190 - Stepfather II (1989) & Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) →

CW: Transphobia, Child Abuse, Gaslighting

It’s Father's Day on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey learn the soundtrack to Cats and move houses for you AGAIN! Plus, our spoiler-free thoughts on The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy (1989)
"After escaping the insane asylum in which he was incarcerated, Jerry Blake (Terry O'Quinn) impersonates a marriage counselor and manages to win over a patient (Meg Foster) and her young son (Jonathan Brandis)” (IMDb.com). Stepfather II is a low-effort and less-thrilling re-hash of the plot beats of the original. You know what? Just watch the original.

The Modern Film: Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
"The Lamberts believe that they have defeated the spirits that have haunted their family, but they soon discover that evil is not beaten so easily” (IMDb.com). In stark contrast to Stepfather, this follow-up complements the original in a way that few horror sequels do. Watch 'em both together!

Audio Sources:
"Hellraiser" (1987) produced by New World Pictures, et al.
"Insidious: Chapter 2" produced by Blumhouse Productions, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy" produced by Incorporated Television Company, et al.
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962) produced by The Associates & Aldrich Company

144 - What Lies Beneath (2000) & Insidious (2010) →

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s Haunted People Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey really evaluate the health of their marriage compared to these two shining examples of matrimony.

The Classic Film: What Lies Beneath (2000)
"The wife of a university research scientist believes that her lakeside Vermont home is haunted by a ghost - or that she is losing her mind” (IMDb.com). A simple, but surprisingly underrated ghost story, What Lies Beneath could have used a little more time and effort, but is still pretty entertaining. The only question is: is the ghost real?

The Modern Film: Insidious (2010)
"A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further” (IMDb.com). Insidious sparked a change in the horror landscape, one that brought both perfection of craft and boring imitation for the next ten years.

Audio Sources:
“The Fugitive” produced by Warner Bros. & Kopelson Entertainment
"Hot Pockets" (from "Beyond the Pale") written and performed by Jim Gaffigan
“Insidious” produced by FilmDistrict, et al.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” produced by New Line Cinema, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
“Street Fighter” (1994) produced by Capcom Entertainment & Edward R. Pressman Productions
“What Lies Beneath” produced by DreamWorks, et al.

136 w/ Eileen - Perfect Blue (1997) & Black Swan (2010) →

CW: Rape, Child Abuse, Suicide, Mental Illness

Best of 2020 - #4 Perfect Blue; #7 (Tied) Black Swan

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s Fractured Identities Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey can't tell if this episode is real or not. Does Special Guest Eileen even exist?

The Classic Film: Perfect Blue (1997)
"A retired pop singer turned actress[, Mima's] sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past” (IMDb.com). Prolific Japanese writer and artist Satoshi Kon got his directorial film debut with this adaptation of Yoshikazu Takeuchi's novel, Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis. He never did anything quite like it again, and even though our next entry owes a lot to it, you'll probably never see anything quite like Perfect Blue anywhere else.

The Modern Film: Black Swan (2010)
"A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake'” (IMDb.com). Based on a pre-existing script about something else, featuring thematic similarities and homages to other movies, and focusing on an all-time classic ballet, Black Swan manages to be wholly unique and fascinating. Intriguingly, it's more fantastical than our animated entry.

Audio Sources:
"Black Swan" produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures, et al.
"Girlfriendklok" (Metalocalypse S01E18) produced by Titmouse & Williams Street
"Perfect Blue" produced by Rex Entertainment, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Split" produced by Universal Pictures, et al.
"Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" produced by Lucasfilm
"Tune Up #1" (from Rent -- Original Broadway Cast Recording) written by Jonathan Larson and performed by Anthony Rapp & Adam Pascal