Need a break from political programming? Well, today we have a special treat: It’s The Free Press’s scary movie Halloween special!
It’s that time of year: changing leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, animal costumes with sex appeal and, of course, gory, bloody, nightmare-inducing horror movies.
We all remember the first horror movie that we were allowed to watch—or maybe that we weren’t allowed to watch, but saw anyway: Silence of the Lambs, Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, The Blair Witch Project, Jaws, Carrie, Halloween, or The Shining. For today’s host Suzy Weiss, it was 20 minutes of the movie It—the TV miniseries from 1990, not the 2017 remake. Suzy remembers seeing Pennywise the Clown on the screen and thinking, This will take me years to get over. She still sometimes checks the drain!
Year after year, horror movies are consistently profitable—more so than dramas—but they are snubbed when it comes to award shows and critical acclaim. But here at The Free Press, we value and love horror, so much that we’ve gathered our scariest FP writers—Suzy Weiss, River Page, and Kat Rosenfield—to analyze four new horror movies.
River, Kat, and Suzy will review MaXXXine, set in grimy and glamorous 1980s Hollywood, about a night killer who targets a porn star who herself is targeting big-screen stardom. Apartment 7A, a prequel to Rosemary’s Baby, about a woman taken in by an unassuming family. Longlegs, a serial killer story about an FBI agent trying to crack the case. And The Substance, about a woman who takes the latest anti-aging elixir, but at a harrowing cost.
They talk about what they loved, what they hated, and how they think each movie relates to our current social ills. We’ll also note this episode has spoilers, so let this be a warning!
Happy Halloween, folks!
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Thank you for your film insights Kat. I’d happily listen to you on more podcasts for your precision of language and clarity of thought. Your speaking style is informative and easy to listen to in a similar way that JD Vance was refreshingly clear on his Joe Rogan appearance.
Well let's be happy that Kat was there to Explain films to the other "hosts" on this a "Film Review" episode as She appears to be the only one who actually understands film.. River just wanted to talk about "Rapists" and "Misogyny" and Bari's sister just jumps on board,(Until of course, she doesn't, did She watch the films?) apparently 2 of them never bothered to: 1) see the 1st Rosemary's Baby and 2) have an inkling that it was a book 1st (Thats how they use to do it BTW, here a another one, The Exorcist was also a book and the Godfather. Yep a Book also), Kat shutting another of their "Outrages" over the use of the name "Roman" went on so long I almost just turned it off after yelling in my auto. River apparently had a little party while watching it where they all yelled "Rapist" and Outrage over the use the characters name. The other nonsense Kat saved us from? "Misogyny" of Horror films? Who was the Killer in 1st Friday 13th? Who Survived in the end of that same film? Sally from Original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Carrie, Who continues to survive and Fight in Halloween? Hellraiser? I wish Neve Campbell's Sydney had survived that 1st Scream film.... Oh Wait... SHE DID and all the ones that followed. I spit on Your Grave? Mother's Day (1980 not that mess in 2000's) ? All revenge films where woman get their revenge. Thank You Kat for saving this and my sanity. Barri's sister please do a little homework next time you host a show yeah?