The Scariest Things

Larry Fessenden’s The Last Winter (2006) BRRRRRR! It’s so cold outside! Wait, what? The thermometer reads 102? What’s the date? Ah, forget the date; this is a brain freeze for you because we decided to cool you off with some freezing cold horror films just in time for the summer heat wave! YES! Cold themes are the icy wet blanket that puts you at unease. Friend of the Podcast, Ia...

Friday the 69th is a horror parody asking: What if a failing porn studio tried to make a conventional slasher movie? Charming and silly. Not as raunchy as you might expect. This is an interview with the director, Alex Montilla and star Rob Zoppo. Part of the Portland Horror Film Festival slate of films.

The Horror Short Film Director Roundtable is one of the most important things that we did at the Portland Horror Film Festival . It provided an elevated platform for horror short filmmakers. Oftentimes, this is ground zero for original horror ideas. Unless you are a Hollywood nepo-director, short film creation is where you learn your chops. I wanted to give these creatives an opportunity to share...

This is an interview of the director of Dracula: The Night Around Us, following its world premiere at the Portland Horror Film Festival. This is a tight, focused film that concentrates on Dr. Seward, Mina, Renfield, and Lucy. Dracula is a looming presence, but us utilized here as a threat rather than the key character. You won't see an arrogant Count, taunting and regally imposing himself on the v...

Andrea Subissati, Editor of Rue Morgue and Podcaster for Faculty of Horror The Bloody Judge for the 2026 Portland Horror Film Festival was Andrea Subissati , the Executive Editor of Rue Morgue . She is one of the most compelling voices within the horror community, and is a powerful advocate for women within the genre. Andrea was kind enough to set some time aside to talk some terror with us betwee...

Lita (Hannah Fierman) is a dominatrix looking to get some cash on the side in The Demonatrix (2026) ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ Intensity : 🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 Written and Directed by Jeff Ferrell and Aurelio Voltaire The Demonatrix is a cheeky, lightly racy horror-comedy that reflects on the economic troubles of the time. A dominatrix looking to get some extra income turns to hosting fake séances to m...

Adama Abramson is a bounty hunter turned vampire hunter in Landlord (2026) Intensity : 🩸🩸1/2 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 Written and Directed by Remington Smith LandLord poses the question, “If vampires can’t come into your home without an invitation, what happens if they own your housing?” A bounty hunter checks her conscience in order to save an orphaned boy from the predations of a va...

Harry Warden is here to see you! My Bloody Valentine (1981) My Bloody Valentine turns 45 years old this year. The director, George Mihalka, was the guest of honor at this year’s Portland Horror Film Festival . He was kind enough to speak with the Scariest Things, who are huge fans of the film. Lost cutting room footage was recently found when the producer was absorbed by Lionsgate, allowing...

Trash Queen Directors Emily Tullock and Gabrielle Rosson Indie horror filmmakers Gabby Rosson and Emily Tullock are creating Trash Queen , a sci-fi horror comedy, starring Tullock and legendary scream queen Lynn Lowery . They joined the Scariest Things to talk about what goes into developing a self-funded independent horror film. It is the journey of many an ambitious creator, and we talked about...

Is there anything more comforting in horror than the relationship between Ripley and Newt in Aliens (1987)? Comfort Horror. It’s a thing. It keeps the fandom fed. We come back time and again to get scared, and we love it. Why? This is the third of my series of Crypticon Seattle convention panel recordings. Panels are the lifeblood of this annual horror gathering, feeding the fandom’s m...

Feel the sweat and the tropical breezes; it’s time to discuss Tiki Terrors and its tropical horror cousins. Transport yourself to an island in the South Pacific or the Caribbean. The exoticism and the removal from “civilization” provide the grounds for some evocative scares. These movies have been with us since the Golden Age. Think King Kong and The Island of Lost Souls. Embrace...

Frodo the cat serves as the ultimate horror witness in A Quiet Place: Day One (with Lupita Nyong’o) Crypticon Seattle , the great Pacific Northwest horror convention, has once again come and gone, but the memories linger. The panels are what make the convention feel like a class reunion. The panels are produced entirely by volunteer experts from across the region and are the ultimate in fan...

As soon as I arrived at Crypticon Seattle, I made a beeline to the celebrity meet and greet room, knowing that Nathan Baesel was going to be in attendance. This event is the flagship horror community gathering in the Pacific Northwest. I didn’t know whether I’d get the chance to interview the actor who played one of my all-time favorite slasher villains, Leslie Vernon. The lines for th...

Another year, another Overlook Film Festival, one of the premier genre festivals in the country. Unfortunately, this year, the main players of The Scariest Things were unable to attend the festival in person. Eric was able to get some of the films to stream, but, as is the norm, remote screeners were limited and did not include the showcase films. Fortunately for us, one of our loyal Patreon Contr...

Sweet, sweet revenge. A subgenre best served cold, with a side of yanked intestines. It is a foundational tool for horror, both from the protagonist and antagonist perspectives. Anger, jealousy, and embarrassment create grudges that stick, and payback, she is a comin’. Listen in to our recommendations for your revenge fantasy satisfaction. In horror movies, sometimes you want to keep it simp...

Break out the spyglass! It’s time to forecast what is coming in 2026 We’ve got 2025 in the rear view window, and Hollywood has determined to not just relegate horror movies into the fall/Halloween schedule. Springtime apparently is a good time to have a big fear injection. So, we had to get the word out on movies you can anticipate coming to a theater near you! Admittedly, we’re...

What’s that smell? It’s time to sift through the Worst Horror Movies of 2025! Here come the stinkers! It’s time to discuss the Worst Horror movies of 2025. Of course, just like our favorites, our disappointments are highly subjective. You may be surprised to discover that some of the movies we didn’t enjoy have received plaudits from other critics. We have some fun internal...

If it’s January, you know it’s time for our Top 10 Horror Movies of 2025. You might think there is a group consensus, in a year that had so many good horror movies… but you’d be wrong! The best part of having a great sampler platter of movies to pick from is that there is something for everybody. This year, the box office and the awards programs agree, 2025 had a lot to off...

Astra Award-winning actor, Indy! He won for his performance in Good Boy (2025) Who’s a good boy? Why, you are, Indy! In a monumental achievement, Indy the dog’s performance in Good Boy   earned him the Astra Award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller, beating out his esteemed human competition. In a year that has started off with so much social friction, it is amazing news like...

Ready or Not (2019) is one of our favorite Feel-Good Horror Movies Consider Feel Good Horror as a palate cleanser for those of you looking for a bit of optimism and good vibes in your horror movies. For those of you who may have followed up on our recommendations from Episode 205: Mean Horror , we’re making it up to you now. Triumph over evil! Protagonists for the win! Fist pumps all around....

Matt Dillon is Jack in The House that Jack Built (2018), a seriously mean movie. Great Horror movies can often be a bummer. Vicious, unrelenting, and cruel films that deny us the happy ending and the victorious fist pump. Many horror fans, and a couple of the podcasters for The Scariest Things in particular, seek these films out. We are crossing bridges too far. No punch pulling. Beware and behold...

Richard Jenkins, Kurt Russell, and Matthew Fox go searching in Bone Tomahawk (2016) Upon second thought, that movie was better than I remembered. How often do you tell yourself that? Or, alternately, “What was I thinking? This movie was awful!” We’ve all been there. The movies don’t change, but we do. We get older. Our tastes change. Sometimes we weren’t in the right...

Take a good look… we’re going to recast these characters! Horror movies love sequels and reboots. So, a recast is always around the corner. The Scariest Things is going to do what everybody fears: recasting movies that really shouldn’t be rebooted. BUT WE’RE DOING IT ANYWAYS! Redoing A Nightmare on Elm Street with blockbuster casts. Check! A reboot of Jaws with women in the...

Dom (Jake Horowitz) makes a blind bargain with Dr. Gruder (Crispin Glover) in A Blind Bargain (2025) Intensity : 🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 Directed by Paul Bunnell Betrayal. At its core, A Blind Bargain is a movie about the worst kind of betrayal you can imagine. Desperation and greed convince a young and troubled Vietnam veteran to submit his own mother to the schemes of a mad scientist. This groovy &...

That’s a big alligator: Lake Placid (1999) Are you afraid of reptiles? Horror movies suggest that you just might be. There is an abundance of movies with reptile and amphibian horror themes. Snakes? Lots of you. Betting odds would suggest that you either fear spiders or snakes, or both. Alligators and crocodiles? Probably not something that applies, unless you live in Florida or Egypt. But,...