Aughtsterion

It's a very Aughtsterion holiday, as the fifth season of the pod debuts with Eli Roth's latest (and possibly best??) effort: Thanksgiving. Based on the trailer for a fake movie of the same name that rolled in between Grindhouse movies back in 2007, this Thanksgiving, as some anonymous internet commenter described it, like if someone made a 2000s remake of the non-existent 1970s movie the original trailer depicted. In other words, it's basically fantastic. Jordan is boosting it as her favorite Roth of all time, while Sam sees it as a close contender with his top choice, Hostel 2, but no matter where that discussion ends up, it means the audience wins. Roth has a way with depicting horrible people doing horrible things. And while his love of gore has never abated since the torture tourism era, his level of misogynist sleaze thankfully has. (At least... for now!) So, join your co-hosts to celebrate a most rare scary movie gem — the Turkey Day slasher — as well as the maturation of Rick Hoffman on screen, the presence of Addison Rae, and yes, even a musical about Jesus. It will all make sense once you listen, promise! 

As a special nod to the waning hours of PRIDE month, Jordan and Sam have made the time for a very special episode. It's not horror, but it is the second entry in a softcore comedy franchise called Eating Out, and this time you're getting the Sloppy Seconds. From 2006, this sequel reaches for the stars and becomes one of the — now keep an open mind — great ensemble comedies of the 2000s?! Maybe so! In this episodes, your co hosts talk about the subversive importance of boys-in-briefs movies of the aughts, what Sloppy Seconds gets right that even movies of the 2020s don't, and why different does in fact rock. This one's for the bisexuals! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola and Sam Wineman Music by: Sam Wineman

Is it gonna work out for the dipshit in the mask this time? Sam and Jordan are skeptical!! In part 2 of the Aughts pod special coverage of Scream VI, your co hosts venture into the subway, the kill palace, and Gale's Upper West Side apartment as their friends traverse Manhattan to vanquish a killer. Or! Killers! It's time to celebrate Tara throwing hands, Sam rejoicing in getting to kill again, Chad putting his body on the line, and Kirby taking matters into her own hands. It's scary to think of a Scream VII being able to follow this up, but as long as the Core 4 sticks together, at least we'll all be with our friends.   Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

It's an Aughtsterion Christmas in March. One year after the Scream franchise returned with its 5th installment — which your hosts were full supporters of by the end — chapter 6 has arrived to officially mark the beginning of the Radio Silence era of the franchise. Yes, nü Scream was directed by the duo of Gillette and Bettinelli-Olpin, but the need to merge the original run of the franchise with its new class made it a kind of hybrid between Craven and the new guys. And with the tough work of an origin story out of the way, VI is able to soar exciting heights and, most importantly, really let Sam and Jordan feel like they're back hanging out with their Woodsboro friends again. Jenna Ortega is an irrefutable star. Melissa Barrera is the Sam she was meant to be. The twins are a total joy. Kirby is back, and the Core 4 are officially the new Ghost(face) Busters. This one goes out to you, Gale Weathers!   Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman 

Congratulations, graduates! You've made it to the end of Aughtsterion season 4, but before you all fan out to pursue your dreams — and before we reconvene for season 5 — Sam and Jordan have some awards to hand out. Who was the best actress of this class? What was the best picture? Which villain had the best Moment, and does anyone care about the actors at all? Not really! But let's try our best to make something up. Tune into the best of to see which of your faves are getting their flowers, and put on Vitamin C's "Graduation" to celebrate. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

In the second half of the Baughts team's talk about M3GAN, Sam, Margot and Jordan finally get to the main event of this conversation. Which is: Why is M3gan so... gay?? It's a comprehensive answer, but the Cliff's Notes answer is, well, everything. Your co-hosts also get into the evergreen favorite topic of friendship love stories, why our robot god isn't a toy, what happens to bad little boys, and so very much more. M3GAN INNOCENT! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Written by: Margot Carlson and Sam Wineman

The Botcast and Aughtsterion have teamed up for one of 2023's most critical new releases: M3GAN. Sitting dead center in the bullseye of Margot, Jordan and Sam's interests, this Akela Cooper-penned movie about a robot companion who takes her mandate of protection a little too far demands analysis that only two scholars of the 2000s and robot cinema intellectual can provide. There's so much to discuss, including what makes M3GAN gay, where the movie sits in the liberated AI canon, what the titular character's fabulosity signifies, and so much more than it had to be split into two episodes. Dive into part 1 now, and do it with a flourish. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Margot Carlson and Sam Wineman

It is the week of Christmas, and as both a pro-horror and pro-holiday podcast, Aughtsterion has convened to celebrate a new double-genre classic. Sam and Jordan liked the new movie Violent Night so much that they had to record a Seasons Greetings episode about it. From Dead Snow director Tommy Wirkola and the up and coming action factory 87North (springing from the virtuoso stunt collective 87eleven), Violent Night is about is Santa was a jaded drunk despondent over the global diminishing of Christmas spirit among kids. Which of course means the only way he can rekindle those Christmas fires within is to protect one small pure-hearted girl whose family is being sieged by terrorists on Xmas Eve. It's bloody. It's sentimental. It's Beverly D'Angelo saying obscene things. This movie is Aughts approved, and best of all, it even includes a tease of Sam's new original holiday music that you can have if you donate any amount of money to AIDS/LifeCycle. It's the annual charity drive, so get to giving! Hit the link and go! https://giving.aidslifecycle.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=2540 Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman 

After a mid-ish season hiatus, Sam and Jordan returned with a most esteemed guest. The film scholar, programmer, journalist, appreciator, and all around all star Anna Bogutskaya joins the Aughts pod to talk about a most special little jewel: Lucky McKee's May. This is the second McKee joint your co-hosts have covered, and he remains an era MVP, providing essential texture amidst the sameness that set in over the reboot/remake/requel etc. season of horror. So, join this hive mind for a discussion of the movie as a "Choose you!" rom-com, a story of self-acceptance, a celebration of weirdos, and of course, a lot more. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

If you've come this far, it means you're ready to crawl into the scary sewer and join Sam and Jordan for part two of their conversation about Halloween Ends — the the Jason Goes To Hell of Michael Myers movies, the erotic thriller of the decades old franchise, the movie where marching band kids are villains and the new main character guy and The Shape have a surrogate sexmurder scene in a cave. It's true! The new HalloTrilogy never knew what to do with Andi Matichak, which is embarrassing, and it did the absolute wrong thing with Judy Greer, which is unforgivable. But we are here to pick up the pieces and find the light in the dark. Love lives TODAY!  Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

It's been a topical year for the Aughts pod, with so many new releases being filed — either directly or tangentially — alongside hits from the millennium era. And this time, Sam and Jordan go to Haddonfield for Halloween Ends. We were told in the abhorrent Halloween Kills that "Evil dies tonight!" That wasn't even true, but could it be now that... love lives today? On the heels of Jason X this one turned into another two-part special because there was simply too much to say, what with the introduction of a new main character, that banger of a cold open, and the gift box Sam got of 2000s miscellany. Now let's take off our tops and show grief what we've got underneath! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

You've heard the case for how Britney Spears set the stage for Jason X to be born, and now your co-hosts are ready to dive into the movie itself. Part 1 was all about the rise of the remix, and now Part 2 is where we get to dig into the specifics the zaddy zombie with a machete, the Fembot icon KM-14, the final girl who deserved at last two more franchise installments, the suspiciously 2000s nature of 25th century fashions, and the combination of sincerity and gayness that lifts X up among the best the Friday saga has to offer. Margot stays on for essential commentary as a robot expert and Gen Z correspondent, making this another Baughts pod spectacular. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

On this week's episode of the Aughts pod, Jordan and Sam are crossing over with the Botcast. Robot cinema specialist Margot Carlson joins Team 2000s to unpack one of the decade's early misfits, a movie with an egregious Rotten Tomatoes rating that dares to ask: What if Jason... got an upgrade? Jason X is the intersection of robot cinema and party horror of the soon-to-end pre-9/11 era for the genre. But before we can go all the way to space, Sam has some crucial context setting to do, and by the end of the episode you'll either be a believer in the theory that Britney Spears is responsible for Friday the 13th's 10th installment — or you can unsubscribe! This. Is. The. Re-mix. Part 1. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

It's been a great year for horror generally, and it has been an amazing year for aughts horror surging back into the box office. We got a fifth Scream that managed to stand up with almost 30 years of the franchise before it and keep the Ghostface death squad kicking, and now we've been given the case for dusting off old IP. It's the prequel to end all prequels. It's Julia Stiles at her absolute zenith. It is the return of Esther, one of our great 21st century horror villains. It is... Orphan: First Kill! Jordan and Sam were so beside themselves after seeing this modern masterpiece that they had to record a bonus episode and cross the bridge between 2022 and 2009. The audacity of this movie. The gall of this movie. The gumption of this movie! If you haven't seen First Kill turn back now and avoid spoiling the movie for yourself. But if you have then join your co-hosts in revelry to celebrate what genius looks like. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Coming hot on the heels of one of the 2000's most teachable moments, 2009's Friday the 13th, comes its midnight twin, a case for sleaze, an answer to the question, "Ok, Jordan. If the trash bits in Jason '09 are bad then what trash bits are good???" And your co-hosts are here to tell you: Piranha 3DD from 2012 is the movie you seek! Alexandre Aja's Piranha 3D from two years earlier is one of the great treasure's of the aughts' long tail, harnessing the sleaze of the era into clever, exploitation fun. Double D looks like it has about 1/4 of the budget, but don't you doubt it; this movie has just as much unpolished gold (and maybe more??) once you get past the cold open with Gary Busey and the farting cow. We've got faves on faves in Piranha 3DD, with Danielle Panabaker, Chris Zylka, returning hitters like Ving Rhames and Christopher Lloyd, and a real best-use cameo courtesy of The Hoff. And excuse me, Katrina Bowden did you just become an Aughts Pod hall of famer? Maybe so! Now get your bikinis packed and prepare to get wet, because we've got a lot of pop culture excavating to do. Girls Gone Wild is collapsing as the 2000s go bankrupt, y'all. The party's over, so long live the Piranha party! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

In an era filled with cautionary tales, the Aughts pod looks to celebrate what was good about that time.  But in the case of this episode, your co-hosts are making a rare break from form to focus on a movie that took all the wrong lessons from the 2000s and ended up as Jordan's nadir of the remake machine. This is the anti-Aughtsterion movie. This is... the 2009 remake of Friday The 13th – a picture that dares to misuse Julianna Guill and Willa Ford and feels like the product of a post-beer pong brainstorm sesh in the frat basement. But as we say on Aughtsterion: It's important, because another essential mission of the pod is to highlight the lessons we can learn from a period that could generously described as "problematic." F13 reminds us that many things from the millennium era are better left in the bin, but if we do not study the time that birthed this fucking bummer, we will simply be doomed to repeat it. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

On the Aughtsterion podcast your co-hosts specialize in celebrating the unheralded heroes of the 2000s — the era's secret Final Girl MVP, Katie Cassidy; the best monologue you've never heard in The Quiet; one of the only substantially meaningful cinematic gender swaps of all time in The Hitcher. And in this very special episode of season 4, Sam and Jordan are here to honor the most unheralded of aughts pop princesses: THE Willa Ford. What was originally meant to be a "quick" minisode naturally expanded into a full scale bonus territory as Sam realized he couldn't possibly limit himself to just a few minutes. Time to discover her long lost album, her greatest hits, her training as a classical opera singer, and why she very well may be the keystone to understanding a most catastrophic decade. This podcast is now a Willa Ford stan account! Act accordingly!  Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

If you're going to talk about treasures of the 2000s, you simply can't stop the conversation before discussing The Ruins. The Aughts pod has easy work to do with titles like House of Wax and The Hitcher, since there's a higher level of buy in from the start. But the archivists' work is done with titles that didn't have the weight of classic reputations behind them! From director Carter Smith, The Ruins is a jewel that lays bare the country's post-9/11 "America First!" rotting core before the slogan was popularized by a super dickhead years down the line. It also moves at a dead sprint and is filled with terror and top notch gore. Great performances abound from era staples like Shawn Ashmore and Laura Ramsay, and Jena Malone and Jonathan Tucker are giving incredible turns as the worst, most recognizable straight couple you've ever met. The Ruins is good, actually, and it's about time we placed it on the mantle next to biggies like Black Xmas! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Welcome back, Aughtsterion fans! It's been months and months since Sam and Jordan brought their boundless passion for Millennium-era genre films with new episodes, but they are making up for the delay with a big hitter for the season 4 premiere. Your co-hosts are joined by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Emerald Fennell, whose movie Promising Young Woman became an instant all-timer for Jordan and Sam. And as Jordan has proven in the past with multiple podcast ventures: if you stan hard enough, dreams can come true! Speaking of dreams materializing, Fennell has brought a true classic of her generation's formative years to the pod. It's time to talk about the oh-my-god-this-got-made Lolita thriller of 1993. It's time to talk about The Crush. It's a movie that, as Fennell says, is really a bridge too far, but it's a movie all three of your hosts for this episode love. And it's a movie that brings a hell of a lot of discussion with it. Mind the wasps, everyone, and let's have fun. 

In a rare moment for the Aughts pod, Sam and Jordan are of two different minds in this episode all about the new movie X. "But X...?" you're wondering. "How is this Aughtsterion material?" Well, the short answer is: Their pod their rules! But the longer one is, Ti West was part of the great indie surge of the late 2000s, making him a legacy character in the discourse about the time. And besides, it gives your co-hosts a chance to talk about the historical intersection of horror and porn — and not the softcore variety that briefly flourished in the millennium era. So, let's talk queerness in straight horror, the role of the audience in shaping the meaning of a film, and that one movie from West he really wishes you could just forget ever existed. Shouts out to Mia Goth and Brittany Snow! You ladies are fucking stars! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

It's that time again, Aughts fans! It's time to celebrate Sam's birthday with the franchise he is making an American slasher tradition: My Super Psycho Sweet 16. In what's become an annual event for Aughtsterion, your co-hosts have gathered for the Pisces treat of talking about the best horror franchise you haven't been watching religiously, starring the final girl you never knew you needed to be celebrating. Lauren McKnight returns as Skye Rotter in Part 2 of the series, and now she's on the lam. Bodies are all over the floor at the Roller Dome. Her dad is back from oblivion and picking off teens again, and now he's obsessed with a new goal — getting the family back together again after Skye runs to the mom that abandoned her and the [step?]sister she didn't even know existed. Brigg is fired up to defend the honor of his girl. Derek sucks; his new "girlfriend" sucks even more. And we've got a new mean girl in town. Here's to Sam's Super Birthday. We're gonna party at the BONEYARD. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Fire up that siren, Aughts fans, because Scream 6 is a go! Sam, Jordan, and the millions of others who drove the film to box office success have been clamoring for more since seeing the fifth film, and now that the good word is out, your co-hosts have some feelings they wanted to process about this welcome sequel news. Feelings like: It's ok if Sidney is done now, Bring Back Kirby and Stu!, and "Give us more gays!" Sorry, Woodsboro. Your nightmare isn't over yet. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Alas, the time has come, the time to say goodbye to our friends on Dylan Island. I Know What You Did Last Summer the series became a beloved part of the Aughts pod, and Sam and Jordan will miss all their friends — especially Margot — as they gaze off the bluff and out over the ocean of Not Renewed Television Shows. In the end, this show delivered, and your co-hosts are here to celebrate the top tier performances from Brianne Tju and Madison Iseman, the show's persistent lack of interest in follow up questions, surprise erotic thrillers, incredible villain monologues, constant queerness, and everything else that made IKWYDLS event programming for those who Get It. And that's tea. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

As Sam and Jordan move into their second hour of conversation about new Scream, the excitement level rises as they relive how the film really hits its stride in the back half. We get to see new franchise all stars like Jasmin Savoy Brown and Melissa Barrera shine, we get to see villains run amuck, and we get to see Sidney and Gale take no shit while they guide our young heroes through the foreboding halls of Stu Macher's house. The verdict is: Bring on Scream 6! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

By definition, Aughtsterion doesn't make it a point to cover new movies, but it would be a dereliction of purpose for Sam and Jordan to not sit down and hash out their every little thought about the latest in the franchise that really started this whole podcast: Scream. Your co-hosts hit the theater together to watch part 5 (at least in Jordan's view) the greatest horror franchise of all time, and they had so many thoughts it ended up making for the longest record in pod history. So, here is the first hour of two on Nü Scream, which considers the new film as a tale of two halves and get into all the most important details, like the precedent shattering cold open, the many shades of Kyle Gallner's hotness, the ways in which Sam and Jordan struggled with the new entry balanced against how much they enjoyed it. And of course... how incredible Neve Campbell's entire performance run as Sidney Prescott has been. Kirby truthers, it's your time to shine! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Yellowjackets may not be an Aughts era show based on the year it debuted, but it sure is an Aughts era show since it's half set in 1996! Sam and Jordan are simply obsessed with the season 1 finale of the breakout series, and have to process their feelings over Jackie and Shauna and best friend breakups and the most shocking horror of all. They're processing grief, so you're coming along for the ride. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

For the final Aughtsmas episode of the pod, Sam and Jordan are talking about the hit movie based on the success of a movie that came out almost a decade before it: the Love Actually inspired holiday rom-com New Year's Eve from 2011. This movie is like the second layer of carbon paper on a document with attached copies. This movie is like a 2007 Taylor Swift cover of a George Michael Christmas song. This movie is everything, and it is nothing, and it is very important that your co-hosts discuss it for a very long time. From the twists and turns of what happens behind the scenes at the Times Square ball drop to a sudden, late-movie pop in from Alyssa Milano to a Lea Michele/Bon Jovi duet to Cherry Jones holding a dog and not doing much else, this Garry Marshall movie has so much going on that it is introducing new characters until the very last minute, and insisting that all second chances are valid as long as you take them before the clock strikes 12:00 on New Year's Eve. And never forget: You can't move midnight! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Love Actually is many things — a millennial Christmas classic, a problematic fave, a time capsule that glamorizes abuse of power in the workplace as romantic, an R-rated rom com, a surprisingly queer positive (well, considering the context...) string of love stories, etc. — and while Sam and Jordan couldn't possibly cover everything there is to talk about regarding this modern holiday staple, they are going to cover a lot of ground. (And they're also going to talk a lot about Mariah Carey.) For this episodes, your co-hosts confront the all important question: Love, actually?? With so many stories within this story, Love Actually couldn't possibly be the cultural monolith it's talked about as being, which is exactly why Aughtsterion is here to guide you through a re-appraisal of this sticky millennium-era mega hit. Praise be to Keira Knightley's name. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

For your second annual Aughtsterion Christmas Mix, Sam and Jordan are switching gears big time from last year's compilation. They're not going on a Lohan Holiday. They're not doing the Christmas Macarena. They're turning almost all the way down and getting indie and emo. Have you heard the bells on Christmas day yet? Have you ever spent a melancholy Christmas by the Bay? Do you want to get weepy with The Weepies? Well good, because they're here with their gently jingling bells and truckloads of soft feelings. It's a very Aughts Xmas, but this time, we're checking most of the excess at the door. Let's cry! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

It's been a minute, but don't worry: Sam and Jordan are still watching I Know What You Did Last Summer, and they are still getting their lives from it. Episode 7 is massive, with a shocking death, a shocking time jump, a shocking confession, and a shocking lack of interest by anyone in where Dylan disappeared to when he left Margot's! There's also a group funeral and a drug trip at a local carnival, so truly: This episode has everything, and we've got a lot to process about the big revelation Alison decides to make at a super strange time. Get your crime mirrors out, because this mystery isn't solved yet! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Aughtsmas might have started with the shiny studio fare of the 2000s, but now Sam and Jordan are taking it back to an unsung hero of the 1990s: Mimi Rogers as the scent savant Melody Parris in The Christmas List. She is the most normal woman to ever have a Christmas, and she's an icon! Your co-hosts are talking about how no matter what, Melody is just fine, 3rd grade teacher vibes, petty gay boys, and the thrill of spontaneously driving through Chinatown at 11 o'clock at night! And this is a very special episode, because if you listen to the very end you can hear a new original Christmas song by Sam. We must be dreamin'!  Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Happy Aughtsmas, everyone! For this mini season, Sam and Jordan are diverging into Sam's passion for holiday movies and spotlighting some of the millennium era's most crucial Christmas titles. And they're kicking off the month with one of Jordan's all time favorite comedies: Just Friends. Straight from the Halcyon days of the Ryan Reynolds romantic lead epoch, this entry from 2005 is a slept on classic. Your co-hosts talk about our inexplicable cultural interest in pick up artists in the aughts, the power of Anna Faris, the appeal of villainous Chris Klein, and whether or not we are in a golden age of Christmas cinema (or at least Christmas content??). It's the Happiest Season, everyone, and by that we also mean the saddest season. So put on your Samantha James records and let's go party at The Maple. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

We did it, Aughts fam. Another season in the books, and that means it's time for Sam and Jordan to take stock of the most recent slate of films and honor the best of the best. The picks on offer here are all timers, hall of famers, the 1% of the 1%. Can anyone challenge Leah Pipes for title of best supporting actress? Can anyone take the crown and sash from Megan Fox as the season's — and the era's — best actress? What was the most purely Aughts moment of them all? Are we ready to call best Aughts movie of all time after just two seasons of the pod? You can find it all out here, and also catch a little surprise vocal drop in from little Ali Lohan. Because this is the premiere show about the intersection of horror and millennium era pop culture, and we will always provide for you. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

In the Aughts pod coverage of I Know What You Did Last Summer episode 6, Sam and Jordan have come to fight. Why? Because not only does Riley go out, she goes out in the worst possible way. The level of disrespect shown to our little drug dealer with a heart of gold might be unforgivable, but your co-hosts are, simultaneously, over the moon about Margot's increasing competitiveness with Dylan and her fierce protectiveness of "Lennon." We love this little queer pixie! But there's so much more ground to cover here, like the truth about the Alison's "dead" mom, the truth about the sea cave, the truth about the honey in the promotional posters, and the truth about why Dylan won't stop being a dick to Riley — just kidding. We still don't know about that last one cause Dylan just sucks. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman 

Welcome, listeners, to episode 5 coverage of Dylan Island, more commonly known as I Know What You Did Last Summer the TV show! Our group of little liars is setting out for some adventures in this chapter, including exploring the ruins of the local defunct cult and also sitting through some really lackluster interrogations with local law enforcement. (Sheriff Lyla can do better! We are sure of this!) The big questions this time around? What the hell is Dylan's problem with Riley? No seriously — what the fuck is his deal?! What are any of the people who are being killed in this show being killed? And as always... will we finally be right about the secret triplet?! Let's discuss! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

For the season 2 finale of Aughtsterion, Sam and Jordan are getting you emotionally ready for the arrival of fifth Scream with its lately reappraised precursor, Scream 4. Your co-hosts are covering the finely aged qualities of Wes Craven's final film — including the triple cold open and Jill's proclamation that she doesn't need FRIENDS she needs FANS — as well as some of those crucial wiffs, like when the movie tried to tell us in 2011 that gay rights had been achieved in horror. But that also leads to the this episode's biggest theme: What was the state of queer horror at the start of the 2010s, what was Scream 4's place in it, and what is the legacy of this title that took 10 years to get its just reconsideration? Sam and Jordan are here to address all these questions, and also to say: CLEAR! Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Sam and Jordan are four episodes into I Know What You Did Last Summer the show, and they're wondering more and more: Why does Riley exist to tell us about Dylan as she addresses Dylan directly to his face? Is this a secret triplet situation? Who is Alison and Lennon's mother really? And... why Harold?? This is the installment where IKWYDLS goes full Pretty Little Liars, and where the show cements its full throated queerness. Your co-hosts are here to say "More Margot!" and "Less Dylan!" Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

In episode 3 of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the bodies are starting to pile up. Our gang of little liars is on edge, and paranoid that the body they thought they left for dead in that cave after graduation last year actually came back to life and is now hunting them all down. Alison continues to be a half assed Lennon at best, but we love her for it. Co-host Sam is starting to have increasingly wild theories about what Margot does and does not know. And the show continues to gaslight us about what a good guy Dylan is. Lies! Meanwhile, Jordan just wants real Lennon back so these sisters can reconcile! Now, let's unpack "A Gorilla Head Will Not Do." Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

The second episode of IKWYDLS on Prime thankfully mellows out on the teen speak and gets more grounded than the raucous party scene of the first, and it's also got some emotionally dense father-daughter time between "Lennon" and her dad. Sam and Jordan are back on the scene to walk through it all with you, from the *many* salt licks Dylan is setting up in his backyard to Johnny's gay engagement to smoking as a character trait to the insane episode titles this show is running with. You needed an official Last Summer post-show, and the Aughts team has come to the rescue. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

This episode of the Aughts pod is a special one, because your co-hosts are discussing a pick that is extra near and dear to Sam's heart. It's time to break ground on the Final Destination franchise, but not with the Devon Sawa original. No, in characteristic fashion we're going to kick it off with FD5 — which happens to be the entry with the highest critical rating of them all. Sam is bound and determined to let you know why you shouldn't have slept on this movie, which he considers to be a quintessential Aughtsterion title, and it's going to involve discussion of viral videos, the gay screenwriter boom in horror at the end of the 1990s, the straight gaze of studio executives, and of course... that twist! Make sure to sweep your balance beam for stray screws, friends. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

A quintessential millennium era horror title has been revived as a series, and Sam and Jordan have decided they have no choice but to cover it. I Know What You Did Last Summer is now streaming on Prime, and it's ignoring your nostalgia while screaming, "We are modern teens!" This show is a mess, but it's the kind of mess your co-hosts love, and it's also got hot queer characters making big impressions from the jump. Will this show turn supernatural? Is it a shadow sequel to Pretty Little Liars? Will we be mercifully freed from the character of Dylan, or must we suffer him throughout the entire season? Let the speculation and analysis begin. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

In some ways, this is a very special episode of Aughtsterion, because it revolves around a movie that is truly a mega-mix of the decade. Sorority Row is the melting pot of everything superficial and calloused about the 2000s, but executed in such a way as to make it deliciously addictive and a hell of a good time. It's cruel, in poor taste, hilarious, and has a soundtrack that hits as hard as the movie kills. It has the era's most preposterous weapon. It has the patriarchy as the enemy. It has Carrie Fisher toting a shotgun around, and it has a God tier Mean Girl performance courtesy of Leah Pipes. Row is a time capsule of the worst of us from the aughts, and yet its strange alchemy makes it some of the best that millennium era horror has to offer. Cheers, sluts. We're going to the foam party. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman 

Do you ever just start talking about 2009 and realize you've been talking for far longer than one episode of a podcast should allow? As you might imagine, Sam and Jordan find themselves in that position often, which is how you end up with a minisode all about DJ Earworm mega-mixes, Britney Spears chart toppers, and the emergence of Grindr. Your hosts are in a house with 50 crazy bitches in useless belts, and they've got a lot to tell you. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

If you wondered when Sam and Jordan would start covering the Scream franchise, you must have always suspected — as a devout Aughtsterion listener — that the conversation would begin with the least loved entry in the series. Because what are Sam and Jordan about if not a passionate reclamation project? So here it is, horror fans: The Scream 3 episode, and your co-hosts are not shying away from the big topics. As always, they map out the pop culture context surrounding the film, and of course, they give Parker Posey her flowers for being the franchise's supporting player MVP. But they also make the case that this sequel cannot be evaluated properly unless it's put in conversation with the legacy of convicted sexual predator and disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. And if you say one god damn disparaging word about Gale's bangs, go ahead and smash that unsubscribe button, because we don't want to hear a word about it. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

This is the first episode of the Aughts pod to take the conversation international, and your hosts couldn't have a better guest for it. Shudder's Director of Programming, Sam Zimmerman, brings his vast genre knowledge to a discussion of Bustillo and Maury's New French Extremity touchstone: 2007's Inside. Jordan, Sam and Sam dig into the differences between French torture and American torture in the 2000s, the singular presence of Béatrice Dalle, the importance of baby POV, and — if you know you know — a little bit of Aly & AJ. Oh and also, there's a slight switch up to the talking format due to some unforeseen circumstances that have made this a, shall we say, high concept episode of Aughtsterion in its execution. Just listen and find out what that means. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Grab your best white tank top and get ready to go back in time, because we have a 2000s "period piece" to discuss on this episode of the Aughts pod. Joining your faithful co-hosts this time around are screenwriter Michael Kennedy and artist Nay Bever, which makes this a full scale Attack of the Queerwolf podcast reunion special as the group convenes to discuss The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The first movie in the new millennium to reboot the Chainsaw universe, TCM '03 was also the first remake to land from one of the decade's genre powerhouses: Platinum Dunes, the production company that is extremely notable for the fact that it belongs to Michael Bay. Starring Jessica Biel — the VP of the Tank Top Horror ticket alongside President Eliza Dushku — Eric Balfour, and the lowest riding bootcut jeans you can find, this is the chartreuse glazed originator of the post-9/11 reboot wave. Find out from our guests how this blockbuster put the nail in the coffin of 90s horror, and why titles from the 1970s were the best fit for horror's last days of wild excess. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Among Sam's many doctorates in 2000s history, one of them is a PhD in Paris Hilton. So, in this first minisode of season 2, he's doing a bit of public service and counting down the heiress of record's 10 best songs. Spanning nearly two decades, Sam is looking beyond her flagship hit "Stars Are Blind" — recently made re-famous by Promising Young Woman — and opening up a world of wonders to Aughtsterion fans. And of course, because this is a podcast about the historical significance of millennium era pop culture, your co-hosts also make the case for Paris as the standard bearer for the decade's discourse, with a life and career arc that moves nearly in lockstep to illustrate the cultural mores of the time. She was the most famous woman in the world. She was ubiquitous. She was reviled. She was a self-generating empire, and she was and is a pop star whose best tracks you haven't paid enough respect to. There's nothing in this world quite like Paris. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman  

It's a big moment on the Aughts pod, because Sam and Jordan are tackling one of the crown jewels of the era: Jaume Collet-Serra's 2005 spectacular, House of Wax. This. Movie. Has. Everything. There's a premium-tier soundtrack, lost-to-time elaborate set pieces, audaciously gory kills, white tank tops, the absolute peak of 2000s horror stunt casting in Paris Hilton, and somehow even more. And as you know if you're a longtime Aughts listener, all of this comes courtesy of the decade soaring at its highest heights in 2005. It's the pride before the fall of 2007. It's the heart of the millennium era's genre maximalism, and it is an undeniable classic. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

If you know Sam Wineman at all, you know he's long championed Urban Legends: Final Cut as the superior film in the one-two punch slasher property from the turn of the new millennium. And now, it will finally be entered into the hallowed Aughtsterion library. Higher on concept on the first film but less well know, Final Cut skewers film school, gives Loretta Divine's treasured Reese a little more room to stretch, takes us on a small tour of brutalist architecture, and of course, teaches us the meaning of working in a collaborative medium. And because this pod is all about examining movies within the pop culture context of their arrival, your hosts also talk about Y2K, the Real Slim Shady, and the nearing end of the 90s horror revival. So give us a loud fuck teaching! and settle in for a new episode. Produced by: Jordan Crucchiola Music by: Sam Wineman

Sam and Jordan are just two episodes into the second season of the Aughts pod, but this one has already been a long time coming. In this installment, your devoted 2000s historians examine the great and power Jennifer's Body through the lens of the era's misogynist boy-run media climate. You might have heard Jordan discuss the movie before (a lot?) but you've never heard her talk about it with Sam while he uses Tucker Max and revenge porn blogs to elucidate why the culture was so primed to destroy Body immediately upon arrival. But with the reclamation project for this horror comedy classic having achieved Justice for Jennifer's Body, your hosts are here to talk about Megan Fox's virtuoso performance, the joys of deeply queer language, and friendship love affairs. Cheers to all you bi icons out there. Produced by: Jordan Music by: Sam

Aughts junkies! Sam and Jordan are back for season 2 of your absolute favorite podcast about the intersection of horror movies and pop culture around the turn of the new millennium. You've been in the dark, but they are now shining a light upon you with the help of writer and director and friend of the show, Vivienne Vaughn, who is bringing Lucky McKee's "Sick Girl" episode of the Masters of Horror anthology series for a much closer look. It's just a take on that classic story of girl meets girl, girl receives strange superbug in the mail, girl gets impregnated by superbug, and chaos ensues. It's gay. It's weird. It's pure Lucky McKee, and even though it's not a feature film, Sam and Jordan are breaking form for a TV special on this most special occasion of season 2's debut. Welcome back, everyone!   Produced by: Jordan Music by: Sam