212 - Cujo (1983) & Gerald's Game (2017) →

CW: Rape, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Suicide

It’s Movies-based-on-Stephen-King-novels-about-women-stuck-in-a-single-location-and-harassed-by-dogs,-both-of-which-star-primary-actors-from-E.T. Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey really need to come up with a safeword.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Cujo (1983)
"Cujo, a friendly St. Bernard, contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town” (IMDb.com). Cujo is a thrilling story that manages to wring a lot of pathos out of a little premise, but will never be as good as the first time you saw it.

The Modern Film: Gerald's Game (2017)
"When a harmless game between a married couple in a remote retreat suddenly becomes a harrowing fight for survival, wife Jessie must confront long-buried demons within her own mind - and possibly lurking in the shadows of her seemingly empty house” (Intrepid Pictures). Like Mike Flanagan is wont to do, Gerald's Game is heavy on trauma and emotion at the expense of the scares. It's still a great movie, but maybe not a great *horror* movie.

Audio Sources:
"Cujo" produced by Sunn Classic Pictures & TAFT Entertainment Pictures
"Gerald's Game" produced by Intrepid Pictures
"The Impression That I Get" written by Dicky Barrett & Joe Gittleman and performed by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"The Shining" (1997 TV Mini-series) produced by Lakeside Productions & Warner Bros. Television

184 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) & Before I Wake (2016) →

CW: Death of a child

It’s a Dream Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey get a cool gearing-up montage and cool new dream powers!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
"Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may be able to defeat him for good” (IMDb.com). The Nightmare franchise starts to take a turn for the worse in this installment, but it's still not bad yet... surprisingly.

The Modern Film: Before I Wake (2016)
"A couple adopt an orphaned child whose dreams - and nightmares - manifest physically as he sleeps” (IMDb.com). Since this is a Mike Flanagan joint, you know that there is at least a minimum threshold of quality here, but the squandered potential, muddled metaphors, and theme that's about as subtle as a slap in the face make this easily the worst of his outings we've seen so far.

Audio Sources:
"Are You Ready for Freddy?" written by Patrick Klein, et al., & performed by The Fat Boys
"Before I Wake (2016)" produced by Intrepid Pictures, et al.
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" produced by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, et al.
"I Want Your (Hands On Me)" written by Sinéad O'Connor, et al., & performed by Sinéad O'Connor
"Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy" produced by 1428 Films & Panic Productions
"A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" produced by New Line Cinema, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

162 - Children of the Corn II (1992) & Doctor Sleep (2019) →

CW: Suicide, Infant/Child Pain and Death, Domestic Abuse, Overdose, Addiction

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s Stephen King Sequels Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey shine on in a field of nothing but stupid, old corn.

The Classic Film: Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992)
"A journalist and his son travel to Nebraska to investigate the mysterious town of Gatlin where, unbeknownst to them, a murderous cult of children are still waiting in the cornfields” (IMDb.com). This is not a good sequel, but we were surprised by just how much fun we had watching it.

The Modern Film: Doctor Sleep (2019)
"Years following the events of The Shining, a now-adult Dan Torrance must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal” (IMDb.com). Doctor Sleep has the unenviable job of walking the tightrope between following on from Kubrick's version of The Shining and staying faithful to the King books, but it manages to pull it off with aplomb.

Audio Sources:
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" produced by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, et al.
"Children of the Corn II: Final Sacrifice" produced by Fifth Avenue Entertainment, et al.
"Doctor Sleep" produced by Warner Bros., et al.
"Friday the 13th" (1980) produced by Sean S. Cunningham Films, et al.
"Homer vs. the 18th Amendment" (The Simpsons S08E18) produced by Gracie Films & 20th Century Fox Television
"Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" written and performed by John Lennon
"Midnight, the Stars and You" written by Harry M. Woods, Jimmy Campbell, & Reg Connelly and performed by Ray Noble and his Orchestra & Al Bowlly
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Pokémon Theme" written by John Siegler & John Loeffler and performed by Jason Paige

089 - Wait Until Dark (1967) & Hush (2016)

CW: Ableism, Sexual Assault

It’s another Home Invasion Week on Pod Sematary! This time both films Chris & Kelsey are watching star “champion" heroines with disabilities!

The Classic Film: Wait Until Dark (1967)
"A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment" (IMDb.com). Audrey Hepburn cranks up the melodrama opposite a very creepy, young Alan Arkin in this influential classic, and what seems like a simple heist drama quickly turns to horror when a convoluted plan gets out of hand.

The Modern Film: Hush (2016)
"A deaf and mute writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window" (Netflix). Horror super-couple Mike Flanagan (writer/director) and Kate Siegel (writer/actress) are at it again with a pretty fantastic bottle-movie that manages to reinvigorate what has lately been a tired subgenre.

Plus!
—The first trailer for Doctor Sleep, a movie that somehow manages to be a sequel to both the Shining film AND book!?
—A re-remake of Black Christmas announced via poster?

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1140485220052791296

Audio Sources
"Argo" produced by Warner Bros, et al.
"Club Dread" produced by Broken Lizard Industries, et al.
"Edward Scissorhands" produced by Twentieth Century Fox
"Homie the Clown" (The Simpsons S06E15) produced by Gracie Films & 20th Century Fox Television
"Hush" (film) produced by Intrepid Pictures & Blumhouse Productions
"Hush" (song) written by Joe South and performed by Deep Purple
"I Know What You Did Last Summer" produced by Mandalay Entertainment & Summer Knowledge LLC
"Knock Three Times" written by L. Russell Brown & Irwin Levine and performed by Dawn
"Neverending Story" produced by Constantin Film, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Rush Rush" written by Peter Lord and performed by Paul Abdul
"Wait Until Dark" produced by Warner Bros.
"The Yada Yada" (Seinfeld S08E19) produced by Shapiro/West Productions & Castle Rock Entertainment