Freaky Franchise

You know those horror movies where you keep yelling at the screen because the protagonists keep doing the most obviously stupid things? The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) is very much that movie. These kids pick up hitchhikers in the middle of nowhere. They go into houses alone with strange men. They agree to meet the sheriff at a secondary location. They hide in abandoned meat factories. So for this episode, we spend most of our time discussing these and countless other red flags that occurred throughout the film. We also talk about Kipper the Dog, lasagna brains, "Jassa" Dugger, and our Not-Listening eras.

Did you know that the fourth installment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise features not one but *two* future academy award winners? Well, we're guessing the people watching this film in 1995 didn't see that coming either. Despite turning over cannibalism for pizza parties, this film has all of the violence and gore that you would expect, as well as dinosaur skeletons and the Illuminati. Don't worry about it! We'll also talk about belt dresses, Little Ceasar's, and the Anti-Semitic Point of No Return. 

We're back! And we're ready to dive right into The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3. This one teaches us that we should never take the Cowboy's Route, and give us a lot to think about in terms of when something becomes soup. It also gives us a look into an entirely new side of the Sawyer family that raises more questions than answers. We'll also talk about pocket chainsaws, sustainable cannibalism, and Californian underwear.

It's been a long time. Like, a really long time. But the masked monsters have stopped chasing us, and we will be returning from our hiatus soon!

We're back with more from our 100th episode! In Part 2 we'll cover HALLOWEEN (2007) and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010), read some more listener messages, reveal the giveaway winner, and spend some time looking towards the future of Freaky Franchise.

Thank you all for listening and making 100 episodes (well, 101) possible!

We've finally made it to 100! Join us as we take a look back at all of the movies we've watched, read some messages from our listeners, and discuss the remakes of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (2005) and FRIDAY THE 13TH (2009).

If you're listening to this when it's first released, there's still time to send us a message for Part 2! https://forms.gle/ceHWBuFAHHZqBGxg9

In this episode we discuss The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Part II, a spoof sequel that came out 12 years after the original. As you can imagine, that makes this one a little different than the typical second film. We've still got Leatherface and the rest of his cannibalistic family (even Grandpa!), but now they're terrorizing all of Texas and turning people into chilli. We'll discuss whether this is a bad spoof or too good of a spoof, and talk about the importance of a cool nickname (something everyone in this film has). We'll also talk about email logins, chilli cookoffs, purse trash, and dorito meat.

This week, we're heading back almost 50 years to cover the earliest film we've ever talked about and one of the most well-known: the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We'll discuss the many, MANY red flags that pop up in this movie, and try to figure out why Leatherface is the only one who achieved fame when he's got a whole family with their own unique murder-related passions and skillsets. We'll also talk about different types of grave robbing, armadillo skeletons, the retrogradation of various planets, and prickly pear varients.

We're coming up on 100 episodes! Send us a message for the 100th and be included in a giveaway.

After 5 proms (well, 4 proms and 1 private party in a former monsatary), slashers, ghosts, stalkers, a demon-possessed priest, and a whole bunch of murders, we are finally ready to wrap up this franchise. We'll discuss themes of sexism, harassment, revenge and comeuppance, and who takes you home. We will also be joined by high school teacher and co-host of The Parentacons, Jason Stark, to talk about prom.

We're back with the final Prom Night movie, and we've realized that this one is much less about ghosts and avenging someone's death, and much more about an incompetent police system. Is it the worst movie we've watched for the show? Not even close. Is it the most frustrating? It very well might be. But at least these kids finally get to have their prom at a fancy hotel instead of the school gym. We'll also talk about bell boys, prophetic dreams, Danny Fenton, and tap dancer's instincts.

Have you ever wondered what the recording experience is like for us? Here's your chance to hear everything that doesn't make it into the episodes that you hear with an outtakes reel. Sometimes we say words wrong. Sometimes we get onto tangents so off-topic that we don't put them in. Sometimes we get distracted. And sometimes something happens in the middle of a recording that makes us scream.

Because these are outtakes the audio is sometimes a bit funky, but we hope you enjoy this (and have a new appreciation for the time we spend editing).

It's Prom Night again! But this time, we're not going to prom. We're going to an old seminary-turned-Summer-home to be pursued by a possessed priest. Sounds crazy, right? But this one's actually a back-to-basics slasher, all about teens getting murdered with a strange yet practical weapon. We'll try once again to unpack Catholic horror and to figure out why on earth teens would pass up a perfectly good prom to sit around in an empty house all night. We'll also talk about Camp Rock, the novels of John Green, and a tour of makeout history.

Mary Lou's back, but this time, things are a bit different. She's managed to escape the Hell Prom and she's got her sights set on Alex, the most average man that you will ever meet. Alex is cool with this (who DOESN'T want to make out with a hot ghost?) until she starts killing anyone who gets in his way. We'll talk about what Mary Lou is getting right and try and wrap our heads around why she's obsessed with Alex. We'll also talk about Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith, football fields, American patriotism from Canada, and what defines a banana split.

It's prom night again, but this time things are a little different. We've got the vengeful ghost of a murdered prom queen, possession, and some Nightmare-On-Elm-Street-Style special effects. Add to that a whole lot of sexism and some heavy-handed moralism with unclear statements about Catholicism, and you've got quite a film. We'll also talk about red lipstick, high school prop closets, stink bomb experiences, and self-induced swirlies.

Get your fancy dress and your corsage and get ready for some awkward photos—it's prom season! This week we're starting the Prom Night franchise, and boy is there a lot going on here. We'll discuss how we could have thrown a better prom and led a better investigation into the suspicious death of a ten-year-old. We'll also talk about violent recess games, how to pronounce the name "Wendy", everything happening at the last minute, and the Taylor Swift classic "Teardrops on my Guitar".

Join us as we do our best to connect the dots between three very different movies. We'll discuss giant monsters along with themes of saving yourself vs. saving others, found family, documentation, and survival. We'll also go through a disaster survival checklist and see if we're ready to face a Cloverfield event (spoiler alert: we're not).

This week, we're in space! The third and final (at least for now) film in the Cloverfield franchise gives us some insight into how this whole thing started. At least, we're pretty sure it does. Not going to lie, it's a bit hard to follow. In this episode, we'll spend equal amounts of time talking about what happens in the film and trying to define the word "paradox". We'll also talk about astronaut food, 3D printer safety settings, flex tape, and how to pronounce Neve Campbell's name.

Would YOU trust a strange man who kidnapped you, put you in a bunker, and told you that the apocalypse had happened and you're one of a few people safe and alive? You probably shouldn't, but in this film, that seems to genuinely be the case. Howard, Michelle, and Emmet are now stuck in a bunker while the rest of the world goes to Hell. But this is a horror movie, so you know it's a bit more complicated than that. We'll discuss whether or not having a bunker is a good idea and how we would cope with this situation. We'll also talk about CPR certification, People Crying Underground, fruit roll-ups, and a different Bradley Cooper.

Quick question: if a monster was wreaking havoc on New York City, would you a) flee the city or b) run into the center of the city, right into the path of the monster? If you chose b we don't know what you're doing, but maybe you'll understand the people in this movie better than we do. We'll talk about our own plans for if something like this happens, and why we're going with option a. We'll also talk about box offices, the definition of "lawn", Scrappy Doo, and Coney Island baby warmers.

After watching more movies than we have for any other franchise, we're ready to say goodbye to the Amityville Horror house (along with the countless haunted objects that came from it). We'll take a look at all 11 of the movies we watched to discuss themes including truth vs. fiction, corruption, and bad dads. We'll also talk with Chris Granniss to give us the perspective of an Amityville local.