Chewing the Scenery Horror Movie Podcast

Episode 144 is a cautionary tale about what happens when a whole bunch of dudes and just one woman board a derelict space craft traveling in the tail of a comet and find giant bats and naked people and make the decision to bring all of that back to Earth with them. You know, that old yarn. You probably recognized that as “Lifeforce” (1985). This one had Tobe Hooper directing and was rolling with a...

Episode 143 could have been about something terrible, but Will saved the day! Instead of a bad sequel, your hosts will instead be talking about “Only Lovers Left Alive”. This is a 2013 film by Jim Jarmusch, a favorite director of all three of your hosts! If nothing else, this film will help you pass the time until the new Nic Cage horror film, “Mandy” comes out. The featured attraction is wanderin...

Episode 142 is a trip into the Shimmer. This is a rift, an event, a dimensional disruption, something like that. After some discussion of what they've recently watched, your hosts talk about “Annihilation” (2018). Will had really hoped Jolyon was talking about a movie called “Combat Shark”, but it was actually the far less exciting “Combat Shock”. Sorry, but feel free to make that one if you have...

Episode 141 marks the triumphant return of Will, your missing co-host! But please don’t shout about it, the naked bat creatures (or praying mantis monsters, whatevs) might get you! Yes, after a little catching up, your hosts talk about “A Quiet Place” (2018). Even though Will watched almost nothing while in New Mexico, he has managed to get back into the swing with “Snowbeast”, which is actually j...

Episode 140 answers the question “What do young people think of those 80’s slasher movies?”. Well, you might be wondering HOW that question gets answered and it’s pretty simple. An actual young person, Ziggy (yes, that’s her real name) joins Jolyon and Richard right after watching the first three “Friday the 13th” movies for the first time. No kidding, and she kinda binged them too! What did she t...

Episode 139 takes you on a trip to New Zealand. Yes, you get to hear about the comedic horror movie, “Deathgasm” (2015). Jolyon and Richard are joined by Mike C, who you might remember from the “Rare Exports” episode. Mike is a fan of and an expert on Black Metal, so you can trust his word on such a film as this. Your usual hosts are no slouches either, having been metalheads to some extent or ano...

Episode 138 - this is what it’s like when Blobs collide. Yes, you guessed it, your kind hosts are talking about “the Blob” (1958) and “the Blob” (1988). You could say this episode is an “Original vs Remake”, but the films each do certain things pretty well, so let’s not get all riled up! Something you may not remember is that the great Steve McQueen starred in the 1958 original. That Teen McQueen...

Episode 137 may upset some and it may find other listeners in agreement. “The Strangers: Prey at Night” (2018) had Jolyon doing the ironing by 40 minutes in. He advised Will to watch “literally anything else”. Richard had already seen it, but Will ended up watching “The Boy” (2016), which was all right. The predictable nature of the film’s style and the fact that it borrowed from plenty of other f...

Episode 136 explores a bit of a blind spot for some horror fans- the vampire comedy. Should you say that phrase with “air quotes” around it? Perhaps, since sometimes these aren’t so funny. Your hosts give it the old college try and watch a few anyway, with mixed results. Richard shares his experiences with “Rockula” and the Mel Brooks production, “Dracula, Dead and Loving It”. Jolyon talks about “...

Episode 135 is about a 1981 slasher (?) called “Night School”. Whether you enjoy this movie or not, one thing it accomplishes is introducing Rachel Ward as a feature film star. And, while this movie is more giallo than slasher, you might find it to be more of an unflavored giallo. In getting to the featured attraction, your hosts will talk a little about how vendor life at conventions depends a lo...

Episode 134 is about a franchise movie that really comes through. "Shin Godzilla” (2016) gives the screaming masses what they want. This list includes a giant monster, lots of urban destruction, actual miniature models where CG would just look bad, and some judicious use of CG where it truly fits. As if that isn’t enough, you get suspense, good writing and good acting. Sure, there are plenty of “G...

Episode 133 is one to keep you on your toes. “Oh, because of the thrilling suspense and horror of [REC] and the Ring?” you may ask. Well, sure, there’s that. There’s also the fact that one of your hosts is in New Mexico and another of your hosts brought his wife, Emily to help host the show! After discussing some recently watched movies and sharing a few amusing anecdotes, your hosts get to a smal...

Episode 132 finds your three hosts back in the studio, talking about the Tromo-adjacent “Mother’s Day” (1980). Since this episode is several days late for the actual holiday, you might ask, “is timing important?”. Well, the short answer is "no”. The movie doesn’t have anything to do with the holiday itself and turns out to be more of a revenge story. You may consider this movie too goofy to be sca...

Episode 131 starts with wind noise and the street sounds of Nashville, but it’s worth listening. That is because Richard is talking with "Coherence" star Nicholas Brendon. Yes, yes, he also did a little show called “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, and we do get to that eventually. If it takes too long, just blame the comet. Or the altitude. The previously covered movie, “Coherence” is discussed, and yo...

Episode 130 is a little different. In Jolyon’s brief absence, Will and Richard welcome back a guest host, Brian to talk about a movie called “The Ritual” (2017). This movie takes you on a "lad’s trip" to a hiking trail in Sweden to memorialize a late friend. “What could go wrong?” you might ask. Well, the group has to take a shortcut due to a leg injury, which means going into the forest. Sure, yo...

Episode 129 teaches us a good lesson. Always watch a movie a second time before recommending it to your co-hosts. At least when you like it at first because it surprises you for having exceeded your low expectations. Yes, “The Bloodlands” (2014) had some good acting, great-looking camera work and lighting, a creepy, suspenseful atmosphere, and some problems. Will wonders why you’d be a hapless boo...

Episode 128 is a good one for any listeners getting ready for a stay in a cabin, a tent, a vacation house…any of those places in or near the woods. That is, because your hosts are talking about some movies they recommend to set the mood for anyone wanting a good scare. If you’re pretty sure there’s not a head in the toilet and you’re a little too grown up for bullying, ridiculing or pranking, thes...

Episode 127 is about one of those movies that has a long title with a funny name in it. Yes, it’s time for “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon” (2006). We know what you’re thinking: “Hey, isn’t that the name of an old people stuff catalog or something?” No, that’s Lillian Vernon. Neither she nor Walter Drake are making elaborate plans to kill people. Well, at least not that we’re aware of....

Episode 126 finds your hosts ready for Spring and the resurrection side of “Rabbits and Resurrection”. Have the recently dead returned to life? Are they devouring their victims? Of course! But first, Will has been trying to get through his "to-watch” list, but it keeps piling up! The spider pit scene from "King Kong” (1933) is something that may never be checked off the list. Richard needed someth...

Episode 125 has a bit of Easter in mind. Rabbits and resurrection are always good themes, so release the rabbits! Well, since eyebrows girl already did that, get ready for what comes next: bloodthirsty, gigantic rabbits! Or “Lepus” if you prefer the original Latin. It’s doubtful that there is a Latin word for forced perspective or regular-sized rabbits on a miniature set, but that shouldn’t stop y...

Episode 124 will take you on a slow-speed chase across the Nevada desert, but you will only have the help of two of your hosts. That’s right, Will and Richard discuss “It Stains the Sands Red” (2016), which is not just another zombie movie. This one has few of the usual tropes and some original ideas about what a woman can do when that one annoying guy just won’t stop! Did we mention that this one...

Episode 123 just settles in with your hosts for a little catching up. Two weeks ago you got Dana Gould, a remarkable guest and a tough act to follow. Then there was a busy week which had your hosts in different places, having adventures and, of course, watching stuff. Richard has tales of Emerald City Comic Con and vendor life on the road. Jolyon tells of an old educational film about the perils o...

Episode 122 finds your kind hosts joined by comedian, writer, producer, actor, podcaster and horror nerd extraordinaire, Dana Gould! You may know him from comedy specials, his TV show “Stan Against Evil”, appearances in “Tales of Halloween” and “Southbound”, but he also was a writer on “The Simpsons” for several years. Dana talks to your hosts about what does and doesn’t “put the wind in his kazoo...

Episode 121 will thrill you. It’ll drill you. It might even kill you. Okay, so maybe that is taking it too far. Your hosts will, however, try to make some sense of the 1982 slasher movie, “The Slumber Party Massacre”. Although this one is fabled to have started as a parody, the execution ended up being an attempt at a more serious slasher. Did the humor that remained stick the landing? Listen and...

Episode 120 is an indirect way into “Women in Horror Month”. Your host have a look at the way Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” has been interpreted (and misinterpreted) in film over the years. Will watched four, which included “Frankenstein’s Army” (2013). Jolyon watched several, only one of which he described as “ a really wretched, sleazy, scummy, bad-looking European Frankenstein movie”. Just reme...