Scary Thoughts

Just because you're paranoid, don't mean the Andromedans aren't after you. Chad and Marc give a brief Stranger Things wrap up before disentangling this Yorgos Lanthimos madness. They explore the differences between alien conspiracy paranoia, and the Truth. After hearing Chad's lifelong appetite for conspiratorial thinking, you will want to believe. Marc wonders if maybe the Andromedans really do know what's best. That's not a conspiracy, that's just sensible species management.

For Halloween, we always like to do something a little special, and this year we decided to ask some of our fellow fiends (Meg Elison, Joshua Grannell aka Peaches Christ, Carmen Maria Machado, Daniel Coffeen, Steven Intermill and Monique Jenkinson aka Fauxnique) about the first film they remember that truly scared them, and how that shaped them into the ghouls they grew up to be.

28 Years Later (2025) seems to have divided fans of the franchise. The original film raged into theaters with an absolutely fresh take on the zombie, with new and prescient rules based on gain of function research, and a distorted digital aesthetic that still looks incredible. Plus it introduced us to the great cheek bones of Cillian Murphy.


But this film? Chad loved it, Marc hated it. So get ready for a fun back and forth about what worked, and what didn't for your favorite horror movie podcast hosts.


This episode hits on the past and future of the franchise as a whole, Alex Garland and Danny Boyle's filmography, zombie dongs, Jimmy Saville's villainy, and whether or not tracksuits are the proper clothing for apocalyptic battles.

Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025) is the sixth installment in a (mostly) beloved franchise of fright films. Fans consider it one of the best in the series, and even the less enthused have found gems to enjoy. The opening sequence is a blast. The kills are hilarious and maximalist. And you even get a little bit of character development. 


The conversation stays mostly on topic, but let's be honest, Bloodlines is like a new AC/DC album. You know what you're getting. 


We stray into conversation about Japanese denim, ghost outfits and fast fashion, and the new Ryan Coogler film, Sinners. 


Overall, this episode is a real hoot.

Companion (2025) comes to us at a great time in our culture's history. As of this writing, AI hucksters are incinerating the planet so anyone can prompt Harry Potter fan fiction and the innumerate can vibe code their way to enough series A funding to purchase one-way flights to the Martian refugee colonies of the ultra wealthy. 


If those words are unfamiliar to you, just wait. Soon enough, the tech oligarchs will replace you with a subservient version of yourself that will. Or maybe they'll just make paperclips until we're all dead. 


But don't be a sad android! This is a fun movie and we have a fun time talking about it. We discuss AI doomerism, loneliness, The Book of Love song "Boy", and of all things, the power of love. 


Special note: this weekend is the @unnamedfootagefestival and we'll be out exploring the unhinged visions of our comrades with our rapidly deteriorating meatsuits. Be there!