Certified Forgotten

You've heard of found footage horror, but is the world ready for a found commentary horror? In this week's episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by writer-director Michael Varrati ( @MichaelVarrati ) to discuss Director's Cut, Adam Rifkin's movie-within-a-movie collaboration with actor-magician Penn Jillette. There's a lot going on in this film, but let us leave with this: if you've...

It is the movie that shook the nation - and no, we're not talking about Hell House LLC, but the in-world documentary that serves as the basis for Hell House LLC 2: The Abaddon Hotel. And if that sounds confusing to you, then leave it to the Matts and special guest Alice Collins ( @vampaly ) to unpack the film. In this episode of Certified Forgotten, we'll discuss found footage, horror franchises,...

If the house is a-rockin', it's monsters! This week the Matts are joined by DeVaughn Taylor (@_daddydisco) from the Bloody Blunts Cinema Club to talk about a hidden "found footage" gem that says it all in the title: The Monster Project.  

What would life be like without the occasional yakuza film to keep us company? In this special two-guest episode of Certified Forgotten, The Matts are joined by Leigh Monson ( @LeighMonsonPBF ) and Amelia Emberwing ( @ThatWitchMia ) to discuss Blood of Wolves, a Japanese gangster epic from 2018. How do films about corrupt cops play after two years of police "accountability"? And does Blood of Wolv...

Stop dancing and you'll die - that's the challenge faced by Zano, the Greek vampire at the center of Yannis Veslemes's debut horror feature Norway. For this very special episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts speak with Terror Vision's Brad Henderson ( @BradFHenderson ) about how he came to fall in love with this disco-fueled vampire nightmare. If you've ever wanted to know how independent film...

What would you give up to make the perfect horror film? If you are the main character in Kim Jin-won's Warning: Do Not Play, the answer is everything - and more. In this episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by Richard Whittaker ( @YorkshireTX ), Culture Editor at the Austin Chronicle, to discuss the growing Austin film industry and the enduring power of films about films.

How far would you go to protect humankind? In this episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by Heather Wixson ( @ thehorrorchick ) to discuss Alien Raiders, Ben Rock's sci-fi indie that offers a 2000s spin on The Thing. Don't be fooled by the title: the world is a better place with this single-location monster movie in it.

With a new year - and new listeners - upon us, the Matts decide to take a moment and remind the Certified Forgotten faithful what this beautiful podcast is all about. This mini-episode serves as a re-introduction to the Certified Forgotten series and highlights a few key changes to both the podcast and the website in 2022.

Are you ready to go... all the way? In this episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by Fangoria Managing Editor Ariel Fisher ( @Afis8 ) to discuss the rock-and-roll greatness of Deborah Navarra-Brock's Slumber Party Massacre 2. Is this film deserving of a place in the all-time cult canon? And does its handling of both glitter and trauma make it the rare film that Monagle and Donato bo...

Ready to greet the end of the world with a smile? In this episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by veteran film festival programmer Luke Mullen ( @ldmullen ) to discuss There Are Monsters, writer-director Jay Dahl's feature adaptation of his award-winning short. Did this movie have the best jump scare both Monagle and Donato have ever seen? And what about that killer ending? Listen...

There are tough watches, there are tough fucking watches, and then there is Eat Me. In 2018, Jacqueline Wright brought her controversial play to the big screen, and the result is a pseudo-rape revenge film unlike anything you've ever seen. Join the Matts and special guest Jenn Adams ( @jennferatu ) as they discuss the fine line between exploitation and catharsis - and why, if you can stick with a...

New York City. Center of the universe. Times are shitty, but I'm pretty sure they can't get worse - unless, of course, you're the title character in Andres Torres's scuzzy horror-comedy Bag Boy Lover Boy. In this episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by horror journalist Dede Crimmins to discuss their shared love of genre film festivals and how to handle the horror that makes us mos...

Is there a more emblematic midnighter than Tetsuro Takeuchi's Wild Zero? Join The Matts and guest Harmony M. Colangelo as they punch their ticket to a bonkers Japanese spectacle that features zombies, hot pants and greaser punk vibes provided by rockers Guitar Wolf. Don't forget: "Love has no borders, nationalities or genders!" It's time we all practice what Guitar Wolf preaches.

What makes a horror video game different from a horror film? What does the future hold for cinematic video game adaptations? And how will history remember Uwe Boll? These are just a few of the questions The Matts tackle in this week's episode of Certified Forgotten. Here to guide the discussion is film and video game critic Reyna Cervantes , who comes ready to talk all things BloodRayne (and Blood...

Missed your chance to listen to our podcast episode from the 2021 North Bend Film Festival? We've got you covered! Join the former hosts of the late, great Switchblade Sisters podcast - screenwriter April Wolfe and film critic Katie Walsh - as they discuss The Siren, Perry Blackshear's memorable 2019 horror film. We talk about folklore, filmmaking, and the all-important question: why aren't more h...

In this long-overdue new episode of Certified Forgotten - and yes, we missed you too - the Matts are joined by WhatToWatch editor Amelia Emberwing to talk all things Troma and Fernando Alle's absurdist trash-sterpiece, Mutant Blast. Is this a Monagle movie or a Donato movie? You'll never guess the exciting reveal!

How much movie can you make for $5,000? If you're writer-director Stacy Davidson, that will buy you one Sweatshop, a throwback-style slasher with some incredibly creative kills. In this episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by Mike Snoonian (The Pod and the Pendulum, Psychoanalysis: A Horror Therapy Podcast) to discuss horror, therapy, and the underrated period of post-Saw splatter.

If one were to describe Mike Mendez's 2000 cult classic in a single sentence, it might be this: The Convent is a film that arrived either 20 years too late or 10 years too early. Steeped in video nasties of the '70s and '80s, Mendez's film offers an early glimpse of the VHS nostalgia that would soon dominate the horror genre. And in this episode of Certified Forgotten, Monagle and Donato are joine...

Did the world really need a porn parody slasher? Well, if the result is as funny - and Adult Swim weird - as Deep Murder, then the answer has to be yes. In this episode of Certified Forgotten, Monagle and Donato are joined by Horror Queers co-host Trace Thurman to talk about Nick Corirossi's 2018 horror-comedy, which runs the gamut from Clue to Pleasantville to, uh, Dude Bro Party Massacre III? Co...

In 2008, Spanish filmmaker F. Javier Gutiérrez took his modest end-of-the-world thriller to the highest heights of the film festival circuit, including a nomination for Best Debut Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. So why is Before the Fall (Tres días) so unknown within genre circles? In this week's episode of Certified Forgotten, filmmaker Becky Sayers joins Monagle and Donato to dis...

It has been described as Evil Dead (2013) meets Memento, which is probably all you should know going in about David Yarovesky's wildly underseen - and wildly creative - science fiction horror film. And here to guide the conversation is the Blogging Banshee herself, Molly Henery . Join Molly, Monagle, and Donato as they explore maybe the most fun horror movie to grace the Certified Forgotten podcas...

Looking for a Midsommar fix without all that pesky "prestige" or "budget"? Friends, do we have a pick for you. In this episode, Matthew Monagle and Matt Donato are joined by Certified Forgotten contributing editor Christine Makepeace to discuss Population 436, Michelle MacLaren's 2006 direct-to-video gem.

Is it possible for the first film in an international horror mega-franchise to really be "forgotten"? If you're the Ju-On franchise, the answer is yes. On this week's episode, Matthew Monagle  and  Matt Donato are joined by Terry Mesnard to discuss Takashi Shimizu's debut feature, often lost in a confusing labyrinth of remakes and sequels.

What began as a very special video episode of Certified Forgotten for the Reel Love Film Festival now finds its way to your podcast platform of choice! In this episode, Matthew Monagle and Matt Donato are joined by Haleigh Foutch and Perri Nemiroff, the co-hosts of Collider's Witching Hour. Together, the dynamic duos discuss Breaking Surface, a 2020 underwater thriller from director Joachim Hedén.

How can a big-budget sequel to an international hit disappear from the public eye? This is the question the Certified Forgotten team must grapple with. On this week's episode, Matthew Monagle  and  Matt Donato are joined by Jonathan Barkan to talk about French cinema, religious horror, and those darn ninja monks from hell.