Category Archives: Horror

08.27.21
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CANDYMAN (2021), THE GREEN KNIGHT, and REMINISCENCE on Episode #372

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II holds his hand up looking terrified at the camera in the movie Candyman

One of our favorite aspects of CANDYMAN is its use of mirrors.

This week we start by discussing Lisa Joy’s platitude-filled sci-fi noir REMINISCENCE (2:14), starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, and Thandiwe Newton. One of us enjoyed it, one thought it was “meh,” and one found it utterly insufferable. Next, we cover David Lowery’s epic fantasy film THE GREEN KNIGHT (18:29), starring Dev Patel as Gawain from Arthurian legend. Overall, we dug this gorgeous film that both honors the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Next, we tackle Nia DaCosta’s CANDYMAN (38:23), a sequel to the 1992 film starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, which features lots of visually stunning and unsettling moments. But two of us thought it didn’t dig as deep into social commentary as it could have. And on this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our amusement park movie poll, Herk Harvey’s 1962 horror film CARNIVAL OF SOULS.

Listen:

https://radiopublic.com/spoilerpiece-theatre-8Xr54V/s1!1e32b

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08.20.21
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THE NIGHT HOUSE, DEMONIC, and CONFETTI on Episode #371

Rebecca Hall points a flashlight at something offscreen with a look of surprise on her face in the movie The Night House

Rebecca Hall investigates some creepy stuff in THE NIGHT HOUSE

We kick off this week’s show by reviewing Neill Blomkamp’s disappointing digital horror film DEMONIC (01:34), a movie that lacks a lot of things like cohesive story and mythology, but most surprisingly, it lacks his usual great production design and special effects. Next, we discuss CONFETTI (17:42), Ann Hu’s moving yet ableist immigrant tale about a Chinese mother (Zhu Zhu) trying everything she can to give her daughter with dyslexia a proper education in the U.S. We wrap up with THE NIGHT HOUSE (33:43), David Bruckner’s atmospheric horror movie about a wife (Rebecca Hall) haunted by the increasingly disturbing secrets she learns about her recently deceased husband. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1950 showbiz drama ALL ABOUT EVE starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter.

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, or Spotify! Call us at 862-21–PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece AT gmail.com.

07.30.21
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JUNGLE CRUISE, NINE DAYS, and FEAR STREET: PART THREE – 1666 on Episode #368

Dwayne Johnson is Frank and Emily Blunt is Lily in Disney's JUNGLE CRUISE.

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are fun to watch, but don’t have much chemistry in JUNGLE CRUISE

What if souls had to interview to be born? That’s the premise of the first film on our docket this week, Edson Oda’s moving drama NINE DAYS (1:59), starring Winston Duke and Zazie Beetz. Next, we review FEAR STREET: Part Three – 1666 (16:14), the satisfying conclusion to Leigh Janiak’s Netflix horror trilogy, which we’ve really enjoyed discussing over the past two episodes. We wrap up with Jaume Collet-Serra’s JUNGLE CRUISE (37:18), the latest Disney ride turned movie starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson that borrows too heavily from other adventure films, including some of Disney’s. And on this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we discuss the winner of our video game movie poll: the 2006 Christophe Gans film SILENT HILL! 

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, or Spotify! Call us at 862-21–PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece AT gmail.com.

07.23.21
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FEAR STREET: PART TWO – 1978, OLD, SETTLERS, GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE, and Our 7th Anniversary on Episode #367

Emily Rudd and Sadie Sink stand facing each other mid-argument in the movie in FEAR STREET: PART TWO - 1978

Emily Rudd and Sadie Sink play sisters constantly at odds in FEAR STREET: PART TWO – 1978

Spoilerpiece celebrates its 7th anniversary this week! After we all offer a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years, Megan leads off with a review of M. Night Shyamalan’s OLD (5:52), a horror movie about people aging rapidly, which is exactly what we expected in the worst way. Next, we talk about Navot Papushado’s GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE (17:44), a stylized Netflix action film with a stacked cast (Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Angela Bassett, and Michelle Yeoh), that isn’t used to its fullest. After that, we dig into SETTLERS (33:47), Wyatt Rockefeller’s brutal sci-fi Western that we struggled through. We wrap up with FEAR STREET: Part Two – 1978 (44:04), the second film in Leigh Janiak’s Netflix horror trilogy, which we were all excited to see (it doesn’t disappoint). And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Robert Luketic’s 2001 rom-com LEGALLY BLONDE starring Reese Witherspoon! We have a blast talking about this movie, which recently marked its 20th anniversary.

Listen:

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07.16.21
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FEAR STREET: PART ONE – 1994, NO ORDINARY MAN, and ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN on Episode #366

Maya Hawke crawls away screaming while a killer wearing a skull mask grabs onto her in Leigh Janiak's FEAR STREET: PART ONE - 1994.

FEAR STREET: PART ONE – 1994 offers great homage to 90s slasher movies

Brace yourselves for moving documentaries and Netflix horror this week! First, we discuss NO ORDINARY MAN (2:14), Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt’s emotional documentary about trans jazz musician Billy Tipton, which features insightful commentary about the trans experience, and seeks to reclaim Tipton’s life story for the trans community. We continue on in documentary territory with Morgan Neville’s ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN (18:57), a haunting examination of the famous chef/television host’s life, addictions, and loneliness that also beautifully honors his legacy. Last but not least, we dig into FEAR STREET: PART ONE – 1994 (41:39), the fun first installment in Leigh Janiak’s Netflix horror trilogy, which is based on R.L. Stine’s famous book series and stars Kiana Medeira, Olivia Scott Welch, and Benjamin Flores Jr. And in this week’s Patreon bonus audio, we talk about Nora Ephron’s 1998 rom-com YOU’VE GOT MAIL, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks!

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, or Spotify! Call us at 862-21–PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece AT gmail.com.

07.02.21
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BLACK WIDOW, THE TOMORROW WAR, and THE FOREVER PURGE on Episode #364

Scarlett Johansson squints into the distance as wreckage smolders around her in the movie Black Widow
We were excited to see Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow’s long-overdue standalone film.

Kicking things off this week, we review Everardo Gout’s THE FOREVER PURGE (5:58), the latest entry in the PURGE franchise! It stars Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, and Josh Lucas. Megan and Dave discuss its relevance to recent American political events and why they really dug its political commentary. Next, we all talk about Chris McKay’s long and disappointing sci-fi flick THE TOMORROW WAR (23:54), which has decent action, but a lot of bad writing and acting (especially from Chris Pratt). We wrap up with Cate Shortland’s much anticipated movie BLACK WIDOW (40:48), starring Scarlett Johansson in the second female-led superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of us loved it, but two of us had some mixed feelings about its performances and pacing. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we tackle Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody’s 2009 horror comedy JENNIFER’S BODY! 

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, or Spotify! Call us at 862-21–PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece AT gmail.com.

06.11.21
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IN THE HEIGHTS, HOLLER, CAVEAT, and THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES on Episode #361

Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera in film In the Heights

On this week’s show, we open with THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES (2:28), a wild, quirky, and charming animated movie, written and directed by Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe, featuring a regular ol’ American family struggling to save humanity from a robot apocalypse. It’s a hoot. Next up is CAVEAT (18:12), Damian Mc Carthy’s eerie and unsettling Irish horror film that says, “Oh, you’re not afraid of rabbits? Get a load of this shit” (Dave watched it in broad daylight if that tells you anything). Then there’s HOLLER (34:36), an excellent drama written and directed by Nicole Riegel, about a high school senior (Jessica Barden) who joins a sleekly scummy scrap metal crew while trying to decide whether she’s going to stay in her hit-by-hard-times Ohio hometown or go to college. Finally, we wrap up with IN THE HEIGHTS (45:28), the long-awaited adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ musical, with a screenplay by Hudes directed by Jon M. Chu. One of us loved it, one of us enjoyed moments, and one of us was kind of “eh.” Free scoop of ice cream if you guess correctly! And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about one of Megan’s favorite sci-fi films, Douglas Trumbull’s SILENT RUNNING, starring a young and super intense Bruce Dern. It’s a first-timer for Evan and Dave.

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, or Spotify! Call us at 862-21–PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece AT gmail.com

06.04.21
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ARMY OF THE DEAD, UNDINE, CHANGING THE GAME, and THE AMUSEMENT PARK on Episode #360

Dave Bautista in Zack Snyder's zombie heist film ARMY OF THE DEAD

This week, we open by discussing George A. Romero’s recently restored long-lost film, THE AMUSEMENT PARK (2:21), an extremely unsettling commentary on aging and ageism. Next, we review CHANGING THE GAME (13:01), Michael Barnett’s compelling Hulu documentary about trans athletes in the U.S. Then we dig into UNDINE (27:48), Christian Petzold’s moving and tragic modern fairy tale, starring Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski. We wrap up with Zack Snyder’s Netflix zombie heist film ARMY OF THE DEAD (39:38), starring Dave Bautista leading an ensemble cast, which offers us plenty of bones to pick. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about a Patron’s choice, Miloš Forman’s 1996 film THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT!

Listen:

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05.28.21
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CRUELLA, RIDERS OF JUSTICE, SEANCE, and SKULL: THE MASK on Episode #359

Emma Stone as Disney villain Cruella de Vil in film CRUELLA

This week, we start by reviewing Armando Fonseca and Kapel Furman’s SKULL: THE MASK (2:09), a Brazilian slasher film that can’t decide on its tone. Then we cover SEANCE (13:04), Simon Barrett’s boarding school-set horror flick starring Suki Waterhouse that has us split. Next, we discuss RIDERS OF JUSTICE (26:24), Anders Thomas Jensen’s thoughtful and endearing action film starring Mads Mikkelsen, which Evan caught at IFFBoston. Finally, we wrap up with CRUELLA (40:46), Craig Gillespie’s Disney villain origin story starring Emma Stone, which we have very different opinions about. And in this week’s Patreon bonus audio, we talk about the winner of our STAR WARS poll—the 2016 Gareth Edwards film ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY.

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, or Spotify! Call us at 862-21–PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece AT gmail.com

05.21.21
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THE DRY, THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, and PSYCHO GOREMAN on Episode #358

Eric Bana in Robert Connolly's Australian murder mystery THE DRY

We start this week by reviewing Steven Kostanski’s strange yet uneven horror sci-fi comedy PSYCHO GOREMAN (2:08). Next, we cover Joe Wright’s derivative and inert Netflix mystery thriller THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (13:22), which wastes Amy Adams and a great supporting cast. Then we discuss Taylor Sheridan’s THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD (28:43), an Angelina Jolie neo-Western forest fire thriller that really divided us. Lastly, we review Robert Connolly’s Australian murder mystery THE DRY (41:20) from IFFBoston 2021, which features a compelling lead performance by Eric Bana. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we review Peyton Reed’s 2000 cheerleading film BRING IT ON, starring Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, and Eliza Dushku.

Listen:

Download Here – and don’t forget to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, or Spotify! Call us at 862-21–PIECE (862-217-4323) or send us an e-mail: spoilerpiece AT gmail.com