255 - Double Feature - The Addams Family (1991 & 2019) →

It’s an Addams Family Double Feature on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey gladly feast on those who would subdue them!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode HERE!

The "Original": The Addams Family (1991)
"Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle” (IMDb.com). The 90s Addams Family managed to modernize the famous horror brood without losing their wit and bite, but does it still hold up?

The "Remake": The Addams Family (2019)
"The eccentrically macabre family moves to a bland suburb where Wednesday Addams' friendship with the daughter of a hostile and conformist local reality show host exacerbates conflict between the families” (IMDb.com). While showing an occasional glimpse of quality, this Addams reboot is ultimately just a lame Illumination wannabe with often-flat humor and tired jokes.

Audio Sources:
"The Addams Family" (1991) produced by Orion Pictures, et al.
"The Addams Family" (2019) produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, et al.
"The Addams Family in New York" (The Addams Family [1973 TV Series] S01E01) produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
"Children of the Corn" (1984) produced by Hal Roach Studios, et al.
"Frankenstein" (1931) produced by Universal Pictures
"Street Fighter" (1994) produced by Capcom Entertainment, et al.
"Watchmen" (2009) produced by Warner Bros., et al.

221 - Ghostbusters II (1989) & Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) →

CW: Sexual Assault, Addiction

It’s Ghostbusters Week again on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey wrap up the franchise (for now) and get into serious conversations about the function of the proton pack.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Ghostbusters II (1989)
"The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business” (IMDb.com). Ghostbusters II is often maligned for being too kid-friendly and lacking the edge of the original, but it stacks up surprisingly well even if it isn't quite as good. If you think the Ghostbusters franchise isn't for kids, you're fooling yourself.

The Modern Film: Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
"When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind” (IMDb.com). Afterlife is actually a pretty good movie (if a little too long) and honors the franchise and Harold Ramis well. So what do you do when it's not a very good Ghostbusters movie?

Audio Sources:
"Ghostbusters" (1984) produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.
"Ghostbusters" (1986 TV Series) produced by Filmation Associates & Tribune Broadcasting Company
"Ghostbusters" (2016) produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.
"Ghostbusters II" produced by Columbia Pictures
"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.
"Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll)" written by Robert Clivillés & Freedom Williams and performed by C+C Music Factory
"Higher and Higher" written by Gary Jackson, et al., and performed by Jackie Wilson
"Higher and Higher" written by Gary Jackson, et al., and performed by Howard Huntsberry
"Magic" written and performed by Mick Smiley
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Social Psychology" (Community S01E04) produced by Harmonius Claptrap, et al.

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.

114 - Pet Sematary II (1992) & It Chapter Two (2019) →

CW: Rape, Suicide, Domestic Abuse, Homophobia, Distressing sequences involving animals

Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1203531590904795136

It’s Stephen King Sequels Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey go back to the well to revive Stephen King adaptions in the form of sequels!

The Classic Film: Pet Sematary II (1992)
"A teenage boy and his father move to his recently-deceased mother's hometown, where they encounter the ancient Native American cemetery with the power to raise the dead” (IMDb.com). This bonkers sequel is fairly lovable in its weirdness, even if the ending goes a little off the rails.

The Modern Film: It Chapter Two (2019)
"Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back” (IMDb.com). Having enjoyed Chapter One in episode 15 of the podcast (or “liked okay” in Kelsey’s case), we were surprised to find that Chapter Two was massively hobbled in what appears to be an attempt to end the story and include every popular ingredient from the first chapter at the same time. Simply put: it does not work.

Plus! Our spoiler-free thoughts on the Netflix adaptation of King and Hill's In the Tall Grass!

Audio Sources:
"Christine" produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.
"Clueless" produced by Paramount Pictures
"Fading Away" performed by Jan King
“It Chapter Two” produced by New Line Cinema, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
“Pet Sematary II” produced by Paramount Pictures & Columbus Circle Films
“Poison Heart” written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Reverence" written by William Reid & Jim Reid and performed by The Jesus and Mary Chain
"Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)" written by Johnny Mandel (music) & Mike Altman (lyrics) and performed by The Mash
"Training / Credits" (from "Punch-Out!!" [NES]) composed and arranged by Yukio Kaneoka, Akito Nakatsuka, and Kenji Yamamoto
"Weird Satanist Guy" via BowserVids @ www.youtube.com/watch?v=YErFwJX0HKE

015 - Double Feature - Stephen King's It (1990 & 2017) →

It's our longest episode yet, and for good reason! This week is a Double Feature of one of our favorites: Stephen King's It! Kelsey and Chris get all nostalgic for the "ironic classic" 1990 television miniseries. Then it's off to the future (past?) for the 2017 cinematic phenomenon! Don't worry - we won't talk about the book (we will).