Not Quite Dead

Edgar Wright wraps his love of the zombie genre in many layers of era-specific humor in the buddy horror comedy Shaun of the Dead! Guest Jason Burk from Hemispheric Views joins us again to reminisce on this not-so-cult classic. Shaun is your typical Gen X slacker who shirks responsibility at every available opportunity. That is, until a zombie apocalypse arrives in his garden. With the help of his equally lame best friend, Shaun embarks on a quest to save his mum and ex-girlfriend, and maybe do a little bit of growing up along the way (but, probably not). Discussion points include: the loser hero's journey, hot skeletons, witty dialog, and - oh, wait, you've got red on you.

Director Danny Boyle reinvigorated the zombie genre with 2002's 28 Days Later. Cillian Murphy wakes up alone and naked in a hospital bed 28 days after a rage virus decimates England. Zombies, lack of resources, and some really gross military dudes round out some real horror in this episode! Discussion points include: how quickly men become terrible in a disaster, falling in love in an apocalypse, how to flag down help.

NQD couldn't kick off a Zombies season without George Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead! Bringing the zombie genre to life, Romero shocked 1960s audiences with his tale of the undead. It's gruesome, it's seminal, it's a ghoulish good time! Discussion points include: earlier zombie movies, a useless woman, space radiation.

Train to Busan was director Yeon Sang-ho's gift to the world in 2016. Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead fame calls it the best zombie film ever made - and who are we to disagree? Gong Yoo (known now for Squid Game) plays Seok-woo, a hedge fund manager who prioritized work over his family - until a zombie apocalypse traps him and his young daughter on a high speed train. They are up against zombies and the selfishness of their fellow passengers, making for a thrilling horror film. Discussion points include: undead animals, Korean horror themes, multiple villains.

The Grudge came out hot on the heels of global interest in J-horror, and is one of the better American adaptations! Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in Sam Raimi's 2004 ghost horror story as an American exchange student attempting to solve a haunting. Discussion points include: Japanese horror history, onryo, the ghosts' rules.

Are you ready for a Saw X-travaganza?! We here at NQD certainly are! Join us as we talk all things prequel, play the drinking game we came up with way back in Season 1 of the podcast, test each other's Saw trivia knowledge, and re-rank the films in the franchise. It's a blast, and not just the kind that makes you lose a limb. Discussion points include: what makes a critically acclaimed Saw film, the return of director Kevin Greutert, John Kramer's doodling.

Smile (2022) may be director Parker Finn's feature length film debut, but it has the style and scares to feel like a veteran effort. Psychiatric therapist Laura already has a lot of baggage - workaholic, abusive childhood, a strained relationship with her sister - when a delusional patient seems to transmit a terrifying curse onto her. Is it all in her head, or is there an entity really after her? Discussion points include: homages to other horror films, a useless fiancé, poor trauma processing. 

The 2007 Spanish film The Orphanage has horrors of multiple levels: a missing child, playful ghosts, and home renovations. The J.A. Bayona horror flick was a smash hit internationally, bringing acclaim to the Spanish film industry. Not Quite Dead gets into the details of a woman buying the orphanage she grew up in with her family, only to be plagued by ghosts and the loss of her son. Discussion points include: abandoned beach-front real estate, watching the wrong movie, Peter Pan references. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

Not Quite Dead? More like "Not So Scary" when we cover nostalgic classics like the 1995 movie Casper! Fan favorites Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman and Devon Sawa star in the kid-friendly film about a dead child ghost falling in love with a living teen.  Discussion points include: terrible uncle poltergeists, the CGI of the 90s, and dead wives. 

The Evil Dead Rise! The series is back and chock full of Sam Raimi-isms, with plenty of homages to the much beloved earlier entries in the franchise. Stuffed to the brim with disgustingly gory effects and plenty of slyly funny jokes, Lee Cronin's 2023 addition to the Evil Dead series is a welcome one. Discussion points include: sister relationships, where not to take a pregnancy test, our favorite callbacks.

The first found footage movie to be scary since Blair Witch! Paranormal Activity debuted in 2007 to critical acclaim and a staggering box office on a shoestring budget. Couple Katie and Micah are already on tense terms when they get third-wheeled by Katie's own personal (literal) demon. Micah is an inept boyfriend whose only skill is pissing off a demon, while poor Katie has to be haunted while surrounded by his cameras. Discussion points include: bad boyfriends, specializing in undead hauntings, budget filmmaking.

Come away with us to tropical Li Tolqa, home to beautiful resorts and pay-to-play murder and crime sprees! The catch is teeny-tiny: be executed for your misdeeds or pay to have a clone of yourself be killed in your place. Infinity Pool, directed and written by Brandon Cronenberg, explores issues of privilege, tourism, and scifi existentialism in one not-so-neat package. Discussion points include: fictional tourist countries, White Lotus, Cronenberg the Elder vs Cronenberg the Younger.

They're here! NQD is covering the classic horror film Poltergeist. Effectively a Steven Spielberg movie, this movie introduced a new cultural fear: getting stuck in the TV. Join us as we dissect the haunting of this all-American 80s family, baby angel Carol Anne's entrapment in the ghostly plane, and a host of malicious spirits. Discussion points include: the old timey 80s, what's a poltergeist vs a haunting, and sketchy special effects.

TW: This episode contains discussion of suicide and self-harm. If you need help or are having thoughts of harming yourself, please call or text 988. M. Night Shyamalan, you dog, you did it again. A thrilling popcorn flick with twists aplenty, the 2023 mystery/horror movie Knock at the Cabin brings the frights. Are these four strangers really preventing the end times, or are they delusional cultists targeting a queer family? Discussion points include: Dave Bautista's career, suicide cults, our favorite type of apocalypse.

Director Mike Flanagan, now better known for the Flanaverse of horror shows on Netflix, helmed Oculus as one of his first feature-length films. Siblings Kaylie and Tim post up in their childhood home, where they attempt to capture definitive proof that a cursed mirror caused their family’s tragedy, not their father. Jump scares galore in this one!  Discussion points include: how to outsmart ghosts, eating things you definitely shouldn't, the nonsensical characterization of Kaylie.  The Lasser glass, while not real, was hung in a real place - Balmoral Castle.  Learn about other myths and folktales from the Bavarian forest. Pica is a real and scary condition!  Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

Did you know that the 80s were 40 years ago? We did, and so did the film industry! This special episode covers John Carpenter’s The Thing and its 40th Anniversary Fathom event (err….one year later).  What we consider today a masterpiece look at the horror of a perfectly-replicating alien invasion, the folks of the 80s found disgusting, depressing, and a little dull. Boo for them, yay for us! Discussion points include: lackluster Fathom events, Carpenter’s special effects, the fun of paranoia and nihilism. Check out some of the practical special effects in the movie. Learn how you too can work in Antarctica. Read about the real-life Nauls of Antarctica. Mick Garris throws shade like no other. BONUS! See Meg's many pages of notes for this movie, unfiltered. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

A hauntingly tragic story of immigration, ghosts both real and imagined, His House is a universally acclaimed horror film. The 2020 directorial debut from Remi Weekes about a South Sudanese refugee couple in the UK touches on culture, racism, xenophobia, and war trauma. Heavy but necessary topics that truly show that horror is embedded in all aspects of society. Discussion points include: UK immigration statistics, refugee trauma, what makes a good person.  Read about the cripplingly high bonds that immigrants have to pay to be released from detention.  Learn about UK immigration statistics. How much does the average grocery bill cost per week? Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

The requel has become a franchise! Scream 6 returns with the same cast from Scream 5 - Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera as the leads - with a few extras from the Scream days of old. Appearances from Gail Weathers and Kirby keep the franchise foundation in what we find to be a very strong entry to the series. Discussion points include: how meta is too meta, ranking the Scream films, and fakeout kill counts.

A family psychodrama wrapped up in a ghost story - the stuff of nightmares! Nicole Kidman's turn as a 1940s mommy dearest in The Others is a stellar performance, a welcome retreat from some of the campier ghost movies this season. Discussion points include: WWII, creepy children, the place of religion in an ambiguous afterlife.  Read all about Nicole Kidman's behind the scenes trivia.  Are light allergies real? Learn about the novella that this movie - and The Haunting of Bly Manor! - is based on, The Turn of the Screw. Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

This isn’t the 100 Acre Woods you remember! Much to the mouse house’s chagrin, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was fast tracked for release once the IP came into the public domain. What else is there to do but make a gruesome, terrible horror movie out of a beloved childhood character? Discussion points include: copyright law, the uselessness of adult Christopher Robin, B-movie horror tropes.  Learn all about the Copyright Act of 1909 What other IPs went into the public domain when Winnie the Pooh did?  Read about the company that made the frightening masks Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer.