Host 2020
Their pick for horror movie of the year, 'if only by circumstance' — a séance-over-Zoom feature born entirely of lockdown.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Review · Roundtable
‘Hubie Halloween’ and 25 Horror Movies Classics
October 20, 2020/ 84 min/ Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan
Sean and Chris check the state of 2020 horror, review Adam Sandler's 'Hubie Halloween,' then trade a 20-deep countdown of under-seen scary movies, each pitched by its premise.
27 films across 3 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
Horror in the terrifying year of 2020state of the genre
Possessor 2020
Brandon Cronenberg's extreme body horror; Sean interviewed him the week before.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow 2020
Jim Cummings's small-town monster-movie riff, a follow-up in spirit to 'Thunder Road.'
Bad Hair 2020
Justin Simien's '70s/'80s-influenced horror satire, hitting Hulu the week of taping.
Synchronic 2019
Benson and Moorhead's time-travel sci-fi with Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan; a sister film to 'The Endless.'
The Dark and the Wicked 2020
Brian Bertino ('The Strangers') returns with what Sean calls one of the most depraved movies he's seen; out that November.
'Hubie Halloween'the new Adam Sandler Netflix vehicle
Hubie Halloween 2020
Stephen Brill directs Sandler as Salem's bullied Halloween safety coordinator. Sean sees a return to form; Chris was 'on mushrooms' at the cast of walk-ons and Ray Liotta's presence.
20 underrated scary-movie classics counting down 10 to 1, one pick per host, each pitched by its premise
Picked by Chris Ryan
The Houses October Built 2014
No. 10 — found-footage RV trip across Texas hunting an underground haunted house. Chris compared the dread to first seeing 'Texas Chain Saw.'
Picked by Sean Fennessey
La Llorona 2019
No. 10 — Jayro Bustamante's Guatemalan film folds the folk legend into a general's genocide trial, protest as haunting. On Shudder. Not the Conjuring-universe 'Curse of La Llorona.'
Picked by Chris Ryan
As Above, So Below 2014
No. 9 — a treasure hunt gone wrong in the Paris catacombs; a solid C-plus scare on Netflix.
Picked by Sean Fennessey
Salem's Lot 1979
No. 9 — Tobe Hooper's three-hour Stephen King miniseries; Sean rates the window reveal the scariest moment ever on broadcast TV.
Picked by Chris Ryan
Pontypool 2008
No. 8 — Canadian one-location horror: a radio DJ works through a language-borne virus. 'It's such a great movie.'
Picked by Sean Fennessey
Witchfinder General 1968
No. 8 — Michael Reeves at 25; Vincent Price hangs witches during the English Civil War. Brutal, hard to find, 85 minutes.
Picked by Chris Ryan
The Bay 2012
No. 7 — Barry Levinson's eco found-footage horror on a July 4th weekend in Chesapeake Bay; a 'JV Cloverfield' with Heather Donahue.
Picked by Sean Fennessey
Halloween III: Season of the Witch 1982
No. 7 — the Michael-Myers-free anthology entry: Silver Shamrock masks and Tom Atkins. The franchise's original vision.
Picked by Chris Ryan
House of the Devil 2009
No. 6 — Ti West's slow-burn '80s throwback: a broke babysitter takes a too-good gig at Tom Noonan's house. Early Greta Gerwig.
Picked by Sean Fennessey
Def by Temptation 1990
No. 6 — James Bond III's all-Black indie: a succubus (Cynthia Bond) preys on a preacher's son. Shot by Ernest Dickerson, with Samuel L. Jackson and Kadeem Hardison.
Picked by Chris Ryan
Witches in the Woods 2019
No. 5 — teens stranded in a Jeep on a haunted mountainside; Chris singles out an inventive 360-degree interior shot. On Showtime.
Picked by Sean Fennessey
Rabid 1977
No. 5 — early Cronenberg outbreak movie with Marilyn Chambers; on Kanopy and the Criterion Channel. COVID-brain viewing.
Picked by Chris Ryan
Stake Land 2010
Moved up to pair with 'Rabid' — Jim Mickle's road movie across a vampire-ravaged America. 'The Walking Dead, but good'; a fucked-up 'Goonies.'
Picked by Sean Fennessey
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie 1990
No. 4 — Romero-lineage horror anthology; a stacked cast (Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Christian Slater) and a nasty transformation. Free on Pluto TV.
Picked by Chris Ryan
Southbound 2015
No. 3 — interlocking anthology on a cursed Texas highway; segments by Radio Silence, Roxanne Benjamin and David Bruckner.
Picked by Sean Fennessey
The Ghost Ship 1943
No. 3 — Val Lewton production directed by Mark Robson; claustrophobic shipboard dread. On Vudu.
Picked by Chris Ryan
Pod 2015
No. 2 — micro-budget siblings-vs-basement-alien creeper from Mickey Keating, produced by and featuring Larry Fessenden. On Shudder.
Picked by Sean Fennessey
REC 2007
No. 2 — the Spanish found-footage landmark Alex Ross Perry named the genre's best. Seek the subtitled cut.
Picked by Chris Ryan
Hell House LLC 2015
No. 1 — found-footage crew stages a haunted house in an abandoned upstate hotel; a whole trilogy Chris never knew existed. On Shudder.
Picked by Sean Fennessey
Let's Scare Jessica to Death 1971
No. 1 (a 'cheat' pick) — gateway to the Criterion Channel's '70s social-paranoia horror wave.
Also mentioned raised along the way
The 2020 genre check-in MidsommarCandymanThe Invisible ManRelicBlood QuantumThe Beach HouseHereditaryThe LodgeThe RentalThunder RoadThe EndlessCannibal HolocaustGet OutThe Strangers
Touchstones and comparisons The DescentThe Blair Witch ProjectThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreNocturnal AnimalsThe Curse of La LloronaThe ConjuringWhat We Do in the ShadowsCloverfieldJawsHalloweenHalloween IIA Nightmare on Elm StreetNew NightmareFriday the 13thFriday the 13th Part 2Doctor SleepThe SacramentThe InnkeepersDinner in AmericaRunVampire in BrooklynJuiceThe RitualCreepshowCreepshow 2An American Werewolf in LondonCold in JulyGhost ShipCitizen KaneThe Magnificent AmbersonsMankI Walked with a ZombieThe Leopard ManCat PeopleThe Seventh VictimSilver BulletThe Dead ZonePulp FictionThe CraziesInvasion of the Body SnatchersThe Hills Have EyesGanja & HessContagionShiversThe BroodThe Wicker ManOnce Upon a Time in HollywoodPoltergeistSchool DazeBaby Blue MarineBang the Drum SlowlyThe New MutantsThe GodfatherGoodfellasPalm Springs
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV Wolf HallThe StandCastle RockThe Haunting of Bly ManorYou're the WorstHomicide: Life on the StreetEuphoriaBelow Deck MediterraneanBorgenThe X-FilesMillenniumThe Twilight ZoneTales from the Darkside (series)
Podcasts The RewatchablesHalloween UnmaskedThe Bill Simmons PodcastThe Watch
Ads TremfyaNetflix FIFA World CupFanDuelCarvanaBoar's HeadTalkAboutPD