Well Adjusted

The Amityville Horror (1977) has stood the test of time, which is odd given that it really isn't a very good movie. 

Is it a  strait-forward haunting tale punching above its weight because of the based-on-true-story angle?

Or is it a more subtle allegory about economic anxiety?

This week the boys are abuzz with a look at the not-quite-remake of Candyman (2021)

Your favorite podcasters return from their accidental month off just in time for Shark Week, with a somewhat grumpy look at Jaws 2.

It may not be the best sequel ever made, but what an electrifying ending!

Also, what does it take to lose a mayoral election in Amity?

This week Johnathon once again drags Levi back to the 80s to consider a classic of the werewolf genre — Stephen King's Silver Bullet (1985). 

This one has all the ingredients of a great King adaption — rabble-rousing yokels, nostalgic voice overs, and a severed head in the first 5 minutes.

Also, dad hats.

There is no better reason to watch a movie than Kevin Bacon, but Tremors (1990) includes several other reasons anyway.

It's been called "the perfect bad" movie, and the boys agree with that, except for the "bad" part.

Press play and join the love fest for one of the best genre movies ever made.

There are two kinds of people in the world — those who think that The Exorcist (1973) is the greatest horror movie ever made, and those who refuse to flush the toilet in a public restroom.

Levi kicks it off with a look at the generational divide that made this movie such a bombshell upon its release, while Johnathon sheds light on the process of becoming a cranky old man. From there the boys quickly get into the deep water of the movie's theology. What does it mean to depict supernatural evil but no supernatural good? Does the God invoked in this movie save his servants, or are our two hero priests left alone in their sacrifice? 

Give it a listen.

This week the boys look at Interview with a Vampire (1994), the adaptation that introduced movie goers to the world of Anne Rice's vampire chronicles. 

Brad Pitt is beautiful and sad. Tom Cruise is beautiful and angry. Antonio Banderas is beautiful and confused about consent.

Also, theater kids are insufferable.

This week Johnathon tries once again to convince Levi that the 80s were the best decade ever. 

And this week's movie has it all — switchblades, strippers, albino street thugs, asian stereotypes, and oh yeah, VAMPIRES.

This week the boys struggle to appreciate Werner Herzog's Nosferatu and come away with mostly questions. Is it a horror movie? Is is an art house dreamscape? Should lead actor Klaus Kinski have spent his life in a psychiatric hospital?

One thing is certain: Werner Herzog is a genius, even when the boys struggle to follow his vision.

Also, check out the trailer for Levi's short film on YouTube:

This week the boys examine their favorite fictional serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lector. From the the movie Silence of the Lambs to TV's Hannibal — as well as the books that inspired them — the boys try to figure out what makes the well mannered doctor so attractive. (Other than the fact that he mostly eats the rude).

In a world beset by people punching flight attendants, screaming at waiters, and otherwise making asses of themselves, is Hannibal the hero we deserve?

Also discussed: the purpose of manners and etiquette, the taboo of cannibalism, and the importance of aesthetics.

This week the boys are glad to bring some sex positivity to the podcast with an old-fashioned American Christmas slasher, To All A Good Night (1980).

Sure, multiple killers are running around in Santa suits, but at least the young ladies in the cast get to sneak their boyfriends into their boarding school for a fun filled weekend.

Also discussed: Twitter trolls, hiring assassins online, why Americans are losing their minds in record numbers, and why we need more insane asylums. 

Before this episode, Johnathon was certain there was no horror movie he couldn't enjoy on some, however limited, level. But then Levi made him watch this.

Some terrible movies we forgive because of budget constraints. Some terrible movies we forgive because of the heroic efforts of the cast. Some terrible movies we forgive because the movie is in on the joke. 

And some we forgive because cocaine is one hell of a drug.

Not this one. 

It's the Christmas season. And Gary Busey is still beyond the help of the sweet baby Jesus. 

This week the boys and special guest Lindsey Brown discuss The Awakening (2011), possibly the most British horror movie ever created. 

Emotional repression, psychological oppression, sexual oppression, bad weather ... you get the idea.

Oh, and ghosts. 

This week's movie triggers all of the nostalgia for lovers of 80s horror and VHS tapes — and that of course includes our boys. 

Levi admires the stiff upper lip Brits display under duress, while Johnathon finds himself reluctantly admiring the censor board (sort of). 

Questions asked : What rate of change can a culture endure before the wheels come off? Is there a non-authoritarian way of slowing things down? How many seconds of an eye gouging scene does a movie need? And why is Levi obsessed with the Brits?

Bonus follow up discussion of The Monster Squad.

In this episode Levi is finally unleashed to go full nerd on Hammer horror films — and specifically on the 1957 classic The Curse of Frankenstein.

But don't worry, Johnathon immediately derails him with a mini rant on cancel culture. You can't cancel Frankenstein!

If you have something bad to say about this movie, we don't want to hear it.

John Carpenter's The Fog (1980) starts with an old man scaring the hell out of some little kids with a campfire ghost story, and it only gets better from there.

Levi  celebrates the scream queen royalty in the cast, as well as the creepy New England lighthouse vibe (despite the movie being set in California).

Johnathon is convinced he and Adrian Barbeau could be happy together. Johnathon is also convinced he would have made a decent priest. Johnathon has issues.

Fall is here, and that means fraternities and sororities are in full swing, and that means ... alien brain slugs! 

This week the boys revisit Night of the Creeps (1986), a hilarious horror mashup that's part detective noir, part zombie film, part college coming-of-age story, and all awesome. Tom Atkins (from John Carpenter's The Fog) gives a performance for the ages as a hard boiled detective investigating a series of mysterious deaths. 

Aliens, an escaped  mental patient, a sorority formal, a flamethrower, and too many one liners to count.

Even Levi liked this one. 

It's back to school month here in the U.S., and there's no better time to revisit the ultimate in high school horror movies — Stephen King's Carrie. Released in 1976, the movie established King as a household name in the horror genre, and the opening shower scene immediately embedded itself as one of the most iconic in cinema history. 

In this episode, we nerd out on all things King, discuss whether the social environment in high schools has improved, and consider mean girls as villains.

Check out our new YouTube Channel: 

This week the boys celebrate two landmarks: H.P. Lovecraft's birthday and the one year anniversary of the podcast.

Tying them together is the Lovecraft-inspired Don't Breathe, a 2016 movie about a romantic bed and breakfast run by a kindly disabled veteran played by Stephen Lang.

We live in an age of conspiracy theories, and the good news is that John Carpenter's They Live has never been more relevant. The boys and a special guest discuss 80s excess, the American obsession with conspiracies, and all things John Carpenter. Johnathon wonders when we all forgot how dumb we are when it comes to science. Levi decries the lack of sophistication in the broad strokes of dystopian fiction. Special guest David reminds the boys there are good reasons not to trust the government. Also, aliens.