The Shock Doctors Podcast

Michael Sarnoski’s prequel shares some of the pitfalls of earlier entries in the series, but his indie sensibilities add a new character-driven flavor to this film – and Lupita Nyong’o is characteristically excellent. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Ishana Night Shyamalan’s feature directorial debut unfortunately shares a lot of DNA with her father’s worst work, particularly Lady in the Water. The result, like that film, is rather tedious. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

This disposable, drab, tension-free nothing of a requel is only the first entry in a trilogy that’s already been shot. God help us. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Reminiscent of both halves of Twin Peaks and redolent with curdled 90s nostalgia, I Saw the TV Glow nonetheless provoked a Siskel-and-Ebert disconnect between Matt and Jim. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

This is pretty bottom-of-the-barrel, disposable stuff. When the movies coming to mind are Wish Upon, Countdown, and Imaginary, that’s a very bad sign. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

A step down from Ready or Not – mostly because it recycles many of the same beats less effectively – Abigail nonetheless features a fun cast and a few neat tricks. We just wish it maintained its momentum following a strong opening. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

A handsomely-crafted legacy prequel that features great performances, oodles of atmosphere, and some solid scares, even if some of its departures from the original don’t quite gel. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

The latest installment in the long-running anthology franchise is a step back up from V/H/S/99, but still doesn’t hit the same sweet spot as the first two films. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

While the ending isn’t quite as balls-to-the-wall as some of the buzz might have you believe, Immaculate is buoyed by a strong central performance and atmosphere to spare. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Unlike Fantasy Island, the last Jeff Wadlow film we reviewed, the whackadoo third-act shenanigans on offer here aren’t fun-bad… they’re just a chore. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

A taut, engaging thrill ride with gorgeous visuals and impressive sound design, Out of Darkness almost completely overcomes an ending that might not work for some. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Strong sound and creature design fail to overcome a no-dialogue gimmick that doesn’t always work and an ending that, while conceptually interesting, remains flawed. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

There wasn’t enough meat on these bones to turn this short into a viable feature, and yet Bryce McGuire left some behind in favor of a grab-bag of tired and disconnected horror tropes. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

William Brent Bell’s latest is a cut above most of his other work, which is to say it’s a run-of-the-mill folk horror film with a lousy ending. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

An improvement over some of Eli Roth’s more risible work, Thanksgiving is a refreshingly old-fashioned slasher that nonetheless feels rather predictable and thin. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

The video game series doesn’t hold a special place in either of our hearts, but the film adaptation is not the wholesale disaster social media makes it out to be. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

David Gordon Green’s latest attempt at a legacy sequel to a landmark horror film has more in common with The Exorcist’s legion of shoddy imitators than it does with the source material itself. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Matt and Jim take this opportunity to do a full retrospective on the Saw franchise, and while it’s got a handful of high points, it’s mostly schlock. This entry is better than most. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Apologies for the unannounced hiatus, but we’re back with a throwback to our second episode all-time. The Nun may not have been good, but this sequel is just… boring. It doesn’t help that it’s drowning in disposable tertiary antagonists, either. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Even with its slam-dunk premise, we didn’t love “Dracula on a Boat.” However, it gets points for hearkening back to 90s and early 2000s Universal monster flicks. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Despite being well-made and periodically effective, Danny and Michael Philippou’s film left us cold. We wouldn’t mind seeing the hand come back, though. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Samuel Bodin’s dramatically under-promoted film features a few good scares and some deft camerawork, but the parents were written without depth and the film is sometimes paced too much like a trailer. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

James Wan’s second franchise ends with a whimper. It’s not a trainwreck, but it’s also just not that good. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Anthony DiBlasi elected to remake his own film, 2014’s Last Shift, and frankly, he did better the first time. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

A fairly run-of-the-mill adaptation of a minor Stephen King work, this film is not without craft, particularly in its careful control of just how much of the Boogeyman you see. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

A gorgeous and visually striking tone poem, Mark Jenkin’s film might leave you wanting in the story and character department. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

A promising beginning is entirely drowned in a tidal wave of bad screenwriting and shoddy direction. Jena Malone and Danny Huston deserved better. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Refreshingly not about capital-T trauma, Lee Cronin’s entry is another win for a franchise that, in 40 years, has yet to miss. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

A few nice early touches and Nicolas Cage’s committed performance are undone by Renfield‘s being half a cop movie – and not a particularly good one, at that. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Featuring some Raimi-esque pulp and an engaging performance from Russell Crowe – ropey Italian accent and all – Julius Avery’s latest film is a solid entry in the exorcism subgenre. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

With his pitch-black pinhole glimpses of chaos in the desert, Robbie Banfitch clearly wants to put our imaginations to work, but he doesn’t leave us quite enough to work with. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Reaching a new low for the franchise, Scream VI spends most of its runtime insisting that everything is different and all bets are off, only to keep rehashing the same tired tropes. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

For a sub-80-minute film, Sick feels weirdly bloated, and yet at the same time, suffers from a disappointing lack of ambition. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Featuring good performances but a slightly flabby second act, Knock at the Cabin settles comfortably into the middle tier of M. Night Shyamalan’s oeuvre. It doesn’t really work as a climate change allegory, though. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Drab, incoherent, and brainless from start to finish, Fear is the result of director Deon Taylor hurling a bunch of tropes at the wall and seeing what sticks – and nothing does. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Brandon Cronenberg adds another strong entry to his weird and unsettling oeuvre, while Mia Goth gives her third standout horror performance in the space of ten months. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

A team-up of the talents behind Housebound and Malignant should have been a slam dunk, but don’t believe the hype – M3GAN is an assembly-line-style dud. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Skinamarink is not a perfect film, but it’s so weird and singular that we might not change a thing about it. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Nanny is visually gorgeous and chock-full of great performances, but eventually descends into “fugue soup,” and the overwhelming water motif spoils the ending. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

While intriguing and loaded with personality, Something in the Dirt would have benefited from a little more structure and stronger distinctions between John and Levi’s dialogue. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

While not quite up to the standards of his prior work, Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal romance road movie is moody, occasionally arresting, and driven by good performances all around. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Even if The Menu doesn’t qualify as horror comedy haute cuisine, there are some tasty morsels knocking around in there. Ralph Fiennes is a delight. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

V/H/S/99 marks the series’ full-on tonal shift into Creepshow-esque horror comedy, which ultimately proves detrimental. Better than V/H/S Viral, but that’s not saying much. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Prey for the Devil is a movie that is impossible to care about, a worse-than-average exorcism film in a subgenre where “average” is a pretty low bar to clear. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

David Bruckner’s reboot of the 80s horror staple is a little too rigid, a little too sanitized… and frankly, just doesn’t raise all that much hell. But Jamie Clayton and Odessa A’zion are terrific. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Halloween Ends – about two movies too late. The film is a misbegotten mess, top to bottom, riddled with baffling story decisions and underwhelming direction. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

In spite of a few solid scares, Smile is too full of same-y mystery thread-pulling – and in Matt’s opinion, annoying cops – to really succeed. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

The back end of Pearl isn’t as visually arresting as its opening act, and suffers from some scripting issues, but the film is a knockout showcase for Mia Goth’s delightfully broad performance. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

Although it falters a bit in the back half, Barbarian has a killer opening act and an assortment of thrilling hard left turns in plot and style sprinkled throughout. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].

The Invitation features the sexiest vampires this side of Twilight, and in spite of some satisfyingly old-fashioned gothic horror touches, has about as much dramatic heft – or as many scares. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Tune In. Got an idea for the next movie you’d like us to check out? Feel free to send us a DM on social media, or email us at [email protected].