Fan's Labyrinth

Dec rides in on the vampire caravan with his hidden gem pick of Near Dark (1987) with Jozef and Lydia. Country boy Caleb gets sucked into the on the road criminal adventures of a vampire gang when the gorgeous vampire Mae meets him one fateful night. The temptation to an immortal life of youth and freedom battles with the desire to go back home and return to his family.   Media mentioned this episode: - Candyman Remake - The Wailing - Alien Movies - Under the Banner of Heaven  - Barry - Stranger Things - The Boys

Jozef, Lydia, and Dec check out the Taita Waititti classic with heart, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople.    Other Media Mentioned: - The Batman (Film) - X (Film) - Jujustu Kaisen (Anime) - Nirvana: The Band the Show (TV) - Halloween Kills (Film) - Severence (TV) - Mythic Quest (TV) - Its Always Sunny in Philedelphia (TV)    

The Faculty is a 1998 cult classic horror film with strong 90s vibes. Jozef recommended it because it was a great childhood pick of his - Lydia and Dec have their own takes on this strange but fun film.   Other Media Mentioned:  - They Live (Movie) - Pig (Movie) - Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Movie) - The Woman in the House across the street from the Girl in the Window (TV) - The Gilded Age (TV) - The Tragedy of Macbeth (Movie) - Project Adam (Movie) - Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (TV)

Jozef chose this Villeneuve feature for dark themes and to see Denis get to work with Jake Gyllenhall. Lydia and Dec join him in discussing the complex moral dilemmas the characters face, while trolling on some of the silly imagery. Other media mentioned includes: Reacher (TV) The Expanse (TV) The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Book) Beetlejuice (Movie) The Woman in the House Accross the Street From the Girl in the Window (TV) Station Eleven (TV) Y: The Last Man (TV) It: Chapter Two (Movie)  

For Dec's pick, we pulled out one that's been hiding in the bush for a few months now, 2020's Hunter Hunter. A Canadian-American horror set in the wilderness, this low-budget film got some traction underground for its festival circuit run. We decided to bite the bullet and give it a shot.  Other media mentioned this episode: - His House (Movie) - Under the Shadow (Movie) - Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Show) - The Hannibal Films (Movies) - The Sex Lives of College Girls (TV Show) - Girls (TV Show) - Euphoria (TV Show) - The Last Duel (Movie)

For Lydia's pick this week we watched the sci-fi haunted house of a movie, Event Horizon (1997). Starring Laurence Fishbourne as the captain of a spaceship headed to see what happened to the experimental ship Event Horizon, the movie becomes a horrorfest as the crew learns what happened to the ghost ship. Sam Neill also stars in this Paul Anderson production.   Other media mentioned this episode includes: - The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (TV Show) - The Witcher (TV Show) - Dungeons and Dragons Movies - Legend of Vox Machina - The House (Movie) - Hotel Transylvania 4 (Movie) - Inside Out / Soul (Movie) - Halloween Franchise (Movies) - Succession (TV Show) - The Shining (Movie)

Jozef's pick for this week is Keanu Reeve's erotic thriller, Knock Knock. Lydia, Dec and he tear apart this trainwreck of a movie and discuss the rest of director Eli Roth's works.    Other media mentioned: - Wheel of Time (TV) - Tick Tick Boom (Movie) - Encanto (Movie) - Home Alone (Movie) - Party Monster (Movie) - Under the Silver Lake (Movie) - Yellowjackets (TV) - Hawkeye (TV) - The Lost Daughter (Movie) - Don't Look Up! (Movie) - Battlestar Galactica (TV) - Gospels of the Flood (Audio Drama)

Dec, Lydia, and Jozef embark on a 'dark' discussion of the 1998 surreal sci-fi neo-noir Dark City, starring Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, and William Hurt.  Media mentioned this episode: - Lars and the Real Girl (Movie) - Tick Tick Boom (Movie) - The Great (S2) - Riverdale (S5) - Dopesick (Show) - Wheel of Time (Show) - The Witcher (Show) - The Breakfast Club (Movie) - Blade Runner 2049 (Movie)

This time we roll up for Lydia's pick, the Saw universe sequel film, Spiral (2021). Dec, Jozef, and Lydia try to fight their way out of the trap this time, debating a few other pieces of media along the way.   Other Media Mentioned: - The French Dispatch (Movie) - The Shining (Movie)  - Doctor Sleep (Movie) - The 100 (TV Show) - Senlin Ascends (Book) - Arcane (TV Show) - Servant (TV Show) - Over the Garden Wall (TV Show) - Lamb (Movie)

Jozef, Lydia, and Dec undergo 'training' in this disturbing deep dive into the mindset of being in a cult. The haunting portrayal of convert Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is coupled with one of the last stellar performances we got from the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as the master.   Other media mentioned: - Frankenhooker (Movie) - Verotica (Movie) - VHS 94 (Movie) - Dune (Movie) - Foundation (TV Show) - Yellowjackets (TV Show) - You (S3) - Midnight Mass (TV Show) - Hush (Movie)

Back for a simple duo episode from when we were in the same place for a bit, Lydia and Jozef marathoned the original Alien trilogy together. We love these classic movies and talk about the reasons the first two movies are so successful as both sci-fis and horror movies.    

Decimus leads the charge this episode with the esoteric and surreal Swedish horror film, Koko-Di Koko-Da. Lydia and Jozef join him each with their own strange takes on this film, with one thing for sure: there's definitely no shortage of strong opinions!   Other Media Mentioned: - Squid Game (S1) - The Guilty (Movie) - The Dead Don't Die (Movie) - Thelma and Loiuse (Movie) - Prometheus / Alien: Covenant (Movies) - Old (Movie) - Haunt (Movie) - In Search of Darkness (Documentary) - Star Trek: Lower Decks (TV)

Lydia, Jozef, and Dec watch the 1960s inspired strange love indie film The Love Witch (2016). Directed by Anna Biller and starring Samantha Robinson as the love witch, Elaine.    Other media mentioned in this episode: - The Matrix Trilogy (Movies) - Midnight Mass (TV show) - Battlestar Galactica (TV show) - Westworld (TV show) - Sex Education (TV show) - Californication (TV show) - The Chair (TV show) - Nirvana: the Show (TV show) - The Voyeurs (Movie) - In the Mood for Love (Movie)

In today's special episode for October, Lydia and Jozef explore the haunting new genre of Analog Horror that has grown up on Youtube.  Have you ever stayed up late at night and see those weird emergency broadcasts or special education bulletins? Analog Horror asks what would happen if those hid something truly sinister.   Other Media Mentioned in the Episode: - Succession S2 (Show) - Sex/Life (Show) - Nancy Drew (Show)

  Jozef, Lydia, and new co-host Dec gather round to discuss the Musical melodrama Annette, starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, and also featuring terrifying puppet-child Annette!   Other media mentioned in this episode:  Clickbait (Show) The White Lotus (Show) The Super Mario Bros. (Movie) Dune (Movie)  Good Girls (Show) The Seventh Seal (Movie)  Psychonauts 2 (Game) Hell House LLC (Movie) Creep (Movie) Jojo Rabbit (Movie)

Jozef and Lydia and joined by guest Decimus to discuss the psychological horror movie The Ritual (2017), a sleeper hit on Netflix.    Media Mentioned in this Episode: Rick and Morty S5 (TV) Centaurworld (TV) Blade Runner (Movie) Brand New Cherry Flavor (Limited Series) Possessor (Movie) Brave New World (TV) Outer Banks S2 (TV) The Sum of All Fears (Movie) Pretty Woman (Movie) Practical Magic (Movie) The Green Knight (Movie)

Lydia and Jozef are taken for a wild ride in 2021's Willy's Wonderland, starring Nick Cage.    Media Mentioned in this episode: - The Green Knight (Movie) - The Morning Show (TV) - My Salinger Year (Movie) - Freaky (Movie) - Bo Burnham's Inside (Netflix Special) - My Brilliant Friend S2 (TV)

Lydia and Jozef discuss Netflix's fun horror-thriller trilogy about the witch Sarah Fier's grip over Shadyside in small-town America. Other Media Mentioned: Black Widow (Movie) My Unorthodox Life (Docu-Series) Gunpowder Milkshake (Movie) The Mitchells vs. The Machines (Movie)  

Jozef and Lydia revisit their childhood love for mystery novels with the Adam Brody thriller The Kid Detective (2020).    Other Media Mentioned: - S2 Flack (Show) - The Kitchen (Movie) - The Handmaid's Tale (Show/Book) - Problematic Authors - The Night Manager (Miniseries) - Jennifer's Body (Movie)

Jozef and Lydia discuss the deconstructive prestige horror film, The Empty Man (2020), directed by David Prior and starrring James Badge Dale. Other Media Mentioned in this episode: Invincible (Show) Panic (Show) Bo Burnham's Inside (Special) Mare of Easttown (Show) Sweet Tooth (Show) Solos (Show) Manifest (Show) Brimstone (Show) The Returned (French Show)  

Lydia and Jozef discuss the throwback thriller the Guest (2014) directed by Adam Wingard and starring Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe.    Other Media Mentioned includes: Cruella (Movie) White Collar (Show) Succession (Show) Sons of Anarchy (Show) Tarantino Filmography

Beginning with a joint tirade on Wonder Woman 1984, Jozef and Lydia eventually discuss Christopher Nolan's filmography after they watched Tenet (2021) together, starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Debicki.    Other Media Mentioned in this Episode: Last Night in Soho (Trailer) Old (Trailer) The Eternals (Trailer) Wonder Woman 1984 (Movie) Justice League (Movie) The Woman in the Window (Movie) Army of the Dead (Movie) The Prestige (Movie) Insomnia (Movie) Inception (Movie) 2001: A Space Oddessy (Movie) Arrival (Movie) The Martian (Movie)  

Jozef and Lydia tackle the Lovecraft-inspired Canadian Independent Horror movie, The Void (2016). Directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Boltanski, and starring Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Daniel Fathers, and Ellen Wong as townsfolk trapped in a local hospital as mysterious and gruesome things begin happening. Kudos to the excellent special effects team and creators who got the effects budgeted off IndieGoGo, such a cool achievement!   Other Media Mentioned:   The Demon Slayer Movie (Movie) Holston (TV) Stardew Valley (Game) Mare of Easttown (TV) Nomadland (Movie) Gerald's Game (Movie) The Woman in the Window (Movie) American Horror Story: Apocolypse (TV) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Movie) The Shape of Water (Movie) The Only Lovers Left Alive (Movie)      

Jozef and Lydia watch the homo-erotic early 2000s favorite of their childhood, The Rules of Attraction, starring James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, and Ian Somerhalder, and compare it to other repressed gay mens' works.   Media Mentioned in this Episode: Shadow and Bone (TV) Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV) Ginny and Georgia (TV) Mitchell vs the Machines (Film) The Lodge (Film) The Green Knight (Trailer) Things Heard and Seen (Film) Twister (Film) American Psycho (Film) Fight Club (Film) The Wolf of Wall Street (Film) Chungking Express (Film)

Lydia and Jozef dive into the world of psychosexual dramas with the romantically disturbing Secretary (2002), starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader.  Media also Mentioned: Endings Beginnings (Movie) Love and Monsters (Movie) Splice (Movie) Younger (Show) Please Like Me (Show) Teen Wolf (Show) Enemy (Movie) Maze Runner Trilogy (Movie) Masters of Sex (Movie)

Jozef and Lydia watch in awed disgust the 2018 Lars Von Trier Horror Thriller, The House That Jack Built.    Other Media Mentioned in this Episode: Palm Springs (Movie) WandaVision (TV) The Order S2 (TV) I Hate the Man in My Basement (Movie) The Sinner S3 (TV) Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (TV) The Big Short (Movie)

Lydia and Jozef discuss the surreal, retro-futuristic horror scape of Brandon Cronenburg's Possessor (2020). Other Media Mentioned in this episode includes:  Christopher Nolan Movies Fate: The Winx Saga (TV) Tokyo Story (Movie) Ghost Story (Movie) I May Destroy You (TV) Rules of Attraction (Movie) Emily in Paris (TV) Murder Squad (podcast) Nosleep (Podcast) White Vault (Podcast) Enemy (Movie) Killing of a Sacred Deer (Movie)

Lydia and Jozef discuss the underappreciated Ghibli feature, Whisper of the Heart (1995). Other media mentioned in this epsiode: Stalker (Movie) Servant (TV) M Night Shamylan (Movies) Midsommer (Movie) Outlander (TV) One Night in Miami (Movie) Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (Anime) Up On Poppy Hill (Movie) Princess Mononoke (Movie) Howl's Moving Castle (Movie) Spirited Away (Movie) Kiki's Delivery Service (Movie) My Neighbor Totoro (Movie)

Jozef and Lydia discuss the Blumhouse horror picture about the hell of civil war America, Antebellum (2020). Other Media Mentioned in this Episode: Superstore (TV) Ugly Betty (TV) The Devil Wears Prada (Movie) Flack (TV) Fleabag (TV) Industry (TV) A Discovery of Witches (TV) Outlander (TV) Bridgerton (TV) Candyman remake (Movie)

Lydia and Jozef take you deep down the rabbit hole that is The Vast of Night (2019), a 1950s period piece about a strange signal that sends a late-night radio host and his switchboard operator assistant on a strange quest deep into the night of their small New Mexico town. Other media discussed this episode includes: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV) Alice in Borderland (TV) Bones (TV) 24 (TV) Ginger Snaps (Movie) You and I (Movie) The Goldfinch (Movie) The Black Tapes (Radio Play) Homecoming (Radio Play) Limetown (Radio Play)

Lydia and Jozef tackle intergenerational caretaking in the Australian horror movie, Relic.  Other media mentioned in this episode includes: Dawson's Creek (TV) Hollywood (TV) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Movie) Kingdom (TV) Demon Slayer (Anime) The Legend of Korra (Anime) Supernatural (TV) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) Honeymoon (Movie) House of Leaves (Book) The Babadook (Movie) The Mist (Movie) Suicide Room (Movie)

Lydia and Jozef review the first major gay holiday movie, Happiest Season! Starring Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Dan Levy, and directed by Clea DuVall.   Media Mentioned this episode: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse (Movie) Run (Show) Bastard (Webcomic) Criminal Minds (Show) Heroes (Show) Let Them All Talk (Movie) The Squid and the Whale (Movie) Supernatural (Show) The Legend of Korra (Show) The Faculty (Movie) Schitt's Creek (Show)

Jozef and Lydia discuss the feel good 80s hit, The Karate Kid (1984), along with the new show which continues its story, Cobra Kai (2019). Media mentioned in this episode includes: Pump Up the Volume (Movie) The King of Staten Island (Movie) Big Time Adolescence (Movie) My Brilliant Friend (TV Show) Bonus Canadian References: Radio Free Roscoe (Show) Radioactive (Show) Bonus Literary Reference: The Catcher in the Rye

Jozef and Lydia are joined by their first guest, Jason, to discuss the philosophical play-turned-movie The Sunset Limited (2011) written by Cormac McCarthy and starring Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones. Media discussed in this episode includes: Love Actually (Movie) Queen's Gambit (Show) Blood of Zeus (Show) Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) Shadowhunters (Show) Erased (Anime) Marble Hornets (youtube series) The Beginner's guide (Game) The Lie (Movie) The Haunting of Bly Manor (Show) Monsterland (Show)

Lydia and Jozef discuss Netflix's sci-fi love story The Discovery (2017) starring Jason Segel and Rooney Mara. Media discussed this episode includes: The Trial of the Chicago Seven (Movie) Utopia (UK 2012) Cabin in the Woods (Movie) Countdown (Movie) The Boys (TV)

Jozef and Lydia hack the planet with the cult classic Hackers (1995), starring Johnny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie and Matthew Lillard.    Media discussed in this episode includes: Vampires vs. the Bronx (Movie) Dracula (Novel) The Haunting of Hill House (Show) Ratched (Show) The Old Guard (Movie) Kingdom (Show) Aeon Flux (Animated Series) War Games (Movie) The Net (Movie) Mr. Robot (Series)

Jozef and Lydia descend into the moral abyss with Antonio Campos's American post-war thriller, The Devil All the Time (2020).  Media discussed in this episode includes: I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Film & Novel) Shirkers (Documentary) Host (Movie) We Are Who We Are (Miniseries)  The Three Body Problem (Novel) The Punisher (TV) Hunger (Movie)

Well, f*ck us gently with a chainsaw! Jozef and Lydia go back in time to watch Michael Lehmann's excessively quotable directorial debut, Heathers (1989).   Media discussed in this episode includes: The Batman Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story (TV) The Umbrella Academy  (TV) Fun Home (Graphic novel) Teenage Bounty Hunters (TV) Psych (TV) The Wicked and the Divine (Graphic novel) QAnon Anonymous (Podcast)  My Brilliant Friend (TV) Birds of Prey (Movie)

Jozef and Lydia discuss the dystopian vision of Ray Bradbury in the Ramin Bahrani film adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 (2018).  Media discussed in this episode includes: The Umbrella Academy (TV) Misfits (TV) Love/Hate (Movie) Hard Candy (Movie) Ozark (TV) The Strangers: Prey at Night (Movie) The Rental (Movie) You're Next (Movie) VHS (Movie) The Guest (Movie) Homecoming (Podcast) Straight Up (Movie) We Summon the Darkness (Movie) Almost Famous (Movie) Detroit Rock City (Movie) Waco (TV) Minority Report (TV) The Handmaid's Tale (TV) Children of Men (Movie) Chronicle (Movie)

Jozef and Lydia take step into a near-future dystopia with James DeMonaco's The Purge films. They break down each installment, relating the concept, characters and political overtones to the tense atmosphere of today's America.  Media discussed in this episode includes:  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Movie)  Dark (Series) The Returned (French Series) The Leftovers (Series) The Good Doctor (Series) Lost Heroes (Documentary) Watchmen (Graphic Novel)

Lydia and Jozef retrospect on Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho (1960), with performances by Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. Other media discussed this episode includes: The Birds (Movie) Ginger Snaps (Movie) Stargate SG-1 (TV Show) Axiom's End (Book) She-Ra (TV Show) You Should Have Left (Movie) House of Leaves (Book) The Collector (Movie) Legally Blonde (Movie) Sugar and Spice (Movie) Midnight Meat Train (Movie) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Movie) Train to Busan (Movie) Call Me by Your Name (Movie) World War Z (Movie) Contagion (Movie) Se7en (Movie) Joker (Movie) Mr. Smith goes to Washington (Movie) No Country for Old Men (Movie) Gone Girl (Movie) American Psycho (Movie) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Movie) The Silence of the Lambs (Movie) Hannibal (TV Show)

Jozef and Lydia discuss the psychological thriller The Invitation (2015), starring Michiel Huisman and Logan Marshall-Green.

Lydia and Jozef discuss the film adaptation of Angie Thomas novel, The Hate U Give (2018). 

Jozef and Lydia discuss the Elijah Wood horror-thriller Come to Daddy (2020).

Lydia and Jozef discuss the Robert Pattinson crime indie flick, Good Time (2017).

Jozef and Lydia talk about life in a pandemic, shows that disappointed their fandoms and the film that gave 2000s kids an existential crisis, 2001's Donnie Darko. Directed by Richard Kelly, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore.