100 Horrors

After what has been FAR too long away, we’re back this week with a scorching new(ish) film to discuss. Late Night With The Devil has been taking Shudder, Tik Tok and the horror world by storm with its blend of late night talk show, 70s charm and satanic possession.

This week we dive into 2022’s Speaker No evil, a film that demonstrates passivity through politeness so intensely that even WE think it we would have spoken openly of our displeasure with the situation, and were British! Speak No Evil comes highly recommended by our wonderful followers over @100Horrors and if you would like to recommend a film, please do! We’re always on the look out for hidden gems like this one, and so we welcome your input!

Somehow we have not discussed cult classic The Wicker Man in any of the 144 episodes this podcast has run for. Today we change this with huge thanks to Miss Jess Austin who brought this injustice to our attention. You’re the realest, Miss Jess!

Cemetery Man is brought you by request of the wonderful Mr Ahimsa Kerp.

The Belko Experiment is covered this week at the request of Mr Callum Langford. If you would like us to cover a film, send us a voice recording at 100horrors@gmail.com and we’ll add it to the list!

Mother! (stylized as mother!) is a 2017 American fantasy drama[1] film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky, and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, and Kristen Wiig. It follows a young woman whose tranquil life with her husband at their country home is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious couple. In the burned-out remains of a large house, Him, an acclaimed poet struggling with writer's block, places a crystal object on a pedestal in his study, and the building morphs into a beautiful home in an edenic landscape. Mother, the poet's wife and muse, awakens in her bed and wonders aloud where He is. While renovating the house, she occasionally visualizes a beating heart within its walls. One day, a stranger called Man turns up at the house, claiming to be an orthopedic surgeon at the local hospital and asking for a room. Him readily agrees, and Mother reluctantly follows suit. Late that night, Man suffers from dry heaves and Mother observes a wound on his side. Man's wife, Woman, arrives the next day. Mother is increasingly frustrated by her guests, but Him begs her to let them stay, revealing that Man is actually a fan whose dying wish was to meet Him. However, when Man and Woman accidentally shatter the crystal object, which Him had forbidden them to touch, Him becomes angry and boards up his study. Mother tells Man and Woman to leave, but, before they can go, their two sons arrive unexpectedly and fight over Man's will. The oldest son, who is concerned about his impending inheritance, argues and fights with his younger brother, severely wounding him, and the older brother flees after having his head smashed against glass by Him, leaving a bloody gash in his head. Him, Man, and Woman take the injured son to the hospital. Alone in the house, Mother cleans up and notices strange damage to the house, including a fly, a frog, and blood that will not stop dripping. She follows the blood to a tank of heating oil hidden behind the basement walls. Upon returning, Him informs Mother the son has died. Mother and Him are roused that night when dozens of people arrive unannounced at the house to mourn the dead son. The visitors behave in rude and presumptuous ways that irritate Mother, and she snaps and orders everyone to leave when they break a sink, partially flooding the house. She berates Him for allowing so many people inside and ignoring her needs, but their argument leads to passionate lovemaking. The next morning, Mother announces she is pregnant, which elates Him and inspires him to start writing again. Time passes. Mother prepares for the arrival of the child and reads Him's beautiful new poem. Upon publication, it is acclaimed and sells well. In celebration, Mother prepares a big dinner, but a group of fans interrupt. Though she asks Him to send them away, he insists he has to be polite and show his appreciation. Mother tries to lock the doors, but droves of fans pour into the house and begin to wreak havoc, stealing things as souvenirs and damaging the house. Due to the adulation he is receiving, Him is oblivious to what is happening, but a disoriented Mother watches helplessly as military forces turn up to battle members of the cult that has sprung up around Him and as his publicist organizes mass executions. Mother goes into labor and finds Him, who reopens his study, which he had previously boarded up, so she can give birth inside.

Released in 2008 and directed by Bryan Bertino, "The Strangers" is a spine-tingling home invasion thriller that has cemented its place as a classic in the horror genre. With an uncompromising commitment to building suspense, an eerie atmosphere, and the power of relentless simplicity, this film has stood the test of time and continues to terrify audiences more than a decade later. The film's premise is deceptively straightforward yet profoundly effective. It revolves around a young couple, Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman), who retreat to a secluded vacation home for the night. Their peaceful evening takes a nightmarish turn when they find themselves at the mercy of three masked intruders. The film's strength lies in its ability to wring suspense and terror from the simplest of elements, often leaving audiences on the edge of their seats. One of the most noteworthy aspects of "The Strangers" is the absence of a traditional musical score. This decision by the director, Bryan Bertino, adds an unsettling layer to the film's already tense atmosphere. The lack of music makes the audience acutely aware of every creak, every whisper, and every ominous sound within the house, enhancing the feeling of vulnerability and isolation. The masked intruders, with their eerie, expressionless visages, are unforgettable. Their motives and identities remain shrouded in mystery, adding to the pervasive dread that lingers throughout the film. As a result, "The Strangers" isn't just a typical home invasion thriller; it's a relentless game of cat and mouse that gets under your skin and refuses to let go. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman deliver powerful performances that are pivotal to the film's success. Their chemistry and emotional portrayals make it easy for the audience to connect with their characters, amplifying the terror as their world unravels around them. You genuinely feel their fear and desperation, which adds a layer of emotional depth to the film. "The Strangers" played a significant role in the resurgence of horror as a respected genre in the late 2000s. It inspired a new wave of home invasion horror films and influenced the way directors approached building suspense and terror. It was a milestone in Bryan Bertino's directorial career, marking his debut with a film that demonstrated his ability to create an atmosphere of relentless fear and dread. Over the years, "The Strangers" has achieved cult classic status. Fans have dissected every frame, developed intriguing theories, and quoted memorable lines. It remains a film that horror enthusiasts revisit time and again, finding new details and fears with each viewing. In conclusion, "The Strangers" is an unrelenting masterpiece of horror that still haunts us to this day. With its exceptional ability to generate fear and suspense from the simplest of elements, an iconic directorial debut, and performances that keep you invested, it's no wonder that it stands as a classic in the genre. If you have a penchant for spine-tingling, nerve-wracking horror, "The Strangers" is a must-watch, and it's a testament to the lasting power of this bone-chilling gem from 2008.

Welcome to the latest episode of 100 Horrors where we delve deep into the world of cinema, dissecting hidden gems and iconic horror films alike. In this installment, we turn our spotlight on the intense and gripping 2015 thriller "Green Room." Join us as we analyze the film's intricate storytelling, exceptional performances, and the visceral emotions it elicits from its audience. Unveiling "Green Room": A Synopsis "Green Room," directed by Jeremy Saulnier, is a riveting thriller that takes audiences on an adrenaline-pumping journey through a punk rock band's nightmarish encounter with a group of neo-Nazi skinheads. Set against the gritty backdrop of a secluded club, the film weaves a tale of survival, tension, and unrelenting suspense. The Podcast Discussion: A Deep Dive into "Green Room" In our latest podcast episode, we embark on an in-depth exploration of "Green Room." We dissect its elements, examining how the masterful direction, sharp writing, and outstanding performances contribute to the film's unshakable impact. 1. Direction and Atmosphere: Jeremy Saulnier's direction in "Green Room" is nothing short of exceptional. Our podcast hosts delve into how his choice of camera angles, lighting, and pacing intensifies the atmosphere, engulfing viewers in a claustrophobic and menacing world. From the chilling opening moments to the heart-pounding climax, we discuss how Saulnier masterfully builds tension, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. 2. Outstanding Performances: Our podcast panel showers praise on the stellar cast of "Green Room," led by the late Anton Yelchin and supported by Imogen Poots, Patrick Stewart, and others. We analyze how their performances bring authenticity and emotional depth to their characters, making the unfolding events all the more gripping. From the band's desperate struggle to Stewart's enigmatic portrayal of a ruthless club owner, each actor's contribution is dissected and appreciated. 3. Themes and Impact: "Green Room" isn't just a heart-pounding thriller; it also delves into societal themes and human nature under extreme circumstances. Our podcast team discusses the film's exploration of fear, survival instincts, and the bonds formed when facing a common enemy. We explore how the story's brutality serves as a commentary on extremism and the lengths people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones. 4. Legacy and Influence: As we wrap up our podcast episode, we reflect on the lasting impact of "Green Room" on the thriller genre. We examine how its unique blend of suspense, violence, and psychological tension has influenced subsequent films and left a mark on audiences and filmmakers alike. Conclusion: Tune in and Dive into the Darkness of "Green Room" If you're a cinephile with a taste for intense and thought-provoking cinema, our podcast episode on "Green Room" is a must-listen. Join us as we unravel the layers of this gripping thriller, discussing its direction, performances, themes, and legacy. Whether you're a fan of the film or simply intrigued by the exploration of dark and gripping narratives, this episode promises to be a captivating journey into the heart of "Green Room." Tune in to 100 Horrors now and immerse yourself in the intensity of "Green Room." Don't miss out on this thrilling cinematic discussion that will leave you eager to revisit or discover this modern masterpiece.

Final Destination was released in the year 2000 and was both written and directed by James Wong and Glen Morgan. The film follows a group of high school students who cheat death after one of them has a premonition of a deadly plane crash. The movie begins with Alex Browning (played by Devon Sawa), a high school student, preparing to leave on a school trip to Paris with his classmates. While on the plane, Alex has a disturbing vision of the aircraft exploding in mid-air, causing him to panic and be forcibly removed from the flight, along with several other students and a teacher. As they watch the plane depart, it indeed explodes just as Alex foresaw. After their narrow escape, the survivors are initially relieved, but soon strange and deadly events start to occur around them. One by one, they begin to die in freak accidents that appear to be preordained and inevitable. Alex becomes convinced that they have cheated death's design, and now death is coming to claim them in the order they were meant to die on the plane. With the help of a morgue attendant named William "Billy" Hitchcock (played by Seann William Scott), Alex tries to figure out how to break the chain of death and save themselves. They discover that death has a plan and is somehow manipulating events to ensure its victims meet their fate. As the tension rises and the survivors' paranoia grows, they must stay one step ahead of death's design to stand a chance at survival. The film is filled with suspenseful and creative death sequences as the characters attempt to outsmart the grim reaper's plan. Final Destination gained popularity for its unique concept and inventive death scenes, which showcased Rube Goldberg-like chain reactions leading to fatal accidents. The movie spawned several sequels, becoming a successful franchise in the horror genre. The sequels followed a similar premise, with different sets of characters trying to outsmart death's design in various scenarios. Overall, "Final Destination" left a lasting impact on horror cinema and remains a classic in the genre, known for its thrilling and chilling storytelling.

"Mum & Dad" is a dark and disturbing horror movie that delves into themes of abduction, abuse, and sadism. The story revolves around a young Polish immigrant named Lena, who works at a service station near London's Heathrow Airport. One evening, after missing her last bus home, she accepts an offer from her co-worker Birdie to stay at her place overnight. However, the situation takes a horrific turn when Lena realizes that Birdie's "family" isn't what it seems. She finds herself trapped in the home of a twisted and psychotic couple referred to as Mum and Dad, played by Dido Miles and Perry Benson, respectively. This dysfunctional and deranged family preys on unsuspecting individuals, keeping them captive and subjecting them to unimaginable acts of violence and torture. The film is known for its unflinching and disturbing portrayal of the family's twisted dynamics and the brutality they inflict on their victims. The performances of the actors, particularly Dido Miles and Perry Benson, were widely praised for their chilling and unsettling portrayals. "Mum & Dad" is not for the faint of heart and contains intense violence and disturbing content, making it suitable only for mature audiences who can handle such subject matter. It received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its boldness and originality, while others criticized its extreme content and grim atmosphere. If you are planning to watch the film, please be aware that it contains highly disturbing and graphic scenes, and viewer discretion is advised.

"Candyman," released in 2021 and written by Jordan Peele, is a highly acclaimed supernatural horror film that received positive reviews from both critics and audiences alike. The film serves as a spiritual sequel to the original "Candyman" from 1992, while also offering a fresh and contemporary take on the urban legend. Directed by Nia DaCosta, "Candyman" explores themes of racial injustice, gentrification, and the power of storytelling. It follows the story of visual artist Anthony McCoy, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, as he becomes obsessed with the Candyman legend and delves into the horrifying consequences that follow. The film has been praised for its thought-provoking social commentary, atmospheric cinematography, and exceptional performances. Jordan Peele's involvement as a writer brought his signature blend of horror and socio-cultural exploration to the story, making it a standout entry in the genre.

Having lost his religious faith after the horrific car accident that claimed the life of his wife, the emotionally broken former Episcopal priest, Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), retreats to a remote farm surrounded by corn in Pennsylvania to live with his two young children and younger brother. Six short months later, a sinister undercurrent of dread starts to take over the family when mysterious crop-circle formations appear in his field, and the same circular patterns manifest all over the world. More and more, as equally unexplained happenings occur, grief and denial mix with paranoia, making a highly volatile combination. Is this an elaborate hoax, an ominous sign from above, or could it be, indeed, the end of the world as we know it?

The son of a Hasidic funeral director returns home with his pregnant wife in hopes of reconciling with his father. Little do they know that an ancient evil lurking inside a mysterious corpse has sinister plans for their unborn child.

Something’s wrong with Emily Rose, a college student from a devout Roman Catholic family in the Midwest. Once a happy-go-lucky girl, she has started seeing strange visions, falling into body-contorting convulsions, speaking in strange voices and mutilating her body. Doctors at first suspect epilepsy or psychosis. But when Emily does not respond to medical treatment, her family and the Catholic Archdiocese suspect something more sinister: demon possession. Father Richard Moore, the family’s priest, is called in to perform the rite of exorcism to rid Emily of her demonic tormentors. Father Moore is not successful. Emily dies. And Moore is charged with negligent homicide. The Archdiocese wants the case to go away and hires hotshot defense attorney Erin Bruner to work out a plea agreement. But Father Moore will have none of it. He insists on telling Emily’s story, even if it means he will not be granted bail and is likely to be convicted in the process. His attorney, whose belief in things supernatural is so shaky she only thinks she’s agnostic, is presented with the perplexing dilemma of having to defend a man who believes in things she can’t even begin to imagine. (Father Moore says to Erin, “Demons exist whether you believe in them or not.”) The ensuing courtroom showdown pits the sureties of faith against the presuppositions of science—a true clash of worldviews.

In the distant future, the crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo are on their way home when they pick up a distress call from a distant moon. The crew are under obligation to investigate and the spaceship descends on the moon afterwards. After a rough landing, three crew members leave the spaceship to explore the area on the moon. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship's computer deciphers the message to be a warning, not a distress call. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew realizes that they are not alone on the spaceship and they must deal with the consequences.

There but for the grace of God goes Maud, a reclusive young nurse whose impressionable demeanor causes her to pursue a pious path of Christian devotion after an obscure trauma. Now charged with the hospice care of Amanda, a retired dancer ravaged by cancer, Maud's fervent faith quickly inspires an obsessive conviction that she must save her ward's soul from eternal damnation - whatever the cost. Making her feature-film debut, writer/director Rose Glass cannily lures the audience into this disturbed psyche, steadily setting up her veritable diary of a country nurse for an unnerving and ultimately shocking trajectory. Morfydd Clark portrays the sanctimonious Maud with an intense stoicism that belies a disquieting vulnerability, as Maud desperately vies for absolution and solidarity from her embittered patient. Glass tenderly captures this relationship with an empathetic gaze that first assumes an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere--but before long, Maud's dogmatic candor incites an irreconcilable friction that spirals her mind into a suffocating confluence of creeping doubt and paranoia. As Glass tightens the screws on her misguided martyr, well-placed nods are made to religious horror forerunners like William Friedkin's "The Exorcist," further contributing to the film's increasingly dread-filled malaise. And when this insidious fever climatically breaks, the consequences are devastating and terrifying in equal measure

In the 2012 horror film "Sinister," true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (played by Ethan Hawke) moves his family into a new home, hoping to uncover a captivating story for his next book. However, his fascination with the macabre takes a twisted turn when he discovers a box of disturbing home videos in the attic. As Ellison delves deeper into the chilling footage, he realizes that they depict a series of brutal murders linked to a mysterious supernatural entity. As his obsession grows, Ellison unwittingly puts his family at risk and becomes entangled in a terrifying web of evil forces that threaten to consume them all. In this episode of 100 Horrors, find out if we think that the film that was once found to be "the scariest film ever" in a 2020 study lives up to the hype!!

Released in 2022, Barbarian follows Tess, a woman who rents an Air BnB in a rough part of Detroit only to find that the guy who plays Pennywise also has the place booked. While yes, this is by no means the worst thing that has ever happened to anyone in an airBnB, Tess is still understandably upset by this and so they spend an awkward night getting to know one another. It naturally turns out though, that they are not alone in there... But Barbarian isn't just a film of frights and shock value, it's also a powerful commentary on a complex social dynamic in the wake of the #MeToo movement giving the film a dimension that a lot of modern horror *CoughSMILEcough can only dream of. Amazing performances from Justin Long, Bill Skarsgard and Kathryn Hunter push this film to the top of 2022's best horror list, and an interesting slit narrative firmly cements it there, but does that actually mean that we liked it? You'll have to tune in to episode 112 of 100 Horrors to find out! Overall, Barbarian is an experience that will leave you breathless and terrified, but also give you plenty to think about long after the credits roll. So if you're a fan of horror films or just looking for an intense, adrenaline-filled ride, Barbarian is a must-see.

Released in 2022, Smile follows a therapist (played by the hilariously named Sosie Bacon) who starts to experience a series of frightening that are connected to a supernatural entity that feeds off of people's negative emotions – at least, that’s what a quick Wikipedia summary of the film says anyway. I’ll be honest, I was so bored watching it that I had no idea what was going on as I battled against the will to slip into a coma to preserve my own sanity. While the movie has all of the classic horror movie ingredients, it somehow manages to bring the sum total of nothing new to the table. The story is predictable. The ending feel unmotivated. The delivery feel underwhelming. Sosie Bacon gives a decent performance as the protagonist, but her character, just like the rest of the characters, is one-dimensional. If you’re having trouble sleeping maybe give this one a whirl. It should send you off in no time.

After becoming an instant cult classic after its release in 2008, Cloverfield has enjoyed its post release life bathed in a nostalgic glow. With a mosnterous budget of $25 million, Cloverfield was found footage like we had never seen before. With only The Blair Witch Project to compare it to, its easy to see how audiences may have been tricked into thinking that this was a hyper budget blockbuster. Hugely ambitious, the movie pits a monster that is part dinosaur, part spider, and part octopus against a terrified New York City where it shoots explosive acid, breathes fire, and rip buildings buildings and people apart with its mouth. It even spawns hundreds of micro-monsters which infact anyone they bite with a body bursting illness... and yet... its so dull. Not aging well is something we all have to face, and while it might have aged better than some of its cast members have (we'll let you guess which one we're talking about), it isn't exactly Pamela Anderson in her later years. Years of found footage and real-world footage of national and global tragedies have really taken the sting out of this one's tail, and so we won't be rushing to watch it again any time soon.