Episode 4: Comedy and Horror (feat. Ronny Chieng)

From the makers of Let’s Make a Sci-Fi comes The Town Show – a podcast where comedians Mark Chavez and Ryan Beil attempt the impossible: building an entire fictional town from scratch.Each week, a guest comedian drops in to help dream up new residents, landmarks, local legends, and wild events that give the town its lovable charm. It’s improv, world-building, and pure chaos – one episode at a time. More episodes of The Town Show are available here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-town-show/id1774078592

In a very special live episode, Mark, Maddy and Ryan each pitch their ideas for a new horror film to legendary comedian Paul F. Tompkins (Mr. Show, BoJack Horseman). Which film will Paul give the greenlight to? This episode was recorded live at KCRW in Los Angeles as part of the 2023 On Air Fest. Also in this episode: Mark introduces "The Town Show" , a new weekly podcast series hosted by him and Ryan. Listen here: https://shows.acast.com/the-town-showClose and Lock the Patio Door will be screening in Vancouver on Oct 25 as part of the Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival. Get tix here: https://bit.ly/4eONfCL 

Mark, Maddy, and Ryan perform a live version of the podcast with guest Tricia Black (What We Do In The Shadows, Pretty Hard Cases) at Comedy Bar as part of the Just for Laughs Toronto comedy festival.

Did you remember to Close and Lock the Patio Door? Mark, Maddy, and Ryan’s short film is out NOW! Go to patiodoormovie.com to watch the film. On this episode they discuss all of the behind the scenes drama, what worked in the film and what didn’t, and they try to answer the biggest question of this season: Did they make a scary movie??? Watch Close and Lock the Patio Door on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGktkCwaJSc

Mark, Maddy, and Ryan enter the editing suite only to realize what they shot is NOT WORKING! They speak to comedy turned horror director Nahnatchka Khan (Totally Killer, Always Be My Maybe) about how to save a struggling film after you’ve already shot it. Recognizing the crucial role music plays, the hosts ask their friend Emmett to help score their film.

Mark, Maddy, and Ryan have finished their script just in the nick of time. But 8 days before they shoot their film, everything goes wrong. Maddy moves across the country, Mark goes blind, and the director of photography winds up in the hospital! As the comedians assemble their crew and head out to the cabin, can they break this curse? They also enlist legendary monster actor Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Hocus Pocus) to ensure that their ghoul is sufficiently scary.

Doubting their horror acting abilities, the comedians write and practice reading horror dialogue with actor Rose McIver (Ghosts, iZombie, The Lovely Bones), who leads a crash course in horror performances. With unexpected help from rom-coms, Rose teaches the hosts how to go from gushy to gory. This interview was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Mark, Maddy, and Ryan have their idea, but who’s going to helm it? Director duo Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky talk about directing as a team—and the big stunt they pulled to land directing Final Destination 6. The hosts debate whether they’ll direct together or appoint one director.

After spooky stories disintegrate into laughs, the hosts explore the thin boundary between horror and hilarity with Daily Show correspondent and comedian Ronny Chieng, who also shares what it was like to be murdered by AI doll M3GAN. Mark, Maddy, and Ryan also put on their producer hats and start planning their short film.

Although critics are slamming the new Exorcist movie, it's still number one at the box office. Horror fans Jen Sookfong Lee and Matt Hart make the case for the original Exorcist, and weigh in on why we love to be scared at the movies. Every day, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud brings you the most urgent, joyful, captivating discussions in all of arts, pop culture, and entertainment. Commotion is where you go for a thoughtful and vibrant chat working through the big culture stories. More episodes are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/8ysgbI4K