245 - Gremlins 2 (1990) & The Final Girls (2015) →

CW: Suicide, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Homophobia

It’s Meta Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey are self-referential and silly. Don't think too hard about it.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode HERE!

The Classic Film: Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
"The Gremlins are back, and this time, they've taken control of a New York City media mogul's high-tech skyscraper” (IMDb.com). Gremlins 2 was a too-late sequel to a pop culture phenomenon that didn't feel like the original at all. But if you can get over that, it sure is a lot of stupid fun.

The Modern Film: The Final Girls (2015)
"A young woman grieving the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s, finds herself pulled into the world of her mom's most famous movie. Reunited, the women must fight off the film's maniacal killer” (IMDb.com). The Final Girls is a love letter to—not a takedown of—slasher films from the 80s. The logic may not work, but who cares, really?

Audio Sources:
"Bette Davis Eyes" written by Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon and performed by Kim Carnes
"Cherry Pie" written by Jani Lane and performed by Warrant
"The Final Girls" (2015) produced by Groundswell Productions
"Gremlins" produced by Warner Bros. & Amblin Entertainment
"Gremlins 2: The New Batch" produced by Warner Bros. & Amblin Entertainment
"Hollywood Sequel Doctor" (Key and Peele S05E08) produced by Monkeypaw Productions, et al.
"Joker" (2019) produced by Warner Bros., et al.
"Looper" (2012) produced by TriStar Pictures, et al.
"My Name is Bruce" produced by Dark Horse Entertainment & Image Entertainment
"Spaceballs" produced by Brooksfilms & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

064 - Gremlins (1984) & Krampus (2015) →

CW: Suicide, Misgendering

The holiday season continues on Pod Sematary, as Chris and Kelsey tackle one of the biggest Christmas horror movies of all time and another that has the potential to become a classic!

First up is the legendary Gremlins from 1984! This franchise scared Kelsey for years as a child, but she's grown to love it since. Is it the mix of true terror and nonsensical silliness that has given this horror movie the staying power of other Christmas staples?

Then it's on to 2015's Krampus! The silliness of this one seems more at odds with its otherwise self-serious tone than in Gremlins. But will you agree with Chris that its incredible practical effects and character design from Weta Workshop go a long way to making up for any of its shortcomings?

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1077074050000646149

Audio Sources:
"Beetlejuice" produced by The Geffen Company
"Billy Madison" produced by Universal Pictures & Robert Simonds Productions
"Gremlins" produced by Warner Bros. & Amblin Entertainment
“Krampus” produced by Legendary Entertainment & Universal Pictures
"The Making of Gremlins" produced by Nice Guy Productions
"Spaceballs" produced by Brooksfilms & MGM