Well-Adjusted Horror

The gang's all here to bid 2025 a fond (?) farewell. We're ranking the year's horror offerings, from Guillermo del Toro finally delivering the Frankenstein film Levi's waited 30 years for, to Sinners' hot-and-bothered vampires that some of us couldn't be bothered to finish.Weapons confused us until it didn't. The Long Walk made Levi cry. 28 Years Later pissed off Jonathan because The Walking Dead ruined everything. And somewhere in there, we imagined Lloyd the bartender giving Jack Torrance relationship advice.Films Discussed: Frankenstein, Sinners, Weapons, The Long Walk, 28 Years Later, Bring Her Back, Companion, The Monkey, The Ugly Stepsister, Silent Night Deadly Night, Welcome to Derry, Nosferatu, and—of course—Maximum Overdrive.Coming in 2026: Werwolf (it's spelled that way, we checked), Clayface, and whatever nightmare the Pinocchio public domain is cooking up.Give Caleb's wine podcast Natural State of Wine a listen—he's a level two sommelier and will make you a better person, probably.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): A remake that decided "what if we made the killer sympathetic and also gave him a Venom-style relationship with his murder suit?" Rowan Campbell returns to horror after Halloween Ends, once again playing the tortured guy nobody trusted The Nazi barn scene: Makes zero geographic sense. Maximum entertainment value. Very Indiana Jones. A spirited debate about why modern horror will gleefully show you intestines but treats consensual nudity like radioactive material Budget: $750k. Box office: $3 million. Verdict: Added to the annual Christmas horror rotation. Brief tangent about Luigi Mangione, because of course Levi's history lesson on Christmas drinking traditions—turns out our ancestors got absolutely hammered for 12 days straight and we've been cowards ever since Coming up: New Year's episode with the Baldwin boys

What We're Carving Up:Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)Things We Discussed:Why Christopher Robin abandoning his woodland friends turns them into rage-fueled killers (relatable)The beauty of democracy: bastardizing beloved characters the second copyright expiresWhere's Tigger? (Answer: safe in copyright jail until the sequel)That surprisingly decent animated opening vs. everything that follows80s slasher vibes meet sexist trash aestheticsWhy elevated horror fatigue is real and trash cinema has its placeOther recent disappointments: Keeper, Shelby OaksLooking forward to: Nosferatu, Silent Night Deadly NightThe Verdict: Tasty trash or tasteless trash? You decide. Either way, bring friends who can handle knowing you watched this.

Caleb's podcast: The Natural State of WineFilm Discussed: Velvet Buzzsaw (2019), directed by Dan GilroyCast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Tom SturridgeWines Featured:Lovehammer Cabernet 2020, Pine Mountain, Slow Jam's VineyardDominique Renard Rosé ChampagneJordan Chardonnay 2022Key Discussion Topics:The pretension and exploitation in the contemporary art worldAuthenticity vs. hype in wine, art, and cultureHaunted/cursed art as a horror subgenre (references to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Pickman's Model)Why visual art gets more latitude for bullshit than other art formsThe film's morality play about respecting an artist's final wishesMemorable deaths: the sphere, Hobo Man, paintings that literally killReferences: HP Lovecraft's "Pickman's Model," The Devil's Candy, Candyman (2021), Nightcrawler, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Ongo Gablogian 

The ReturnBack from a 6-month break (Levi's "summer slumber")Spooky season timing couldn't be betterBeer of choice: Maharaja IPA from Avery Brewing ("battery acid in a can")Phantoms (1998)Directed by Joe Chappelle (Halloween: Curse of Michael Myers)Written by Dean Koontz, adapting his own novelStarring baby-faced Ben Affleck as a sheriff/ex-FBI agentFeatures Peter O'Toole bringing gravitas to exposition dumpsRose McGowan and Joanna Going in peak Miramax era rolesPlot DiscussionSmall Colorado town mysteriously empty (before it was cool)Ancient enemy that's basically primordial ooze meets ChatGPTLovecraftian influences mixed with The Thing vibesPacing issues: "It's a four-act movie pretending to be three"CGI that aged like milk left in the sunPeter O'Toole Appreciation CornerFrom Lawrence of Arabia to... thisSurvived pancreatic cancer in the '70s (absolute legend)Professional drinker, occasional actorDied in 2012 at 80October Horror PlansPumpkinhead (Kentucky hillbillies and monsters)Witchfinder General (Vincent Price at his cruelest)Discussion of recent releases: Sinners, Weapons, The Long WalkRandom TangentsSSRIs and their gill-growing propertiesThe bridge troll health guru phenomenonWhy cigarettes are actually good for you (they're not)Ben Affleck's chin as a character unto itselfRating: Mixed bag - great concept, questionable execution, worth it for Liev Schreiber's creepy giggle alone

In this episode, we dive deep into *Deliver Us From Evil* (2014), a blend of supernatural horror, crime thriller, and buddy cop movie — featuring our special guest, Lindsay Brown. Episode question: Is a bad Brooklyn accent worse than complete spiritual depravity? Spoiler: The answer is yes.

We also reflect on Levi's viewing of "Nosferatu," examining its stylistic choices and societal themes. As we rank our favorite horror films from the past year, we highlight the connections between storytelling and audience reactions. We wrap up with our exciting plans for future projects and genre explorations in podcasting.

The episode opens on an emotional note for Jonathan as he acknowledges the bittersweet moment of watching his mentee, Levi, select a film that he deems one of the worst ever made. The duo can't help but dive into the absurdity, as they reminisce about the film's gratuitous nudity, poor acting, and the unforgettable presence of Clint Howard - whose performance, while dubious, is not to be dismissed too lightly. 

Special guest Lindsey joins Levi & Johnathon for a look at Needful Things, an underrated adaption of Stephen King's novel by the same name.Do you idolatry?We idolatry.

This week Levi and special guests Caleb and Luke consider the odd man out in the Halloween franchise, Halloween III.