230 - The Sentinel (1977) & The Innkeepers (2011) →

CW: Suicide, Rape

It’s a Haunted Dwelling Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey just moved into their new home, so they're taking this week to... I don't know, scare themselves?

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: The Sentinel (1977)
"A young woman moves into an apartment in a building which houses a sinister evil” (IMDb.com). A Rosemary's Baby wannabe that makes several tasteless choices, The Sentinel is nevertheless a compelling tale that's generally well told.

The Modern Film: The Innkeepers (2011)
"During the final days at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, two employees determined to reveal the hotel's haunted past begin to experience disturbing events as old guests check in for a stay” (IMDb.com). As fans of Ti West's House of the Devil, Chris and Kelsey were gobsmacked that The Innkeepers could possibly have been made by the same person.

Audio Sources:
"Batman" (1966 TV Series) produced by 20th Century Fox Television & Greenway Productions
"The Innkeepers" produced by Dark Sky Films & Glass Eye Pix
"The Internet Is for Porn" (from Avenue Q) written by Jeffrey Marx and Robert Lopez & performed by Stephanie D'Abruzzo, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Robin Hood: Men in Tights" produced by Brooksfilms & Gaumont
"Rosemary's Baby" produced by William Castle Productions
"The Sentinel" produced by Universal Pictures & Jeffrey Konvitz Productions
"That Thing You Do!" produced by Twentieth Century Fox, et al.

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

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.

081 - House (1985) & Stir Of Echoes (1999) →

CW: Sexual Assault, Suicide, Ableism

It's Kevin Bacon wee--I mean It's another Haunted House week on Pod Sematary! This time, Chris and Kelsey are talking about two movies where a man is driven to madness by the spirits in his home, including a recommendation from listener Aaron!

The Classic Film: House (1985)
"A troubled writer moves into a haunted house after inheriting it from his aunt" (IMDb.com). Would you have guessed by this description that the movie was a comedy? We certainly didn't.

The Modern Film: Stir of Echoes (1999)
"After being hypnotized by his sister-in-law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around him" (IMDb.com). Even though Kathryn Erbe's Maggie drives Chris up a wall, Kevin Bacon's great performance more than makes up for it.

Plus, another Supernatural Check-in!

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1120499524546572291

Audio Sources:
"Carry On Wayward Son" written by Kerry Livgren and performed by Kansas
"Cheers" produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions & Paramount Television
"G.I. Joe (Theme Song)" written by Johnny Douglas and performed by Jonathan Kimmel
"House" produced by New World Pictures & Sean S. Cunningham Films
"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" (The Simpsons S08E14) produced by Gracie Films & 20th Century Fox Television
"Kevin Bacon Superfan" commercial produced for the Logitech Revue with GoogleTV @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx0D3zag0gc
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Poltergeist" produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, et al.
"The Shining" produced by Warner Bros., et al.
"Stir of Echoes" produced by Artisan Entertainment
"Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)" written by Mike Post and Stephen Geyer and performed by Joey Scarbury

076 - The Changeling (1980) & Ghost Stories (2017) →

CW: Suicide, Filicide, Ableism, Depression, Pregnancy Complications

It's another Haunting Week on Pod Sematary! This time, Chris & Kelsey discuss two movies that may have stolen each other's twist structure!

The Classic Film: The Changeling (1980)
"A man staying at a secluded historical mansion finds himself being haunted by the presence of a spectre." The Changeling is responsible for many long-tested horror tropes, but is it even that scary itself?

The Modern Films: Ghost Storeis (2017)
"Skeptical professor Phillip Goodman embarks on a trip to the terrifying after being given a file with details of three unexplained cases of apparitions." Is this creatively re-inventive premise undermined by its own twist?

Plus!
--The definition of portmanteau
--Spoilers for "Stay" (2005)
--The point of this entire podcast
--Stories about watching Fight Club

Get more at podsematary.com! Check out our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1107120447156613120

Audio Sources:
"The Big Shot" (Ren & Stimpy S01E01) produced by Nicktoons Productions, et al.
"The Changeling" produced by Chessman Park Productions
"Ghost Stories" produced by Lionsgate, et al.
"Jurassic Park" produced by Universal Pictures & Amblin Entertainment
"Monster Mash" written by Bobby Pickett & Leonard L. Capizzi and performed by Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

067 - The Legend Of Hell House (1973) & Winchester (2018) →

CW: Suicide

Worst of 2019 - #7 Winchester

It's another Haunted House episode of Pod Sematary! This week, Chris & Kelsey discuss two films whose endings don't earn them any favors!

The Classic Film: The Legend of Hell House (1973)
This one is incredibly well filmed with tons of dramatic angles and beautiful shots. It handles the concept of hauntings so well that the very end makes you go, "Wait, what?"

The Modern Film: Winchester (2018)
At first, we thought the hate for this film was over-blown. It didn't seem THAT bad. But as it went on, the bad editing, basic structure problems, over-arching thematic issues, and failure to execute on even simple filmmaking skills set it up to fall even flatter as a whole than the ridiculous climactic scenes.

Plus!
We talk about the popular mommy-horror Bird Box and relationship-horror You!

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1084328197334872069

Audio Sources:
"Clue" produced by Paramount Pictures, et al.
"Dungeons & Dragons" performed by The Dead Alewives
"The Legend of Hell House" produced by Academy Pictures Corporation
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Poltergeist" produced by Amblin Entertainment, et al.
"Scream" produced by Dimension Films & Woods Entertainment
"Winchester" produced by Blacklab Entertainment & Imagination Design Works

061 - Burnt Offerings (1976) & Rose Red (2002)

CW: Sexual Assault

This week on Pod Sematary, Kelsey & Chris are watching two movies all about haunted houses that feed off their living inhabitants!

First up is Burnt Offerings from 1976! A small family rents a run-down mansion as a summer home that seems too good to be true. As the mother falls more and more in love with the property, the father and son find more reasons to be worried. This film was critically derided in is day and Chris & Kelsey can't for the life of them figure out why!

Then it's on to the 2002 television miniseries event, Rose Red! A team of psychics with unique skills investigate the most haunted house in America, but this dead cell is not as dormant as it seems! Stephen King wrote this one directly for the small screen, but is that combination its downfall? Not if you ask Kelsey!

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/i/moments/1069815323816222722

Audio Sources:
"Billy Madison" produced by Universal Pictures & Robert Simonds Productions
"Burnt Offerings" produced by Produzioni Europee Associate & Dan Curtis Productions
"The Langoliers" produced by Laurel Entertainment Inc., et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Rose Red" produced by Greengrass Productions, et al.
"The X-Files (Theme)" written and produced by Mark Snow