The Fear of God: A Horror Movie Podcast

Just in time for Halloween weekend, we have another interview episode about an excellent recent release with rich characters, compelling themes, and a chilling suspense mystery. PORTRAIT OF A HAUNTING tells the story of Tatum, a young girl who is able to see spirits -- a trait she inherited from her mother. But she has always had a tense relationship with that gift because her mother is a notorious figure who murdered her lover and used his blood for her final painting. Tatum has found solace among her close friends -- who form the largest witch coven in Manhattan. But soon a terrifying tragedy forces Tatum to reconcile with her past, her gift, and the deadly future that is targeting her.Madison Tyler Nelson joins Reed to discuss her debut novel, which is swiftly paced and heavily suspenseful. But Madison's book is also populated by deeply compelling characters, who, thanks to Madison's careful attention to detail and background in psychology, feel richly distinct. Along the way, her book offers profound observations about active grief, coming to terms with your complicated heritage, and the importance of reconciling yourself to the parts of who you are that you'd rather run away from.It's a murder mystery, a ghost story, a witch tale, a romance, a found family drama, and so much more. It's a perfect book to read for spooky season. We hope you'll check it out and we hope you enjoy this conversation!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Opening in theaters this week is a chilling new thriller from writer/director Alex Goyette. BREEDER tells the story of Russell (Daniel Doheny), who is seeking funding for his groundbreaking apiary research. When an isolated loner named Patti (Dot-Marie Jones) offers to fully fund his research, he travels to her remote farmhouse for a conversational dinner. While there, he learns that the offer of unlimited funding comes with a pretty steep catch.Nathan and Reed had the chance to talk with Alex about his new film, including its influences and development, its impressive cast, its thematic interests, and even an on-set ghost story he'd never had the chance to tell before.We hope you'll check out Breeder, in theaters as of October 28th, and we hope you enjoy this conversation!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to the penultimate installment of this year's Spooky Season (AHHHH!) franchise run as we dive into the final entry in the Paranormal Activity franchise. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: NEXT OF KIN is different from any of the other installments in a host of ways. It doesn't fully commit to the found-footage only motif, it neither references nor ties back into any previous narrative, and only loosely ties into the rest of its peers thematically. In many ways, it feels like this was intended to be a different film and got roped into the Paranormal Activity franchise for marketing purposes. As such, it's a pretty thin entry.That said, it looks really great (arguably best of the franchise) and features some good performances along with a handful of genuinely effective moments. With those compliments on deck, we're joined by Andrew Nelson and Vera Goudie to explore a surprising theme in a film that has flirted with technology as its central conceit: what happens in a community that has drifted to the complete other extreme?We have a lot of fun in this episode and feature some surprisingly thoughtful observations about the burden of keeping up with all of the way the world is moving on without us. It's an episode we hope you'll check out and hope even more that you enjoy.4:36 - Announcements (LAST CHANCE FOR FOGGOWEEN)Patron Only Segment: THE SIMPSONS, Halloween of Horror9:13 - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: NEXT OF KINSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're kicking off Halloween week with a fantastic Spooky-Season reading recommendation from friend of the show and author Nick Medina. SAVAGE LAKE is Nick's fourth novel, and it is a fun and suspenseful homage to some of your favorite horror movie motifs. It tells the story of Oscar, an avid horror movie fan, who accompanies his mother to the rundown cabin on Torchlight Lake that she's just inherited. His mother Nell is haunted by the memories of this place and of the strange, still unexplained things that happened to her family here a quarter century earlier. Before long, local road closures make it impossible for them to leave as mysterious occurrences begin to unfold and Nell becomes less and less herself.As we see Oscar try to make sense of some inexplicable occurrences around him (which he of course filters through the lens of his vast horror film knowledge), we also learn Nell's story from those many years back -- a story of fractured family tensions, community prejudices, and a mysterious unsolved tragedy that tore Nell's family apart. As Nell's past and Oscar's present begin to converge, Oscar is forced to face something far more terrifying than movie monsters.Reed got the chance to speak with Nick about the inspirations for his book, its propulsive and fun narrative framework, and the richer themes on its mind about the intangible things we inherit from our families: not just eye color or hair color, but wounds and fears and hopes and dreams.Nick's book is a fantastic choice for Halloween week reading. We hope you'll check it out and we hope you enjoy our conversation!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We continue our franchise run through every Paranormal Activity installment with what is, nearly unanimously, considered to be the weakest entry in the series. Building upon some direct tethers to the third film, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION attempts to pull the narrative curtain back a bit and reveal to us some physical representations of the malevolent entity tormenting this new family. The results are decidedly uneven, with a handful of promising moments largely misspent on flat characterizations and overly predictable scares.Despite our feelings about the film, we're joined by friends of the show Justi Schunior and Abby Olcese for what becomes a disarmingly heartfelt and vulnerable conversation about our own inability to properly prepare for forces beyond our comprehension. In the face of inexplicable and uncontrollable oppression, how do we find the hope to persist believing that our small, daily choices can still make a difference?We were about as surprised at the richness of our conversation as we were disappointed in the film that prompted it. But we really hope you'll come along with us for this conversation because we think and hope it will encourage you. And as always, we hope you enjoy it!4:31 - Announcements (including important details about FoGgoween)Patron Only Segment: THE SIMPSONS: Treehouse of Horror XXV7:53 - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSIONSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.