235 - Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) & Scream (2022) →

It’s Friday the 13th on Pod Sematary! Time for the fifth entry in both the Friday and Scream franchises! This week, Chris & Kelsey hallucinate famous killers and, by the end, become the killers themselves.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
"Still haunted by his past, Tommy Jarvis, who, as a child, killed Jason Voorhees, is sent to a secluded halfway house in the countryside, where the killing of a young man triggers a brutal series of murders in the area” (IMDb.com). The franchise has abandoned even Jason Voorhees in favor of a new killer and a plethora of f-bombs and tits, but we'll be damned if it's not still a little entertaining.

The Modern Film: Scream (2022)
"25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past” (IMDb.com). The self-referential style of Scream has now folded in on itself and even the meta is meta. The fifth installment hasn't brought the franchise to ruin without Wes Craven—in fact, there's a lot to like here—but the execution leaves much to be desired. 

Audio Sources:
"The Babadook" produced by Screen Australia, et al.
"A Claymation Christmas Celebration" produced by Will Vinton Studios
"Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th" produced by 1428 Films, et al.
"Friday the 13th: A New Beginning" produced by Paramount Pictures, et al.
"Juicy" written and performed by Christopher Wallace/The Notorious B.I.G.
"Justice League" (2017) produced by Warner Bros., et al.
"Let's Nab Oprah" (The Boondocks S01E11) produced by Adelaide Productions, et al.
"M. Night Shaym-Aliens!" (Rick and Morty S01E04) produced by Harmonius Claptrap, et al.
"Scream" (2022) produced by Paramount Pictures, et al.
"Skytanic" (Archer S01E07) produced by FX Network
"Tune Up #1" (from Rent -- Original Broadway Cast Recording) written by Jonathan Larson and performed by Anthony Rapp & Adam Pascal

098 - The Craft (1996) & The Witch (2015) →

CW: Rape, Suicide, Cutting, Racism, Mental Illness

It’s Witchy Woman Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey join the weirdos and live deliciously in an episode that's worth selling your soul!

The Classic Film: The Craft (1996)
“A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them.” (IMDb.com). The Craft was pretty iconic back when our hosts were in school, but how has this goth classic aged over the years?

The Modern Film: The Witch (2015)
“A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic, and possession” (IMDb.com). Is this critical-darling-cum-popular-dud more than just "what if The Crucible but spoopy?"

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1162863020357275648

Audio Sources:
"Batman Forever" produced by Warner Bros. & PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
"Carrie" produced by Red Bank Films
"The Craft" produced by Columbia Pictures & Red Wagon Entertainment
"How Soon is Now" written by Johnny Marr and Morrissey & performed by Love Spit Love
"Office Space" produced by Twentieth Century Fox, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Tomorrow Never Knows" written by Lennon–McCartney and performed by Our Lady Peace
"The Witch" produced by Parts and Labor, et al.
"Witchy Woman" written by Bernie Leadon & Don Henley and performed by The Eagles

054 - Scream (1996) & The Cabin In The Woods (2012) →

Best of 2017/18 - #4 (Tied) The Cabin in the Woods

It's Horror Tropes Week on Pod Sematary! Chris and Kelsey get meta talking about some of the best examples of self-aware horror films that exist! (To be sure, there are more...)

First up is one we've been talking about since our first episode: 1996's Scream! Wes Craven got a bit meta with 1994's New Nightmare, but that movie only covered the one franchise: Freddy. Then along came Kevin Williamson and the two really got rolling with a film the transformed the whole genre for Generation X (for good or ill). Is this clever classic worth all of the not-so-great imposters?

Then it's on to the film that doesn't just want to observe the tropes but tear the whole genre down and start over: 2012's The Cabin in the Woods! Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard bring their experience and wit to address the big questions. Why do characters act like idiots in horror movies? Why only use that great weapon once? And what happens when the audience doesn't get what they expect?

Plus:
--a trip to Knott's Scary Farm!
--the new Pet Sematary trailer!

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1051648875990118400

Audio Sources:
"The Cabin in the Woods" produced by Lionsgate, et al.
"Ice" (The X-Files S01E08) produced by Ten Thirteen Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television
"Jamie Kennedy Ruins E3 - Activision Press Conference 2007" via gamesradararchive @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IifE-EAuSAI
"Like Father, Like Son" produced by Partnership for a Drug-Free America
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Pet Sematary" (2019) produced by Alphaville Films & Paramount Pictures
"Red Dawn" produced by United Artists & Valkyrie Films
"Red Right Hand" written by Mick Harvey, Nick Cave, and Thomas Wydler and performed by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
"Roll with the Changes" written by Kevin Cronin and performed by REO Speedwagon
"Scream" produced by Dimension Films & Woods Entertainment