Essential Scares

The fifth (or fifteenth, depending on how you count) entry in a major franchise is never an easy place to be, but director Dan Trachtenberg of 10 Cloverfield Lane fame took on the task in this Hulu original flick. Disney's first film in the Predator franchise since buying Fox, do they succeed at reinvigorating the franchise? Does Amber Midthunder cement her place as a action-horror heroine? Most i...

Mad God (2022) a stop motion film thirty years in the making has recently released, and right off the bat the stop motion animation of this film is some of the greatest in all filmmaking.  We the audience are dropped into this disgusting twisted world of filth and destitution galore.  In the field of death there is a very strange beauty that is personified throughout the film.  As i...

Kicking off our side series on gaming, we get controller deep into the classic Amnesia: The Dark Descent. ************************************************** TIMECODES 0:00 - Intro 1:09 - Spoiler Warning 2:21 - Synopsis 3:45 - Discussion 48:51 - Final Review 54:26 - Is it essential? 1:00:43 - Socials, Suggestions, Sign Off ************************************************** Rate and subscribe! &nbsp...

Concluding Jordan Peele month, we bring you our thoughts on Nope (2022).   ************************************************** TIMECODES 0:00 - Intro 0:49 - Spoiler Warning 1:34 - Synopsis 3:15 - Discussion 37:04 - Final Review 43:28 - Is it essential? 49:10 - Socials, Suggestions, Sign Off ************************************************** Rate and subscribe!  Follow us below for more fr...

Moving right through the Jordan Peele Directorial Filmography, we bring you our thoughts on Us (2019)!  Undeniably we here on the show are big fans of Jordan Peele's unique form of horror, and that is no different for Us.  The real question though is, can Peele live up to his own glory?  When a director sets the bar so high, how does he or she really continue to stay on that level?...

Get Out (2017) is a film that we knew we would cover one day on the show and that day has finally come!  The seminal film from Jordan Peele is an absolute delight and we do not sugar coat our love for this film throughout the show.  On top of this movie being a fantastic horror film it also finds a way to say what it is trying to say without beating you over the head with it.  We ha...

What's going on, guys! This week on Essential Scares, we celebrated the 4th of July and did not have time to record our episode on Get Out - instead, we pulled this episode from the vault for your listening pleasure. This was a review we did when Godzilla vs. Kong was brand new for our previous show that turned into Essential Scares. Though we do not have an "Is it essential?" discussion, the bone...

This may be the most anticipated movie we have covered so far!  Black Phone (2022) is a movie that has been delayed time and time again due to the obvious factors of the past 2 years.  Was it worth the wait?  I can't give away too much yet, but I will say we did quite enjoy this film as a whole.  Also it was the first time we as a cast watched a movie for the show all in the sa...

Wearing it's inspiration clearly on it's sleeve, this week we bring you our thoughts on Willy's Wonderland (2021)!  To call this a Five Nights at Freddy's clone does sell this movie a little short, but honestly not that much.  It unabashedly is exactly what you think it will be, while also having Nic Cage in.  Genuinely what more do you want or need?  Regardless of how much fun...

The latest movie from Horror Legend David Cronenberg is here and we just had to make sure we covered it as quickly as we could!  Crimes of the Future (2022) is a movie that in one word can be summarized as captivating.  Imagery is shown that is so bold and brash it demands your attention.  Crimes of the Future is a film that will make you think as you are leaving the theater, what t...

This month we wanted to get around to some newer releases, and we figured there is no better option to start with than X (2022)!  A24 has this wonderful eye for Horror, and X is another great example of this in their portfolio.  A group of people go out to the desert to make a film, and the horror and dread they face once they get to their destination is truly haunting.  Has A24 gra...

To celebrate our 50th episode, we felt it was best to bring it back to the franchise we started this show with, The Conjuring (2013)!  For better or worst The Conjuring Franchise has seen massive success outside of the standard horror movie goer audience.  Does that mean it is defacto essential?  Absolutely not, however it is not without merit that the Conjuring is certainly an impo...

What a show this week! We bring you the most iconic movie themed around Klowns, Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)! This movie is made by special effects experts and they managed to stretch every single dollar of their small budget to create some truly iconic designs in all of horror.  However, a good design does not an essential horror movie make.  Does a movie with so little gore de...

This week on Essential Scares we continue our journey through our fan suggestions list with the original VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED.  Does this 1960 original deserve to be remembered for more than a good poster, or is it better off forgotten?  More importantly...is it essential? ************************************************** TIMECODES 0:00 - Intro 1:05 - Spoiler Warning 1:57 - Synopsis 3:...

This week on Essential Scares we look back on one of the most iconic scenes in horror history - and the movie leading up to it. Huge thanks to Nicole on Instagram for the suggestion this week - you rock! If you want your suggestion featured on the show, hit us up via DM on socials or on Discord. **************************************************  TIMECODES  0:00 - Intro  1:29 - Spoi...

This movie and podcast are both Fever Dreams, and we wouldn't have it any other way.  Full stop, we laughed along with this movie through and through, and it really shows within this podcast.  Is this movie nonsensical?  Absolutely.  Is this movie intentionally bad subsequently making this movie not bad?  Maybe.  Most importantly though, is it essential?   ******...

The capstone episode this month could be none other than The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)!  Look, I'm going to come right out and say it.  We all loved this movie a whole lot.  We gush, in all ways, about just how fun and also important this movie is to horror and culture in general.  One piece of advice we have for you all, watch this in your home for your first viewing. &...

Sweeney Todd was in every way designed for Scene kids from the late 00's and early 2010's.  If you didn't already know, that basically describes our crew to a T.  A movie that is dark in tone and color pallet with a massive pop of red for good measure, Sweeney Todd really seems to know exactly what it is.  We all had a wonderful time this week watching this bloody mess of a film. &n...

We're keeping the music playing with our second movie in the theme - Little Shop of Horrors! A film adaptation of a classic creature feature turned stage musical, how do we feel it crosses back onto the silver screen? Do we love classic stage music? Is this movie scary at all? Will Bobby seek out a future role as Seymour? Most importantly though, is it essential? **********************************...

Kicking off Horror Musical month we have the cult classic Repo The Genetic Opera!  Probably the goriest of all the horror musicals out there, and we make sure to absolutely gush about just how great the practical effects are.  With some standout tracks and a terrifying aesthetic Repo does do a lot of things right.  Does it live up to the memory we have of this film from the release...

Wrapping up our Irish themed month we, somewhat unintentionally, watched the most Irish horror movie we could find, Rawhead Rex!  There is something to be said for bad horror movies that seem to have one absolutely captivating scene, and I don't think we have had a more clear example of it on the show so far.  We definitely had fun watching this one, but it also left us wanting in many w...

Centering a month around St. Patrick's Day had to include Leprechaun (1993)!  Warwick Davis absolutely steals the spotlight every single time he is on the screen, and unfortunately the other characters are all awful.  We take a good amount of time to talk about all the things we hate about this film, but none of us truly hate the film.  How does this movie flirt with being a racist...

Rolling on through our March Madness month, we bring you our thoughts on the oddly centrist movie Maniac Cop (1988)!  This movie meanders quite a bit, but ultimately finds a way to make a strangely interesting point with it's own politics.  Regardless of that though, do we as horror fans deserver a movie with Tom Atkins AND Bruce Campbell?  Is the cover art of this movie great or te...

Hillybilly horror month had to conclude with new Texas Chainsaw Massacre(2022)!  Our thoughts come in a little late compared to the rest of the world, but that is not going to stop us from ripping into this "film".  How old is Leatherface in this film?  What was the message of this movie? Most importantly, is it essential?  ************************************************** TIM...

This week's regularly scheduled Essential Scares has been replaced with a throwback episode! If you've been following us since before we were codified as Essential Scares this one will be new to you; if you were around before, this is an oldie (but a goodie!). This week all three hosts were busy celebrating Bobby's long awaited wedding day to Producer Malorie, and we did not have time to record a...