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

134 - Serial Mom (1994) & mother! (2017) →

CW: Infanticide, Suicide

Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1256694375922331648

It’s Mother’s Day on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey love their mothers very much and want you to know that.

The Classic Film: Serial Mom (1994)
"A sweet mother finds herself participating in homicidal activities when she sees the occasion call for it” (IMDb.com). Really more of a farcical comedy than a horror, although there’s plenty of violence and gore, this John Waters banger from the 90s might have you wondering exactly who you’re expected to root for.

The Modern Film: mother! (2017)
"A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence” (IMDb.com). Incredibly divisive upon its release, it turns out this bonkers flick is just one tired and over-stretched metaphor. Essentially, Darren Aronofsky and all of his scarves really want you to know that the planet has been done dirty. 

Audio Sources:
"Fight Club" produced by Fox 2000 Pictures, et al.
"Gas Chamber” written and performed by L7 (as Camel Lips)
“mother!” produced by Paramount Pictures & Protozoa Pictures
“Mother” written by Glenn Danzig and performed by Danzig
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
“Serial Mom” produced by Savoy Pictures & Polar Entertainment Corporation
"Split" produced by Universal Pictures, et al.
"Tune Up #1" (from Rent -- Original Broadway Cast Recording) written by Jonathan Larson and performed by Anthony Rapp & Adam Pascal
“What to Think” (Mr. Show with Bob and David S01E02) produced by Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, et al.