October 2023 - Have You SEEN This?

188 – Halloween Bonus: Shudder’s Ghoul Log

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Jen and Tim do a deep dive into the canned pumpkin pie filling that is Shudder’s Ghoul Log! Are we serious with this shit? You tell us! However, all of the usual outlets appear to trick-or-treat it with the same gravitas afforded to, say, the latest Terrifier installment. To wit:

Comicbook.com anticipates the Night of the Ghoul Log:

“While some fans might be disappointed that this year hasn’t embraced a specific horror property, it still marks a great way to capture the atmosphere of Halloween night.” – Patrick Cavanaugh

All Hallows Geek covers Tippett Studios’s Mad God edition of the Ghoul Log

SlashFilm on the Trick ‘r Treat-themed edition:

“It’s charming, but it’s also a bit distracting. If you want the Ghoul Log to serve as background filler – as I do – this isn’t the way to go, as the constant interruptions will pull you away from whatever it is you’re doing.” – Chris Evangelista

Comicbook.com dutifully announces the 2023 edition (the kitty appears at approximately 4:30, for Shudder subscribers who value their time)

If you want more of spooky, narratively inert movies about menacing plant life, check out our free episode on Friedkin’s The Guardian!

187 – The Guardian

Tim and Jen bring back one of horror’s heaviest (lol) hitters to talk about a movie William Friedkin couldn’t be bothered to mention after he made it, The Guardian!

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Tim’s quip about Q’s on Wilshire refers to a 2000 incident in which screenwriter and director Eric Red plowed his Jeep into a crowded bar following a fender bender, killing two people, then attempted to slit his own throat with a piece of glass. The linked LA Weekly article draws some tenuous conclusions between Red’s work and the bloody mess at Q’s, but as of 2023 he appears to have stayed out of trouble and written several novels.

KCRW memorializes Deirdre O’ Donaghue’s incredibly influential playlists with its Bent By Nature podcast.

The ballerina clown of Venice remains in situ, where it has been since 1989. Presumably, it makes the CVS underneath it easy to find for out-of-towners.

Do you love Tim and Bitter Karella, but have had enough of Jen? Hear the former two discuss a beloved childhood favorite in our Ernest Goes to Camp episode!

186 – Ghost Stories

Spooky psychological horror from one of the modern British greats

Jen is pleasantly surprised when Tim suggests a horror movie that’s actually pretty good: the eerie anthology with a twist, Ghost Stories (2017). Also, Tim gives an impromptu lecture on the deeper meaning of American zombie movies. (He also seizes an opportunity to wedge in his love for League of Gentlemen. C’mon, that was 20 years ago!)

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Read an interview with Ghost Stories co-writer Derren Brown about his new stage show. He also confesses that he used to be a cape guy (“a bit intense, and a bit socially maladroit,” according to the article). No surprise there! He also has a YouTube channel if you would like to see him hypnotize people into giving him their wallets.

Need another spooky fix? Try our free episode on another slept-on horror anthology 50 States of Fright!

185 – The Frighteners

Tim and Jen look at Peter Jackson’s transition from splatter king to mainstream whizbang effects filmmaker, The Frighteners.

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Check out part one of The Frighteners blooper reel! Part two may be viewed here. Damn, that’s a lot of blooperin’, Doc!

In 2018, Germain Lussier wrote a positive reappraisal of the film for Gizmodo.

Lussier does not appear to be alone in liking the film, since a recent post from MSN claims that Universal intends to remake The Frighteners. Maybe we’ll get that franchise after all!

If you can’t get enough of movies that are ‘spiritually’ about Ghostbusters, check out our review of Return of the Ghostbusters.