288 | Shelby Oaks

• Rated R

• Runtime: 1hr 31min

• Written & Directed by Chris Stuckmann

• Stars: Sarah Durn, Mason Heidger and Brendan Sexton III

• Premiered at Fantasia International Film Festival July 20, 2024

• Released in US October 24, 2025

• RT: 59% critics / 60% audience 

• Currently in theaters

  Synopsis

  Riley Brennan and her friends are paranormal investigators who disappear while exploring the abandoned town of Shelby Oaks, Ohio. The bodies of the other investigators are later found, along with one of the video tapes containing their footage. Riley and the other tape remain missing. 12 years later, a film crew is making a documentary about the murders and disappearance focusing on Riley's sister, Mia, and her efforts to locate Riley, when a strange man appears at her door with the missing tape. This plunges Mia further into her search for Riley.

Horror Homework

This episode:

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers  - 1956 - Don Siegel - rental

• Village of the Damned - 1960 - Wolf Rilla - rental

Next time:

• The Innocents  - 1961 - Jack Clayton - rental

• Wait Until Dark - 1967 - Terence Young - rental

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s newest, Cloud, currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and available to rent elsewhere.

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

287 | Good Boy

• Rated PG-13

• Runtime: 1hr 12min

• Written & Directed by Ben Leonberg

• Stars: Shane Jensen, Larry Fessenden and Indy

• Premiered at SxSW Film Festival March 8, 2025

• Released in US October 3, 2025

• RT: 90% critics / 83% audience 

• Currently in theaters

  Synopsis

  Adorable dog Indy and his dad, Todd, move into Todd’s grandpa’s home after Todd becomes ill with a mysterious illness that seemingly also killed his grandpa. Indy immediately senses things are not right in the home, as strange noises and creeping shadows abound.

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing Shelby Oaks, opening in theaters October 24.

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

286 | Cuckoo

• Rated R

• Runtime: 1hr 42min

• Written & Directed by Tilman Singer

• Stars: Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens and Marton Csokas

• Premiered at Berlin International Film Festival February 16, 2024

• Released in US August 9, 2024

• RT: 78% critics / 58% audience 

• Currently in theaters

  Synopsis

  17yr old Gretchen is sent to live with her father and his new family in Germany after the death of her mother. Her father and step mother work for the mysterious Herr Konig, who has sent for them to stay near the resort they designed for him, and who takes a strange interest in Gretchen and her mute half-sister, Alma. When Gretchen gets a job working at the hotel, she notices that some of the female guests are exhibiting strange behaviors.

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing Good Boy, opening in theaters October 3.

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

285 | The Long Walk

• Rated R

• Runtime: 1hr 48min

• Directed by Francis Lawrence

• Written by JT Mollner, based on the novel by Stephen King

• Stars: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson and Mark Hamill

• Released in US September 12, 2025

• RT: 90% critics / 85% audience 

• Currently in theaters

  Synopsis

  In the United States of an undetermined year, 50 boys are chosen from a lottery - one from each state - to walk as long as they possibly can. They may not drop below 3mph. The last boy standing wins.

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing Cuckoo, currently streaming on Hulu and Kanopy.

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

284 | Final Destination: Bloodlines

• Rated R

• Runtime: 1hr 50min

• Directed by Zach Lipovsky & Adam B. Stein

• Written by Guy Busick & Lori Evans Taylor

• Stars: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones and Tony Todd

• Released in US May 16, 2025

• RT: 92% critics / 87% audience

• Currently streaming on HBO

  Synopsis

  Tragedy is averted in the 1960s when a woman has a premonition of a tower collapse and alerts revellers in time to get everyone out safely. Unfortunately, Death can hold a grudge for a loooong time, because in the present day, that woman’s granddaughter is plagued by dreams of the same tower collapse and returns home from college to get to the bottom of why. Soon she learns that Death has been taking all the survivors of the near-tragedy one by one, as well as all the children they shouldn’t have been able to have, and she will soon be next.

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing The Long Walk, opening in theaters September 12.

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

283 | Weapons

• Rated R

• Runtime: 2hr 8min

• Written & Directed by Zach Cregger

• Stars: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Benedict Wong

• Released in US August 8, 2025

• RT: 94% critics / 86% audience

• Currently in theaters

  Synopsis

  Early one morning every child but one from teacher Justine’s elementary school class runs outside and disappears. Angry parents demand answers from the teacher, but the remaining child, Alex, is who they should be asking.

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing Final Destination: Bloodlines, currently streaming on HBO

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

282 | The Rule of Jenny Pen

• Rated R

• Runtime: 1hr 44min

• Directed by James Ashcroft

• Written by Eli Kent and James Ashcroft, based on a short story by Owen Marshall

• Stars: Geoffrey Rush, John Lithgow and George Henare

• Premiered at Fantastic Fest September 19, 2024

• Released in US March 7, 2025

• RT: 71% critics / 54% audience

• Currently Streaming on Shudder and AMC+

  Synopsis

  An elderly judge suffers a stroke on the bench and finds himself in a nursing home that is ruled by an unhinged resident and his creepy puppet. 

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing Weapons, opening in theaters on August 8th

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

281 | The Damned

• Rated R

• Runtime: 1hr 29min

• Directed by Thordur Palsson

• Written by Jamie Hannigan

• Stars: Odessa Young, Joe Cole and Siobhan Finneran

• Premiered at Tribeca Film Festival June 6, 2024

• Released in US January 3, 2025

• RT: 90% critics / 47% audience

• Currently Streaming on Hulu

  Synopsis

  A widow is tasked with running an isolated fishing outpost in Iceland at the end of the 19th century. When a ship wrecks on some rocks off the coast, she makes the decision not to rescue the passengers, dooming her crew to madness and danger.

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing The Rule of Jenny Pen, currently streaming on Shudder and AMC+

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

280 | 28 Years Later

• Rated R

• Runtime: 1hr 55min

• Directed by Danny Boyle

• Written by Alex Garland

• Stars: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

• Release in US theaters June 20, 2025

• RT: 88% critics / 63% audience

  Synopsis

  12yr old Spike lives with his domineering father and mysteriously ill mother on a small island less than a mile away from mainland northern England. While safe there from the infected, the citizens uphold a tradition that sees their young people escorted to the mainland to kill infected as a rite of passage. Disillusioned after his outing and determined to locate the rumored doctor there, Spike sneaks out of the compound with his mother in tow in an attempt to cure her illness.

Join us again in two weeks when we will be reviewing The Damned, currently streaming on Hulu

Theme music: "Secret of Tiki Island" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/