We talk about the Scream meta-slasher film franchise, from the original Wes Craven (director)/Kevin Williamson (writer) 1996 debut starring Neve Campbell, and Courtney Cox to the new one (#7), still with Kevin Williamson (now directing, Wes Craven being dead), Neve Campbell, and Courtney Cox. Our discussion includes Mark, Lawrence, and Sarahlyn. (Hear Lawrence also talk about … [Read more...] about PMP#218: All the “Scream”-ing
Horror
PMP#213: Stranger Things Grown Familiar
The Netflix sci-fi/horror/teen series by the Duffer Brothers that started in 2016 has now finished with its sixth season, attempting to be both epic and sentimental. Who is this show actually aimed at? We talk about the initial appeal through various uneven seasons through the execution of the finale. Has the thing gone on so long that we can't make sense out of the continuity. … [Read more...] about PMP#213: Stranger Things Grown Familiar
PMP#209: Alien Franchised
In light of Noah Hawley TV show Alien Earth, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al revisit the franchise through its seven films (discounting the crummy and non-canonical Alien vs. Predator films) beginning with Ridley Scott's 1979 classic. While there's plenty of sheer repetition (alien loose, killing people one by one) throughout these properties, the various filmmakers attempt … [Read more...] about PMP#209: Alien Franchised
PMP#208: An Ed Gein Halloween
It's a special two-hander where Mark and Lawrence reflect on the appeal of horror and how the new Monster: Ed Gein Netflix show has to contribute, given that it is not merely a (very loose) presentation of real events, and itself a horror drama, but also a commentary on the Hollywood properties influenced by the Ed Gein murders, including Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, … [Read more...] about PMP#208: An Ed Gein Halloween
PMP#202: 50-Year-Old Jaws Busts Our Block
Purported the first summer blockbuster, Jaws has now hit 50 years, and so we discuss this wonderful early Spielberg film, its ill-conceived sequels, some of the making-of docs, and the legacy of shark/big carnivore films that it spawned. Is the film as flawless as it's made out to be? Are the sequels as awful as typically described? Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al … [Read more...] about PMP#202: 50-Year-Old Jaws Busts Our Block
PMP#190: The Substance: Act Your Age!
Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al discuss the Coralie Fargeat/Demi Moore film The Substance in light of its Oscar nominations, along with related reflections on lost youth, e.g. Sunset Boulevard (1950), Death Becomes Her (1992), and Neon Demon (2016). We also touch on other cloning scenarios. Is this film a serious meditation on aging in Hollywood, or just a … [Read more...] about PMP#190: The Substance: Act Your Age!
PMP#188: Vampire Appreciation
In light of Robert Eggers' film Nosferatu and the end of What We Do in Shadows, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the many vampire shows and films all the way back to Bram Stoker's 1897 novel (and of course the folklore goes back much further). The journey from the Dracula novel to the 1922 rip-off Nosferatu through a 1979 Werner Herzog version to the current one … [Read more...] about PMP#188: Vampire Appreciation
PMP#183: Classic Universal Monster Movies
It's our Halloween episode! Brucker Nourse from the Autopsy of a Horror Movie podcast joins Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al to talk about the first wave of Universal Studios monster movies in the 1930s: Dracula, Frankenstein (and Bride of...), The Invisible Man, and The Mummy. Are these actually enjoyable to modern audiences, or is their value primarily in seeing how … [Read more...] about PMP#183: Classic Universal Monster Movies
PMP#162: Poe Flavoring Upon the House of Usher
We discuss the loose mishmash adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe stories that makes up Mike Flanagan's Netflix show, The Fall of the House of Usher. Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the various creative choices, moral responsibility in the show, the relation between gothic and camp, Poe's continued standing as horror icon, Flanagan's other films and shows (e.g. The … [Read more...] about PMP#162: Poe Flavoring Upon the House of Usher
PMP#161: Revisiting “The Exorcist”
Watch the unedited video of the discussion: Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the original 1973 film (and the 1971 novel), the new Exorcist: Believer, with some talk of the early sequels. What makes the original film so scary? Its adjacency to real-life parental fears? Does the new film really dialogue intelligently with that original, and how was this challenge … [Read more...] about PMP#161: Revisiting “The Exorcist”
PMP#156: Black Mirror’s Tech Horrors
Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about Charlie Brooker’s British anthology TV series that began in 2011 and recently released its 6th season. How has this show evolved from satirical science fiction to something more often just horror studies that study human nature? We talk about our favorite episodes and what does and doesn't work. Does the show have to be so dark to … [Read more...] about PMP#156: Black Mirror’s Tech Horrors
PMP#150: Dark Shadows w/ Kathryn Leigh Scott
Mark, Lawrence, and guest co-host horror writer Sean Michael Cooney (who has seen all 1225 episodes) discuss the gothic romance vampire soap opera from 1966-1971 plus the spin-off movies and reboots. We interview one of the stars of the original show, the author Kathryn Leigh Scott, to talk about the appeal and enduring legacy of this show that was once massively popular but is … [Read more...] about PMP#150: Dark Shadows w/ Kathryn Leigh Scott
PMP#137: Slashing the “Halloween” Film Franchise
What's the appeal of this 13-film franchise that started with John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween and has purportedly wrapped up with David Gordon Green's Halloween Ends? Actor/SFX makeup designer/horror podcaster Nathan Shelton joins Mark, Lawrence, and Al to figure out if even all the various filmmakers involved understood what the appeal of that first film was. … [Read more...] about PMP#137: Slashing the “Halloween” Film Franchise
PMP#120: Dexter the Loveable Serial Killer
Mark is joined by repeat offenders Lawrence Ware and Sarahlyn Bruck and new-to-the-podcast psych/philosophy student Michael Paskaru to talk about the Showtime TV horror-dramedy shows inspired by Jeff Lindsay's novels, in light of the revival show Dexter: New Blood. People loved this character so much that they were very mad that he didn't die at the end of the show's initial … [Read more...] about PMP#120: Dexter the Loveable Serial Killer
PMP#101: The “Conjuring” Retroverse
With the release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Mark, Erica and Brian explore the larger "Conjuring universe" that started with the 2013 James Wan film depicting the fictionalized supernatural investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Largely using the plot-generating device of the couple's storehouse of haunted objects, … [Read more...] about PMP#101: The “Conjuring” Retroverse