The Pod and the Pendulum

This week we kick of our first franchise of 2026 with one of the tentpoles of modern horror. Alfred Hitchcock's black and white foray into horror delivered one of cinema's all the great and most sympathetic villains in Norman Bates, played masterfully by Anthony Perkins. What was meant to be a quick, cheap B-movie became the Master of Suspense's most well-known and lucrative film. This week Mike, Nichole, and Brian are joined by guest Alex Pagliuca the history of the film, it's enduring legacy and the characters and events that make it so memorable
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Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today for as little as $2 at patreon.com/podandthependulum. 
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. 
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By the 1950s, not only was Alfred Hitchcock regarded as the master of suspense he became a brand himself as his smash hit television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents put the droll director in the homes of tens of millions of households every week. Over the course of the 1950s, he hit his creative peak & broke away from the constraints of David Selznick and launched his own production house.  Over the course of the decade Hitchcock directed many of his most beloved works, including Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, North by Northwest & Vertigo. While Hitchcock seemed to be on a roll, the latter film’s poor commercial and critical reception, alongside up and comers like Les Diaboliques’ Henri Clouzet being hailed as “the new Hitchcock,” and a slew of cheap horror films gaining steam at the box office left the director, now four decades into his career, looking to prove he still was the Master of Suspense. 
This week, before we begin our coverage of Hitchcock's most famous and commercially successful film, Mike and Brian look back on the director’s work in the 50s, as well as the outside forces that shaped him. 
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. 
Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today for as little as $2 at patreon.com/podandthependulum. 
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. 
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Heading into the new year we take one last look back at the year that just passed. Mike, Brian, Ariel, & Devaughn are on hand to give their ten favorite horror movies from 2025.
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. 
Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today for as little as $2 at patreon.com/podandthependulum. 
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It's a Wonderful Orgy! Or is it? For our annual Xmas bonus show, Nichole has chosen the final film from the maestro himself, the elusive, unknowable Stanley Kubrick. Starring the Hollywood couple at the time Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, this exhausting, 400 day shoot was marketed as an erotic thriller, but instead explored the darker, richer themes of repressed longing & desire, and the deeply ingrained but hidden insecurities of a certain kind of successful male. So gather a cup of eggnog and unwrap one of our finest episodes to date.

This week we are taking a break but posting a little Christmas treat for all our listeners. We've opened up our patreon vault and are gifting you with this episode we recorded shortly after the release of one of if not the best not only horror movie but straight up movie of the year Ryan Koogler's Sinners. Brian and I joined forces for a quick discussion of our initial thoughts of the film as well as give our recommendation for other vampire movies fans should check out after devouring this one. Thank you once again to all our listeners for making this a fantastic year and if you're so inclined please consider becoming a patron by going to patreon.com/podandthependulum today