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Welcome To Horror Presents: “The Day of We Have Been Watching”. News flash, it’s time for a summary of the various visual adventures the team have experienced in between episodes. We discuss Shudder’s “The Haunted Season: The Occupant of the Room” (2025): the remake of “Suspiria” (2018); new Disney+/FX series “The Beauty” (2026); 2009’s “Zombieland”; R.L. Stine’s “Pumpkinhead” (2025); Folk Horror Play For Today “Robin Redbreast” (1970); and Ben Wheatley’s psychedelic sci fi noir “BULK” (2026). No prep for this ep, but listeners beware, as here be (possible) spoilers and (definite) swearing. Join us!
Adam's research
Verbatim lifts from Adam's own words in the episode. Click a timestamp to hear him say it.
- Woody Harrelson's dad's alleged activities and family connections
His dad, on the other hand, seems like a right villain. No, his dad was pictured on the grassy knoll during the JFK assassination. And he may also be Matthew McConaughey's half-brother. Because basically Woody Harrelson's dad was putting it about so much that he said to him one day, 'He could well be your half-brother.' … Hmm. … Well, from what I gather, Woody Harrelson's dad when he wasn't assassinating presidents was putting it about a lot, so, you know. All bets are off. So I think Woody Harrelson is sort of been I think Woody Harrelson in a weird way is sort of making up for the sins of the father by being apparently a very nice man.
- Production secrecy and crediting practices for Bill Murray's Zombieland cameo
So it was, yeah, it was a hell of a surprise like when when it actually came out, they'd managed to keep him very like out out of the limelight of it, you know, he wasn't. I'm not even sure if he's credited for it. He might I can't remember like because sometimes they just do that where someone won't take an actual credit so it's not showing on IMDb or that sort of thing.
- Ease and cost-effectiveness of producing zombie films
But there's because there's there's a hell of a lot of zombie comedies because they're, you know, a zombie film is one of the easier or cheaper ones that you can do. Um, but unfortunately that means that there's also quite a lot of cack out there where.
- Shudder's 'Haunted Season' series as a BBC 'Ghost Story for Christmas' analogue, including episode details, director, source material, music, and visual techniques
uh, had their next episode because Haunted Season is the one they're trying to build up similar to Ghost Story for Christmas on the BBC. So every Christmas they're bringing out an episode and I'm so impressed that they stuck to their guns. So there was one for 2024 and, uh, so 2025's one was The Occupant of the Room. Uh, directed by Kira Lazunis who, um, also is the curator of the series. And also she also was the director of the, uh, that really good folk horror documentary that came out a couple of years back. And, um, and yeah, and it was, uh, based on Algernon Blackwood's story. Yeah, and I think it was just it again, I think it very much fits into that ghost stories for Christmas tradition. It was just so atmospheric and everything. And he basically it's a man goes to stay at an inn, um, they don't have any rooms and then they say to him, 'Well, we've got one room, but we are expecting the occupant back, but she's been missing for days.' And so if she comes back, you're going to have to find, you know, you're going to have to you'll be turfed out. But he takes the room on that basis and a distinctly unsettling night follows. And it's got some incredible atmosphere. The music by, uh, Andrew Sing, who is also called The Nausea and it introduced me to The Nausea as well because that is. It's what I can only describe, I saw someone describe Fetus as baroque and roll and I think that this sort of follows. Because it's basically the most heavy distressed strings that you can hear. It's like someone gave some a cello of like, you know, just like walloping sort of density and discordance from from, you know, from from stringed instruments. It's just really, uh, really good. And there are sort of stop motion animated sequences in it that where they're sort of overlaying the imagery to sort of give the sense of unease and the what's occurring to the main character in terms of just like freaking out and everything. And it's just done really, really, really well. And I think I I like I say, I know we're we're sort of out of season now for ghost stories for Christmas, but the Haunted Season stuff. Uh, Occupant of the Room and the previous one from, uh, the the one from the previous year, both really good, really worth a watch. Sort of low budget, but terrific. Yeah, small cast but just excellent excellent work all both both of them. And I just long may it continue, frankly. I just hope that Shudder sort of is going is going in 20 years time when we're still going to. So we'll have like 20 odd episodes we can watch at Christmas rather than just two. But, um, I'm glad they haven't sort of like they didn't sort of backtrack on it or say, 'Well, we've got this thing here that's haunted season.' It's like, 'No, we're doing these ghost stories.' And they usually crop up just the sort of week before Christmas. So.
- Phenomenon of multiple films with similar concepts releasing simultaneously
Because you often you often find that it's like when you suddenly it's like when suddenly there's like three movies about meteors hitting the planet or coming out within six months of each other. You sort of like there's this it's like idea space seems to everyone everyone hits on the same thing around the same sort of time, so it's probably probably been in development all this time. And then just sort of comes out just after the substance or just just around.
- Ben Wheatley's career pattern, 'Bulk's low-budget production (black and white, iPhone, cardboard props, model cars), cast, narration, and unique touring distribution strategy
Because Bulk is basically, uh, in between sort of bigger films, Ben Wheatley tends to it is now seems to be a thing of he'll do something like The Rebecca that he did on Netflix and then he'll go off and do In the Earth. And then he did The Meg 2, which I've still not seen, but according to former, uh, former guest, Darney, I don't need to have necessarily seen The Meg 1 to catch The Meg 2. I don't think that they're that, you know, I don't think I'm going to miss out on too many plot points if I do so. Um, but, um, yeah, and this is the sort of next smaller film that he's done. And it is, I mean, definitely not for everyone, but I absolutely loved it. And it's basically you've got a cast of four people and it's set in a house where there has been a essentially a reality explosion. And so every part of the house is now a different dimension and it's the main character going through and meeting various splintered versions of other characters and himself as he goes around. And it's done so low budget, it's uh, it's black and white, there are bits that are filmed on iPhones. It is, you know, which is insane that I went to see it at the IMAX because, you know. Um, but it it really does look spec it did look spectacular. And it makes a real, um, it makes a real sort of, uh, it really embraces the fact that there's low budget elements to it. They people are using cardboard guns in it. And stuff like that. And it's like because the guns look great until you sort of see them a few times and then you realize that actually they're cardboard. But it's this whole thing that it's these fractured realities. So, and there's like, there's bits where there's car chases with obvious model cars. But then they'll do things like a helicopter gets shot out the sky and literally just drops like a Looney Tunes cartoon sort of thing and there's, um, bits where they're sort of saying, oh, can we we that, you know, they're sort of like looking for this hermit on a beach. And they're going, 'Right, that's where he lives over there.' And they're going, 'Well, we don't seem to be getting any closer to him.' And it's like, 'Well, we can't actually get there, it's a model.' But. And it all sort of really, it's really, it's one of those things where it's really, really smart but really playful with it as well, so it doesn't, you know, it's like. It has its cake and eats it of taking itself too seriously and not taking itself seriously at all. And I just really sort of loved it and like I say, it's a tiny cast. It's, uh, Alexandra Maria Lara and Sam Riley, uh, Noah Taylor and Mark Monero. And Bill Nighy's doing the narration on it and Bill Nighy's almost like it's like a Hitchhiker's sort of narration. You know where it's like, it's authoritative but then you realize that it's gibberish or sort of just freaking mad. And, um, yeah, and I just really. It's really it was really, really fun. It was like sort of somewhere between like a 2000 AD story and, um, bits of Jerry Cornelius and stuff. And a detective story but like a bit like, you know, that's the best way I can think of it is you know right at the end of spoilers for this film, but right at the end of Pontepool where they suddenly have gone off into this weird William Burroughs black and white world where he's a detective and she's like a like a nightclub gangster's moll. It feels like it's like from that it's that bit has gone off and done its own film. It's just yeah, just really, really great sort of Noir and just but so much fun. And afterwards I I met Ben Wheatley before because he was signing stuff at the booth and. He was really great and, uh, I nearly I nearly walked right into Sam Riley because most of the cast were there doing a Q&A and that was great afterwards as well. So, uh, but yeah. No, it's really good and just roll on when it actually comes out on DVD. Because on Blu-ray rather. Because I think, I think it's one of those things that might just disappear because it's so sort of because basically what's happened is Ben Wheatley's toured it round the country. So he made it on a shoestring, he's toured it round and he like did first screening, they did was at The Nickel, so it was like about 40 people and then you're doing like the IMAX and they sort of toured it over Ireland and, uh, up down the country and everything else like that. So, yeah, but. A definite recommend if you can get to see it.
- Goosebumps' role as a gateway horror for a younger generation and its lasting cultural impact
And you see from you you can see how they are still talked about with such reverence by a younger generation to us. And sort of like, yeah, no, these these things they made their mark. And they were they were there, they were a lot of people's gateway.
- 'A Bunch of Amateurs' documentary about the oldest film club in Britain, their films, and online availability
Uh, mine is just, uh, I watched a thing called A Bunch of Amateurs, which is about the Bradford Movie Makers, the oldest film club in Britain. And I just enjoyed it because it was it was a great sort of nice just general documentary. But, uh, they I've then looked up a couple of the films that these guys have made because they're on YouTube including The Haunted Turnip and Nice Jam by director Phil Wayman. And, um, both of those felt like we'd see them at Horror on C. That sort of like proper low budget, just like five minutes just great stuff.
- The preservation history of 'Robin Redbreast', including the loss of the color version and the survival of the black and white backup
I believe I believe actually the version that we've got is the is the hold over in the BBC. Because originally it was in color, but I think they I think they wiped the color version. So they but fortunately some bugger had the backup tape on black and white. So they so that's why we can still see it.
Highlights
Transcript
Show full transcript
LeeGood evening and welcome to Horror. I'm Lee.
ChrisI'm Chris.
AdamI'm Adam.
LeeAnd we're here again for an episode of what we've been watching. There will be some spoilers, there will be some swearing, and hopefully we've all watched enough stuff to talk about. So.
Chris-
LeeYeah. Or too much normally we've end up watching, but yes. So.
ChrisI've almost made a mistake of watching a non-horror film, but we'll get into that.
LeeOh. I've been, as I just mentioned to you off air, I luckily had watched quite a lot because I've just in the last three days just watching the ice hockey on the Olympics. So luckily I already had stuff to talk about, otherwise I'd been in shit as well.
AdamHas has the ice hockey been a horror story though?
LeeFrom a perspective.
LeeNo, it's been I've really enjoyed it. The men's starts on Thursday, so it's the women's at the moment, all the preliminary stuff. But yeah, it's been, yeah, highly entertaining, so always good. Always good.
AdamGood.
LeeRight. So, Chris, would you like to kick us off with your first choice?
ChrisYep. So, so I decided I would follow on from the film that I was very impressed with at Horror on C. All all you need is blood.
LeeYes.
AdamYeah.
ChrisI've said it so many times now, showed it so much I I liked it. But yeah. I thought, what other comedy zombie films are there aside from Shaun of the Dead? There's got to be loads, really, but anyway.
ChrisI'd heard someone mention Zombieland.
LeeYeah, yes.
AdamYeah.
ChrisLast week. Okay. Now, I didn't remember I was talking about it.
ChrisBut I had seen clips of it and I think it was, yeah, so it's 2009, which that I'm sure it was way newer than that.
ChrisBut I know they've got sequel one, maybe two. I haven't checked yet.
LeeOne sequel, yeah.
LeeNot as good as.
AdamIsn't this Zombieland as well?
Leethat Zombieland came out long before, I think.
Adamright, okay.
ChrisOkay.
Chrisbut yeah, so I thought, all right, give it a go and started watching and instantly it was very good. It is very funny.
Chrisit sort of feels like it's it's somewhat applicable to to current US politics. I won't go too much into that, but it didn't feel as far off as perhaps it would have done in 2009.
ChrisSo, yeah, like who's in it? It was, we got Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, and Abigail Breslin.
ChrisAnd I really like Woody Harrelson.
ChrisNow, I think the last time I saw him was, was it Solo? Was he in that? Oh, yes, yes, of course. He's like his mentor, wasn't he? Yeah. Yes, yes, yes, that's it.
ChrisSo that was quite a long time ago as well, worryingly.
ChrisNow, what I was hoping is you weren't both going to tell me that he's done something terribly wrong. And we have to, you know, ignore him.
AdamNo, no. Woody Woody Harrelson remains firm.
AdamHis dad, on the other hand, seems like a right villain.
ChrisAll right, okay.
AdamNo, his dad was pictured on the grassy knoll during the JFK assassination. And he may also be Matthew McConaughey's half-brother.
AdamBecause basically Woody Harrelson's dad was putting it about so much that he said to him one day, 'He could well be your half-brother.'
ChrisBecause while watching this, I was like, he keeps reminding me of Matthew McConaughey.
ChrisI was like, okay, I mean, they're both from Texas.
Adam
ChrisSo I was like, is that enough? There's just loads of people that are like that in Texas.
AdamWell, from what I gather, Woody Harrelson's dad when he wasn't assassinating presidents was putting it about a lot, so, you know. All bets are off.
AdamSo I think Woody Harrelson is sort of been I think Woody Harrelson in a weird way is sort of making up for the sins of the father by being apparently a very nice man.
ChrisPretty decent. Okay. Yeah.
ChrisAnd he is he's excellent in this. I mean, they they do work so well together, yeah, the two of them.
ChrisAnd yeah, he's he's very funny.
ChrisEspecially when, very unexpectedly they had, totally forgotten his name. Bill Murray.
LeeYes.
AdamYeah.
AdamAmazing.
LeeJust amazing.
ChrisThat was great.
LeeHow they kept that out of the limelight when that film came out? Because I was, I was desperate to see it. It was supposed to come out a week before I got married, I think. So I was going to be like, not doing a stag do, guys, I'm going to watch Zombieland. And that was going to be my.
LeeAnd then they put it back and it didn't come out until November or December, I think.
AdamYeah, then we all went and saw it, didn't we? And.
LeeYeah. Just yeah, totally blown away by it. So much fun, ridiculous amount of fun.
AdamWell, especially at that point, Dean was having like what can only be described as a full Bill Murray love affair because he was just watching like all stuff like Royal Tenenbaums and, Lost in Translation as well as like, you know, the usual stuff, Ghostbusters and Scrooged and so on and so forth.
AdamAnd then suddenly out of the blue, we were all like, 'That's Bill Murray.'
AdamSo it was, yeah, it was a hell of a surprise like when when it actually came out, they'd managed to keep him very like out out of the limelight of it, you know, he wasn't.
AdamI'm not even sure if he's credited for it.
AdamHe might I can't remember like because sometimes they just do that where someone won't take an actual credit so it's not showing on IMDb or that sort of thing.
ChrisYeah, yeah.
AdamAnd but yeah, no, and no, I I Zombieland.
AdamIt's weird because I think I only ever I saw it at the pictures that first time, and I've seen it a couple of times since it's been on the TV, but it never fails to make me laugh. I do think that.
ChrisIt is, it's a genuinely entertaining, yeah.
ChrisAnd I it does have, you know, there's there is some deeper philosophy there if you fancy thinking about it.
AdamWell, I think that the whole thing with Woody Harrelson where it's like, you know, there's like because it's the lovely thing of, you know, it's just quite sweet that it's like, 'Oh, it's my dog.' And then you realize that actually, no, it wasn't his dog. And, you know, it's sort of like that's actually quite moving.
AdamBut also just just lovely stuff like where it's like, have you got any words of wisdom for me? That will do, pig.
ChrisYeah, there you go.
ChrisSo yeah, so that was a good one. Nice follow on from from the horror and see.
AdamIn many ways when we when we were saying about, because I was thinking the same when I was like, all you need is blood. And then we got Shaun of the Dead. And it was like, I was trying to think and I was like, actually, yeah, Zombieland's freaking great, you know.
AdamBut there's because there's there's a hell of a lot of zombie comedies because they're, you know, a zombie film is one of the easier or cheaper ones that you can do.
ChrisRight. Yeah. Yeah.
Adambut unfortunately that means that there's also quite a lot of cack out there where.
LeeYeah, but no, great choice, Chris.
LeeThat film is just again, another one of those I can't believe we haven't covered because of how much I absolutely love.
ChrisI was thinking that, yeah.
AdamBecause because it's also because it's got that lovely thing as well where it's like it does because it does the zombie lessons, doesn't it? All the way through.
LeeYes, which comes up in text on the screen, which I loved that. I love that.
ChrisThat was yeah.
AdamYeah. And those sort of touches, you know, it's got some really lovely stylistic flourishes to it that I think are really great.
LeeIt's I've I've got the Pico VR headset and the game I've played far more than anything else on there is Zombieland Headshot. It's fucking brilliant. It's such a.
LeeIt was one of those, it was like six quid and I was like, they've taken the name, it's probably just a bit of a, but it isn't. It's all the characters and they all talk to you and it it's just it's, yeah, it's brilliant. I love it.
AdamOh, that's good.
AdamYeah, nothing nothing worse when it's just like, oh, they've just got the name.
ChrisYeah.
LeeYeah, exactly. But yeah, no, it's it's got that feel to it and all the zombies have got that same, yeah, it's a fantastic game. So.
LeeAnyone on VR go and check out Zombieland Headshot. It's amazing.
Lee
LeeFantastic. Adam, what's your first choice for this evening?
Adamwell, my first choice I'm going to go with something, because obviously we, we're sort of back now after the after the Crimbo break and, we horror on C and stuff like that. And I realized that we haven't really spoken about there was a glut of.
Adamvery good sort of ghost story for Christmas items.
AdamSo the one I really want to toss in first is, The Haunted Season on Shudder.
Adamhad their next episode because Haunted Season is the one they're trying to build up similar to Ghost Story for Christmas on the BBC.
AdamSo every Christmas they're bringing out an episode and I'm so impressed that they stuck to their guns.
AdamSo there was one for 2024 and, so 2025's one was The Occupant of the Room.
Adamdirected by Kira Lazunis who, also is the curator of the series.
AdamAnd also she also was the director of the, that really good folk horror documentary that came out a couple of years back.
AdamAnd, and yeah, and it was, based on Algernon Blackwood's story.
LeeLovely stuff.
AdamYeah, and I think it was just it again, I think it very much fits into that ghost stories for Christmas tradition. It was just so atmospheric and everything.
AdamAnd he basically it's a man goes to stay at an inn, they don't have any rooms and then they say to him, 'Well, we've got one room, but we are expecting the occupant back, but she's been missing for days.'
AdamAnd so if she comes back, you're going to have to find, you know, you're going to have to you'll be turfed out.
AdamBut he takes the room on that basis and a distinctly unsettling night follows.
AdamAnd it's got some incredible atmosphere.
AdamThe music by, Andrew Sing, who is also called The Nausea and it introduced me to The Nausea as well because that is.
AdamIt's what I can only describe, I saw someone describe Fetus as baroque and roll and I think that this sort of follows. Because it's basically the most heavy distressed strings that you can hear. It's like someone gave some a cello of like, you know, just like walloping sort of density and discordance from from, you know, from from stringed instruments.
AdamIt's just really, really good.
AdamAnd there are sort of stop motion animated sequences in it that where they're sort of overlaying the imagery to sort of give the sense of unease and the what's occurring to the main character in terms of just like freaking out and everything.
AdamAnd it's just done really, really, really well. And I think I I like I say, I know we're we're sort of out of season now for ghost stories for Christmas, but the Haunted Season stuff.
AdamOccupant of the Room and the previous one from, the the one from the previous year, both really good, really worth a watch. Sort of low budget, but terrific. Yeah, small cast but just excellent excellent work all both both of them.
AdamAnd I just long may it continue, frankly. I just hope that Shudder sort of is going is going in 20 years time when we're still going to.
AdamSo we'll have like 20 odd episodes we can watch at Christmas rather than just two.
AdamBut, I'm glad they haven't sort of like they didn't sort of backtrack on it or say, 'Well, we've got this thing here that's haunted season.'
AdamIt's like, 'No, we're doing these ghost stories.' And they usually crop up just the sort of week before Christmas. So.
Adamyeah, that's that's a definite recommend.
ChrisExcellent.
Adamespecially when it's still cold.
AdamYeah.
LeeExcellent. Oh, yeah, I'm planning on, catching up with those at some point or together. So I might wait a while until there's a few and then and then binge them all one year.
AdamThey are well worth it, definitely.
LeeExcellent.
Leeright, so my first choice, I don't think I've discussed this yet on the podcast.
Leeso I finally caught up a couple of months ago with the 2018 Suspiria remake.
AdamOh, yes.
LeeI was not in a rush to do so because as everybody knows.
ChrisYou're not too keen.
LeeI'm not fond.
AdamYou weren't you were let's face it. You weren't keen on the original as it's so.
LeeBut the reason I liked the idea of a remake is for me, this was a perfect remake because I love the concept, I hated the execution.
LeeSo I was like, if someone does it, takes it in a new direction, this could be it for me.
LeeThis could be.
AdamYeah, exactly.
LeeBrilliant.
AdamIt's it's the litmus test as well.
AdamBecause like we always say, why don't people remake crap films?
LeeYes.
AdamAnd if you, you know, you like you say, you like the concept of Suspiria, you don't have a problem with it. You just don't like the way it's the way it's directed. And everything else like that.
AdamSo this should be the the sort of thing for that, yeah.
LeeDon't like the direction.
ChrisIt does still have dancing in it though.
LeeDon't like the music well.
LeeI thought, I don't like I don't like ballet, but I if it's got ballet in it, I can kind of put up with it and my.
LeeHowever, it turns out ballet is not the worst type of dance.
LeeBecause if you take Suspiria and replace the ballet with interpretive dance, which is more pretentious by about 1000%, it just makes me angry every time. It's just it's it's so. I mean, the concept of it angers me. That's how much it upsets me. It's just the idea of people going into a room and going, 'Right, no words, just using your dance and your body, I want you to tell me what your cup of coffee tastes like.'
LeeOr what a unicorn looks like when it's having a shower. Like and it's just it's pretentious nonsense. And it makes me so, so angry.
ChrisJust just want to check, did you get abused by your drama teacher?
AdamI don't think I liked my drama teacher any more than any of the other teachers anyway.
ChrisJust.
AdamThey had for him, I'll be honest.
LeeSo, it was a shame because the the it was it.
ChrisTake that out of it.
LeeIf you took that out of it, it was it was okay.
ChrisStill not great.
Leeagain, it's a brilliant concept, but I think they did try to stick a bit with the original.
LeeWith the strange angles and things which I just found a bit jarring.
LeeThe gore in it is incredible.
LeeThat I mean, you can't take away from that.
ChrisIt was, yeah.
Leebut yeah, it was just so much nonsense dancing and just watching people throwing themselves around aimlessly like idiots.
ChrisNo, which one was the worst, though? The original or the remake?
LeeI thought I thought the remake had more good points, but I still still came away.
ChrisIt's still it's still only a two out of 10. You.
AdamYou balked at you balked at, interpretive dance.
LeeYeah, it just spoiled it for me so much.
LeeAnd again, I I'd been told that the last 10 minutes, it was worth sticking around for the last 10 minutes.
LeeAnd the final scene is okay.
AdamRight. Okay. So it wasn't even.
LeeSo I sat through two and a half hours waiting for this great crescendo. And then when it happened, I was like, I could probably have saved my time.
LeeTo be everybody in it is brilliant. It is one of those, it's brilliantly acted. It just it isn't for me, it's too much stuff I don't like and it's trying.
LeeAgain, it's trying to slightly channel the original in ways that I didn't like of the original.
LeeSo it it definitely was not for me. I mean, don't get me wrong.
LeeIf you like interpretive dance.
LeeI mean, I've got questions about you, but this could be the film for you.
AdamSo.
ChrisSo I I did enjoy it and I'm sure I'm sure Lee has got questions for me.
AdamI was going to say for that.
ChrisNot just because of this.
AdamLee's judging you, but the but Suspiria might be your cup of tea.
AdamSo, so there you go. I told you, Chris, you know when you said about can we move into an interpretive dance podcast? I just said, 'I think Lee's going to put the brakes on this, mate.'
LeeYou know.
AdamYou know.
AdamHe didn't he he wouldn't go and see La La Land human steps with us, you know.
AdamSo it was, yeah.
LeeJust.
AdamDidn't happen.
LeeOh, it's so painful. Just so, so painful.
AdamDid you did you get the sense of, 'Brother Cat is portraying envy?'
LeeYes, from that.
AdamRight to walk.
LeeIt is exactly that.
LeeOh, it's oh. I just couldn't get past it. It just angered me.
LeeYou know when you just don't like something so much that it just makes you angry every time someone's.
AdamIt's what it is these days. Well, yeah, yeah.
LeeI'm like, I'll just pull yourself together.
LeeRight.
LeeAnyway, so, let's move on before I get any more irate.
LeeChris, what else did you watch?
Chrisbit bit of a quick one.
ChrisI decided to follow on from my previous, another previous because this just happened to get released recently and I kept advertised and it is the beauty, which I'm sure was inspired a bit by The Substance.
AdamOh, right.
ChrisAnd I really enjoyed The Substance and I thought, let's give this a go.
Chrisso I've seen episode one and so far I do really like it.
ChrisBut of course, I don't know a huge amount about it because it's whatever it is a five five-part, series.
AdamWell, I can honestly say you know a damn sight more than I do because I do not know I've not heard of this at all.
LeeNor have I.
ChrisOh, we go.
ChrisSo it's just just been released on Disney Plus.
Adam-huh.
Chrislike a few weeks ago, I think I first saw it.
Christhe characters are Matthew Hodgson and Ryan Murphy.
AdamOh, right, okay.
ChrisAnd so far, I haven't recognized anyone in it. That doesn't necessarily mean a lot because I do not recognize a lot of people.
AdamWell, also sometimes it's better. I, you know, I think sometimes you can be disappointed.
ChrisIt's like.
AdamYeah. You have an idea of like certain actors, but there's also things like, oh, you mean I got to sit through this shit just because I really like that one actor who's in it.
ChrisYour expectations.
AdamI wish they'd just pick better films.
ChrisBut but what I like so far, it is, it's certainly got, a it's sort of giving you a taste of the horror to come so far.
Chrisbut it's also seemed like quite a good mystery, like detective mystery at the same time.
AdamOh, cool.
ChrisSo you sort of got two threads going.
AdamSo so what's the what's the premise? What's it.
ChrisOh, yeah, okay. So, so essentially you find this out fairly quickly, I think, that, there is a a way to kind of become, I suppose, the most perfect version of yourself.
Adam-
Chrisbut it's it's by getting an STD.
LeeOh, I have seen the trailer for this. Sorry, yeah. It did look interesting.
ChrisOkay.
ChrisYeah, I mean, so I I can't remember if either of you.
ChrisI don't think either of you did see The Substance, did you?
LeeNo.
AdamI've still not seen either.
ChrisSo so I still think that was amazing.
AdamI still I still need to see it.
ChrisI thought.
AdamI still need to see it. I I do got.
ChrisI would absolutely, yeah, recommend that.
ChrisAnd so I was sort of thinking, is this going to be just, you know, a walked it down version of that, just not quite there.
ChrisOr trying to be too too higher production and, you know, just not getting what's good about The Substance.
ChrisBut at the moment, it's definitely got potential.
Chris
ChrisAnd so it looks like the six episodes have been released so far.
AdamOh, okay.
ChrisYeah, and the fact that it's it is similar, but with its own unique take on it. So, yeah, I think it could be could be good.
ChrisI know, you know, I suppose it's looking at loneliness and, yeah, people wanting to be beautiful and, you know, which of course affects a huge amount of the world.
Chrisand and it's got some brutal scenes as well, which, you know.
AdamI see what you mean because I see what you mean. I think it's obviously sort of in the same sort of ballpark as the substance, but it's got its own unique take on it and everything.
AdamBecause you often you often find that it's like when you suddenly it's like when suddenly there's like three movies about meteors hitting the planet or coming out within six months of each other.
AdamYou sort of like there's this it's like idea space seems to everyone everyone hits on the same thing around the same sort of time, so it's probably probably been in development all this time.
AdamAnd then just sort of comes out just after the substance or just just around.
ChrisYeah. But where The Substance is very focused on women aging and not wanting to age, this this is anyone, so, you know, again, it could be different enough.
ChrisIt's it's interesting to see different people's perspectives on what's making them miserable and what they think may help them.
AdamOh, wow.
ChrisI'm going to have to look more into this and, yeah.
ChrisWell, I'll I'll watch some more and I'll report back to see if it's.
ChrisYeah.
ChrisStays good.
AdamYou you are you are our cosmic, you know, come.
AdamYou you beat the path and let us know, sir.
ChrisI will do that.
LeeGood job.
LeeAdam, what's your next, choice?
Adammy next choice is, this I suppose is more horror adjacent.
AdamBut, I went to see, Ben Wheatley's new film, Bulk.
Adamin the IMAX, BFI IMAX.
AdamWhich as I learned when I was there, is the biggest screen in the country.
Adamwhich is quite intriguing.
AdamBecause Bulk is basically, in between sort of bigger films, Ben Wheatley tends to it is now seems to be a thing of he'll do something like The Rebecca that he did on Netflix and then he'll go off and do In the Earth.
AdamAnd then he did The Meg 2, which I've still not seen, but according to former, former guest, Darney, I don't need to have necessarily seen The Meg 1 to catch The Meg 2.
AdamI don't think that they're that, you know, I don't think I'm going to miss out on too many plot points if I do so.
Adambut, yeah, and this is the sort of next smaller film that he's done.
AdamAnd it is, I mean, definitely not for everyone, but I absolutely loved it.
AdamAnd it's basically you've got a cast of four people and it's set in a house where there has been a essentially a reality explosion.
AdamAnd so every part of the house is now a different dimension and it's the main character going through and meeting various splintered versions of other characters and himself as he goes around.
AdamAnd it's done so low budget, it's it's black and white, there are bits that are filmed on iPhones.
AdamIt is, you know, which is insane that I went to see it at the IMAX because, you know.
Adambut it it really does look spec it did look spectacular.
AdamAnd it makes a real, it makes a real sort of, it really embraces the fact that there's low budget elements to it. They people are using cardboard guns in it.
AdamAnd stuff like that.
AdamAnd it's like because the guns look great until you sort of see them a few times and then you realize that actually they're cardboard.
AdamBut it's this whole thing that it's these fractured realities.
ChrisOkay.
AdamSo, and there's like, there's bits where there's car chases with obvious model cars.
AdamBut then they'll do things like a helicopter gets shot out the sky and literally just drops like a Looney Tunes cartoon sort of thing and there's, bits where they're sort of saying, oh, can we we that, you know, they're sort of like looking for this hermit on a beach.
AdamAnd they're going, 'Right, that's where he lives over there.' And they're going, 'Well, we don't seem to be getting any closer to him.' And it's like, 'Well, we can't actually get there, it's a model.'
AdamBut.
AdamAnd it all sort of really, it's really, it's one of those things where it's really, really smart but really playful with it as well, so it doesn't, you know, it's like.
AdamIt has its cake and eats it of taking itself too seriously and not taking itself seriously at all.
ChrisOkay.
AdamAnd I just really sort of loved it and like I say, it's a tiny cast. It's, Alexandra Maria Lara and Sam Riley, Noah Taylor and Mark Monero.
AdamAnd Bill Nighy's doing the narration on it and Bill Nighy's almost like it's like a Hitchhiker's sort of narration.
AdamYou know where it's like, it's authoritative but then you realize that it's gibberish or sort of just freaking mad.
AdamAnd, yeah, and I just really.
ChrisIt sounds great.
AdamIt's really it was really, really fun. It was like sort of somewhere between like a 2000 AD story and, bits of Jerry Cornelius and stuff.
AdamAnd a detective story but like a bit like, you know, that's the best way I can think of it is you know right at the end of spoilers for this film, but right at the end of Pontepool where they suddenly have gone off into this weird William Burroughs black and white world where he's a detective and she's like a like a nightclub gangster's moll.
AdamIt feels like it's like from that it's that bit has gone off and done its own film.
AdamIt's just yeah, just really, really great sort of Noir and just but so much fun.
AdamAnd afterwards I I met Ben Wheatley before because he was signing stuff at the booth and.
ChrisOh, nice.
AdamHe was really great and, I nearly I nearly walked right into Sam Riley because most of the cast were there doing a Q&A and that was great afterwards as well.
AdamSo, but yeah.
AdamNo, it's really good and just roll on when it actually comes out on DVD.
AdamBecause on Blu-ray rather.
AdamBecause I think, I think it's one of those things that might just disappear because it's so sort of because basically what's happened is Ben Wheatley's toured it round the country.
AdamSo he made it on a shoestring, he's toured it round and he like did first screening, they did was at The Nickel, so it was like about 40 people and then you're doing like the IMAX and they sort of toured it over Ireland and, up down the country and everything else like that.
AdamSo, yeah, but.
AdamA definite recommend if you can get to see it.
AdamI'm hoping that it will come on streaming and so on.
ChrisYeah, definitely.
LeeExcellent.
LeeI'll be looking out for that.
Leeso next thing I'd like to cover, family friendly horror. I know we talk a lot about, the things that inspired us as kids and are they still making those types of things as much as they were when we were younger?
Leeso I was very pleased to see that there was a two-week exclusive came out at the end of last year. R L Stine, of course, did the Goosebumps books.
AdamOh, yes.
LeeDid a pumpkin head one-off movie.
AdamOh, well.
Leeand yeah, I I really enjoyed it. It is very much in that kind of it is horror aimed at young teens.
Leeor not even aimed at young teens because I thoroughly enjoyed it, but there's nothing in it that you couldn't show, you know, a younger audience.
Lee
LeeBut yeah, yeah, really good.
LeeAnd it it really felt like a like a feature length Goosebumps episode but brought more up to date. So it looked really nice, it sounded really good, yeah, excellent cast, nobody I'd ever seen in anything before, but it was it was really good.
LeeI say and it's it's good to see that R L Stine's still doing stuff. Because obviously, I know the Goosebumps stuff came out a little bit late for us.
LeeWe were kind of already we'd already gone from the family friendly into the more horror by the time those things came out.
ChrisBut I heard good things about them generally.
LeeYeah, I mean, Goosebumps was I've seen a few episodes and yeah, and they are quite good.
LeeIt's, you know, they're still entertaining even now as an adult. I mean, obviously they are very tame because they are aimed at a younger audience.
LeeBut quite good at building atmosphere and introducing kids to the concept of horror, really.
AdamI mean, they were K's generation and she she's literally just mouthed to me, 'Terrified me.'
LeeSo you know.
AdamThey I think.
ChrisDid it achieve its job.
AdamAnd you see from you you can see how they are still talked about with such reverence by a younger generation to us.
AdamAnd sort of like, yeah, no, these these things they made their mark.
AdamAnd they were they were there, they were a lot of people's gateway.
LeeYeah. So it's great to see that he's doing it now again for an even younger generation. He's continuing to bring more people into the fold.
Leeyeah, and it was just really well done, really entertaining, it had some really good, suspense in it and but again, it had comedy and things, so it sort of brought that levity into so again, you know, you'd you get a bit of a you get a bit of a scary bit and then they put a little funny bit at the end just to take the edge off.
LeeSo the kids don't walk away terrified. It's always broken by these comedic characters and.
Leeyeah, and it was really, I say it was one of those, I watched it, I was like, I know it's going to be family friendly and it's aimed at a younger audience, so I might find it a little bit twee and a little bit, you know.
ChrisTame.
Lee
LeeYeah, exactly.
LeeBut I did, I found it really entertaining and really good fun, so.
LeeYeah, very pleased to, to see hopefully it's going to bring more people to replace us when we get too old to keep doing this shit, really.
AdamOh, what by next Tuesday, you think?
LeeYeah.
ChrisSo I think.
LeeSo.
LeeRight, so just a very quick run through.
LeeJust title and, you know, a couple of lines.
LeeChris, anything else?
ChrisWell, my one's easy because this is my non-horror one, which I I reckon I can figure out how there's a bit of horror in it.
ChrisIt's The Shape of Water.
LeeYeah.
AdamOh, it's horror.
LeeYeah, it is horror.
ChrisYeah, well, but it's it's the human is the horror.
LeeOkay.
ChrisYou know.
LeeYes.
ChrisClearly, it's a very nice monster.
Chrisnow, I mean, that might be giving things away, but I realized it's 2017.
ChrisNow, I totally thought this came out like a year or two ago.
ChrisI'm sure you both watched this when it came out.
AdamIt won an Oscar, man.
AdamIt was, you know, it's been it's been quite some time, yeah.
ChrisYeah, it's crazy.
ChrisBut anyway, I really enjoyed it.
ChrisIt was like, yeah, it was it was fascinating. It hooked me right from the off and, yeah.
ChrisSo but the thing that I thought was, how have I not seen more Guillermo del Toro horror? Like, I think, I can only think of Pan's Labyrinth.
AdamYeah. That's I mean, we we need to do we need to do more Guillermo del Toro on on the show, I think.
ChrisI I definitely want to.
AdamI mean, he's particularly, I mean, I I his English language stuff, but I love his Spanish stuff.
ChrisYeah.
AdamIs my.
LeeYeah, and The Orphanage are brutal.
ChrisOh, okay. Yeah.
AdamEverything is good as Pan's Labyrinth.
LeeYeah.
AdamOh.
ChrisThere we go. That's that's the takeaway.
AdamYeah.
AdamAbsolutely, yeah.
LeeExcellent. Well done.
LeeAdam.
Adammine is just, I watched a thing called A Bunch of Amateurs, which is about the Bradford Movie Makers, the oldest film club in Britain.
AdamAnd I just enjoyed it because it was it was a great sort of nice just general documentary.
AdamBut, they I've then looked up a couple of the films that these guys have made because they're on YouTube including The Haunted Turnip and Nice Jam by director Phil Wayman.
ChrisYeah.
AdamAnd, both of those felt like we'd see them at Horror on C.
LeeNice.
AdamThat sort of like proper low budget, just like five minutes just great stuff.
AdamBut, the actual documentary itself really worth seeking out and as I say, from there you can spin out and see they've put, you know, they've got stuff online of like the various guys there what they've made over the years.
LeeYeah.
AdamBut yeah, really good.
LeeExcellent.
Leeso mine very quickly, Chris, for Christmas bought me as we'd discussed it previously on the show and I hadn't seen it.
LeeRobin Redbreast, the play for today 1970.
AdamOh, yes.
LeeBlack and white folk horror made for British TV, very slow burn, completely psychological horror.
LeeAbsolutely brilliant, so unsettling, so uncomfortable.
Leehilarious in places where it's maybe not supposed to be, but it's equally just.
AdamI defy that because the the the guy who they've got in, the Kung Fu the Kung Fu naturist who, you know, he's got one point of conversation, which is Nazi German.
AdamI was like, Christ, this just probably feels like very, very, there's probably a lot of women who can tell this horror story.
LeeYeah.
AdamHe's listening to this boring bastard.
LeeSo.
LeeYeah, oh, just yeah, really good, really brilliant. I I definitely want to see more of that series if there's more stuff like that.
LeeIt's just so, say just uncomfortable the whole thing.
LeeEven the cast, apart from the Kung Fu guy.
LeeThe three main the main character in it, actually, yeah, four of them from it are, you know, British TV standards. You'd know them as soon as they come on, you're like, 'Oh, it's her. Oh, it's him.'
LeeCouldn't tell you anything they've been in, but as soon as you see them, they look so familiar, they're like an.
AdamYeah. Oh, it's him from that.
LeeOld uncle you ain't seen.
LeeOh.
AdamYeah.
LeeYeah.
AdamYeah.
LeeFantastic.
LeeSo that's just come out on BFI Blu-ray, so if anyone.
AdamI believe I believe actually the version that we've got is the is the hold over in the BBC.
Leeis into the folk horror and hasn't seen Robin Redbreast, do treat yourself because it's.
AdamBecause originally it was in color, but I think they I think they wiped the color version. So they but fortunately some bugger had the backup tape on black and white.
AdamSo they so that's why we can still see it.
LeeIt looks better in black and white.
LeeIt looks so much better.
AdamIt looks amazing in black and white.
LeeYes.
AdamI I think it really does add to it to be honest.
Leeright, so we will be back, in a fortnight's time.
LeeAdam, what are we going to be talking about in a fortnight's time?
AdamOh shit. we haven't even thought of anything, have we?
LeeNo, we haven't. That's why I thought I'd throw it over to you.
LeeYou sort.
AdamOkay, let's have a think.
ChrisWe did have The Wicker Man on the list.
AdamYeah.
ChrisBut unless we've got a theme planned for that.
AdamWell, I I think The Wicker Man, I might have to wait till summer.
LeeYeah.
ChrisRight. Okay.
LeeYeah.
AdamYou can't you can't you can't do the solstice in the winter. It's just just what.
LeeOkay.
ChrisOkay.
LeeI'll tell you what.
Adam
LeeI'll tell you what.
LeeTell you what then.
LeeAs, it it is a Winter Olympics and there's lots of ice hockey going on at the moment.
LeeI know there's no ice hockey in the first one and we should probably watch the first one before the second one. What about WolfCop?
LeeOkay.
LeeYes.
AdamWolfCop?
LeeWolfCop.
AdamYeah.
LeeYes.
LeeBrilliant.
AdamI've still not seen WolfCop, so yes.
LeeAnd the second one has got, what's his name who did Clerks and Kevin Smith's in it.
AdamKevin Smith.
LeeSo it's basically a horror film about werewolves, ice hockey and beer. So we can watch the first one and talk about it and I will use it as an excuse to watch the second one.
LeeAnd I'm sure Chris will because there's.
ChrisI'll try and get both of them in.
AdamYeah, if if they if they're both there, we'll roll over.
LeeExcellent.
AdamLike a good WolfCop.
LeeExcellent.
AdamClutch from the air, I love it.
LeeRight. Thanks ever so much for listening, everybody. Go and check out all the stuff we've suggested, apart from Suspiria, because it was wank.
LeeAnd we'll see you in a fortnight's time.
LeeGood night.
AdamGood night.
ChrisGood night.
