybe a 7/10?), but that was one where I liked it less and less as it went on. I probably started around an 8 but would’ve given the last part more of a 5 or 6, if I remember correctly. However, I thought this one was a really good blend of scary, suspenseful, and funny. Great acting (for the most part) and effects. My only real knock is that I didn’t find it necessary to see the story from all the different character angles in this particular movie. But it was still a fun ride. It’s definitely in my top 5 horror films for the year so far.
*Disconnected (1984) – 3.5/10 – This is a film with bad writing and no plot. It runs out of story with nearly 30 minutes left and just becomes hilariously annoying. Still, it contains some fun early-’80s power pop (thanks mostly to a 19-year-old Jon Brion and his Excerpts project). The acting is fine, and the gratuitous video store provides some nostalgic fun. Worth watching once if you can get through it. Check out the bonus episode Christopher and I recorded this weekend, which was a livestream that really got fun when we debated candy and cereal after the film review.
Killer Party (1986) – 5/10 – I was a little too harsh in our 2011 review that I recently shared on our Patreon. It’s easily a 5/10 and is a fun rewatch every few years or so. But ultimately, it’s such a letdown because it has so much potential to be a mid-’80s highlight, and it just doesn’t do enough in the middle to make up for the way it flops at the end. Still the music is great, and if you like this ’80s stuff, the movie is completely fine. (What’s that sweater all about in that picture up there? Produce slot machine?)
*This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse (1967) – 3/10 – I watched the original Coffin Joe film years ago and didn’t like it enough to watch the sequel. This one wasn’t great, aside from the awesome effects. But it was fun enough on this month’s Last Drive-In double feature, as Joe Bob took us to hell.
The Church (1989) – 5/10 – The second film in Joe Bob’s hell-themed Last Drive-In night. I think I liked it a little more this time, maybe because I laughed so much? I do love the Argento/Soavi combo, and the story is creepy enough. It feels dated and doesn’t hold up very well today, but not much does from 1989 horror. Bonus points this time for Joe Bob bringing tip culture to hell night.
Overall, not the best opening weekend, but it’s great to get back to watching a bunch of horror every week for a little while!
Our Halloween Horror Marathon returns, and my old Body Count Horror Podcast co-host Christopher joins me to review Disconnected (1984). We also revisit candy and cereal fantasy drafts that we did in 2017. At the last minute, we decided to stream this episode live on Prankcast and were joined by a bunch of friends in the chat. It was a lot of fun!
Also, visit our blog to follow along with all the horror films we’ll be watching from now until Halloween. We hope to be back with another horror episode in October and may livestream again!
This will be the fifth year we’re hosting our Horror Movie Marathon! We’ll be watching and discussing horror movies each weekend throughout September and October. I’ll have weekly posts with quick reviews for each film that we watch, and I’ll be around on our social media sites if anyone wants to discuss any of the movies.
Here is the planned schedule. I’ve noted free streaming sites where some of the movies can be found (at least when I last checked). They aren’t all available, and I’ll be using DVDs for many of them. But a bunch are currently online for free.
September 5-7: Disconnected (1984, Tubi); Killer Party (1986)
***There should also be a double feature on Shudder’s The Last Drive-In on September 5th
September 12-14: The Blair Witch Project (1999, Plex); The Lords of Salem (2012, Tubi)
September 19-21: The Devonsville Terror (1983); Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983, Internet Archive)
September 26-28: It (1990); Boys in the Trees (2016)
October 3-5: The Last Drive-In – “Survival Night” double feature (10/3); The Last Drive-In AMC FearFest double feature (10/8)
October 10-12: Pumpkinhead (1988, Tubi); Scarecrows (1988, Tubi)
October 17-19: The Evil Dead (1981); Hell Fest (2018, Roku Channel)
October 24-26: The Houses October Built (2014, Tubi); Tales of Halloween (2015, Tubi); The Last Drive-In – “Splatterween” double feature (10/24); Welcome to Derry (10/26)
If you missed our past marathons, here are the scheduled films from each year:
2024
Axe (Lisa, Lisa) (1977), Coma (1978), Crucible of Horror (1971), The Dark Ride (Killer’s Delight) (1977), Delirium (1979), Home for the Holidays (1972), Jack’s Wife (Season of the Witch) (1971), JD’s Revenge (1976), Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971), Meatcleaver Massacre (1976), Obsession (1976), Play Misty for Me (1971), The Psychic (1977), The Silent Scream (1979), Three on a Meathook (1972), The Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976)
2023
Blood for Dracula (1974), The Craft (1996), Cube (1997), Cube 2: Hypercube (2002), The Exorcist: Believer (2023), The Faculty (1998), The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), Final Exam (1981), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Friday the 13th Part VI (1986), The Gate (1987), A Ghost Story (2017), The Haunting of Julia (1977), Nightmare Cinema (2018), Silent Madness (1984), V/H/S/85 (2023), The Visitor (1979), When Evil Lurks (2023)
2022
Cemetery of Terror (1985), Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001), The Fog (1980), The Fog (2005), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), Halloween Ends (2022), Hatchet (2006), He Knows You’re Alone (1980), Midnight Club (2022 – Netflix series), The Monster Squad (1987), Popcorn (1991), Psycho (1960), Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), Psycho IV (1990), Raven’s Hollow (2022), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), Trick or Treats (1982), Watcher (2022)
2021
Angel (1983), Carrie (1976), Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), Don’t Breathe 2 (2021), Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), Halloween complete series (1978-2018), Halloween Kills (2021), Happy Birthday to Me (1981), Haunt (2019), The House of the Devil (2009), Martyrs Lane (2021), Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3 (1987), Poltergeist (1982), Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark (2019), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Terror Train (1980), Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
We’re celebrating Leon Day and the 4th of July with episodes of Workaholics and Saved by the Bell. There is also a Belinda Carlisle song and some Saved by the Bell trivia.
It’s Easter, and we’re here to discuss The First Easter Rabbit (1976), other Easter movies/specials, candy, and Cracker Barrel. We also say goodbye to Skype!
We’re planning episodes for May and June, so we’ll be back soon.
Also, you can hear us on the latest episode of the Totally Rad Christmas Podcast, accepting an award for the best 2024 episode covering a special where someone is in a trash can (or something like that!)
Throughout 2024 we kept up with Rusty’s progress on his 50-year project, where he spent the whole year writing and recording FIFTY songs, one for each year of his life. At the end of the livestream for the final episode of the season last month, we debuted this song that he wrote about our podcast for the 2019 track.
Today is Rusty’s birthday, and you can grab all 50 tracks here!
If you’ve listened to our podcast at all, you probably know that slasher films and A Christmas Carol are some of my favorite things. So I was definitely excited to learn about director Jake Helgren combining the two in his new film The Naughty List of Mr. Scrooge, releasing to VOD tomorrow (December 20th) from Ninth House Films.
If you’ve listened to episode 7 of this season’s podcast (or if you joined us for the Friday the 13th livestream), you’ve already heard me briefly discuss the film. Some friends are celebrating a sort of ten-year college reunion, continuing a tradition of exchanging “Mr. Scrooge” gifts (think Dirty Santa, but “mean”). We quickly learn the group lost a friend years earlier when he was murdered as a production of A Christmas Carol was performed by the school’s theater department.
Now, ten years later, a killer wearing a pretty great Scrooge mask is out for revenge, stalking and slashing the friends throughout the house on Christmas Eve.
In that podcast episode, we also covered Black Christmas (1974), my favorite Christmas horror film, and I noted how the house in this film is as much a part of the story as the sorority house in Black Christmas. To me, the house and the mask are the best parts by far. The kills are also pretty good (and creative), and I liked the idea of the Mr. Scrooge game itself (if a “not so mean” version existed).
I did also state on the podcast that I personally would’ve preferred a little more Dickens in the story, but that may just be me. I think there are probably fun ways to reference the original text within a film like this. But it also may just be that I’d love to see a real slasher twist on the actual story, maybe something along the lines of the recent It’s a Wonderful Knife. Admittedly, that’d probably be pretty tough to execute well. (But we’re here to consult if anyone is interested in trying it!)
Overall this is a super fun film, and it’s an extremely welcome addition to the horror-slasher subgenre. I personally would love to see this become something of a franchise if there is a way to have Mr. Scrooge return.
Thanks again to everyone who came to hang out with us for our livestream! This wraps up our ’70s season. Reach out with any feedback or suggestions for the future. We’ll have some bonus content coming soon.
It Happened One Christmas (1977)
Big Star – “Jesus Christ” (1978)
Greg Lake – “I Believe in Father Christmas” (1975)
Awesome ’70s party food that you should totally eat
Thanks so much for everyone who came to hang out with us for our Friday the 13th livestream! It was a lot of fun, and we can’t wait to more of these in the future.
Black Christmas (1974)
The Kinks: “Father Christmas” (1977)
The Beach Boys – “Child of Winter (Christmas Song)” (1974)
For this episode we went live again at the last minute, so we were joined by some friends in the chat. Our next scheduled livestream will be on December 13th, when we record the final two episodes of the year. Come join us!
The Carpenters – Christmas Portrait (TV special, 1978)
In this episode we debuted our new livestream on Prankcast! Thanks to all of our friends who joined us as we tested it out to see if we could figure out 2024 technology while discussing a bunch of stuff from the 1970s.
If you want to be a part of the next livestream, join us on our Prankcast channel on Friday, December 13th (9:00 p.m. central), when we record the final two episodes of the season!
Sanford and Son – “Ebenezer Sanford” (1975)
John and Yoko – “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” (1971)
Mud – “Lonely This Christmas” (1974)
The Caroleer Singers – Sleigh Ride Jingle Bells (1973)
Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s our annual Thanksgiving playlist bonus episode with 10 songs that could go on your Thanksgiving mix. This year’s songs are all from the 1970s, of course, including tracks by The Kinks, Queen, Sparks, Steve and Eydie, The Ramones, and more.
Sorry for the delay on this feed. Please read ahead for info!
Happy Halloween! Mike’s Granny makes her Snow in Southtown debut to chat about ghost stories, demons, horror movies, and other spooky stuff. Thanks to everyone who has been checking out the Halloween content on the podcast and blog over the last two months. We’ll be starting our Christmas episodes next week!
Note: Throughout this year, we have been experiencing outages with the Internet Archive, which is where we’ve been hosting our podcast files for years. Therefore, we are re-opening our Patreon, where you can sign up for free and access all of our main episodes at no charge. The downside right now is that you can’t create a podcast RSS feed with the free membership; however, you can always stream our episodes through the Patreon app itself. We do have two new membership levels available for those who would like to support the show, receive bonus content (like our print zines and our music), and have an RSS feed to use in your podcast app. But a paid membership is not at all necessary to access our main podcast episodes.
*Axe (Lisa, Lisa) (1977) – 4.5/10 – The best part of this film about three criminals trying to hide out at a farmhouse and getting axed is that it runs for just over an hour. The low budget actually sort of helps this one because you can tell they really wanted to make something good and were working with what they had. However, here nearly 50 years later, there just isn’t much reason to watch it. Everyone did fine. But there’s nothing new, and we’ve seen it all done better a million times now.
*Home for the Holidays (1972) – 7.5/10 – I know I joke a lot about Hallmark Christmas movies and how I both love and hate them, and I realize how huge that industry is today. But just imagine a time when one of your three TV channels (or whatever) aired a Christmas horror movie starring people like Sally Field, Jessica Walter (Lucille Bluth again!), Jill Haworth, Julie Harris, and others. It’s kind of unbelievable that there was a market for this in 1972, and I love it. Written by Joseph Stefano (Psycho!), this thing is like Agatha Christie at Christmas. It isn’t a perfect movie, and it honestly isn’t very Christmas-y throughout, but it’s pretty fun. There’s even a bit of Black Christmas foreshadowing with the characters and how some of them interact with each other (real sisters vs. sorority sisters). And again, the run time (73 minutes) is perfect here. In fact, both of my picks this week combined to be shorter than that new Substance film I watched a couple of weeks ago. Because this is way more murder mystery than Christmas, I’m glad I ultimately put it here instead of next week’s Season 6 podcast opener. But it was a great way to wrap up the marathon and head into the holiday season.
Satan’s Little Helper (2004) – 8/10 – This was the first film in the Last Drive-In’s annual Halloween special, this year titled Joe Bob’s Beelzebub Bash. It’s a favorite of mine, and I’ve probably seen it 10 times; however, it’s not for everyone and definitely has its critics as well. I like director Jeff Lieberman a lot, and it was cool to see him as a guest on this year’s show.
Late Night With the Devil (2023) – 7/10 – This is one of the big 2024 buzz films in the horror community. I like it, but I’m not as high on it as many others are. It’s very well done, and I’m glad it exists and that people loved it, but I’d personally choose the WNUF Halloween Special over this movie anytime, and especially at Halloween. At least the Halloween 1977 setting fits our theme this year! Actor David Dastmalchian has been on the show before and was a great guest again. Overall, I think this year’s Halloween special was better than last year’s in every way.
*Audrey Rose (1977) – 7/10 – I wanted to catch a few films that I’d missed in my initial research but stumbled across along the way, and this was a good one. Anthony Hopkins is here doing That 70s Reincarnation Thing, and the little girl (Audrey Rose or Ivy, depending on whether or not you believe in That 70s Reincarnation Thing) is great. As I do each year, I bought DVDs for a few of the marathon films, and this is one that will stay in my collection.
*Are You in the House Alone? (1978) – 5/10 – Digging into more ’70s TV movies here. The first half of this showed some serious potential, setting a decent mysterious and creepy mood as a babysitter is being stalked a month before Carpenter’s Halloween and a year before When a Stranger Calls. Unfortunately, the second half becomes more of an after school special with some pretty heavy content. This was included as a double feature on the DVD I bought for The Initiation of Sarah, and it isn’t quite as good as that one. But it’s still another solid effort for a TV movie. On that note, if anyone can track down the 1978 TV movie for Judy Blume’s Forever, I’ll send you one million Snow in Southtown bucks.
*Fresh (2022) – 5/10 – While this borrows from a lot of past films, the product is just “fresh” enough (get it?) to be entertaining. To me, at least. You can always question decisions in a film like this, but at least I was OK with some of the choices people made along the way. The acting is good, especially Daisy Edgar-Jones, who had to convince us that she was willing to do some pretty crazy stuff, and I think she pulled it off.
*Jack’s Wife (Season of the Witch) (1971) – 5/10 – A bored wife is sick of her husband and decides to become a witch. I don’t know. I didn’t like this one at first, but then it sort of grew on me, and I was pretty into it by the end. It could be a 3/10, or it could be a 7/10. I’m trying to really understand the ’70s as a whole, and as much as this film definitely helps, it’s also quite confusing as well. I’m glad I watched it for sure. I don’t know if it’s good. But it’s exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for throughout this exercise. By the way, when the lady wants to be a witch and goes to the witch store to buy witch stuff, she uses George Romero’s credit card to pay. Don’t steal his financial info!
*The Silent Scream (1979) – 5/10 – College students move into a beach house and start to be killed. Again, why am I giving these films a 5/10? I don’t THINK this movie is good. Or maybe it is? But I do think I would’ve liked it in 1979. (Or I think 1980 seems to be its more realistic release year. Who knows.) It’s not Halloween. It’s not Friday the 13th. And dozens of slashers over the next 2-3 years would pass it by a mile. But in 1979, I think it might’ve worked. It borrows enough from stuff like Psycho and Black Christmas (and Halloween) that I was interested enough. But you could also see future filmmakers possibly borrowing some things as well.
*Oddity (2024) – 8/10 – I haven’t thought too much about it, and I haven’t made a list or anything, but I think this is probably my favorite horror movie of the year after In a Violent Nature. The storytelling wasn’t quite tight enough for me, especially in the beginning, but it got better as it went. If you want me to be interested in something supernatural, combining it with actual physical danger is the way to go. Fear from multiple angles. Pretty good.
*Hold Your Breath (2024) – 4/10 – Some scary stuff goes down in Oklahoma during the 1930s dust storms. Look, it’s fine. It looks good. The actors are good. But I think I’m on record here with my stance on sitting through a whole film about bad parenting. And as I watched, I thought of like 10 ways I could’ve improved it. But hey, that’s just me.
* = first watch
We’re heading into our final weekend, which will kick off with The Last Drive-In’s Halloween special Friday night. We’re also hoping to have one more fun bonus podcast episode before Halloween as well. Stay tuned!
*Meatcleaver Massacre (1976) – 3.5/10 – This could almost be OK. The first problem is that there is no good reason for the four students to go after their professor and his family. This wouldn’t be hard to work out and could be as simple as failing grades or something. The next problem is the dialogue, which is terrible; of course, it doesn’t help that the college students are each 36 years old. It makes you really appreciate Halloween and some of the other slashers that followed with decent writing. But overall, taking cues from stuff like The Last House on the Left, this was slightly better than I thought it might be. I mean, the music sounds like a cartoon sometimes. The police are truly laughable. And nothing stands out as a “strong” point (although some camera shots are actually kind of nice). But we’ve seen worse, I guess.
*The Psychic (1977) – 4.5/10 – This mostly looks great, and the story and acting are fine. I’m guessing it was way more effective in the ’70s, when they were really digging into the supernatural and ideas like psychics, reincarnation, telekinesis, etc. But it just didn’t work for me in 2024. I may have to revisit it within a Fulci focus at some point.
*Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice (2024) – 7.5/10 – This is everything we could’ve expected, and anyone who says it isn’t good is likely just not the intended audience. I’m not a super fan of the original, but I do like it, and I love Danny Elfman and a lot of Tim Burton’s stuff. I guess if you were here for Michael Keaton, you probably wanted more of him? But I’m here for the music, the visuals, and the fun weirdness, and this totally delivered. In the right setting, it’s an 8 for me. If I’m being picky, it’s still a 7.
*The Initiation of Sarah (1978) – 6.5/10 – I’d been looking for this one for a while and recently found a DVD (with Are You in the House Alone?!). And it’s fun! It’s like if Carrie went to college and got herself all caught up in sorority drama. Kathryn Crosby and Shelley Winters are here, along with Morgan Fairchild, Tisa Farrow, and others. There were some really good made-for-TV movies in the ’70s and ’80s, especially for horror, but I guess it’s really just the equivalent of the streaming exclusives now.
*The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1999) – 5/10 – This was a huge year for my favorite Halloween story, with the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp film hitting the theaters and FOX airing a terrible animated version. I assume these are the two main reasons I didn’t know about this THIRD adaptation of the story that was thrown out into the world just ahead of Y2K, but I’m glad I found it 25 years later. There is a lot to like about this one, mainly that it tries a lot harder than Depp’s version to follow the original story. However, a few choices don’t really work for me. For example, Brom is a totally nice guy, whose only fault is wanting to move from Sleepy Hollow to create his own wealth. In fact, Ichabod almost becomes something of a villain here; by the end, he’s a useless idiot at best, but you could go so far as calling him the antagonist. And the worst part to me is the way Baltus is openly Team Brom and plays a big part in the overall outcome.
*The Substance (2024) – 4.5/10 – I get it. Great idea. Great cast. Good execution, at least at first. But 141 minutes?? Was I supposed to just sit here and watch this and not do a bunch of other stuff at the same time? Like I didn’t already know what to expect every single minute of the 141? Look, everyone involved did fine, but let’s all agree that this is a simple Creepshow segment if I’ve ever seen one. Give me your best 22 minutes, and you have a potential 9/10.
*Play Misty for Me (1971) – 7/10 – This is far from a perfect film, but there’s a lot to like. There are definite pieces that lay the foundation for other films to come, such as a scene completely redone in Fatal Attraction. But any Arrested Development fan could’ve told you that Clint Eastwood probably shouldn’t have been messing around with Lucille Bluth in the first place!
*Killer’s Delight (1977) – 3.5/10 – This one obviously had some distribution issues, as there are multiple titles AND release dates. A book I read lists 1977, IMDB says 1978, and Tubi shows 1976. And since Tubi is the only place I’ve found to watch it, imagine my surprise when “The Sport Killer” popped up as the title, something I didn’t come across at all in my research. So whatever this movie is called and whenever it was released, it is supposedly inspired by Ted Bundy. Still, it’s practically the most boring movie you could ever try to watch. It looks OK, it sounds OK, and there is nothing truly terrible about it, I guess. Congrats to all involved in making it! But nothing stands out. Cop. Killer. Van. Mystery. Bad music. If you’ve been living in the ’70s with me, you’ll know exactly what to expect.
*Salem’s Lot (2024) – 6.5/10 – This is probably my favorite of the film adaptations now. I didn’t love some of the changes from the story, but I appreciate the shorter length (under two hours this time).
*Strange Darling (2024) – 7/10 – This was a great first watch, although I don’t know how rewatches would hold up. Definitely a unique take on a serial killer story. And it should be noted that Kyle Gallner has gone from someone we joked about on our old horror podcast (most likely due to characters he was playing) to someone who is almost a must-watch for me now.
*The Watchers (2024) – 5/10 – This is something fun and a little different from Ishana Shyamalan. For me, the real issues are that it is unrealistic AND the characters make choices that I wouldn’t make. I can accept one of those, but when I see both, it’s puts a film more into a “fantasy” category for me. I need something slightly realistic for any kind of horror to be effective. That being said, I don’t know how much I’d rewatch it, but I definitely recommend seeing it once.
The Haunting (1999) – 5/10 – First time watching this since Flanagan’s series was released, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s totally unnecessary now, of course, but it’s not a bad casual watch.
Friday the 13th (1980)/Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) – 10/10 – AMC gave Joe Bob Briggs a double feature this year, and we got to see The Last Drive In on the “real” station instead of Shudder for one night again. Adrienne King was a fun guest this year. Of course, the actual Last Drive In Halloween special, which won’t be censored, restricted for time, or full of commercial breaks, will be on Shudder in a couple of weeks.
We’re celebrating ’70s horror with one of the best, Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). We also discuss what we’ve been watching as Halloween approaches, and we read some of the reviews for Hooper’s, a restaurant that occupies the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre house.
Note: We apologize for the occasional audio issues, a result of a recent internet fiber “upgrade.” We’ll do our best to improve this situation before Christmas episodes begin.
*Three on a Meathook (1972) – 2.5/10 – This is supposedly (loosely) based on Ed Gein. It isn’t the worst movie ever, but I wouldn’t want to know a world where this exists and Texas Chainsaw Massacre does not. If you took out the blood, this would be like the made for television version of the story, I guess. The hokey harmonica that plays throughout is pretty difficult to take, feeling more like Sesame Street than anything remotely scary. A band called American Xpress shows up to play a live set with some funky tunes, which you can now grab on a 7-inch, although I wouldn’t personally say these songs are “good.” The film even looks bad (not the best cinematography 1972 had to offer), and some of the acting is pretty rough, especially Sherry. Ultimately I was able to power through it, but I don’t think I’d try it again anytime soon.
*Delirium (1979) – 3/10 – A secret society of creepy guys hire a Vietnam veteran to do some killing. It’s a timeless tale, filled with buddy cops, romantic lunches, and lots of cigarettes. The hostage scene shootout in the final act is as predictable as the awful late ’70s music.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – 9/10 – Unlike a lot of stuff from the ’60s that we might just appreciate because of its significance at the time, this one still holds up today in every way, like a Beatles record. It’s nearly perfect, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t usually enjoy devil stuff in horror movies.
*Apartment 7A (2024) – 7/10 – A prequel to Rosemary’s Baby, this easily could’ve been terrible. But it was actually a lot of fun and did a great job of tying itself into the original film. Still, I’ve seen reviews where people somehow watched the whole thing, thought it was fine, and didn’t know it was a prequel. To me, that proves it can stand on its own, making it even more effective. Look for Marli Siu, who we liked in Anna and the Apocalypse.
Happy October! Three years ago, we did an episode about Christmas horror, and at the end, Rusty told us a ghost story. We’ve uploaded it here in case you missed it or just want to hear it again. You might want to leave the lights on!
If you want to hear the entire episode, look for Season 3, Episode 7 (12/12/21).
We’ll be back with another Halloween bonus episode very soon before finally getting to our Christmas episodes!
*J.D.’s Revenge (1976) – 6/10 – I picked this because it was set in New Orleans, and it was surprisingly much better than I expected. While my rating may be slightly higher because we do get to see so much of the city in this film (including the slaughterhouse that is apparently not very far from the neighborhood where I grew up), this is definitely a solid mid-’70s effort. The acting (which includes Louis Gossett Jr.) is pretty good, and falling somewhere between the reincarnation stuff and possession films that were popular at the time, it feels different enough to be its own thing. Just a heads up, there is a little bit of gore here, but more importantly, men abusing women is a large part of the plot.
*Obsession (1976) – 6.5/10 – I went with the New Orleans double feature (there is not nearly as much to see of the city in this one), expecting this one to be better than J.D.’s Revenge but not as fun. And I was totally right. The whole setup takes so long and feels like we’re staying in 1959 way longer than needed, but then I guess it’s supposed to make the ending more effective. I’m having a difficult time adjusting to some of this mid-’70s stuff, and I think pacing is the biggest challenge. I guess I expected more from De Palma, and while it is technically a better film, if I’m choosing one to watch again, I’m probably picking J.D.’s Revenge. This is the earliest John Lithgow I’ve seen, I think, and he’s fine here. I think Genevieve Bujold is better in Coma (reviewed here two weeks ago). Even the whole twist has been done better, although I can acknowledge this likely inspired some of the examples I have in mind. Bernard Herrmann’s score is good, as expected. It’s entirely possible that this may be one I’ll enjoy more when watching it a second time.
*Hayride to Hell (2024) – 6/10 – This is fun! It probably runs a little longer than needed (92 minutes), but a lot of it, I’d say more than half of it, takes place in an actual fall hayride attraction. The plot features a farmer willing to kill in order to save his family’s farm, and it was created by an actual farmer trying to save his farm! And believe me, there are sections of this film that I could leave playing on my TV throughout October, just because it looks and sounds so great. Another thing that surprised me here is the screen time that Bill Mosely and Kane Hodder have. A lot of recent indie films will promote a known name or two, and we’ll see them for five minutes, often in an unnecessary cameo or in a “plot twist” at the end (which we then expect because we’re waiting for this actor to appear). Here, Bill and Kane are the actual stars, as billed, and they’re both great. While there are kills and gore, the whole vibe is so cozy that it almost feels like a Disney movie or something, and I mean that in a good way. It’s like the most family-friendly slasher you’ll ever see. (You know Snow in Southtown is going to LOVE a farm that features the great orange-suited Pumpkin Claus riding around to see the kids!) If you live in an area that doesn’t have amazing farms to visit each year at this time, something I never got to experience growing up, this will give you a good look at what you’re missing. But, you know, with some fun kills thrown in.
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) – 6.5/10 – It’d been a while since I’d seen this one, and a couple of the segments don’t really work for me, particularly Joe Dante’s “It’s a Good Life,” which is totally skippable to me. Still, the prologue is perfect, Spielberg’s “Kick the Can” is fun, and George Miller’s “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (written by Richard Matheson) is a great closer. It’s worth revisiting.
*Houseboat Horror (1989) – 4/10 – Australian slasher that apparently features a bunch of local TV stars. The script is pretty terrible, but I’m always going to be interested in an ’80s slasher about a rock band shooting their video. And the effects here are actually OK sometimes. The music is awful (sorry to Brian Mannix, who I’ve never heard of), but it almost makes it more fun that way. I think Rock and Roll Nightmare could’ve been much better as a true slasher, and this kind of does that, I guess. I don’t know if I’d ever watch this on my own again, but ’80s slasher fans should certainly check it out.
*Crucible of Horror (1971) – 4/10 – Not to be confused with Crucible of Terror, also from 1971, and both currently available on Tubi. This one isn’t bad, but it’s just really slow and feels like you’re watching a long time for one kill. The guy is an abusive husband/father, so the kill is interesting and justified, and there are a couple of genuinely creepy moments. It was probably scary enough in 1971.
*The Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976) – 2/10 – See, this is what I feared. Weird ’70s stuff that seems to just want to be weird. There is a surprising amount of gore that could be effective in a better film, but this is just dumb. It’s like bad ’70s TV with hallucinations, sex, and blood. And still, I worry this may not be the worst that we encounter, and we have a long way to go, so I had to leave a little wiggle room at the bottom of the rating scale.
*The Deliverance (2024) – 4.5/10 – This is definitely worth a watch for a couple of scenes, and the acting is fine. But it takes a lot for me to really care about a possession film, and it’s even more difficult for me to enjoy a movie featuring bad parents.
Check out the full schedule for our horror movie marathon here.
*Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) – 6.5/10 – My friend John and I recorded a bonus podcast episode to discuss this one, so be sure to check that out on the podcast feed if you want my full review (along with some other nonsense). This was a great start to the season, in my opinion. I loved the cozy fall scenery, the spooky atmosphere, and the short runtime (~86 minutes). The acting was good enough (especially Zohra Lampert as Jessica), and while I was expecting wackiness, it thankfully never got TOO wacky. It’s an adequate early ’70s example of a lot of different subgenres, including folk horror, ghost movies, and even vampire films. I don’t know if you’ll be scared “to death,” but you’ll definitely laugh when the one old creepy guy (of many old creepy guys) pats Duncan on the head in an adult bully power move.
*Coma (1978) – 8/10 – I don’t know how I’ve never come across this one over the years. but it’s a terrific precursor of the ’80s and ’90s thrillers that we love so much. It’s not really horror, but it’s adjacent enough, especially when it throws in a bit of sci-fi. If you’re looking for a younger Michael Douglas seemingly preparing for his run of yuppie nightmares (and who isn’t?), this is for you!
Mindhunter (Netflix 2017-2019) – 9/10 – We did a full series rewatch, and it was much more of a letdown this time, knowing ahead of time that this is how it all ends. I love Fincher, but he really kicked us in the nards with this one. It’s difficult to know if my minor griefs would’ve been further explored and turned into positives in future seasons, but it’s still nearly perfect as is.
We’re kicking off our 2024 Halloween Horror Marathon, as Mike and John reboot the After Midnight Horror Podcast to discuss Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971). We also start writing a new song and play a little round of “Tubi Horror Movie or Band on the Fuzzfest 2024 Flyer?”
Be sure to check out Kelsey Badgrammer, Vista Blue, GTI, Fuzzfest, Tubi, Plex, and everything else we discuss in this show.
Also, visit our site to follow along with all the ’70s horror we’ll be watching from now until Halloween.
We’ll soon be kicking off our Horror Movie Marathon for the fourth year! As always, we’ll be watching and discussing horror movies each weekend throughout September and October, including these picks and a bunch of other stuff along the way.
This year, as we celebrate the 1970s, I’ve chosen all ’70s films that I have not seen before. We’ll see how it goes!
I’ll have weekly posts with quick reviews for each film that we watch, and I’ll be around on our social media sites if anyone wants to discuss any of the movies. We’ll also have a bonus podcast episode or two this year, so look out for those in the show feed!
Here is the planned schedule.
August 30 (Pre-marathon Event): The Last Drive-in NIGHTMAREATHON. Six movies, from dusk to dawn!
September 6-8: Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971), Coma (1978)
September 13-15: Crucible of Horror (1971), The Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976)
September 20-22: JD’s Revenge (1976), Obsession (1976)
September 27-29: Three on a Meathook (1972), Delirium (1979)
October 4-6: Play Misty for Me (1971), The Dark Ride (Killer’s Delight) (1977)
October 11-13: Shudder weekend TBA | Update: Meatcleaver Massacre (1976) and The Psychic (1977)
October 18-20: Jack’s Wife (Season of the Witch) (1971), The Silent Scream (1979)
October 25-27: Axe (Lisa, Lisa) (1977), Home for the Holidays (1972)
If you missed our past marathons, here are the scheduled films from each year:
2023
Blood for Dracula (1974), The Craft (1996), Cube (1997), Cube 2: Hypercube (2002), The Exorcist: Believer (2023), The Faculty (1998), The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), Final Exam (1981), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Friday the 13th Part VI (1986), The Gate (1987), A Ghost Story (2017), The Haunting of Julia (1977), Nightmare Cinema (2018), Silent Madness (1984), V/H/S/85 (2023), The Visitor (1979), When Evil Lurks (2023)
2022
Cemetery of Terror (1985), Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001), The Fog (1980), The Fog (2005), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), Halloween Ends (2022), Hatchet (2006), He Knows You’re Alone (1980), Midnight Club (2022 – Netflix series), The Monster Squad (1987), Popcorn (1991), Psycho (1960), Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), Psycho IV (1990), Raven’s Hollow (2022), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), Trick or Treats (1982), Watcher (2022)
2021
Angel (1983), Carrie (1976), Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), Don’t Breathe 2 (2021), Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), Halloween complete series (1978-2018), Halloween Kills (2021), Happy Birthday to Me (1981), Haunt (2019), The House of the Devil (2009), Martyrs Lane (2021), Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3 (1987), Poltergeist (1982), Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark (2019), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Terror Train (1980), Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
It’s another summer bonus episode here in our year of the ’70s! This time, we’re discussing the Billboard Hot 100 chart from August 3, 1974, and we’re joined by our good friend Gerry from the Totally Rad Christmas Podcast.
Look for some info about our Halloween Horror Marathon very soon, and we’ll have some Halloween bonus episodes in September and October.
It’s Leon Day, we’re getting ready for the Summer Olympics, and we’re continuing our year of the ’70s by discussing the final Peanuts special of the decade, You’re the Greatest, Charlie Brown (1979).
Summer started a little early this year, thanks to the new Disney+ Beach Boys documentary, so we recorded a bonus episode to discuss the film and invited our friend Michael to join us!
We’ll be back with our Leon Day episode next month.
We celebrate Easter with Rankin Bass’s The Easter Bunny Is Comin’ to Town (1977), kicking off our year of the ’70s! We also eat some snacks and play an Easter March Madness game.
Vista Blue did not get our baseball songs released in time for Opening Day. They’ll be out in April, but you can hear a bunch of our baseball songs here.
Also, King Richard is NOT a quitter and has just released a new episode of Another Prank Call Show, which includes more of Papaw Maloney’s attempt to take over the world (or at least your HOA), along with lots of Twin Peaks fun.
Our Christmas playlists are filled with hours of favorite songs, and honestly most new stuff is terrible. So it’s often difficult to discover fun Christmas music that we haven’t heard before.
However, as we discussed on the show, both Rusty and I did make a bit of an effort this year, by listening to some new playlists and, for me, satellite radio stations.
As a result, here are a few things that I’m glad I found this year!
This is a 1960s Beatles/Stones-inspired band from Chicago, and this song is amazing. I listened to it like 10 times in a row, cause that ending just kept making me want to play it again each time. This is the B-side to a track called “Deck Five,” which is a take on “Deck the Halls” and is also pretty good. I will spend most of 2024 digging through 45s in random Nashville record stores until I finally give up next November and drop $20 for the thing on eBay.
Who knows what’s even happening here? Who are these people? When was this released? (It looks like maybe 1973, but who knows if that’s the first release?) Is it good? I have no idea. But as I’ve said on the show throughout this year, I’ve been digging through a lot of ’60s and ’70s tracks, and there is a ton of stuff like this out there. This particular song is all about the different types of stocking people use, and I think that’s fun (and also weird, although “fun” and “weird” are often interchangeable here at Snow in Southtown). Did I recently buy this LP on eBay? Yes, I did. Does it have another track called “There’s a Hole in My Christmas Stocking”? Yes, it does. The Caroleer Singers like stockings, OK guys? As of now, it looks like we might be covering all ’70s stuff for Season 6, so you could be hearing me talk a lot about the Caroleer Singers and other weird stuff like this.
Rusty sent me this, and I’ve been listening a little bit. As Rusty said on the show, the mix contains a wide range of stuff. There are some songs that I wouldn’t consider “rare” (such as The Ventures’ “Sleigh Ride” or Nightmare Before Christmas tracks), but then there are things that none of us have ever heard (check out The Julekalender’s “Støveldance“). It’s funny that there are multiple versions of “Christmas Island” here, because I’ve never really thought much of that one until it was released on the new Bing Crosby collection this year. Now suddenly it’s everywhere. Also, this playlist contains a lot of songs by…
Ray Conniff
I don’t know what happened in 2023, but it’s the year where I started hearing Ray Conniff all the time. The music has always been around, but this year it was very noticeable. As I said on the show, I don’t know anything about these people, but they sound (to me) like adult people at a party, excited to have babysitters, just singing songs cause they’re happy… Yet, they also kinda sound like the ’60s Christmas version of the Black Eye Peas, just a super hyped group of musicians, bringing the energy to whatever they do. I bought one CD (the album from 1962), and I think every single track is in the Christmas radio rotation. And there were still songs that I hear on the radio that weren’t on this album, mainly “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” So I’ll be digging more into Ray Conniff next year for sure.
I started following Richard Marx on social media a few years ago when he participated in an awesome songwriting project that our friend Vance DeGeneres was doing with Rick Springfield during the pandemic, and he’s pretty fun on social media. He recently announced that his 2012 Christmas album was being released on vinyl, and it was cool to see him, a rock star who ruled MTV for a while, so genuinely excited about the candy cane swirl vinyl. I checked out the album as a result, and it was mostly what I expected. But a few songs actually stood out, especially the title track, which is as good as pretty much any new holiday radio song from the last 20 years. If you’re into the pop Christmas stuff by Kelly Clarkson, Arianna Grande, etc., give this one a listen.
I do not necessarily like the song “Do You Hear What I Hear?” However, I love the Kinks. So do I like this mashup? I don’t even know. It’s weird. Yet I found myself listening to it a few times. It’s just over two minutes, which is always good. I suppose after Bing’s, this is the version of “Do You Hear…” that I would choose to listen to from now on. How long until I do this with a Christmas song and a Weezer song?
Originally shared as a bonus episode on our old Patreon account, this is a New Year themed playlist from December 31, 2022. In this episode, I played songs by Ridel High, Ash, The Zombies, Better Than Ezra, Goldfinger, Great Lake Swimmers, Camera Obscura, The Beths, U2, and The Hold Steady.
Thanks again to everyone who was a Patreon supporter!
This interview with Linus was featured in our latest zine, which hit mailboxes this week. We hope everyone has a great Christmas! If you’re interested in receiving future zines, be sure to reach out to us.
Linus van Pelt is best known as Charlie Brown’s best friend in the Peanuts comic strips and specials. He is generally considered to be a good guy, and his Peanuts wiki describes him as “kind” and “caring.” But… is he? After taking a closer look at some of the evidence, we had some tough questions for Linus to answer.
Snow in Southtown: Thanks for joining us, Linus. I know some of this might be tough to discuss, and I appreciate that you’re here to at least tell your side. But here at Snow in Southtown, a hard-hitting true crime kind of podcast, we’ve uncovered some crucial evidence that allegedly proves you’re not the wise, kind-hearted soul people have made you out to be. In fact, in many ways, you might kind of be a selfish jerk. Do you have any general thoughts about this before we dig into the evidence?
Linus: While I live my life to the best of my ability and hope that others find me to be an upright person, I cannot help what others think of me, and I cannot change who I am simply because of their thoughts. To quote the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “Care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner.”
Snow in Southtown: OK, but last Thanksgiving, your buddy Charlie Brown found himself in a tough situation when your friend group decided to hold a Friendsgiving event at Charlie’s house. The problem is that his parents (as usual) were not going to be around to help host this event. Yet YOU told him it would be fine. You said he could serve toast and popcorn as a Thanksgiving MEAL. Have you actually HAD a Thanksgiving meal? Did you honestly believe that your friends would’ve been OK with this stuff being served?
Linus: Toast and popcorn could have been a grand banquet among imaginative children, especially since the true feast was our enduring friendship. I encouraged Charlie Brown in organizing this special event, and he proved himself capable — with the help of his dog Snoopy — by pulling it off. I was proud of good ol’ Charlie Brown and the part I played.
Snow in Southtown: As expected, your friends didn’t appreciate it. Why didn’t you give Charlie better advice? Like, I don’t know, maybe, “Have your parents call these kids’ guardians, and tell them that you had other plans”? Maybe you could’ve suggested that he turn it into a potluck. Do you feel slightly responsible for how it all went down?
Linus: I would ask you to take this up with Peppermint Patty, the only person who actually complained, but she apologized when she learned she was in the wrong. I have already forgotten the traditional meal we ate at Charlie Brown’s grandmother’s condominium, but I and everyone present will remember sitting at that ping-pong table forever. As you may have heard, man cannot live by bread alone. This also goes for boys and girls and Thanksgiving meals.
Snow in Southtown: At Christmas, do you feel like you supported Charlie enough when it mattered the most?
Linus: Yep.
Snow in Southtown: I mean, you basically doubted his tree the whole time, and sure, you gave a little speech to try to avoid a nativity rumble. But you really didn’t publicly support him until everyone else decided they liked Charlie’s tree. Could you have been a better friend during the tree selection process itself?
Linus: Charlie Brown is an interesting person, but his behavior doesn’t always translate well in social situations. He ignored the wishes of his friends when choosing a tree, and I tried to talk him out of it to save him even more embarrassment. I personally didn’t care, since I didn’t think we needed a tree at all, aluminum or otherwise. When Charlie Brown started screaming at the cast and projecting his psychological issues onto his friends, I tried to calm poor Charlie Brown down by reminding him of what Christmas was all about. If he weren’t so Charlie Browny, he could have danced and had fun at the rehearsals like everyone else. When I joined in the dancing with everyone else, it was in the hopes that Charlie Brown would follow my lead. When Charlie Brown abandoned the play, we all followed him to make sure he wasn’t alone during this dark moment. I realized the only way to make him feel happy was to resurrect this tree, which had become a symbol for him. I really didn’t think it was such a bad little tree. I wasn’t lying about that. But mostly I was trying to help Charlie Brown. We all were. I don’t like to think of what would have happened to Charlie Brown that night if it weren’t for his good friend Linus.
Snow in Southtown: On Valentine’s Day, Charlie expressed hope for the future, thinking there’s a chance that he could receive more valentines next year. You immediately shut him down and told him not to be so optimistic. What kind of friend even does that?
Linus: Once again, I was helping him. Charlie Brown has unrealistic expectations when it comes to things like valentines and Christmas cards and even mailboxes in general. I once heard that he even waited by his mailbox for Thanksgiving. What was he expecting? A turkey card? Just a little joke, but an original one, if I do say so myself.
Snow in Southtown: OK, how do you feel about making Sally Brown miss tricks or treats last Halloween?
Linus: Sally made the wise decision to wait with me in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin. It was a sincere pumpkin patch, nothing but sincerity as far as the eye could see, and in spite of her scolding me afterward because she missed tricks or treats, I know that she will think back on the beauty and stillness of that starry night and realize that she would much rather wait with me in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin next year than participate in the crass practice of begging adults for candy bars, quarters, and packages of gum.
Snow in Southtown: I don’t know. We’ve heard rumors that she will soon be filing a civil suit seeking restitution. Do you agree that you owe her anything?
Linus: Wasn’t it the English poet George Herbert who said, “Speak not of my debts unless you wish to pay them”? Well, wasn’t it?
Snow in Southtown: Who knows. But more importantly, did you eat the candy that your sister collected for you that night? That seems unfair of you, and I believe you should’ve given that candy to Sally. Thoughts?
Linus: It was Sally’s choice to miss tricks or treats, and it was Lucy’s choice to collect candy for me. It would be wrong of me to sully either of their choices by doing otherwise than what I did.
Snow in Southtown: What is your take on last year’s “Easter Beagle” incident? I acknowledge that you kind of got lucky, since technically a beagle did come around throwing eggs. But we all know that it was just Snoopy, the beagle who hangs around with your friends every day. And the eggs were all the ones that your friends had prepared. He stole eggs from you and gave them back. And he’s NOT the Easter Beagle. Have you not learned your lesson about deceiving your friends following the Great Pumpkin debacle?
Linus: “Debacle”?! What do you mean “debacle”? Sure, the Great Pumpkin didn’t visit me this last time, but that doesn’t mean he won’t come. You’ll see. Just like the Easter Beagle came. Why does everyone think something doesn’t exist just because Charlie Brown’s dog happens to be a beagle? There was an Easter Beagle, and there most certainly is a Great Pumpkin! Oh, ye of little faith! Sure, I’d love to see the Great Pumpkin with my own eyes, but blessed are those who do not see and yet believe. What do you even believe in at all, asking these questions? I’d like to know. I’d like to know! I’ll take one more question only.
Snow in Southtown: OK, fine. On New Year’s Eve, while Charlie was on the front porch sleeping, exhausted from reading Tolstoy and cramming for his assignment, YOU danced with his crush! As his best friend, the Little Red-Haired Girl should be off limits, yet you danced with her the first chance you got. Do you have an explanation for this? Are you an animal?
Linus: First, about the book report, I read both War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, on my own, in first grade. I don’t see why Charlie Brown was so overwhelmed when he was assigned these books, something anyone our age should be able to read over a weekend. As for the “little red-haired girl,” I know that Charlie Brown has always admired Heather, but if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t even know her name. As Charlie Brown’s best friend, I felt it was my duty to dance with Heather in his absence. If he really liked her, he would want her to have fun at the New Year’s dance and not be lonely. But I wonder if he does really like her, and I admit that I worry about Charlie Brown’s unhealthy obsessions. Sigmund Freud was able to distinguish obsession from phobia, but he did find a relationship between the two, and Charlie Brown could have been a textbook patient.
Snow in Southtown: Thanks for your time, Linus. Any final thoughts that you’d like to share to defend yourself?
Linus: In the book of Daniel, when King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace if they did not bow down to his golden statue, their answer to his threat was, “We have no need to present a defense to you in this matter.” And although I have indeed defended myself today, I did so for anyone else who may find themselves in my situation and not for myself alone. Whether I am delivered from my accusers or not, I will not bow down before their false accusations, which are like idols to them. In the words of Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms, “Here I stand. I can do no other.”
Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s a bonus episode where we pick 10 more songs for a Thanksgiving playlist, including tracks by Ben Folds, Kristy MacColl, Sam and Dave, Burl Ives, and more.
If you missed it, be sure to check out our latest episode, where we discussed The Nutcracker (1993), Louis Armstrong, Pomplamoose, and Rankin Bass. We’ll be back with a new episode after Thanksgiving!
In this episode, we review the 1964 United Nations-produced TV movie Carol for Another Christmas. We also discuss Arthur Fiedler’s “Sleigh Ride,” Brian Wilson’s “The Man With All the Toys,” and an operatic version of It’s a Wonderful Life.
We’re back for our fifth season, and we start by revisiting Scrooged (1988), a film neither of us has really enjoyed in the past. Will we change our minds this time?
Next we discuss Bing Crosby’s “Jingle Bells,” followed by “Hang an Ornament” by Grandaddy and Band of Horses.
Finally, we discuss some Christmas episodes of the Hit Parade Podcast.
Sorry for the weird random static sounds that pop up a few times near the beginning. It may have been because of the football game I was watching. I think it has something to do with my cell phone, but it is never consistent enough to find the problem. I’ll keep trying!
We’ll be kicking off Season 5 of Snow in Southtown very soon, but for now here’s a bonus episode (Stocking Stuffer 17) that was originally posted on our Patreon on December 19, 2022. This is a playlist featuring songs that were discussed throughout Season 4 of our show, including tracks by the Four Seasons, Elvis, Kenny & Dolly, The Beatles, and more!
Be sure to check out all of the awesome podcasts releasing episodes today, and we’ll have a new episode to share very soon!
*The Exorcist: Believer (2023) – 5/10 – This was better than I ever could’ve expected it to be. I think the story is good, and I liked the thought process of just having a bunch of random people around to help and see what works. That’s probably the best way to do it. I also liked the idea of making people choose who survives. Maybe I’m not the smartest about this stuff, but if the demon was literally just playing a sick game with them the whole time, that at least seems like a purpose or a motive to me. Will I watch this again? I don’t know. Will I watch the inevitable sequel? Definitely.
*When Evil Lurks (2023) – 7/10 – This was crazy. I don’t know if a second viewing would increase or decrease my rating, but I’m leaning toward increase. There is a lot to unpack as you try to decide if this is more like a zombie situation or a virus outbreak or what. The characters are constantly put in situations that make The Mist’s ending almost seem normal, which is saying a lot. This was another one that had been building up a buzz over the last few months and thankfully managed to live up to it.
*Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) – 5/10 – This was fine. It’s probably perfect for its intended audience. As someone who admittedly knows very little about the game (I played it a few times with the kids when it was new), I didn’t feel like it was tied to the source nearly enough, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. I also really thought I’d see more about things like pizza and video games and tickets and prizes. I don’t know. That’s the stuff I think of when I think about Showbiz and Chuck E. Cheese. There was a lot of room for fun stuff like that, and maybe they’ll add more of those little things in the (once again) inevitable sequel. Make it fun.
* = first watch
Thanks to everyone who followed along and especially to those who suggested films this year!
*Silent Madness (1984) – 4/10 – This was so close to being OK, and it has a lot of things that the “classics” have, but it ultimately falls a little short. It’s definitely a fun slasher at times. And I loved the computer stuff in the beginning. But it’s just too slow and doesn’t have enough in between the slow parts to really be memorable. And I don’t know if we just know so much about slashers now, but the ending was clear from pretty early on. Yet apparently it was supposed to be a twist, and I had no idea. I assumed we’d basically been told about the “twist,” but I guess back then, if it wasn’t completely spelled out, the audience could be tricked.
The Craft (1996) – 8/10 – Another one that I haven’t seen in a while, and it was a lot of fun. The soundtrack makes me want to go to a 9, honestly. Let’s call this an 8.5.
Demons 2 (1986) – 5/10 – This was the first film in Joe Bob’s Helloween special, which was a lot of fun, as expected. Maybe the best Halloween episode since 2019. But the demons here are really just zombies, guys. Still, similar to The Craft, we HAVE to add points for the soundtrack. This is more like a 3.5 for me, until you factor in the killer tracks by The Smiths, The Cult, Love and Rockets, and others. Up next was…
All Hallows’ Eve (2013) – 2/10 – I’m sorry. I know it’s SO uncool for me to say this in 2023… but I just don’t get Art the Clown. Darcy and Joe Bob (and everyone else) are ready to call him an icon, and I just don’t care. People aren’t really scared of clowns. They’re scared of psychos who happen to be dressed as clowns. And Art just bores me. I could go 3 or 4 out of 10 for the Terrifier movies, but the middle segment in this film is beyond boring.
* = first watch
Note: The final films for our TBA weekend will be The Exorcist: Believer (2023) and When Evil Lurks (2023).
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Part VI (1986) – 10/10 – It was a busy weekend with House of Usher and everything else we wanted to watch, so I just went with two favorites on Friday the 13th.
*The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) – 9/10 – This was nearly perfect. I had no idea where Flanagan was going to go with it, and while a lot had to be added to the story of course, almost everything comes from Poe’s work. I’d read a lot of the stories within the last 5-10 years, but there are some that I haven’t read in a long time. Still, because I’m so familiar with a lot of it, I could start to predict some of the story, and that was when it was most fun. But I feel like I need to read it all again to be able to fully appreciate the series. That being said, I think the show would still be pretty great if you’d never read a word of Poe.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) – 9/10 – Svengoolie’s first film this weekend. This is in my top five Universal monster films.
*Totally Killer (2023) – 9/10 – I was ready for a letdown after seeing so many people talk about this one the last couple of weeks, but they were all right. It’s great. I think they missed a few ’80s jokes (but nailed a bunch) and probably missed a few things to add to the time travel aspect, although I think they were aware of a thin margin between inspiration and just straight up ripping off Back to the Future. I loved it, and I hope there’s a sequel.
*The Wrath of Becky (2023) – 8/10 – This was also a lot of fun. I liked the first one (probably a 7/10), and this sequel just ramps it up. Apparently they’re planning a third one now, and I can’t wait. I would take Becky against John Wick and all of the Expendables put together.
*Final Summer (2023) – 8/10 – Guys, they did it! We have to sit through so many of these ’80s/’90s “throwbacks” just to find one that is worth watching. And this is the one. This looks good, it sounds good, the acting is fine, and it has original music (both score and soundtrack) that doesn’t sound like garbage. Movies like this one make it seem like it shouldn’t be so hard, but for some reason, everyone always messes it up. Here we get a simple legend, a remote location, and filmmakers who get the absolute best production quality for their budget. There are great references to the time period without being overbearing (yes, PLEASE do not play “More Than Words” on that guitar!), yet it’s also timeless and evergreen enough that it doesn’t matter when the story is taking place, which is how it should be.
*They Wait in the Dark (2022) – 8/10 – Director Patrick Rea and I go back to my horror podcast days, and I love all of his films. He manages to do a lot with small budgets and always brings something unique to the table. This one is a slow monster revenge story that utilizes some pretty good acting while constantly building suspense. Ultimately it peaks with the kind of dark horror that Patrick delivers every time, but it has a little fun along the way too.
*Never Hike Alone 2 (2023) – 7/10 – These guys do crowdfunded Friday the 13th fan films that are completely free to stream, and they do a really good job. The production and cinematography are better than a lot of ’80s slashers that we love.
*Suburban Screams, “Kelly” (2023) – 5/10 – I was really excited about John Carpenter’s return, but this was kind of disappointing. It’s a lot like Unsolved Mysteries, but more on the horror side of course. There are times where the Carpenter music really stands out, but overall it’s nothing special. I’ll likely still watch the other episodes, and it looks like I may enjoy some of the other stories more.
The Gate (1987) – 8/10 – When I was a kid, I used to look for “gates” in random parks and stuff around my town. I even had a little bible in my backpack, just in case I needed it to close a gate. Now, however, I just want a Sacrifyx record.
*V/H/S/85 (2023) – 3/10 – I have not liked any of the VHS films, but I gave this one a shot because one of the segments is directed by Scott Derrickson, who did Sinister and Black Phone. The frame story here is not very good, and I didn’t enjoy the second and third shorts at all. However, the first and fourth segments (related shorts, both directed by Mike P. Nelson) are actually pretty good. Then Derrickson’s, saved for last, is OK as well. Additionally, the commercials and stuff are pretty fun, although the WNUF Halloween Special did it better. The thing that confused me the most about the format is that we’re supposed to believe all of these things were filmed on the same cassette. I don’t get how that’s possible in any world. Other problems: this isn’t completely “found footage,” not everyone had video cameras at home in 1985, and when they did, they definitely sound anything like this.
*Haunted Mansion (2023) – 8/10 – This was as good as we could hope for, I think, and I like it a lot more than the Eddie Murphy movie. Having it take place in New Orleans bumps it up a bit for me, of course. But I also have to say, it’s just toooooo long. We have pitch clocks in baseball, and Disney is making movies longer than two hours? Also, I’d love a legitimate horror version of this. Or maybe that’s just 13 Ghosts.
*Ouija Witch (2023) – 2/10 – Every now and then I relive my horror podcast days and do this to myself. I made it through this thing (while working on some other stuff), so I’ll give it a 2. But I’m gonna waste time here writing about it. Just know you shouldn’t watch it or anything.
Cube (1997) – 7/10 – My main complaint with this movie is just that it feels too much like the Canadian TV stuff from this period and not enough like a feature film. But I definitely like it, and I probably like it more than Saw. Of course, I don’t know nearly enough about math to know if any of the number stuff is legit, so I just have to trust them like a big dummy. Why can’t we ever get a grammar nerd psycho who makes people diagram a sentence to escape? (Thanks to King Richard for the pick!)
Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) – 3/10 – To be fair to King Richard, he only picked the first Cube for this weekend. I was the idiot who added Cube 2 in an effort to revisit it, hoping it wasn’t as bad as I’d remembered. So that’s my fault. But I was thinking, they really should’ve gotten Ice Cube to be in one of these things, right?
*Deliver Us (2023) – 5/10 – A pregnant nun believes she is carrying both the messiah and the devil (or something like that), and a Jesuit priest has to help her escape. I usually hate this stuff, but this was OK! I actually really liked it at times, especially when it’s almost a slasher, but then there are parts where it falls flat, as expected. But there’s a version somewhere in here that could be a 7 or 8 for me, which is saying a lot.
*All Fun and Games (2023) – 5/10 – This demon possession film set in Salem features some pretty good actors, including Annabeth Gish and kids from Stranger Things, Bly Manor, The Pope’s Exorcist, and others. Factor in the short run time (76 minutes), and it’s worth a watch.
*Killer Kites (2023) – I can’t really rate this because it’s not just a horror film. It’s more of a warning about the dangers of flying kites, specifically evil kites, you know? And for that, it’s a 10/10. Don’t watch it because I say it’s fun. Watch it because it might save you one day.
*Slotherhouse (2023) – 2/10 – OK, this was bad. Obviously, no one expected it to be good, but it’s just really dumb. The sloth drives, browses the web, and takes selfies. For 93 minutes! The kills are “fine” (it’s a PG-13, so don’t even expect good slasher kills), but it could’ve been way better as a 20-minute short. If you want something crazy and funny, Killer Kites is better than this. Things I said out loud while watching it: “We’re only 15 minutes into this thing?” “It’s only halfway over?” “There are STILL 20 minutes left?”
* = first watch
Update: This weekend’s Shudder picks will be The Gate (1987) and V/H/S/85 (2023). We’ll also watch Haunted Mansion (2023) and a bunch more.
*The Visitor (1979) – 3/10 – I don’t know if I would’ve liked this in 1979, but it didn’t age very well. The writing is bad, and the music is really hard to take. A kid with telekinetic powers affecting the outcome of a basketball game is even cooler than a firestarter! So it had potential. But she’s not the best child actor they could’ve found. And for every bald alien in this film, there are three awful songs that sound like they should be on the Electric Company or something. There’s a fun ice skating scene (in a mall!) that shows how cool this could’ve been. Look it up on YouTube. The rest kinda stinks.
*Nightmare Cinema (2018) – 6/10 – This is a decent anthology with contributions from Mick Garris, Joe Dante, Richard Christian Matheson, Mickey Rourke, Patrick Wilson, and others. The first segment is a slasher that transitions into a sci-fi creature thing, and it’s my favorite by far (and bumps this from a 5 to a 6). The rest are all fine compared to most modern horror anthologies and feature botched plastic surgeries, Catholic school demonic possessions, etc.
Suspiria (1977) – 8/10 – I saw this was on Tubi and clicked on it, and then we realized my wife had never seen it. However, she fell asleep shortly after it started, so now she thinks it’s just a dumb movie about some weird dancers who fight a lot and argue about money.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988) – 5/10 – My wife didn’t believe that a man could be killed with pies, but then she saw it with her own eyes.
*The Return of the Vampire (1943) – 5/10 – Svengoolie’s weekly film. Apparently this was supposed to be a Dracula sequel, but Universal wouldn’t allow it, so it’s just Bela Lugosi as a TOTALLY different vampire and definitely NOT Dracula. It’s a shame this one wasn’t a Universal Dracula because the story is better than some of the actual sequels.
*Natty Knocks (2023) – 3/10 – This is directed by Dwight Little, who made Halloween 4, a film I love way more than anyone probably should. Plus, Halloween 4’s Danielle Harris is here, along with Robert Englund! One thing we know is that Little can do small-town Halloween, and he does that well again here. But that’s about it. While most of this is average for low budget modern horror, the kids’ ages are the most difficult part to accept. There is a teenage girl who is supposed to be in elementary school (I think), and then there are older teens who (I think) are supposed to be in middle school, all requiring the babysitter, who is in her 20s but in high school.
Final Exam (1981) – 6/10 – Starting your film with a mass shooting fraternity prank doesn’t hold up very well in 2023. But I love 1981 horror, and this is a fun slasher. Unfortunately, it takes a good hour or so for the actual slashing. The music rips off Halloween a lot, but I’d rather you rip off Halloween than create something new that’s bad.
The Faculty (1998) – 7/10 – Haven’t seen this one in a long time, possibly since the theater. Being more of a horror fan than sci-fi, I always remembered thinking it was good for the genre, but I don’t remember ever revisiting it. I absolutely did not remember all of the talent that had been gathered for such a silly film that had no right to be good, but they pulled it off. It’s pretty fun. Is this considered the Scream of sci-fi? Cause it should be, right?
*The Passenger (2023) – 8/10 – Not exactly horror, but more of a slow, tense thriller that’s close enough. I was interested in this one as a Blumhouse indie film shot in New Orleans, and it’s pretty good. I’d like to take a minute here to update my stance on Kyle Gallner, who became something of a joke on our horror podcast like 10-12 years ago. I don’t even really remember what movies we didn’t like him in (maybe Red State and the Elm Street remake?), but he’s been good in everything I’ve seen him in since back then. And his sweater/jacket thing in this movie is pretty awesome.
*Children of the Corn (2023) – 3/10 – This is not a good movie; however, people who are saying it’s the worst of the sequels have obviously never watched any of the sequels. Cause honestly, it might actually be the best one. That’s how bad those films are, you guys. Part II with the dad and the son running around Gatlin like idiots? The Gathering with Naomi Watts? Revelation with Crystal Lowe? They’re everything that’s bad about ’90s and early aughts horror. This one is definitely stupid, and it has little to do with Stephen King’s masterpiece. Still, it’s at least watchable, and they do something different with He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
*The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, “L’âme Perdue” (2023) – 2/10 – This was screened during another bonus/surprise episode of The Last Drive-In (two weeks in a row!), thanks to AMC trying its best to capitalize on the coolest thing it controls (yet relegates to a streaming service that most people don’t know about). The special itself was fun, as always, but I couldn’t be any less interested in anything Walking Dead related these days. This episode had one good part, which can be summarized in two words: nun fight.
*Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) – 5/10 – This is wacky, but it could’ve been worse. I liked the castle and the atmosphere (the bats were really cool), and the final scene is pretty great.
*Blood for Dracula (1974) – 3/10 – OK, this one is not very good, and it’s longer. Flesh for Frankenstein at least has something of a plot to work with. This one is really just Dracula trying to marry one of four sisters for an entire movie. Also, while Frankenstein’s movie is set in his castle, here we see Dracula leave Transylvania, and the whole film takes place in an Italian house that is supposedly falling apart. Ultimately, it’s hard to tell which character is the biggest idiot, and I think the answer is that they’re all tied for first place.
Night of the Demons (1988) – 5/10 – This was screened in a surprise Last Drive-In special on Shudder (Live From the Jamboree) this weekend, and the special itself was definitely a 10/10. However, no matter how many times I watch this movie, I just can’t fully get into it. It’s obviously fun at times, and the music cracks me up. But some people consider it to be a classic, and I don’t think I’ll ever get there.
*Cobweb (2023) – 4/10 – I was looking forward to this one, and it was a letdown. Reviews are comparing it to Goosebumps, which is fine with me, but I hate movies with terrible parents, and no one prepared me for that. Surprisingly, I thought the final act was the best part by far, while reviews are saying the ending is weak. I really liked the music and all the Halloween spirit, but I feel like it was all wasted here. This is the worst I’ve ever seen from both Lizzy Caplan and Anthony Starr.
*The War of the Gargantuas (1966) – 4/10 – Svengoolie’s weekly movie. This is hilarious, and the gargantuas are like a combination of ewoks, the baby Grinch from the Jim Carrey movie, and the Jolly Green Giant. Brown is good, green is bad, and the overdubs are awful. Definitely worth watching once, especially with Svengoolie.
House of Dracula (1945) – 7/10 – I like this one and go to it often for a number of reasons. First, it’s under 70 minutes. Also, it’s very “doctor-y,” and I love when they really dig into the funny science in these things. But most importantly, you get multiple monsters at once, including (eventually) Frankenstein, who is my favorite. Perfect for football pre-game.
*The Haunting of Julia (1977) – 4/10 – There weren’t a whole lot of ghosts in this ghost movie. And there weren’t enough creepy kids for it to be an effective creepy kid movie. I don’t know how they got Mia Farrow, but she couldn’t really save it.
*A Ghost Story (2017) – 5/10 – As I said on a recent bonus episode, I realized too late that this one isn’t a horror film. Even worse, it’s a total bummer. It’s a fine movie if you’re trying to have an emo Halloween. If you’re here for fun, skip this one!
*The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) – 6/10 – I guess this is about what I expected. It looks fine and was OK to watch once, but I don’t know that I’d ever want to revisit it. We had some complaints about the story and mainly that Dracula is only a creature here, although his human form would’ve worked at different points along the way. If they’re setting this up for a franchise, I’d likely watch the sequels.
Frankenstein (1931) – 9/10 – This was the weekly Svengoolie movie.
*The Boogeyman (2023) – 5/10 – This really should’ve been better, but I guess I’ll take what I can get with a film that tries to turn a Stephen King story into The Babadook. My main concern is that these movie psychiatrists always have home offices, constantly putting their families at risk. Maybe it’s not such a good idea, guys.
*Lovers Lane (1999) – 2/10 – The Hook Killer is one of my favorite urban legends, and I was cautiously optimistic when I discovered this recently. But yeah, it’s bad ’90s horror at its best/worst. The people making these awful ’90s movies knew about Scream, right? Or even I Know What You Did Last Summer or Urban Legends? This one is more like those terrible Cruel Intentions sequels, and it makes Jack Frost look like Carpenter’s Halloween. You should get a prize if you make it to the end. (Note: At least one of the actresses was actually in Cruel Intentions 2. She was also in Devil in the Flesh 2. That’s what we’re dealing with here.)
*Pin (1988) – 7/10 – Maybe I liked this more because Lovers Lane was so bad. It’s not a great movie; some of the acting could certainly be better, and the music is a distraction. But it’s fun and kinda creepy. I was expecting bowling horror and got ventriloquism instead. If you liked Terry O’Quinn in The Stepfather, his character here is very similar. And we’ll see David Hewlett again soon in Cube.
It’s almost September, and we’re kicking off our Horror Movie Marathon for the third year! Beginning this weekend, we’ll be watching and discussing horror movies until Halloween. We have two movies picked for each weekend (with a few exceptions) and will watch a bunch of other stuff in between.
I’ll have weekly posts with quick reviews for each film that we watch, and I’ll also be around on Facebook and Twitter if anyone wants to discuss any of the movies.
Here is the planned schedule. Check in on our Facebook for the TBA picks!
September 1-3: The Haunting of Julia (1977), A Ghost Story (2017)
September 8-10: Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), Blood for Dracula (1974) — Rusty’s picks!
September 15-17: Final Exam (1981), The Faculty (1998)
September 22-24: The Visitor (1979), Nightmare Cinema (2018)
September 29 – October 1: Cube (1997), Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) — King Richard’s picks!
October 6-8: Shudder weekend TBA | Update: The Gate (1987) and V/H/S/85 (2023)
*House of Usher – 10/12 – Netflix (8 episodes)
October 13-15: Friday the 13th marathon
October 20-22: Silent Madness (1984), The Craft (1996) (+ Shudder’s The Last Drive-In Halloween special, Joe Bob’s Helloween)
October 27-29: TBA (hoping for 2023 releases that are available to stream before Halloween)
If you missed our marathons in 2021 and 2022, here are the scheduled films from each year:
2022
Cemetery of Terror (1985), Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001), The Fog (1980), The Fog (2005), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), Halloween Ends (2022), Hatchet (2006), He Knows You’re Alone (1980), Midnight Club (2022 – Netflix series), The Monster Squad (1987), Popcorn (1991), Psycho (1960), Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), Psycho IV (1990), Raven’s Hollow (2022), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), Trick or Treats (1982), Watcher (2022)
2021
Angel (1983), Carrie (1976), Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), Don’t Breathe 2 (2021), Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), Halloween complete series (1978-2018), Halloween Kills (2021), Happy Birthday to Me (1981), Haunt (2019), The House of the Devil (2009), Martyrs Lane (2021), Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3 (1987), Poltergeist (1982), Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark (2019), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Terror Train (1980), Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
Note: This is a bonus episode that we posted on our Patreon feed last week. If you’re interested in getting extra content each month, come check it out!
This week we’re throwing it back to the end of the century and discussing everyone’s favorite late ’90s mystery email attachment, Elf Bowling!
We’re celebrating Christmas in July with weekly bonus episodes this month. Next we’ll travel back even further to 1989.
Zines have shipped, and we now have the Patreon vinyl test pressings! In September, the records will start shipping to those who have been subscribed at the top level for 15 months.
Note: This interview is from last October, and it appeared in our November 2022 zine issue. Our zines are currently part of the physical media level of our Patreon, and our third issue (Summer 2023) is now shipping. Check out our Patreon to subscribe!
Brad from the Snow Plow Show prank call podcast and King Richard from Another Prank Call Show are two of my favorite podcasters and people. While their shows aren’t Christmas-themed, they do mix Christmas ideas in during the holiday season. Below are some questions I asked each of them about Christmas, prank calls, and Christmas prank calls.
Mike: We love themes, obviously. We have a podcast dedicated to holidays, and we write a ton of songs about Christmas (and other holidays) every year. But is it harder to do themed prank calls? I remember there was a bit of pressure for Brad with episode 666 and then episode 777, for example. Do you enjoy the challenge of a holiday-related prank, or does it just add stress?
Brad: Holiday themes are a little less stressful than the numbered episodes of my show because if I don’t know what to do, I can always repeat the same stuff that I’ve done with previous holidays. I still haven’t done any pranks for Halloween this year, but it’s easy enough to wake somebody up at 3 a.m. and let them know me and my kids are at the door for trick-or-treating because Halloween wasn’t on my weekend. I rarely know where to go with the numbered episodes, but holidays are a little more fun to me.
King Richard: I usually avoid doing holiday related pranks, mostly because I don’t like doing what everyone else is sure to be doing. But in general, the more I try to stick to a theme (or premise), the more likely it is to end in disaster. For example, I had an idea involving tardigrades that I wanted so desperately to work. I kept trying and failing for hours, ended up running out of time and having to release one of the worst shows I’ve done. Although, I have a great theme in mind for episode 80085.
Mike: One of my favorite things about the prank community is Pranksgiving, where hosts take shifts and cover 24+ hours on Black Friday. I can’t really listen to most of it, but it’s fun knowing that it’s there, and I tune in at times throughout the day, especially for Brad’s shift. (Has there ever been an Another Prank Call Show shift?) What does this event mean to you, knowing that the entire community has a “place” to hang out for the holiday?
Brad: Pranksgiving is a lot of fun for everyone, and I’m glad it exists and that Dwight is keeping it going each year. I spend at least half my day listening to all the Pranksgiving shows, and I know a lot of other people do too, so I think it’s awesome that something Carlito brought us years ago will always (hopefully) be a thing.
King Richard: I was invited to do a shift a few years ago, turned it down, and have never been asked again. Thank goodness! Because live shows are way too stressful for me to handle. Events like Pranksgiving prove that there’s something special about prank calls. What other form of comedy brings people together, people who might not have offline friends or family, and gives them a tight knit community to spend the holidays with? Thank goodness for the hosts that do these marathon events and bring such holiday cheer. Just not me, because I’m a regular Scrooge.
Mike: What is your favorite Christmas prank call that you’ve done?
Brad: Probably my absolute favorites are from back in the day where I’d get customer phone numbers from the Sears photo department, and then I’d call the customers with crazy things about their photos. I’d tell a mom that all the pictures of her son have an orb around him, so I think he talks to dead people, or I’d offer the service to make their family less ugly, or I’d say I took their pictures home with me last night and accidentally lost a few of them. Out of all those, my favorite might be when I told a lady that the clothes they wore were too RED, and printing them heated up the printer enough to start a fire at Sears and put hundreds of employees out of a job for the Christmas season. If that’s not hilarious Christmas material, I don’t know what is.
King Richard: The one that comes to mind involves me tracking Santa on radar. It didn’t actually work out, but I still like it because of the silly way I introduced myself: “This is Commander McDichael with NORAD.”
Mike: What makes a good Christmas prank call?
Brad: Having a fun Christmas theme that people can relate to. Like the yearly tradition of flushing your live Christmas tree down the toilet or garbage disposal. Landlords love hearing how weird it is that I can’t get ALL of my tree to flush down the toilet and that there must be something wrong with their plumbing. I used to love calling up K-Marts and getting their list of layaway customers so I could tell the customers we destroyed some of their property during horseplay, or someone tricked us into donating their merchandise to charity. Accusing people of making snow angels in my yard or writing weird holiday messages on my car window in the snow or frost is always fun.
King Richard: Lightheartedness! That applies to any prank call, but especially so here. I don’t care for aggressive, overly vulgar prank calls. And that style is definitely not a good fit for Christmas. Then again, I like doing pranks about missing VCR manuals and driving cats, so I might not be the best judge of what’s funny.
Mike: Home Alone is basically about a kid playing a bunch of pranks on two dummies. We have it somewhere in or near our Top 3 Christmas movies. I imagine you must like it too?
Brad: Home Alone is probably my all-time favorite holiday movie. It never gets old. Maybe I love it for the prank aspect of it all. I’m not really sure, but I’ll always love that movie.
King Richard: The best thing about Home Alone is that Macaulay Culkin’s career imploded to the point that he ended up being a guest on some Red Letter Media videos. But that film definitely broke new ground. It’s about family, and that’s what makes it so powerful. By the way, am I being paid for this interview? (Note: While Brad is actually being paid in U.S. dollars for this interview, King Richard is being paid in Snow in Southtown bucks, which can only be redeemed for Michael Buble Christmas albums, unfortunately.)
Mike: Brad, you had a great episode, I think from early in the Snow Plow Show days, where you pranked the entire Home Alone neighborhood. It’s one of my favorite ideas that a prank caller has ever had. If I remember correctly, I don’t think many of the calls in this episode worked out very well, but it was still an amazing idea.
Brad: Yeah I remember being disappointed that none of my Home Alone pranks worked out very well that night. I wish I’d put more effort into doing daytime pranks to that neighborhood during the following weeks.
King Richard: I don’t remember that, but that’s because I’m older than Father Christmas. I do remember during one of the movie nights in the old Discord days, Brad found the number to the current occupant of the Home Alone house and attempted to prank call them. I can’t remember if it worked out. Because again, senility.
Mike: If you were to do calls based on another Christmas movie or TV special, what might you choose?
Brad: Jingle All The Way! Although I have no idea if that was filmed in real locations or on a set. I think that’s an important part of doing movie-based pranks, is pranking actual neighbors of the houses that were in the movie. I can’t think of any other Christmas movies that might work with. Maybe A Christmas Story? I know all of the houses in Edward Scissorhands are still lived in, so maybe that’d be a good one to do.
King Richard: I’d like to do calls based on The Little Drummer Boy. But that might be breaking the rules of prank calling, on account of the protagonist being kidnapped, his home being burned, and the horrific demise of his parents. What a weird movie.
Mike: I think my favorite Christmas prank call episode might be when King Richard called people at 3:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, telling them to wake up because Santa had come. There was also the time he said the HOA was going to be building a reindeer corral.
King Richard: I tend to think lots of my calls are trash. But getting Archie to fumble his way downstairs while deep in a sleep fog and mumbling something about a coyote I’m pretty sure he was having a fever dream about? Yeah, that was a win. The reindeer corral was Olga’s idea, and I added the stuff about having a mall Santa come to the neighborhood (because covid had the malls shuttered). It’s actually such a fun, cheerful idea. I still don’t understand why people were so rankled by it. Says something about the world, but I’m no philosopher.
Brad: I’m sorry but I don’t actually remember those pranks of his. Don’t tell King Richard! (Note: OK, I won’t!)
Mike: Brad, do you have any plans for Christmas pranks this year? Any ideas you want to preview here?
Brad: Nope, I haven’t even thought about it yet. Hopefully it’ll be something new that I’ve never done. But at the very worst we’ll have yet even more calls of me flushing my Christmas tree down the toilet.
Mike: King Richard, I know you’re not doing calls right now, but do you have any ideas for Christmas pranks?
King Richard: What makes you think I’m not doing pranks? Wink wink.
Mike: What are your top three Christmas movies?
Brad: 1. Home Alone, 2. Gremlins, 3. Tie between Jingle All The Way and the live action Grinch movie.
King Richard: Gremlins! I know, its status as a Christmas movie is a matter for debate. But the commercialization of Christmas is so distasteful to me, and I love the way Gremlins pokes holes in the saccharin fakeness of it all. Or maybe I’m just a contrarian. But I’m also full of baloney, because a childhood favorite of mine was A Garfield Christmas Special, and what a merchandising monstrosity that comic is. And of course my favorite Christmas movie is smash hit holiday classic Jingle All the Way, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In addition to his solo releases as Classic Pat, Patrick McVay plays in bands such as Parasite Diet, the Putz, Ghost Party, the Rip Taylors, the Practice Run, Family Computer, the Beeslys, the Coruscants, Spacenoidz, and others.
Pat joins me on this bonus episode to discuss his music, holidays, and summer, and he gives us five songs to add to a summer playlist.
Our bonus Stocking Stuffer episodes are normally only posted on our Patreon feed, but we’re making this fun episode available to everyone. Bonus episodes are posted at least once a month, and other extras include zines, original music, and exclusive physical releases. Be sure to visit our Patreon to get access to more fun content like this.
The Patreon version of this episode includes a second playlist chosen by Pat, featuring punk summer songs.
Our Leon Day episode will be available soon!
Pat’s summer playlist:
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime Eddie Cochran – Summertime Blues Beach Boys – All Summer Long Bananarama – Cruel Summer The Isley Brothers – Summer Breeze
This is the final full episode for 2022. However, there are currently 17 bonus episodes on the Patreon, and we’ll be posting things there each day through Christmas Eve. Have a great Christmas!
Reviews: The Simpsons – “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (1997); Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas (1971)
Something Fun: Bad Christmas movies (except for one of them!)
Snow in Southtown Christmas Podcast 