Episodes
TJ taught Chris how many subgenres there are in horror and Chris subsequently blacked out. Can Wicker Man be a genre? Sure, why not. This movie is no Wicker Man but that isn't a bad thing. TJ loved this film and is a huge fan of director Gareth Evans style especially when it comes to action scenes. He gave the movie a 8.5 while Chris gave it a not-so-shabby 6.1 for the cinematography & casting of Michael Sheen. He claims he was falling asleep during the film due to boredom, but we suspect...
Published 09/30/23
It's hard to wrap our heads around 2 YouTube bros (literal brothers actually) that churned out one of the best horror films of the year. The atmosphere is dense and dark and the writing is intelligent. At no point do the writers think that the audience is too dumb to read between the lines. We appreciate when writers think we're smarter than we are! Hats off to the Australian twosome that made widely accessible horror flick feel cult-like. Do us a favor and don't make a sequel because it's...
Published 09/25/23
We love a good movie poster and the Invisible Man look-a-like stopped us dead in our tracks. This Spanish feature film by Nacho Vigalondo is not your typical time loop movie that chases its own tail. It's also not really scary enough to be called a horror, but if you could place yourself in the main character's shoes, you'd probably sh*t your pantalones. High scores all around!
Published 09/14/23
There's nothing more American than immediately trying to capitalize off the success of one viral hit and then make 20 more just like it. We're not sure where this falls in the V/H/S cinematic universe but it doesn't really matter. It's crap. Low scores for nearly every episode in this flick.
Published 09/09/23
Joseph and Vanessa Winter, the directing team behind Deadstream and V/H/S 99, successfully pulled off one of the hardest feats for any horror movie...a comedy that was actually funny, clever, and a bit scary. The concept on paper is pretty rock solid and does a good job at poking fun of social media influencer culture. High scores from both TJ and Chris of this Shudder Exclusive.
Published 09/01/23
Chris hadn't even heard of this 80s slasher until TJ recommended it for the podcast. While there are certainly triggering elements to this film involving gratuitous nudity and sexual assault, this can and should be considered a slasher classic. It has all the elements you do love like awkward dialogue, overacting, campy practical effects, and a burn victim turned killer named Cropsy. Also, it's the first film appearance by Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Holly Hunter (Raising Arizona) and Fisher...
Published 08/17/23
Director extraordinaire, Takashi Miike, makes the prototype for what horror movies should be. Like TJ said, "there is no fat to trim on this movie." Every character serves a specific purpose and has a cause and effect for the way this movie progresses. It's deeply disturbing and ahead of its time in some way, including how it addresses misogynistic, incel culture. This is pretty close to a 10 in both of our horror books.
Published 08/04/23
Remember that VHS that was hidden in the back of your closet because you were afraid your parents might watch it and think they need to send you to therapy? This is that movie. But, if I'm getting sent to therapy I want it to be for a decent movie, not this garbage pile of Mylar magnetic tape that someone passed off as a film. We couldn't hate this movie more. It definitely took its toll on TJ and Chris' friendship. Will they ever recover from this? Only time will tell.
Published 07/28/23
Artsy fartsy, visually appealing, confusing at times, funny character names like Mouth of Gold...all reasons FOR SOME to watch this film. This was a giant "Meh" from TJ and I. Very graphic sexual violence paired with a boy with a bird claw may be appealing to our listeners, but this sort of fell flat for the sole reason that the most likeable character, Archibald, wasn't in the movie enough and it was placed in actress Vanessa Paradis' lap to carry it across the finish line. Whether she did...
Published 07/22/23
You just can't fit this masterpiece into a genre box. It simply won't fit. Writer/director, Ben Wheatley, created a genre bending thriller that will please just about anyone that is remotely into horror, suspense, and psychological thrillers. Just when you think you have this movie all figured out, another curveball comes right at you! TJ absolutely loves this movie and Chris highly recommends. The movie title sucks though. Oh well, nothing is perfect! And please don't compare it to Wicker...
Published 07/11/23
Hey, everyone! It's John Wayne Gacy in a tracksuit! Except this serial killer doesn't discriminate when it comes to slaughtering children. He's very progressive in that way. In all "seriousness" this 2015 horror brought to you by director Sean Byrne of The Loved Ones fame doesn't hit the bullseye, but it's still on the board. As TJ famously says, "I'm not sure what's worse, giving it 1 star or 5 stars, because at least you'll remember a 1 star movie for how bad it is."
Published 06/29/23
All hail the new old king of campy horror, Shinichi Fukazawa! He's not a household name but should be for any fan of the horror genre. This movie never takes itself too seriously and quite literally takes notes from the pages of Evil Dead, Army of Darkness and Brain Dead. With a run time of 63 minutes it's a crowd pleaser that makes you wish you had more. The only movie that could possibly top this would be a behind-the-scenes documentary about how it was made. Fun fact: It was shot over the...
Published 06/23/23
What is a show without conflict? What is pudding without tapioca? Answer: a waste of your time and taste buds. TJ and Chris transverse this complicated topic along the latest episode of Dead Air Horror Review with the release of the much anticipated Evil Dead Rise. While they could easily agree that the Evil Dead remake of 2013 was a diarrhea filled porta-potty of a mess, this current film in the Evil Dead franchise delivered...more for some than others. What we both can agree on is that...
Published 06/18/23
TJ gave it a lower rating b/c of cat violence. Chris gave it a lower rating b/c of the ending. Guess what, it was still probably the highest score we've give out yet over the course of this season. A must watch! It's Norwegian so you're going to have to read subtitles, but don't let that deter you. We know you can do it!
Published 06/09/23
Have you ever stared at baked potato in the oven until it was so overcooked that it was a shriveled black mass? Neither have we but it would have been more entertaining than this slop job of a horror flick. Everything was wrong with this movie. Everything! You know it's bad when even Jenna Ortega has a poor performance. We don't blame the future Queen of horror for this flop; she was handed trash and was told it was a script.
Published 05/27/23
Justin Long wasn't funny, but you know what was? That 8ft tall incest mutant that yearned for a baby to take care of! Comedy gold brought to you by director and former Whitest Kid You Know, Zach Cregger. Barbarian is essentially 2 movies in one: the first 20 minutes becomes a real "Ooooh, what's gonna happen next" nail-biter and everything after that is "Okay this is pretty entertaining, I'll stick it out for that silly monster thing." Mixed reviews for Barbarian by hosts TJ and Chris.
Published 05/18/23
Someone told TJ he should watch Australian horror flick, The Loved Ones, because it's Texas Chainsaw Massacre set at a high school prom. Intrigued but skeptical, we gave it a shot in this week's review! Come for the review, stay for TJ's Australian accent.
Published 05/15/23
What is especially frustrating about this horror flick is that the gore and visuals are top-notch, but the storyline fell of the back of a truck heading nowhere. This directorial debut from Fede Álvarez isn't a sleeper, but it doesn't deliver the goods. Also, it makes no sense as a sequel to the original.
Published 05/04/23
Isn't it disappointing when people you know and trust recommend a movie that they swear you'll love and after you finally get around to watching it IT'S TOTALLY BORING? Well, that didn't necessarily happen this week. We need to be more careful about whom we trust with horror recommendations especially if they have historically bad taste. A great cast in this date night horror flick but its "blink too quick and you'll miss it" jump scares leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths.
Published 04/28/23
This Taiwanese found footage thriller is flat-out good. Don't sleep on this one! Yes, you'll have to read the subtitles but you can show off to all of your friends how smart you are.
Published 04/20/23
What do you get when you cross a movie with a weak storyline with an anthropomorphic bear and pig? Well, you get a horror version of your beloved children's book, Winnie the Pooh, that is now part of the public domain. Get ready for this trend of children's books that hit the public domain to be "horrorized" every damn chance they get. "They" meaning creators who want to cash on a premise they think people will enjoy or at least watch. How about Bearenstained With Blood Bears? The Human Flesh...
Published 04/12/23
Ti West directs this homage to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Let's just say it's as close to a real horror as Leatherface's mask is to a real face. Starring a stellar Mia Goth and featuring Jenna Ortega.
Published 03/30/23
Not to be confused with The Watcher on Netflix, this Shudder original titled simply, Watcher, really hits on all cylinders. That acting is excellent as well as the dialogue. No cheese, no cringe, no Naomi Watts.
Published 03/24/23
Director Alexandre Aja created a French Extreme masterpiece with this sordid tale of 2 out-of-sync friends. It delivers on its "promise" of High Tension with the blood and gore that has become synonymous with the horror subgenre.
Published 03/16/23
If you love Halloween movies like we do, you’ll be satisfied with the Trilogy…well, depending on who you ask. Also, this episode marks the 2nd time in 2 episodes that we butcher the director’s name. We’re on a roll.
Published 03/10/23