The Pod and the Pendulum: A Horror Movie Podcast

This week we're joined by Terry Mesnard (Gayley Dreadful, Scarred for Life podcast, We Are Horror 'zine) and Kelly Gredner (Spinsters of Horror) for the first of our two shows on Dream Master. Freddy's back and this time he has a whole new gang of kids to terrorize in this fan favorite from the late 80s. Since we had so many people want to guest on this discussion, we've set aside two shows for th...

Cue heavy metal high pitched warbling because we are back with a MEGA episode about series fan favorite Dream Warriors. Jerry had to duck out of this episode lest he feel the wrath of our panel for him sharing his belief that this is "meh" at best but we're joined by Brian Keiper (Dread Central, Bloody Disgusting) and author Cynthia Pelayo (Poems of my Night, The Missing). We also have a...

It's been called "the gayest horror movie of all time" by some, and it's appalling treatment of star Mark Patton in the press by director Jack Sholder and writer David Chaskin has been a source of controversy and criticism  since its release. This week we're joined by Jay Alary of Daily Grindhouse and Grumpire & Sam Wineman, director of the upcoming LGBTQ horror documentary for Shudd...

We continue our breakdown of Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street with a chat on how the standout practical effects of this movie influenced a generation of effect artists, Bob Shaye's role in bringing the film to life, how Nancy used the psychological tactic of lucid dreaming to fight back against a monster, and the influence a great score has on influencing the tone of a horror movie. Jerry ha...

This week we kick off our coverage on arguably the greatest franchise in horror film history: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Born from the childhood nightmares of Wes Craven, Freddy Kreuger transformed from a horror villain to a pop culture icon that appeared on MTV, awards shows, lunch boxes, comic books, action figures, posters and anything else you could print his likeness on. That's quite a feat f...

This week we're joined once again by Nat Brehmer (@NatBrehmer) for a super fun commentary on Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. We answer the important questions: What if they kept the bandaged look for Michael, when did the Shape morph into Jason and why are there so many damn photos of Abe Lincoln in the garage?    Plus, stick around after the credits for a brief excerpt of our patreon ex...

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This week we look at the 2008 straight-to-video thriller JOY RIDE 2. Yes, Rusty Nails is back, and this time there's a lot more of a torture porn feel to the proceedings. More importantly, Mike and Jerry discuss what exactly a "third wave emo punk" exactly is. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for a...

Heading into the weekend, we have a special bonus episode with filmmaker Charles de Lauzirika as he discusses his history with the Alien franchise as the director of the incredible behind the scenes documentary included on the Quadrology box set. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Coming at the tail end of the teen slasher revival, Joy Ride knows exactly what it is. A fun, popcorn movie that’s part car chase, part noire-thriller and part road trip movie. Released October 2001, this feels like one of the final films of a specific era of horror, where genre wasn’t afraid to mix a lot of fun and lightheartedness into the scares. 911 changed that, and it wouldn't be long before...

This week we’re joined by Sarah Stubbs (@geekswhoeat) and filmmaker Josh Stifter (@joshstifter) to talk about Ridley Scott’s followup to the divisive 2012 Prometheus. Pressed by studio and fan reaction that rebelled against the purer sci-fi and philosophical tone of the Alien prequel, Scott delivered a more straightforward Gothic horror movie in line with the tone of his 1979 classic. This still m...

In 2012 Ridley Scott returned to the Alien universe, looking to answer the question “who the hell is the space jockey?” The result, Prometheus, divided audiences that came to theaters expecting a straight forward prequel to Alien but instead found Scott in a more contemplative mood. Set in the same world as Scott’s masterpiece, Prometheus explores creation myths and asks if science and faith must...

This week we're joined by Daily Grindhouse's ROB DEAN (@neuroticmonkey) to break down the 1997 sci-fi horror romp, Alien Resurrection, a movie that could only exist between 1992-1999 for all the good and bad that entails. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Nat Brehmer (Dread Central, Bloody Disgusting) and Terry Mesnard (Gayly Dreadful, Scarred For Life podcast) are back for part two of our look at Alien 3. Last week we explored the troubled behind the scenes production. This week we dive into the movie itself. While following up two revered classics like Alien and Alien is a daunting task, David Fincher did his best (in his directorial de...

This week Mike is joined by Nat Brehmer (Dread Central, Wicked Horror, Bloody Disgusting) and Terry Mesnard (Gayly Dreadful, Scarred for Life pod) to talk about David Fincher's Alien 3. This is the first of two episodes, as it breaks down the many attempts to bring the film to live as well as the behind the scenes turbulence and studio interference that led to Fincher disowning the film and almost...

This week were joined by Jessica Parant form Spinsters of Horror to breakdown James Cameron's sci-fi action packed sequel to Alien. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A preview of this weekend's CFF with festival director and lead programmer Chris Dortch. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week kicks off our coverage of the Alien franchise. We’re joined by Daily Dead’s Lindsay Traves (@smashtraves) to dissect perhaps the greatest science fiction and horror hybrid of all time, Ridley Scott’s Alien. From the iconic image of the chestburster, the immense and terrifying scope of HR Geiger’s surrealist vision to the machine-like Xenomorph itself, Alien proved that while in space no...

We have a bit of a twofer for listeners this week. Jerry and Mike break down a film John Carpenter called "a documentary" with a special one-off look at THEY LIVE. We examine how the film challenged 8 years of Reaganism, what made Roddy Piper such a charismatic performer and how the film still resonates today.  As an added bonus, after our deep dive into the film, Mike sat down with a pa...

Well, we put this one off for as long as we possibly could, but this week Mike & Jerry return to talk about thi sequel in name only to Romero & King's horror anthology masterpiece, Creepshow. The third time id decidedly not the charm here, as this one is a chore to get through. While a pair of the five segments show some promise with their script ("The Radio" & "The Prof...

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This week we're joined by Terry Mesnard (Gaily Dreadful, Scarred For Life podcast) to discuss Creepshow 2. The general consensus is without King and Romero steering the ship, this is a step down, but still fun followup. We explore what works and where it comes up short. Does Chief Wooden Head still hold up, or does it feel like we watch a town die in real time after being stuck in the general stor...

Mike & Jerry are joined by Nat Brehmer, Izzy Lee, Veronica, Brian, Johnny, Jacob, Erin, Diana Porter, & Mike Vanderbilt as Freddy himself, for a roundtable Skype reading that involved an early draft of ANOES5 and a lot of alcohol. We hope our listeners dig this bonus episode, and would love for you to tell us what script we need to do next. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm...

Imagine if Magic Johnson & Larry Bird both played for the Celtics in the early 80s. That’s what it was like in bringing two masters of horror, Stephen King and George Romero together for Creepshow, the finest horror anthology ever created. This week Mike, Jerry & Brian sit down to talk about the impact this movie had on their horror fandom, and take a deep dive into each of the five segmen...

This week Jerry and Mike finish off the second half of their listener mailbag with their first ever live stream. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.