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podcast

a trapped group of five people look out of a door fearfully.
Posted on September 8, 2023

Flesh and Blood: Talking Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Elizabeth Erwin/ Podcast

In today’s episode, it’s part two of our deep dive into shark horror with Renny Harlin’s Deep Blue Sea (1999). Blending science fiction with horror, the film follows a crew of researchers as they try to replicate in sharks the brain cells of people with Alzheimer’s Disease. Predictably, the experiment does not end well. Known for its divisive heroine, campy reinterpretation of animal attack tropes, and some truly epic CGI sharks, Deep Blue Sea is the rare shark horror film that resists demonizing the sharks. But is that a good thing? We’re breaking it all down today with spoilers, so stay tuned! 

 

Mentioned in this episode:

A woman in a cage underwater is menaced by a shark
Posted on August 21, 2023

Blood in the Water: Talking Shark Night (2011) & The Shallows (2016)

Podcast

In today’s episode, we are diving into the depths of cinematic terror with Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Shallows (2016) and David R. Ellis’s Shark Night (2011). In The Shallows, a young woman on a pilgrimage to her late mother’s favorite surf haunt finds herself stranded on a rock as she faces off against a relentless great white shark. In Shark Night, a group of unsuspecting friends gather for a little lakeside R&R, only to find themselves being stalked by an assortment of toothy terrors. While both films ostensibly fall under the subgenre of ‘shark horror,’ their differing approaches have us considering the utility of the ‘shark as monster’ trope. Do these films offer up waters chummed with spine-tingling suspense and jaws-dropping scares? We’re finding out in today’s spoiler filled episode, so stay tuned!

REQUIRED READING

CITED IN EPISODE
 

RELATED REVIEWS AND ESSAYS OF INTEREST

One woman takes a selfie while riding on a boat while another woman looks at the scenery
Posted on June 22, 2023

Platformed Dread: Talking Influencer (2023)

Podcast

In today’s episode, it’s a disturbing journey into the misleading world of social media courtesy of Kurtis David Harder’s Influencer (2023). The story follows social media influencer Madison (Emily Tennant), who is in Thailand for what was supposed to be a romantic getaway with her boyfriend, Ryan (Rory J. Saper). But her lonely and mundane reality is shown to be completely at odds with the exciting, friend-filled adventures she portrays online. When a chance meeting with local CW (Cassandra Naud) offers Madison an opportunity to turn her lies into truth, she embarks on a dark journey where image is definitely not everything. Equal parts eviscerating indictment of influencer culture and cautionary tale about the importance of skepticism, Influencer is a film specifically of its time. But is that a good thing? We’re breaking it all down today with spoilers, so stay tuned.

We discussed Kurtis David Harder’s 2019 film Spiral in an earlier podcast.

A woman stands outside of a door pausing before entering a room. Inside, a man is sitting on a bed and he is smiling.
Posted on April 6, 2023

A Return to Nihilism: Talking Smile (2022)

Podcast

In today’s episode, we’re diving into Smile (2022), a film that has almost single-handedly reinvigorated debate over the importance of trigger warnings.  Written and directed by Parker Finns, the film follows Rose (Sosie Bacon), a doctor who cares for patients at a psychiatric facility while navigating her own mental health journey. Following the death by suicide of a patient in her care, Rose begins to suspect that she is the new target of a demonic entity who won’t be happy until she’s dead. With its nod to the uncanny and gruesome death scenes, Smile is a horror movie explicitly about trauma but is it also about something more? We’re breaking it all down today, so stay tuned. 

Please be aware that this episode contains spoilers and references to suicide.

Two young women stare into the distance. They both look very concerned.
Posted on February 17, 2023

A Divisive Slasher: Talking Sick (2022)

Podcast

John Hyam’s SICK (2022) is a wildly divisive film that had us debating both its merits and its place within slasher film canon. Situated in the early days of the pandemic, the film follows friends Parker (Gideon Adlon) and Miri (Beth Million) as they quarantine at a remote lake house owned by Parker’s parents. They are joined unexpectedly by DJ (Dylan Sprayberry), Parker’s friend with benefits, who is eager to make their relationship exclusive. But their idyllic reprieve is soon interrupted when an unexpected threat starts stalking them. 

On this episode, we debate the wisdom of setting a slasher within a real life collective trauma while also considering the importance of generational spectatorship in film reception. In the end, the only thing we agree on about this film is that Erasure’s “A Little Respect” still bangs. Listen to the full, spoiler-filled episode below! 

 

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