Screams & Streams

Horror fans, your favorite nightmare-inducing podcast is back! After a refreshing summer break, we're ready to plunge back into the depths of horror cinema – both the critically acclaimed gems and the delightfully terrible misfires that make us question our life choices. Mark your calendars for September 13th when the full Screams and Streams crew reunites to kick off our return with Wes Crav...

Danny Boyle's return to the rage-infected universe delivers a mesmerizing evolution of horror that feels both familiar and startlingly fresh. Set almost three decades after the original outbreak, "28 Years Later" transports viewers to a Britain permanently transformed—where small pockets of humanity cling to existence alongside the changed infected. The film's emotional core ce...

That tense, breathtaking opening scene in the isolated cottage sets the tone perfectly - Robert Carlyle's character makes the ultimate cowardly choice, abandoning his wife to a horde of infected to save himself. This moral failure haunts the entire film and creates one of the most devastating character arcs in zombie cinema. 28 Weeks Later builds on the frenetic energy of its predecessor whil...

An empty London. A hospital bed. A man waking from a coma to discover the world has fallen apart. This is how we meet Jim, our protagonist in Danny Boyle's revolutionary 2002 horror film "28 Days Later." What follows is a heart-pounding journey through a Britain devastated by the rage virus – a pathogen that transforms ordinary people into blood-spewing, relentlessly aggressive infe...

A devilish shopkeeper arrives in a small Maine town, his suitcase packed with wonders and his ledger full of names. In "Needful Things," we witness the unraveling of Castle Rock through the machinations of one Leland Gaunt, a stranger with uncanny insight into the deepest desires of everyone he meets. Max von Sydow masterfully portrays Gaunt, the charismatic proprietor offering townsfolk...

Bruce Campbell swaggers into medieval times with a chainsaw hand and a double-barrel shotgun in this cult classic horror-comedy that transforms the Evil Dead franchise from pure terror into something gloriously ridiculous. Transported to the distant past after the events of Evil Dead 2, our reluctant hero Ash Williams finds himself captured, imprisoned, and thrown into a pit with deadites – only t...

The year was 1993, and director Anthony Hickox had unleashed what would become one of horror cinema's most spectacular failures upon unsuspecting audiences. Warlock: The Armageddon arrived with a thud that still reverberates through horror history, eventually earning the rare distinction of a perfect 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes. We dive deep into this bizarre sequel where Julian Sands returns...

Ever wondered what happens when legendary horror directors decide to have a little fun between major projects? John Carpenter's Body Bags (1993) offers the answer - a wickedly demented horror anthology that blends camp, gore, and a remarkable roster of genre talent both in front of and behind the camera. Hosted by a formaldehyde-drinking, ghoulishly comedic coroner (played by Carpenter himsel...

Dare to say his name five times in the mirror? Bernard Rose's 1992 horror classic Candyman continues to haunt our nightmares with its perfect blend of urban legend, racial commentary, and genuine terror. We journey through the decaying hallways of Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project alongside Virginia Madsen's Helen, a graduate student whose research into urban legends...

When criminal psychologist Bill Chrushank loses his arm in a devastating car crash, a groundbreaking transplant procedure gives him a second chance. There's just one catch - his new arm once belonged to a vicious serial killer. As Bill begins to recover, the appendage seems to develop a will of its own, acting with increasing violence against his family and others. What starts as a medical mi...

Take two aspirin and prepare for a lethal dose of 90s medical horror as we dissect "Dr. Giggles," the 1992 cult slasher that transforms everyday medical tools into weapons of destruction. Larry Drake delivers a maniacal performance as the titular villain whose high-pitched laugh and cringe-worthy puns accompany each of his uniquely gruesome kills. With an impressive body count of 17 vict...

Peter Jackson's outrageously gory 1992 splatter comedy "Dead Alive" surprised us all with its impressive 89% Rotten Tomatoes score. While we initially struggled through the slow-paced first twenty minutes, the film quickly transforms into a wild, blood-soaked roller coaster that had us simultaneously laughing and gagging. "Dead Alive" follows timid Lionel, whose controllin...

The killer doll that launched a franchise continues to haunt our collective nightmares. Child's Play (1988) introduced us to Chucky, a seemingly innocent "Good Guy" doll harboring the soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray. When young Andy Barclay receives the doll as a birthday present, his excitement quickly turns to terror as Chucky reveals his true nature. Director Tom Holland ma...

A white-faced puppet with blade hands, a tiny strongman with oversized fists, and a doll that vomits killer leeches—welcome to the bizarre world of "Puppet Master." This 1989 cult classic might have only scored 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, but somehow spawned an empire of 14 sequels, comic books, and even a video game. The film draws us into the mysterious Bodega Bay Inn where a group of psyc...

From the depths of 90s horror cinema comes "Critters 3" – a film so critically panned it earned a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score, yet somehow launched the career of one of Hollywood's most celebrated actors. Before becoming a global superstar and Oscar winner, Leonardo DiCaprio made his film debut battling furry alien monsters in this bizarre creature feature. These ravenous alien furball...

A vampire with impossibly long fingers, three American students in Romania, and finger-demons that moonwalk across the screen - welcome to the bizarre world of "Subspecies" (1991), a film that somehow earned an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes despite being what we collectively agreed was a spectacular failure. Diving deep into this peculiar vampire tale, we unpack the story of Radu, a droo...

Are classic horror films always as thrilling as we remember? In our latest episode, we explore the nature of fear, character dynamics, and the lore surrounding werewolves through the lens of Joe Dante's "The Howling." This 1981 film attempts to carve out a place in the horror genre with the franchise it spawned but leaves us grappling with issues of pacing, development, and the migh...

Get ready to uncover the shocking realities behind Sleepaway Camp, the 1983 horror film that has left its mark on the genre. In this exciting episode, we dive into the film’s unexpected twists that will keep you guessing. Angela Baker, portrayed as “the quiet one,” joins a summer camp with a dark secret that unravels amidst gripping suspense.  As we discuss the film, we dissect its clever social c...

What happens when a drifter faces off against a monster in a Maine textile mill, and the result is a film with a notorious 0% Rotten Tomatoes rating? "Graveyard Shift" is full of absurdity, and we are here to dissect every gruesome and laughable moment. We kick things off with a Rat’s Tail Cocktail—a quirky concoction that might just make the movie more palatable—and tackle the infamous...

Ever watched a film that made you question your deepest fears? We certainly did as we revisited the 1990 horror-comedy gem "Arachnophobia." With the film's unexpected suspense and a gin cocktail in hand, we'll unravel how a seemingly innocent spider invasion could amplify our own fears of the eight-legged creatures. We share our first encounters with this classic, from the nerv...

Remember those classic horror films that kept us glued to our seats as kids? Chad revisits those nostalgic jump scares in our latest episode of "Screams & Streams," where we take a deep, fun-filled dive into the 1981 slasher flick, "Friday the 13th Part 2." Join us as we unravel the chilling return of Jason Voorhees to Camp Crystal Lake and share our mixed bag of reactions—...

What do you get when you mix childhood fears with a dash of Reese's Pieces and a splash of nostalgia? On "Screams & Streams," we're cracking open the 1982 classic "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and getting into why it terrified Sam, and why it's still a classic to this day. We kick things off by reminiscing about how E.T. had us hiding behind our popcorn, debat...

Ever wondered what kind of chaos mutant cockroaches can unleash on a small town? Join us as we revisit the 1975 horror film "Bug," where an earthquake gives rise to a fiery insect invasion that left a lasting impression on some and terrified others to their core. We explore everything from the movie's dated visuals and slow pace to Mike's childhood trauma and intense fear of co...

What happens when nostalgia meets horror in the vibrant and fear-inducing era of the 1980s? Join us as we embark on a spirited journey through the decade's chilling cinematic landscape. We kick things off with a "sinister sip" of Long Island Iced Tea, a fitting tribute to an era that embraced both eclecticism and excess. From the technological terrors of "Maximum Overdrive&quot...

Picture this: a quadriplegic man, a helper monkey, and a wild ride of unintended comedy and horror. How does a movie intended to terrify end up being a source of laughs? That's the burning question we're tackling this week on Screams & Streams as Sam, Mike, and Chad reminisce about George A. Romero's 1988 film "Monkey Shines." From bizarre tropes like "perfect lif...