Just How did a bunch of reprobates like the hosts of The Scariest Things become horror junkies? For Episode 176, we gathered to discuss our experiences watching movies to determine why we got into scary films. Gateway horror movies a plenty!
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In order to celebrate our friend David's starring turn in The Suicide Squad, for which he has been receiving numerous accolades, we revisit our initial meeting with him at Portland's Rose City Comicon from 2019. He was a treat, and you can learn about his Comic writing career in addition to his acting performances. Congratulations, David!
In what has to be considered Mike and Eric's favorite interview, actor and newly minted comic book author David Dastmalchian sat down with us at Rose City Comicon. We got to talk all things horror, and especially his new comic Count Crowley! Muuahahahaha!
This might sting a little. (Aiiieeeee!!!) Jeff Dean joins Eric and Mike again in taking on our favorites Hospital Horror shows.
It has become something of a Hollywood crutch. The cynical amongst us consider prequels, sequels, and reboots to be lazy storytelling. Franchise horror comes in all forms. When obvious profits are predicted, big-budget studio films and straight-to-streaming B-movies fall into the same formula. Rinse, repeat, and rinse again. We think we can do this a little better.
Here come the stinkers! It's time to discuss the Worst Horror movies of 2025. Of course, just like our favorites, our disappointments are highly subjective. You may be surprised to discover that some of the movies we didn't enjoy have received plaudits from other critics. We have some fun internal disagreements, for sure. We know you love hearing us throw shade on movies. Enjoy the hot takes!
All hail the King from Maine! This was a big year for King as there were FOUR King productions: we got the monster hit It: Chapter 2, the reboot of Pet Semetary, The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep, and the Netflix production In the Tall Grass. Plus, the television series Castle Rock. We live in a Stephen King world, and now The Scariest Things settles in to talk about it.
Once upon a time... horror was something you learned from your grandmother or the tribal elder. It is ancient horror by way of magic and myth, bolstered by the shared beliefs of a culture. This sub-genre is open to a broad range of interpretations and can be somewhat hard to pin down for definition. Leave it to the Scariest Things who were not afraid to give our own takes on what Folkloric horror is all about.
What’s scarier than scary? People, things, and unnatural beings that KILL! Join us for Episode IX where we look at...
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!
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.
The height of the atomic age! Monsters get bigger and stompier! Xenophobia and flying saucer sightings rule the day. And a dramatic change is on the horizon.
The Golden Era of Horror films shows no signs of letting up if judging by the quality of features offered up in 2019. Now it's time to talk about our favorites!
Witches. They used to strike fear in communities throughout the world. But Sabrina, Samantha, and Hermione have taken some of the edge off of the concept of the witch. Can a movie about witches still provide scares? Abso-witching-lutely!
Well, that was fun! 2024, though it started slow, managed to pack in quite a few worthy films. The six critics of The Scariest Things debated who deserved a spot in the top 10, and there was a wide spread of picks. There were a few standouts most of us agreed to, but to find out, you'll have to listen to the podcast!
Is is horror? Is it sci-fi? Is it horror-sci-fi? Does it have space aliens? Are those furry little space aliens scary?
Happy New Year! It's a little late, but the Lunar New Year celebrations go on for weeks, so we're still in celebration mode, even as the calendar turns from February to March. 2025 marks the year of the snake, and one of our fans, John Foley, suggested that we do a snake-themed horror movie podcast. We'll do that one better—we're going to find representatives for all the critters of the Lunar Zodiac Horrorscope!
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?
The best way for you to learn about Horror Films is to read and listen to The Scariest Things. The next best thing to do is to watch a Horror Documentary. You will find a documentary that aligns with your favorite horror tropes. Giallo? Check! Grindhouse? Check! Classic Universal Monsters? That too. In Episode 125, the Scariest Things team reveals nine movies that will increase your knowledge and love of the genre.
Sometimes, you have to love a horror movie, warts and all.
Hey baby. How ya doin? Why don't you come sit a little closer? Wait! That's close enough. Six feet please. Yeahhhh, good, that's better. Ok, relax, it's time to Netflix (or Shudder) and Chill to the erotic side of the horror genre. The Scariest Things has now strutted into the realm of the scary AND steamy. Mike even put his finest fishnets on for this one.
For much of the Scariest Things crew, we are discussing horror movies from our backyard. This is our home turf. The Pacific Northwest is a suitable backdrop for horror, with its often gloomy weather, quirky urban cities, and history of cryptids. Famously, we keep it weird in the PNW, and the movies reflect these tastes.
You want gross movies? Here we go! This section of our top 100 features blood and guts to spare!
We all know that horror movies are not the work of a single individual. That the production is a team effort. In many cases, these collaborative partnerships become long-lasting and reflect upon the skills and efforts of two (or a few) closely collaborating individuals that become forever linked together, and The Scariest Things takes a look at some of our favorites.
We have now crossed over the #50 threshold! Listen to Mike and Eric eat some serious crow on air, as the jury has spoken. (And Mike and Eric are apparently wrong.)
You know? That movie was better than I remembered. How often do you tell yourself that? Or, alternately, "What was I thinking? This movie was awful!" We've all been there. The movies don't change, but we do. We get older. Our tastes change. Sometimes we weren't in the right headspace to appreciate a film for the first watch. The Scariest Things gets contemplative in Episode 204 and reviews movies that we believe should be re-evaluated... for better... or worse.
Who wants bonus horror? Well, we've got it for you... a little extra has been put into our Top 100 list between 70-61. It stretches the entirety of the genre, from the very beginning to the very recent. Black and white, goofy, and somber. Drink in the next batch of our Top 100 list!
You have our apologies in advance. Mike challenged us to record a podcast where we discuss movies with "Haunting" or "Haunted" in the title. If you search "Haunting" in IMdB, there are well over 4000 films with that word in the title. Sadly, only a few of them are any good. Or, at least from what we've been able to determine so far. There are only so many "Haunting of" movies that a critic can stomach in a month.
The Scariest Things eagerly awaits the slate of films for 2024. We are thrilled to cast our eyes forward to the scary films to come. Sadly, if years prior are any indicator, our ability to spot the best of what is to come is unfortunately spotty. That isn't to say that we won't make the attempt to predict horror movies that we think we will enjoy!
A veritable hall of fame of horror lines up for our top 10! But, in what order? You know these titans of terror, so let's count them down!
This is, shall we say, the horror trope of the moment. As we all sit at home and pick what we want to watch streaming from the comfort of our living rooms, a lot of us have been fascinated with the horror that is contagious.