What's in the Basket

22. Leave Her to Heaven (1945): Hell Popping Around Here

Surprise Noirvember ep! It’s Tierney Time once again as we discuss John M. Stahl’s Technicolor noir masterpiece Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Topics include monkeys and coconuts, Vincent Price club bangers, boat massacres of all kinds, and more Bosley Crowther bullshit.

21. The Mummy (1932): He’s Got On a Caftan and He’s Very Dry

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With just enough time for one more spooooky Halloween episode, we’re busting open Imhotep’s tomb to cover The Mummy (1932). Join us as we discuss the film’s roots in the Egyptomania craze of 19th and early-20th centuries, its place as a lesser entry in the Universal horror canon, and whether or not we think Boris Karloff pissed his pants. Webbys do not interact!

20. Cat People (1942): Baby Porky’s Big Fat Move

In this, the spookiest of seasons, we emerge from the shadows to discuss the RKO horror classic Cat People (1942). Topics include Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur locking eyes across a crowded room, the mysterious world of Serbian stews, and a little too much about Lionel Atwill’s extracurriculars. Irena did nothing wrong!

19. King Kong (1933): If Only He Had an Ass to Match

We’re back, and we watched King Kong (1933)! The gang returns to discuss practical effects, gorilla butts, Merian C. Cooper’s exhausting life choices, Fay Wray’s status as the original scream queen, and why we think it’s important to engage critically with older media even when it makes us uncomfortable.

Bonus 21. The Uncanny (1977) and Uninvited (1987): Tongues Go Missing All the Time

It’s time for Evil Cats Week as Amelia and Tiff cover two feline-centric horror movies, Denis Héroux’s anthology film The Uncanny (1977) and Greydon Clark’s exploitation schlockfest Uninvited (1987). We discuss Ray Milland’s big round head, Peter Cushing’s secret kitty war crimes, terrible ’80s swimsuits, and little mutant cats inside regular cats. Happy birthday, Gul!

Bonus 20. Love on the Run (1936) and Three Loves Has Nancy (1938): A Chaotic Evil Lew Ayres

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It’s time to kick off 2021 with our first-ever listener-requested episode! This week we take a look at two MGM romantic comedies co-starring Franchot Tone: Love on the Run (1936) and Three Loves Has Nancy (1938). Subjects include dead people clothes, Terminator running, and why Janet Gaynor is the only short person Candice has ever loved.

Bonus 19. The Swarm (1978): Merry Christmas, It’s Bees

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This week the Gruesome Twosome returns to tackle Irwin Allen’s star-studded disaster epic The Swarm (1978), which has nothing to do with the holiday season but does feature the gift of bees, bees, millions of bees! We discuss Michael Caine’s marcel waves, Henry Fonda’s squeaky wheelchair, the sweeping love triangle between Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, and Fred MacMurray, and the unfair denigration of popcorn disaster movies. High in potassium, low in sodium!

Bonus 18. Whirlpool (1950): Gallbladder Widower

It’s a Noirvember bonus this week as we discuss Otto Preminger’s hypnosis thriller Whirlpool (1950), starring Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, Jose Ferrer, and Charles Bickford. Subjects include kleptomania, Hulkamania (not that kind), gallbladder crises, and our very healthy parasocial relationships with the terrible stars we love. Please forgive the audio issues, particularly toward the end of the episode, which was recorded on 70-year-old equipment stolen from Richard Conte’s home office in a trance.

18. The Omen (1976): Baby-on-Baby Crime

It’s another shot of Gregory Peck this week as we wrap up our Halloween cursed film series with Richard Donner’s demon-child classic The Omen (1976). We explore what the movie has to say about motherhood and post-Watergate political anxiety, pay tribute to the unsung women who have been bringing films to life behind the scenes for over a century, and sing the praises of our newfound favourite sequel Damien: Omen II (1978), in which friend of the pod Lew Ayres endures the single greatest death scene ever committed to celluloid.

Bonus 17. Cape Fear (1962) and Cape Fear (1991): Twice the Cape, Twice the Fear

This week we’re taking a quick detour from our cursed film series to tackle a different kind of horror movie: J. Lee Thompsons’s neo-noir thriller Cape Fear (1962), and Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of the same name. We discuss the stark differences in how each film handles its sensitive subject matter, admire Robert Mitchum’s sick Del Boca Vista wardrobe, and partake in some recreation at the bowling center with noted human Gregory Peck. A content warning: both of today’s films are about sexual assault, and our conversation reflects that. Another content warning: we really hate the remake, and our conversation reflects that, too.