20 deep dives in, we finally settled it - a horror villain draft from every film we've covered. Mrs. Voorhees, the Thing, Pazuzu, the Overlook Hotel, and more are all on the table. We close with Breaking Our Silence, our new song demo based on A Quiet Place.
 
The VillainsGhostface (Scream)Pazuzu (The Exorcist)Deadites (The Evil Dead)Black and White Zombies (Night of the Living Dead )Jerry Dandridge (Fright Night )The Thing (The Thing)Michael Myers (Halloween)The Crawlers (The Descent)Mrs. Voorhees (Friday the 13th)Billy (Black Christmas)Billy Chapman (Silent Night, Deadly Night)Death (Final Destination)Norman Bates (Psycho)Candyman (Candyman)Remmick and his vampires (Sinners)Russ Thorn (The Slumber Party Massacre)The Overlook Hotel (The Shining)Bill Roberts (Intruder)The Monstrosity (Smile)Death Angels (A Quiet Place)
 
00:00 Intro01:24 The Draft: Team Picks15:37 Final Scores & Rankings28:25 Song Demo: Breaking Our Silence

This week we tackled A Quiet Place, and one thing we’re completely sure of is that our family absolutely would not survive. John Krasinski's 2018 PG-13 creature feature is 91 minutes of the most efficient horror storytelling we've covered. We dig into Industrial Light & Magic’s last-minute creature redesign, the cochlear implant debate, and what it means to watch a parent-child horror film when your kids are close to the age of the kids on screen. And as always, we debut our new songs inspired by the film - John’s is a banger and Rachel’s has Disney chords.
Citations
Bishop, J.W. “How John Karsinski Created ‘A Quiet Place’.” Smithsonian Magazine. December 2018. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/john-krasinski-created-quiet-place-180970716/.
Flaherty, Keely. “Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Monsters in ‘A Quiet Place’.” BuzzFeed. 11 April 2018.
Kincheloe, Pamela J. “’A Quiet Place’ Falls Into a Tired Trope About Deafness.” HuffPost. 16 April 2018. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/opinion-kincheloe-quiet-place-deaf-people_n_5ad10645e4b0edca2cb9acc6.
Krasinski, John. “The Making of A Quiet Place”. Empire. 20 April 2018. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/making-quiet-place-john-krasinski/.
“Millicent Simmonds on Reprising Her ‘A Quiet Place’ Role.” Casting Frontier. 7 June 2021. https://castingfrontier.com/blog/blog-millicent-simmonds-on-reprising-her-quiet-place-role/.
Nichols, Mackenzie. “’A Quiet Place II’ Star Millicent Simmonds on Casting Hearing Actors as Deaf Characters: ‘It’s Not Fair’.” Variety. 28 May 2021. https://variety.com/2021/film/features/quiet-place-2-millicent-simmons-john-krasinski-1234977160/.
“Tom Wholley ‘11 On Creating Monsters for ‘A Quiet Place’.” Gordon College Alumni Stories. 8 December 2021. https://www.gordon.edu/stories/tom-wholley-11-on-creating-monsters-for-a-quiet-place.
Trapunski, Charles. “Interview: A Quiet Place’s Noah Jupe.” 9 July 2018. Brief Take. https://brieftake.com/interview-a-quiet-place-noah-jupe/.
Van Horn, Shawn. “John Krasinski Completely Changed ‘A Quiet Place’ Monsters at the Last Second.” Collider. 29 May 2024. https://collider.com/john-krasinski-a-quiet-place-monsters/.
Waxler, Caroline. “Episode 8: John Krasinski, ‘A Quiet Place’”. On Writing. 7 December 2018. https://www.wgaeast.org/onwriting/john-krasinski-a-quiet-place/.
Wiese, Jason. “Millicent Simmonds: 5 Cool Things to Know About A Quiet Place Part II Actress.” Cinema Blend. 7 June 2021. https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2568520/millicent-simmonds-cool-things-to-know-about-a-quiet-place-part-ii-actress.
 
Chapters
00:00 Intro 06:26 Intro: Distribution & Reception 21:53 Let's Make a Movie: Filmmakers 33:03 Let's Make a Movie: Cast 40:31 Let's Make a Movie: Production 49:56 Vibe Check: Cinematography 56:39 Vibe Check: SFX 1:04:09 Vibe Check: Music & Sound Design 1:12:53 Story Time: Characters 1:31:30 Story Time: Murder & Mayhem 1:52:20 Story Time: Themes 2:08:41 Open Mic 2:22:14 Losing Light

We're taking a look at contagious curse horror - comparing Smile, It Follows, and The Ring on everything from how each curse works to the moral weight of passing one on, plus a few more curse films for good measure. Plus John's Smile Song studio demo makes its world debut!
 
00:00:00 Intro 00:04:29 Smile (2022)00:07:14 It Follows (2014)00:18:20 The Ring (2004)00:28:34 Drag Me to Hell and Talk to Me00:35:24 Studio Demo00:39:29 Losing Light

We dig into Smile (2022) - a film that works so hard to make you feel terrible that you can't help but respect it. Parker Finn's debut feature, Sosie Bacon's breakout lead, practical creature effects, and a trauma curse that hits different two years after a pandemic. Plus two original songs inspired by the film, gimmick: no names.
Citations
Eagan, Daniel. “Smile DP Charlie Sarroff Reveals Which Films He Turned to for Visual Inspiration, and How He Made Sosie Bacon's Heroine Feel Vulnerable and Lonely.” M&E. 27 October 2022. https://mande.net/btl/crafts/smile-dp-charlie-sarroff-interview.
Friedman, Illya. “Charlie Sarroff, cinematographer of the horror films Smile and Relic.” Cam Noir: The Cinematography Podcast. 12 October 2022. https://www.camnoir.com/ep187/.
Marsman, Michiel. “Making People Uncomfortable is My Job - Cristobal Tapia de Veer on Scoring Smile.” Free Run Artists. 25 March 2025. https://freerunartists.com/making-people-uncomfortable-is-my-job-cristobal-tapia-de-veer-on-scoring-smile/.
Parkinson, Helen. “Smile for the camera.” British Cinematographer. https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/charlie-sarroff-smile/.
Puccio, Anthony. “How Paramount’s ‘Smile’ Movie Blended Marketing with Live Sports.” Boardroom. 20 February 2003. https://boardroom.tv/smile-movie-paramount-live-sports-marketing/.
Taylor, Brian. “Sosie Bacon Interview - Smile.” The Cine-Men. 24 September 2022. https://thecinemen.com/2022/09/24/sosie-bacon-interview-smile/.
Wass, Mike. “Scoring ‘Smile,’ Sans Strings or Synths: How the Composer Made a Horror Hit Even Creepier With an Unusual Instrument.” Variety. 14 October 2022. https://variety.com/2022/music/news/smile-horror-score-music-composer-1235404446/.
00:00 Intro00:06:40 Intro: Distribution & Reception00:20:36 Let's Make a Movie: Filmmakers00:26:57 Let's Make a Movie: Production00:31:45 Let's Make a Movie: Cast00:40:27 Vibe Check: Cinematography00:55:15 Vibe Check: SFX01:00:59 Vibe Check: Music & Sound Design01:09:04 Story Time: Characters01:24:58 Story Time: Murder & Mayhem01:40:45 Story Time: Themes01:52:12 Open Mic02:05:59 Losing Light

We just got back from Universal Studios - and what better way to decompress than talking about all the ways vacations go horribly wrong? This week we're doing something a little different: a vacation horror special. We cover Infinity Pool, Speak No Evil, Hostel, The Hills Have Eyes, Wolf Creek, Turistas, The Ruins, Midsommar, and more. Stay home. Trust us.
 
Citations
"31 Days to Scare ~ The Ruins (2008). The MN Movie Man. https://joethemnmovieman.com/2023/10/08/ruins/. 
Booker, Keith M. "The Hills Have Eyes." Comments on Culture. https://bookerhorror.com/the-hills-have-eyes-directed-by-wes-craven-1977/.
Colangelo, BJ. "The Real Australian Serial Killers Who Inspired Horror Film Wolf Creek." Slash Film. 3 June 2024. https://www.slashfilm.com/1592546/horror-wolf-creek-real-australian-serial-killer-influence/. 
Duffy, Caitlin. "The Hills Have Eyes (1977)." Caitlin Duffy. 4 September 2018. https://caitlinduffy.hcommons.org/2018/09/04/the-hills-have-eyes-1977/. 
McGlynn, Anthony. "The grim true story that inspired Eli Roth's Hostel." The Digital Fix. 8 June 2022. https://www.thedigitalfix.com/hostel/true-story. 
Scheib, Richard. "Turistas (2006)." Moria Reviews. 1999-2026. https://moriareviews.com/horror/turistas-2006.htm
 
Chapters
00:00:01 - Intro
00:05:07 - Dark Universe at Epic Universe
00:14:03 - Vacation Horror: John's Picks
00:14:15 - Infinity Pool (2023)
00:17:18 - Speak No Evil (2022/2024)
00:20:49 - Vacancy (2007)
00:24:58 - Joyride (2001)
00:27:30 - Vacation Horror: Rachel's Picks
00:27:46 - The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
00:32:33 - Hostel (2005)
00:36:39 - Wolf Creek (2005)
00:39:27 - Turistas (2006)
00:42:54 - The Ruins (2008)
00:46:04 - Midsommar (2019)
00:47:27 - Bonus: Ranking the Chevy Chase Vacation Films
00:48:22 - Outro
 

This week we're in the grocery store - and not for the weekly specials. Fresh off our Intruder deep dive, we wander the aisles of supermarket horror: Messiah of Evil, Alien Raiders, Bait, 28 Days Later, and The Mist. Plus, John debuts his demo "One More Shot" - a love song with a trunk and some red flags. 
00:00:01 - Intro
00:06:12 - Messiah of Evil (1973)
00:09:34 - Alien Raiders (2008)
00:10:46 - Bait (2012)
00:12:47 - 28 Days Later (2002)
00:15:37 - The Mist (2007)
00:21:42 - Demo: "One More Shot"

The overnight crew at Walnut Lake Market is closing up shop - and someone is killing them off one by one. We dive into Scott Spiegel's 1989 cult slasher Intruder, the Michigan filmmaking crew behind it, and how a $130k grocery store shoot became the audition tape for the most important practical effects team in horror history.
Citations
 
Hadden, Christine. "Friday Flashback: Intruder (1989) - Death Amidst the Frosted Flakes". Fascination With Fear. 6 July 2012. https://fascinationwithfear.blogspot.com/2012/07/friday-flashback-intruder-1989-death.html.
 
Hamman, Cody. "Intruder (1989) Revisited - Horror Movie Review". JoBlo. 26 May 2022. https://www.joblo.com/intruder-1989-revisited-horror-movie-review/.
 
"Makeup Mavens: KNB EFX Group". Cinemonster, Letterboxd. 2015. https://letterboxd.com/cinemonster/list/makeup-mavens-knb-efx-group/.
 
00:00:00 Intro00:06:22 Intro: Distribution & Reception00:14:59 Let's Make a Movie: Filmmakers00:22:56 Let's Make a Movie: Cast00:33:24 Let’s Make a Movie: Production00:38:10 Vibe Check: Cinematography00:51:51 Vibe Check: SFX00:56:42 Vibe Check: Music & Sound Design00:58:39 Story Time: Characters01:08:59 Story Time: Murder & Mayhem01:25:07 Story Time: Themes01:37:06 Open Mic01:46:48 Losing Light

Psychic powers make for some of horror's best and weirdest movies. This week we tour five of them - Carrie, Scanners, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, and Spellbinder - and talk about what it means when your mind is the weapon. Plus the demo for "Completely Normal Individual."
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:08 Carrie (1976)
00:07:23 Scanners (1981)
00:09:57 A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
00:12:00 Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
00:15:43 Spellbinder (1988) 00:19:31 Losing Light
00:22:46 Demo: "Completely Normal Individual"