Watch If You Dare

This week, Aaron and Derek are joined by the hosts of the music history podcast (Feat. X) Josh Hale and DeeJay Rolison to discuss 2018's psychological horror film "The Perfection" directed by Richard Shepard. They talk about abuse in entertainment and art, personal experiences with classical music in context to the movie, and how successful or not it is at tackling the associated themes. They also...

This week, we have a big episode! Kelly comes back to the podcast to join Derek and Aaron in tackling 2017's "Get Out" written and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. They discuss what makes it a modern classic, Peele's passion for horror, how it portrays and comments on racism, among many many many other aspects of the film. They also talk about the Armitage family's motives, and t...

In preparation for Valentine's Day, Derek and Aaron tackle 1981's holiday slasher "My Bloody Valentine" directed by George Mihalka and written by John Beaird. They discuss the use of a mine shaft as a setting and horror element, how much Valentine's Day actually influences the plot, the motivations of character Axel, among many other aspects of the movie. They also talk about the remake and why th...

This week, Aaron and Derek discuss 1979's science fiction monster horror film "Prophecy" directed by John Frankenheimer and written by David Seltzer. They talk about Frankenheimer and Seltzer's thoughts and feelings about the movie, the original concept vs actual design of the "Pizza Bear" monster, and some of the problematic nature of the story and casting. They also get into the unexpected serio...

For the first episode of 2022, Derek and Aaron welcome Shelby Scott, creator and host of the wonderful horror storytelling podcast "Scare You To Sleep," as a guest to discuss 1980's ghost movie "The Changeling" directed by Peter Medak. They talk about George C. Scott's subtle performance and how his character reconciles with the haunting. They also get into the house being a character itself, the...

In time for the holidays, Derek and Aaron tackle 1984's Christmas slasher "Silent Night, Deadly Night" directed by Charles E. Sellier, Jr. They talk about the film's mean spirited nature toward the holidays, the failure to address or treat childhood trauma, perversion of religion with violence and sex, and many other aspects and themes. They also discuss the insane sequels and how some of them tie...

To start December off, Kelly returns as a guest to discuss 1988's comedy horror movie "Waxwork" written and directed by Anthony Hickox with Aaron and Derek. They talk about the effective homages to various horror sub-genres, the quirky and nonsensical nature of the story, and range of absurd to dark and serious tones. They also get into the production, cinematic shifts, cast variety, among many ot...

For Thanksgiving, the Spoop Bois are joined by returning guest Lauren to tackle the 1980s cult holiday slasher film "Slasher" directed by John Grissmer. They discuss why they chose this film and what makes it perfect horror viewing for Thanksgiving. They also dig into what Lauren thought about the movie and her opinions on character motivations. Derek is not Aaron. Lauren is eating leftovers on th...

Halloween might be over for now, but the Spoop Bois keep it creepy all year long. This week, they tackle 2013's supernatural horror film "Oculus" co-written, edited, and directed by Mike Flanagan. They talk about Flanagan's career and horror output around and after "Oculus." They also discuss his preference for mixing family and horror, the impact of leaving the mirror's origins a mystery, what ma...

First, they experienced the origins of the werewolf. Then, they dealt with a teenage werewolf. Now, the Spoop Bois with reoccurring guest James wrap up their werewolf themed Season of Spoop with some action horror wolves vs. soldiers. In time for 2021's Halloween, they tackle 2002's "Dog Soldiers" written, directed and edited by Neil Marshall. They talk about the idea of military in horror, what m...

It wouldn't be The Season of Spoop without Heather guesting! To continue our werewolf-themed October, she joins Aaron and Derek to cover 2000's Canadian horror film "Ginger Snaps" directed by John Fawcett and co-written with Karen Walton. They discuss the overt subtext of womanhood juxtaposed to literal transformation against some of the deeper feminist themes. They also talk about the macabre and...

The 3rd annual The Season of Spoop™ (TM TM TM!) begins! This October, Derek and Aaron cover "werewolves" for their horror cinematic theme. To start things off, they tackle 1941's classic horror film "The Wolf Man" directed by George Waggner and written by Curt Siodmak. They briefly describe some history behind the folklore of the werewolf, and they talk about the creature's early appearances in ci...

On this episode, Aaron and Derek tackle 1981's horror flick "Dead & Buried" directed by Gary Sherman. They discuss Jack Albertson's (Grandpa Joe!) bombastic performance and how it was his final live-action film role before his death. They also talk about Dan O'Bannon's screenplay credit and involvement in horror, the town being part of the horror mystery, the film's initial "video nasty" label, an...

For the 69th (nice!) episode, the Spoop Bois welcome back author V.P. Morris ("ShadowCast," "The Dead Letters Podcast") to discuss 2009's sex-related comedy horror film "Jennifer's Body" written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama. They talk about how misleading the initial marketing was, Megan Fox's career and her wonderful performance, and how Kusama and Cody's original intentions have b...

Aaron and Derek are once again joined by their old college buddy and Director Zach Lamplugh ("15 Things You Didn't Know About Bigfoot (#1 Will Blow Your Mind)") to discuss 2012's horror film "Excision" written and directed by Richard Bates, Jr. They talk about the balance of dark comedy, coming-of-age, gore, and tragic dread. They also get into the fascinating performances, specifically from AnnaL...

Evan is back for another round! This week he joins Aaron and Derek to discuss 1983's science fiction horror thriller "The Dead Zone" directed by David Cronenberg and based off of Stephen King's novel. They get into the differences between the movie adaptation and the source material. They also talk about what Cronenberg brings to the movie, the cult of personality politics and how it remains relev...

Evan returns to Watch If You Dare to join Derek and Aaron in discussing 1993's biopic science fiction abduction horror flick "Fire in the Sky" directed by Robert Lieberman based on Travis Walton's book "The Walton Experience." They talk about how the movie differs from Travis' actual account and the casting choices specifically for Travis and Mike. They also get into the abduction scene and what m...

In time for the 4th of July, the Spoop Bois cover 2012's found footage eco-horror film "The Bay" directed by Barry Levinson. They discuss how the production shifted from a documentary to a horror movie, what makes this an effective found footage film, how the crazy premise works in a serious and dark tone, among many other aspects of the film. They also briefly talk about 2008's "Pontypool" direct...

After a brief hiatus, the Spoop Bois are back bigger and better than ever! They are joined by "dream-come-true" mega guest comic author Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, The Empty Man, The Sixth Gun, Venom, Magneto, and countless other titles with Marvel, DC, Image, etc.) to discuss 1987's supernatural horror film "Prince of Darkness" written and scored by John Carpenter. They spend time talking with Cu...

This week, James returns as a guest to help the Spoop Bois tackle their first Argento! They discuss 1985's Italian horror film "Phenomena" directed by Dario Argento. They talk about the differing multiple horror elements making up this film, and they analyze the aspects that define Argento's style. They also get into Jennifer Connelly's performance and how it shaped her career, how the insects are...

In his first solo guest appearance, film newbie Jonathan returns to Watch If You Dare to join Aaron and Derek in tackling 2008's psychological horror film "The Strangers" written and directed by Bryan Bertino. They discuss what works and what doesn't with both horror and plot specifically from the viewpoint of someone who doesn't normally watch horror. They also talk about the pacing, the small ca...

Aaron and Derek decide to hit up a Wes Craven flick back to back! This time they tackle 1991's horror comedy "The People Under the Stairs" written and directed by Craven. They discuss the social commentary under the lens of the early 90s, Wes Craven's thought process, and how much remains relevant in the modern era. They also talk about the juxtaposition of cartoon antics with crazy horror, the so...

The Spoop Bois are joined by first time guest Damian to discuss 1984's supernatural slasher masterpiece "A Nightmare on Elm Street" written and directed by Wes Craven. They get into how much of an impact movies like this had now and at time of release. They also talk about Wes Craven as a filmmaker, what makes Freddy Krueger so terrifying as a concept and iconic character, the direction of this fi...

Once again, Lauren joins the Spoop Bois Derek and Aaron to discuss 2005's supernatural horror legal drama film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" directed by Scott Derrickson. They discuss the juxtaposition of demonic horror with intense court room drama scenes, the open interpretation to what happened to Emily, and the excellent character work, especially Jennifer Carpenter's haunting performance. They...

This week, Aaron and Derek tackle 1979's psychological body horror film "The Brood" written and directed by David Cronenberg. They discuss Cronenberg's life leading up to the making of this film, how he shows all his emotions and reactions in the movie, and what it means for elements that are considered problematic. They also talk family trauma and the horrors of it literally and metaphorically ma...