An Interview with Payton McCarty Simas, Author THAT VERY WITCH

Mike and Devaughn give our crew's rankings for all six Final Destination Movies along with the opening set pieces.

After almost fifteen years away, Final Destination is back with it's most successful entry to date: Bloodlines! Far be it from us to turn down those sweet, sweet clicks as we tiptoe through the minefields of death and try to keep that pesky Rube Goldberg machine from going off and decapitating us with a handful of Q-tips. If we're not careful will Death will come for this podcast, and wipe out all our previous episodes one by one? That's the risk we are willing to take for our listeners. Mike, Devaughn, Stephen, and Brian are all on hand to talk about why this franchise is so fun, even if we can't take it too serious, why cock piercings are just plain a bad idea, why Grandma Lois' whole plan was a crock, and we ask how come no one seems too broken up when their loved ones are getting offed? We've heard of Irish Wakes, but do the come with frozen margs and trampoline backflips? All this and more!If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

Mike, Ari and Devaughn find their last wish is granted with a shockingly solid entry to close out the Wishmaster franchise. With solid performances all around and frank discussions on sex and romance, the mental wear and tear of caretaking for a disabled loved one, and a Djinn that finally says, "Maybe I shouldn't be such a dick if I want to actually get my plan to come to fruition" all three of us enjoyed this one. No existential crisis this week dear listener. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds. Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support. Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out. If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

Note to the listeners: Due to some computer snafus onMike’s end, the first five minutes of this episode are lost. We join this one as it is already in progress. This week, Mike and Ariel are on hand to talk Wishmaster 3Beyond the Gates of Hell. While we were warned we might experience something on par with the lows of the worst Wrong Turn franchise, this one is, just sort of there. It’s not the worst thing we’ve ever watched, but it isn’t all thatmemorable either. What is memorable is the mid-episode existential crisis Mike has as he ponders whether eternity would ever get boring, or if there is capitalism in the Afterlife, and if so, does Jesus make people toil in factoriesputting little screws into “Footprints” framed posters? We do talk about the movie a bit, and whether this is the same Djinn as the same movie, ponder why the Djinn doesn’t act a little nicer when granting wishes in order to get the prophecyto come true, and wonder if Angels would ride public transportation. Good times. Mike also makes the argument again that Wishmaster 2 laid the groundwork for the landmark Supreme Court case of Citizens United. All that, plus a little bit of Buffy talk.

This week Mike and Devaughn are joined by guest Matt Konopka (Killer Horror Critic) for a boys night on the town. Along with our fun-loving, wish-granting Djinn, we're hitting our two favorite hotspots the casino, and jail! Join us for a spirited discussion on how this straight to video sequel might be responsible for the downfall of American democracy, why the Djinn should just follow every good grandma's plan of "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar," and how Mike discovered that goth/punk art thieves that are deadly with a pistol are the kind of lady that leave him weak in the knees.

This week we're making dreams come true with 1997's throwback creature feature WISHMASTER. Featuring a who's who of horror both in front and behind the camera, the birth of the Djinn makes for a fun romp in the vein of not only 80s splatter horror, but also the classic Universal Monsters of yore. With FX from KNB and appearances from Robert Englund, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Reggie Bannister, Ted Raimi, the voice of Angus Scrimm along with an executive production credit by Wes Craven, this is a Dream Team of creatives for a B-movie. Mike, Brian and Devaughn are joined by guest John Seavey of the Half Priced Horror podcast but be careful what you wish for, because dreams can turn to nightmares pretty quick. Also, what's with all the smoking?

In this bonus episode, Ariel interviews author Payton McCarty-Simas about their upcoming book, That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film. The two of them discuss how witch films follow the cycles of feminism and other political movements in the US, why history matters in horror, and why Heather in The Blair Witch Project did nothing wrong. Preorder "That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film" here.Follow Payton on Instagram @paytplace .Add The Devonsville Terror to your watch list.

Let's do what all shows love to do: rank things! Mike, Ari, and Devaughn have counted the votes and we're here to put the Wrong Turn series in proper order.

Mike and Devaughn are joined by returning guest Kat Hughes to talk about the way better than it has any right to be reimagining of Wrong Turn. Mike would also recommend you check out Mathew Modine's other masterpiece, Vision Quest, the only movie about high school wrestling you need to see.

Mike and Ari are happy to report that Wrong Turn 6 is one of the most unabashedly horniest movies we've ever covered on the show. Eschewing the traditional hot couples hooking up, this one has more of flair for kink, sadomasochism, and voyeurism. At least, it certainly does compared to most slasher movies, let alone the sixth entry in a long running, straight to video franchise. Is it a great movie? No, but it's a hell of a fun watch marked with some truly cheeky humor, a number of spectacular kill sequences and a standout performance from Sadie Katz as the villainous Sally, it just might be our favorite of the whole series