New Years Resolution time! The Scariest Things has resolved to get you MORE CONTENT. So, we are introducing Spooky TIme with the Scariest Things. It’s a shorter format of news, reviews, and musings. PLUS: VIDEO CONTENT! (Check out our YouTube as well!) A caution though, this recording has a bit of a weird dynamic to it, so
The New Year is here! These are the 2023 films that The Scariest Things is anticipating the most. Granted, our track record for having our predicted favorites are a bit spotty, there are a number of promising titles coming out… that we know of so far! Listen to Episode 160 and find out what’s coming!
Horror Movies have once again hit full stride, and 2022 oozed with originality and purpose. There were so many films to pick from, most of our crew, when assigned to pick a top 10 went with 11! (Cheaters!) That’s how good it was this year. So listen in to our extended super sized Episode 159 and get wise to what was great in 2022!
Want to know what it’s like filming getting buried alive? How do you capture the quintessential ’90s look for a found footage horror film? V/H/S/99 cinematographer Alexander Chinnici tells the Scariest Things his experiences working on this famed anthology franchise.
Sometimes, you only need to see a horror movie once. That doesn’t mean that it’s a bad movie, (Some are actually quite good) but perhaps it was a bit too much, or the twist made the movie, or it made us feel bad. These movies made our to-do list, but then we said “Thanks, once is enough.”
Our year-long project to update our top 100 Horror films is now complete! Now that we’ve got them all revealed, what changed from our 2018 list, and did we find any patterns or trends? The Scariest Things Podcast Team sat down to share our thoughts about how the list turned out. What we loved, what surprised us, and what we think will become of the list in the future. The curating of our list was the effort of many people, and it delivered a broad and diverse spectrum of the genre, from every age and every type of horror.
A drumroll, please!
At long last, The Scariest Things is proud to present to you our TOP 20 Horror Movies of All Time, as curated by a selection committee of 72 expert jurors. No sleeper films here. These are all beloved landmark films, but the question is, how do they rank against each other?
We arrive now at our big hitters in the horror genre. It’s #40-21! But surprisingly, there were some surprises! Some movies that were completely absent from our 2018 list vault all the way to this portion of the rankings! It’s amazing what happens when you add in a bunch of new members of the selection committee. Zombie lovers and fans of the new Golden Age of Horror will appreciate the films in this section of our rankings. Enjoy!
Our Top 100 is being revealed in the October month of Horror that leads up to Halloween. If you want to try and piece together what the winning film might be, or want to know how we did this, check out the full Scariest Jury list right here! If you love rankings and ratings, and you love horror movies… this is for YOU!
We have reached the mid-point of our top 100. The eighties are done proud in this batch, and J-Horror has a couple of Iconic films as well. We also have perhaps the greatest Folk Horror Film in this grouping. Is this the highest that a classic silver age film will post? We shall see! Check out, and listen in to The Scariest Things Podcast Episode 154: The Top 100 Horror Films of All Time #60-41!
The Scariest Things continues the reconstruction of our Top 100 Horror Movies of All Time list! Listen in as Ian Parker once again helps host our rollout of the best of the scary. Liz, Mike, and Eric also compete to see how many of their favorite films ended up in the top 100, with the winner getting to claim the title of Mayor of Horror Tropetown! So far, it’s looking pretty good for Liz. There’s a little something for everyone at this point in the list, and perhaps a few movies that you might not be familiar with, though most of these are bonafide classics!
The Scariest Things is re-constituting our top 100 Horror Movie List of all time! It’s been five years since our inaugural list was created, and frankly, we know a lot more knowledgeable horror professionals now. Plus, it’s fun to do, and creating a ranked list offers up room for great debates, both amongst our own crew internally, and with you, our fans! We hope you enjoy and appreciate our list! (And feel free to let us know if you disagree… that’s fun too.)
Bon Jour! If you like your horror with a bit of an esprit de viscéral, then this will be the episode for you! The French language horror films bring a bit of the nasty, the savage, and also at times, the absurd. There is a tradition of breaking conventions with much of French art, and that includes their cinema tastes. And, this extends naturally to their willingness for their horror movies going to extremes. So join us in extracting out what makes French Language Horror so potent in Episode 151!
Alexandra Spieth’s debut horror-comedy feature Stag was the revelation of the Portland Horror Film Festival 2022. Spieth is an enthusiastic interview and a total blast to talk to. Check out our exclusive discussion with the emerging horror writer-director right here!
In this interview with It Hatched director, Elvar Gunnarsson, you will get a full upload of Icelandic folklore and history. So, not only will you be entertained, you’re going to learn something! It Hatched has been getting rave reviews in its run through the festival circuit, and Elvar was generous enough to spend his time discussing how he made this remarkable film, an artistic and narrative showcase for the first-time director.
The Mayor of Trope Town has spoken! As the current serving mayor, three thrilling Euro-Horror selections were made to discuss, with a deeper dive than the typical Podcast discussion. Raw, The Ringmaster, and Tailgate are being served up for discussion this week. Also, a Portland Horror Film Festival recap. Does the mayor know how to please his constituents, or what? YES! Long may the mayor reign!
Horror movies can be a curious little corner of the media universe where you can track where society stands on social issues. This is clearly reflected in Queer Horror, a continually evolving reflection of the closeting, outing, and normalization of LGBT relationships and how they are perceived over time.
Roll out the red carpet! Break out your best Versace and Vera Wang outfits. It’s time to hand out some Thingy hardware! The best in horror movies from 2021. It may have taken us a while to get here, but we’ve got some winners to announce.!
Carter Smith joins the Scariest Things to talk about his new film, Swallowed, a thrilling body horror shocker with queer themes that took the Overlook Film Festival by storm. Get the behind-the-scenes input on this independently filmed labor of love.
Consider creating your first feature-length movie. With a first-time feature director. In a global pandemic. During the middle of the ice storm of the century. And then debuting it in one of the premiere horror festivals in the world! Happy to say, you nailed it! Listen in to our interview with the cast and crew of The Summoned for their take on the great adventure that is movie-making.
After a two-year span in which we had to attend the Overlook Film Festival remotely, the standout New Orleans-based industry insider festival was back screening the festival live and in person. Twenty-Four feature films showed along with three short film blocks, which amounted to a whole lot of movies for four days of viewing! Eric, Liz, and Mike break down our impressions of the recently completed festival.
It’s Alive. It’s ALIVE! IT’s ALIIIIIVE!
At long last, The Scariest Things goes to the bedrock of horror movies. Frankenstein. So important, and yet, much like the Monster himself, much-maligned. Though new versions of the Mad Scientist messing with life and death have been produced, the central idea has been passed by other, more immediately terrifying themes. How does the story of Frankenstein stay relevant? Listen to the Scariest Things Episode 146 and find out!
The Scariest Things Podcast Extra: An Interview with “Dexter: New Blood” Composer Pat Irwin
Remember who we are: Your Gateway to the Trends and Tropes of the Horror Genre. That means we had better know our tropes… like REALLY know our tropes. And as such, welcome to Tropetown! This is a speed round session where we try and come up with the best and most original example of the trope. It’s a game of can-you-top this? The winner gets to be named Mayor of Tropetown!
The Pandemic fueled dread of Dashcam is showing at Panic Fest in Kansas City on May 1 and May 4. TST had the great opportunity to interview the director Rob Savage to discuss his latest creation.
At Panic Fest in Kansas City, a wicked slice of horror-comedy has been ordered up in the form of an indie UK feature, When the Screaming Starts. The Scariest Things podcast crew immediately fell for this mockumentary about a Manson Family-style murder cult setting its roots in London. We were joined by the Director and Actor/Producers of the film to discuss the story of the “family” that slays together and doesn’t stay together (ahem!).
SXSW made its return to live audiences in Austin in March of 2022, and The Scariest Things was present for the event. Liz Williams took in as much as she could at the festival, and the rest of TST’s staff followed by streaming for one of the world’s great film festivals.
For Episode 143, The Scariest Things examines the works of three directors that we think you should know more about. Under the radar? Maybe. Horror masters? Definitely.
Couples. Partners. Lovers. Siblings. Spouses. Besties. Some of the most fascinating horror characters come in pairs. Whether they team up for good or evil, these characters are inextricably linked together to their fates. In Episode 142 we explore some of our favorite horror duets.
Detective, you are a loose cannon! Turn in your piece, your shield, and make sure to turn that ancient evil tome into evidence. Now get out of my office! The cop cliches are layered on top of a genre with plenty of our favorite tried and true horror tropes. This is the world of the thriller and the hunt of serial killers. It is time for Episode 142 and we’re talking police procedural horror.
