239 | Dark Harvest

• Directed by David Slade

• Written by Michael Gilio, based on the novel by Norman Partridge

• Rated R 

• Runtime: 1hr 36min

• Stars: Casey Likes, Emyri Crutchfield and Jeremy Davies

• Released October 13, 2023 on VOD

• RT: 71% critics / 48% audience

  Synopsis 

  The teenage boys in a small town compete in a macabre contest each Halloween to hunt down and devour a monster called Sawtooth Jack before he can make it to the local church. Fortune and fame come to the winning boy and his family. This year, the angsty brother of the last winner badly wants to compete and win his ticket out of town, despite his entry being against the rules.

Join us next time when we'll review Thanksgiving, currently playing in theaters.

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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/

209 | Glorious

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• Directed by Rebekah McKendry

• Written by Joshua Hull, David Ian McKendry and Todd Rigney

• Stars Ryan Kwanten and J.K. Simmons

• Unrated

• Runtime: 1hr 19min

• Released June 18, 2022

• RT: 87% critics, 53% audience

  Synopsis 

A man wakes up to find himself trapped inside a rest stop bathroom with a Lovecraftian hell god voiced by character actor J.K. Simmons.

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Next up, we’ll be heading back into Ti West’s sick mind with Pearl, currently in theaters. Join us, won’t you??

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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/

172 | Come True

Directed by Anthony Scott Burns

Written by Anthony Scott Burns, based on a story by Daniel Weissenberger 

Stars Julia Sarah Stone, Landon Liboiron and Carlee Ryski  

Debuted at Fantasia Film Festival August 30, 2020

Released March 12, 2021

Available on VOD ($6.99) 

Not Rated

Runtime: 1hr 45mins 

RT: 86% critics, 67% audience

Synopsis: Homeless teenager Sarah enrolls in a sleep study to both have a place to stay and to attempt to understand her nightmares. The researchers are utilizing groundbreaking technology which records images from dreams, and they’re finding the same entity appearing in all of them - the shadow men.

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Maybe we picked this next movie based solely on the fact that it stars 90’s heartthrob, Devon Sawa, and maybe we didn’t. Ok, we did. But Hunter Hunter also looks like a solid survivalist thriller and that theme is right up our alley.

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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/

171 | Sea Fever

Written & Directed by Neasa Hardiman

Stars Hermione Corfield, Dag Malmberg, Dougray Scott and Connie Nielsen 

Debuted at Toronto International Film Festival

Released April 10, 2020

Available on Hulu 

Not Rated

Runtime: 1hr 35mins 

RT: 87% critics, 47% audience

Synopsis: Awkward marine biology student Siobhán comes along on a fishing trip off the coast of Ireland to gain real world diving experience and struggles to get along with the tight-knit crew. When the trawler disobeys the rules and enters into restricted territory the crew pulls more than fish into their boat. Soon the foreign substance (creature?) is affecting the boat, as well as members of the crew. Will Siobhán devise a way to fight the invader before it’s too late?

The Beast (1997)

Trust me, you’ll immediately want to go watch this movie after seeing the trailer. It’s all the beats of Jaws but with a giant squid.

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It’s been a hot minute since we’ve covered a movie about sleep paralysis but the moment is finally here. Join us next time when we’ll be hopefully be too scared to sleep after watching Come True. It is currently available for rent.

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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/

170 | Psycho Goreman

Written & Directed by Steven Kostanski

Stars Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Matthew Ninaber 

Released January 22, 2021

Available to rent 

Not Rated

Runtime: 1hr 35mins 

RT: 90% critics, 61% audience (Same audience score as last time)

Synopsis: Siblings Luke and Mimi unwittingly release an intergalactic villain from his underground prison, which happens to be in their backyard. Luckily they’ve also discovered a magical gem that enables them to control the monster. Instead of re-imprisoning them, Mimi, who is  kind of a villain herself, decides to use him to do her bidding. Meanwhile, an interplanetary UN has received notice that the monster they imprisoned eons before is now on the loose.

Just some of our “witty” repartee when Karen and Amy watched this one “together”

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Get your floaties and take your Dramamine.. next up, we’ll be heading out to sea for the Irish sea monster thriller, Sea Fever, currently streaming on Hulu.

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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/

150 | Abominable

Directed by Ryan Schifrin

Written by Ryan Schifrin and James Morrison

Stars Matt McCoy, Haley Joel and Christien Tinsley

Rated R

Runtime of 1hr 34 min

A writer returns to his cottage to convalesce after a climbing accident that crippled him and killed his wife. He finds to his delight a gaggle of lovely co-eds are staying at the cabin next door, so naturally he begins to peep on the women with binoculars. What follows is a film in the grand tradition of Rear Window. But, you know, with bigfoot.

NOTES FROM THE EPISODE:

Our dear Edward, catching a catnap during our virtual movie party:

Troma’s The Monster in the Closet (aka the movie that scared Jamie):

Trailer for Her Story (thanks, Curt!)

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Next up, The Lodge, now available on Hulu for free and elsewhere for $$. I was all set to see this one right as the theaters in Michigan were closing down and had been anxiously awaiting it for probably a year before that. Why? Because its from the duo who brought you Goodnight Mommy.

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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/

142 | Sweetheart

Directed by J.D. Dillard

Written by J.D. Dillard, Alex Hyner and Alex Theurer

Stars: Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen, Hanna Mangan Lawrence

Rated: PG-13; Runtime: 1hr 22min

Released 10/15/2019; Available US Netflix

Synopsis: Jenn is washed ashore and has to figure out how to survive not only the harsh elements of a deserted island, but also a bloodthirsty monster who comes from beneath the ocean to stalk the island at night.

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Thanks to a helpful listener making a movie suggestion/recommendation at juust the right time, our next episode will be reviewing Terrifier. A lovely Netflix tale about a friendly clown. At least that’s what I think it’s about.

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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/

97 | A Quiet Place

Writers: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, & John Krasinski

Director: John Krasinski 

Synopsis: Real life husband & wife John Krasinski & Emily Blunt play parents struggling to protect their children in a post apocalyptic world. When we meet them they are walking barefoot through a deserted town in search of supplies. We learn quickly that the world they live in is also inhabited by monsters who attack solely based on sound. Their daughter is hearing impaired, so the family has a unique advantage over most - they can communicate with sign language. Even so, tragedy strikes in the opening sequence, & we jump forward in time to see how the family is coping with the loss. Will the family survive despite the turmoil that alienates them from each other?

Intro/Outro music courtesy Peter Perfect. Check him out on Instagram | Soundcloud

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Next time we'll be reviewing My Friend Dahmer, the biopic based on Derf Backderf's graphic novel of the same name. Check it out on demand & meet us back here in two weeks to discuss.

93 | The Ritual

Director: David Bruckner

Writers: Joe Barton & Adam Nevill (novel)

Synopsis: Following a terrible tragedy, four friends decide to continue their group’s planned hiking trip through the virtually untouched wilderness of Sweden. However, when weather and injury force them to take a shortcut through the woods, the group soon realizes they’re being hunted by a sinister presence.

Intro/Outro music courtesy Peter Perfect. Check him out on Instagram | Soundcloud

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Do you enjoy haunted houses/forests? Would you enjoy them as much if the workers trapped you inside coffins? Shoved vomit in your face? If this sounds bananas to you, join the club. Next time you hear from us, we'll be reviewing Haunters: The Art Of The Scare, which covers this exact topic. Haunters is currently streaming on Netflix US.