The Shrieking Shack

Cursed Child Part One Act Two Part Two...? The final segment of the first part of the play--really, the first play--has some rocky moments, but it ends in such an incredible fashion it more than makes up for it. It's quite a roller coaster either way--a weird ghost, a lot of Bagman, and a fight scene written just for the Drarryheads in the audience. Plus: A third segment so unbelievably radioactiv...

Cursed Child Part One Act Two Part One (I think I got that right...) We're back with more play talk! This week at the theatre, we read a segment of the stage show that has some high highs and low lows. The weird Dark Dursleys scene? Low. Seeing Ludo Bagman again? High. The play's treatment of Padma? Very low. The mere concept of something called "Voldemort Day?" High. All this and much more; plus,...

Part two of part one of act one... the next bit of the play. The first play. Of the two plays that make up the one play, The Cursed Child. We very nearly didn't finish this one thanks to some nasty Audacity file corruption, but thanks to some heroics you get to hear this nearly-lost episode! We discuss the second chunk of our first reading, which includes the Trolley Witch scene, lots of Boring Ad...

Cursed Child Part One Act One (first half of) We're finally here! The play that has loomed over us for the entire run of the podcast is finally in our hands. After years of hearing about the Trolley Witch and reading complaints about Mary Sues... it's time for Cursed Child! We went very long on this episode, so I've split it into two almost 2 hour episodes. This week we tackle the first quarter or...

This is an audio-only version of this holiday season gaming video for anyone who wants Shriek content but can't watch for whatever reason! Maybe you're at work or somethin'. Enjoy! It's time to play the legendary game... the awful Deathly Hallows third-person shooter. Remember when PC ports were a total crapshoot? This is from that dark age, so it's capped at 30fps and has strange audio desync iss...

NOTE: This is an audio-only version of a let's play! It's not really a podcast; however, on the off chance you want to hear us chat over a game but don't have access to video right now, this is for you! For the second part of our December extravaganza, we take a look at one of the more well-liked pieces of HP series nostalgia: the tie-in Lego-branded video game! Some of the puzzles for children de...

This is an audio only version! There's a video version available as well, just in case you missed it. GRINCH VIBES TONIGHT! We're experimenting with occasional video content, and what better way to kick things off than a blind run through our favorite (airquotes) clothing company's Christmas lookbook? Discover the secrets of the Christmas Wizard, hot dog buns, and the perfect holiday heist plan......

We make our glorious return to shake off the cobwebs, chat about scams involving beloved 2000s brands, and lay out some predictions for the third Fantastic Beasts movie that is still happening, somehow. SUPPOSEDLY the real answers are out there... we wouldn't know, though. We're talking about Fantastic Beasts a lot here which means I should give a general content warning for that movie which, if y...

Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 film. The time has come! Before our well-earned pre-Cursed Child break, we watched the final Harry Potter film, and we have so many questions. What worked? What didn't? What was changed? Why is Molly standing everywhere? Why did Voldemort bust when Ron and Hermione destroyed the cup of Ravenclaw? And did this mf really say ponsieve? All this and more in this feature-length ep...

Deathly Hallows epilogue. We did it! We've crossed the finish line. While we still have the movie and more to cover, we're officially finished with the 7 books proper. Does the epilogue provide any emotional closure or worthwhile information to round out the rushed final chapter before it, or does it earn its fairly scornful reputation even among die-hard Harry Potter fans? Well, I'll give you a h...

Deathly Hallows chapter 35. This is it. This is the end of Harry Potter proper--sure, we still have to read an epilogue, but this is where the Story Ends! And what an ending it is. For a book this long, it sure sprints to a conclusion, and we're here in this bumper-length episode to do our best to pick up all of the threads it leaves hanging. When did Ron and Hermione stop being characters? Why do...

Note: this was recorded before the WHOM COULD HAVE FORESEEN news about the game--tune in next week for that one Deathly Hallows chapter 35. We had an extra week to let this chapter sink in, but did it help? We try to parse the Matrix Revolutions chapter where Harry talks to a Dumbledore ghost inside his head who claims that this is all happening in Harry's imagination yet offers him and the audien...

Deathly Hallows chapter 35. We check in with what life is like with a Snape Jersey and dish about the latest Fantastic Beasts production mishaps before getting theological (again)! This week's chapter is a fan favorite, full of emotional moments and inspiring quotes about death that you've probably seen on coffee mugs, forum signatures, and tattoos for over a decade. Does it hold up, though? Not i...

Deathly Hallows chapter 33. It's here: the prophesied episode has finally arrived. And since we also have some big news to discuss (as well as some personal conspiracy theories about the TV rumors) this episode is another blockbuster length banger! So, how do we actually feel about Snape's big chapter, after all this time? The answer might surprise you--the chapter certainly surprised us. Does tha...

Deathly Hallows chapter 32. The Brand has a new hero! We wonder aloud what, if anything, this changing of the guard could mean--and then suit up to drop into the Battle of Hogwarts for another chapter filled to the brim with war movie tropes. Once the flashbang wears off and the sound comes back, it's off to the titular Shrieking Shack for a big speech from Voldemort, a snake floating around in a...

Deathly Hallows chapter 31. With little actual news (except Gamer Anguish) we spend our news segment taking a Fantastic Beasts quiz that really goes places. Then we're off to our chapter, which, while not as completely off the rails and unique as last week's, is still jam packed with stuff to talk about. And I really do mean jam-packed--this is a LONG chapter, so get ready for lots of discussion a...

Deathly Hallows chapter 30. We ring in the new year with, no joke, one of the weirdest chapters in the entire series. A few of you warned us about this one (or else gleefully mentioned that something was coming) but nothing could have prepared us for what awaits here: somehow, a chapter even stranger, funnier, and more out of character than any of the previous chapters we've said similar things ab...

We've made it through 2020! Join us on a look back through some of the best moments of the show from this year. Did current events or Harry Potter contribute more psychic damage to us? Listen to us sing unearthed in-universe Christmas songs, debate the definition of big movies, try to understand how calendars work, and much more to decide for yourself! There were so many good clips to choose from...

Deathly Hallows chapter 29. Just when we thought this book had no surprises left, it hits us with one of the funniest chapters in the series. This one was written for us: it's full of so many things that feel like they were in-jokes written just for us, it's a little spooky. We also learn all about the Incredible Future of the Brand, do a little Christmas candle check-in, and solve a murder most f...

Deathly Hallows chapter 28. We spend a weird amount of time talking about mouths before catching up on the latest reports from Fantastic Beasts film production world and, for some reason, Good Housekeeping, where JKR deigned to give an interview this week. This episode's chapter is fairly lurid and dark, but we keep it light by chatting about bread, cheese, Dobby, and more! Finally, we visit Wizar...

Deathly Hallows chapter 27. We're back! And we're calling Mads in to ask hey, c'mon, do you really need to be in a Harry Potter movie? Plus, some questions for the other actors who had a lot to say a few months ago. Then we theorize about what on earth this Frankenstein movie could possibly look like when it finally arrives in 2021 (or is it 2022?), what it could be titled, and who will allowed to...

Deathly Hallows chapter 26. After our double-length news blowout last week, we don't have too much to cover this episode, save for some updated Fantastic Beasts casting rumors and some speculation about the general future of the franchise. Our chapter this week is another heist, during which Harry casts an unforgivable curse like ten times without anyone so much as blinking and a theatrical Death...

Deathly Hallows chapter 25. With both our lives making this week extremely busy, we almost didn't make it together to record this week--but here we are, because the news stops for no one! We discuss all of the massive Fantastic Beasts news that came out right after last week's episode was in the can, from Johnny Depp's exit from the franchise to JK Rowling's absence from easy US election-related c...

Deathly Hallows chapter 24. With absolutely nothing going on in the real world, we immerse ourselves in a backlog of Wizarding World news. Last week we watched the midpoint film; this episode, we continue reading the novel, and learn all about Harry's sudden discovery of labor as a political concept and (second? third?) bout of religious mania. Two paths diverge in a wood, and our hero must choose...

Deathly Hallows Part 1 film. As is tradition, we spend longer than the runtime of the actual film walking through and breaking down the first of the two movies based on The Deathly Hallows! Where does it rank compared to the other adaptations? What does it do with the awful source material? Did it really need to be split into two films, and do we believe the producer's claims that it wasn't a mone...