Episode Collection: Killapalooza

Slasher marathon episodes covering an entire series.

Each episode covers a complete slasher franchise from beginning to end. The hosts have often tried to kill off the series, but listeners keep requesting new Killapaloozas. Like any great slasher, this series refuses to die.

Reverse Order of Release

Killapalooza 42: Ringu

Killapalooza 42: Ringu

Ringu films 1-4. What films are even in the Ring franchise? As is pretty well known… the Ringu franchise is a Japanese horror film series that revolves around the theme of cursed videotapes that cause the viewer to die within a week of watching them. The films explore the consequences of technology and media on society, as well as the dangers of curiosity and the supernatural. The franchise explores a variety of themes over the course of its several installments. One of the main themes of the franchise is the concept of death and the unknown beyond, as the central plot revolves around a cursed video tape that kills its viewers after seven days. The films delve into the idea of death as an inevitable and unknowable force, and also explore the lengths that people will go to in order to avoid their own mortality. Additionally, the franchise touches on themes of family and relationships, as many of the characters are driven by their love for their loved ones and the desire to protect them from the curse. As the franchise progresses, the films also delve into themes of identity and self-discovery, as the characters uncover the mystery behind the curse and must confront their own fears and traumas in order to survive. Overall, the Ringu franchise uses horror and suspense to delve into complex and thought-provoking themes about death, family, and the human experience. And is spooky.

Killapalooza 41: VHS

Killapalooza 41: VHS

V/H/S films 1-4. Breaking down every single segment of every single VHS movie in under an hour! The names behind each and every VHS film. Bonus Adam Wingard announcement – Alice Xandra Thirteen’s new documentary on the look of The Guest called Light and Fog. Creativity birthed through the fear of comparison. One word loglines for each V/H/S short. The alternative, darkwave, goth, post-punk & emo kids of Adam Wingard films. VHS segments, one by one. The VHS spin-off called Siren. The lost VHS segment. When the cheap look of an era moves from worst to chique. Repeat producer Roxanne Benjamin! Which is the lightest VHS segment? Which is the heaviest VHS segment? Michael makes a call for techno-horror. What ultimately makes V/H/S work. Continue reading

Killapalooza 40: Maniac Cop

Killapalooza 40: Maniac Cop

Maniac Cop films 1-3. A look at the entire Maniac Cop franchise, William Lustig, Larry Cohen, and Robert Z’Dar’s Maniac Cop! Trying to talk about killer cops after the popular conscious has realized that cops are a self-sorted bunch of killers. Can a killer cop franchise still be fun while we’re recognizing with ACAB? Surprisingly yes, and it might be thanks to the extra layer the conversation has added to otherwise deliciously-fluffy films of 80s VHS violence. The cop, the fire suit, and the ongoing attempt to find plot. Double Feature continues to write loglines, and for the first time, maybe the first loglines a film has ever had written. Continue reading

Killapalooza 39: Night of the Demons

Killapalooza 39: Night of the Demons

Night of the Demons films 1-4. Also, there is a brand new episode of Additional Content available for members: Going Back to the Movie Theater! Now, every film from the Night of the Demons franchise (including the remake). Double Feature tries again. What is a Killapalooza? How Night of the Demons fits in the context of slasherdom. 80s horror style, gore, and nudity. A complete breakdown of Night of the Demons from brand new diehard fans. The first film never knows what’s to come. Michael visits Suncoast video. The power of sequels is realized! The approach of watching a series rather than watching individual franchise installments. The glory days of gory 80s makeup effects. Continue reading

Killapalooza 38: I Know What You Did Last Summer

Killapalooza 38: I Know What You Did Last Summer

Alice and Michael finally dig their hooks into I Know What You Did Last Summer films 1-3. Is it a slasher franchise or a hooker franchise? The fisherman Ben Willis. The plot is largely ignored in service of some broader elements of the franchise, so here’s the spoiler-inclusive run down in case it’s useful. A group of kids hit a man on the road and leave him for dead. One twist later, it turns out he’s alive. The plot thickens as David appears to have committed suicide after he was in an accident in which his girlfriend Susie died. In another stunning development, it wasn’t a suicide at all and David was actually murdered. As it turns out, the murderer is Susie’s father, who was the man the teenagers hit on the road and now THEY’RE NEXT.

Killapalooza 37: Species

Killapalooza 37: Species

Species films 1-4. Pronunciation guides courtesy of plingmichael.com. What makes a Killapalooza. Species is more than just green porn. Baby Michele Williams. All great actors started in horror films. ’90s icky creature films. Finding a good human specimen. Director Peter Medak returns to Double Feature for Species 2. Failure due to a lack of mutant rats. When you make things super rapey via gender swap. The Weezer of franchises. The last film when you can get a righteous jerk in. The inverse relationship of nudity and creature effects. Blah blah science. Mad scientists and succubus. Solving all your problems by creating alien harems. Gigantic Assault and Photos of You.

Killapalooza 36: Ginger Snaps

Killapalooza 36: Ginger Snaps

Ginger Snaps films 1-3. A comprehensive look at all that is Ginger Snaps. Why Ginger Snaps deserves a Killapalooza despite appearing to be a trilogy. It’s Ginger Snaps Day! Sequels that have seen the original, but not each other. Fuck Kickstarter. Long live the Patreon. Werewolf movies always suck, except for whatever one you’re watching right now. And Ginger Snaps. A non-tired werewolf metaphor: promiscuity. Unassuming aesthetics. Making film about subtext. Not worrying about fanservice. Boldly choosing not to retcon and ending up with an airtight franchise. Is there a line between period remake and prequel?

Killapalooza 35: Jaws

Killapalooza 35: Jaws

Jaws films 1-4. A look at the entire Jaws franchise as if it’s the true horror property people say it is. What’s refreshing about Jaws if it is a horror film. Aquatic horror and the Miskatonic Institute. Seriously, go if you have the chance. Jaws 2 as the second in a series of slasher films. Jaws 3-D: everything is better in three dimensions, maybe. Jaws 3-DD: wrong franchise. No one can agree who the people in Jaws 3 are, including their friends or even the characters own motivations. Sea World was probably happy, though. The dilemma all aquatic horror movies face: to embrace the Jaws franchise or run away from it? The dilemma Jurassic World for some reason felt inclined to face. The longest two people have ever indulged Jaws 4: The Return. Putting aside psychic sharks, what are Continue reading

Killapalooza 34: Return of the Living Dead

Killapalooza 34: Return of the Living Dead

Return of the Living Dead films 1-5. What separates Return of the Living Dead from Night of the Living Dead. Glory be to Dan O’Bannon, legal action be to John A. Russo! Return of the Living Dead II as a redux. Look who’s talking too. Return of the Living Dead III as a meditation on self-harm as a coping mechanism. Expanding on the need for brains. Brian Yuzna lives deliciously. Midnight movies need not be devoid of intellectual content. Return of the Living Dead IV: Necropolis as a tax haven. The killapalooza phenomena of European back to back filming. Return of the Living Dead V: Rave to the Grave as a swell party. A film that definitely takes place in America which no one is questioning. Continue reading

Killapalooza 33: Resident Evil

Killapalooza 33: Resident Evil

Resident Evil films 1-6. A lengthy analysis of an otherwise un-touched horror juggernaut. Power-couple Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich. Much like Resident Evil, people need to cherish the Michelle Rodriguezs they have. Resident Evil: Apocolypse, Extinction, Afterlive, Retribution, and The Final Chapter. Marilyn Manson writes some score, Charlie Clouser picks up where he left off, and A Perfect Circle somehow gets involved. Resident Evil has incredible icons. Some past-due respect for production and costume design. Six theatrical releases and more than 1.2 billion at the box office, and somehow ignored by genre fans. Continue reading

Killapalooza 30: Ghoulies

Killapalooza 30: Ghoulies

Slasher marathon number thirty! Ghoulies 1-4. In the first Ghoulies, a young man and his girl friend move into an old mansion home, where he becomes possessed by a desire to control ancient demons. Then in Ghoulies 2 (Ghoulies II), the Ghoulies wreak havoc at an amusement park, disposing of those who mistake them for mere fairground attractions. Also, toilets. Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go to College (Ghoulies III) is a real movie. Well, mostly. John Carl Buechler directs a college teacher brings the little creatures back to his campus, where they proceed to terrorize the faculty and students. Finally, in Ghoulies 4 (Ghoulies IV) a retired occultist turned police officer must battle a former lover as she attempts to summon forth demonic forces after escaping an asylum. Continue reading

Killapalooza 29: Pumpkinhead

Killapalooza 29: Pumpkinhead

Pumpkinhead films 1-4. Much much better than your ready for. The quick pre-30 run-throughs of Killapaloozas. A much quicker run through of how many pumpkinheads are in the Pumpkinhead franchise. Now playing: directorial debut of SFX artist Stan Winston! The shaft in KNB. A Quentin Tarantino effects secret. What Hodder? Kane Hodder! Lance Henriksen IS Ed Harley. Getting those Blood Wings. Some guy(s) made a Blood Wings video game! Has anyone played it? Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes back to back with Pumpkin Blood Feud. Two films made for the Syfy channel. The release of the automobile. What fucking year is Blood Feud? Continue reading

Killapalooza 28: The Exorcist

Killapalooza 28: The Exorcist

The Exorcist films 1-5. A fresh, outsider’s guide to the Exorcist franchise. Five films, right? How many? A case for the popular appeal of a film that isn’t immediately effective to views out of the moment. Bloody Disgusting has a great series on slowing getting non-horror audiences into horror films. Rooting for the Devil in the Exorcist. Sad endings un stories about losing faith. A series of memorable set pieces. A tradition of single mother horror films. Defending the wrong underdogs. One more with strange feelings!` A horridly flawed and side-barred Alien comparison. The greatest Exorcist 3 that’s ever been. One of the greatest stand-alone films in Killapalooza history. Two films fight for forth film in the Exorcist franchise, but only one will win. Or maybe really neither will win. Continue reading

Killapalooza 27: The Omen

Killapalooza 27: The Omen

The Omen films 1-4. Damien! The Killapalooza returns. The most insane listener thing yet. One take! Where does the name Damiem come from? That was the original Omen going for and where is it now? 20th Centuary Fox. The most horrible thing ever. The music in the Omen franchise. Characters embracing the mythology. Is watching Omen as a slasher franchise a good thing or a bad thing? Taking it to the next level, and then not pretending it didn’t happen. Omen 2: Less title articles. Puberty is a satanist’s best friend. Help out your local demon. Coming into power, which makes for a great film about having come into power. What billionaires what. What’s dogs got to do with it? Killing all the babies: a hole in your plan. Let’s just make more Omens. Come on everyone, to the manatee tank! Continue reading

Killapalooza 26: Scream

Killapalooza 26: Scream

Scream films 1-4. Ghostface: the knife, the mask, and nineties television. Last hours to Kickstart Double Feature Year 8. A new spin on the slasher. The rules one must abide by. The Rose McGowan who won’t abide by the rules. Unexpectedly favorite characters. Coming back for the sequel. Let’s all pretend slasher trilogies are a real thing. Coming back later. No new information: studio executives are fucking liars. The idea of making Scream scary again. The return of slasher trivia! Remakes tell you which originals to go watch. Four new Wes Craven films have made it on the show. Continue reading

Killapalooza 25: Wrong Turn

Killapalooza 25: Wrong Turn

Wrong Turn films 1-6. Mutant, possibly-cannibalistic types in various quantities fuck up your fun time in the woods. Finding the venue for a Wrong Turn 2 / Joe Lynch conversation. Rob Schmidt’s original Wrong Turn. All Eliza Dushku films could potentially be extensions of Dollhouse. The era of Jeremy Sisto. Wrong Turn 2: Dead end and the return of the Pepto-Bismol. The Declan O’Brien stretch. Prison Break, sometimes called Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead. Origin story, prequel, or other? Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings. Doug Bradley and his rag-tag miscreants in Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines. A new group takes over the franchise in Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort. Continue reading

Killapalooza 24: Puppet Master

Killapalooza 24: Puppet Master

Puppet Master films 1-10. Charles Band as the Puppet Master of Full Moon Features. The Bongy Westphall universe. What’s Demonic Toys have to do with this? Home video! Andre Toulon’s unexpected returns. The reluctant centerpiece. Nazi origin points. Toulon’s Revenge. Good guys and the demon. Deeper back in time. What is Puppet Master: The Legacy, and what’s the real reason it should upset everyone? Alice and Michael discuss the clipshow. A return to form. Once more, with Nazis. The greatest reason for the Puppet Master’s existence. Continue reading

Killapalooza 23: The Howling

Killapalooza 23: The Howling

The Howling films 1-8. Alice shoots a scene from The Arisocrats in another Director’s Cut update. Joe Dante’s original Howling film. You didn’t know it, but these ridiculous movies are based on a series of three Howling novels. Christopher Lee apologizes to Joe Dante for making The Howling 2. Australia buys The Howling franchise, leading to the creation of the most insane movie you’ve never heard of. Finding value in seemingly impossible places. Themes covered by three of the most difficult movies to talk about in monster horror history. Werewolf line dancing. YouTube weighs in on The Howling. Present day! Present time! Spider-Man webs up another Howling sequel. Continue reading

Killapalooza 22: The Evil Dead

Killapalooza 22: The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead films 1-4. How an indie film that wouldn’t pass the film-class final became one of the most ifluential horror properties of all time. The power of rhythm and repitition. Aggrivated industrial loops (and other secrets Trent Reznor already knows). Continuity. When and why a film would strive to make sure the audience is uncomfortable – even as far as actively having a bad time. The possessed camera. Evil Dead and the nature of evil. How do you reconcile Evil Dead 2 with the original Evil Dead? What’s canonical. An unpopular opinion on Army of Darkness. The Ash Factor. Wild horses. Using the power of the remake for good. Continue reading

Killapalooza 21: Paranormal Activity

Killapalooza 21: Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity films 1-4. A premature Killapalooza, in hopes everyone comes along for the ride. The first in an already notable franchise. Another look at the low budget. The mysterious pool bots of Paranormal Activity 2. There is no Dunkin Donuts in California. Science and skepticism when facing ghosts and the sort. The amusing exercise of Imagining an actual demon. The Paranormal Activity Demand it! campaign. Prequels upon prequels. What are the scariest moments from the scariest installment? Back to the future. How to tell if the person using that MacBook is insane, every time. A somewhat spoiler-inclusive summary, and what the future holds. Continue reading

Killapalooza 20: The Living Dead

Killapalooza 20: The Living Dead

The Living Dead film. George A. Romero’s six zombie films. Night of the Living Dead. The undead and the inevitability of human demise. Dawn of the Dead. Consumers and their shopping. Things people didn’t steal from Romero’s films. Day of the Dead. Man plays science. The next evolutionary step. Metaphores for metaphors. Land of the Dead. The dead strike back! An unpopular opinion. Shock and awe. Class warfare. Romero’s back with Diary of the Dead. Handicam vs found footage. In what universe? Film criticism via film. Media and news coverage. Romero does The Newsroom. Survival of the Dead. Educated horses. One of those wrong decisions. Finding a cure. Rebuilding society. What’s the point of living during the zombie apocalypse? Continue reading

Killapalooza 19: Critters

Killapalooza 19: Critters

Critters films 1-4. The Crites. New quickest time to space record. Prison Asteroid Sector 17. The Chiodo brothers mystery. Emmet Walsh, Men in White, and the NuWave. Scott Levy returns. Charlie and the kid. Lep in the proverbial hood. That fuzzy family feeling. Close Up on a Photo and Photos of You. Critters 2: Not Quite the New Batch. Jokes written after filming wrapped. Critters subtitles. Terrance Mann, Lin Shaye, and Playboy. Critters 3. The Leonardo Dicaprio moment. The evolution of Charlie the hero. New weapons, same LA. Eat your heart out, Manhattan. Shadows of the Empire for Critters. Speculation on the sheriff. Kanas, Brad Douriff, Space and the Future. A ragtag group of characters trapped aboard a space frigate. Less Critters equals better Critters. Independent space dreams continue. Revising the highly demanded Killapalooza recap. Continue reading

Killapalooza 18: The Eye

Killapalooza 18: The Eye

The Eye films 1-5. Ghost stories. No Indian remake of The Eye. A big announcement from Double Feature – then, another announcement from Double Feature! Revisiting the historic Edgewater Beach Hotel. The Panic Room. What Killapalooza is about. The Eye. The Pang Brothers. The Chinese culture divide. Subtle treatment of ghosts. Unexpected types of suspense and horror. Sight. Making someone doubt their senses. Seeing for the first time. What do we really know about China? The Eye 2 walks it off. Why explain something if everyone’s already aware of it? The horror of what’s always been. The last necessary birth scene has already been filmed. Ghost drama. Putting the ghost shoe on the other foot. The Eye 3: The Eye 10: Is this even The Eye? Road maps and attention spans. A list of fables to try at home. The 2008 American remake of The Eye. American remakes of recent horror films. Remakes do not ruin the original. What the United States did with the Chinese source. Spontaneous Double Feature generation. The Child’s Eye – clearly part of The Eye franchise. What is this series about? Anxiously waiting for confirmation. The special abilities of children and dogs. Dog boys. Ghost dogs. Ghost Minecraft dog boys. A crack at 3D! Animal reaction shots. Cellular Memory pseudoscience. Continue reading

Killapalooza 17: Piranha

Killapalooza 17: Piranha

Piranha films 1-5. Killer fish! An announcement that changes Double Feature forever. Another announcement that’s even more important than that. Double Feature: The longest running consecutive week-after-week show on the internet. The Edgewater Beach Hotel (is not haunted). The Double Feature lexicon goes online! The original Joe Dante Piranha. Eighties horror in the seventies. Nudity in the Piranha franchise. Joe Dante at the Music Box. The alternate takes on science in 80s science fiction films. Piranha, from lady parts to kiddie parts. James Cameron’s Piranha 2: The Spawning. Characters? Characters! Raising the stakes. The hokiest scene in the entire franchise. Recreating Piranha as a made for TV movie. Roger Corman making his own remake. Splat splat splat. Alexander Aja takes you from zero to bro in Piranha 3D. Alice reconsiders 3D. The flower duet. Love to hate. Girls Gone Wild. Christopher Lloyd! Piranha massacre. Immediate deaths and comedic timing. Water certified strippers in Piranha 3DD. Terrible sinful dirty. This misunderstood John Gulager. TV relics. Continue reading

Killapalooza 16: Final Destination

Killapalooza 16: Final Destination

Final Destination films 1-5. The fate killer. Religion and craigslist. Final Destination 1. An unstudied era of horror films. Horror films of the early 2000s. A small hole will not blow people out of a fuselage. Does Final Destination have a sense of humor? Tony Todd. Finding skepticism in Final Destination. Liquid damage. The rules of Final Destination. Keeping the audience guessing. The first sequel. Rube Goldberg deaths. The concept of “What if?” Alice burns his hands on Michael’s taco. The magic negro. Pictures of Abe in Final Destination 3. Three point lighting carnival and commercial breaks. The rights of women. Ladies in fights. The first time Final Destination is fucked up. Giving up on staying safe. David R. Ellis. Paying tribute with the opening credits sequence of Final Destination 4. Love Lays Dying 3D. Commenting on 3D. Water is not covered by your warranty. Sadism. Impress us, Final Destination 5! Kill substitution. In a universe without god or the soul, is fate real? Questions about free will. Survivor’s guilt. An incredible spoiler ending. Continue reading

Killapalooza 15: Saw

Killapalooza 15: Saw

Saw films 1-7. The Jigsaw Killer. John Kramer. An uncut episode of Double Feature! The still kinda new website and the giant Saw database. The Double Feature AppleTV Server project. Raw humanity. Society stripped away. Finding out about a stranger. Competition. Leigh Wanell as Adam. Editing. Charlie Clouser, the series composer. James Wan. Bily the Puppet. The reverse bear trap. Shawnee Smith. Michael Emerson as Zep. Hello Zepp! Double Feature favorite. The original Saw twist. The parking garage pig. The original ten minute Saw short. The rise of Lionsgate. Getting more of Jigsaw. John Kramer, the legend. John Kramer’s sippy cup and floral pattern oatmeal. Who is Darren Lynn Bousman? Bousman’s original script before it was a Saw movie. The sins of our fathers. It’s not my fault! Don’t Forget the Rules and the changing sound of Saw 2. Detective Allison Kelly. The Survivor pack and the group dynamic. Needle pit. The numbers. Reveal montage. The titles of the Saw films. The incredible evolution of Amanda Young. Jigsaw’s ragtag team. One honest humanist’s view of the traps. The behind the scenes operations within the fiction. Saw is FUCKING COMPLICATED. Retroactive continuity (retcons). You done got pigged! Pig juicer. How to keep track of songs you love in a lengthy score. Brain surgery vs vicious gore traps. The three versions of Saw III, including the director’s cut. Actual dead. Saw trusts you to figure it out. Cross film hamster style! Setups and payoffs. Bousman’s transitions get crazy. The big head read clock chair shot. Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. The great do-anythings of horror. The Evolutino Music Partners website. Where can I find the Saw IV score? Continue reading

Killapalooza 14: Phantasm

Killapalooza 14: Phantasm

Phantasm films 1-4. Michael and New Orleans. Reverend Zombie’s house of voodoo. Phantasm and the Man with No Neck. Characters and convenient names. Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man. The design of the house. Muscle car hand-me-downs and vintage synthesizers. The use of weapons. A Killapalooza first. Another memorable ending. Phantasm 2. The objectives of phantasm. Science fiction and horror. A franchise about a group of heroes rather than an iconic villain. Ladies. What’s so great about horror? The connection between Sam Raimi and Phantasm. Don Coscarelli. Incest let down. Phantasm 3 and the retcons. Lord of the Dead. Letting your characters age while hanging on to your demographic. Using your previous work. Phantasm 4: Oblivion. A Star Wars intervention. Jawas, Tusken Raiders, Tatooine and dual suns. The legend of the tall man. Where would you take the Phantasm series? Continue reading

Killapalooza 13: Silent Night, Deadly Night

Killapalooza 13: Silent Night, Deadly Night

Silent Night, Deadly Night 1-5. Donate to Double Feature. Please. Controversy. Fucking with Santa. What’s truly different about Silent Night, Deadly Night. Billy Chapman. There is no hard evidence to support the conclusion that The Pizza Factory in Uptown Chicago was a drug front. The warm side of the door montage. There is no Santa. The longest recap of all time. Alice Freeman, baby storyteller. Ricky Chapman. KnowYourMeme.com. Garbage Day! Better Watch Out. Enter the supernatural. Why blind? Bill Mosley and the brain bowl. The initiation and Clint Howard’s film library. Deep into obscurity. Buy The McVeigh Tapes. CHEESE WHEEL. The Toy Maker. Which Ricky is Ricky? Yearly X-Mas horror. Teenage dry humping. Sex toys. Not those kind of sex toys. The meat cart is in more films than Mickey Rooney. Continue reading

Killapalooza 12: Sleepaway Camp

Killapalooza 12: Sleepaway Camp

Sleepaway Camp films 1-5. A return to true 80s slashers. Covering a film that doesn’t exist. Feminism. The original 1983 Sleepaway Camp. Paul Deangelo as background Ronnie. Covering up the deaths. The essential elements of camp. Homosexuality in the 80s. What is Sleepaway Camp saying about gay parents? What’s going on with the weird aunt? Desiree Gould as Aunt Martha. Ten minutes of softball! Inventive kills. The formula misleads! Alice is in love with Felissa Rose. One of the all time greatest slasher endings. What’s interesting about the infamous ending in retrospect. Unhappy Campers, and the beginning of Double Feature friendly naming conventions. The happy campers song. Pamela Springsteen. The burden of creating the icon. POV shots. Teenage Wasteland. Slasher theme songs. Are team building exercises bullshit? Fluoride in the drinking water. Female slasher fun! You have to censor the gore: Do you polish the edits, or make them as abrasive as possible? Slasher with a gun. Reporting on Sleepaway Camp 4: The Survivor (the unreleased film) – what’s it about, what does the footage look like? Return to Sleepaway Camp as an 80s return. Stealing Chef and Ned from South Park. The career of Felissa Rose. Michael fears Alice’s excitement. What makes this franchise notable. New website! Continue reading

Killapalooza 11: The Amityville Horror

Killapalooza 11: The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror films 1-8. The Amitville hoax. FINALLY – Alice and Michael make a video! The Lutz family. James Randi. How the Amityville Horror story was fabricated. What’s the worst thing the house did? The possession! Incest as a franchise staple? Asking critical thinking questions about incest. SKYPIG. 3-D is even more lame if you put it in the title. Stephen Kaplan the skeptical true-believer. Ed and Lorraine Warren. GHOST COLD. Testing for ghosts. The evil escapes. Haunted antiques and some additional skepticism. Where does the haunting reside? The Amityville curse. Fireside haunted slumber party mystery. When porn reigns fire. It’s about time. When has ‘wake up from a dream’ ever worked? Mature stories in immature settings. If Jeremy Kasten directed The Amityville Horror. Sage Francis. Shitty art mocking well known art. Accidental miniature shot! Sequel or tax write-off? Roger’s Corman’s The Fantastic Four. A lesson about incest using The Brady Bunch. Continue reading

Killapalooza 10: Wishmaster

Killapalooza 10: Wishmaster

Wishmaster films 1-4. The return of Killapalooza! Where did it ever go, again? Further exploration of always being nice to films. An abstract conversation about Wes Craven using a film he produced as a symbol for his greater style on a whole. Where did they get all the answers? Robert Kurtzman. The greatest scene in Wishmasterdom. Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Robert Englund. Lazy wish-granting. Why “be careful what you wish for” is a bad supernatural plot. Green shirt guy. Photos of you. Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies. Andrew Divoff as the Wishmaster. Wish-lines. Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell. Shitty Acid drumloops. Embarrassing. Getting sick. Wish specificity. An opportunity to freshly exploit an old power. The magic of the paradox. Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled. Using a campy mythos to talk about a serious subject. Where should the franchise go from here? Continue reading

Killapalooza 9: Hellraiser

Killapalooza 9: Hellraiser

Hellraiser films 1-8. Pinhead. If you haven’t seen Hellraiser, how much of it should you actually commit to? More on Cliver Barker. Doug Bradley. The Hellbound Heart. Pleasure vs pain. How the treatment of BDSM compares in Hellraiser against Secretary. Coercion vs free choice. Recap overkill. Performing mythology experiments. Michael gets uncomfortable. Curiosity. The Cenobites. Finding the point Hellraiser became a slasher franchise. Retroactive continuity as we’ve never been expected to believe it before! A pillar of monster parts. New cenobites. Pinhead loves princess! Spirit fingers. Things start to get bumpy. The most hated you’ve heard expressed for a film in a long time. The downward spiral that is the last four Hellraiser movies. The end of Killapalooza? Let us know! Continue reading

Killapalooza 8: Leprechaun

Killapalooza 8: Leprechaun

Leprechaun films 1-6. Racism. An alternative to Don’t Show the Monster. Is the Leprechaun frightening? An a long enough timeline, all slashers abandon fear for comedy. How mythology is created and used in the franchise. Peer pressure. The role of gold. Tiny men in tiny cars. Hamster style. Faking Robert Smith and The Cure. A data set in which Brian Trenchard-Smith is the least associated with television over film! BEAR OR NO BEAR. Dispelling cynicism with good science. The house doesn’t need to rig gambling, it’s already rigged. SUPERMAN. Deus Ex Machina. Is Back 2 Da Hood blaxploitation? Delicate racial issues. When do these films take place? Slashers as protagonists. The single worst cliche in film – Visiting the psychic. Continue reading

Killapalooza 7: Alien + Predator

Killapalooza 7: Alien + Predator

The complete Alien and Predator franchise. Alien films 1-4, Predator films 1 and 2, Alien vs Predator films 1 and 2. The amazing variety of directors from the franchise. Riddley Scott. Design. H.R. Giger. Isolation. The ship. Ripley. Secret robots from the future. The work of James Cameron and the IMDB Top Sci Fi films. Terminator 2 and Aliens. What is James Cameron saying in Aliens? Adventure films. Paper thin villains. Argreeing with the bad guy. Should we really wipe out the entire species? Game over man, game over! Irony. Who’s not taking this seriously? The relentless action of Predator. Score clashes, awesome ensues. Jungle sci-fi. Revealing an invisible monster. The Alien vs Predator comicbook. Bringing Alien and Predator together. David Fincher restores order in Alien 3. Quadrilogy is not a real thing. Prison planet. Retclone. Alien Resurrection is bag of crazy. Why people consider Alien 4 Blasphemous. Ripley as a reluctant hero. Kill me. Paul WS Anderson. How do you fuck up the story this hard? A return to the adventure genre. Acid. Looking back at the Alien and Predator franchises. HELP US! Mick is awesome. You can now Donate to help the show. Continue reading

Killapalooza 6: Children of the Corn

Killapalooza 6: Children of the Corn

Children of the Corn films 1-7. So who actually watched these films? What happens when you leave the city. How to do an entire Killapalooza in record time. The danger of remembering Children of the Corn. What’s redeemable about the first film. The not so subtle religious commentary. Is Steven King a bunch of nonsense? Molotov Cocktails. The pros and cons of an awkward ending. New terminology time! THREE POINT SCALE. Switching leaders. Keeping your slasher franchise fresh. Chicago in film. Dramatic cut-in zooms. Screaming Mad George. Unbelievable Edward D Woodian B-Movie effects. The fantastic failure. When your series reboot fucking fails. The wakeup fakeout. Approaching self-aware. Snoricam. Killapalooza: Bail? Alice’s sleeping disorder and lack of memory. TV movie aesthetic. Continue reading

Killapalooza 5: Child’s Play

Killapalooza 5: Child’s Play

Child’s Play films 1-5. Chucky. Year end slasher review. Films in Chicago. The Lakeshore Strangler. Charles Lee Ray. Ambiguity. Using voodoo for evil. If they only knew! Becoming human. Once the monster’s out of the dark. A great turn in plot. Where the third film came from. Writing backwards from the punch-line. Retcon. Reboot without restarting. Alice’s teenage music soundtrack. Embracing and mocking a subculture at the same time. The difficulty of making references. Finally stopping the slasher (in the most obvious way). The abrupt endings. The new slasher. Hollywood satire: Good or Bad? 12 Step is still a fucking joke. Blaxploitation. Jennifer Tilley. Counter-culture. The most human slasher. Continue reading

Killapalooza 4: Halloween

Killapalooza 4: Halloween

Halloween films 1-9. Michael Myers. What is a John Carpenter? The origins of slasher films. Why Michael Myers kills. What makes him unique. Jamie Lee Curtis. The zombie advantage. Dr. Samuel J. Loomis. Things you expect. Things Halloween doesn’t do. The Hospital as a setting. Big man tiny weapon. How Halloween 3 happened. A change of opinion – is recasting acceptable? False Michael Myers. Terror at 35 mph. Does Halloween have to go supernatural? Going off the deep end. Druids and conspiracy. Potential, original intention, and how it ended up. Pulling a series back on track. Writeoff or Retcon? Believable levels of retroactive continuity. Redefining icons. Why the H2O ending is justified. The single most insulting piece of film. Rob Zombie is the man for the job. Learning from the past. The work print? A Rob Zombie lovefest. Endings. Continue reading

Killapalooza 3: Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Killapalooza 3: Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Texas Chainsaw Massacre films 1-6. Leatherface. Iconic imagery. The death curse. Further insight into slow-zoom. Leatherface and The Family. Cannibalism. WWRZD? Bill Mosley saves the day. The chainsaw is my penis. Trannyface. GASOLINE. Transition to slasher. You can’t hold back technology. Feminism. Worse than you (but not the original creators) could have imagined. Best of the worst. What do you do with a remake? The Chainsaw as a weapon. Convention. the biology of scare shots. When scare shots cheat. MEAT CART. Bookends. Who’s bored? The batman factor. Questions you weren’t asking. Exposition. Staples. TCM as directed by Double Feature. Continue reading

Killapalooza 2: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Killapalooza 2: A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street films 1-7. Freddy Krueger. Robert Enguld. Let the Jason comparisons begin! Industrial 80s score. A different Freddy. Changing the rules. Enter: possession. Traditional effects. Making the viewer uncomfortable. Reoccurring characters. What to build on. The origin story. Dream powers. The shift? Recasting issues. More powers. Freddy as a slasher. Writers: pay more attention! Bad one liners. HAMSTERSTYLE MONTAGE! ”Red hamsters.” Kanye West. The hunk is not your superstar. Visual effects ego. Fixing the fetus problem. Back to Elm Street. Videogames and Pandora’s Box. Twists and tells. The rhyme. Going 3-D. Anticipation. The atrocity of New Nightmare. Children: act or leave. Making a WTF film. Michael fixes New Nightmare. The lamest gimmick yet. The final word on Wes Craven. A surprising conclusion. Continue reading

Killapalooza 1: Friday the 13th

Killapalooza 1: Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th films 1-10. Jason Voorhees. The longest, most explicit slasher episode yet. Retroactive twist. Fixing a long running problem through exploitation. Recaping in a sequel. 3-D. Showing off. Slasher staples. Tits. Found: Hampster Style. Another use of Scooby Doo. The Twist. The Prankster! Self aware. Titular skepticism. Fixing a train wreck while maintaining continuity. Retroactive continuity. Accepting a power. Even Jason can jump the shark. Music stops. Alice derails Michael. Believe it or not: a case that necessitates gratuitous nipples to preserving artistic integrity. Continue reading