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!)
Vance DeGeneres is a musician, writer, comedian, and film producer. He joins us on this fun bonus episode to discuss his Top 3 traditional Christmas songs and his Top 3 Christmas rock songs.
Our bonus Stocking Stuffer episodes are normally only posted on our Patreon feed, but we’re making this one available to everyone. Bonus episodes are posted at least once a month, and for the holiday season, we’ll be posting them weekly! Be sure to visit our Patreon to get access to more fun content like this.
Our next full episode will be available soon, and we’ll be discussing The Cricket on the Hearth and the Beatles Christmas records.
Jeff Whalen (the Brothers Steve, Tsar, the Monster Squad) loves Christmas and is here to discuss his top five Christmas songs!
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 throughout November, we’ll be posting them weekly! Be sure to visit our Patreon to get access to more fun content like this.
Our first full episode of Season Four will be available soon, and we’ll be discussing the Christmas zombie musical, Anna and the Apocalypse!
Thanks so much for listening! Be sure to check out all of Jeff’s music, linked in the notes below.
He Knows You’re Alone (1980) – 8/10 – This one is mostly known for one of its supporting actors named Tom Hanks, and I hadn’t seen it since the days of our scary movie marathons more than 20 years ago. So I didn’t know what to expect. It starts out OK, with a Scream-like film inside of a film, a pretty good kill, and the Breakfast Club principal, and it picks up from there. Tom Hanks’s part is pretty small, just a couple of scenes, but he’s really good, obviously. Heading into the third act, I was already thinking it was a 7/10, but a great kill and a perfect ending bumped it up even higher. If you like slashers, especially early ’80s slashers, and somehow haven’t seen this, definitely check it out.
The Monster Squad (1987) – 10/10 – I don’t really know what I hoped to accomplish by signing myself up to post a short review of what I consider a perfect film, but there’s not really much to say here. Not only does it still hold up, but if we’re remaking and rebooting all of these horror films, this one should be at the top of someone’s list. In fact, let’s get a whole Netflix series going. I’d love to live in a society where the Universal Monsters are once again as popular (and as widely marketed) as Stranger Things. I won’t rest until I can buy a Dracula-themed frozen pizza from Walmart, OK?
Well, after two months, we’ve reached the end of our marathon! Halloween will be over in another hour or so, and our first bonus episode of the holiday season will be available in the morning. And related to this marathon, we’ll be discussing Anna and the Apocalypse on our first full episode this weekend.
Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here.Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout on Shudder featured Elvira’s Haunted Hills and Popcorn.
Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001) – 5/10 – I appreciate Elvira as a horror host, but I’m sometimes not a huge fan of the comedic style. I don’t know if I’d ever seen this one, but it was fun enough at times, as usual. It’d be a lot cooler, of course, if she could do something like this with the Universal monsters.
Popcorn (1991) – 6/10 – This was the first time I’d seen this one in a while, and it holds up pretty well. I really like the movies within the movie. Is there a DVD release that has them all as shorts? If not, there really should be.
Terror Train (2022) – 5/10 – This is probably more like a 4/10, but I really appreciate Tubi making it and would be totally fine with them making more stuff like this. The original Terror Train is one of my favorites, so I went into this with very low expectations. However, it managed to be better than it had any right to be. It starts as a very close remake (set on Halloween instead of New Year’s Eve), but it starts to change things just enough to let you know the plot twist will be a little different this time. Worth a watch for slasher fans.
House of Wax (2005) – 5/10 – OK, I know everybody hated this movie when it came out, but I thought it was actually not terrible this time. It feels very 2005, whether that’s a good or bad thing. I personally have found myself to be more tolerant (maybe nostalgic?) for some of the early-aughts stuff I’ve revisited lately. And I know a lot of the hate involved Paris Hilton, but honestly her character is barely even in the film.
It’s almost Halloween, which means it’s almost time for our Christmas episodes to begin! The first episode will be available on the main podcast feed on November 9th, while Patreon supporters will get weekly bonus episodes beginning November 1st. Also, the main episodes will post two days earlier on the Patreon each week.
We’ve got a fun season planned, and this short episode lists everything we’ll be covering in the Season 4 episodes:
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Cricket on the Hearth (1967); The Beatles Christmas collection
Frosty the Snowman (1969); The 4 Seasons Greetings (1962)
The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
How I Met Your Mother – “How Lily Stole Christmas” (2006); Twisted Sister – A Twisted Christmas (2006)
Beavis and Butt-Head Christmas episodes; Kenny and Dolly – Once Upon a Christmas (1984)
Fred Claus (2007)
The Simpsons – “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (1997); Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas (1971)
Of course, the weekly bonus episodes will cover a number of other topics, and we can’t wait to start sharing some of these with you.
Please be sure to reach out (snowinsouthtown@gmail.com) if you’d like to offer any feedback or share your thoughts on any of the things we’re planning to cover. And also be sure to check out the Patreon if you’d like to get access to our bonus content.
Midnight Club (2022) – 8/10 – I’m going to rank this one right behind Mike Flanagan’s last three series: The Haunting of Hill House (10/10), The Haunting of Bly Manor (9/10), and Midnight Mass (8.5/10). That being said, this one has the possibility of continuing beyond this season, so that could changes things later.
This definitely wasn’t a fun, Halloween-time watch. I think in the darker, colder days of January and February, I likely would’ve enjoyed it a little more. Still, I’m giving it an 8/10 because I think it’s really good.
Flanagan can tell great stories, and we’re all benefiting from his relationship with Netflix. (I’m really looking forward to his House of Usher and wish that could’ve been the October release, but I’m guessing we’ll see that in the spring.) I could even see someone liking Midnight Club better than Midnight Mass, especially if he or she grew up reading Christopher Pike’s books (which I didn’t). But to me, if I had to start one of the four series over again right now, I’d choose one of the other three.
I thought last year’s Fear Street 1994 did a pretty good job with the music, so I was anxious to see how Midnight Club handled that. The mid-’90s was a crucial time for me as both a music fan and as a songwriter in the beginning stage of starting to figure things out. And Midnight Club almost nails it. I heard old favorites and was reminded of songs I hadn’t heard or thought about in over 20 years. (You guys remember The Flys??)
But yeah, my number one complaint about the entire series, the thing I’ve texted friends about the most so far, involves a song from 1997 being used solely for its emotional impact. (I won’t name the song in case anyone might see that as a spoiler, but Flanagan addresses his decision to use it here.)
Otherwise, if you like Flanagan’s work, Christopher Pike’s books, music from 1994, ghost stories, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and/or good (and sometimes fun) storytelling, you’ll likely dig this.
The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022) – 5/10 – This was totally fine for throwing on the TV and watching as a family. I love Rob Riggle, so that was a plus for me. It’s always fun to see John Michael Higgins pop up. And Marlon Wayans and all the others were fine. It has some fun moments, especially if you like Halloween decorations, and it’s 10 times better than that Spirit Halloween movie that I tried to watch and turned off after 15 minutes.
We made it halfway through Midnight Club this week, so I’ll add my full thoughts for that show with next week’s reviews. But since we got to watch Halloween Ends on Peacock a little earlier than expected, I’ll focus on that here…
Halloween Ends (2022) – 8/10* – This is a tough one to rate. It is not at all what I was expecting as the last installment of this trilogy, and it feels a lot like the original Halloween III (1982), which I love, or Zombie’s Halloween II (2009), which I hate. Meaning, it just doesn’t really fit here. As a Halloween movie, I’d give it a 6/10. Which is still way better than Zombie’s sequel (0/10 forever).
Now, as a 2022 slasher, or even as something like a Halloween spinoff, it’s actually really cool. I’ll watch again this weekend for sure, but after my initial viewing, I’d give it an 8/10. It looks GREAT. It FEELS like Halloween. And most importantly, it’s simply better than most horror stuff that comes out these days. And while I was in a constant state of asking what the heck was happening in my Halloween sequel/finale, I was never bored, even with a longer running time (1:51??) than I like to see.
Don’t listen to what others are saying, but also don’t expect a movie like the previous two. Just be ready for a crazy film about a slasher killing people in Haddonfield on Halloween.
Sleeping With the Enemy (1991) – 8/10 – I’m watching these “yuppie nightmares” to follow along with the Gourley & Rust podcast (see Pacific Heights from Week 4 and the review below this one), and it’s been really fun revisiting this stuff. (There are a few later that I either haven’t seen or don’t remember.) I mostly remembered this one, but it was a lot of fun to see it for the first time in maybe 20 years. It seemed short to me (I always expect these things to drag on), with only a few little plot issues, which is always good. And it’s just a great movie overall, with the ability to appeal to fans of multiple genres.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) – 8.5/10 – This has been my favorite one to revisit so far, and I think a lot of the credit goes to Ernie Hudson. I don’t think I appreciated his contributions when I watched this as a kid, but he really steals the show, in my opinion. (I haven’t heard G&R’s episode of this one yet, but I’m hoping they feel the same.) The acting is really good all around, in my opinion, and while I have a few more issues with the plot for this one, it’s still got more enough going for it to help me ignore some of the silly details.
Tricks or Treats (1982) – 3/10 – This really wants to be Halloween, but instead of Carpenter’s score and Blue Oyster Cult we get stuff that sounds more like Vince Guaraldi and bad early-’80s pop music. The acting is rough at times, and the plot is a bit absurd. (More people hiring babysitters ON Halloween night??) But it’s still a 1982 slasher film set on Halloween night, and there are some really cool visuals, including the classic Beistle decorations. There are also a ton of trick-or-treaters, which is always good, and the jerk kid has a great record collection. Overall though, it’s mostly boring.
Cemetery del Terror (1985) – 3/10 – This one also wants to be Halloween and even has a shady version of Loomis! My favorite thing about it is the one character who keeps telling everyone that she had tickets for “the rock concert” tonight. She never tells us who was playing at the rock concert. It was likely just printed as “ROCK CONCERT” on the tickets. At least the deranged killer does start to get busy around halfway through, but it’s mostly just boring attempts at gore and not much creativity. And the music… Anything that sounds decent is ripped off from Halloween and other movies, but most of it is just generic ’80s crap. Then there’s the end, which just spirals out of control, with hand-to-hand combat between the killer and fake Loomis. It’s a ride, but often not a fun one.
Not a great couple of weeks, but things should pick up now!
Watcher (2022) – 4/10 – I can appreciate a slow burn, but only if the plot makes sense. And I feel bad that this is the actress from It Follows, which I hated, because it’s nothing that she is doing. The story is just way more infuriating than it is scary. You think a guy’s watching you. Your husband doesn’t believe you. Make a decision. It’s not that hard. (To be fair, I liked this way more than I liked It Follows.)
Raven’s Hollow (2022) – 2/10 – Well, this looked OK. And that’s about all I can say. The story was such a mess, and I really had no idea what was happening. You can skip this one!
Pacific Heights (1990) – 7.5/10 – Not technically a horror movie, I guess, but the roaches alone justify it being included here for me. Still, like Watcher, at some point you just need to make a decision to walk away. I’m all about a good fight, but I also have better things to do.
Hatchet (2006) – 9/10 – It’s always fun to re-visit this one. All we want from our slashers is a fun setup, a good back story that inspires some kind of revenge, and then quick, creative ways of taking characters out. Of course Adam Green always delivers in every way.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) – 5/10 – This is not nearly as bad as people made it out to be, and I don’t know what more anyone would expect from a TCM sequel in 2022. Sally Hardesty as a Texas Ranger wanna-be Laurie Strode is OK. And while I don’t necessarily love the whole plot that brings the people to Texas in the first place, it really doesn’t matter in the end. They’re here, and Leatherface is inspired to do great things again. Oh, and they’re all idiots. (Question: Have they ever offered Adam Green a TCM sequel? Cause that would be amazing.)
The Fog (1980) – 9/10 – A Carpenter classic, with excellent atmosphere, acting, and music, as always. Tom Atkins is great at a lot of things, but talking on the phone may be his best acting move. If I were writing a script, I’d add some phone scenes just to get him to join the cast.
The Fog (2005) – 3/10 – “Well, we finished shooting our remake of The Fog. And although it’s probably almost perfect, I’m worried that it may fall just short of Carpenter’s classic. We need one more thing to put us over the top, something at the very beginning, just to let people know that this isn’t 1980 and Tom Atkins and Jamie Lee Curtis. This is 2005. Wait, I got it! FALL OUT BOY!” I guess?
Psycho (1960) – 10/10 – According to this online inflation calculator that I just used, the $40,000 that Marion stole would be $400,000 today. Also, I like that she does the math to discover that $40,000 minus $700 means that she’ll have to pay back $700.
Psycho II (1983) – 8/10 – Such a great sequel. And the diner has it all: good food, great arcade games, and Norman Bates chopping the lettuce.
Psycho III (1986) – 4/10 – Definitely the low point of the franchise (assuming we never mention the 1987 Bates Motel TV movie/pilot, which we won’t). It’s still not completely terrible, and it adds some good bits to the Psycho story.
Psycho IV (1990) – 8/10 – I love a good prequel, so add in Henry Thomas and Olivia Hussey, two of my favorite actors, and I’m in. As someone who listened to a lot of talk radio in the ’80s and ’90s, I really like that aspect of the plot as well. You can see a lot of the Bates Motel TV series’ origins here, which is a lot of fun.
Day Shift (2022) – 6/10 – More action than horror, but it’s fun at times. I found myself wishing it’d taken a little more inspiration from I Am Legend, and then I realized that I could just watch (or read) I Am Legend.
As requested by no one, we’re bringing back the Halloween Horror Movie Marathon for 2022! Beginning this weekend, we’ll be watching and discussing horror movies through 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, starting at the end of this post for Week 1. I’ll also be around on Facebook and Twitter if anyone wants to discuss any of the movies.
Like last year, a lot of the films we’ve picked will be available on the Shudder streaming service. If you’re a horror fan and aren’t a regular subscriber, I’d recommend adding it, at least for the next couple of months!
Here is the planned schedule.
September 2-4: Psycho (1960), Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), Psycho IV (1990)
September 9-11: The Fog (1980), The Fog (2005)
September 16-18: Hatchet (2006), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
September 23-25: Watcher (2022), Raven’s Hollow (2022)
September 30 – October 2: Trick or Treats (1982), Cemetery of Terror (1985)
October 7-9: Midnight Club (2022 – Netflix series)
October 14-16: Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), Halloween Ends (2022)
October 21-23: The Last Drive-in 2022 Halloween Special (Double Feature TBA – Shudder live event!)
October 28-30: The Monster Squad (1987), He Knows You’re Alone (1980)
We’ve just launched our new Patreon, where you can get access to monthly bonus episodes, music that we record, stickers, our print zines, exclusive CD releases, and more!
We’ll be back on this feed with our regular Christmas episodes starting in November. But if you’re looking for fun bonus content each month until then, join us at the Patreon!
In our summer 2022 episode, we review Holiday Inn (1942). We also discuss the projects we’ve been working on, along with things like prank calls, The Outsiders, and of course, Christmas and summer. Background music includes songs by Weezer and the Beach Boys. Look for some summer content on the blog, and we’ll be back with the podcast for Season 4 in November.
Show notes:
King Richard from Another Prank Call Show recently used our Easter episode for a couple of calls. Check out his show here.
In this episode, we review It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976). We also discuss this article, which ranks all 45 Peanuts specials, and we each rank our top 10 holidays.
Thanks to everyone who checked out our April Fool’s Day episode last week. Sorry for any confusion. Send all angry messages to Rusty via our Facebook page, and send us money to make the imaginary film that we discussed.
Our fake movie inspired some fun moments on the most recent episode of Another Prank Call Show, titled Papaw Maloney’s Discount Furniture.
You can download our tribute to The Sandlotfor free here.
Show art is courtesy of Rusty, making fun of Mike’s favorite band.
Spring is here, and we’re back with a quick episode to review the recent indie holiday film, Christmas at Easter (2022). Look for another new episode coming soon!
If you listened to our podcast this year, especially our Christmas horror episode (S3E7), you’ll know that I didn’t get to a few new horror films that I’d been wanting to watch. So over the next two days, I’ll be watching Christmas horror and will post some quick thoughts here, similar to the marathon we did this fall. I’ll be here through Monday night and will add reviews here as I go.
Black Christmas (1974) – 10/10 – This is my favorite Christmas horror movie, and I usually watch it to wrap up the season each year. If you’ve somehow never watched it, then you should. You can see specific scenes that would inspire Halloween in 1978, while director Bob Clark also shows that can establish a Christmas mood, which would later help his other holiday masterpiece, 1983’s A Christmas Story. For example, I love his house shots at the opening of Black Christmas and the closing of A Christmas Story (picture below). I’ll try to watch the two remakes by tomorrow if I can.
Now I have a confession to make: In our horror episode, we reviewed Deadly Games, and then I talked a bit about The Last Drive In on Shudder. It turns out that I completely missed the Christmas episode of my favorite show last year, where Joe Bob actually showed Deadly Games. (It aired the night that we recorded our last two episodes last year, and I was too busy to catch the archive. I only realized recently that I’d never gone back to it.) The show also screened Christmas Evil (1980) that night, so now I’m finally watching the full double feature…
The Last Drive In: Deadly Games (1989) – 9/10 – Joe Bob Briggs provides a lot of insight into this film that we liked a lot. He explains the Minitel system (probably better than I did), he gives background info on the actors and filmmakers (as usual), and he addresses the film’s similarities with Home Alone. He also extensively analyzes the Bonnie Tyler song, which I appreciated. Up next is Christmas Evil…
Christmas Evil (1980) – 7/10 – I hadn’t seen this one in years, so it was fun to revisit here. I didn’t know the original title was You Better Watch Out, which I personally think is better. I also learned from JBB that podcast favorite John Waters heavily promoted this movie throughout the ’80s and ’90s, helping it find its audience. I honestly liked it more this time, compared to the first couple of times I watched it years ago. The horror aside, there are some great Christmas-y visuals and music. But Harry is also a fun killer Santa, and the ending is amazing. Moving on to newer stuff now…
Silent Night (2021) – 4/10 – Keira Knightley (from our favorite film, Love Actually) hosts a bunch of terrible people (her friends) at her house for Christmas, and everyone knows that an apocalyptic event will kill them all tonight. Well, glad I waited until after Christmas to watch this one. The acting is OK, the music is fine, and it kind of feels like Christmas at times. But no thanks. For a Christmas movie, I’ll take Love Actually over this. The final second is the best part, and if there weren’t kids involved, I’d call it a happy ending.
Black Friday (2021) – 4/10 – OK, it’s not the worst movie ever made, but someone finally made a Black Friday horror movie, and we deserved something much better than this. It’s all the cliches about corporate making money, while minimum wage employees do all the work and sacrifice spending time with their families. And of course, the shoppers are terrible, and becoming zombies only makes them slightly worse. This is everything we’d expect, but it feels like minimum effort from everyone involved, aside from Robert Kurtzman, whose effects are wonderful, as always. This could’ve been a pretty good 25-minute short.
The Advent Calendar (2021) – 5/10 – It’s like the Wishmaster made an advent calendar, and sacrifices have to be made for the protagonist to get the things she wants. It’s not consistently good, but overall it’s pretty fun and mostly kept me interested. Not much of a Christmas movie, aside from taking place in December and being based on an advent calendar.
Christmas Presence (2018) – 4/10 – The script is a mess, the character development is all over the place, and none of it is very interesting, despite all of this being avoidable on any budget. However, the film does manage to create a pretty fun atmosphere, and it had far more scares than any of the three new movies I watched yesterday. Not bad to watch once, alone in the dark.
The Gingerdead Man (2005) – 2/10 – Why did I do this to myself? I’ve seen this movie before. I even owned it at one point. But I’m sorry to let you know that Gary Busey as a killer gingerbread cookie just doesn’t make a good movie, as shocking as that may be. Imagine several adults being trapped in a bakery all night because there is ONE evil gingerbread cookie in there. The best part is that the 70-minute runtime includes 10 minutes of credits.
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) – 6/10 – This is fine. I totally appreciate the effort, and it was probably a blast to make it. But ultimately it feels like a Disney Channel executive saw Shaun of the Dead and was inspired to make a musical. As a musical, it’s a 7, and as a zombie movie, it’s a 5. The closing titles animation is probably my favorite part.
Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out (1989)– 2/10 – The original film is a great Christmas slasher, but the sequels are all pretty rough. The first hour of this one is basically people driving and looking for other people. Ricky is back as the killer, and there’s a psychic blind girl who can see what he sees. It’s one of the most boring slashers you’ll ever see. I deserve an award for powering through it.
All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018) – 1/10 – Horror Christmas anthology… of crap. I knew I’d hate this one for a number of reasons and have been putting it off, but I’m kind of glad I finally made myself watch it, just to be fair. The writers/directors know what horror movies are supposed to look like, but they have no idea about how to properly execute it. And I guess doing enough character development for a feature length was too overwhelming, so they squeezed five stories (and the wrap around) into 80 minutes. At one point, and I’m serious, we are watching a movie about people who are watching a movie about a guy who is watching a movie.
To All a Goodnight (1980) – 5/10 – I’d somehow never seen this. It’s kind of like a Black Christmas meets Prom Night or Terror Train, as a sorority Christmas prank goes wrong, and two years later, someone dressed as Santa is killing everyone to get revenge. Veteran horror actor David Hess directed this one, and he clearly struggled with lighting, among other things. But the gore effects are not bad, and there are some fun early slasher archetypes utilized. (Note: Like Friday the 13th, which was released a few months later, this movie has a “crazy” character named Ralph. There is also another similarity between the two films at the end, which I won’t spoil.)
Don’t Open Till Christmas (1984) – 4/10 – This time, the victims are the ones dressed as Santa! The effects aren’t very good in this one, but there are some decent Christmas visuals, and the music is OK sometimes. I’m against guns in slashers, so it loses points there, but things get really weird when the killer takes a Christmas hostage. And then we end up at… a Caroline Munro concert?! I used to think it’d be cool to visit London during Christmastime, but after watching this movie, I think I’ll just stay home.
And I think that will bring this Christmas Horror Fest to a close. I managed to get through 13 films in two days, and the killer Santas are all kind of starting to blur together. Thanks to everyone who followed along, and I’ll see you for whatever crazy idea I come up with next!
Happy Thanksgiving! People keep saying there are no Thanksgiving songs, so we decided to share a few of the tracks that we like to listen to this time of year. Be sure to check out our Awful Christmas Movies episode from a couple of days ago, and we’ll be back after Thanksgiving to discuss ’80s TV specials.
Thanksgiving 2021 Playlist
Nicole Westbrook – It’s Thanksgiving Jay & the Techniques – Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie Natalie Merchant – Kind and Generous Third Eye Blind – Thanks A Lot Vista Blue – 1621 Abba – Thank You for the Music Little Eva – Let’s Turkey Trot Parry Gripp – Mister Bug’s Thanksgiving The Cranberries – Ode To My Family Big Star – Thank You Friends
Reviews: Elmo and Patsy “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” Yogi Yorgesson “I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas,” and Allan Sherman “The Twelve Gifts of Christmas.”
Also discussed: Blondie, Pawn Stars
Show notes:
If this form is still open, then we still have zines available. They’re free but are limited to 50. This form will be closed when they’re gone. (There are five left as I post this!)
It’s finally November, and we’re back with Season Three! This season, each episode will feature a new theme, and we’re kicking things off with Rankin Bass.
Reviews: The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974), and The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow (1975)
Also discussed: the Yule Cat, Rankin Bass auctions
Show notes:
If this form is still open, then we still have zines available. They’re free but are limited to 50. This form will be closed when they’re gone.
Don’t forget to check out #ChristmasPodcastDay on social media to find lost of cool shows being released and/or shared today (November 1st).
We have a couple of mugs and some playing cards in our Zazzle store. We may add a few items throughout the season. Let us know if there is anything specific that you want us to make available.
We’ve finally reached the end!If you’re just checking in for the Christmas content and are interested in the horror movies we’ve been watching over the last couple of months, be sure to check out the full schedule here.
Sleepy Hollow (1999) – 7/10 – If I remove this film from the story that I love so much, I think it’s fine, and it certainly looks great. I also like the slight nods to the original text and even the Disney cartoon. That being said, I don’t like most of the changes, and I think it certainly could’ve been as effective with a more faithful adaptation. I also wish they had found a way to film it in or near Sleepy Hollow. Still, it’s fine to watch every few years.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) – 8/10 – This is easily the best made-for-TV horror movie ever. I’m kind of surprised that we haven’t seen a big studio come in and remake this one. It does look like there’s an indie sequel, or maybe it’s in production. But I’d love to see an update of this one, similar to what they did with the great My Bloody Valentine remake.
Thanks to everyone who has been following along! Today we’ll be watching Charlie Brown, Garfield, and a bunch more before heading out to trick or treat. But then we’ll be launching the first new episode of our Christmas podcast! See you soon…
We’ve finally reached Halloween weekend! In addition to working on launching Season Three of our podcast, we’ll be watching movies all weekend. If you’re just checking in for the Christmas content and are interested in the horror movies we’ve been watching every weekend, be sure to check out the full schedule here.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) – 8/10 – Aside from the original, this is the only Elm Street film I ever really choose to watch. I love the idea of the dream warriors, the kills are great, and the music is super fun.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982) – 10/10 – Another perfect slasher. No offense to the previously mentioned Elm Street movie, the third Halloween that I’ve talked about growing to love, or even Return of the Jedi or the final Back to the Future, but this is my favorite Part III.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) – 10/10 – While Part IV was such a great way to wrap up the original Jason trilogy, Part V was a goofy mess. But Tom McLoughlin nailed this one, bringing Jason back where he belongs. It’s one of the funniest scripts in the series, and it even puts kids at the camp for the first time.
Halloween Kills (2021) – 10/10 – Once again, they gave us exactly what we wanted, a perfect slasher with a bunch of characters from the original film. Only this time, they didn’t even have to kill Michael since we already know the next movie is coming next year. If you see bad reviews for this movie, don’t trust them without seeing it for yourself. If your friends are saying bad things about it, unfriend them. They’re dumb.
Haunt (2018) – 8/10 – I don’t go to these haunted attractions because I’d rather spend a fraction of the money to watch movies instead. I definitely wouldn’t sign a waiver to enter one, nor would I allow them to lock up my cell phone. Therefore, knowing that people do actually do these things, I like this movie a lot because I know I’d never be one of these idiots getting trapped in this place.
House (1985) – 5/10 – I liked this one a lot as a kid, but it definitely doesn’t hold up for me. The effects are great. That’s about it. Another example of a horror comedy without enough horror or comedy.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) – 7/10 – As a person who kinda believes that we probably peaked as humans sometime around 1997, I don’t know if this film quite holds up the way I thought/hoped it would. I want to make a list of reasons why this could never be set in 2021, but I don’t really have the energy. Instead, I’ll try to check out the first episode of the new TV series and assume that the producers made the list themselves, prompting this updated version.
Chucky, Episode 1 – 4/10 – I’ve actually never been the biggest Child’s Play fan. I think the franchise is generally better than Leprechaun, for example, but nowhere near the upper tier of Halloween and Friday the 13th. Still, I thought this could have potential and ended up being mostly disappointed. If it happens to get decent reviews from people I trust, maybe I’ll try watching the whole season later.
We’re getting close to Halloween now! Only a few weeks left.Be sure to check out the full schedule here.
This weekend we celebrated the Last Drive-In’s Halloween Hoedown on Shudder. It was a six-hour blast of Halloween fun and included appearances by Jason Blum and David Gordon Green, who discussed the Halloween series and the upcoming Halloween Kills. And of course, there were two movies…
Angel (1983) – 6/10 – I’d been interested in this one, mainly because of the great cast, but I’d never watched it. I was glad to finally have an excuse to sit down and check it out, even if it isn’t a Halloween movie at all and may not have been the best choice for this event. I loved the crazy fight scene toward the end, which kind of came out of nowhere. It was pretty well done, but it was also hilarious. Also, I liked getting a look at L.A. here, since most films like this tend to be set in New York.
Terror Train (1980) – 9/10 – This is one of my favorite slashers and was a great film for this event, even if it also isn’t a Halloween film. If you haven’t seen this one, just know it features David Copperfield and has a pretty crazy twist at the end. I personally think they should’ve done the whole Jamie Lee Curtis 1980 trio, adding The Fog and Prom Night.
Other movies we’ve watched this week…
Muppet Haunted Mansion (2021) – 9/10 – To be clear, I am probably the least qualified person to discuss or review anything Muppet related, aside from maybe Christmas Carol. I was a fan growing up, but I’m not the expert today that many of my friends are. That being said, Haunted Mansion is my favorite Disney ride, I loved this special, and I was so happy to learn it had nothing to do with the Eddie Murphy movie. I’ll definitely watch it again. I know I missed so much the first time, and it’ll probably take several viewings to really take it in.
Witchboard (1986) – 9/10 – This used to be a favorite of mine, but it’s been a long time since I’ve watched it. I was happy to find that it totally holds up today. The storytelling is pretty good, and there are actual attempts at character development without straying too far from the horror. It’s a legitimately creepy film that separates itself from most other mid-80s stuff.
The Innkeepers (2011) – 7/10 – When Ti West was releasing films like this one and House of the Devil, we had a horror podcast that focused mainly on slashers. So I likely didn’t quite give West the credit he deserved back then. To me, aside from the stuff Mike Flanagan is doing, this is probably as good as indie ghost movies get right now.
House of Dracula (1945) – 7/10 – This one is better than the two that came right before it (1943’s Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and 1944’s The House of Frankenstein). You get Dracula, Wolf Man, and Frankenstein all together here, and some of it is genuinely creepy. I think my favorite part is when Talbot asks the doctor for help, and he basically tells him he should just get locked in jail again. And of course, at the end we get another burning castle!
Aside from these movies, I re-watched every single Halloween film. What a week!
Halloween (1978) – 10/10 – Best movie ever. By the way, Lynda’s “totally” count = 7.
Halloween II (1981) – 10/10 – It can’t equal the first one, but then nothing could. All the sequels need to be judged separately. But even without the first film, this is still a near perfect ’80s slasher, and it has everything that makes slashers my favorite subgenre.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) – 8/10 – I’ve probably gone from about a 3/10 to this 8/10 just within the last 10 years or so. I do think it’s a fun horror movie that I used to take for granted back in the day, but I also think it’s completely absurd. However, even at its most ridiculous, it is attempting to deliver horror and not comedy, which I can totally appreciate, even if I do just laugh at most of it.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) – 10/10 – This is probably the best horror sequel after Friday the 13th II.
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) – 5/10 – Such a letdown. Imagine if you weren’t invested in these characters from the previous film. It’s pretty bad. How could they mess up a Michael Myers sequel in the ’80s? It was guaranteed to make money, so why not spend whatever it took to get it right? It still gets a 5, if only for Loomis and Michael.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) – 6/10 – As disappointed as I am with Revenge, for some reason I kinda like this one. And I don’t think it’s because of Paul Rudd. Maybe it’s because it’s the one that came out right after I turned 18, and I could legally walk up and buy a ticket without my dad or uncle with me. Maybe it’s because of some of the great kills, like the huge slaughter scene. Or maybe it’s the cool Windows 95 thorn screensaver Paul Rudd has. But whatever it is, once you get past the first 20 minutes (and the fact that Danielle Harris was replaced), I’m pretty into it. OK, maybe it’s Paul Rudd.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) – 8/10 – This is Rusty’s favorite title of the series, and it’s also a really fun movie. Michael has the determination he showed in Curse, but we get to skip all of the crazy thorn stuff this time.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002) – 5/10 – Unlike Curse, the whole extended intro is the best part of this one. Once we get to the reality TV show stuff, it’s just disappointing. There was so much potential, but they blew it, and now it just feels outdated.
Halloween (2007) – 8/10 – I might not agree with all of Rob Zombie’s decisions, but I definitely appreciate what he tried to do with it. It’s a bit too long for me, especially the long ending. But it’s a really good remake/reboot overall.
Halloween II (2009) – 1/10 – I just hate it. This is the third time I’ve watched it, after the theatrical release and a podcast review. I want to like it. But unfortunately, it’s really really bad.
Halloween (2018) – 10/10 – As good as Zombie’s 2007 remake is, I think this one is even better. It’s honestly everything we could’ve hoped for. Can’t wait for the new one next week!
It’s now October, and that means our Christmas podcast will return in about a month! But first, here’s a Halloween treat.
Growing up, I’d spend a lot of time each Halloween season at Kmart, and I always bought whatever Halloween cassettes they had for sale. Most were terrible, aside from a few classics that still remain on my shelf. But this episode features one of my favorites, The Old Gray Goose.
This tape was released in 1999. It features a guy (the Gray Goose) who tells stories and sings songs. Most of the stories were familiar tales that we’d been telling each other for years, but I hadn’t heard a few of these. Overall, it’s just a really cool collection and is something I still listen to every year.
A few years ago, I hooked up a cassette player to my computer to create these files; however, it seems this was also released on CD, so I really should just track that down. This cassette rip is pretty rough. Still, the times I’ve checked, it hasn’t been the easiest thing to find online, so I figured it’d make a cool podcast post, even with the tape noise.
I didn’t record an intro or anything. I figured people may want to play this with family or at a party, and you don’t need my voice on here messing it up. So it’s simply the two sides of the tape. Here’s the track list:
1 Goose Introduction 2 Shipwreck 3 Medical College 4 Oscar, The Lightheaded Pumpkin 5 The Graveyard 6 The Hike 7 The Passing Of David Holt 8 Ride Of Terror 9 The Butcher 10 Emily’s Nightmare 11 39 Steps & The Blue Room 12 Mystery Church 13 Graveyard Song 14 Goose Farewell
Trick ‘r Treat (2007) – 10/10 – A perfect Halloween film and a perfect anthology. It just looks, sounds, and feels like Halloween. In fact, stop reading this, and go watch it twice.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) – 9/10 – We waited a long time for this one, and I feel like it is almost perfect. It isn’t quite the anthology that I think we were all expecting, and I personally could’ve used a few more of the stories/characters after waiting so long. But as a huge fan of the books, I think it’s pretty good for what it is. I’ll watch it multiple times each year, and I can’t wait for the sequel.
The Stuff (1985) – 4/10 – Everybody has to eat shaving cream once in a while…
Creepshow S3E1 (2021) – 6/10 – “Mums” was a 7/10. It’s a perfect length, and I like Ethan Embry. “Queen Bee” is more like a 4 or a 5, although the effects are great. It could’ve been a 10-minute short.
Horror Hall of Fame Awards (1990) – 9/10 – Thanks to Dinosaur Dracula and the Purple Stuff Podcast for covering this on the last episode. Look this up on YouTube if you haven’t seen it. Robert Englund, Jason, Chucky, the Cryptkeeper, and others all make appearances in this live awards show that actually aired on TV. The YouTube version even leaves in a few horror-related commercials, such as Elvira selling Mug Root Beer.
The final four movies were part of Elvira’s 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special Special that aired on Shudder this weekend.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) – 5/10 – Although this horror comedy doesn’t have quite enough horror or comedy, there are some fun moments, and the effects are pretty good.
House on Haunted Hill (1959) – 7/10 – I hate to spoil a film that is more than 60 years old, but my main issue with this one is always that nothing is really “haunted.” It’s kinda like a Scooby Doo episode, with some real killing, of course. Fun story, good acting. Probably a blast to watch in a theater at the time.
The City of the Dead (1960) – 5/10 – This was my first time seeing this one. The witch story is definitely cool, but it’s really slow. While it shares a few similarities with Psycho, it doesn’t come close as an overall film. Mostly, even for a 1960 horror film about a witch from 1692, the plot is just absurd.
Messiah of Evil (1973) – 2/10 – What a way to close out a four-film marathon on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. To say this is a terrible movie is an understatement. Every scene leaves you going, “Wait… what?” There are many scenes thrown in that have nothing to do with the rest of the film, so trying to keep it all together is difficult enough. But then even the main story itself is just insane. In the end, unlike The Stuff or other awful films that I can watch repeatedly, this is something that I’ll never need to watch again.
The House of the Devil (2009) – 7/10 – This one has become an annual fall watch for me, even if it’s not a perfect film. I like the acting, the setting, and the music here, and while “devil” movies just aren’t really my thing, this is one of the best recent attempts.
Happy Birthday to Me (1981) – 8/10 – This is a classic slasher that all horror fans should see. The twist at the end is insane, and the running time is way too long, but it’s a fun movie. I think this is the first time that I realized that these kids are in high school. I always assumed it was college, with all the drinking and some of the actors clearly being in their mid-20s. But as we know, 1981 was a different time, and high school kids could apparently openly drink at the local tavern and jump bridges in their cars.
Candyman (2021) – 3/10 – This wasn’t a lot of fun for me. It looks and sounds fine, but the story is an absolute mess. I would need an hour-long podcast to explain all my issues with the writing. Just watch the original.
Carrie (1976) – 9/10 – Way more slapping than you probably remember. Girls slapping boys, boys slapping girls, teachers slapping kids. No one can talk to each other in this movie. They just slap. Slapping aside, it’s still pretty great.
Martyrs Lane (2021) – 6/10 – Slow burn that is more suspense than horror. Good story and good use of a low budget.
Malignant (2021) – 6/10 – I’ve seen some terrible reviews of this one, including people who are saying they turned it off halfway through. But the final act is crazy! Make sure you stick around.
Sometimes They Come Back… Again (1996) – 3/10 – Steven Keaton from Family Ties + a young Hilary Swank + typical CGI effects and acting for mid-’90s low budget horror sequels = exactly what you’d expect.
Sometimes They Come Back… For More (1998) – 1/10 – This is one of the worst movies you would ever see if you were crazy enough to watch it. How in the world did we get from a pretty good Stephen King adaptation to whatever this is in only three installments? I assume this was one of those cases where a movie was written and possibly even filmed before being acquired by the studio as a “sequel.”
As we start to prepare for the third season of our Christmas podcast, we’ll also be doing a fun Halloween celebration this year! Beginning this weekend, we’ll be watching and discussing horror movies through Halloween. We have two movies picked for each weekend (plus a full Halloween series marathon to kick off October) and will watch a bunch of other stuff in between.
I’ll post my quick review for each film that we watch in weekly posts, starting at the end of this post for Week 1, and I’ll also be around on Facebook and Twitter if anyone wants to discuss any of the movies. We could even do a live chat one night or a live screening, like we did with our holiday marathon last year, if anyone is interested.
A lot of the films we’ve picked will be available on the Shudder streaming service. If you’re a horror fan and aren’t a regular subscriber, I’d recommend adding it, at least for October.
Here is the planned schedule. Scroll down below for ratings and comments!
September 3-5: Poltergeist (1982), Don’t Breathe 2 (2021)
September 10-12: Carrie (1976), Martyrs Lane (2021)
September 17-19: Happy Birthday to Me (1981), The House of the Devil (2009)
September 24-26: Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark (2019)
October 1-3: Halloween complete series marathon (all films from 1978-2018!)
October 8-10: Joe Bob’s Halloween Hoedown (Double Feature TBA – Shudder live event)
October 15-17: Halloween Kills (2021), Haunt (2019)
October 22-24: Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3 (1987)
October 29-31: Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Week 1 Reviews
Poltergeist (1982) – 9/10 – This is the first time we really noticed the weird cut scene, where they’re in the middle of a sentence in the kitchen and are then suddenly knocking on a neighbor’s door. It’s bizarre. Plus, don’t take a bath in the haunted house you’re about to leave. (That may actually even be a film title from the early ’80s.)
Don’t Breathe 2 (2021) – 7/10 – If you liked the first one, you’ll probably dig this. It looks pretty good, especially the scenes in the house, but the story is kind of out there. At this point, I think I’d like it more if the guy could see, although I realize that’d make it similar to countless other movies. This was fun enough.
Sometimes They Come Back (1991) – 8/10 – I forgot how much I liked this one. As much as I love Stephen King, the movies can be hit or miss, but Tom McLouhglin made a good one here. I also forgot about the weird roaring sounds throughout the film. What is that? (I think I’m going to watch the two sequels now. I don’t think I’ve seen either of them, and they both look terrible!)
Once again, we’ve compiled all of our Something Weird segments from last year.
In these clips, we discuss saying “Christmas gift,” K-mart’s Christmas programming, the science behind Rudolph’s red nose, Vic Berger’s Paula Deen Christmas edits, Christmas Movie Bot on Twitter, the Christmas sandwich, Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas, and Frosty the Slaw Man.
The segments here are not complete, so be sure to check out the episodes in Season Two to hear Something Weird in its entirety.
Early Edition is a show that I just started watching this summer. It originally aired from 1996 to 2000, which was college for me, and the only TV shows I watched during that time were Seinfeld, Wings, King of Queens, and Everybody Loves Raymond. But I’m a big Kyle Chandler fan (Clear eyes, full hearts!), and I also love the city of Chicago, so I finally made it a point to jump into this one recently.
If you aren’t familiar with the show, Chandler plays a guy named Gary, who gets the next day’s Chicago Sun-Times delivered to him each morning (by a creepy cat!) and spends each day deciding which people he will save based on the future news stories. It’s sort of a mix of Quantum Leap, Back to the Future, and 11.22.63. If you like all of those as much as I do, you may dig this.
I started watching this a couple of weeks ago with no real knowledge of what to expect throughout the four-season run, and when I clicked on episode 11 last night, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a Christmas episode. In fact, “Christmas” is the title of the episode, which originally aired on December 21, 1996 (only six days after I saw Ash and Weezer in New Orleans on the Pinkerton tour).
Christmas aside, this is probably my least favorite episode of the series so far. But as a holiday episode, it’s not bad.
The show is set on Christmas Eve, and there are two main plots. In one storyline, Gary is helping the police track down the Teddy Bear Bomber, who will be setting off a bomb in a public place, according to Gary’s newspaper. However, the headlines change each time Gary and the cops arrive at the supposed scenes. In the other plot, Chuck gets thrown in jail for unpaid parking tickets, and his cellmate may or may not be Santa.
The two plots converge at the end, when the Teddy Bear Bomber finds Gary and Detective Crumb at McGinty’s Bar. Chuck and Santa soon enter the bar as well, looking for a place to hide from the police after breaking out of jail.
The episode has the typical decorations and music you would expect from a show that takes place on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, most of the music is pretty generic, but we do get Rosemary Clooney’s “White Christmas,” which is the first thing that really hit me with that true Christmas feeling this summer.
But the main thing that makes this a Christmas episode is the presence of Santa, played by the awesome M. Emmet Walsh, who we last saw as Walt Scheel in Christmas With the Kranks. His spin on Santa is a little different, and he certainly could just be a deranged lunatic. You just can’t tell.
In the end, Christmas comes after all, of course, and that’s really all you need. It’s worth a watch for Kyle Chandler, M. Emmet Walsh, Christmas, and the magic newspaper.
So this one will be different. In the past, any Christmas episodes I’ve discussed on the blog or the podcast have been from series I’m mostly familiar with. King of Queens, Full House, and Fresh Prince, for example, are all shows that I remember very well and even still watch from time to time.
Lately, however, I’ve been thinking of going back to shows that I either didn’t watch or at least do not remember well at all. We were recently talking about the restaurant named Mel’s Diner in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, so Alice popped in my head. I figured a Christmas episode would be as good as any to check out.
This feels more like a Rusty show to me (although I have no idea if he really ever watched it or not). I know I’ve definitely seen episodes of it, I feel like maybe at a certain relative’s house or something, but I don’t think it was ever appointment viewing in my house. In fact, when I went to pull up an episode, I was searching for a show titled Mel’s Diner and didn’t even recall that the title of the series was actually Alice.
But eventually I got a hold of episode 11 from season 4 (December 23, 1979), titled “Mel, the Magi,” and will share my thoughts here about a show that I remember absolutely nothing about. I’m just jumping in for some Christmas cheer here at the end of June!
I’ll try to keep my comments and reactions related to this specific episode (and mainly how it relates to Christmas), but first… Did people actually like this theme song?
Anyway, we quickly learn that money is tight for everyone this year and that everyone affiliated with this diner will be spending Christmas Eve alone, including two random truckers who stumble in off the streets. So these waitresses, who seem to have way more time to sit around and talk than any diner waitresses I’ve ever seen, decide to all gather at the diner and spend Christmas Eve together. Even the two potential-psycho strangers!
The “Gift of the Magi” bit comes in as Tommy sells his guitar to buy Alice a pitcher that matches her coffee pot. Of course, Alice had to sell her coffee pot to buy a case for Tommy’s guitar. And when Flo sells her Johnny Cash oil painting to buy Vera’s Burt Bacharach records, you can probably guess that Vera pawns her record player to buy Flo a frame for the Johnny Cash painting. It’s all very forced, and I hope the writers didn’t spend a ton of time coming up with this stuff, but it works.
Looking at the title of the episode, you also don’t need to be a genius to know what Mel will be getting each of them for Christmas.
All the tropes are here. Alice is practical, Mel’s a grump, Vera is goofy, and Flo is loud. You’ll recognize all the sitcom archetypes within the first 8 minutes.
As a Christmas episode, I think it’s pretty good. The diner is decorated, the characters are singing lots of songs, and all of the plot revolves around the holiday. There is even a mysterious Santa Claus who appears. (And maybe he’s also a Grinch?) I even laughed out loud during the scene when Flo describes the possible thief (Santa Claus) to the police over the phone.
I’m awarding bonus points for the Bacharach records. And while I still think it’s absolutely weird that the two truckers are invited to hang out with them, I guess things were just a little different there at the very end of 1970s.
I recommend this episode for both fans of Alice and fans of Christmas on TV.
What’s Up With These Songs? originally appeared on Rusty’s site. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” was written by Kim Gannon and Walter Kent.
“I’ll be home for Christmas. You can plan on me.” So far, so good. Great news. I’ll be happy to see you. “Please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree.” Hold on a second. I can handle the mistletoe, no problem. But you don’t expect me to provide the snow, do you? I’m not God. It will either snow or it won’t. Also, presents on the tree? You’ve been away so long that you’ve forgotten that, in our house, we traditionally put the presents under the tree. But, if you insist, I’ll see what I can do. “Christmas Eve will find me where the lovelight gleams.” Lovely. You’ve redeemed yourself and you’ve got me all psyched to see you. It’s going to be quite romantic. Can’t wait. “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.” What? You said I could count on you, buddy! I held up my end of the bargain. I put up the mistletoe, I stuck your stupid presents on the tree, and — guess what — it’s even snowing. So where the hell are you? Dreaming about it? Thanks. Guess I’ll go join the growing number of seasonal suicides.
It seems crazy, but this will be the third year that we’ll be doing our Christmas podcast. While we’ve already recorded special episodes for St. Patrick’s Day and Leon Day, we’ll be ramping up for our “third season” sometime around Halloween. It’s practically here!
In the meantime, we wanted to highlight a few fun changes that you can expect for 2021.
New artwork
Our friend Kendall illustrated this cool piece. We had to pretend to podcast for 20 hours straight to model for her as she worked on it, but in the end, it was worth it! Check out Kendall’s Twilight podcast, For Fork’s Sake.
Also, our friend Nik Caesar recently did some custom art for us, based on two of our favorite Christmas characters, Krampus and Jólakötturinn (the Yule Cat). Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Scream 4, and various local TV horror shows have featured Nik’s work in the past. He’s awesome. Be sure to check out his web site.
We’ll have some fun stickers, coffee mugs, and even playing cards available soon.
Christmas zine
Speaking of Nik…
This year we will debut the Snow in Southtown Christmas Zine! The zine will contain fun reviews, trivia, articles, and other goofy Christmas stuff, along with art from Nik (and hopefully others). The zine will only be available in print. Zines are fun! Stay tuned!
Input from friends
If you tuned in for our first season in 2019, you know that we reviewed movies and songs that were picked by our friends. For season two, we chose all of the movies and music to discuss. Now, season three will contain a combination of both! Each episode will have a theme, and we’ll each pick a movie or song to review. Then a third movie or song will come from our friends who vote each week. If you want to participate and help decide what we discuss, add us on Facebook!
We’ll be adding other fun things along the way, so be sure to follow us here and on social media.
Here are some actual taglines that were used to promote 10 of the Christmas movies that we have discussed on our podcast. Can you match them all correctly? Answers are at the bottom.
A. Prancer // B. Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas // C. Home Alone D. Mickey’s Christmas Carol // E. The Santa Clause // F. A Christmas Story G. Christmas with the Kranks // H. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation I. I’ll Be Home for Christmas // J. It’s a Wonderful Life
This Christmas, the snow hits the fan.
Where wishes come true… where angels are real… The greatest gift of all… is right at home.
Holy cow!
Yule crack up!
Peace. Harmony. Comfort and Joy… Maybe Next Year.
He’s back! _ – in his first new motion picture in 30 years…
This yule, be cool.
Something magical is about to happen.
No! Ho! Ho!
A Merry Musical Treat For The Whole Family!
E // 2. J // 3. C // 4. H // 5. F // 6. D // 7. I // 8. A // 9. G // 10. B (Source = IMDb)
What’s Up With These Songs? originally appeared on Rusty’s site.
Andy Williams initially ropes us in here with Irving Berlin’s classic “Happy Holiday” from Holiday Inn. But does he keep going? No. Instead, he takes a sharp right at Cheesy Street, and the song quickly shifts to the second tune in the medley, Kay Thompson’s “It’s the Holiday Season.”
“It’s the Holiday Season” is very focused on Santa Claus and all the stuff he’s bringing us. At first, Williams tells us that Santa has “a toy” for each girl and boy. One toy. But then he says Santa is bringing “lots of goodies for you and for me.” Which is it, Andy? Am I getting one toy or lots of goodies? I kind of need to prepare myself and know what to leave the big guy as a token of thanks.
Speaking of which, I won’t be taking Andy’s suggestion when he tells me to “leave a peppermint stick for old St. Nick.” Sure, Mr. Williams. Sally next door is baking double chocolate chip cookies as we speak and will be leaving Santa a plate full of them along with a tall glass of ice cold milk. And I’m gonna leave him a candy cane I got in a 12-pack at the Dollar Tree? Furthermore, you want me to leave it “hangin’ on the Christmas tree”?! What kind of Where’s Waldo shenanigans am I pulling here? I want to thank Santa, not leave him a puzzle. “Thanks for all the goodies, Santa. Good luck finding the one candy cane I left just for you on my Christmas tree.”
Still, at least all of those lines contain actual lyrics. But what about the line where Andy says, “It’s the holiday season / so whoop-de-doo and dickory-dock”? I think Thompson honestly forgot to finish the song. She knew she wanted to remind us to hang up our socks, and she also knew that she wanted to pinpoint the time of Santa’s arrival as “just exactly at 12 o’clock.” (I do have to add that it seems physically impossible for him to appear at every single residence in the world at midnight. Plus, I’ve tracked him on NORAD.) Look, I have no problem with using gibberish as a lyric placeholder in a rough draft. But come on. At some point in the process someone had to think, “Hey wait. What about the missing lyrics in that one line where we’re just babbling nonsense and plagiarizing nursery rhymes?”
Don’t get me wrong. It’s a catchy song, and my kids seem to like it. But I’m definitely happy when we return to Berlin’s part of the medley.
To celebrate Leon Day and Christmas in July, we’ll be posting each day from June 25-July 4. Be sure to check out our Leon Day podcast episode if you haven’t listened yet!
Rankin Bass has been a big part of our podcast in our first two years, and Rusty and I both consider many of these Christmas specials as essential annual viewing. On our St. Patrick’s Day episode this year, I noted that the music in The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold was surprisingly solid, and I wondered where it might fit if I’d decided to rank all of the Christmas specials based only on music. So of course, I had to do that.
To compile these rankings, I first gave each song a score from 1 to 5, with a 5 being a perfect song. (I’ve mentioned on the podcast that, in my 5-point scale, a 3 is average, while a 4 is something that is good, and I would purposely choose to listen to it.) I then ranked the specials, considering not only my average score per song, but also the amount of songs, along with the number of 4s and 5s each show might have.
Finally, I did not take into account any songs that were already known Christmas tunes before the special aired.
Here are my rankings, where I’ll also note which songs are 5s (perfect) and which are 1s (awful).
NR. Frosty the Snowman (1969)/Frosty’s Winter Wonderland (1976)
Neither of these shows contain new music (which is kind of weird), so they couldn’t really be ranked here. The original Frosty is in my top 3 Rankin Bass shows.
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)
“Nestor” is a song written by Gene Autry, which was then adapted into this special two years later. There are only two other songs, and neither is very good.
The Little Drummer Boy, Book II (1976)
This one is barely better than Nestor, featuring only one original composition, “Money, Money, Money.” But at least it’s a decent song.
Pinocchio’s Christmas (1980)
There are eight songs here, and only the opener, “I Never Know What Gifts To Buy,” reached a 3 on my scale. In fact, “Dancin'” and “Wicked Glee” are my first 1s.
Cricket on the Hearth (1967)
The rest of the music in the shows from the ’60s is so good, so I was very disappointed when I finally watched this one for the first time. Out of nine songs, only the title track is average, while “Fish and Chips” gets a 1 from me.
Santa, Baby! (2001)
This one was tricky. Honestly, I did not even know about this special until I started these rankings. Airing 16 years after the previous special (The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus), it’s kind of easy to see why nothing else has happened since this one. It features Eartha Kitt (of course) and Gregory Hines, while podcast favorite Patti LaBelle contributes a bunch to the soundtrack. But look… it really isn’t watchable, at least not in 2021. Basically, 2001 was a strange time across the board, and that holds true for both animation and music. This was tough for me to rank, as the music attempts to be more contemporary, and I’m just typically not a fan of this style. That being said, the music (at least) is mostly not terrible. I mean, aside from the techno version of the title song, which was already a holiday standard and didn’t factor into my rankings, of course.
Jack Frost (1979)
This one is disappointing, partially because it was a great chance to get some decent Groundhog Day music. There are only a couple of decent songs here (out of seven), but “She Is Beautiful” is a 1.
Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (1979)
We reviewed this one on our summer episode in 2020 and were both disappointed with the music. There are seven new songs, along with a handful of standards, and “Everything I Always Wanted” is not bad. Although a couple of others are decent as well, “Chicken Today and Feathers Tomorrow” is rough and gets a 1, the last clunker on this list.
Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976)
This one is barely any better than Christmas in July. It has a few average songs, including the opener, “Have a Happy New Year,” and I didn’t have any 1s.
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)
There are only a handful of songs here, and honestly, none are spectacular, although “Big Surprise” is pretty good. Mainly, this special gets a huge boost due to the amazing background score. I need to find just the score, and I think someone needs to release it on vinyl.
The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold (1981)
Again, we covered this special in our spring episode earlier this year. There are only three songs, and they’re all pretty good. “The Rainbow’s End” is my favorite song on this list so far, a 4 on my scale.
The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow (1975)
Like the Christmas Gold, this special only has a few songs, but they’re all good. “Save a Little Christmas” and “The First White Christmas” are both 4s.
The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
Overall, I don’t think I liked the music here as much as I enjoyed the songs in The First Christmas. However, it has the first 5 on my scale with “One Star in the Night,” so it gets the higher spot on my list. The other songs are all OK.
The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)
I could probably go even higher with this special because there is so much great music here. “Sing a Christmas Carol” and “Humbug” are both 5s, and there are several 3s and 4s throughout. On the other hand, the songs were all written for the musical before Rankin Bass animated the story. Ultimately it gets a top 5 ranking due to the fact that I personally had not heard any of the songs until I first saw the Rankin Bass version a few years ago.
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970)
Every song is good here, and “Put One Foot in Front of the Other” is a 5. My average score for the six songs was nearly a 4.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974)
This was another tough one to rank because there are only three songs, but all three are among my favorites. “Christmas Chimes are Calling” and “Even a Miracle Needs a Hand” are both 5s, while “Give Your Heart a Try” is super close to being a 5 as well. Based on the music, it’s a top 3 special.
The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
Unlike 1979, Rankin Bass was knocking the music out of the park in 1974. Every song in this show is great. “Snow Miser” and “Heat Miser” are 5s, and these are two of the first songs that I turned into mp3s back when that became possible. “I Believe in Santa Claus” is also a 5.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Nothing compares to this one. I’d rate every song as a 5, except for maybe “Fame and Fortune,” which probably shouldn’t even count. It’s just hit after hit. I think the radio stations should just dedicate 15-minute blocks to these tracks during the Christmas season. The songs are that good. Focusing on the music while doing these rankings, I quickly realized that the songs in this special definitely contribute to the fact that it’s the most famous Rankin Bass special of all.
It’s Leon Day 2021, and we watched My Summer Story, the original sequel to A Christmas Story. We also talk about our upcoming zine, some new art/stickers, a podcast format change, and some projects we’ve been working on. We’ll be posting some fun stuff on the blog over the next couple of weeks to celebrate Leon Day.
The Christmas prank call at the end of the show is from Another Prank Call Show. Thanks to King Richard.
“I Just Want To Wear Long Sleeves” is by Braithwaite and can be found at our bandcamp on this free Christmas comp, which also includes songs by Mike and Rusty
We’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and the return of spring with a special podcast episode. We discuss Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold (1981) and briefly compare and contrast it to the Leprechaun horror series. Also: telling your friends to “go,” backing into parking spots, and allowing your kids to get hit in the head with flying vegetables.
The background music includes songs from Altan’s The Red Crow, Bing Crosby, Dennis Day, and the Rankin Bass film. We’ll be back for Leon Day!
We recently found a list of Christmas movies scheduled to be released this year and decided to guess what each film would be about before going to IMDb to read the actual plot descriptions. Below are our guesses, followed by the IMDb summaries. As always, ours sound way better.
A Boy Called Christmas (2021)
Rusty: A couple loves Christmas so much that they give the name of the holiday to their son. As the boy grows up, because of kids making fun of his name, he comes to resent the entire season. When Christmas becomes an adult, he begins the process of legally changing his name. But when both his parents die in a car crash on Christmas Eve, he begins to wonder whether his name was a curse… or a gift. Featuring Rob Lowe as the voice of the angel.
Mike: When Ron and Paula Gift welcome their first and only child into the world on December 25th, they decide to name him after their favorite holiday and the day on which he was born. Unfortunately, the couple could not imagine the amount of bullying a kid would endure by going through life known as Christmas Gift. By the time he reaches 8th grade, a teenage Christmas has had enough of the attacks and vows to get revenge on his classmates who have ridiculed him over the years. Using his favorite film, Home Alone, as inspiration, Christmas uses paint cans, blowtorches, and BB guns, among other methods, to make sure his peers all give up and are absolutely not thirsty for more.
IMDb: This is the story of Father Christmas, the tale of a young boy named Nikolas (Henry Lawfull) as he goes on his adventures. This is a Christmas movie based on a book of the same title by Matt Haig and will include snow, elves, kidnapping, more snow, and Dame Maggie Smith. What more could you want in a holiday movie?
A Tiny House Christmas (2021)
Rusty: When Jim, his wife, and their four kids gets invited to spend a magical Christmas in Oregon with his brother Seth, he was not informed that Seth was now living in a 400 square foot “tiny house” in the middle of nowhere. But while there may not be room for basic necessities, there is plenty of room for love, and Jim begins to wonder whether this tiny house Christmas vacation was a curse… or a gift. Features a cameo by John Krasinski as the “Good News Neighbor.”
Mike: Using the minimal resources available to him, filmmaker Jake Stone attempts to document what it was like to celebrate Christmas for those living alone during the 2020 pandemic. Although it seems like an interesting concept, it soon becomes apparent that the subject doesn’t warrant a feature length running time. Stone shows the viewer around the tiny house that he occupies with his cat, he watches Christmas movies on a tiny screen, and he trims a tiny tree. By the time Stone heats up his frozen holiday meal in his microwave, the audience realizes that the remaining hour could be quite boring. In fact, an 18-minute Zoom session between the filmmaker and his parents actually feels like an editing mistake and may just be filler.
IMDb: A restless young woman finds herself working a seasonal job as an elf – and moving into a tiny house fit for one. When she unwraps a coworker’s greatest secret, she must come up with a plan as big as Christmas.
Nightmare on 34th Street (2021)
Rusty: After a childhood of not believing in Santa Claus, twenty-year-old Natalie Johnson becomes convinced of his existence when the Man in the Red Suit begins leaving her letters (“Are you naughty or nice?”), calling her on the phone to say he knows everything about her, and watching her when she’s sleeping. But when she invites her friends to stay with her on Christmas Eve for protection, Old Nick will have to dig through his bag of tricks in order to eliminate the bodies one by one. Will he bring her a gift… or a special appearance by Robert Englund as the abandoned mall Santa?
Mike: Well, you guys wanted the Nightmare Before Christmas sequel, and now you got it. Dummies. Tim Burton’s brother Daniel makes his directorial debut in this live-action musical, as Jack and Sally Skellington (played by Zac Efron and Lady Gaga) find themselves in New York City by mistake and attempt to spread Halloween cheer to the interesting characters that they meet. Eventually they’re arrested and accused of being insane, and a judge threatens to have the couple locked up. Susan Walker, now an adult and a lawyer, is the Skellingtons’ only hope. Look, it sounds kinda fun, but it’s not. Danny Elfman wanted nothing to do with this, so Lady Gaga wrote the music, and it’s just weird. Mara Wilson returns as Susan, and she really doesn’t have a great singing voice, as you’ll clearly hear in the tune “A Manhattan Christmas in the Courthouse on Halloween.”
IMDb: A mysterious Santa arrives on 34th Street, to recall three interconnected horror stories which will leave you never looking at Christmas the same way again.
Christmas in July (2021)
Rusty: It’s a curse! It’s a gift! It’s Phil Bardowell from the 1997-2000 Beach Boys touring band starring in the story of a man who only cares about surf, sun, and girls until the ghost of baseball great Leon Day appears to him in the middle of July to convince him to make a charity record to end racism, to be released at Christmas: “One to rival Band Aid!” It’s a musical extravaganza as Bardowell is joined by hit artists Chas Newby of the Quarrymen and Darryl Jones of the Stone Raiders. After seeing this film, you will declare that Christmas comes but twice a year!
Mike: Steve Carell plays Tank Winslow, a man who loves Christmas so much that he decides he will celebrate the holiday twice each year: once during the traditional season and then a “Half Christmas” in the summer. He plans a large gathering for the 25th of July, but as the big day approaches, Tank realizes that his math is terrible, and the 25th of June is actually the halfway point to Christmas. Why do people even celebrate Christmas in July, anyway? After no one comes to Tank’s party, he goes online and learns about Leon Day (not the baseball player), which is cool but does not really provide a very exciting third act. Look for the sequel, Christmas in June, in 2022.
IMDb: It’s smack dab in the middle of summer and the nefarious Count Dracula sees the off-season as the perfect time to take over everyone’s favorite holiday, Christmas. Can Santa and his pals save Christmas for us all? Ho, ho, ho, there’s only one way to know. Join the holiday superhero as he tackles the baddest baddie of all to save the holidays. It’s Christmas In July.
One of the holiday traditions at our house is to watch an old VHS tape I have that is filled with holiday specials from the ’80s. It’s a full six-hour tape, and most of the specials still contain the original commercials. Below are my five favorites from this tape.
1. Honey Nut Cheerios: Scrooge
The cereal wasn’t necessarily my favorite (forget honey, give us the sugar!), but this commercial is perfect. Scrooge and the set look authentic enough, the bee would fit in perfectly with some of the characters in Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and the music is fantastic.
2. York Peppermint Patties: Ski Jump
Although they weren’t a favorite and I probably never ate them from January through November, York Peppermint Patties were a staple around our house during the holidays. And it was fun to stand on the sofa and re-enact this ski jump.
3. McDonald’s: Hardnose Mrs. Hatcher
I realized as an adult that this isn’t even a holiday commercial. It clearly takes place at the end of a school year (“It’s been a year”). Still, McDonald’s was smart enough to know we’d hear this great song, see the red bow on the gift, and just connect it to Christmas somehow. Look, it’s on the tape, so it qualifies.
4. Pillsbury: Runaway
We talked about this on our podcast recently and how “running away” seemed like much more of an option for kids in the ’80s compared to kids today. Despite the fact that a kid today probably has much better gadgets to help them survive for a few hours in the woods or wherever kids go when they “run away,” we just don’t hear about it as much now. Either way, the kid in this commercial is super smart, threatening his way into some sweet chocolate chip cookies. I wonder how many kids tried this after seeing the commercial.
5. Oreo Cookies: Santa
Here you get the classic Oreo jingle combined with the Christmas-sounding background vocals and an electronic version of a bell choir. Everyone can relate to the idea of trying to stay awake and catch Santa in the act. And if Santa actually enjoys my favorite cookie, that’s just the bow on top.
Coming soon: The top five ’80s Christmas commercials that I left off of this list, according to people who read this.
Jim Reeves’s Twelve Songs of Christmas (1963) and Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983). Also, in our final episode of 2020, Rusty’s daughter Nora makes her debut to talk about polka music, we discuss Christmas stockings, and we read mean tweets about someone named Michael Bubble. Finally, things get a little spooky, as we explore the legends of Frosty the Slaw Man and Dingy Claus. Thanks to everyone who listened this year. We’ll see you in 2021!
Be sure to join us on Saturday for our 12-hour Christmas movie marathon. You can watch and chat with us at our Scener, or you can watch on your own and interact with us on social media. Join us for one film or all 12 hours!
(Check back Friday for the final film announcement!)
Be sure to join us this Saturday anytime from noon to midnight (Central) to watch some fun movies and officially kick off the Christmas season! Below is some info based on questions people have recently asked:
If you join the Snow in Southtown Scener, we will play the movies, and you won’t have to do anything. (It’s like we have the remote control.) Scener only works through the Chrome browser, and to be able to view the films on Netflix and Disney+, you will have to be logged in to your own accounts on those platforms. (This isn’t necessary for the YouTube films.)
We will have a text live chat going in the Scener all day. We will do some live video stuff there throughout the day as well, most likely between films. (We also have a few things to give away!)
If you can’t (or do not want to) join the Scener, or if you don’t have accounts for Netflix and/or Disney+, you can watch the films on your own. We’ll press play at the start time, and you should be able to have it synced up fairly close to us. For each film, we’ll try to do a countdown in the Scener chat, and you can also use this clock.
I will have a separate video chat going with friends (this aspect of Scener is limited), but I will do my best to help and to answer any questions if needed. I would suggest testing and troubleshooting before Saturday if you know you’ll want to join us.
Don’t forget we’ll also be active on Facebook and Twitter throughout the day, so be sure to check in there as well.
The American Song-Poem Christmas (2003) and Christmas With the Kranks (2004).
Be sure to join us on November 21st for our 12-hour Christmas movie marathon. You can watch and chat with us at our Scener, or you can watch on your own and interact with us on social media. Join us for one film or all 12 hours!
A Cabbage Patch Christmas (1984) and A Garfield Christmas Special (1987).
Be sure to join us on November 21st for our 12-hour Christmas movie marathon. You can watch and chat with us at our Scener, or you can watch on your own and interact with us on social media. Join us for one film or all 12 hours!
In the first episode of our new season, we discuss Dolly Parton’s new album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, along with the 1978 Rankin Bass sleeper, The Stingiest Man in Town.
Be sure to join us on November 21st for our 12-hour Christmas movie marathon. You can watch and chat with us at our Scener, or you can watch on your own and interact with us on social media. Join us for one film or all 12 hours!
Season Two of our podcast will launch on November 1st! We’ve got some fun movies and records lined up to discuss over the next couple of months. See you soon!
Be sure to join us on Saturday, November 21st, as we screen 12 hours of Christmas movies! The films will all be available on Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube. We will have our schedule posted, and will begin each movie at the designated time. If you are logged into Netflix and Disney+ accounts, you will be able to watch along with us through Scener, where we’ll have a video feed and live chat available all day.
We will also be active on Facebook, Twitter, and this site and will do a few giveaways and some other fun stuff. Feel free to jump in for a couple of minutes at any point or for all 12 hours!
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be announcing the films for the marathon and will update this post as the films are announced.
If you have any questions, please reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter!
As we prepare to launch Season Two around November 1st, we’ve compiled all of the Something Weird segments from Season One!
In these segments, we discuss: a Christmas song about passing gas, Farfel the Nestle mascot, Taylor Swift lyrics, a scammer who refuses to talk about Christmas while scamming, a Vanilla Ice holiday remix, a woman with 168 Christmas trees in her home, Patti LaBelle’s missing background singers, a candle made out of jello and mayonnaise, Christmas cards featuring dead animals, and the amount of bugs that may or may not be living in your Christmas tree.
On December 18, 1982, Diff’rent Strokes aired “Santa’s Helper,” its only true Christmas episode, aside from a first-season attempt that aired a few days after Christmas in 1978 and consisted mostly of clips from the show’s first seven episodes.
When “Santa’s Helper” begins, the family is decorating the tree, and we quickly learn that the star is an antique that has been in the family for years. Of course there are many other valuables in the Drummond household, including the video camera and all of the family’s gifts.
When Arnold finds out he isn’t getting a Christmas bonus from working for his dad’s company, he needs to find a way to earn money and buy presents. (‘Tis the season!) Unfortunately, he’s recently blown all of his cash on a statue of E.T with a clock in his stomach! (‘Tis 1982!) He soon meets Mr. Jones, who is dressed as Santa and collecting money for charity, and Arnold joins him in his efforts.
While it isn’t quite clear at first if Mr. Jones is definitely a scam artist, after becoming friends with Arnold’s family, his true colors come out, and he Grinches the Drummonds while they sleep on Christmas Eve.
Of course, Arnold (accidentally) helps Mr. Jones see he’s done something wrong, and Christmas comes after all when the gifts are returned to the family’s door as they are eating dinner.
This episode is full of Christmas tropes and fun, from the decorations and the carols to Arnold’s E.T. alarm clock being set for 6 a.m. on Christmas morning. However, it also represents the overall series very well. Even as a fifth-season episode, you easily learn everything you need to know about the series to enjoy this special. And you even get a “Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Santa?!” for fun. You could show this episode to your kids or any friends who have never seen Diff’rent Strokes, and you really wouldn’t have to explain much about the family’s background.
With a quick 25-minute runtime, “Santa’s Helper” should easily slide into your family’s annual watch list.
The fourth episode of the series, this takes place in December, yet it aired in October 1957. In the show, Beaver has developed a habit of losing his lunch money. When he is chosen to be an angel in the school holiday musical, his dad sends him to the barbershop for a haircut; however, Beaver loses this money as well, so he decides to give himself a haircut. When that doesn’t go well, Wally tries to help. Eventually their parents find out, forgive them, and take them out for breakfast and a movie. And the Christmas play comes after all.
This episode reminds us of a few things about this time:
– Moms had to beg dads to talk to their kids about issues they were having at school.
– The grocery bill total was $23.
– A haircut cost $1.50. (The barber got a .25 cent tip.)
Honestly, it’s really not much of a Christmas episode, although it’s as close to one as the original series ever got. (We’ll have to visit The New Leave It to Beaver later!) Still, we do see June making the angel costume throughout the show, and Wally even tries it on (even if it makes him “look like a sissy”). Eventually, we do get to see the angel choir belt out “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and I have to believe that eight years later, someone involved with A Charlie Brown Christmas played this version for producers, begging “please make sure our kids sing better than this!”
Overall, the episode is a fine early example of the show’s strong points. The haircut itself is pretty funny, although Beaver spends most of his time in his stocking cap to hide it. But more importantly, I was surprised to see Ward and June handle the situation so well, especially since we’re often led to believe that parents didn’t accept these types of shenanigans back then.
In fact, if we approach the show with a Christmas mindset, although the timelines are nearly two decades apart, Ward is very similar to the dad in A Christmas Story. He’s definitely stern and has certain expectations, but when it matters most, he’s a great dad and just wants the best for his kids.
On December 18, 1982, Diff’rent Strokes aired “Santa’s Helper,” its only true Christmas episode, aside from a first-season attempt that aired a few days after Christmas in 1978 and consisted mostly of clips from the show’s first seven episodes.
When Arnold finds out he isn’t getting a Christmas bonus from working for his dad’s company, he needs to find a way to earn money and buy presents. (‘Tis the season!) Unfortunately, he’s recently blown all of his cash on a statue of E.T with a clock in his stomach! (‘Tis 1982!) He soon meets Mr. Jones, who is dressed as Santa and collecting money for charity, and Arnold joins him in his efforts.
The fourth episode of the series, this takes place in December, yet it aired in October 1957. In the show, Beaver has developed a habit of losing his lunch money. When he is chosen to be an angel in the school holiday musical, his dad sends him to the barbershop for a haircut; however, Beaver loses this money as well, so he decides to give himself a haircut. When that doesn’t go well, Wally tries to help. Eventually their parents find out, forgive them, and take them out for breakfast and a movie. And the Christmas play comes after all.
Honestly, it’s really not much of a Christmas episode, although it’s as close to one as the original series ever got. (We’ll have to visit The New Leave It to Beaver later!) Still, we do see June making the angel costume throughout the show, and Wally even tries it on (even if it makes him “look like a sissy”). Eventually, we do get to see the angel choir belt out “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and I have to believe that eight years later, someone involved with A Charlie Brown Christmas played this version for producers, begging “please make sure our kids sing better than this!”
Overall, the episode is a fine early example of the show’s strong points. The haircut itself is pretty funny, although Beaver spends most of his time in his stocking cap to hide it. But more importantly, I was surprised to see Ward and June handle the situation so well, especially since we’re often led to believe that parents didn’t accept these types of shenanigans back then.
Snow in Southtown Christmas Podcast 