258 - Halloween 6 (1995) & Halloween Ends (2022) →

CW: Rape, Incest, Suicide, Domestic Violence

It’s Halloween Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey watch some pretty bad Halloween movies, unfortunately. There is yelling.

Get more on Patreon! Read our afterthoughts for this episode HERE!

The Classic Film: Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
"Six years after Michael Myers last terrorized Haddonfield, he returns there in pursuit of his niece, Jamie Lloyd, who has escaped with her newborn child, for which Michael and a mysterious cult have sinister plans” (IMDb.com). It happened. We've been mostly forgiving of the Halloween sequels, but 6—with its magic runes and nonsense plot—is absolutely the worst.

The Modern Film: Halloween Ends (2022)
"The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a spine-chilling climax in this final installment of this trilogy” (IMDb.com). Despite giving us something we didn't know we needed (a smiling Laurie Strode), Halloween Ends decides to cap off the entire series by being mostly about some brand new character you don't like killing a bunch of other people you don't like.

Audio Sources:
"Awakening: Part 1" (Gargoyles S01E01) produced by Disney Television Animation
"Halloween" (1978) produced by Compass International Pictures, et al.
"Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers" produced by Miramax, et al.
"Halloween Ends" produced by Blumhouse Productions, et al.
"Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back" produced by View Askew Productions, et al.
"Léon: The Professional" produced by Gaumont, et al.
"Liar Liar" produced by Universal Pictures & Imagine Entertainment
"Science Fiction/Double Feature" written by Richard O'Brien & Richard Hartley and performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
"Split" produced by Universal Pictures, et al.

207 - Halloween 5 (1989) & Halloween Kills (2021) →

CW: Suicide

It’s Halloween on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey continue with the most retconned horror franchise in history with Halloween 5, the last okay entry in the original series, before moving on and all the good will from 2018's Halloween is sucked out of them watching its follow-up, the brand new and superbly awful Halloween Kills.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
"One year after the events of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, the Shape returns to Haddonfield once again in an attempt to kill his now-mute niece” (IMDb.com). Look, it isn't as bad as everyone says. Yes, it teases a sharp turn toward garbage in the next installment and it's not a great movie, but there's still some quality stuff here.

The Modern Film: Halloween Kills (2021)
"The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode continues in the next thrilling chapter of the Halloween series” (IMDb.com). Well, they've lost the plot. This follow-up to the admirably great 2018 refresh is so fan-servicey that it's hard for a fan to actually enjoy. It wouldn't be so bad if it were at least competent... but it's not. This is one of the biggest dips in quality since Part II in 1981. At least Carpenter's soundtrack is still pretty good?

Audio Sources:
"GOT'EEEEMM!!!!!" via WelvenDaGreat @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v8ek9TEeOU
"Half in the Bag: Halloween Kills" via RedLetterMedia @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K71JAJMWeco
"Halloween" produced by Compass International Pictures, et al.
"Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" produced by Magnum Pictures, et al.
"Halloween Kills" produced by Universal Pictures, et al.
"Happy Gilmore" produced by Universal Pictures, et al.
"Jamie Lee Curtis Spills Details on New 'Halloween’ Film" via SiriusXM @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjvI5rBlfbA
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Bucks" (Family Guy S02E11) produced by Fuzzy Door Productions, et al.
"The Rap Battle (PARODY) (ORIGINAL) OHHH!" via SUPAHOTFIRE DESHAWN @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu90z9Akxgk
"Spider-Man" (2002) produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.

104 - The Fog (1980) & The Mist (2007) →

CW: Suicide

Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1178074557611003904

It’s Condensation Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey discover something in the fog and probably confuse Carpenter and King classics! Thanks to listener Anthony for the recommendation!

The Classic Film: The Fog (1980)
"An unearthly fog rolls into a small coastal town exactly 100 years after a ship mysteriously sank in its waters” (IMDb.com). Following up on their first film together (Halloween), John Carpenter and Debra Hill team up again to make another great horror movie in a completely different style. This time, an ensemble cast have to find their own way through the fog to stop… vengeful leper pirates? Wait, that can’t be right...

The Modern Film: The Mist (2007)
"A freak storm unleashes species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives” (IMDb.com). This Stephen King adaptation (directed by Frank Darabont, probably the most successful King adaptor) not only has one of the most notorious endings in horror cinema history, but also incredible creature designs and gruesomely impactful gore. Are those enough to get over the cliched characters, wonky CGI, and muddled themes? Chris and Kelsey disagree.

Get more at podsematary.com!

Audio Sources:
"The Cat and the Claw Part II" (Batman: The Animated Series S01E08) produced by Warner Bros. Animation
“The Exorcist” produced by Warner Bros. & Hoya Productions
“The Fog” (1980) produced by Debra Hill Productions, et al.
“Halloween” (1978) produced by Compass International Pictures
“The Mist” produced by Dimension Films, et al.
“Move Bitch” written by J. Smith, et al. and performed by Ludacris feat. Mystikal & I-20
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Soul and Mind" performed by E's Jammy Jams
"The Stand" produced by Greengrass Productions & Laurel Entertainment Inc."Tales from the Mist: Inside 'The Fog'" produced by Automat Pictures
"The Thing" (1982) produced by Universal Pictures & Turman-Foster Company
"WNEW FM Opening 5 - 2 - 77” performed by Alison Steele