Certified Forgotten

Before 2023's masterfully wicked When Evil Lurks, Argentine filmmaker Demián Rugna terrified horror audiences with ... well, Terrified. We're joined on the podcast by composer, DJ, and longtime horror advocate Dorina — known to her followers as "DJ Bruja" — to discuss the film that came before Rugna's When Evil Lurks. Dorina channels her Mexican roots to talk about American horror versus Spanish-language horror, with a magnifying glass on Terrified. Evil's been lurking throughout Rugna's entire catalog, and someone on the podcast might even think Terrified has a leg up on When Evil Lurks.

You couldn't find two different breeds of horror fans than Certified Forgotten hosts Matt Donato and Matt Monagle. So, how did they end up giving Final Destination Bloodlines the same score? In this week's Uncertified episode, the Matts talk about their vastly different experiences with the Final Destination franchise and how that informed their Bloodlines reactions. People are saying it's one of the best in the franchise ... [whispers] and people are right.

Welcome to the 3-timers club, B.J. Colangelo! The intrepid co-host of This Ends At Prom and /Film staple returns with a 2000s horror comedy that is, for better and worse, a cultural time capsule: Monster Man. Misogyny runs rampant in this wannabe direct-to-video American Pie sequel, but to a comically exaggerated degree that shines a light on social norms of the period. Then the Joy Ride and Texas Chain Saw vibes take over, with eyeball chili and corpses crushed into ground beef. It's a raunchy caricature sure to give 2000s kids PTSD, but weirdly enough, and because behaviors are so significantly overstated, that's ultimately the film's "charm."

Think you've seen every possible version of the Cinderella story? Think again. In this episode of the Uncertified podcast series, Matt Donato and Matthew Monagle discuss Emilie Blichfeldt's The Ugly Stepsister, a mashup of regency tropes and body horror that has earned comparisons to The Substance. But whereas Coralie Fargeat's film leans into the grotesque, you may just find that The Ugly Stepsister is a surprisingly gentle take on unachievable body standards.

Direct-to-video. Erotic thriller. Nineties vampires. Wings Hauser. These are just a few phrases we could use to describe Pale Blood, V. V. Dachin Hsu and Michael W. Leighton's underground vampire movie. Some of these descriptions — or maybe even all of them — would be enough to get the average horror fan to add Pale Blood to their watchlist. But is there more to the movie than nineties nostalgia? That, and so much more, is the focus of this episode with film critic and The Scares That Shaped Us host Matthew Jackson.

It's Sinners time, baby. Ryan Coogler's 1930s vampire flick is one of the year's buzziest horror movies for a reason, but does it live up to the hype? The answer is yes, to varying degrees. Monagle loves it. Donato likes it. This episode discusses what the film does so tremendously right (musical themes) and where it might drag for some (Donato has pacing issues). Listen to this episode to hear the Matts give their flowers to Sinners, which are all absolutely deserved.

Is there anything more tantalizing than time loop horror? In this episode of Certified Forgotten, our hosts are joined by Megan Norman, Events Coordinator and host with Crypticon Seattle, to discuss the fun of being a later-in-life horror fan, the importance of regional conventions, and the heady horror-comedy of Madellaine Paxson's Blood Punch. 

This week's Uncertified episode tackles Flying Lotus' new sci-fi horror freakout, Ash. In theaters now, and coming to Shudder soon enough, the multi-hyphenate creator tells a cosmic horror tale heavily influenced by genre video games. Donato's a harder sell on space-set scariness, while Monagle couldn't be more of an Alien slash Event Horizon fanboy. Where will they land on Flying Lotus' "smaller budget, big idea" thriller starring Eiza González and Aaron Paul?

You may think you've seen every flavor of zombie movie, but you'd be wrong. Aimee Kuge joins Certified Forgotten to talk about the flesh-eating fun of her new film, Cannibal Mukbang, and the bleak undead nightmare that is Scooter McCrae's Shatter Dead.

Who rules? James Ashcroft's The Rule of Jenny Pen rules. In this episode of our Uncertified podcast series, Matt Monagle and Matt Donato discuss Shudder's latest release, where pits Geoffrey Rush against John Lithgow for retirement home supremacy. At times uncomfortable, at times unforgettable, The Rule of Jenny Pen is a fascinating mash-up of elder horror themes and concepts.

When you're an independent film made for less than $10,000, it doesn't matter if horror fans consider you one of the great zombie movies of the 21st Century: you're still well below the radar of the average moviegoer. In this episode of Certified Forgotten, journalist Michelle Swope discusses her lifelong love of horror and her particular appreciation for Jeremy Gardner's The Battery.

In this week's episode, we're swapping an "M" for an "M" to keep the formula correct. Certified Forgotten's Matt Donato covered South by Southwest 2025 from start to finish, but Matthew Monagle did not. So, Donato called in backup to help with an entire episode dedicated to the horror films of SXSW. Please welcome back Bloody Disgusting's Meagan Navarro, one of the tippy-top horror journalists working today. Listen in to hear about all the rad horror titles you should keep an eye out for in the future!

We're doing something a little different this week for Certified Forgotten! It's South by Southwest time for the Matts, as they check out the slate of cinematic offerings at Austin's biggest film festival. In honor of SXSW, Donato and Monagle have picked some of their favorite festival titles, old and upcoming. It's easy for festival films to fall through the distribution cracks—hopefully our picks don't suffer that same fate.

If you're a longtime Certified Forgotten listener, you know how co-hosts Matt Donato and Matthew Monagle feel about Oz Perkins. They've debated The Blackcoat's Daughter, reviewed Longlegs, and have made their stances known. So where does The Monkey fit into their discussion? It's the least "Oz Perkins" of any Oz Perkins movie, much to Donato's pleasure. The question is, will this ultra-gory, weirdly humorous, more "Midnighter" Stephen King adaptation also work for Monagle?

It's a privilege and a shame that we can cover a Kiyoshi Kurosawa title on the podcast. How is Lionsgate burying a Kurosawa movie that gets 0 Rotten Tomatoes reviews upon release and only 2 more over the last decade and a half? That's the conversation O.G. horror podcaster and filmmaker Elric Kane starts on this week's podcast. We talk about Kane's new haunting release The Dead Thing (now on Shudder), and how Kurosawa's Retribution is a strange cousin (as well as Kurosawa's legacy). Dating apps, ghosts, and bones y'all!

No, we're not talking about Mary Poppins. This week's episode highlights an underseen Shudder original that delves into the surreal, sinister, and psychosexual. Mercedes Bryce Morgan's Spoonful of Sugar is a fairy tale that gets nasty in multiple ways, about a babysitter and family who are never what they seem. We welcome horror journalist Vannah Taylor (Fangoria, Moviejawn) as our esteemed guest, who thinks you're due for a dose of Morgan's filmic medication. Journey down the rabbit hole as we chat about hallucinations, erotic thrillers, and so much more.

In this very special episode of the Certified Forgotten podcast, Matt Monagle and Matt Donato are joined by actor and filmmaker Kate Siegel (Midnight Mass, Hush) who goes behind-the-scenes on the making of her V/H/S/Beyond segment "Stowaway" and then kicks off a fun discussion about Lesley Manning's Ghostwatch. What starts with references to The Human Centipede ends with a call to get active in your community, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

When is a spoiler not a spoiler? In Drew Hancock's Companion, one of the most important parts of the story is introduced in most of the marketing material, which begs the question as to whether you can talk about the movie without talking about... well, you know. In this episode of Certified Forgotten's Uncertified series, Matt Monagle and Matt Donato tackle this and other pressing questions tied to Companion. Here's a non-spoiler alert: one of the Matts absolutely loved it, but you'll have to listen to find out which one.

Who's ready to talk about a movie about body horror and beauty that made headlines this week? No, the other one! In this episode of the Uncertified podcast series, Matthew Monagle and Matt Donato talk about Sasha Rainbow's Grafted, a New Zealand horror film that, like many upcoming body horror releases, will get comparisons to The Substance but actually deserves them, too.

Who better to discuss a film like Rawhead Rex than the current king of low-budget horror? In this episode of the Certified Forgotten podcast, we're joined by Jordan Downey - co-writer and director of The Head Hunter, ThanksKilling, and the opening segment in the Critics' Choice Awards-nominated V/H/S/Beyond - to talk about his favorite Clive Barker adaptation - or at least, his favorite Clive Barker adaptation where an ancient Irish demon gives a deacon a golden shower. 

A slow-burn period piece with atonal music and undertones of guilt? You heard right, it's time for the first Monagle Movie of 2025! In this episode of Uncertified, Matts Donato and Monagle discuss Thordur Palsson's The Damned, a horror film set in the Arctic circle in the 1800s. Listen now to learn why it's a perfect companion piece for films like The Wind or AMC's The Terror.

New year, new ambitions, same Certified Forgotten. We're ringing in 2025 with an absolute dream of a guest: David Dastmalchian. We're double-dipping on this episode because podcast fans would be correct to remember we covered 2012's Entrance with Jackson Stewart. We don't see that as an issue — it's pretty rad that multiple guests would want to champion such a "small" film. Plus, we have plenty to chat with David about, considering he's up for a Saturn award, releasing comic books, and appearing on goblin-led podcasts atop his fantastic acting career.

It was only a matter of time before Tammy and the T-Rex found its way onto Certified Forgotten. Part romantic comedy, part mad scientist experiment, part gory survival-horror flick? Paul Walker's brain ends up inside a gigantic dinosaur prop that lusts after Denise Richards? Longtime entertainment journalist Eric Goldman brings us back to the 90s with this absurd blast from the past, emphasizing this movie as a total blast. It's unquestionably a Donato movie, but is it a Monagle movie also? Tune in to find out.

We're turning back the clock on Christmas Horror and chatting about Jennifer Wexler's The Sacrifice Game. Why, you ask? With these Uncertified episodes, we're giving "recent" a longer leash when we say we'll highlight recent releases. The Sacrifice Game happens to be one of Donato's favorite Christmas Horror titles released in the last few years, and 'tis the season, so why not? Killers, demons, and bloody dinner parties await in Wexler's fantastic sophomore feature.

Are you craving a greasy, sloppy bite of fast-food horror sleaze? This week's episode travels back to the bygone era of 2007, which feels like an alternate universe of nu-metal and poor behaviors. Horror journalist Julieann Stipidis brings The Matts what she describes as one of her "Holy Trinity of Bad Aughts Movies," ready to champion Horny the Clown. Kitchen deaths, demonic mascots, and inappropriateness galore await whoever dares watch Horny's Hella-Burger massacre — one of the most 2000s-ass slashers you probably haven't seen.

This week's episode is a bit of holiday fun — a chance to get to know your Matts a tad better. There's no single movie focus, no prime directive. We're just chatting about things we're thankful for this year as horror fans. It's an episode of shared reflection, highlighting what's excited us most in 2024. Listen along as you lay on your couch in a food coma, stuffed like yesterday's turkey.

Sure, monsters and demons are terrifying, but is there anything quite as scary in 2024 as a conversation about religion? In this episode of Uncertified, Matt Monagle and Matt Donato discuss Scott Beck and Bryan Woods's Heretic, a parlor horror film with a great central performance by Hugh Grant. Come for the religious scares, stay for the crisis of faith. 

Skye Riley embarks on a comeback tour for the ages — but is it worth the price of admission? Co-hosts Matt Monagle and Matt Donato are covering Parker Finn's sequel Smile 2 in this week's bite-sized Uncertified episode. Is it one of the best horror movies of 2024? Does Naomi Scott give a powerhouse performance as a possessed pop star? You're damn right. The Matts share an olive branch of agreement over Smile 2, and they'd love to tell you why.

No, not THAT Scary Movie. This week's guest episode covers 1991's Scary Movie starring John Hawkes. Yes, THAT John Hawkes. The Matts bring in horror journalist and podcaster Rocco T. Thompson to discuss an underseen entry into the haunted attraction horror film canon. Plus, Rocco and Monagle address Scary Movie as a celebrated indie product of Austin's horror scene. Nothin' better than cozy regional horror.

In this week's bite-sized podcast episode, Matt Donato and Matt Monagle discuss J.T. Mollner's Strange Darling. Is it a brilliant deconstruction of tired slasher tropes? Or a pretentious mashup of screenwriting tricks? The answer to both is a resounding yes, and, at the risk of spoiling the episode, it's exactly that ambition and playfulness that makes Strange Darling one of the best horror films of the year.

What better way to celebrate Matt Monagle and Matt Donato's return from Fantastic Fest than with a Fantastic Fest release? In this episode of our Uncertified series, Monagle and Donato discuss V/H/S/Beyond, the latest (and potentially greatest) entry in the V/H/S series that features new films from filmmakers Justin Long, Kate Siegel, and Jordan Downey.

In this week's short-and-sweet podcast episode, The Matts discuss Adam MacDonald's Out Come The Wolves. It's a bit like Backcountry 2.0, except instead of a bear, it's a pack of hungry wolves. MacDonald's making a name as a wilderness horror director, which neither Certified Forgotten host sees as an issue. What do we think will be MacDonald's next animal of choice? Surely he'll at least complete a trilogy of "When Animals Attack" indies.

Here at Certified Forgotten, we're sometimes surprised to find specific movies qualify for our "10-or-less reviews on Rotten Tomatoes" rule — 555 is not one of those titles. Joining us this week is Sean Abley (co-creator of Queer Horror: A Film Guide), who brings with him a piece of shot-on-video Chicago horror history. Wally Koz's microbudget procedural features a murderous necrophile, infamous enough to be included in the Sterling Memorial Library at the Yale University Library. Yes, a movie with fake-as-hell beheadings and extreme overacting is shelved in a Yale collection. Listen in to find out why.

In this week's mini-episode of Matt on Matt podcasting action, your Certified Forgotten co-hosts share their thoughts on Zoë Kravitz's rageful debut, Blink Twice. How did she sneak a rape-revenge movie into theaters with mainstream appeal? By wrapping it in a Glass Onion meets Get Out meets The Hunt vision — and casting Channing Tatum helps. But this isn't a movie about him. Blink Twice is an indictment of cancel culture's failings from a female perspective, which Kravitz delivers with haymakers from Naomi Ackie and the women around her. It's a battle of the sexes while trapped in paradise and one hell of a coming out for the actress-turned-filmmaker.

Want a killer workout? Then come on down to Michael Fischa's Death Spa, where the equipment is automated and only a handful of people (just a handful!) are killed by the ghost in the machine. Heather O. Petrocelli, author of Queer for Fear: Horror Film and the Queer Spectator, joins Certified Forgotten to talk about '80s horror, queer film audiences, and the fading art of the movie theater experience.

Matthew Monagle loves the Alien franchise. Matt Donato loves Fede Álvarez. But did either of them love Alien: Romulus? Listen and find out! In this week's episode of Uncertified, Matthew and Matt tackle the new Alien prequel from Álvarez, which is gorgeous, bloody, and full of creative decisions that, ah, might've looked better on paper.

Can you believe a George A. Romero title fits our "10 critic reviews or less" criteria for Certified Forgotten coverage? Neither can we! But here we are. Beloved horror author Adam Cesare of Clown in a Cornfield fame brings us another 2000s curiosity, this one by the master of zombie cinema himself, Bruiser. We'll talk about when movies felt like movies, why Jason Flemyng deserves more leading roles, and Peter Stormare doing Peter Stormare things. Come get Kentucky fried with us in this week's episode!

This week's Uncertified episode is a house divided. Join the Matts as they try to stave off madness when discussing Tilman Singer's Cuckoo. Neon hopes to continue their hot streak of horror releases with an out-there Alpine tale that announces Singer in a big way. Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens star in this kooky creature feature shrouded in mountainside mystery from a surrealist filmmaker who plays by his own rules. It's a weird one, ya'll. The question is, whose side are you on between your hosts Donato and Monagle?

It's one killer elevator, Michael, how much could it cost? In this week's episode of Certified Forgotten, we're joined by horror critic and cosplayer Jessica Scott (Fangoria, Inverse) to talk about Dick Maas's Down (aka The Shaft), a wild mashup of '80s scripts and '90s excess -- and, given its scheduled 2001 premiere date, perhaps the worst-timed movie in the history of Hollywood.

When Matt Donato wrote his midyear article about the best horror of 2024, the one title that caught everyone by surprise was John Rosman's New Life. But you should know better than to doubt the Donato. In this week's episode of Uncertified, we break down why New Life offers a compelling mix of big ideas in a small box, and how it underscores the very important difference between trauma and grief onscreen.

Matt Monagle's favorite horror movie is The Blackcoat's Daughter, and he's been a defender of Oz Perkins since the filmmaker's beginnings. Matt Donato has not liked any of Oz Perkins' first three movies to varying degrees. Finally, at long last, the Matts talk about The Great Perkins Divide and, more importantly, their thoughts on Longlegs. Will there finally be peace amongst podcast cohosts? Can Daddy Longlegs be the first "Both Matts Approved" Perkins film?

Spiders. It had to be goddamn spiders. Big ol' spiders, and lots of 'em, are the subject of this week's Uncertified conversation. Listen to the Matts as they address their differing opinions on Sébastien Vanicek's full-throttle arachnid nightmare Infested, available now on Shudder. Some call it the best spider-focused horror movie since Arachnophobia (that's Matt D.). Do you agree?

This week's main episode traps the Matts and returning gust Richard Whittaker in a home video purgatory. Paul Owens' Landlocked repurposes the filmmaker's home movies to examine grief, liminal spaces, and being stuck in the past. It's an interesting slow burn that never lets us know what plane of existence the film chooses, becoming an endearing guessing game. Owens' family affair makes the most of no-budget restrictions, blending usages of found footage and traditional narratives to increasingly disturbing degrees.

In this week's minisode, The Matts chat about what they agree is one of the year's best horror films (so far). Jang Jae-hyun's Exhuma is available now on Shudder, climbing to the top of the streamer's 2024 catalog despite including bangers like Stopmotion and Infested. South Korea flexes its horror muscles yet again in a culturally rich story that Matt Donato wrote: "bobs and weaves in ways American exorcism stories couldn't fathom." High praise for Matt 1 or Matt 2 (depending on your at-home ranking).

How many genres is too many genres? For Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, the sky itself is the limit. Writer-director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger, The Sacrifice Game) joins Certified Forgotten to discuss her path through the film industry and Maury and Bustillo's Livid, a vampire/fantasy/steampunk/slasher/something that left an indelible mark.

Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is without a doubt one of the most talented horror filmmakers of the 21st century. But would you sign up for a new NFT service just to watch his latest 45-minute movie? Matt Donato and Matt Monagle did, and they're here to tell you that Chime is, shockingly, very worth the effort.

In this latest episode of the podcast, the Matts look into an existential void to celebrate Matt Monagle's birthday! No, seriously. Mr. Monagle has chosen this episode's title flick, and it couldn't be more of a "Monagle Movie" (broody period vibes, religious overtones, Silent Hill parallels, slow-burn devastation). There will be horror genre talk in the back half like always, but to start, both Matts get real about getting older, their careers, and what wisdom they've learned with age. Hell yeah.

If you've seen one slasher, have you really seen them all? Chris Nash's In A Violent Nature begs to differ, which is the topic of our latest Uncertified conversation. Imagine Friday the 13th shot exclusively over Jason's shoulder. It's an experimental take on undead killers stalking victims through the wilderness, sure to divide audiences with its abstract horror approach. Let's discuss!

What does it mean to be the best movie in the Wrong Turn franchise? In our latest podcast episode, The Matts are joined by horror journalist and author Ariel Powers-Schaub, whose upcoming book (Millennial Nasties: Analyzing a Decade of Brutal Horror Film Violence) examines the many films in the torture porn movement -- including Joe Lynch's cult classic Wrong Turn 2: Dead End.

In the first episode of Uncertified, Certified Forgotten's new series of 30-minute movie discussions, Matt Monagle and Matt Donato take on Radio Silence's Abigail. Does it get the balance between horror and comedy just right? Or does it stumble in its goal of being the best horror-comedy about ballerina vampires since, well, ever?

In horror's illustrious history of films built around unwanted phone calls, When A Stranger Calls Back might be the oddest. This week's episode is about stalkers, sequels, final girls, and ... ventriloquism? We welcome horror journalist Gem Seddon (Vulture, Fangoria) onto the show for a discussion about a franchise continuation that is most unexpected. Our latest episode was destined to happen ever since Gem passionately wrote about When A Stranger Calls Back for Certified Forgotten: The Website, so it's a pleasure to finally make this conversation happen.