231 - Day of the Dead (1985) & Train to Busan (2016) →

It’s Resurrection Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey have maybe seen one too many zombie movies, so it's a good thing both of these are pretty great.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: Day of the Dead (1985)
"Trapped in a missile silo, a small team of scientists, civilians, and trigger-happy soldiers battle desperately to ensure the survival of the human race. However, the tension inside the base is reaching a breaking point, and the zombies are gathering outside” (IMDb.com). The final installment of George A. Romero's original undead trilogy, Day of the Dead is a little slower than the others but a lot more brutal.

The Modern Film: Train to Busan (2016)
"While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan” (IMDb.com). Zombie tropes and Korean melodrama are the order of the day, but Train to Busan is still exceptionally made and full of great characters and moments.

Audio Sources:
"Day of the Dead" (1985) produced by United Film Distribution Company & Laurel Entertainment Inc.
"The Door" (Game of Thrones S06E05) produced by Television 360, et al.
"The Langoliers" (1995 TV Mini-Series) produced by Laurel Entertainment Inc., et al.
"M1 A1" written by Damon Albarn & John Harrison and performed by Gorillaz
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Train to Busan" produced by Next Entertainment World, et al.

215 - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) & Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) →

The Best of 2021 - #2 The Nightmare Before Christmas

It’s Actually Christmas Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey make this holiday season musical!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
"Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion” (IMDb.com). This is one of the Christmas movies that we watch every year, and we're still excited to talk about it.

The Modern Film: Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
"A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven—at Christmas—forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash, and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones” (IMDb.com). Anna and the Apocalypse is passable insofar as it's one of the few musical comedy horrors in existence, but it's a goldmine of a premise that isn't exploited for its opportunities nearly enough.

Audio Sources:
"Anna and the Apocalypse" produced by Black Camel Pictures, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" produced by Touchstone Pictures, et al.
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" (The Movies That Made Us S03E07) produced by The Nacelle Company

183 - The Faculty (1998) & Cooties (2014) →

CW: Animal Harm

The Best of 2021 - #7 (Tied) The Faculty

It’s "Elijah Wood Goes to School" Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey grow from anti-establishment to pro-teacher between two movies. It's age, man. That stuff just happens over time.

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: The Faculty (1998)
"When Casey Connor, Herrington High School's newspaper photographer, witnesses the murder of a nurse and sees her alive again, [he] decides to investigate the bizarre happenings” (IMDb.com). Kelsey can basically recite this movie from memory, but is it just nostalgia, or does this late-90s, teen horror actually hold up?

The Modern Film: Cooties (2014)
"A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives” (IMDb.com). Cooties has all the hallmarks of a silly horror comedy and it seems content to leave it at that. Not bad but... not good, either?

Audio Sources:
"Cooties" produced by SpectreVision & Glacier Films
"The Faculty" produced by Dimension Films  Los Hooligans Productions
"The Kids Aren't Alright" written by Dexter Holland and performed by The Offspring
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones

128 - Night of the Living Dead (1968) & 28 Weeks Later (2007) →

CW: Rape, Domestic Violence

Best of 2020 - #7 (Tied) Night of the Living Dead

Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1241493086502629387

It’s another Zombie Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey are smarter than you remember and know how to use tools!

The Classic Film: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
"A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a bloodthirsty, flesh-eating breed of monsters who are ravaging the East Coast of the United States” (IMDb.com). This black & white classic has some rough edges, but it's better than you might expect and redefined zombies for generations to come.

The Modern Film: 28 Weeks Later (2007)
"Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan” (IMDb.com). This sequel which included none of the creatives or actors from the original isn't half bad, but it fails to live up to the kinetic energy and fear of the original.

Audio Sources:
"28 Weeks Later" produced by Fox Atomic, et al.
"A Land Without Magic" (Once Upon a Time, S01E22) produced by Kitsis/Horowitz & ABC Studios
"Clue" produced by Paramount Pictures, et al
"Dec 8, 1987" (ABC News) produced by ABC News
"Halloween" produced by Compass International Pictures, et al.
"Night of the Living Dead" (1968) produced Image Ten
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"That Time Disney Remade Beauty and the Beast" via Lindsay Ellis @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpUx9DnQUkA

123 - My Boyfriend's Back (1993) & Pontypool (2008) →

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CW: Pedophilia 

It’s Valentine's Day on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey talk about two "zombie" movies, one of which is about love but doesn't take place on Valentine's Day and the other of which takes place on Valentine's Day but isn't about love.  

The Classic Film: My Boyfriend's Back (1993)
"A teenage boy comes back from the dead because he is determined to win the most beautiful girl in school” (IMDb.com). Even though everyone our age saw this 90s home video staple, it is often dismissed as forgettable tripe, but it's well-establish comedic tone and saccharine irony argue otherwise. Plus, zombie dick jokes!

The Modern Film: Pontypool (2008)
"A radio host interprets the possible outbreak of a deadly virus which infects the small Ontario town he is stationed in” (IMDb.com). This low-budget, indie darling has a lot of good ideas and taps into an existential terror unlike many others, but it fails to deliver on its clever premise due to inconsistent internal logic and an overwrought sense of its own grandiosity. Chris isn't mad; he's just disappointed.

Audio Sources:
"Magnolia" produced by New Line Cinema, et al.
"My Boyfriend's Back” produced by Touchstone Pictures & Touchwood Pacific Partners 1
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
“Pontypool” produced by Ponty Up Pictures & Shadow Shows
"Valley Girl" produced by Valley 9000 Productions

097 - The Return of the Living Dead (1985) & Shaun of the Dead (2004) →

CW: Brief references to rape, child abuse, and filicide

Best of 2019 - #9 Shaun of the Dead

It’s Zed-Word Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey tackle two comedy zombie flicks (combies? zomedies?) with varying results!

The Classic Film: The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
“When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies” (IMDb.com). If you ever thought Chris and Kelsey were broken on the inside, their opinions on this cult classic that’s seemingly beloved by everyone probably won’t help.

The Modern Film: Shaun of the Dead (2004)
“A man's uneventful life is disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.” (IMDb.com). Do you ever think about what the Edgar Wright Ant-Man would have been like? Chris does. Kind of a lot.

Get more at podsematary.com! Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1160383764960337920

Audio Sources:
"Adventures in Babysitting" produced by Touchstone Pictures & Silver Screen Partners III
"Battles" (Spaced S01E04) produced by London Weekend Television & Paramount Comedy Channel
"Clue" produced by Paramount Pictures, et al
"Coming to America" produced by Paramount Pictures & Eddie Murphy Productions
"Don't Stop Me Now" written by Freddie Mercury and performed by Queen
"Figment" written and composed by Simon Park
"Ghost Town" written by Jerry Dammers and performed by The Specials
"The Gonk" written and composed by Herbert Chappell
"Jurassic Park" produced by Universal Pictures & Amblin Entertainment
"Men in Black" produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.
"Night of the Living Dead" produced by Image Ten
"Overture" written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and performed by the Original London Phantom of the Opera Orchestra
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"The Return of the Living Dead" produced by Hemdale & Fox Films
"Reservoir Dogs" produced by Dog Eat Dog Productions Inc. and Live Entertainment
"Rules of Attraction" produced by Kingsgate Films & Roger Avary Filmproduktion GmbH
"Shaun of the Dead" produced by Rogue Pictures, et al.
"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" produced by Lucasfilm
"Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" produced by Lucasfilm, et al.
"This is the End" produced by Columbia Pictures, et al.

036 - Graduation Day (1981) & Dance Of The Dead (2008) →

We wrap up Prom/Graduation season on Pod Sematary with two bad horror movies - but only one of them is GOOD bad. 
First up is the Troma classic (?), Graduation Day, from 1981. It's a story with no protagonist but lots of potential villains. The murders only last 30 seconds but Gangster Rock goes for over 7 minutes!
Then it's the wildly disappointing Dance of the Dead from 2008. It's a comedy zombie flick that isn't that funny and takes forever to get to the zombies. But are there any redeeming features? (Spoiler: there's a couple?)

Get more at podsematary.com!

Audio Sources:
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Graduation Day" produced by Troma Entertainment
"Dance of the Dead" produced by Compound B
"Weird Satanist Guy" via BowserVids @ www.youtube.com/watch?v=YErFwJX0HKE

025 - Double Feature - Dawn Of The Dead (1978 & 2004) →

Oh, man, it's a big 'un. This week on Pod Sematary, Chris and Kelsey get down with the sickness in a zombie double feature: Dawn of the Dead! First is George Romero's 1978 follow-up to the seminal Night of the Living Dead. Is the sequel better than the original? Are you Alien or Aliens? Godfather or Godfather Part II? Then it's on to the surprisingly okay debut of cinema pariah Zack Snyder in the 2004 remake. It certainly isn't awful and is only a little more than an hour and a half long, so there's that.