The Shock Doctors Podcast

Not to be confused with the James Wan-produced mess that we reviewed a while back, Jayro Bustamante’s film gives the well-worn legend a politically-conscious twist. 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 Matt’s words, “Praise be, praise be.” Saint Maud has finally arrived, and it does not disappoint. 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 deft noir flourishes and political subtext of Jeff Barnaby’s zombie thriller complement, rather than detract from, the delightfully gooshy practical effects and post-apolcalyptic chaos. 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 latest film, Yeon Sang-ho has achieved a zombie hat trick, even by Matt’s stringent standards for the 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].

Christopher Landon’s “Freaky Friday the 13th” genre riff is not nearly as clever as he thinks it is. 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].

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s latest may not have been the true-blue horror film we anticipated, but it’s still a stylish good time with two charismatic lead performances from Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan. 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 one particularly striking spooky image and a mercifully grounded portrayal of autism, Come Play is an uneasy amalgam of too many incompatible genre 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].

Despite its narrative incoherence and bladder-busting length (by horror standards), The Empty Man is a surprisingly entertaining and engaging film. 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 film’s message of (trans-inclusive) female empowerment is certainly more enlightened than the “women can’t handle ultimate power” implications of the 1996 original, The Craft: Legacy also loses much of its predecessor’s trashy fun, and doesn’t replace it with much else. Apologies for the late upload. We’ve had a busy last few days. 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’s sophomore feature is a mind-bending melange of body horror paranoia, buoyed by stellar turns from Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. And it even has Sean Bean! 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].

One of the four initial entries in the “Welcome to the Blumhouse” film series, Nocturne doesn’t quite measure up to other tales of artistic obsession. 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].

“Name one time I was ever a bad mother.” Every time. All of the times. 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].

Bryan Bertino’s latest film is strong on atmosphere and boasts some genuine scares, but sometimes gets bogged down in a miasma of indiscriminate misery. 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].

Death of Me adds a distinctly undistinguished new entry to the ethically fraught “scary foreigners” 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].

Two and a half years on the shelf didn’t do this movie any favors. In retrospect, maybe it should have stayed there. 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 tale of the immigrant and refugee experience is harrowing in more ways than one. 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 diminishing returns inherent to horror sequels are never more apparent than when you make a sequel to a horror comedy that’s a rock-solid… 5.5/10. 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].

Michael Mann’s follow-up to Thief is a beautiful but incomprehensible hodgepodge – incomprehensible both on a plot basis, and because you can’t hear what the fuck anyone is saying. 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].

Justin Simien’s tale of a demonic weave has some tonal inconsistencies and juggles a variety of somewhat incompatible influences, but the end result is generally a good 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].

Paul Verhoeven’s take on the Invisible Man formula is just as sleazy and outlandish as you might expect. 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 Koepp’s House of Leaves riff is best described, in Matt’s words, as “medium clever.” 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 offbeat possession movie that features top-notch performances, while dispensing with most of the genre’s tired tropes and over-the-top CGI theatrics? Sign. Us. Up. 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 sequel nobody asked for to a movie nobody liked, The Gallows Act II also attempts to hitch its wagon to a viral fad long since faded into irrelevance. 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].

Don’t believe the marketing – or last episode’s outro – Antebellum has nothing to do with time travel, except maybe in the sociological sense. 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].

If the pandemic hasn’t made you skittish about AirBnB, this movie definitely should. 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].

All space parasite movies must by necessity stand in the shadow of Alien, but this oppressive Russian period piece takes a good crack at it all the same. 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 deliriously funny deconstruction of zombie filmmaking is an instant classic that Matt and Jim are glad to have picked for the 50th episode of the podcast. 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].

Lars Klevberg adapts his popular short film into a woefully underdeveloped (HAH!) time-waster of a feature film. 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].

Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote grapple with a senile relative and a house quite literally haunted by dementia. It’s a treat. 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 improbably deep cast, potentially spooky premise, and a setting brimming with possibility are all wasted in this highly derivative snoozefest. 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 are thrilled to be back at it, but starting with The Hunt after a four-month layoff turns out to be pretty anti-climactic. And why was Trump pissed about this movie, exactly? 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].

Another suspense-less entry in this misbegotten franchise is further undermined by a baffling decision to retcon away the only vaguely interesting thing the first film had going for 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]. ANNOUNCEMENT: The Shock Doctors Podcast is going on hiatus until further notice, due to coronavirus concerns. For more details, listen to the closing message at the end of this episode.

Leigh Whannell continues a successful post-James Wan career with a nervy thriller that reminds us – the terror of the unseen is the most unsettling of all. 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].

Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s follow-up to Goodnight, Mommy is as bone-chilling as the frozen landscape that it inhabits. 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 may have disagreed about The Turning, but they’re on the same page about this woefully misbegotten adaptation of the 70s TV show – Fantasy Island is a trainwreck in all but the most literal sense. 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].

Oz Perkins takes a quantum leap forward with a gorgeously lensed and delightfully atmospheric adaptation of perhaps the most well-known of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. 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].

If you’ve been waiting for Matt and Jim to have their Siskel and Ebert moment, this is it. The Turning is… divisive, to say the least. 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 first really good horror movie of the year features the return of a Nicolas Cage voice we thought had been lost to the sands of 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].

While it borrows a lot from a lot of different places, Underwater clips along so fast, you hardly have time to think about it. The end result is a good time at the movies – particularly for January. 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 are good remakes of J-horror, and there are bad ones. This one? Well, let’s just say William Sadler’s Detective Wilson may have had the right idea. 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].

Did Black Christmas need to be remade? As was the case in 2006, the answer is… probably not. 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 discover that the only thing more irritating than the Countdown notification noise is… wait, no, that’s the world’s most annoying thing. 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 this episode, Matt and Jim discover that Mike Flanagan is capable of stifling his taste for the warm fuzzies, giving us a bleak and atmospheric sequel to The Shining that seriously exceeds expectations. 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 discover that, in Parasite, Bong Joon-ho has crafted a film that sneaks up on you, grabs you by the throat, and doesn’t let go. RESPECT! 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 what has to be the frontrunner for Horror Film of the Year, Robert Pattinson spills his beans, and Willem Dafoe is distraught 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].

In this long-delayed sequel to Zombieland, Matt and Jim find that it’s not the familiar that grates on you, but the new, different, and terrible. 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 discover that, whether it’s the past or present day, if you bring a patchwork corpse back to life, people are gonna end up dead. 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 discover that Gary Dauberman’s script has rendered Andy Muchietti’s second It film terminally wacky, in spite of some strong performances and cast chemistry. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on iTunes, 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 this episode, Matt and Jim discover that just as Adam Brody says, the rich really are different. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on iTunes, 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 a move that endears the filmmakers to your hosts – Matt in particular – Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark dispenses with 80s nostalgia and goes straight back to the source – the 60s. Please follow us on Twitter @ShockDoctorsPod, on Facebook at facebook.com/shockdoctorspod, or check us out on iTunes, 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].