When discussing films it is helpful to have a set of terms in common usage to describe certain elements, techniques or aspects of a film that recur. During the history of Double Feature many of these terms have arisen naturally as part of the conversation, and are sometimes referenced in later episodes with little to no indication of the original meaning. With no common language, meaning breaks down. If the audience of Double Feature could easily know and understand these terms, then the hosts can better communicate their analysis to the audience.
To that end, we present a full lexicon of film terms coined by the hosts of the Double Feature podcast (unless otherwise specified). Feel free to use these terms in your own conversations about film and to direct people to this page for clarification.
Double Feature Lexicon
A-B-C Method [ay bee see meth-uhd]
noun
1. a technique where a film sets up a situation where something obvious (and brutal) may happen (option A), and in most cases something banal happens instead (option B), but instead the film presents a more surprising and creative option that was not expected (option C) which exploits the false dichotomy of options A and B
Origin:
Trick r Treat
Ahab [ey-hab]
noun
1. the nemesis of a slasher
2. a analog to Dr. Loomis from Halloween
Origin:
originally coined in Behind The Mask
Bag Cat [bag kat]
noun
1. the official Double Feature remedy for film-induced emotional turmoil
2. a cat in a bag
Origin:
Cannibal Holocaust
Bear or No Bear [bair awr noh bair]
noun
1. when something that appears to be important is made irrelevant by the danger or emergency of a situation
Origin:
Leprechaun (Killapalooza)
Chapters [chap-terz]
noun
1. A method of content division
2. What to use to skip films that you have not yet watched
Origin:
12 Monkeys + The Singing Detective
Chasing The Semi [chey-sing thuh sem-ahy]
verb
1. borrowing apocalyptic images (desert chase scenes, tricked-out death cars, etc.) from Road Warrior
Origin:
Tank Girl
Cheese Wheel [cheez weel]
noun
1. a device where something is introduced at the beginning of a film as potentially important, but is never revisited
2. an unrealized Hamster Style
Origin:
Silent Night Deadly Night (Killapalooza)
Double Sleepy Naptime [duhb-uhl slee-pee nap-tahym]
interjection
1. a placeholder for any discussion regarding the book upon which a film is based, directing the conversation to an analysis of the film on its own merits rather than any differences from its source material
2. an imaginary “other podcast” where the hosts discuss books
Origin:
unknown
Flying Tom Tom [flahy-ing tom tom]
noun
1. a technique where the film presents a major character at the beginning of the film in a dangerous or compromising situation, and then cuts to the beginning of the events leading up to that situation, eventually brining the viewer back to the original scene, now in context
Origin:
The Million Dollar Hotel
“Fuck You” Ending [fuhk yoo en-ding]
noun
1. a needlessly ambiguous ending
Origin:
Memento
Gasoline [gas-uh-leen]
noun
1. mini-exposition by dialog: You gonna test those out? They have gas in em…
Origin:
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Killapalooza)
Hamster Style [ham-ster stahyl]
adjective
1. describing a story element introduced early on so it can be called back to resolve the conflict
Origin:
Orgazmo
Homage [hom-ij]
noun
1. respect or reverence paid or rendered: In this scene the director pays homage to The Maltese Falcon.
2. a word often mispronounced by Americans when trying to sound intelligent
Origin:
Inside
Ice Truck [ahys truhk]
noun
1. the use of a narrative device where a character is shown in a way that suggests they are the killer, when in fact they are not
2. related to Meat Cart
Origin:
Joy Ride
Killapalooza [kil-uh-puh-loo-zuh]
noun
1. a marathon consisting of all the entries in a slasher franchise with four or more films
Origin:
Friday the 13th
Meat Cart [meet kahrt]
noun
1. the use of a narrative device where an event is shown from one perspective, then an element is introduced that shows that the audience’s perception of that event was incorrect
Origin:
Hostel
Man vs Lamp [man vur-suh s lamp]
noun
1. a theme commonly found in horror films where man must face off against the supernatural
2. a stand-in for the theme ‘man vs machine’
Origin:
Amityville Horror 4: The Evil Escapes
Pet The White Cat [pet thuh wahyt kat]
adjective
1. describes a film that seems difficult to grasp, but turns out to be very accessible
Origin:
Enter The Dragon
Photos of You [foh-tohs uhv yoo]
noun
1. a song used in a film that sounds like a popular song, but that has been altered to avoid paying royalties
2. an alteration of the The Cure’s Pictures of You
Origin:
Leprechaun 2 (Killapalooza)
Podmanity [pod–man–i-tee]
noun
1. the collective term for the Double Feature audience
Origin:
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Sand Beetle [sand beet-l]
noun
1. anything that makes no sense, but must simply be accepted
Origin:
Big Trouble In Little China
Scooby Doo Ending [skoo-bee doo en-ding]
noun
1. an ending where the answer is not supernatural
Origin:
Hatchet
Spoilers [spoi-lerz]
noun
1. A warning indicating that the following conversation will reveal facts about the film being discussed that may ruin any surprise or otherwise interfere with the enjoyment of an unfolding narrative.
2. Bruce Willis was a ghost the whole time
Origin:
12 Monkeys + The Singing Detective
Supernatural Detective [soo-per-nach-ruhl dih-tek–tiv]
noun
1. a character who can divine essential details of a situation from a moment’s glance at a scene
Origin:
The Boondock Saints
Survivor Girl [ser-vahy-ver gurl]
noun
1. the main heroine of a slasher film, usually proving to be the undoing of the slasher himself
Origin:
originally coined in Behind The Mask
Three Sentence Dream Theory [three sen-tns dreem theer-ee]
noun
1. theory put forth by M. Koester that one only gets three sentences to describe one’s dream before it becomes completely uninteresting to anyone else
Origin:
Eyes Wide Shut
Three Point Scale [three point skeyl]
noun
1. the system of rating a series of poor films on their relative merits, rather than against the body of film as a whole
2. from the IMDB 10-point ratings system, within which all the Children of the Corn films have ratings that fall between 3.0 and 3.9
Origin:
Children of the Corn (Killapalooza)
Titular Line [tich-uh-ler lahyn]
noun
1. a line of dialog in a film from which the title is derived, but which does not directly reference the plot
Origin:
The Silence of the Lambs
Twenty Minute Ice Cream [twuhn-tee min-it sahy-kik ahys kreem]
noun
1. a story element that proves events in a film have a supernatural explanation
Origin:
The Shining
Unreliable Albarn [uhn-ri-lahy–uh-buhl awl-bahrn]
noun
1. the deliberately confusing or misleading use of score in a film, named for Damon Albarn
Origin:
Ravenous
What You Want [wuht yoo wont]
adjective
1. describes a film that indulges in fan service, specifically including the essential elements that a genre fan expects
Origin:
Dawn of the Dead
Whatever Device, The [thuh wuht-ev-er dih-vahys]
noun
1. a device that is introduced through dialog for the sole purpose of conveniently addressing a plot hole or other narrative oversight
2. in science fiction, also known as “technobabble”
Origin:
Thank You For Smoking
A huge thanks to Seth for doing a ton of work compiling these terms. We endeavor to be as accurate as possible, but should you notice an error or omission please contact us.
