Child's Play

Special note I did what I could with the audio, there are a few bits where it's weird. This is what happens when I let my large sons record without me. Walter returns with special fill-in host Schuyler with a double feature of films that offer the polar opposites of ambiguity. First the boys delve into the unpleasant but fascinating world of 2011’s The Skin I Live In. Walter is oblivious, Schuyler has an intervention coming up, and they’re reminded of a modern classic of direct-to-DVD cinema. Then your hosts try to keep it together as they discuss 2024’s The Watchers and wonder when a movie explains too much. Does the Shyamalan apple fall far from the tree and is it even a good tree to begin with? What episode of Doctor Who still sends Walter into a rage? All that, plus some recent movie recommendations and elaborate murder plots. The movie that Walter was trying to remember is 2019’s The Hole in the Ground.

Kevin and Walter get to cleaning as they talk about the Argentine film When Evil Lurks. Kevin fears possession and Walter is a parent, so this one wreaks havoc. The movie may shock and scare, but is it worth your time? Kevin’s goat rankings certainly are. Walter is too snooty to discuss Spy x Family Code: White, but makes some time for Suitable Flesh. Plus, the first ever reader mail gets nowhere near the attention it deserves.

Kevin and Walter get dragged out of bed to discuss the low budget sensation of 2007, Paranormal Activity. This movie spooked the boys when it first came out but does it still have teeth today? Is Micah the worst because he is a day trader, or does it run deeper than that? Does the demon just want to see them toes? After the hosts roast an ancient demon and discuss which member of the friend group they would sacrifice, Kevin talks about some recent movies including his thoughts on Dune: Part 2. Walter had fun with X-Men ‘97 and thinks it’s important that everyone knows Cyclops has always been cool, actually.

Kevin and Walter take a break from their road trip murder spree to review Where the Devil Roams. Do the boys appreciate independent filmmaking enough to overlook some flaws? Which one of the hosts do you think is a My Chemical Romance fan? But which one loves Ladyhawke? After all of that horror nonsense is out of the way, Love is Blind gets its due with piping hot takes. Then, watch out for some spoiler talk for Dune: Part 2 and the book series on which it is based. Plus, Kevin talks about Neuromancer while Walter remembers how William Gibson has wronged him in the past.

Kevin and Walter get refracted with special guest Schuyler to discuss the 2018 kind of Netflix film Annihilation. After a brief tour through the director’s career, the boys discuss the highs and lows of this sci-fi thriller. Which monster is the scariest? What does the ending mean? And can you still nitpick no one wearing gloves while accepting the premise of the movie? Then, Kevin solves True Detective and pneumonia provides Walter with the perfect conditions to watch Killers of the Flower Moon. Your hosts discuss books and the best way to read them and the disappointment of picking up stories you skipped in your childhood.

Kevin and Walter crawl out of their rotten walls to discuss 2020’s Relic. This somber movie is a meditation on the inevitability of aging and the burden placed on three generations of women. But first the boys talk a lot about masturbation. Plus, the horrors of home ownership, Kevin is a Wonka boy, and the great debate of Hamilton vs. Baby Shark. Your hosts have been busy without much time to watch anything else, but there is some spoiler free talk of The Boy and the Heron and Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving.

How strong can Chucky be, really? Kevin and Walter get to the bottom of it while watching 1988’s Child’s Play. The boys have a lot of critiques for the killer doll’s methods and wonder if he can strangle with those stubby little fingers. Plus, how far will their integrity last when those ad dollars start rolling in? Walter watched Oppenheimer and The Killer and Kevin revisited Ghost in the Shell. Then, book club is back in session as Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian gets assessed and your hosts reminisce about the books they liked in high school.

This episode was recorded in 2015 before either of us had any audio equipment, or how to edit. I did what I could to improve the audio, but this is about the limit of how much I can polish this one up. Hope you enjoy this from the vault episode and we will be back next week with our episode covering Relic!

The boys are back for the spookiest day of the year to chat away about Speak No Evil. Find out just how much guff your hosts are willing to take and the best ways to lie to your kid for everyone’s safety. Kevin’s hatred of the Dutch runs deep, Walter tests the bounds of human experience, and they both reminisce about the shady houses they’ve lived in. There is some rapid fire discussion of what’s been watched this season, including talk of recent releases The Exorcist: Believer  and Brooklyn 45. Plus, is The Purge any good? Listen and find out, but no.

Kevin and Walter wonder if anyone still needs to be told to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street. Does this franchise spawning classic still hold up or are some outdated effects going to pull the hosts out of dreamland? The innate thermostat sense of dads, Freddy Krueger’s nipple, and men who wear too many rings are all the hot topics that get covered this week. Then, don’t worry, the new season of Love is Blind gets its due. Walter makes up for lost time with a bevy of horror movie recommendations including recents streamers No One Will Save You and Totally Killer. Kevin does a David Fincher double feature and tops it off with a skit. Have you been drinking?