252 - Alison's Birthday (1981) & Book of Monsters (2018) →

It’s Birthday Rituals Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey watch some birthday-themed horror centered around sinister rituals for Chris' special day!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode HERE!

The Classic Film: Alison's Birthday (1981)
"A young girl is subjected to a reign of terror so that her soul can be transferred to the body of an old crone” (IMDb.com). Alison's Birthday is an Australian mash-up of concepts from other, better movies, but don't miss the charming forest for the trees.

The Modern Film: Book of Monsters (2018)
"Sophie's 18th birthday becomes a bloodbath when monsters descend upon her house and start to devour the party guests” (Epic Pictures). Book of Monsters is a Kickstarter flick full of nods to horror cliché, but—unlike Alison's Birthday—with none of the charm.

Audio Sources:
"Alison's Birthday" produced by The Australian Film Commission, et al.
"Birthday" written by Lennon–McCartney and performed by The Beatles
"Book of Monsters" produced by Dark Rift Films
"The Fifth Element" produced by Gaumont & Pinewood Studios
"Judge Reinhold/10,000 Maniacs" (Saturday Night Live S13E13) produced by Broadway Video & NBC Productions
"Mad Max" (1979) produced by Kennedy Miller Productions & Mad Max Films
"Math and King Solomon" (from The Top Part) written and performed by John Mulaney
"Rosemary's Baby" (1968) produced by William Castle Productions
"Skorpio" (Archer S01E06) produced by Radical Axis
"Stonehenge" written by Christopher Guest, et al., and performed by Spinal Tap