For the fourth installment and conclusion of the Fright Fest mini series, we take a look at "Scream" (1996), the horror film that changed the formula of the slasher genre. Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, "Scream" has a packed cast of Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, and Henry Winkler. Tune in as we discuss trivia, the typical rules of horror/slasher films, where the ghostaface...

George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) is the zombie film that started it all. Tune in as we discuss the story of how a group of inexperienced filmmakers were able to make one of the most important and influential horror movies of all time, discuss a lot of great trivia, and interesting story elements! Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan Hellmich Edited by Drew Hellmich Follow us on...

Directed by James Wan, "The Conjuring" (2013) is a paranormal horror film that stars Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, and Lili Taylor. Based on a true story, the film follows paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they work to help a family, the Perrons, who are being terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Tune in as we talk trivia, briefly comment on the original script, discuss and analyze the supposed facts of the true story, and more about this haunting...

"Idle Hands" is a goofy 1999 horror/comedy about a teenage slacker whose hand becomes possessed with murderous intent. Starring Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Jessica Alba, Elden Henson, and Vivica A. Fox, the film was not received well at the box office when it was released. Generally liked by the audience who has seen it, "Idle Hands" is regarded as an underrated product in the horror/comedy genre. Listen in to the first installation of the Fright Fest series as we compare and contrast the...

"The Waterboy" is a 1998 sports comedy that stars Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, and Henry Winkler about a 31 year old waterboy working for a Louisiana college football team, Bobby Boucher, who discovers he has an unreal tackling ability. Listed as the highest grossing sports comedy ever, it also held the record for the highest grossing sports film for a stretch of time until it was beaten. Listen in as we discuss a packed amount of interesting trivia, the whacky character arcs of main...

"Buried" (2010) is a low budget, claustrophobic inducing, limited location film that stars Ryan Reynolds about a man held for ransom in a buried coffin. Taking place entirely within the small space of a coffin, there's no movie like it. Listen in as we explain why this story defies the mainstream conventional screenplay formula, talk trivia, and more! Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan Hellmich Edited by Drew...

What would The Creeper want to take from you? "Jeepers Creepers" is a 2001 horror film that stars Justin Long and Gina Phillips about a brother and sister who are chased by an unrelenting creature in the isolated countryside that targets its victims in pursuit of valuable body parts in order to survive. Listen in as we mention what we think The Creeper would want (or wouldn't) from us, talk trivia, explain why the opening scene is effective, and discuss the original script ending. Created...

Written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, "Good Will Hunting" (1997) is an Oscar winning screenplay about a young M.I.T. janitor with an incredible gift for mathematics that needs direction in his life. Fellow movie lover and aspiring filmmaker Lucas Mumm joins to discuss this emotionally complex film as we tackle a lot of great trivia, a tactic Damon and Affleck used to make sure producers were reading their script, dissect the existential situation Will endures that all humans face in their...

What was your favorite toy when you were a kid? Pixar's Toy Story is a phenomenal animated film franchise that has been around since 1995. Their stories resonate with everyone, because everyone was once a kid. "Toy Story 4" (2019) has recently just come out, so we hit the theater for a movie review. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, the first segment is dedicated to no spoilers. The second segment however is filled with plot and character discussion about the new adventure in...

It's wedding szn. Starring and written by SNL star Kristen Wiig, "Bridesmaids" (2011) is a fantastic comedy about competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid over who is the bride's best friend. Filled with hilarious scenes and great characters, the script is also written very well and capitalizes on a great concept. Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan Hellmich Edited by Drew Hellmich Follow us on...

In this listener requested episode, we review the 1988 sci-fi/family film "Mac and Me." Identified as one of the worst movies ever made, it's also a blatant rip-off of Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). Listen as we make some predictions about the movie before watching it, learn which actress made an appearance as a background extra, discuss some major plot points, and hear our overall thoughts and analysis about this painful product placement filled disaster. Also,...

"It Follows" (2014) is a successful low-budget horror film about an unknown supernatural force that stalks its victims after a sexual encounter. Since its release it has garnered a lot of attention from viewers and critics alike, but is it really that good? Listen in as we discuss how director/writer David Robert Mitchell came up with idea for his ambiguous monster, quote some words from Quentin Tarantino's response to the film, talk about how we would outrun It, explore the depths of an...

Are you afraid of heights? "Cliffhanger" (1993) is a film starring Sylvester Stallone that blends action and extreme rock climbing. The original screenplay offers a high concept premise, but does it deliver as an overall film? Find out the reason why we chose to talk about this script, which record stunt was pulled off during its making, listen to some mediocre Stallone impersonations, and more! Plus, Drew shares something interesting... Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and...

With the recent release of the third installment of the action film franchise "John Wick" we decided to hit the theater for a review. Tune in to hear discussion of the film, some movie theater tips, and a few goofy stories of our experience. Don't worry if you haven't seen it yet, the first segment of the show is dedicated to no spoilers. Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan Hellmich Edited by Drew Hellmich Follow us...

AMC's "Breaking Bad" (2008 - 2013) is a television masterpiece. What would you do if you suddenly broke bad? We discuss what we would do (but not really), other actors who were considered to play the role of Walter White, why the character development for Walter's radical transformation is a key example of how to create fantastic and entertaining storytelling, and more! Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan...

Bust out your moon boots and cake on some ChapStick, gosh! "Napoleon Dynamite" (2004) is a bizarre comedy set in Idaho that stars Jon Heder. Listen as we attempt some (bad) character impressions of quotes we like, learn interesting trivia, talk about Napoleon's unique name, and discuss some deleted scenes. Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan Hellmich Edited by Drew Hellmich Follow us on...

John Carpenter's 1978 low-budget horror film "Halloween" that stars Jamie Lee Curtis is an important movie in cinema history to the horror genre. It was essentially the catalyst that led to the domino effect of all the 'slasher' movies that dominated the 80s. Learn a ton of trivia like how the script was originally titled "The Babysitter Murders", what real life experience lent Carpenter to create the character of Michael Myers, how the production team altered the mask of a Star Trek...

Directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986) is a goofy, entertaining, and unique action film about supernatural ancient Chinese sorcery in San Francisco Chinatown. In this first ever listener requested film review edition, we talk about the original writers of "Big Trouble in Little China" and what their Western type plot vision was, how the film is an inverse to the formula of most modern action stories, how the "Mortal Kombat" franchise drew...

Don't deny it. You know you watched and loved it when you were a kid. "Smart House" is a Disney Channel original sci-fi/comedy kids' movie that came out in 1999 about a family that wins an AI controlled house. Some movies for kids are effective in that they are able to be enjoyed and consumed by adults. "Smart House" however is not one of those movies. So join us for a nostalgia trip as we talk about the features of the Smart House and whether or not we believe they are a real...

You either love it or hate it. Starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, "Dumb and Dumber" (1994) is pure comedy. The Farrelly brothers utilize the fool archetype to their advantage with the characters of Lloyd and Harry, and excel at the comedic technique of perception. Find out what other actors were considered to play the roles of Lloyd and Harry, cut scenes we thought were hilarious, some brain busters, and more! Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced...

Come float with us as we discuss the 2017 smash hit "IT" based on Stephen King's 1986 novel. Find out what we think IT would take shape of if it were trying to scare us, and how King came up with the character Pennywise. Other topics include: a lot of good trivia, distinct differences in the screenplay (specifically how characters saw IT and the ending in the script), and more! Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan...

In today's film review edition episode, we discuss the 2019 Netflix original action movie "Triple Frontier" that stars Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal. Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan Hellmich Edited by Drew Hellmich Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screenplay_junkie/ Check out Bryan's music on SoundCloud here: https://soundcloud.com/pheelsmusic

"Predator" (1987), originally titled "Hunter," is more than just a bunch of macho dudes vs an alien warrior movie. Find out why as Matt provides loads of trivia that includes which martial arts star was originally supposed to play the Hunter/Predator, which two cast members had a bet over who had the largest biceps to win... a prize, and more. Drew explains why the structure of "Predator" is a unique and excellent way to tell an action/sci-fi story. And Bryan dishes out some of his 'Brain...

"Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (2004) is a star-studded comedy about news broadcasting in the 1970s. Headlined and written by Will Ferrell, the film went through many written drafts before being put on the big screen. In fact, the script we read actually makes up a full film with deleted scenes, "Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie." Listen in as we discuss major differences between the released film and deleted scenes version, and script. Plus, Drew has no idea what is going...

The Netflix original series "Stranger Things" is an homage to 80s horror/science-fiction entertainment. Did you know that the series title was originally called "Montauk?" Listen in as we discuss the Montauk title origin, loads of trivia, scenes that were cut out from the original script, and hear Bryan's episode-specific intro music! Created by Drew Hellmich Written by Drew, Matt, and Bryan Hellmich Produced by Drew Hellmich Music by Bryan Hellmich Edited by Drew Hellmich Check out Bryan's...