Night of the Living Academic Podcast

We're back and in full force with this double feature episode! 

Guest Host Matt McCabe from the The Podcast From Outer Space joins us for what could have been an endless discussion about time loop societies and brotherly love.

Guest Host Sara joins us this week to talk Happy Madison and Hieronymus Bosch!

Caitlin and Matt cover this Shudder original with very different opinions.

Caitlin and Matt agree on this one! One of the most competently made, but soulless movies in a while! Plus, lots of chat on another Netflix original, I'm Thinking of Ending Things!

Guest host Brendan (from The Color Out of Space), joins us to discuss the significantly lower brow Jason X - a perfect background movie for your Christmas parties!

Caitlin and Matt talk about the missed opportunities and strong potential of Sinister, an engaging story bogged down by horror tropes of the early aughts, and totally not scary kids!

Caitlin and Matt discuss Jennifer's Body as the movie comes back into the cultural conversation, and how marketing did Megan Fox dirty. Caitlin brings up Sara McCartney's "Rise of the Girl Monster" article, and how Jennifer's Body was before its time.

Caitlin shakes her head at disgust for much of the episode as Matt attacks Stephen King's artistic vision!

Caitlin and Matt cover the newly released Shudder exclusive, Host. They get in deep on what it means to be a cybernatural horror, the effective pacing of the movie, and whether or not their apartment is now haunted.

Caitlin and Matt discuss Gonjiam, now available for streaming on Amazon Prime! They discuss how this straight-forward horror movie follows American traditions rather East-Asian sensibilities!

Caitlin and Matt are joined by Anthony Derington, founder of the Something Ghoulish network and co-host of Ghoulish Cast to dive into the trippiest film we've covered so far, Beyond the Black Rainbow. Conversation topics include style over substance, deinstitutionalization, transcendence through ecstasy, and psychic invasions. You know, the normal stuff.

Caitlin and Matt are back after a short hiatus! They're ready to discuss the newly released on Shudder film Beach House, a subdued eco-horror. Get ready for some headieness and horror as the hosts discuss humanity's place in evolution, and perhaps the most terrifying single scene in eco-horror history.

On this episode, Matt and Caitlin are joined by a very special guest, our friend Brendan Keating! The three discuss Richard Stanley's 2019 Lovecraft adaptation Color Out of Space, the difficulties of bringing the unexplainable to the screen, cosmic and chaotic horrors, and- of course- Nicolas Cage's performance.  Do you like what we're doing? Please leave us a rating and review on iTunes! We'll give you a shout-out on the pod in return! 

This time around, Caitlin and Matt are joined by special guest and vampire expert (and maybe real life vampire?) Jessica Hautsch to discuss Vampire's Kiss (1988), one of the greatest Nicolas Cage films ever. And perhaps one of the greatest films period.  Talking points include... Nicolas Cage... duh!  Vampires! Renfields!  Toxic masculinity! Hypermasculinity and capitalism! City as character! Nosferatu! Dracula! Twilight! Bats! Cockroaches! Pigeons!  Psychoanalysis!  Cult film!  

Matt and Caitlin dive deep into Oz Perkins's recent film Gretel and Hansel (2020). Beware... there are spoilers!  They also discuss Chris Hansen, My Chemical Romance, Ganja & Hess, and The Christmas Prince franchise. 

Matt and Caitlin discuss Nicolas Pesce's The Grudge (2020). They dream of it being a Grudge anthology film instead of... this? Matt thought it was really boring. Caitlin thought it was ...fine.  Your trusty co-hosts also chat about their recent movie-going experiences.   

Matt and Caitlin review and revise their movie ratings from past episodes. They solidify their lowest three films as well as their top three films from this year. Most importantly, they stage a battle royale featuring all of the villains from our 2019 episodes, including the Blair Witch, Pennywise, Art the Clown, and more, as well as one super special top-secret contender... Matt and Caitlin also discuss three new movies they've recently watched: Star Wars ROTS, Uncut Gems, and 6 Underground.

We accidently took a little holiday hiatus (sorry!), but we're back and better then ever! To make it up to you, here's four episodes in one!  In this episode, Matt and Caitlin discuss four holiday horror films: Black Christmas (1974), Black Christmas (2019), Christmas Evil (1980), and Cats (2019). Happy holidays! 

Thanks to Kaila and Rebecca at Exile PR, we got to review our first screener! Woo! In this episode, we discuss Rob Grant's Harpoon (2019) and drink Montauk Brewing's Driftwood Ale. We made sure to make this a relatively spoiler free episode so you can enjoy it before you watch the movie if you so choose. Talking points include... Edgar Allan Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym Editing and sailor superstition!  Lack of control at sea. Bros, bro-humor, and Nice Guys (TM) The sub-genre of rich people in rich surroundings splattered with blood.  Sea horror Gothic and the return of the repressed Interested in watching Harpoon? Grab your self a copy on Blu-Ray here or stream it through iTunes !

This week's episode is all about Adam Robitel's 2014 found footage flick, The Taking of Deborah Logan.  Talking points include... Three Floyds's Zombie Dust Pale Ale Found footage horror Demonic possession vs. Alzheimers  An Academic Corner on the haunted house sub-genre, privacy, and possessive individualism!  Snakes! So many snakes! Warlocks vs. wizards Shoe-horned-in lesbian romance Found footage dissertations with a horror soundtrack The announcement of next week's film... it's a good one! ...and so much more! 

Come play with us, Danny. For ever and ever... In this, our twelfth episode, Matt and Caitlin discuss Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep! We delight over the silly name (Rose the Hat, Crow Daddy, etc...), complain that a ghostly Overlook party-goer wasn't excited enough about the blood party, dig Jacob Tremblay's performance, delve into the various ways Mike Flanagan connected his film with Kubrick's The Shining, and explain why this movie should've been a mini-series! We also messed up and recorded the first six minutes or so with the microphone backwards. Whoops. I think we may have been doing some astral projection with the Knot or something... If you hate bad sound quality, skip ahead to about six minutes in.  Our Doctor Sleep beer was Magic Hat's #9, because... you know... Rose's hat!  Please rate and review us on iTunes and chat with us on Twitter and Instagram! 

So... what the heck was The Lighthouse about? I know I liked it...but why? Matt and Caitlin are here to help! We give you a few possible interpretations, as well as some ways into interpreting it for yourself. Plus, we relish in Robert Pattinson crying about Willem Dafoe's snores, farts, and jizzum. It was a truly beautiful scene. We also enjoy Coney Island Brewing Co.'s Mermaid Pilsner!  Talking points: Greek/Roman mythology Is this about millennials and boomers? Is this a Jacob's Ladder thing? Masculinity and phallic objects ACTING! The sights and sounds of The Lighthouse Melville and Lovecraft influences Hallucinations and nightmares The all-consuming, knowledge-giving LIGHTHOUSE Robert Eggers's The Witch Rude seabirds

Happy Halloween!!! In our final episode of October 2019, we enjoy Oyster Bay Brewing Co.'s Pumpkin Ale and Tommy Lee Wallace's cult classic Halloween III: Season of the Witch! NOTE: We had some microphone issues as well as some problems uploading our original version of this episode, so we had to cut out ~5 minutes of our discussion near the end. If you notice a strange jump in our conversation... that's what it is! Sorry for the minor lapse in quality, we will work to not let this happen in the future. Talking points include... A definitive ranking of all 9 films covered on the pod so far! Some background on the making of Halloween III We ponder how a film can go from panned to cult status Matt and Caitlin disagree!!!  Child murder Creepy crawlies Dr. Challis is a problematic man Why would you mass murder kids with masks and magic? What does Tommy Lee Wallace have against the Irish? Gore! Halloween! For Caitlin, Southern Tier's Pumking still reigns as the superior pumpkin ale. Next week's film: Robert Eggers's The Lighthouse!

I'd like to apologize to my mom and Matt's mom. I planned this. I made this happen. And it's because of my decisions that, now, MATT LIKES THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT! Wooo! I didn't think it was possible. I thank all of you for being part of this. Talking Points: The 2019 LI Fall Beer Fest and a selection of delicious pumpkin beers and one particularly autumn cider!  Found footage and cinema verité horror! Postmodernism and image/truth! Acting! Improv! Directing! Chaos and layers of reality/fiction! The parodic-documentary genre! Ethics and fact/fiction! The announcement of next week's film (our last of October 2019!) Recommended Reading: The Blair Witch Project website Barry Keith Grant- "Digital Anxiety and the New Verité Horror and SF Film" Joseph Lavender-Smith - "Irony Inc.: Parodic-Doc Horror and The Blair Witch Project"

It's the second week of October! We're getting more into the holiday spirit by watching Scott Beck and Bryan Woods's Haunt (2019). Haven't seen it yet? Go watch it! Then come back here and enjoy this piping hot fresh podcast. You're welcome.  Talking points: Marianne on Netflix John Carpenter's Joker comic Montauk Brewing Company's Pumpkin Ale Extreme haunts and haunted attractions  Body modifications Haunt's possible connection to Midsommar ???  Kill rooms!  Tension and building atmosphere on film Faces and masks And Caitlin unveils next week's episode...mwahahaha  

ATTN: This episode is SPOILER HEAVY This episode also isn't our most academic episode, but definitely contains the most laughter. It's a condition, kindly hand us back our card? In this episode, we're joined by Jorge Gallardo, who really dug this movie! Talking points include: Todd Phillips as incel nerd Joaquin Pheonix's masterful performance How many layers of reality are in this film? Why are we covering The Joker on a horror movie podcast? Pogo the Clown!  Holy neoliberalism, Batman! Two Roads' Roadsmary Baby Pumpkin Ale And... we introduce next week's film. It's sure to get you in the Halloween spirit! 

Apparently we can't get enough of these evil clowns!  In this episode, Matt and Caitlin discuss Damien Leone's Terrifier (2016) in spoiler-crazy detail! Watch it before listening to us. Seriously- watch it.  Also, we're announcing our October plans, taking this podcast from bi-weekly to weekly status! We'll be watching and discussing movies that connect with Halloween and/or the Fall in some way. We'll also ONLY drink pumpkin beers from now until November. Strap in. Talking points: Southern Tier's Pumpking Imperial Ale David Howard Thornton's performance as Art the Clown Slasher films Gore, guns, cat o' nine tails, more! Major reveals  Fun CGIs Pennywise VS Art: A Match to the Death

Beep beep, Richie! It's a bonus episode!  Matt and Caitlin discuss It Chapter Two. Sadly, neither of us were too fond of this one. Beware. This one is VERY spoiler-heavy.  Talking points include... Cameos The novel vs. the made-for-TV mini-series vs. the 2017 and 2019 films CGI nightmares All of the problematic scenes. So many problematic scenes. Love for Bill Skarsgård, Bill Hader, Stephen King, and James Ransone.  Does Caitlin love or hate Richie Tozier? Who knows! Greasers in 2016??? Tonally weird moments.  

In this, our fourth episode, Matt and Caitlin discuss François Truffaut's The 400 Blows (1959). They also take some time to further delve into and explain their different tastes in film. Talking points: The 400 Blows, auteurism, genre enthusiasts vs. auteur suckers, sad boys, film bros, "seminal," new wave cinema, The Texas Chain Saw as high art, form vs. content, and more!    To see the review Caitlin wrote for Stephen King's The Institute, go here: https://www.sublimehorror.com/books/the-institute-stephen-king-review/

The summer is winding down and the fall semester looms for Caitlin. In one final attempt to milk the summer for all that it's worth, Matt & Caitlin check in to Eli Roth's 2002 film Cabin Fever. Come for the freshly shaven legs, stay for the pancakes. Beware of the hillbillies and, for health reasons, why not avoid the water and stick to beer for the time being? In this episode, we discuss final girls/boys, hillbillies, gore, Eli Roth, and disorienting scenes. We also smark over The Fiend.  Want to dive deeper? Get your hands on a copy of Carol Clover's Men, Women, and Chain Saws. You'll thank us later.  While studying for her comprehensive exams, Caitlin wrote a blog post on Cabin Fever. Yes, she took an exam and this movie was part of it.  Interested in hearing more about the drama surrounding The Hunt? This is the article we read about it. Watch The Fiend's full entrance from Summerslam 2019. LET HIM IN.

We want to play a game. In our second episode, Caitlin and Matt duke it out over whether or not Saw is a good movie (it's not a good movie, it's a masterpiece).  They also discuss the accuracy of the term "torture porn," post-9/11 horror cinema, and the survival horror game.  Want to dive even deeper? Click here to check out Caitlin's recent IGA conference paper on Saw, "'Live or die, make your choice': The American Survival Game Horror Film."  Buy Kevin J. Wetmore's Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema (2012).  Buy Jane Elliott's The Microeconomic Mode (2018). And go Google "Saw short" or "Saw 0.5" to find the original 10 minute-ish version of Saw, which not only features Leigh Whannell in the infamous reverse bear trap, but Billy the Puppet WEARING A HAT. 

Our first episode! Matt and Caitlin introduce themselves and the podcast before breaking down Alexandre Aja's Crawl (2019). Academic Corner features a chat about all things eco-gothic and eco-horror.