Saturday Night Freak Show

Sean takes his love of ornithology to new heights as he soars like a California Condor over Wes Craven's My Soul to Take (2010), which finds bird-loving teenager Bug (Max Theiriot) -- along with six of his friends, who are all celebrating the same birthday -- wondering if he is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer, known as the Riverton Ripper, who allegedly died on the same day 16 years ago. Listen as we try to untangle and keep up with the convoluted plot of one of Craven's most dense (and oddly autobiographical) movies on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colin swears an oath to join the Count Dracula Society and summons the prince of darkness with Dracula A.D. 1972, a late-cycle entry into Hammer Films' Dracula series. The sinister majesty of Christopher Lee's Count is paired with the unflappable determination of Peter Cushing's Van Helsing, with the action updated into the silliness of Austin Powers-era swinging London. Listen as we talk about vampire movie rules, questionable fashion choices, and talk about how much of a badass Christopher Lee was in real-life, all on this week's exciting show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Internet Radio Superstars take a Freak Show Field Trip to go see the newest Michael Myers' stab-a-thon, Halloween (2018), which brings back 5-time series regular Jamie Lee Curtis, still suffering from the trauma of his Halloween night homecoming 40 years ago. Listen as we dive into a spoiler-heavy, nuts and bolts discussion of what we thought worked and what didn't, and we each rank the entire Halloween movie series on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michaela proposes 'The Night Stocker' might be a better title for Intruder (1989), a slasher movie set within the confines of a grocery store. Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi, and Bruce Campbell all appear in this gory tongue-in-cheek thriller which finds a late shift crew killed off one by one by a homicidal maniac. Listen as we relive the trauma of our retail job experiences, revel in the gory delights of practical effects' slaughter, and talk about famous movie families in this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly hopes she doesn't get thrown in with The People Under the Stairs (1991), Wes Craven's social comment on class warfare between a ghetto-born kid named Fool and a couple of wealthy weirdos, played by Twin Peaks alumni Everett McGill and Wendy Robie. To keep from being evicted, Fool and Co. break into the ridiculously fortified, booby-trapped house of their landlords and finds breaking out nearly impossible. Listen as we find there's no truth in advertising, mourn the loss of Wes Craven, and celebrate out 300th Episode with champagne and cigars, all on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean discovers what is perhaps the only 80's British slasher movie, Slaughter High (1986). It's set in the USA but filmed in England, with British actors faking their way through American accents as they recount the tale of a tormented nerd, disfigured by his classmates, who returns to stalk and kill them at a high school reunion. Listen as we get the theme music stuck in our heads, add the beautiful Caroline Munro to the Freak Show Hall of Fame, and catalog the slaughter of Slaughter High -- all on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colin hits the road with the Shogun's executioner and his son in Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1973), the fourth in a series of cult Japanese samurai movies that follow the exploits of the deadliest father/son duo in the history of mass slaughter. Together they cut through an endless supply of hypertensive ninjas and tangle with a topless, tattooed female assassin. Listen as we mispronounce all sorts of Japanese words, marvel at the film's excessive bloodletting, and stand in awe of stone-cold child warriors on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michaela thinks Catwoman (2004) is the purrrfect way to prove that no matter how bad you think comic book movies can get, they can always get worse. Oscar winner Halle Berry stars as a meek graphic designer who becomes possessed by an immortal housecat, which leads her to dress like a stripper to get revenge on the evil cosmetics company who wronged her. Listen to the dismay in our voices as we try to puzzle out who thought this movie was a good idea on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly scales to the height of adventure with Sylvester Stallone's Cliffhanger (1993), which finds the action star as a rescue climber crawling over mountains at the command of super-villain John Lithgow (and his phony English accent) in pursuit of three suitcases containing $100 million. Listen as we marvel over the film's stuntwork, twirl our mustaches with over the top villainy, and try not to leave you hanging by the end of this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean suffers a parental nightmare when kids start reading minds and killing people with their thoughts in John Carpenter's Village of the Damned (1993). After an unexplained blackout, women in a small, isolated village awaken to find themselves pregnant; the children grow up to be emotionless, blonde automatons who all share a collective consciousness and ultimately want to enslave humanity with their alien will. Listen as we chat about the downslide of John Carpenter's directorial career, question the acting prowess of Mark Hamill, and answer a Super Mailbag on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colin tries to rescue the Summer of Cannon with the Charles Bronson-starring slasher hybrid 10 to Midnight (1983). The flick finds cop Bronson squaring off against a coed-killing psycho who strips buck naked to stalk and kill his quarry; he eventually bends the law to keep his nursing student daughter (Beverly Hills Cop's Lisa Eilbacher) safe from the killer's clutches. Listen as we talk about Hollywood vigilantes, Bronson's career, flesh dongles, strange 80's sex toys, and coin the phrase 'slipping someone a Cosby', all on this week's exciting show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean would prefer not to spend the winter tied to a couch with The Thing (2011), a remake of John Carpenter's seminal 1982 sci-fi/horror classic that's disguised itself as a prequel. Here, we get to find out what happened to that ill-fated Norwegian team before Kurt Russell and co. discovered it, only this time we're lead into battle by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Listen as we give the poorly received reThing another shot, tell tales of practical effects-averse studios, and take a look at each other's teeth in an attempt to verify we're still human, all on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly goes chumming for a giant prehistoric shark in the action-thriller The Meg (2018), a tale of a hungry megalodon, which has survived for thousands of years at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, that gets loose thanks to some meddling deep-sea scientists. Man-of-action Jason Statham is called in to track and kill the fearsome beast before it can make lunch out of hundreds of Chinese beachgoers. Listen as we consider the film's troubled production history, contemplate all the killer shark movies that have come before, and find a new appreciation for Jason Statham in this week's exciting episode!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michaela might like to live next to The Boy Next Door (2015), as long as he doesn't turn out to be a raving psychopath! Unfortunately for Jennifer Lopez, she doesn't have that kind of luck. Teacher J Lo has one night stand with the 19-year-old next door neighbor/student and quickly comes to regret it as he turns out to be a unhinged nutball. Listen as we pine for the return of the erotic thriller genre, consider the career longevity of director Rob Cohen, and imagine the process to get one's heinie insured, all on this week's exciting episode!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kolin kontends with Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)! In this pastiche of 1950's-era alien invasion flicks, clown-like creatures from space arrive in a small American town and begin luring and trapping the citizenry using circus-inspired gags including cotton candy cocoons and lethal popcorn guns, while two lovebirds try to get the authorities to believe and assist them in stopping the killer clowns before it's too late. Listen as we prattle on about the Chidodo Brothers, clown gags, old school special effects and 50's sci-fi movies on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michaela parts the continents, brings down the wrath of the gods, and tosses bears into space alongside Hercules (1983), starring Lou ("The Incredible Hulk") Ferrigno as the musclebound hero. In this unholy alliance between Cannon Films and Italian genre cinema, Starcrash director Luigi Cozzi guides Hercules through his 12 labors, complete with power swords, laser beams, robot monsters, scantily clad ladies, and feats of strength. Listen as we marvel at the adventures of the mighty Hercules on this week's exciting show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly tries to cast out the Devil (and his junior partner Abalam) using The Last Exorcism (2010). A documentary film crew follows a charismatic preacher who has fallen from grace and now intends to expose exorcism as hokum; but, of course, the remote farm he's summoned to may be home to real demonic evil after all. Listen as we dive in to the Freak Show's first found-footage movie and talk about demons, religion, and giant sharks on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sean uses the word "nostalgia" one time too many in his review of I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) as a quartet of Hollywood up-and-comers, including Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar, appear in this Scream-style "diet" slasher movie in which they are each stalked by a killer in a fisherman's getup as payback for a murder they covered up the year before. Listen as we try to work out some slasher-movie logic, connect dots between performers in 1990's TV shows, and admire J Love's stylish cleavage-enhancing ensembles on this week's exciting show!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colin discovers there really are giant alligators living in the sewers in the monster movie Alligator (1980), which finds cop Robert Forster hunting down the 25 foot long beast that ate his partner. Said gator had been down in the sewers eating disposed of test animals from a pharmaceutical company, and all hell breaks loose when it comes above ground and starts chomping its way through the mean streets of the city! Listen as we talk about receding hairlines, live animals on miniature sets, horror movies for dogs, and get gleeful about monsters eating kids on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holly thinks the only actor good enough to star opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme is Jean-Claude Van Damme in Double Impact (1991), which finds the action star stretching his acting muscles to play two brothers - separated at birth - who meet up in Hong Kong to get revenge for their parents' murder. Listen as we talk about Hollywood's history of actors acting opposite themselves, the weirdness of neon-lit sex dreams, and reluctantly (accidentally?) add JCVD to the SNFS Wall of Fame, on this week's exciting episode! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.