The Pod and the Pendulum

After almost fifteen years away, Final Destination is back with it's most successful entry to date: Bloodlines! Far be it from us to turn down those sweet, sweet clicks as we tiptoe through the minefields of death and try to keep that pesky Rube Goldberg machine from going off and decapitating us with a handful of Q-tips. If we're not careful will Death will come for this podcast, and wipe out all our previous episodes one by one? That's the risk we are willing to take for our listeners. Mike, Devaughn, Stephen, and Brian are all on hand to talk about why this franchise is so fun, even if we can't take it too serious, why cock piercings are just plain a bad idea, why Grandma Lois' whole plan was a crock, and we ask how come no one seems too broken up when their loved ones are getting offed? We've heard of Irish Wakes, but do the come with frozen margs and trampoline backflips? All this and more! If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds.  Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support.  Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out.  If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

Mike, Ari and Devaughn find their last wish is granted with a shockingly solid entry to close out the Wishmaster franchise. With solid performances all around and frank discussions on sex and romance, the mental wear and tear of caretaking for a disabled loved one, and a Djinn that finally says, "Maybe I shouldn't be such a dick if I want to actually get my plan to come to fruition" all three of us enjoyed this one. No existential crisis this week dear listener. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds.  Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support.  Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out.  If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

Note to the listeners: Due to some computer snafus onMike’s end, the first five minutes of this episode are lost. We join this one as it is already in progress. This week, Mike and Ariel are on hand to talk Wishmaster 3Beyond the Gates of Hell. While we were warned we might experience something on par with the lows of the worst Wrong Turn franchise, this one is, just sort of there. It’s not the worst thing we’ve ever watched, but it isn’t all thatmemorable either. What is memorable is the mid-episode existential crisis Mike has as he ponders whether eternity would ever get boring, or if there is capitalism in the Afterlife, and if so, does Jesus make people toil in factoriesputting little screws into “Footprints” framed posters? We do talk about the movie a bit, and whether this is the same Djinn as the same movie, ponder why the Djinn doesn’t act a little nicer when granting wishes in order to get the prophecyto come true, and wonder if Angels would ride public transportation. Good times. Mike also makes the argument again that Wishmaster 2 laid the groundwork for the landmark Supreme Court case of Citizens United. All that, plus a little bit of Buffy talk.

This week Mike and Devaughn are joined by guest Matt Konopka (Killer Horror Critic) for a boys night on the town. Along with our fun-loving, wish-granting Djinn, we're hitting our two favorite hotspots the casino, and jail! Join us for a spirited discussion on how this straight to video sequel might be responsible for the downfall of American democracy, why the Djinn should just follow every good grandma's plan of "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar," and how Mike discovered that goth/punk art thieves that are deadly with a pistol are the kind of lady that leave him weak in the knees.

In this bonus episode, Ariel interviews author Payton McCarty-Simas about their upcoming book, That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film. The two of them discuss how witch films follow the cycles of feminism and other political movements in the US, why history matters in horror, and why Heather in The Blair Witch Project did nothing wrong.  Preorder "That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film" here.Follow Payton on Instagram @paytplace .Add The Devonsville Terror to your watch list.

Let's do what all shows love to do: rank things! Mike, Ari, and Devaughn have counted the votes and we're here to put the Wrong Turn series in proper order.

Mike and Devaughn are joined by returning guest Kat Hughes to talk about the way better than it has any right to be reimagining of Wrong Turn. Mike would also recommend you check out Mathew Modine's other masterpiece, Vision Quest, the only movie about high school wrestling you need to see.

Mike and Ari are happy to report that Wrong Turn 6 is one of the most unabashedly horniest movies we've ever covered on the show. Eschewing the traditional hot couples hooking up, this one has more of flair for kink, sadomasochism, and voyeurism. At least, it certainly does compared to most slasher movies, let alone the sixth entry in a long running, straight to video franchise. Is it a great movie? No, but it's a hell of a fun watch marked with some truly cheeky humor, a number of spectacular kill sequences and a standout performance from Sadie Katz as the villainous Sally, it just might be our favorite of the whole series

A movie so bad it made Mike question whether he actually liked horror movies. Luckily he's joined by Ariel, Devaughn, and special guest Kinell to talk this one through.

This week we go back to the beginning with Wrong Turn 4:Bloody Beginnings, Returning guest and queen of the B-movie and culinary horrorSarah Stubbs ((Final Girls Feast) is on Mike’s side championing the merits ofthis blizzard-set, asylum located slasher. Meanwhile Devaughn has recruited firsttime guest Sean Abley (creator and co-editor of Queer Horror: A Film Guide)  to talk about why returning director Declan O’Brienjust doesn’t have the juice to make this anything more than standard direct to-videofare. With a tongue planted firmly in cheek, some forward thinking queerrepresentation, practical effects, real snow, a pretty spooky on-set location,and a show stopping human fondue gory as hell kill, at the very least BloodyBeginnings marks a solid rebound over the dreadful (in Mike’s eyes) thirdentry. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds.  Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support.  Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out.  If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

This week Mike and Ariel reach the nadir of the Wrong Turn franchise, with the third entry, Left For Dead. It's the film that dares to as who one would root for in this situation: a murderous Cartel warlord, a white supremacist, or the cops? Filled with poorly rendered CGI, dodgy acting from a cast that looks like generic versions of much better performers and an overstuffed plot, this one is a tough hang. However, we made the best of it, and talked about the important issues like Stone Cold Steve Austin's filmography, and how John Cena's heel turn is going.

Mike and Devaughn are on hand to talk a straight to video follow-up that just might improve on the original. Director Joe Lynch shot right out of the gate with a nasty, gory, funny splatter film that has the feel of an over-the-top 80s sequel while still being grounded in its own moment in time. Henry Rollins leads a rag-tag crew of wanna be stars into the woods for a survivalist reality TV series, only for the cast and crew to be hunted down by Three Fingers and more of his hillbilly mutant family members. Featuring fantastic practical gore, over 300 gallons of fake blood and some terrific set pieces, Wrong Turn 2 may be the fan favorite of the bunch.

This week, Mike, Ariel and Nichole have loaded up the jeep with our camping gear, a cooler full of beer, some beef jerky and a way out of date paper map as we’re about to break down WRONG TURN as we kick off our latest franchise. This nasty hillbilly horror bridges the gap between the second wave of slashers and the more extreme “torture porn” that SAW would usher in only a year later. Featuring one of the most attractive casts of the period, anchored by Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse) Wrong Turn serves as a tribute to the no frills, grimy exploitation and survivalist horror of the 1970s, and was enough of a success at the boxoffice to usher in five straight to DVD sequels and a reboot. We talk the history of the film, our own road trip disasters, and whether or not it’s rude to go through a stranger’s refrigerator if you’re only curious about what they have for snacks and don’t actually take anything.  If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds.  Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support.  Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out.  If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

This week Mike, Rachel, Nichole and Devaughn are all on hand to talk about the best movies that features exorcisms (of a sort) that aren't The Exorcist. It's a wide ranging list and as we're prone to do, we get fast and loose with some definitions. This is what Mike loves to call the "notepad" style of episode, because we think listeners will want to jot down a handful of titles they maybe haven't seen or even heard of yet. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds.  Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support.  Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out.  If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

Mike Stephen, and Ariel are back to wrap up another franchise with 2023's Exorcist: Believer. This one isn't divisive as audiences and critics alike hated this one seemingly from the moment David Gordon Green announced it would be his next project after Halloween Ends. What was planed to be a legacy sequel that would launch a trilogy wound up scrapped after the first film failed to recoup anything close to the $400 million (ouch) Universal shelled out for the rights alone. Between lazy callbacks, and an insulting use of the returning Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil, it certainly gave the haters plenty of cannon fodder. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds.  Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support.  Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out.  If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum. 

We’re back to talk about ANOTHER prequel to The Exorcist (afilm so nice they had to tell the origin twice), but fortunately, this week Mike and Stephen are here to talk about the good one. Yes indeed, this week we’re here to talk about the most expensive DVD feature of all time, the completedvision of Paul Schrader’s Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. It’s the Gallant to Harlin’s Goofy, and as one might expect from a Schrader jam, it’s a contemplative rumination on man’s fallibility and culpability with regards toevil. It’s certainly not the rock ‘em sock ‘em straight forward horror movie Morgan Creek anticipated, leading to it being shelved for The Beginning. Perhaps a horror crowd that’s been raised on the sort of character studies A24has delivered over the past decade would be more receptive to the quiet character drama and standout performance from its lead Stellan Skarsgard delivered as a conflicted Father Merrin. If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribewherever you get your podcast feeds.  Please take a moment to rate and review us on the ApplePodcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings helpnew listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback andsupport.  Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog ofshows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog,leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to checkit out.  If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show.Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries,exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum. 

This week we’re talking about Renny Harlin’s The Exorcist: The Beginning because we’re contractually obligated to due to the format of the show. Mike and Stephen are here to talk about hot moms, the 1995 coming of age movie Angus, (featuring not one but TWO Oscar winners), the Angus soundtrack, what makes up the weakest entry in the Back to the Future series, whether or not Paul Schrader directed Clifford the Big Red Dog, the latest addition to our soundboard and so much more. All right, we talk about the movie a little bit, and ask the question whether it is better to be a serviceable, feels like it’s made for television feature, or a wild swing and massive miss like The Heretic? Plus, we ask the question: Has there ever been a successful exorcism in any of The Exorcist movies?  Ultimately, The Beginning is “The Goofus” to Dominion’s “Gallant”: a big, dumb, spectacle of a movie with poorly rendered, early aughts CGI that passes a couple hours but has all the lasting power of a stick of Juicy Fruit gum.  If you like what you’re listening to make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast feeds.  Please take a moment to rate and review us on the Apple Podcast app, or rate us on the Spotify app. Reviews and five star ratings help new listeners find us every day, and we greatly appreciate the feedback and support.  Check out our website for easy access to our full catalog of shows, with hundreds of hours of free content. You can search the catalog, leave a review and even leave us feedback all from the site. Go to www.podandthependulum.com to check it out.  If you have the means, consider becoming a patron today and support the show. Patreon members get exclusive full length episodes, audio fan commentaries, exclusive mini-sodes and more. Join today at patreon.com/podandthependulum.

After what Mike called the low point of the show in terms ofmovie we’ve covered, this week we’ve rebounded with a minor classic, WilliamPeter Blatty’s The Exorcist 3. Or is it Legion? Or is it The Exorcist 3:Legion? Or is it The Exorcist 1990? As you can see already, this one had a long, winding, andoften confusing path to the screen. From creative differences that led toBlatty ultimately taking the helm, to forced reshoots, and a wedged in exorcismin the third act, to recasting three of the principal characters, it’s a hellof a tale. Brad Douriff alone would replace Jason Miller, only to be replacedby Miller after test screenings, only to replace / team up with Miller to playthe same character after replacing him didn’t work. It’s stunning a coherentfilm even emerged, let alone one that’s as smart, scary and thoughtful asExorcist 3. Featuring one last powerful turn from a late in his career George CScott, Brad Douriff at his scariest (coming off Child’s Play no less) and oneof the best jump scares in movie history, this one packs a wallop.

This week we’re talking about a movie so awful it made Mike question the whole format of the show. Do we really want to cover every franchise if it means films likeThe Exorcist II: The Hereticare forced on our eyeballs? Widely regarded as one of the worst films of all time, it had the unenviable task of following up one of the most successful horror films in history. Directed by a filmmaker that had nothing but loathing for the first film, and viewed by Warner Brothers as a way to cash in quickly and cheaply on the name and box office of the original, this one seemed doomed from the start. Plagued by near death illnesses, a script rewritten to the point it was unrecognizable, cast and creators that couldn’t distant themselves from it fast enough, 70s mambo jumbo psychobabble and not enough Ned Beatty, this one is a trainwreck from start to finish. While Devaughn (rightly) argues for its aesthetics and ethereal sci-fi  vibe, this one is a tough watch. That said, sometimes the biggest disasters are the most fun to discuss. Within this episode: What will happen to your liver if you made a drinking game out of how many times they say "Pazuzzu"? Maybe we shouldn't leave Richard Burton around young kids? What was that hot nonsense with the headbands? What if William Peter Blatty sold the toy and action figure rights to The Exorcist? All this and more!

After last week's episode on the background of the movie, Brian and Mike are back to dive into The Exorcist proper. We discuss where it fits in the canon of the great 70s, auteur driven works, how Friedken's insistence on reality lifted this above genre conventions and gave birth to the modern horror movie, and how making the Church the heroes in this narrative hasn't aged so well for modern times.