Cheer and Loathing

Steph and Casey are back to dissect the tenth entries in a couple of horror’s most beloved franchises. First, they travel back in time to debate the merits of a once-maligned entry in the FRIDAY THE 13TH series that has now become a cult classic, JASON X. Then it’s on to a widely praised recent release that gives us the return of John Kramer and arguably strong return to form for a struggling fran...

In our first ever “in theaters now” discussion, Casey and Steph debate the merits of two Blumhouse joints, both of which sail on sacred waters by revisiting beloved properties. Does “The Exorcist: Believer” rekindle any of the original’s magic, or is it an unholy mess? Is “Five Nights at Freddy’s” a fan service treat or another tragic video game adaptation? Tune in to find out!

Set sail with us as we talk about MARY (2019) and THE BOAT (2018). After another long break, Casey and Steph try to get back on course with a little boat horror. Casey recommends a film featuring the great Gary Oldman that looks absolutely smashing on paper. While Steph goes for a critically acclaimed but underseen arthouse indie that’s her siren call. As usual, get ready for lots of bickering and...

After a brief hiatus, Casey is back to talk about Canadian horror in honor of his homeland, while performing a public service and finally dispelling the American myth that Canadians are friendly and easy going. Hear us dish about his, THE VOID, and Steph’s pick, INFINITY POOL. Did Casey pick The Void because it’s the only Canadian horror film he’s heard of? And did Steph pick Infinity Pool because...

This week, our co-host Casey (aka Loathing) is on vacation. So Steph (Cheer) is joined by special guest Jamie Marino for a wild discussion about the surprise hit COCAINE BEAR and the surprisingly unhinged COCAINE SHARK. COCAINE BEAR promises hilarious hijinks and a ridiculous romp filled with gore, humor, and a berzerker bear. Does it deliver? COCAINE SHARK is an upcoming Syfy-esque shark movie ho...

This week, we have a very special episode for you: our 50th! We’ve been bound together for 50 episodes, so our theme is TIES THAT BIND, and we’ve got two films about familial relationships and how the past so often seems to haunt the present and destroy the future. Because it’s a special episode, we’re mixing things up a bit and trying an experiment. Since Casey tends to hate everything, Stephanie...

Spring has sprung, and beautiful co-eds everywhere got to enjoy a break from the books and fun in the sun. But hopefully most avoided the backwoods bayous of the Deep South. Because, as this week’s episode proves (as if it needed proving), the only good thing to come out of the South is our co-host, Cheer! Join us as we welcome the return of oddball Crispin Glover to the show, giving it all he’s g...

Cheer and Loathing are back, and boy, did we pick a doozy of an episode to follow our Season 4 premiere. Things are about to get weird...really, REALLY weird. Picking two experimental horror films to discuss — the surprise Shudder hit SKINAMARINK and the insane film fest darling RAZZENNEST — is a recipe for disaster. Loathing (aka Casey) was already angry at Cheer (Steph) for insisting that he sit...

After a long delay, we're finally back in the saddle. And we're kicking off 2023 and Season 4 of Cheer and Loathing by talking about evil AI. Of course, we'll be talking about the campy horror hit that will hopefully herald in a killer year of horror, M3GAN. For our second film, we picked a much less heralded 'AI Gone Wrong' film from 2020 that went way under the radar, THE ALPHA TEST. Does that m...

It's October, which means we get the long-awaited return of two iconic horror franchises. Both Pinhead and Michael Myers are back in the spotlight and the public discourse. While one was widely heralded, the other became one of the most divisive films in recent years, polarizing the fanbase and lighting up social media. Does that mean we're going to fight about it, too? Come on, faithful listener,...

It's October, which means we get the long-awaited return of two iconic horror franchises. Both Pinhead and Michael Myers are back in the spotlight and the public discourse. While one was widely heralded, the other became one of the most divisive films in recent years, polarizing the fanbase and lighting up social media. Does that mean we're going to fight about it, too? Come on, faithful listener,...

Join us we talk about the absolute hellscape that is the life of a working gal or guy. Of course, our picks for this episode take a bad day at the office to a whole new degree of trauma. Casey picked the 2014 supernatural horror film DELIVER US FROM EVIL from Scott Derrickson (who you may know from his recent hit THE BLACK PHONE). Steph went against her better judgment and picked the A24 arthouse...

After a short summer break, we're back — and things are hotter than ever! This week, Casey's pick for our theme is Sex and Horror. We're talking about two slashers centered around the sex industry: 2014's GIRL HOUSE and 2022's X. With heavy doses of both carnage and carnal pleasure, this seems like an episode sure to please. Will it be a love fest? Or, will Casey's general grumpiness seriously kil...

This week, Steph picks the theme and forces her unabashed love of shark films on Casey, who chums the water with his hatred of everything. The dynamic duo discusses THE MEG and 47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED. Does the inevitable bloodbath ensue? Like any good Syfy shark film, it will either be a ridiculously entertaining romp or a chaotic mess that leaves you feeling broken and betrayed. Which one is it?...

This week, we’re talking about cursed objects, but based on the films we watched, it may be this podcast that’s truly cursed! Join us as we discuss 2019's POLAROID, which holds an impressive 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and 2017's unintentionally (or not) hilarious (or not, depending on which one of us you ask) twist on the classic "Monkey's Paw" tale, WISH UPON. This episode is special in severa...

As Pride Month draws to an end, we're back with two more queer horror films about secrets and what it means to hide parts of yourself from others. In the recently released teen slasher THERE'S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE, characters pay the ultimate price for not being open about who they really are. And in the lesbian survival thriller WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE (2018), things take a very nasty turn when...

Happy Pride Month! We're celebrating with two queer horror films about how talent can be both a blessing and a curse and the pressure to succeed at all costs when you're considered "special". The desire to be great can be an all-consuming hunger — a kind of bloodlust that's hard to satiate. Thus, it makes a great backdrop for horror — whether it's the twisty body/revenge horror of THE PERFECTION&n...

What's creepier? Crispin Glover or a thousand killer rats? What's more disturbing? J Long in a walrus suit or this show? And are we all just one viral podcast away from becoming more monster than man? These are the big questions we tackle this week as we explore animal horror with a couple of demented cult classics, WILLARD (2003) and Kevin Smith's TUSK (2014). It's a real wild one...don't miss it...

After watching the great Dan Stevens in APOSTLE (2018) last episode, Casey made the mistake of saying he didn’t know who the hell he was. So, Steph is forcing him to watch two of Dan’s best films: THE GUEST and EUROVISION. As The Beast in Disney's live-action THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Dan won Beauty’s heart. But can this beauty win the heart of our beast? Tune in to find out!

Easter is upon us, and we're fulfilling our sacrilegious duty by discussing religious horror films. We're also double-dipping into the world of prestige horror, which means we might be in for one hell of a holy war between Steph and Casey. Join us as we discuss devotion and derangement in Casey's pick, the heralded A24 release, SAINT MAUD. Plus, it's another crazy cult for us with Stephs' pick, th...

For our last episode celebrating our one-year anniversary, we invited our first special guest on the show. We had so much fun that we've got another friend joining us to discuss the upcoming Oscars. A couple of genre-adjacent films are up for Best Picture, and we discuss what we thought about them, their chances for award recognition, and what their inclusion means for genre films. Join us as we e...

In honor of our one-year anniversary, we’re mixing things up by inviting our very first special guest to the show. This week, we're joined by Nathaniel Muir of the Adventures in Movies podcast to discuss heavy metal horror. Steph picked the recent Shudder release Hellbender, while Nathaniel goes for a deeper cut, the subtitled (uh-oh) 2013 indie horror-comedy Spanish Chainsaw Massacre. Does Casey...

Love is in the air, but this isn't a podcast known for love (Steph tries, but Casey c*ckblocks her every time). Can we manage to whisper some sweet nothings in your ear this week as we talk about the most romantic — and sexiest — monsters of all, vampires? Or, will it be just another bloodbath? Tune in to find out as we sink our teeth into ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (2013) and THE LOST BOYS (1987) in...

We were originally supposed to air this episode in January, which is often known as the cinematic graveyard — the place where uninspired films go to die. To be sure, plenty of forgettable — or even downright terrible — films have been dumped on unsuspecting audiences at the start of a new year. With one of the 2022's most hotly anticipated films, SCREAM, having recently been released, we dare to d...

Welcome to a new year of Cheer and Loathing! After a brief break, we're back with Season 3 and a discussion of Winter horror. This week, we're discussing two recent releases — and two very different films. Steph picked the light-hearted, vampire horror-comedy Red Snow, while Casey went with the bleak and atmospheric Antlers. What's more surprising than our picks this week is how we felt about them...