Dark Discussions Podcast - Test

When someone passes in the Jewish Orthodox faith, there is a vigil. A person, known a s a shomer, stays up with the recently deceased to make sure that evil spirits or other nefarious entities stays away so the soul of those who passed may go in peace. The position in modern days is ceremonial, but what happens if demons or monsters do exist in such circumstances? The new movie, THE VIGIL, shows us what just might.Yakov Ronen (Dave Davis) is part of a support group of Jewish folk who have left the Orthodox community in New York City.  When a former member of his temple asks him to do shomer for the recently deceased Mr. Litvak, he agrees to do so for $400. However, he is introduced to the deceased widow who has dementia, who doesn’t want him there. But by the end of the night, he may have something much more worrisome to be concerned about.The film is the motion picture debut of director and screenwriter Keith Thomas. Having played festival circuits since 2019, the movie finally was released in the United States in February to much praise by critics. Dark Discussions takes a look at this supernatural thriller and gives their thoughts.

Vampires are a form of humans that have been reborn into something else. A monster. Something malevolent. But what if you aren’t fully turned yet. And you feel different. Better? Using the vampire as a metaphor isn’t anything new. So when you find a film that has this implication, how well is it done? The new film JAKOB’S WIFE (2021) is the latest in this subgenre of horror film.Anne (Barbara Crampton) is a middle aged woman married to Pastor Jakob (Larry Fessenden). Generally she’s happy but her youth seemed to have disappeared with a blink. When she become in charge of converting an old town property to something useful, a disturbing presence has taken residence within the cobwebbed structure. Soon Anne’s life is turned upside down and her community may be in danger.JAKOB’S WIFE is directed by Travis Stevens, the director of 2019’s GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR. The movie stars two modern horror legends including Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR) and actor/director Larry Fessenden (HABIT).  Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thoughts.

Faux grindhouse films have been a new trend of films since Quentin Tarantino’s PULP FICTION back in 1994; so maybe not that “new” a trend. But generally these throwback nostalgia films are being made by 50 year olds who grew up on such films. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if they were here to stay. The latest, WILLY’S WONDERLAND (2021), arrived on VOD on February 12th, 2021. It immediately received much buzz due to it starring Nicholas Cage.When a quiet drifter (Nicholas Cage) has all four of his sport’s car’s tires destroyed from a police spike strip on a remote Nevada route, he is picked up by the local car mechanic who is willing to fix the situation. Unfortunately the local ATM and credit card machines don’t work nor does the drifter have the cash on hand to pay. So a local business man offers him to clean the local family entertainment center over night. While there, the drifter discovers that his life may be in danger.WILLY’S WONDERLAND was original set for an October 30th, 2020 theatrical Halloween release. But with COVID-19, the movie was pushed back before appearing on VOD. The film was directed by Kevin Lewis and written by G.O. Parsons. Besides Nicholas Cage, he co-stars along with Emily Tosta and Beth Grant. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thoughts.

In 2003, screenwriter Alan B. McElroy created a film series called Wrong Turn about a group of young people having to hike through the West Virginia woods after their cars break down. Unfortunately for them, a trio of inbred mutants hunts them down as food. With the original film’s success, five more were made as the villainous mutants returned for more death and torture. Now in 2021, a reboot written by the original screenwriter has been released.College students Jen, Darius, and their four friends head out for an outdoor adventure on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. When they decide to go view an old Civil War fort off the beaten track, disaster happens. Soon they find themselves confronted by a mysterious cult in the backwoods that they may have wronged. Lost and without gear, all their lives are turn out to be in jeopardy.Alan B. McElroy returns to the film series that he made iconic. Rebooted and with a new type of villain, his screenplay was directed by newcomer Mike P. Nelson. The film received mixed reviews but did get some early year buzz from horror fans. Dark Discussions takes a look at this new addition to a horror franchise and gives their thoughts.

Kevin James is best known for sitcom television shows. He played the “king of queens” and many other roles getting laughs out of audiences everywhere. But what happens when he plays a role that is not necessarily in his wheelhouse. What if he plays a murderer? A skinhead? A criminal and con? And sure enough, that film has arrived. BECKY, a 2020 gruesome thriller, presents him as a character that no one has ever seen him play before.Widower Jeff (Joel McHale) and young daughter, Becky (Lulu Wilson), head out to their lake home. Becky is surprised that her father’s girlfriend and son are there and that he’s planning to get married to her. Still not over her mother’s passing, she storms off to her forest fort to cool down. While there, a group of criminals barge into the lake house. They take everyone hostage and demand a lost key that they had hid on the property years earlier. Crazy violent, BECKY changes tone from a psychological thriller to a gruesome revenge movie. From a script written by Nick Morris, Lane Skye, and Ruckus Skye, the film was directed by co-directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion. With so many fingers in the pot so-to-speak, does the film turn into a hodge-podge mess or hold up as an engrossing horror-thriller. Your co-hosts of Dark Discussions take a look at the film and give their thoughts.