Nature Trail to Hell

Dawn of the Dead was a certified banger that significantly expanded the scope of the original film. Now, eight (!) years later, George A. Romero is back with Day of the Dead in 1985. Stefan and Jordan examine the trajectory of a series that so far has gone from strength to strength.

10 years after the ground-breaking Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero returns with Dawn of the Dead. Jordan and Stefan watch this mall movie classic and see how the scares hold up. Also, Stefan might get fixated on the Brown Derby Steakery & Luv Pub for some reason.

It's a brand new season! This time, Jordan and Stefan are watching George A. Romero's Living Dead films, starting with 1968's groundbreaking Night of the Living Dead – the film that invented the zombie movie. Will it hold up, given the flood of zombie content since then? Let's find out.

One final episode for our Leprechaun series! When Jordan was a kid, a family friend filmed the fairytale-themed Deadtime Stories in the house that he lived. Stefan visits and Jordan revisits this horror anthology to see what it was all about. Plus, Jordan designed a monster for the film. Apologies for Stefan's garbage audio in the first segment. 

Mark Jones, director of the first Leprechaun film, turned down directing Leprechaun 2 to make this week's bonus film, Rumpelstiltskin. Notice a theme? Jordan and Stefan check out his magnum opus to see if he made the right decision.

The Leprechaun returns? He does? From where? Believe it or not, this is the first ACTUAL sequel in the Leprechaun series, which has heretofore been a series of standalone movies pretending to be a franchise. And Warwick Davis isn't even in it! Man, this series is just weird. Come for South Africa standing in for North Dakota, stay for the Jennifer Aniston voice impersonator.

Let's go back to the origins of...what exactly? Warwick Davis is out, Hornswoggle is in, and apparently a Leprechaun is now some sort of unseen dog monster. Sure. 

Clearly the hood was a winning setting for a Leprechaun movie, so why not try it again? This despite every single Leprechaun movie has so far taken place in a different environment.  Also – oh no! – this is Warwick Davis's final appearance in the series. Jordan and Stefan mourn and despair. 

From space...to the hood. The series takes a questionable left turn, finding the Leprechaun in Los Angeles, immersed in the most unrealistic depiction of hip hop in cinematic history. But surely this is the good Leprechaun movie, right? RIGHT? I mean, Ice-T wouldn't star in anything less than stellar, right? Jordan knows and Stefan finds out.

So...after only three terrestrial installments, the Leprechaun is heading to space – it took Jason nine movies to do the same thing! Will this be a welcome change for the franchise or a turn for the silly? Jordan and Stefan watch this WEIRD-ASS movie to find out.

Well, the Leprechaun train keeps on rolling. The first two were...not good. Will the third time be the charm? Jordan knows but won't tell. Stefan's about to find out. He may not be pleased with the answer.

Well, it's another Leprechaun movie, hot n' heavy on the heels of the last one. But didn't the Leprechaun explode...in a...well...or something? Why is he in Hollywood? What's even happening? And wrought iron is now his Achilles heel? 

Jordan and Stefan kick off the new season with the original Leprechaun from 1993. Stefan knows next to nothing about this series – not even who the big star is in the first movie! Will that make it watchable? Let's find out.

For our final episode of our Saw season, we visit Eli Roth's notorious Hostel from 2005. Jordan has been ominously warning Stefan about this one – will it live up to its dubious torture porn classification? Find out. Also, Jordan and Stefan reveal next season's horror franchise.

So what else have James Wan and Leigh Whannell been up to? Creating an ENTIRELY separate uber-successful horror franchise of course! Jordan and Stefan visit this first entry into the Insidious series to find out what all the fuss is about and see how they've developed their chops since creating the original Saw movie together.

Turns out, Saw is infinitely adaptable into other media! Jordan and Stefan explore the musical and physical possibilities in this first Saw bonus episode. 

It's all led up to this – the most well-reviewed Saw movie in franchise history. Jigsaw is front and center (no more copycats!) in this back-to-basics trap-a-thon...that's also a suprisingly heartfelt love letter to John Kramer? What is even happening? And where do these movies go from here? Jordan and Stefan wrap up the series in grand style and discuss what's it's all meant. Plus – rankings, ran...

The one with Chris Rock and Samuel Jackson! Jordan and Stefan watch this departure from the usual Sawfare, in which there is 100% less Jigsaw and 100% more police procedural. We might also get some dialogue that seems airlifted in from Chris Rock's standup routines, but you never know. 

Jigsaw is back! Or is he???? 7 years after the last movie, Jordan and Stefan pick up the story with this much glossier take on Saw. Apparently there are trap murders happening again, and nobody can figure it out because a)Jigsaw is dead and b)we have a whole new cast of police that aren't very good at solving mysteries. But is it any good? Let's find out.

Finally, we've reached the end of the road, the final chapter, the – wait, aren't there 3 more movies after this? Jordan and Stefan watch Saw 3D (or possible Saw: The Final Chapter) and reflect on the long, twisty, flashback- and trap-filled journey to get here. What does it all mean? Have we been rehabilitated yet? Let's find out.

All roads lead here – to the one that's about health insurance. Suppose it was inevitable that the series that starts with incurable cancer will have to grapple with the intricacies and absurdities of the American healthcare system. 

Jigsaw's still dead, right? Nevermind that, let's get to what the people want – a showdown between Hoffman and Strahm! Jordan and Stefan continue down the weird plotty path of the Saw-ga with this fifth installment.

The Saw train keeps on chugging, even if Jigsaw is dead (????). But you can't keep a good trap down – Stefan & Jordan "enjoy" this fourth helping of "therapy" at the hands of John Kramer despite his apparent demise.

We're well and truly on our way into the Saw-ga now! This third installment involves traps, traps, and some first solid indications that the franchise is going to obsessed with its own complicated plot. Also: Stefan has a crisis of fear and Jordan talks him through it.

With the original Saw a runaway success, Saw II was immediately greenlit and put into theaters a year later. Jordan and Stefan watch as Saw attempts to make the leap from scrappy indie hit to new horror franchise. Also, there's a new kid on the block.