168 - The Worst of 2020 →

2020 was a dumpster fire and Chris and Kelsey are saying goodbye by paying tribute to the worst movies they watched last year! Plus, our personal Bottom 10 lists and the 10 movies that divided us the most!

To listen to these episodes and check out their individual source credits, click the links below:

10: http://bit.ly/3octeM2
9: http://bit.ly/3b1Eya9
8: http://bit.ly/2KXeqCB
7: http://bit.ly/38SZKfI
4 (Tied): http://bit.ly/3rKRUgV
4 (Tied): http://bit.ly/3b6bUVq
4 (Tied): http://bit.ly/3rPMXTP
3: http://bit.ly/3b2ZpcX
2: http://bit.ly/3hG0oBb
1: http://bit.ly/3hG0oBb

Additional Audio Source:
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

167 - End of Days (1999) & Midnighters (2017) →

CW: Rape, Suicide, Addiction

Worst of 2020 - #4 (tied) Midnighters

It’s New Year's Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey shoot the devil with a grenade launcher and also make some very bad decisions.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: End of Days (1999)
"At the end of the century, Satan visits New York in search of a bride. It's up to an ex-cop who now runs an elite security outfit to stop him” (IMDb.com). Arnold Schwarzenegger stars (for some reason) in one of many turn-of-the-millennium religious thrillers, and you know what that means... shooting Satan with a ton of bullets!

The Modern Film: Midnighters (2017)
"Midnight, New Year's Eve: when all the hopes of new beginnings come to life - except for Lindsey and Jeff Pittman, whose strained marriage faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness” (IMDb.com). Wow, that plot summary is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Midnighters is dim, contrived, and not very inspired. It's beyond us why this film is as highly rated as it is.

Audio Sources:
"Adventures in Babysitting" produced by Touchstone Pictures & Silver Screen Partners III
"Chicago" (2002) produced by Miramax, et al.
"End of Days" produced by Beacon Pictures & Lucifilms
"Midnighters" produced by Graystone Pictures
"Moral of the Story" written by Ashlyn Rae Willson, Casey Smith, & Noah Conrad and performed by Ashe
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Usual Suspects" produced by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, et al.

156 - Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) & Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) →

CW: Suicide, Stillbirth, Infanticide

Worst of 2020 - #4 (tied) Exorcist II: The Heretic

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s an excellent week for an exorcism on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey sully the legacy of the original Exorcist from both ends!

The Classic Film: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
"A teenage girl once possessed by a demon finds that it still lurks within her. Meanwhile, a priest investigates the death of the girl's exorcist” (IMDb.com). This sequel doesn't only ruin the ending to the original, it also sucks. It is the father of lies.

The Modern Film: Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
"Years before Father Lankester Merrin helped save Regan MacNeil's soul, he first encounters the demon Pazuzu in East Africa. This is the tale of Father Merrin's initial battle with Pazuzu and the rediscovery of his faith” (IMDb.com). The sequel asked, "What if the original was actually the SECOND time Father Merrin fought Pazuzu?" This prequel yells in response, "Three times! You weren't here! He did it three times!"

Audio Sources:
"Dio" written and performed by Tenacious D
"The Exorcist in 30 Seconds (and Re-enacted by Bunnies)" produced by Angry Alien Productions, LLC
"Exorcist II: The Heretic" produced by Warner Bros.
"Exorcist: The Beginning" produced by Morgan Creek Entertainment, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"S&M Present" (Robot Chicken S01E09) produced by Stoopid Monkey, et al.
"Sandstorm" produced by Darude
"Tubular Bells" composed by Mike Oldfield

155 - Double Feature - The Innocents (1961) & The Turning (2020) →

CW: Rape, Mental Health, Sexual Themes Involving Children

Best of 2020 - #5 The Innocents
Worst of 2020 - #7 The Turning

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s a Turn of the Screw Double Feature on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey walk dark hallways holding candelabras and continue their love affair after their deaths!

The Classic Film: The Innocents (1961)
"A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted” (IMDb.com). This is our first time watching what is, by all accounts, a classic, and it didn't disappoint. The Innocents, based on Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, is remarkable in its dark tone, stunning visuals, and disturbing subject matter.

The Modern Film: The Turning (2020)
"Kate Mandell takes a job as a nanny for two young orphans at an isolated Gothic mansion in the Maine countryside... When strange events start to plague Kate and the siblings, she begins to suspect that the estate's dark corridors are home to a malevolent entity” (IMDb.com). Not only does The Turning completely botch the ending when it tries to stray from the ambiguity of The Innocents, but it also seems interested in actively undermining its own opportunities to generate fear at every turn.

Audio Sources:
"The Innocents" produced by Twentieth Century Fox & Achilles
"Much Apu About Nothing" (The Simpsons S07E23) produced by Gracie Films & 20th Century Fox Television
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"The Turning" produced by DreamWorks, et al.

153 - Candyman 2 (1995) & Hatchet (2006) →

Worst of 2020 - #3 Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s inexplicably Carnival Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey sing the song of misery and relive the day of their deaths for all time!

The Classic Film: Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
"The Candyman moves on to New Orleans and starts his horrific murders once more. This time, his intended victim is a school teacher. Her father was killed by the Candyman, and brother wrongly accused of the murders” (IMDb.com). This sequel to 1992’s Candyman takes the supernatural killer (and basically all of the events of the original) to a new town but loses all of the quality and nuance in the process. 

The Modern Film: Hatchet (2006)
"When a group of tourists in a New Orleans haunted swamp tour find themselves stranded in the wilderness, their evening of fun and spooks turns into a horrific nightmare.” (IMDb.com). Praised for its lack of CGI gore and the fact that it’s an original IP, Hatchet (ironically, just Friday the 13th in the bayou) has almost nothing else going for it. It’s kinda lame and boring is what we’re saying.

Audio Sources:
“Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh” produced by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment & Propaganda Films
"Cry-Baby" produced by Universal Pictures & Imagine Entertainment
"For The Right Reasons" (from The Bachelorette S09E02) performed by Soulja Boy, Desiree Hartsock, and the group date guys
“Hatchet” produced by ArieScope Pictures, et al.
"Not Another Teen Movie" produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.
"Office Space" produced by Twentieth Century Fox, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

151 - Madhouse (1981) & Red Velvet (2008) →

CW: Suicide, Child Abuse, Animal Abuse

Worst of 2020 - #4 (tied) Red Velvet

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s a Birthday Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey sic dogs on their perfect twins and make up stories about killing their friends.

The Classic Film: Madhouse (1981)
"A woman is pursued by her murderous, psychopathic twin sister in the days leading up to their birthday” (IMDb.com). Madhouse isn’t a *great* film, per se, but it’s baffling that no one seems to talk about it at all. 

The Modern Film: Red Velvet (2008)
"A man and a young woman have a chance encounter at a laundry mat which leads to a story about a birthday party where everyone has been killed by a madman in a white jumpsuit” (IMDb.com). Red Velvet has one or two clever and/or fun elements, but it isn’t nearly enough to save it from awful acting and (ironically) storytelling.

Audio Sources:
"The One with All the Wedding Dresses" (Friends S04E20) produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions & Warner Bros. Television
“Madhouse” (1981) produced by Overseas FilmGroup
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
“Red Velvet” produced by Ulalume Films

142 - Silver Bullet (1985) & Wer (2013) →

CW: Suicide, Ableism

Worst of 2020 - #8 Wer

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s Werewolf 4th of July on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey are charming, family werewolf hunters but then they decide to become an action movie because reasons.

The Classic Film: Silver Bullet (1985)
“A werewolf terrorizes a small city where lives the paralytic Marty Coslaw, his uncle, and his sister, the story's narrator” (IMDb.com). An adaptation of Stephen King’s "novelette,” “Cycle of the Werewolf,” Silver Bullet is a surprisingly tense, small-town horror flick with endearing characters and a charming world.

The Modern Film: Wer (2013)
"A defense attorney begins to suspect that there might be more to her client, who is charged with the murders of a vacationing family, than meets the eye” (IMDb.com). One of the best examples of a movie dropping the ball, Wer starts with an incredible premise and tone before deciding it would rather be a terrible, nonsensical, action movie.

Audio Sources:
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Split" produced by Universal Pictures et al.
“Silver Bullet” produced by Dino De Laurentiis Company, et al.
"The Secret of NIMH" produced by Don Bluth Productions
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" produced by Warner Bros. et al.
"An American Werewolf in London" produced by Polygram Pictures, et al.
“Wer” produced by FilmDistrict, et al.

133 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) & Dead Awake (2017) →

CW: Suicide, Self-Harm, Drug Addiction, Ableism

Worst of 2020 - #9 Dead Awake

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s another Nightmare Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey have a love/hate relationship with these night terrors (they love one and hate the other...)!

The Classic Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
"A psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams” (IMDb.com). This movie is beautiful... and BAD (the good kind)!

The Modern Film: Dead Awake (2016)
"A young woman must save herself and her friends from an ancient evil that stalks its victims through the real-life phenomenon of sleep paralysis” (IMDb.com). Listen to Chris and Kelsey hate-discuss this movie, one that rushes through it's best parts, copies others from other movies wholesale, and features one of the most unlikeable heroines we've encountered yet!

Audio Sources:
"Dead Awake" produced by Gama Entertainment Partners, et al.
"Dream Warriors" written by George Lynch & Jeff Pilson and performed by Dokken
"Lawnmower Dog" (Rick and Morty S01E02) produced by Starburns Industries, et al.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) produced by New Line Cinema, et al.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" produced by New Line Cinema, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

129 - Killer Party (1986) & Cry_Wolf (2005) →

CW: Homophobia, Ableism

Worst of 2020 - #10 Cry_Wolf

Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1244379902666665984

It’s April Fool’s Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey prank themselves by watching these two beauts.

The Classic Film: Killer Party (1986)
"Set just before April Fools Day, the story centers on a trio of sorority pledges who attend a dance held at a... frat house where two decades before a pledge lost his head in a hazing gone awry” (rottentomatoes.com). An oddly paced plot where an almost uncountable number of murders happen (but not until the very end), the final twist seemed to come out of left field only if you don't read any synopses.

The Modern Film: Cry_Wolf (2005)
"Eight unsuspecting high school seniors at a posh boarding school, who delight themselves on playing games of lies, come face-to-face with terror and learn that nobody believes a liar - even when they're telling the truth” (IMDb.com). An awful collection of mid-00s horror and other film clichés, Cry_Wolf thinks it is the Usual Suspects of horror and it very much isn't.

Audio Sources:
"April Fools" (2007) produced by Links Entertainment & Pa Pa Productions
"Best Times" written and performed by Alan Brackett & Scott Shelly
"Christmas Wrapping" written by Chris Butler and performed by The Waitresses
"Cry_Wolf" produced by Rogue Pictures & Hypnotic
"I Know What Boys Like" written by Chris Butler and performed by The Waitresses
"Josie and the Pussycats" produced by Universal Pictures, et al.
"Killer Party" produced by Marquis, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"You're No Fool (April)" written by Garry Brandon, et al. and performed by White Sister

127 - Leprechaun 2 (1994) & Muck (2015) →

CW: Sexual Assault

Worst of 2020 - #1 Muck; #2 Leprechaun 2

Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1239073779965280256

It’s St. Patrick's Week on Pod Sematary and Chris & Kelsey drink a leprechaun under the table!

The Classic Film: Leprechaun 2 (1994)

"On his one thousandth birthday, an evil leprechaun selects the descendant of one of his slaves to have as his bride, leaving it up to the girl's boyfriend to save her” (IMDb.com). Oddly the only film in the franchise to actually take place on St. Patrick's Day, this sequel isn't good enough to deserve following the first installment, a film we didn't even like that much in the first place.

The Modern Film: Muck (2015)

"After narrowly escaping an ancient burial ground, a group of friends find themselves trapped between two evils, forcing them to fight, die, or go back the way they came” (Steve Wolsh). A story with no beginning and no end (and not all that much in between, now that we come to it), this movie was just an expensive excuse to film some Playboy models in their underwear admiring themselves in a mirror. Featuring Friday the 13th's Kane Hodder as... Grawesome Crutal? No, that can't be right.

Audio Sources:
"Freaks" (1932) produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
"Leprechaun 2" produced by Planet Productions
"Muck" produced by Universal Studios Sound Facilities & WithAnO Productions
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones