The Pod and the Pendulum

A CONVERSATION WITH ARIEL POWERS-SCHAUB ON MILLENNIAL NASTIES

This week marks the release of Ariel's long awaited book Millennial Nasties: Analyzing a Decade of Brutal Horror. We chat about how the book came to be, why these films still stick with us twenty years later, and why horror became more brutal and often bleak at the turn of the century. 

If you want your own copy of the book order it today from all major retailers, or directly from publisher Encyclopocalypse Publications: Print version  and the e-book version

 

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CURSE OF THE FLY

Mike and Brian talk about the last installment of the original FLY series. This one throws continuity out the window, and i a truly low budget affair. Still, while the lack of funds limit the sets and the performances, it offers a lot to chew on and tackles some fairly high concept ideas, even if it can't take them all that far. It's also the only FLY movie to date that seems to have a complete lack of its titular creature. 

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Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. 

 

Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. 

If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

RETURN OF THE FLY

This week, the buzz is back! Brian and Mike tackle one of the great, underappreciated B-movies of the 1950s, with Return of the Fly. Vincent Price is the only cast member to return from the original cast and crew, this time getting top billing and lending his charm and winking good time of a performance style in order to deliver a mash up of a classic monster movie with more than a few nods to film noir. The end result is a movie that-for the first hour at least-truly slaps. From a great mustache twirling villain in Alan, to a plot that borrows from the Son of Frankenstein “I must redeem my father’s work” to some gorgeous black and white cinematography that hides the fact that this had half the budget of The Fly, we argue that “Return” more than deserves another look.

 

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Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. 

 

Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. 

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THE FLY (1958)

This week we're all "abuzz" to start on a new franchise. We're dipping our toes back into classic horror with 1958's science fiction / horror tale of experimentation gone amuck with THE FLY. This is the film that made Vincent Price a horror icon (even though he's in a supporting role) and contains marvelous special effects, a fantastic creature reveal, and one of the most disturbing finales ever in a horror movie. This week Mike, Brian, and Nicole are joined by Shawn Murphy from the Men Who Like Men Who Like Movies podcast to talk B-movies, the ethical dilemmas in science research The Fly raises, how the film reflects the status of disabled persons during this time and why those last five minutes still pack a nightmarish wallop. 

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Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. 

Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. 

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FANTASIA 2024 part 3 HELL HOLE, THE TENANTS, HOLLYWOOD 90028, INTERVIEW WITH JOHN ADAMS & TOBEY POSER (Hell Hole)

Our last batch of film coverage from Fantasia, plus an interview with Adams family directing team on their new feature Hell Hole. premiering on Shudder August 23rd.  

FANTASIA 2024 part 2: THE BEAST WITHIN, BABY ASSASSINS: NICE DAYS, PARVULOS

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Here's the second part of of Fantasia coverage. We've got an eclectic line up of films from across the globe. From the UK we have the werewolf cum domestic drama starring Game of Thrones Kit Harrington, THE BEAST WITHIN. Returning from Japan we have everybody's favorite teen contract killers back for their third adventure in BABY ASSASSINS NICE DAYS Finally, from Mexico there's the post apocalyptic tale of three brothers trying to survive monsters that are human and other-worldly in nature in PARVULOS. 

 

Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. 

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FANTASIA 2024 part 1: CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS, FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS, CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING

The 2024 Fantasia Film Festival is in the books and Mike has the first part of his coverage up. Celebrating its 28th year, Fantasia delivers on horror, suspense, fantasy and science fiction from around the globe For the first episode Mike breaks down his thoughts on the new holiday slash from trans filmmaker Alison Maio Mackay (CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS), a documentary on the zealotry of gun culture comprised entirely of social media clips (FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS), and a wild horror-comedy-musical CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING. 

If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. 

 

Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. 

 

Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. 

If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.  

V/H/S MIXTAPES (NOT A RANKING EPISODE)

As we put another series to bed, Mike, Devaughn and Ariel decided to break away from the typical "ranking" formula and go for something a little outside the box. With almost 40 segments to choose from, we out together our own V/H/S mixtapes, choosing anthology segments to fit our own twisted themes like "Bigfoot and Other Monsters," "The Gods Must Be Crazy," "Betrayal," and more. We had some fun with talking about a smorgasbord of our favorites. If you want to hear one of our crew talk definitive rankings, Devaughn's "Spectre Cinema Club ranked all the segments and you can check those out here....

 

If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. 

 

Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. 

 

Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. 

If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

V/H/S 85

This week we’re diving into the horrific and darkly comedic world of *V/H/S 85*. Join us as we explore this anthology film’s unique blend of humor and gore. Getting back to their roots of providing a sandbox for up and coming genre filmmakers ‘85 had first time droppings from Mike P Nelson, Gigi Saul Gurrero and Natasha Kermani showcasing their wares. Longtime favorite David Brickner returns with his little buddy in the wraparound, and Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone) swings by for something that mixes Hill Street Blues meets Sinister. 

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V/H/S 99

Mike and Devaughn talk about another strong entry in the back half of the VHS franchise. '99 brings a punk energy to the film and forgoes the wraparound framing device or something that feels like an old mix tape buried in the stack of video cassettes in the console. The end result is the most consistent and entertaining entry of the series to date.