The THING about Films

Send Us Your Scares! In this episode, Ambrose and Kelly astral project straight into Insidious (2011) and break down how James Wan and Leigh Whannell reinvented the modern jump scare with almost no gore and a tiny budget. They dig into the “quiet creative desperation” that pushed the Saw duo back to their indie roots and turned a low-budget ghost story into a box office monster. You’ll hear how In...

Send Us Your Scares! Don’t touch that light switch—you’re going to want to see what’s hiding in the corners for this one. In this episode, Ambrose and Kelly blur the lines between spiritual terror and psychiatric reality. We are diving deep into the heartbreaking and terrifying true story of Anneliese Michel , the young German woman whose tragic death inspired The Exorcism of Emily Rose . Was it a...

Send Us Your Scares! What happens when a bunch of broke Michigan kids decide they’d rather summon Deadites than get normal jobs? Ambrose and Kelly hike back to the cabin to dig into The Evil Dead and the beautiful chaos behind it. They walk through how Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and friends went from backyard Super 8 shorts to a miserable winter shoot in Tennessee, sleeping on floors and inventing...

Send Us Your Scares! Charge your flashlight, lock the basement door, and welcome back to The THING About Films . This week, Ambrose and Kelly are calling on The Conjuring (2013) and asking the big questions: How did a “little” haunted house movie turn into a horror empire? Where does the real Perron family story end and the Hollywood version begin? And what happens when your “based on a true story...

Send Us Your Scares! This week we crack open It Follows, the modern slow-burn nightmare that turned a simple idea into pure anxiety. We dig into the real childhood dream that sparked the story, why the world of the film feels “out of time,” how the camera work makes you paranoid on purpose, and how Disasterpeace built that pulse-raising score in a wild three-week sprint. We also talk box office gl...

Send Us Your Scares! 🕯️ Episode Summary This week, Ambrose and Kelly crack open one of the most disturbing modern horror films — Ari Aster’s Hereditary . From the gut-wrenching screams of Toni Collette to that unforgettable attic scene, they dig deep into the film’s raw exploration of grief, guilt, and fate. It’s family trauma turned into full-blown occult horror — and we’re not holding anything b...

Send Us Your Scares! This week on The THING about Films , we are stepping into the telekinetic terror that started it all. Stephen King’s Carrie did not just launch one of horror’s most tragic characters. It launched Stephen King himself into the pop-culture stratosphere. We break down the journey from King’s debut novel in 1974 to the iconic 1976 film adaptation that made prom night a blood-soake...

Send Us Your Scares! Ambrose and Kelly break down how IT evolved from King’s doorstop novel into the 1990 TV classic, the R-rated 2017/2019 films, and the upcoming prequel Welcome to Derry . We talk fear, friendship, why Derry feels “alive,” and why Pennywise still wrecks our nerves. Highlights Derry as a character, not a backdrop Two timelines and why that’s hard to adapt 1990 ABC constraints vs....

Send Us Your Scares! 🎧 Summary This week, we dig into Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat — the horror anthology that turned Halloween night into a rulebook for survival. From studio setbacks to cult status, we break down how Sam, the burlap-masked spirit of Halloween, became an icon and why this film deserves its annual spot in your spooky season lineup. 🕸️ Key Topics Michael Dougherty — Writer a...

Send Us Your Scares! Starring Betsy Palmer as Pamela Voorhees and Adrienne King as Alice, this landmark slasher film helped cement the genre’s place in mainstream cinema. The special effects were handled by Tom Savini , whose practical gore effects became legendary for their shocking realism. Produced on a modest budget of roughly $550,000–$650,000 , the film went on to gross nearly $60 million wo...

Send Us Your Scares! This week, Ambrose and Kelly dig into Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects — the brutal, blood-soaked follow-up to House of 1000 Corpses . It’s not just gore and chaos; it’s a dusty road trip through Americana, revenge, and the ugly heart of violence itself. We’re breaking down the Firefly family’s twisted journey, Sheriff Wydell’s descent into obsession, and why this movie feels...

Send Us Your Scares! Some movies you watch. Others you survive . William Friedkin’s The Exorcist wasn’t just a horror film — it was a cultural earthquake. Pea soup, spinning heads, fainting audiences, whispers of a “curse,” and a box office run that rewrote the rules of cinema. Half a century later, this nightmare still hasn’t let go of us. In this episode of The THING about Films , we peel back e...

Send Us Your Scares! Some horror movies fade the second the credits roll. The Entity (1982) isn’t one of them. This controversial classic drops you straight into a nightmare: a single mother terrorized by an unseen force. But it’s more than supernatural scares—it’s about trauma, institutional gaslighting, and the terrifying question of what happens when no one believes you. In this episode, we bre...

Send Us Your Scares! Grab your popcorn (and maybe a barf bag) because this week we’re diving straight into the blood-soaked circus of the Terrifier franchise. From Art the Clown’s scrappy beginnings in indie shorts, to audiences literally fainting during Terrifier 2 , to the twisted holiday carnage of Terrifier 3 — and yes, all the speculation about where Damien Leone is taking us in Terrifier 4 ....

Send Us Your Scares! What happens when horror and comedy collide on the foggy English moors? In 1981, John Landis gave us the answer with An American Werewolf in London —a film that’s as bloody as it is hilarious, and as tragic as it is unforgettable. This week on The THING about Films , we’re diving deep into one of the most iconic horror-comedies ever made. From its strange real-life inspiration...

Send Us Your Scares! Barbecue, road trips, and… cannibalism? This week, we’re diving straight into the sweaty, sun-baked nightmare that changed horror forever: Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre . We’re talking: 🔪 The chaos of filming — unbearable heat, unwashed costumes, and a dinner scene so rancid it made actors sick. 🎥 The art of grit — how a shoestring budget, 16mm film, and Daniel P...

Send Us Your Scares! Grab your fava beans and a nice Chianti, because this week we’re digging into Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-sweeping nightmare masterpiece, The Silence of the Lambs. In this episode, we explore how a horror film not only broke into Hollywood’s most exclusive club but completely cleaned house — winning the “Big Five” Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Adapted...

Send Us Your Scares! After a 14-year hiatus, the Final Destination franchise roared back to life with Bloodlines —and we’re diving headfirst into why it’s more than just another round of creative death scenes. From box office dominance to bold mythology rewrites, this episode unpacks how a horror sequel turned into one of the biggest genre hits of 2025. We break down: 📈 From Streaming to Theatric...

Send Us Your Scares! Welcome film fans! In this episode, your hosts Ambrose and Kelly pull back the curtain on the horror franchise that changed the rules: Scream. We're taking a deep dive into the groundbreaking 1996 original and its meta-savvy 2022 successor to explore how this witty, surprising, and complex series came to be and why its legacy endures. The creation of the original Scream i...

Send Us Your Scares! The THING about Films - Episode: Near Dark In this episode, we're diving deep into the dusty, sun-baked, and utterly brutal world of Kathryn Bigelow's 1987 cult classic, Near Dark . Forget everything you think you know about vampires – no gothic castles or sparkling teenagers here! Near Dark rips up the rulebook, offering a raw, violent, and surprisingly haunting tak...

Send Us Your Scares! Ever watch a movie ending so shocking it made you spit out your popcorn, question your sanity, and wonder if therapy might be necessary? Today on The THING about Films, we're revisiting the summer camp horror classic that left everyone traumatized back in '83—the infamous and unforgettable Sleepaway Camp . We're diving headfirst into the awkward acting, the biza...

Send Us Your Scares! On its 50th anniversary, we're not just asking if Jaws is still scary, we're asking why it has never been equaled. Join us as we dive deep into the bloody waters of this cinematic classic! Key Takeaways: * Jaws' Enduring Power: Even after 50 years and countless CGI monsters, Jaws' suspense, realistic characters, and perfectly timed jump scares remain incred...