The Pod and the Pendulum: A Horror Movie Podcast

This week Mike and Ari talk The Collection, which offers less torture and more of an escape room /haunted house vibe this time around. We talk our favorite over the top set pieces; why Arkin makes for such a great returning hero; ponder the logistics of securing the real estate, equipment & manpower to set up these complex traps and murder devices. Plus, for your consideration-a  third movie i...

This week we make our first foray into the 2000s genre of "Torture Porn" with our look back at 2009's The Collector. Starting as a potential SAW prequel, this one combines the heist genre with Rube Goldberg inspired traps and torture devices for a bloody good time. We look at the film's conflicted anti-hero and silent but deadly villain, explore the history of the torture porn subgenre a...

This week we have TWO shows wrapped up in one. First, Mike and Rachel break down the two seasons of The Purge TV show, which ran on the USA Network in 2018 and 2019. The series offers a fascinating deeper view into Purge events, especially the standout second season which mostly shows the build up in between Purges, and serves as a great lead in for Election Year. After that, Mike, Nichole and Ari...

This week Mike and Devaughn wrap up their coverage of The Purge movies with the entry that asks, "What happens when purgers decide one night of murder is no longer enough?" We explore the socio-political themes that permeate the movie, as well as the very real world policies this one takes square aim at. Fear not, we're not here to lecture as we talk about the continued action / horror d...

This week we’ve assembled our own “core four” to breakdown Scream 6, the latest entry in the long running slasher series / meta-commentary on horror movies themselves. Mike is joined by co-hosting regulars Jessica Scott (We Who Walk Here) & Stephen Foxworthy (Disenfranchised pod). We also welcome on to the show Reyna Cervantes (lead gaming critic Bloody Disgusting). Reyna has the enviable task...

After a week off we're back, and we're going back in time to see how our latest series started. Mike, Nichole, Rachel and Devaughn are joined by Mike Scott from the Action for Everyone podcast to talk THE FIRST PURGE. In a series that has tiptoed around its politics, this 2018 entry makes the subtext the text and lays out what we've known all along: The Purge was steeped in racism from the get go,...

This week we hit the midpoint in our PURGE journey, we look back at Election Year, a film that tries to warn about the dangers the marriage of evangelical Christianity, right wing ideology, and white supremacy represent under the guise of a giant, dumb action movie where a lot of people get shot and a lot of shit blows up real good. Mike, Ari and Nichole try to walk that fine line here and let me...

This week we're getting down to the street level when we look at The Purge: Anarchy. Mike and Jessica talk about how this film expands on the premise and the promise of the first movie while asking big picture questions about classism and what it would mean to be poor during a purge event. It's not all gloom and academia though as we talk about the B-movie roots and action / horror hijinks that go...

This week we are sharpening our blades, loading up on shotgun shells and going hunting for the one percenters. We’re starting our dive into THE PURGE with the 2013 action / horror title of the same name. Frequent contributors Stephen and Ariel join Mike to talk about the rise of Blumhouse studios, and how The Purge became their second hit franchise after the Paranormal Activity movies. Were these...

It's time to put another series to bed. This week we talk 2016's PHANTASM: RAVAGER, a movie that had a wild, near two decade gap from its previous installment. We dive into the winding travels it took to get this made: from its origins as a comic book, to a near reboot via New Line Cinema, to the almost webseries Reggie's Rales to its eventual debut at Fantastic Fest. Mike is joined by Rachel Reev...

This week we're joined by Andrew Fabry from the dead letter movie podcast to talk the 4th and what many thought would be the final entry in the Phantasm series with 1998's oblivion. Working with limited funds comparable to the first movie, Don Coscarelli was able to deliver something memorable for the fans by dipping into the past. We discuss how oblivion incorporates unseen footage from the origi...

Having some fun with this one as we breakdown today's trailer for SCREAM VI. We talk about a lot: which characters might not be safe, what exactly is this "shrine" and how it will play into the action, why does Kirby look like she was CGI'd into the move like Jeff Garlin in The Goldbergs, what does Aflred Hitchcock's AI Chatbot think about Jimmy Stewart's wang, and so much more with Mike...

After the action / horror direction Phantasm 2 veered towards, "Lord of the Dead" feels like a return to the nightmarish atmosphere of the first one. This one reunites the original performers as well, as Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornberry return to the Phantasm fold. We discuss their return along with the addition of fan favorites Rocky and Tim. We're joined by Ari Hellraiser of Ghouls...

Mike, Jessica and Nichole weigh in with their thoughts on the Evil Dead Rise trailer in anticipation of the new movie. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Ball is Back and so are with this week's episode on the action/horror romp PHANTASM 2. We talk about this over the top follow up to the 1979 fever dream that goes big. Featuring Reggie Bannister as the everyman action star that is every bit as smooth with the ladies as he is deadly with a flamethrower, this one encapsulates late 80's horror to perfection. Featuring another sinister turn from A...

Every time someone downloads this episode, an angel gets its wings.    For the Christmas holiday we have a special bonus for listeners. Mike and Brian break down one of their favorite holiday films, Frank Capra's Its A Wonderful Life. From its humble beginnings as a Christmas card, to it flopping so hard it shuttered the production company and ended Capra's career as a commercial filmmaker, this h...

This week Jessica steps into the hosting chair and is joined by Brian, Rachel and a COVID-riddled Mike to talk about their top ten horror movies of the year. It's a massive episode as each host has a list that reflects their own varied and personal tastes, as seen by the 29 movies discussed over 40 slots. 2022 has been a banner year both creatively and commercial for horror, as it continues to pro...

This week we’re kicking off a new series with a look back at Don Coscarelli’s independent horror masterpiece, PHANTASM (1979). Mike, Devaughn and Rachel are joined by first time guest Ariel Powers Schaub (Ghouls Magazine) to talk about the influence this movie has had in horror over the past four decades, as films like A Nightmare on Elm Street and televisions Supernatural owe it a great deal of d...

This week we talked about the surprise sequel we didn’t know we wanted, but we sure as hell needed. Orphan: First Kill tells us the origins of everyone’s favorite murderous little person masquerading as an eight year old. While it could have rested on the goodwill of Isabelle Fuhrman returning to her iconic role and made folks happy just rehashing the plot of the original, First Kill managed to su...

Mike, Rachel and Jessica talk about what a banner year it's been for horror and a few of the things we're most grateful for about the genre and the people involved it it. This show drops Thanksgiving morning, so if you're listening to it while stuffing your bird and prepping the cranberry sauce, thank you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our coll...

It's everyone's favorite murderous little person masquerading as a tween! This week we talk the fantastic thriller from 2009 ORPHAN and why it deserves your love and a high spot on the killer-not-quite-kids movie list Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We return to Haddonfield one last time for the final* chapter in the Halloween saga. Folks, this film makes some choices, and we're here to dissect them all. No matter where you fall when it comes to the Halloween movies, and the David Gordon Green entries in particular, it's fair to say everybody was left collectively scratching their hands when the last movie of a trilogy not only introduced a b...

EVIL DIES TONIGHT! We return to Haddonfield to start wrapping up our episodes on Halloween. This week we look back at a movie that sharply divided fans, Halloween Kills. Is it an over the top slasher that delivers some of the goriest entries in the entire series? Absolutely. Does it dip its toes into social commentary regarding mob rule, cancel culture and our inability as a society to think ratio...

It's the last two weeks of spooky season and that means binge watching horror movies (okay, pretty much every day means that for sure). We have a special bonus show with our picks. If you're someone who is TERRIFIED of all the streaming options and end up freezing like you're were getting stared down by a pack of werewolves instead of trying to decide which Halloween movie to watch, we have our pi...

We put another franchise to bed with this week's look at 2022's "requel/retcon/reboot/continuation/whatever the new word is now" of Netflix's Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's a spirited debate where we talk the politics of this movie, it's treatment of the franchise's signature final girl, protagonists that give Franklin a run for his money in the "so annoying please just kill the alre...