Grave Discussions

What a year it's been! The world of horror has seen an uptick in critic and fan approval with some fantastic and disturbing fare, from Jordan Peele's socially conscious "Us" to Ari Aster's mind-bending "Midsommar", but what terror-filled tale stands above the rest? In such an approachable and creative genre, many filmmakers vie to create something truly horrifying and t...

Now a holiday classic, the 1974 cult stalker-slasher "Black Christmas" gave the horror world Billy, a sorority sister killer whose frantic voice disturbed audiences. Sophia Takal's innovative PG-13 re-imagining bears the same name but subverts the typically vague, moody atmosphere of the original with a direct examination of male privilege and female empowerment. Is Takal's "Bl...

Jingle , jingle , jingle all the slay!! 2006 saw the return of Billy in Glen Morgan's "Black Christmas" remake, a considerably more brutal take on Bob Clark's original holiday slasher. With another adaptation hitting theaters this holiday season, Barnabas and Samael look back on the controversial film with fresh, squirming eyes. Does "Black Christmas" hold up despite near-u...

The horrordays are upon us and Barnabas and Samael are filled with glee! They've put up their ornaments and placed a black star on top of their tree. Now sit back, grab a Christmas cookie, and listen to this all-new episode for free! The grievously grinchy group open their hearts this merry season and explore more festive, bloody holiday horror by highlighting two underrated Christmas gems in...

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to get together and appreciate the good that warms their lives, so per usual in the horror genre, somebody has to mess it all up! In this episode, Barnabas and Samael invite Turkie to their deliciously dreadful dinner table and examine perhaps the most prominent Thanksgiving-themed horror film of all time, "Thankskilling"! The raunchy, ultra-lo...

The sins of the past haunt Danny Torrance in "Doctor Sleep", Stephen King's epic sequel to "The Shining", and who better than modern-day horror maestro Mike Flanagan to direct the feature adaptation? The "Haunting of Hill House" director helms an ambitious foray into the dark fantasy world of Dan's clouded adulthood, where a little girl with a familiar psychic power...

The [Stephen] King of Horror has historically opposed Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of his now-famous haunted hotel novel, "The Shining", but that hasn't stopped it from becoming one of the most acclaimed films of all time. Now, 40 years later, the sequel "Doctor Sleep" hits theaters worldwide, and the dreary winter air makes revisiting Kubrick's Overlook Hotel the perfe...

Robert Eggers captivated some and lost others with his debut film "The VVitch," igniting conversations about the state of ambiguous, fever pitch-style horror. His sophomore project, "The Lighthouse," puts many of the same elements on the pedestal and challenges convention with a black-and-white nightmare helmed bravely by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. The film has been critica...

Much like Michael Myers's murderous intent, this special episode has been a long time coming: an in-death dissection of the original "Halloween"! John Carpenter's 1978 masterpiece ingrained realistic horror into the suburbs of contemporary America and changed the landscape of the genre and fanbase forever; Barnabas and Samael examine how this tonal shift came to pass and also how t...

Halloween quickly approaches, and there's no better time to turn on some classic terrifying tales. In this episode, Barnabas and Samael highlight several horrific horror films from their 31 Graves of Halloween lists that any fan should have on their October watchlist! Whether you're looking for the Blue Skeleton in new Halloween-themed favorite "The Houses October Built" or hunting...

To kick off the month of October, this special episode features guest interviewee Luke Castle. As president of the Royal Starr Arts Institute, his organization hosts monthly filmmaker mixers in Royal Oak, Michigan that will be debuting in a new location this month, and with an exciting theme: a Halloween party! Barnabas and Samael ask Luke about this special event, the film festival, his own exper...

Being hailed as a modern fairy tale masterpiece and reminiscent of Guillermo Del Toro's earlier works concerning the Spanish Civil War, Issa López's "Tigers Are Not Afraid" thrusts children into the unsettlingly realistic streets of cartel-controlled Mexico. When their parents are killed by these gang members, a rag-tag orphan group must conquer their collective fears and escape th...

Andy Muschietti's "It" remains the highest-grossing horror film of all time* and affirmed Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise as a genre icon, so returning to Derry in "It Chapter 2" was inevitable. The Loser's Club returns to fight the evil clown and now they're all grown up, portrayed by an all-star cast that drives a blockbuster fright flick. In this episode, Barnabas and...

Booooyyy! Don Coscarelli's "Phantasm" franchise has simultaneously been one of the lowest-performing and most beloved horror franchises since its inception in 1979. As a whole, it's flown under the radar of Grave Discussions hosts Barnabas and Samael until recently, when the haunting hosts saw all five films for the first time and immediately fell in love. In this episode, the duo...

Hide and Seek has never been so life-threatening - or exhilarating! On this episode of Grave Discussions, Barnabas and Samael debut a shorter and more focused show format and review Fox Searchlight's "Ready or Not," which places Samara Weaving in an extremely dangerous version of the classic childhood game. Dense with evil elites, humor, and gallons upon gallons of blood, the terrible...

The "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" books captivated and terrified children in the 80s and 90s by introducing shocking imagery and impactful writing - it also helped shape a new generation of horror fans! Now the 2019 film will try to do the same. In this episode, Barnabas and Samael offer their exclusive review and discuss how the film foregoes standard anthology structure and still a...

A villain as old as time and perhaps the greatest perceived evil in all of cinema, the devil has likely been portrayed more than any other figure. In horror, those portrayals have been simultaneously criticized and praised by watchful eyes, and while many feel similar, some introduce Satan in incredibly unique ways. In this episode, Barnabas and the devilish Samael examine those portrayals, highli...

Peanut butter and jelly... drugs, , and rock and roll; some things just go together, but horror and comedy? In this episode, Barnabas and Samael examine the gut-busting wit and humor that have turned some terrifying cinematic situations into rollicking adventures, paying special attention to "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil." As part of the hilarious discussion, Mel Brooks's "Dracula: D...

Looking forward, 2019 felt like a promising, if not questionable, year for the horror genre. A smorgasbord of remakes, spinoffs, and adaptations was slated and irate fans echoed the frustrations of prior years; arthouse horror, on the other hand, only further affirmed that it was here to stay. Midway through 2019, Barnabas and Samael use this episode of Grave Discussions to examine what has happen...

Ari Aster continues to have one of the most explosive and controversial debuts in horror with the feverish, broad-day depiction of folk horror that is "Midsommar." A journey in and of itself, the sophomore project is examined in spoiler-free detail by Barnabas and Samael in this exclusive review episode. Does it stack up to Hereditary, or is this a different experience altogether? The devi...

Modern horror's favorite haunted doll, Annabelle, conjures up a plethora of entities and scares in the newest franchise installment "Annabelle Comes Home." In this episode, Barnabas and Samael heed the call and offer their thoughts in an exclusive review. Also, teens get possessed in the surrounding segments which feature "Night of the Creeps" in the Cult Corner and "Soul t...

It's finally time to play, buddies! With a fresh new look, personality, and voice, Chucky has returned to the silver screen in Lars Klevberg's "Child's Play" for one more scare... and Barnabas and Samael emerge from their crypts to give you an exclusive review! As long-time fans of the quintessential killer doll, find out what the pair think about the newest iteration. In a sim...

One of the most divisive horror films of the year, Lars Klevberg's "Child's Play", aims to turn the killer doll subgenre of horror on its head. But before that, Barnabas and Samael return to offer their list of the must-see movies featuring the porcelain puppets and mannequins that have terrorized viewers for decades. Leading up, the original 1988 "Child's Play" is exam...

In 1982, two horror icons joined forces for an unprecedented genre experience. "Creepshow" became the fevered brainchild of George A. Romero and Stephen King and the epitome of a practical horror anthology; now, Greg Nicotero and Shudder join forces to revive the classic film as a streaming series! In this episode, Barnabas and Samael discuss the upcoming project and the stories it aims to...

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes; some can be very human and terrifying in ways that we can understand, and some can be living incarnations of prehistoric titans, primal beings with only one goal: domination. Either way, there would be no horror without these wicked forces! In the first ever double feature review episode, Barnabas and Samael discuss two films poised to kick off a historically...