173 - Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) & Crimson Peak (2015) →

CW: Sexual Assault

It’s Valentine's Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey get all sappy and romantic with two archetypical gothic horror giants!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
"[Dracula's] lonely soul is determined to reunite with his lost love, Mina. In Britain, [he] begins a reign of terror and seduction draining the life from her closest friend, Lucy. Together they try and drive Dracula away.” (RottenTomatoes.com). Francis Ford Coppola creates a stunning visual masterpiece using almost nothing but the cinematic techniques available at the turn of the 20th century. It's certainly quite something, but is it too bizarre for fans of the popular ur-vampire?

The Modern Film: Crimson Peak (2015)
"In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds - and remembers” (IMDb.com). You'll see a lot of familiar content here, even what are becoming Guillermo del Toro's own cliches, and the scares are a little weak, but as always, del Toro produces a feast for the eyes and the soul.

Audio Sources:
"Blood Lines: Dracula - The Man. The Myth. The Movies." produced by Columbia Pictures
"Bram Stoker's Dracula" produced by American Zoetrope, et al.
"The Costumes Are the Sets: The Design of Eiko Ishioka" produced by Zoetrope Aubry Productions
"Crimson Peak" produced by Double Dare You (DDY) & Legendary Entertainment
"It's My Party" written by Walter Gold, et al., and performed by Lesley Gore
"Jurassic Park" produced by Universal Pictures & Amblin Entertainment
"Love Song for a Vampire" written and performed by Annie Lennox
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Pineapple Express" produced by Apatow Productions, et al.
"Scream 4" produced by Dimension Films, et al.
"She's Not There" written by Rod Argent and performed by The Zombies

136 w/ Eileen - Perfect Blue (1997) & Black Swan (2010) →

CW: Rape, Child Abuse, Suicide, Mental Illness

Best of 2020 - #4 Perfect Blue; #7 (Tied) Black Swan

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s Fractured Identities Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey can't tell if this episode is real or not. Does Special Guest Eileen even exist?

The Classic Film: Perfect Blue (1997)
"A retired pop singer turned actress[, Mima's] sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past” (IMDb.com). Prolific Japanese writer and artist Satoshi Kon got his directorial film debut with this adaptation of Yoshikazu Takeuchi's novel, Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis. He never did anything quite like it again, and even though our next entry owes a lot to it, you'll probably never see anything quite like Perfect Blue anywhere else.

The Modern Film: Black Swan (2010)
"A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake'” (IMDb.com). Based on a pre-existing script about something else, featuring thematic similarities and homages to other movies, and focusing on an all-time classic ballet, Black Swan manages to be wholly unique and fascinating. Intriguingly, it's more fantastical than our animated entry.

Audio Sources:
"Black Swan" produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures, et al.
"Girlfriendklok" (Metalocalypse S01E18) produced by Titmouse & Williams Street
"Perfect Blue" produced by Rex Entertainment, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Split" produced by Universal Pictures, et al.
"Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" produced by Lucasfilm
"Tune Up #1" (from Rent -- Original Broadway Cast Recording) written by Jonathan Larson and performed by Anthony Rapp & Adam Pascal