Dark Discussions Podcast

Witches in horror are one of the most interesting monsters. They can be the broomstick and black cauldron type with green skin and pointy hats, or they can be as nefarious as those seen in such films like THE LORDS OF SALEM (2012) and THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016). The new film, BAGHEAD (2024), is another take for this villain that was just released to the streaming station Shudder. Iris (Freya A...

Over 25 years ago, the Japanese film, RINGU (1998), led a wave of horror films that took some sort of object and turned it into a talisman. Supernatural evil then begins to haunt or curse teenagers or college co-eds leaving many dead, and the remainder including the survivor girl being unable to ever escape the paranormal blight that follows them forever. The Australian film, TALK TO ME (2023), to...

A weekly podcast discussing the Amazon Prime Fallout television series.

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL is one of those films that falls within both the Found Footage subcategory and the Cinema Verite subcategories of filmmaking. With its documentary style and its “live” camera shooting, the movie gives us the feel of both before and behind the cameras of a late night television talk show. Night Owls With Jack Delroy is one of the many, but most successful, variety tal...

A weekly podcast discussing the Amazon Prime Fallout television series.

A weekly podcast discussing the Amazon Prime Fallout television series.

Frank Herbert’s original 1965 story, DUNE, was an astounding success.  It has become one of America’s great novels, and is beloved by science fiction fans.  Most certainly apt to fit in with the space opera subset of speculative fiction, the book has been once again recently turned into a two part film series starting with director Denis Villeneuve’s first in the pair DUNE:  PART ON...

A weekly podcast discussing the Amazon Prime Fallout television series.

With a title like MIDNIGHT PEEPSHOW (2024), this latest film from England would spell out grindhouse or midnight movie. Also, once one takes a look, you find out it is actually a horror anthology that has a wraparound story that puts it together. With limited yet positive reviews, does the film live up to its name and its genre or is it a mixed bag like many horror anthologies seem to be...

If you haven’t heard of her yet, Syndney Sweeney is possibly the most sought after actress in Hollywood. She had starring roles in shows like EUPHORIA and THE WHITE LOTUS which suddenly made her a big star. With sex appeal and acting chops, and creating her own production company, she’s been able to star in a number of surprise hits such as 2023’s ANYONE BUT YOU. Then with her appea...

Welcome to Cortana’s Communiques – A weekly discussion of the Paramount+ television series HALO based on the video game series and the universe created by XBox. Starring Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone. Series synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo’.

Once again, after a long break, I am back to discuss all things esoteric and from the bizarre. This time it is I focus upon science and film and the new gigantic box office sensation DUNE PART TWO (2024).

As stated many times on this podcast, the Greys, the white and hairless aliens, are one of the monsters in the horror and science fiction genre that seem not to get enough screen time in film.  In 2022, the Paramount film SIGNIFICANT OTHER alluded to space invaders or some sort of being that may play a prominent role in the movie’s story. Ruth (Maika Monroe (IT FOLLOWS)) and Harry (Jake Lacy...

Welcome to Cortana’s Communiques – A weekly discussion of the Paramount+ television series HALO based on the video game series and the universe created by XBox. Starring Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone. Series synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo’.

The recently released film, MONOLITH (2024), is technically older as it was shown back in 2022.  An Australian film, the movie took a slow path before eventually getting a full release.  It went from festival to festival before arriving to VOD in January 2024 with a Blu-ray release set for April 2024. A failed and questionable journalist (Lily Sullivan) has started a podcast to try to re...

Welcome to Cortana’s Communiques – A weekly discussion of the Paramount+ television series HALO based on the video game series and the universe created by XBox. Starring Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone. Series synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo’.

The old German legend, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, was an old scary tale told to many of us as children, or it was part of a collection of fairy tales that we read.  The South Korean film, THE PIPER (2015), takes the premise of the legend and brings it to the post Korean War era in 1953 as a setup to the movie.  When a father and his young son head to Seoul to find a doctor that will be a...

Welcome to Cortana’s Communiques – A weekly discussion of the Paramount+ television series HALO based on the video game series and the universe created by XBox. Starring Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone. Series synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo’.

The unreliable narrator trope is a common theme in many films.  The new horror film, SOMEWHERE QUIET (2024), is a film written and directed Olivia West Lloyd where she wanted to make the film after the “final girl” survives.  What would her life be like after escaping or being rescued.  Meg (Jennifer Kim) and her husband Scott (Kentucker Audley) head out to his wealthy families Cape...

Welcome to Cortana’s Communiques – A weekly discussion of the Paramount+ television series HALO based on the video game series and the universe created by XBox.  Starring Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone. Series synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo’.

Emerald Fennell’s prior film, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (2020), received a lot of note and award nominations.  Her latest film came out late 2023.  SALTBURN (2023) is another dark thriller in same vein as such films as CRUEL INTENTIONS (1999), THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999), and even classic films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s REBECCA (1938).  Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) comes from humble...

Welcome to Cortana’s Communiques – A weekly discussion of the Paramount+ television series HALO based on the video game series and the universe created by XBox.  Starring Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone. Series synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo’.

Gregg Araki, probably best known for THE DOOM GENERATION (1995), though not prolific, he has come out with a number of films of note including MYSTERIOUS SKIN (2004).  The script was written by Araki based off a novel of the same name written by author Scott Heim.  A Patreon pick from one of our listeners, the podcast takes a look at the film. Brian Lackey (Brady Corbet), a young man, re...

Welcome to Cortana’s Communiques – A weekly discussion of the Paramount+ television series HALO based on the video game series and the universe created by XBox. Starring Pablo Schreiber and Natascha McElhone. Series synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo’.

The “Black List” is the top screenplays that have circulated around Hollywood and producers that have not been purchased or made yet.  But the buzz follows them.  The new film I.S.S. (2024) is just that.  The script by Nick Shafir was finally purchased and made into the movie.  Distributed by Bleecker Street, the film debuted at theaters on January 19th, 2024. Dr. Kira Foster (...