Horror Movie Talk

We watched The Bad Seed (1956) and it was a lot slower than I remembered it being but knowing it was a stage play first, it kind of makes sense. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/fZt7gtFiVJk Synopsis The Bad Seed can be found for rent on Amazon, or anywhere you rent movies online. The Bad Seed is a story about a little girl, Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack) who may have been born bad, with no conscience, empathy, or soul.  Rhoda’s mom, Christine (Nancy Kelly) learns of a death at her daughter’s school picnic. The Daigle boy, who died, just happens to have been the same young man that beat little Rhoda at the penmanship competition. Rhoda seems unconcerned and even a bit peckish following the death of her classmate.  As the story unravels we learn about more and more mysterious deaths that seem to have occurred in Rhoda’s presence, and everyone gets more evil child than they bargained for. Review The Bad Seed was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and adapted from Maxwell Anderson’s play, which was adapted from William March’s book, all of the same name.  As a result, it feels a bit like a stageplay, which by today’s standards means that it feels a little fluffy in areas. At the core of the movie is a mystery of how Rhoda got to be this way, was she born evil, or did Christine and her husband raise her wrong? The movie preys on a parents innate fear of being unable to bring their child back from completely unacceptable behavior. The way The Bad Seed handles tension works quite well, even by today’s standards. The conversations about Rhoda and what is to be done with her continue to escalate the feeling of unease. Watch The Bad Seed Watch on Amazon Buy or Rent Now! This is a character driven movie, and all of the actors chewed up the set in their respective roles. From precocious Rhoda, to suspicious Leroy, and even Rhoda’s teacher, the characters and dialog are what make this movie very similar to a play. The Bad Seed is incredibly slow by today’s standards, and a lot of the dialog winds its way in and out of being useful or progression the story. One thing that everyone will agree on is Patty McCormack steals this show and sets the standard for one of the biggest tropes in horror movie history – the evil child. https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2018/10/31/halloween-1978-review/ Score 8/10 Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

This is simply an introduction to the Horror Movie Talk podcast.

No, not the woods, nothing good ever happens in the woods.. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/2YYnSJF0fcY In The Earth Trailer In The Earth can be found in theaters now for probably one more week. Synopsis Martin Lowry, played by Joel Fry, leaves behind COVID quarantine to help with important scientific work in the woods. He will be working with his Ex, and she is studying forest rave science or something. Martin is led through the woods by Alma, played by Ellora Torchia, who is a capable young woman that side-eyes Martin’s lack of hiking skills. Things don’t go well. In the Earth Poster Review of In The Earth This movie had two speeds. Slow and measured, and Intense skull fucking. It has a lot going for it, Great acting performances, a unique story, and crazy hobos. I went in with no expectations, and was pleasantly surprised by an engaging, and entertaining Lovecraftian story. It’s an interesting mix of Midsommar, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and intense foot trauma. Score 7/10 Get 30 day free trial, with the code HMT at Shudder.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

The original Annabelle, while not an audience favorite, is one of my favorites in The Conjuring franchise because it is bare bones scary. It takes the scary doll concept, and does something kind of new with it. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/paFgQNPGlsg Synopsis Annabelle follows a new family of Mia (Annabelle Wallis) who is a pregnant homemaker in the 60’s, and John (Ward Horton) who is a new doctor at a hospital. John gets the Annabelle doll for Mia, who is a doll collector as a present, and very soon the couple find themselves with more doll than they bargained for! The Annabelle doll seems to attract bad luck at best and demons and killers at worst. As the family finds themselves constantly the target of misfortune and terror they begin to realize that the doll is at the center of the horrors being inflicted on them.  The family reaches out for help to the local priest, who is surprisingly well versed in dealing with “demons and shit”, and he tells them that the doll basically is a lieutenant of hell and wants to grab their newborn’s soul for satan. https://www.horrormovietalk.com/2019/07/03/annabelle-comes-home-review/ Review I don’t get the hate for this movie, I think it’s one of the strongest in The Conjuring franchise, and does a great job with disturbing themes and spooky jumpscares. Annabelle does an admirable job of keeping tension high and the scares are legit. The two real issues I take with this film are the rather lackluster ending and the total lack of levity or humor.  If you are looking for a good, formulaic horror movie, Annabelle fits that bill nicely. Watch Annabelle Watch on Amazon Buy Now! Score 7/10 Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We had a TON of fun reviewing one of the most insane horror movies ever made, Dead Alive (Braindead), by director Peter Jackson! This was a total blast. If you would like to hear the full review, it will only be available on our Patreon at the “We all Spoop for Ice Spoop” tier. All proceeds go to making the show better and growing into a podcast that can support our families, so do consider this as us begging!

Mary is scary. Not the virgin Mary, I’m talking about a different switcheroo Mary. This film ends up being an interesting idea poorly executed. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/1Uog4AeVdIk The Unholy is in theaters now. Synopsis A disgraced journalist Gerry, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is sent out to a small town to investigate cattle mutilations. When he finds out the story is a fraud, he scrambles to salvage it by creating his own false narrative. While there, he inadvertently stumbles into the story of a lifetime when a deaf and dumb girl named Alice, played by Cricket Brown, is visited by Mary and is now able to hear and talk for her. As the story spreads thousands flock to witness the miracles that Mary continues to perform. When bad things start happening, Gerry starts to wonder whether it’s the virgin Mary or some other more nefarious Mary that fucks. Leprechaun in the Hood Poster Review of The Unholy This one is a hard one to review for me. There are a lot of things that I like about it. I love the religious theme of good being deceived by Evil. The bones are really great in this story, however, it’s dragged down by ham-handed dialogue and mediocre acting.  You know how some TV shows get exported to other countries and remade with that country’s language and actors? Like when the Everybody Loves Raymond concept is remade over in Russia, or when the US remade the Office. This movie feels like a better Hollywood movie was remade in a foreign country and then was remade in the US. Like if you put something through Google translate and then back into English. It all makes sense, seems really simplistic, and something is slightly off. That being said, I do think there was some creativity with some shots and the creature design was good.  As far as scares, it relies heavily on jump scares. Some of which are very effective. I want to like it more, but it was very predictable and I was bothered by the dialogue and acting. Score 4/10 Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

Godzilla vs Kong is a complicated, mind bending thriller that will have you asking what is real. It’s got me wondering if movies will ever be the same again.  @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/odM92ap8_c0 Synopsis The story starts with an attack by Godzilla upon a private megacorp out of Pensacola, Florida, called Apex. It seems that he has turned from a good ultra-monster to a bad one, and everyone is very concerned about it. The leading mind scientists in the world decide that earth’s only hope is to take Kong out of his enclosure on Spider-Skull island to do battle with Godzilla. Shit starts to go sideways when Monke realizes he can’t swim, and everyone gets more big bonk energy than they bargained for. Review There is no way to prepare the audience for Godzilla vs Kong. All we can do is tell you to find a table, get under it, and start blowing mud in your big boy pants. Once your pants are full, pray that society will mend itself before you have to throw your own turds at the biggest monkey you’ve ever seen. Honestly, there is nothing that I can say that you don’t already know. Even if all you know is the title of this movie, you know everything.  There is either a gigantic hole in your life that only monkey punches can fill, or there isn’t.  I’m not going to lie, I liked this movie more than I thought I would. This is a hard movie to quantify because it’s so obvious in so many ways.  Watch Kong: Skull Island Watch on Amazon Buy Now! Some of the things I struggle with in reviewing Godzilla vs Kong are: Top tier talent behind the helm and on the screen. This is directed by Adam Wingard, who also directed V/H/S and You’re Next, which are some horror films I loved. It also stars and features,  Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Julian Dennison, Lance Reddick, and Demián Bichir.  On the other hand, none of them give a good performance in this, and are as melba toast boring as you can possibly imagine.  But, Godzilla does fight with King fucking Kong.  The sound design is unbelievable, and this whole movie seems like one big Dolby display for massive crunching and roaring sounds, which could be a drawback if you are looking to sip some wine and fall asleep on the couch.  But, Godzilla does fight with King fucking Kong. In my opinion this isn’t as good as movie as Kong: Skull Island, or Godzilla (2014). But, Godzilla does fight with King fucking Dong.  So, you have a choice ahead of you. You can watch this movie and be pummeled by monster fights the likes of which you’ve never seen before, or you can save yourself two hours and pretend like you saw this movie and no one will ever be able to tell the difference.  I will say that this felt pretty similar to The Meg, but now all I can think is who would win if Godzilla and Kong fought the Meg.  Score 4/10 Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

The Thing is the thingiest thing that ever thinged. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/5ftmr17M-a4 The Thing is available for rent on all the places. Synopsis The Thing takes place in an Antarctic research station, where they are studying… snow or something. Their sleepy routine is broken when a dog with shifty eyes appears while being chased by crazed Norwegians with guns in a helicopter. It turns out that the dog with shifty eyes is some sort of evil…thing. When the researchers discover that the dog has turned into a tentacle monster, they start to become suspicious. The thing turns out to be an alien that can imitate any animal or man exactly. When the researchers can’t identify which of them is human or thing, everyone, as gen Z says, becomes sus. Leprechaun in the Hood Poster Review of The Thing I went into this thinking great ANOTHER remake. What was wrong with the 1951 original? Well, this one won me over. Just kidding, The Thing is The Thing. It stands as one of the best practical effects horror films of the 80s, which is saying a lot. The story has tension baked in, and John Carpenter sucks every drop of tension out of it.  The character development is pretty thin, but you end up rooting for Kurt Russell to win, because he’s Kurt Russell. Overall, the cast is great, and the acting is excellent. The two main characters though, are the snow and the thing. The thing is one of the best monsters in horror, and lends itself to unlimited creativity when it comes to horrific appearances. The practical effects and puppetry are the things of a hentai addicts wet dream. It is really disturbing and surreal whenever the thing attacks or goes through a transformation. It’s one of the tentpoles of the genre, and is a must watch for any horror fan. Score 10/10 The Thing Watch it now or add it to your collection Buy Now Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

We saw The Wolf of Snow Hollow and were pleasantly surprised by a character driven movie with more good acting than I’ve seen in a while. The Wolf of Snow Hollow is a slice of life, horror-comedy that transforms from a mild mannered movie into a hairy, scary thriller that will rip you to shreds. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/q03zOoH-hGo Synopsis The quiet life in a small mountain town is disrupted when bodies are discovered mutilated in gruesome fashion.  This story follows officer Marshall who has been struggling with alcoholism, and gaining respect from his co-workers, father, and his daughter. Each time the body count rises, it’s a full moon, which leads the townsfolk to suspect a werewolf. It also adds increasing stress to officer Marshall who seems certain that it’s just a very large man, but no one seems to respect his opinion.  As the tension rises, so does the volume as officer Marshall seems to believe that shouting at everyone is the best way to lead, but in the end, everyone gets more wolf than they bargained for. Review I knew nothing about The Wolf of Snow Hollow when I started watching it, and found myself delighted at the writing, acting, and characters within this comedic, horror/thriller.  Watch The Wolf of Snow Hollow Watch on Amazon Buy Now! This is the second feature length directorial credit to Jim Cummings name, and it has placed him in the upper echelon of up-and-comers that I will be watching for the next few years. As it happens, Jim Cummings plays our imperfect protagonist, which is great because he is a total hunk. My wife walked into the room as I was watching this and had a hard time remembering my name, which is fine because I couldn’t remember it either. The small-town characters are straight out of Groundhog Day and the banter is both charming and real.  The lack of respect that is paid to officer Marshall echoes how I imagine everyone feels in their life as they try to prove themselves competent and worthwhile in a sea of people who only want to put them down. While this was not a tongue-in-cheek comedy, like Butt Boy, it feels like a slice of life. The incredible brutality of the murders are offset by some very fun and lighthearted moments for the first two acts before The Wolf of Snow Hollow takes a deadly serious turn in the final act. The Wolf of Snow Hollow is a very relatable and well-made movie that just happens to feature some very tense moments. It’s more fun than I bargained for, and the twist is quite good once you put together what it all means for all the characters involved. Score 9/10 Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.

It’s Lep in the hood, and he’s up to no good. No seriously, it’s pretty bad. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/40P3TYKEdKA Leprechaun in the Hood can be found streaming on ad supported Peacock, and for rent everywhere else. Synopsis Leprechaun in the Hood can be found streaming for free with ads on Peacock or available for rent wherever. Leprechaun in the Hood, or “Lep in the Hood” if you’re cool, is the fifth entry in the Leprechaun series about an evil Leprechaun. This time he’s in the hood. The Leprechaun played by Warwick Davis is awakened inadvertently when his gold doubloons, magic flute, and necklace are stolen by three aspiring terrible rappers from a pimp/music producer played by Ice-T. Leprechaun in the Hood Poster Review of Leprechaun in the Hood You should know what you are getting into when you watch a fifth sequel to a straight to video franchise. This is not a good movie per se, but it can be enjoyable. This movie enters the realm of so bad it’s good. The cheap production design, bad acting, and the aggressively corny rhyming dialogue all make this to be a great movie to mock with friends. It’s also entertainingly out of date and worth a watch this St Patrick’s Day in my opinion, just know what you’re getting into. Score 3/10 Leprechaun in the Hood Watch it now or add it to your collection Buy Now Get 20% Off + Free Shipping, with the code HMT at Manscaped.com Get 13% Off your order at NightChannels.com when you use code HMT at checkout.