Show Notes – What's in the Basket

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.

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.

17. Poltergeist (1982): You Obviously Don’t Know How Much a Skeleton Costs

Our Halloween theme continues this week with another notoriously “cursed” horror movie: Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg’s haunted house classic Poltergeist (1982). We tackle the question of just who actually directed the film, explore its iconic special effects, and confront the moral implications of the popular “curse” narrative. Please note that this podcast has not been and will never be censored by Pizza Hut. Finally, another content warning—today’s episode addresses the deaths of two of Poltergeist‘s young stars, Dominique Dunne and Heather O’Rourke, and in doing so includes some discussion of real-life violence against women.

16. The Exorcist (1973): Sometimes the Vibes Is Right

We’re back! After losing an episode to our very own MP3-devouring curse, we emerge from the shadows to kick off the Halloween season with a look at William Friedkin’s similarly cursed horror classic The Exorcist (1973). We trace writer William Peter Blatty’s journey from Georgetown to…well…Georgetown, attempt to address at least a few of the approximately one billion things that went wrong during the film’s production, and mourn the omission of Father Dyer’s sick Snoopy sweatshirt. Fair warning: this episode is centered around a movie that’s full of disturbing subject matter and includes a brief discussion of a real-life homicide.

Bonus 16. Basket Case 2 (1990): First Anniversary Episode Brought to You By Jolt Cola

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This week all the crickets in the state of California join us to celebrate the show’s one-year anniversary with a look at Basket Case 2 (1990), belated and beloved sequel to the first movie we ever covered. Topics include the Belial Babies, our own tragic Hollywood endings, and—somehow—Tony Randall. Thanks for sticking with us this year, and here’s to the next one!

Bonus 15. Romance on the High Seas (1948): Jack Carson Has Risen From the Grave

On this week’s bonus episode we tackle the postwar Warner Brothers musical Romance on the High Seas (1948), starring Doris Day, Janis Paige, Oscar Levant, S.Z. Sakall, and absolutely no one else. Warning: The following podcast contains material that may be disturbing to the ghost of Jack Carson. Listener discretion is advised.

Bonus 14. Rollercoaster (1977): He’s Got Timmy Bottoms Eyes

Amusement parks may be off limits this summer, but at least we’ve got the disaster flick Rollercoaster (1977) to hold us over. Join us for this week’s bonus episode as we discuss George Segal’s tiny hat, Timothy Bottoms’ stinky bomber jacket, Richard Widmark’s Sophia Petrillo glasses, and Henry Fonda’s enviable late-in-life disaster movie cameo grift.

15. Holiday (1938): Not Caring is Cool

Today we’re taking a look at Holiday (1938), arguably the most understated of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn’s four films together. We discuss the early years and muses of playwright Philip Barry, Holiday‘s role in launching Hepburn’s career, her contentious but unwavering friendship with director George Cukor, and we finally have a legitimate reason to talk about Lew Ayres — plus Candice serves up another edition of her Puppet Corner and tackles the ultimate question: is it weird that Edward Everett Horton lived with his mom?

Bonus 13. Berlin Correspondent (1942): That’s Not His Natural Chomp

This week the Gruesome Twosome heads back to the ol’ Dana Andrews well for a research-free look at the World War II thriller Berlin Correspondent (1942). We discuss the film’s extremely poor attempts at emulating Foreign Correspondent (1940), the evolution of Hollywood’s approach to the war as it unfolded, Hans Gruber’s Super Cool Postage Stamp Emporium, and that time Dana’s adult braces fused his jaw shut.

This episode was recorded prior to the onset of protests against racism and police brutality across the United States and around the world. If you’re unsure how to help, a list of resources can be found here.