240 - Stepfather 3 (1992) & The Wailing (2016) →

CW: Rape, Abuse of a Child with Disabilities, Harm to Animals

It’s Father's Day on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey get back-alley plastic surgery and second families. Look, it's all very confusing.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode HERE!

The Classic Film: Stepfather 3: Father's Day (1992)
"That psycho stepfather has escaped from the insane asylum and had his face surgically altered. Now he's married again, this time to a woman with a child in a wheelchair. He goes on a killing spree once again” (IMDb.com). It's Stepfather again, only cringier and even more prudish, and this time we don’t even get Terry O'Quinn. It's the epitome of the unnecessary sequel.

The Modern Film: The Wailing (2016)
"Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter” (IMDb.com). The Wailing is a beautiful and very well-made but entirely too long movie with, ultimately, not a lot to say of substance about its subjects of choice.

Audio Sources:
"Eat Like an American" (from "Beyond the Pale") written and performed by Jim Gaffigan
"Happy Together" written by Gary Bonner & Alan Gordon and performed by the Turtles
"Hellraiser" (1987) produced by New World Pictures, et al.
"Jacob's Ladder" (1990) produced by Carolco Pictures
"Skyfire Cycle" (Brooklyn Nine-Nine S04E08) produced by Fremulon, et al.
"Stepfather" (1987) produced by Incorporated Television Company
"Stepfather 3" produced by Incorporated Television Company & Trimark Pictures
"The Wailing" produced by Fox International Production, et al.
"Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" produced by Wolper Pictures

237 - Hide and Go Shriek (1988) & Dead in 3 Days (2006) →

CW: Homophobia, Transphobia, Suicide

It’s Graduation Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey celebrate their graduation by spending the night in a furniture warehouse with a killer! SHOCKING FINAL ACT TWIST: they killed another kid when they were eight!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode HERE!

The Classic Film: Hide and Go Shriek (1988)
"A group of teenagers spend the night in a furniture store for a graduation party. A psycho killer starts hunting them down one by one” (IMDb.com). An otherwise straightforward 80s slasher with some fun variations, Hide and Go Shriek's sketchy social mores are really where it lets you down.

The Modern Film: Dead in 3 Days [In 3 Tagen bist du tot] (2006)
"A peaceful mountain lake community is terrorized when a close-knit group of friends becomes the target of a mysterious deranged killer” (Vudu.com). The filmmakers here knew how to make a movie and knew what elements horror movies had, but they really didn't know how to put them all together, leaving the audience generally bored in spite of everything going on.

Audio Sources:
"Big Business" produced by Touchstone Pictures & Silver Screen Partners III
"Clerks" produced by View Askew Productions & Miramax
"Dead in 3 Days" produced by Allegro Film, et al.
"Face/Off" produced by Touchstone Pictures, et al.
"Hide and Go Shriek" produced by New Star Entertainment
"Robin Hood: Men in Tights" produced by Brooksfilms & Gaumont
"Young Frankenstein" produced by Gruskoff/Venture Films, et al.

234 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 (1989) & Under The Shadow (2016) →

CW: Rape, Abortion, Addiction, Eating Disorders

It’s Mother's Day on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey learn about the perils of motherhood and all the demons that come with it.
Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
"The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world” (IMDb.com). It's happened. Nightmare on Elm Street is bad now. But don't worry—it gets worse.

The Modern Film: Under the Shadow (2016)
"As a mother and daughter struggle to cope with the terrors of the post-revolution, war-torn Tehran of the 1980s, a mysterious evil begins to haunt their home” (IMDb.com). More Persian mythology as metaphor made by Persians, please.

Audio Sources:
"Lawnmower Dog" (Rick & Morty S01E02) produced by Harmonius Claptrap, et al.
"Let's Go" written by Ric Ocasek and performed by The Cars
"Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy" produced by Panic Productions & 1428 Films
"A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child" produced by New Line Cinema, et al.
"Under the Shadow" produced by Wigwam Films, et al.

231 - Day of the Dead (1985) & Train to Busan (2016) →

It’s Resurrection Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey have maybe seen one too many zombie movies, so it's a good thing both of these are pretty great.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Day of the Dead (1985)
"Trapped in a missile silo, a small team of scientists, civilians, and trigger-happy soldiers battle desperately to ensure the survival of the human race. However, the tension inside the base is reaching a breaking point, and the zombies are gathering outside” (IMDb.com). The final installment of George A. Romero's original undead trilogy, Day of the Dead is a little slower than the others but a lot more brutal.

The Modern Film: Train to Busan (2016)
"While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan” (IMDb.com). Zombie tropes and Korean melodrama are the order of the day, but Train to Busan is still exceptionally made and full of great characters and moments.

Audio Sources:
"Day of the Dead" (1985) produced by United Film Distribution Company & Laurel Entertainment Inc.
"The Door" (Game of Thrones S06E05) produced by Television 360, et al.
"The Langoliers" (1995 TV Mini-Series) produced by Laurel Entertainment Inc., et al.
"M1 A1" written by Damon Albarn & John Harrison and performed by Gorillaz
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Train to Busan" produced by Next Entertainment World, et al.

226 w/ Amanda - Delicatessen (1991) & Fresh (2022) →

CW: Suicide, Sexual Assault, Rape

It’s Meat Cute Week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey (and Amanda!) find true love in post-apocalyptic, old-timey, future France and do a little choreographed dance for the camera.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Delicatessen (1991)
"Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants” (IMDb.com). Yes, we know eating meat is terrible, but even this charming, funny, hopeful, and morbid fantasy isn't going to stop us. (Sorry!)

The Modern Film: Fresh (2022)
"The horrors of modern dating seen through one young woman's defiant battle to survive her new boyfriend's unusual appetites” (IMDb.com). Fresh is a delightful and horrible story that threatens to charm its audience in much the same way its villain does its protagonist. When Kelsey and Amanda saw it in previews, they knew Chris would love it, too. They were right.

Audio Sources:
"Delicatessen" produced by Constellation, et al.
"Delicatessen trailer" via Casey Dake @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Mrs-dRk6w
"Fresh" produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures, et al.
"Get Out" produced by Monkeypaw Productions, et al.
"God of Thunder" (from Whiskey Icarus) written and performed by Kyle Kinane
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Sweet Talkin' Guy" written by Robert Schwartz, et al., and performed by The Chiffons
"Thank You for Being a Friend" written by Andrew Gold and performed by Cynthia Fee
"You're Not Good Enough" written by Devonté Hynes and performed by Blood Orange

195 w/ Jessie J - House (1977) & Midsommar (2019) →

CW: Suicide

The Best of 2021 - #5 Midsommar

It’s Guest Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey invite one of the Jessies back for some seriously great and bonkers movies!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: House/Hausu (1977)
"A schoolgirl and six of her classmates travel to her aunt's country home, which turns out to be haunted” (IMDb.com). House may be—and this isn't a joke—just about the most bonkers horror movie ever made. And it's magnificent.

The Modern Film: Midsommar (2019)
"A couple travels to Scandinavia to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult” (IMDb.com). You might already know what we think of Ari Aster as a horror filmmaker from our episode on Hereditary, and we get more of his signature auteur style with Midsommar. But is his sophomore feature film more or less evocative than his first?

Audio Sources:
"Fanta Commercial - Fantanas" via Brian Friedman @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F614uU3DsqM
"House" (1977) produced by PSC & Toho Company
"House (1977) Monster Madness X movie review #19" via Cinemassacre @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp_ZCuZHVtk
"I Know an Old Lady" performed by Burl Ives
"Midsommar" produced by A24, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

186 - Tremors (1990) & The Host (2006) →

CW: Suicide, Infanticide

It’s Subterranean Monster Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey make a goddamn plan to sell food by the river.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Tremors (1990)
"Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one” (IMDb.com). Tremors is a television classic from our youth and we can't believe it's taken us this long to get to it. This valley is just one long smorgasbord!

The Modern Film: The Host (2006)
"A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches” (IMDb.com). From the oscar-winning writer/director of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho's The Host was at one point the biggest movie to come out of South Korea, and you should definitely find out what the hype's all about.

Audio Sources:
"The Beginning: Making Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace" produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. 
"The Host" (2006) produced by Chungeorahm Film, et al.
"Logitech | Google TV and Kevin Bacon Commercial" via Eclectic Culture @ https://youtu.be/BP5QZNhGsF4
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"SBIFF 2020 - Bong Joon Ho Discusses 'The Host'" via officialSBIFF @ https://youtu.be/u3Zna-uEaiA
"Tango: Maureen" (from Rent -- Original Broadway Cast Recording) written by Jonathan Larson and performed by Anthony Rapp & Tracie Thoms
"Tremors" (1990) produced by Universal Pictures, et al.
"Why Not Tonight" written by Nancy Montgomery, et al., and performed by Reba McEntire

171 w/ Jessie J - Night Of The Devils (1972) & Hagazussa (2017) →

CW: Rape, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Infanticide

It’s a Guest Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey bring on Jessie (a different one) and get all navel-gazey over two foreign horror films that are more show than tell!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: The Night of the Devils (1972)
"The patriarch of a wealthy family fears that he will show up one day in vampire form. Should this happen, he warns his family not to let him back in his house, no matter how much he begs them” (IMDb.com). Night of the Devils isn't our favorite Italian horror film (not by a long shot), but despite its slow first act and incomprehensible lore, it also had a campiness and a slow-boiling charm that were hard to dislike.

The Modern Film: Hagazussa (2017)
"In the 15th century, a young goatherd living alone in a mountain hut feels a dark presence in the woods” (RottenTomatoes.com). Hagazussa is a German arthouse horror that tests Chris' infamous patience and causes Kelsey to doubt its horror credentials, but Jessie stands by her recommendation of this shocking film's haunting beauty and creeping dread.

Audio Sources:
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" produced by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, et al.
"Hagazussa" produced by Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) & Retina Fabrik
"The Night of the Devils" produced by Filmes Cinematografica, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Split" produced by Universal Pictures, et al.

161 - Friday the 13th Part III (1982) & Lake Bodom (2016) →

CW: Rape, Child Molestation, Gaslighting

It’s Friday the 13th on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey murder some campers in 3D!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
"Having revived from his wounds, Jason Voorhees takes refuge at a cabin near Crystal Lake. As a group of co-eds arrives for their vacation, Jason continues his killing spree” (IMDb.com). Jason gets his trademark hockey mask in this installment of the famous franchise that brought the 3D craze back to horror movies in the 80s. It's more of the same, really, but you'll be thankful for that one day.

The Modern Film: Lake Bodom (2016)
"Every camper's worst nightmare came true at Lake Bodom in 1960 when four teenagers were stabbed to death while sleeping in their tent” (IMDb.com). This Finnish film based on the real Lake Bodom murders doesn't really do much new, either, but it stacks twists on twists and ain't half-bad looking.

Audio Sources:
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" produced by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, et al.
"Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th" produced by 1428 Films, et al.
"Finland" written and performed by Michael Palin and arranged by John Du Prez
"Friday the 13th Part III" produced by Paramount Pictures, et al.
"Halloween" (1978) produced by Compass International Pictures, et al.
"Lake Bodom" produced by Don Films & Münchhausen Productions
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"S&M Present" (Robot Chicken S01E09) produced by Stoopid Monkey, et al.
"Zoolander" produced by Paramount Pictures, et al.

141 - I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) & Revenge (2017) →

CW: Rape

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s summertime on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey go on a tropical vacation just in time for hurricane season… oh, and there’s a killer fisherman there, too.

The Classic Film: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
"The murderous fisherman with a hook is back to once again stalk the two surviving teens… who had left him for dead, as well as cause even more murder and mayhem, this time at a posh island resort” (IMDb.com). Don’t even bother with this garbage-town, blatant cash-grab of a sequel.

The Modern Film: Revenge (2017)
"Jen is enjoying a romantic getaway with her wealthy boyfriend, which is suddenly disrupted when his sleazy friends arrive for an unannounced hunting trip... culminating in a shocking act that leaves Jen left for dead... Jen survives and reemerges with a relentless, wrathful intent: revenge” (Shudder). Revenge is a very well-made film, with brilliant visuals and an inspiring theme, but is any of that worth actually sitting through it?

Audio Sources:
"Agent for H.A.R.M." (Mystery Science Theater 3000 S09E15) produced by Best Brains
"Halloween" (1978) produced by Compass International Pictures
"How Do I Deal” written by Dillon O'Brian, Phil Roy & Bob Thiele Jr. and performed by Jennifer Love Hewitt
“I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.
"Jurassic Park" produced by Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures
"Lose Yourself” written by Marshall Mathers and performed by Eminem
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
“Revenge” produced by M.E.S. Productions, et al.