The Fly with Jon Gabrus

David Koechner (The Office, Anchorman) joins Dan and SJ to chat about a movie he starred in, the yuletide horror comedy Krampus. They talk about why David calls it a Family Horror film, David's experience shooting the movie in New Zealand, the incredible practical effects work by WETA Workshop, David's idea for a Krampus 2 musical, and how new audiences find the movie every Christmas season.

SJ, Dan, and Spaventa break down the recent action-comedy-horror movie Renfield. They talk about the many reasons the movie feels like a first draft, Nic Cage's successful effort to play Dracula with no goofiness, the group therapy scenes falling completely flat, Nicholas Hoult and Awkwafina being totally miscast, the movie's very fun gory violence, and how Cage feels wasted even though he's the best part of the movie.   Renfield (2023)   Directed by Chris McKay Written by Ryan Ridley Starring Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz,  Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Brandon Scott Jones

Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf, Arrow) joins SJ and Dan to talk about 90's teen witchcraft movie The Craft. They discuss how the movie is basically X-Men written by the board of a women's college, if they would have been friends with the girls in high school, the meanness of high schoolers in movies of the 90s, and if the movie is scary or not.   The Craft (1996)   Directed by Andrew Fleming Written by Peter Filardi and Andrew Fleming Starring Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True, Skeet Ulrich, Christine Taylor, and Breckin Meyer

Dan, SJ, and Spaventa discuss the Hulu alien horror film No One Will Save You. They talk about which scenes feel like Home Alone, if the design of the aliens feels scary, comparisons to Signs, whether we think the movie would have done well as a theatrical release, acting without dialogue, Kaitlyn Dever's creepy dresses, modern horror's overreliance on trauma as character backstory, and the ending feeling like a birth control commercial.   No One Will Save You (2023)   Written and Directed by Brian Duffield Starring Kaitlyn Dever

SJ and Dan cover another Stephen King adaptation, the paranormal horror The Boogeyman. They talk about why the Boogeyman is a lame monster, the generic horror villain trope of feeding on fear, and how they completely disagree about what happens at the end of the movie.   The Boogeyman (2023) Directed by Rob Savage Written by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, and Mark Heyman Starring Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, David Dastmalchian, and Marin Ireland      

Dan and Sara welcome Sam Roberts (Jim and Sam Show) to discuss the classic 90s slasher Scream. They talk about if the rules of horror the movie lays out really matter, why Scream is better than most of the movies it celebrates, the method used to keep Rose McGowan stuck in the doggie door, the Psycho quote that does not land, and how Matthew Lillard's character makes the entire movie work.   Scream (1996) Directed by Wes Craven Written by Kevin Williamson Starring David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, and W. Earl Brown    

SJ and Dan are joined by Brent Sullivan (You're Making It Worse podcast) to discuss the original Hellraiser. They talk about Pinhead's World War I veteran backstory, the on-set maggot wrangler, Clive Barker's bad alternative title ideas, and a very Hunter Biden scene.   Hellraiser (1987) Written and Directed by Clive Barker Starring Doug Bradley, Clare Higgins, Andrew Robinson, Ashley Laurence, and Sean Chapman

Dan, SJ, and Spaventa discuss the "Evil Macaulay Culkin" movie The Good Son. They talk about how Culkin's character isn't that different from Kevin McCallister in Home Alone, Elijah Wood's dad dumping him at his distant relatives' house immediately after his mother's death, the Augustus Gloop moment, and the ridiculous last line of the movie.   The Good Son (1993) Directed by Joseph Ruben Written by Ian McEwan Starring Elijah Wood, Macaulay Culkin, Wendy Crewson, and David Morse  

Jon Gabrus (ActionBoyz, High and Mighty podcasts) joins Dan and SJ to discuss body horror classic The Fly! They talk about why we need more remakes of bad movies, the nightmarish image of fingernails falling off, why this is the most pro-abortion movie of all time, how Cronenberg shows Goldblum's gradual transition to Brundlefly, Mel Brooks refusing to be in the movie, and Dan merging with a bedbug in Seth's machine.   The Fly (1986) Directed by David Cronenberg Written by Charles Edward Pogue and David Cronenberg Starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, and John Getz

As we enter this hiatus period, please enjoy our Talk To Me patreon episode free and unlocked!   SJ, Dan, and Spaventa unpack what they unanimously think is the best new horror movie of 2023, the Australian supernatural possession film from A24, Talk To Me. They discuss how the embalmed hand is not traditionally spooky, how the movie achieves its rough and visceral violence, the unique Australian elements, and the terror of being filmed for tiktoks while under spiritual possession.   Talk To Me (2023)   Directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou   Written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman   Starring Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanju, and Miranda Otto