The Pod and the Pendulum: A Horror Movie Podcast

IT’S ALL FOR YOU LISTENERS! This week we kick of a new franchise with part two of a two part dive into THE OMEN, a movie that asks, “What if the Antichrist was revealed to be a cherubic five year old boy that also enjoyed cosplaying as AC/DC guitarist Angus Young?” Stephen, Brian, Nichole and Mike are joined by special guest photographer and filmmaker Rachel Schwebach to talk religious trauma, the...

IT’S ALL FOR YOU LISTENERS! This week we kick of a new franchise with part one of a two part dive into THE OMEN, a movie that asks, “What if the Antichrist was revealed to be a cherubic five year old boy that also enjoyed cosplaying as AC/DC guitarist Angus Young?”Stephen, Brian, Nichole and Mike are joined by special guest photographer and filmmaker Rachel Schwebach to talk religious trauma, the...

This week Mike and Nichole check in for the five season A&E horror-drama, Bates Motel, a creative prequel and reimagining of Psycho. Starring Vera Farmiga and Freddy Highmore as Norma and Norman Bates, the show explored the psychosexual dynamic of the mother / son duo while offering a sympathetic portrayal of a mom who would protect her increasingly unhinged and dangerous son from consequences...

Mike, Brian, and Stephen pay tribute to the late Bud Cort and look back at the failed pilot/TV movie for Bates Motel Watch the movie here- https://youtu.be/_uRu6TqIqTQ?si=RsAaeD0tJ0CvqSpl Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Mike, Stephen, Devaughn, and Brian talk about one of cinema’s most head scratching disasters: Gus Van Sant’s near shot for shot remake of Psycho. From head scratching decisions when it came to casting, to the odd insert shots, and bizarre additions to the text like having Norman tug one out when watching Marion undress, everything about this one screams “bad idea.” You know what’s not a...

This week the crew is joined by Kinnel from Sinister Cinema to talk about the final entry in the main Psycho series. It may be the only movie ever greenlit in order to promote the opening of a theme park. This made-for-cable movie was written by the original film’s writer Joesph Stefano, but it’s clear that without Hitchcock, the screenwriter was a one trick, “boy I sure do like Sigmund Freud” pon...

This week Mike, Stephen, and Brian are joined by Kinnell of Sinister Cinema to talk about the trashy fun of Psycho 3. Coming at the tail end of the slasher craze of the 80s, just as horror cinema was starting to cash in on repetitive sequels, this one ramps up the gore, the kills, the sex, and the camp or something that was way too overlooked and underappreciated upon its release in 1986. While it...

This week Mike, Brian, and Stephen take on the task of breaking down one of the most daunting sequels ever made, Psycho 2. Following in the footsteps of his idol, director Richard Franklin (with a major assist  from writer Tom Holland) crafted a two decades later follow up to Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece. The result is a better-than-it-has-any-right-to-be sequel that explores the fractured psych...

This week we kick of our first franchise of 2026 with one of the tentpoles of modern horror. Alfred Hitchcock's black and white foray into horror delivered one of cinema's all the great and most sympathetic villains in Norman Bates, played masterfully by Anthony Perkins. What was meant to be a quick, cheap B-movie became the Master of Suspense's most well-known and lucrative film. This week Mike,...

By the 1950s, not only was Alfred Hitchcock regarded as the master of suspense he became a brand himself as his smash hit television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents put the droll director in the homes of tens of millions of households every week. Over the course of the 1950s, he hit his creative peak & broke away from the constraints of David Selznick and launched his own production house.  Ove...

Heading into the new year we take one last look back at the year that just passed. Mike, Brian, Ariel, & Devaughn are on hand to give their ten favorite horror movies from 2025. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support...

It's a Wonderful Orgy! Or is it? For our annual Xmas bonus show, Nichole has chosen the final film from the maestro himself, the elusive, unknowable Stanley Kubrick. Starring the Hollywood couple at the time Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, this exhausting, 400 day shoot was marketed as an erotic thriller, but instead explored the darker, richer themes of repressed longing & desire, and the deepl...

This week we are taking a break but posting a little Christmas treat for all our listeners. We've opened up our patreon vault and are gifting you with this episode we recorded shortly after the release of one of if not the best not only horror movie but straight up movie of the year Ryan Koogler's Sinners . Brian and I joined forces for a quick discussion of our initial thoughts of the film as wel...

This week Mike and Devaughn are joined by guest Alex Pagliuca to rate the nine films in the Predator franchise. From alien worlds to the deepest jungles, through different historical periods, this series has taken us everywhere, now we're taking a few minutes to line it all up. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal da...

Mike and Brian are on hand to discuss the latest entry in the Predator series, BADLANDS. We both had a lot of fun with this one, and wondered about the influence another franchise from a galaxy far, far away had on this one. Add in the tie-ins to the Alien universe, and we were in scifi heaven. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...

Mike and Stephen are joined by special guest Hope to talk about the secret Predator animated movie that dropped earlier this year, that just maybe might be be the best Predator movie you see this year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike, Devaughn, & special guest Kinnell watch AVP: Requiem, so you don't have to. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and suppor...

This week on the pod, what happens when you take two of the most iconic movie monsters and throw them in a long-awaited battle royale where the fate of mankind hangs in the balance? You get a pulpy B-movie that doesn’t quite live up to what could have been but is fun all the same from director Paul WS Anderson. While the end result of AVP is no doubt a little underwhelming, it’s still a fun sci-fi...

After a few weeks of one-off shows, and a well-deserved week off, we're back in franchise land. This week we're covering PREY, the streaming Hulu hit that revitalized the Predator franchise after a series of commercial and artistic disappointments. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trick or Treat listeners as we have a very special bonus episode for you this Halloween. Mike, Stephen, & Nichole have brought our own bag of goodies as we talk about this year's latest entry in the long running horror anthology franchise V/H/S. While it seems hard to believe, this is the first time the Shudder / Bloody Disgusting coproduction has focused exclusively on the Halloween theme. Do...

This week we have special cooking, and we get to push back talking about AVP: Requiem another week! Double Win!   Our own diabolical Devaughn Taylor has set up a draft where your crew picks five of their favorite franchise follow ups. Since it can't be that easy, there are rules! Only one franchise can be represented. We can steal a pick from another host, or we can wipe the whole slate clean. The...

For this week's episode we have a very special bonus for all of our listeners. With it being the scary season and with Halloween right around the corner we know that hardcore genre fans and seasonal drop ins alike are gearing up to watch as many horror movies as possible. Maybe you're getting ready for an all-nighter at your local theater as they do their yearly marathons. Maybe you're throwing an...

This week Mike is joined by guest Alex Pagliuca to talk about what went wrong with 2018's THE PREDATOR. From behind the scenes controversies including extensive reshoots, to the questionable casting of a sex offender (and then hiding that info from the cast) this one seemed doomed from the start, despite writer / director Shane Black coming off a bit of a hit streak. We're here to break it all dow...

After the disappointing reception of the Alien vs Predator movies (a concept so simple, only a Hollywood studio could screw it up) it was time to take the Predator back to the basics. The result is a fairly fun B-monster movie that mirrors a lot of the beats of 1987's Predator, while moving the action off planet. Mike, Stephen, and Brian are on hand to talk about what goes right while also scratch...

Proving he is not too old for this shit (and we're not above mixing up our movie puns) Mike is back this week with guest Alex Pagliuca to talk about how the Predator fares in a different kind of jungle: the asphalt jungle. Turns out this oft-neglected sequel has more going on for it than expected at first blush. While it doesn't reach the action/horror/sci-fi heights of the original, it still feat...