The Pod and the Pendulum: A Horror Movie Podcast

We're back with the second half of our massive episode on David Cronenberg's THE FLY. If you haven't already make sure you go back and listen to our previous episode on the background and elements of this movie. This time around Mike, Brian, Devaughn, and guest J Blake Fichera dive into the movie proper. We examine the romance between Seth and Ronnie that makes the horror all the more unbearable....

This week brings us the first half of our two-parter on David Cronenberg's remake THE FLY. Mike, Brian, and Devaughn are joined by Scored to Death author J Blake Fichera to talk about one of the true masterpieces of 80s horror.  Featuring star making turns from Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, THE FLY remains David Cronenberg's most successful commercial work of his storied career, and his ultimate...

This week marks the release of Ariel's long awaited book Millennial Nasties: Analyzing a Decade of Brutal Horror. We chat about how the book came to be, why these films still stick with us twenty years later, and why horror became more brutal and often bleak at the turn of the century.  If you want your own copy of the book order it today from all major retailers, or directly from publisher Encycl...

Mike and Brian talk about the last installment of the original FLY series. This one throws continuity out the window, and i a truly low budget affair. Still, while the lack of funds limit the sets and the performances, it offers a lot to chew on and tackles some fairly high concept ideas, even if it can't take them all that far. It's also the only FLY movie to date that seems to have a complete la...

This week, the buzz is back! Brian and Mike tackle one of the great, underappreciated B-movies of the 1950s, with Return of the Fly. Vincent Price is the only cast member to return from the original cast and crew, this time getting top billing and lending his charm and winking good time of a performance style in order to deliver a mash up of a classic monster movie with more than a few nods to fil...

This week we're all "abuzz" to start on a new franchise. We're dipping our toes back into classic horror with 1958's science fiction / horror tale of experimentation gone amuck with THE FLY. This is the film that made Vincent Price a horror icon (even though he's in a supporting role) and contains marvelous special effects, a fantastic creature reveal, and one of the most disturbing fina...

Our last batch of film coverage from Fantasia, plus an interview with Adams family directing team on their new feature Hell Hole. premiering on Shudder August 23rd. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 support.  Here's the second part of of Fantasia coverage. We've got an eclectic line up of...

The 2024 Fantasia Film Festival is in the books and Mike has the first part of his coverage up. Celebrating its 28th year, Fantasia delivers on horror, suspense, fantasy and science fiction from around the globe For the first episode Mike breaks down his thoughts on the new holiday slash from trans filmmaker Alison Maio Mackay (CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS), a documentary on the zealotry of gun culture c...

As we put another series to bed, Mike, Devaughn and Ariel decided to break away from the typical "ranking" formula and go for something a little outside the box. With almost 40 segments to choose from, we out together our own V/H/S mixtapes, choosing anthology segments to fit our own twisted themes like "Bigfoot and Other Monsters," "The Gods Must Be Crazy," "Bet...

This week we’re diving into the horrific and darkly comedic world of V/H/S 85 . Join us as we explore this anthology film’s unique blend of humor and gore. Getting back to their roots of providing a sandbox for up and coming genre filmmakers ‘85 had first time droppings from Mike P Nelson, Gigi Saul Gurrero and Natasha Kermani showcasing their wares. Longtime favorite David Brickner returns with h...

Mike and Devaughn talk about another strong entry in the back half of the VHS franchise. '99 brings a punk energy to the film and forgoes the wraparound framing device or something that feels like an old mix tape buried in the stack of video cassettes in the console. The end result is the most consistent and entertaining entry of the series to date. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pc...

ALL HAIL RAATMA! This week Mike and Rachel talk about the return of the V/H/S series after more than a half a decade absence with V/H/S '94. Conceived and created during the COVID restrictions, the entry features the first two segments directed by women and breathes some new life and ideas into the found footage anthology series after the disappointment of Viral. Fans seemed to think so, as it set...

This week Mike and Ariel are on hand to take a look at the third installment of the found footage, anthology series V/H/S VIRAL. Considered by most fans to be the worst of the series, your co-hosts are hard to disagree at the jumbled, ugly-looking mess that is Viral. While we can offer kudos at the attempt at delivering a theme (the shorts are all concerned with their protagonists achieving intern...

This week we're talking more found footage anthology goodness with V/H/S 2. Like any anthology series, there are ups and downs, but this one has what might be the fan favorite of the series with  Safe Haven. Plus, Mike and Ariel nearly trade blows over The Undertaker's place in wrestling history. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and...

This week we start a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of a franchise where found footage and anthologies are smashed together into one horrific format. Mike, Rachel, Stephen and special guest Tucker (Disenfranchised podcast) talk about of of the grimiest series we've covered to date as we tackle  V/H/S/. Now six entries (and two spinoffs) deep, this started out as a showcase for some of horror's up-and-c...

We close out the Blade series with a wild one. Mike and Devaughn talk about a movie that has more going on behind the scenes than in front of the camera. We take our time to discuss and maybe even debunk the stories of improper behavior of series star Wesley Snipes on the set of Trinity, his animosity towards writer/director David S Goyer and costars Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel, how Patton Oswa...

This week Mike, Devaughn & Steven are back to talk about BLADE II and the return of everyone's favorite vampire killer. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, it might be the perfect mix of horror and comic book heroics and offered the Spanish auteur his first bonafide hit in the United States. Our trio of hosts break down the troubled path the future Oscar winner traveled to land the movie, and how...

We're back with the second half of our talk about 1998's BLADE. Jay Kreiger from the Genre Haze podcast is back with Mike and Devaughn to talk all things Daywalker. We talk about why Wesley Snipes was such an inspired choice to play the character and how he made it his own. On the other hand, the hero is only as good as the villain they go up against, and Stephen Dorff absolutely eats as Blade's a...

It's bedtime for suckheads in the first part of our double episode on 1998's horror and superhero hybrid, BLADE. Wesley Snipes steps into a role he seemed born to play as the vampire killing "Daywalker" in an R-rated romp that owed just as much to martial arts and gun-fu films as it did comics. The end result was a smart, violent, over the top bloody thrill ride that was world's ahead of...

This week we mark five years of bringing you the Pod and the Pendulum by having a fun little roundtable discussion. Mike, Brian, Devaughn and Stephen got together to talk for awhile about what has caught their fancy as of late, as well as to reflect on some of their favorite moments on the show these past dew years and to throw out some pitches for franchises to cover in the future. Since t just w...

It's time to put this franchise to bed, and what better way to do that thank to put it all in order? Mike, Rachel, Ariel and Devaughn are on hand to rank the Paranormal Activity series from the dregs to the top tier. Will Devaughn be our chaos agent again when it comes to rankings? Will there be a surprise pick at the top? Will Ghost Dimension get knee capped like Micah at a feminist book club? Tu...

The episode brings a riveting discussion about the final installment of the Paranormal Activity series, its backstory, the impact of COVID-19 on its production, and Ariel's passion for the "found footage" format. The hosts also share intriguing behind-the-scenes insights, including the studio's unique priority list for permissible movie content. After six movies and diminishing returns,...

Get ready to enter the frightening world of the Paranormal Activity series with your favorite horror hosts. In this  episode, we dissect the supposed final movie, 'The Ghost Dimension,' along with an analysis of the film's corporate maneuverings, & 3D technology use. We provide a brutally honest review of the film's reception, plot twists, and the unusual combination of high-end 3D technology...

This week we talk about the time the Paranormal Activity series took a deliberate turn away from focusing on wealthy, white, upper middle class families and turned toward the Latino communities of Los Angeles. Writer / director Christopher Landon called The Marked Ones more of a “cousin” of the previous four films rather than a true sequel, and perhaps making that diversion allowed or something lo...