PODCAST

Well-Adjusted Horror

Johnathon Williams and Levi Horne

Life is scary. Let"s talk horror.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

00:41:21

Our Favorite Rom-Com (Midsommar)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/06/21

This week finds the boys pondering the intricacies of modern romance with 2019's Midsommar. When does being a bad boyfriend justify being drugged, stuffed inside a dead bear, and burned alive, after the most awkward intimate encounter of your life? Is the burden of magical thinking and the surrender of reason worth the elimination of anxiety and loneliness? Are psychedelics really that much more potent in the Swedish hills? Alternate title: Theses rhymes with feces.

00:40:10

Orifices and Space Travel (Event Horizon)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/06/18

This week finds the boys inventing words as they try to understand the ship design in their favorite horror-in-space flick from the 90s, Event Horizon. Sam Neil plays a demented physicist, so a fair amount of time is spent discussing their man crush. Johnathon wants to know why there are no interior decorators in space. Levi goes full Lovecraft (again).Topics covered: math as demonology, latin as bad news, and what's up with the recent UFO discussions in the mainstream media?

00:45:07

Run, Fool! (The People Under the Stairs)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/06/11

Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs (1991) was woke before woke was a thing -- but in a good way. The boys contemplate what we mean when we say something is woke, punching up versus punching down, context versus subject, and proper hunting attire. If you thought Pulp Fiction had a lock on creepy dudes in a leather gimp suit, think again. Discussion of the movie's hero leads to a deep dive on the causes of procrastination and why we so often put off the things that are most important to our

00:48:43

Stabby Little Arms (Saint Maud)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/05/31

This week's topic is Saint Maud (2019), and the boys have nothing but praise. It's a feast of religious mania, horribly awkward eroticism, and the best final second of any movie in recent memory. When William Blake's paintings show up in a horror movie, you know things are about to go south in a hurry.Watch Saint Maud on Amazon Prime.

00:50:27

Missing Justin Long (Drag Me to Hell)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/05/20

This week the boys try a deep dive on Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell (2009) but quickly bang their heads on the shallow end of the pool. An effort to avoid cursing leads to mixed results (and a lot of bleeps). As always, they have questions. Is proportionality required for a movie to qualify as a morality play? Can horror movies use the trope of supernaturalism in other cultures as a source of mystique without being demeaning? Would Justin Long want to be Johnathon and Levi's best friend?

00:46:33

Thank God for Mississippi (The Beast Within)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/05/03

This one gets awkward in a hurry. This week the boys start with The Beast Within (1982) but quickly take a detour to the horrors of puberty. Topics discussed: the stark difference between depictions of violence in the recent past versus modern day, nostalgia's role in determining what we love, the use of birth control in special effects, and Levi's love for The Magnolia State.

01:19:53

Always Follow Protocol (Alien)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/04/26

Is there a better horror / science fiction crossover than Ridley Scott's Alien? The boys don't think so. This week they're joined by two special guests to discuss the making of a masterpiece, why prequels almost always suck, and the wonder that is Sigourney Weaver. If you find yourself in the mood for a perfect cocktail to accompany your listening, check out this special episode from Griffith Goods and Spirits. They don't call it the chest burster for nothing.

00:51:23

You can't go wrong with an eyepatch (Gojira)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/04/19

If you think Godzilla's legacy is nothing more than silly movies featuring men in rubber suits stomping on model trains, then this week's episode is for you. An examination of 1954's Gojira finds the boys exploring some unexpectedly dark ruminations on technology and history — and humanity's tendency to get confused about both. Levi defends Godzilla's place as the most iconic of all movie monsters, while Johnathon wonders if and when we'll ever account for all the losses of the COVID years. Also,

00:53:56

Size matters not (Children of the Corn)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/04/02

Corn fields are creepy, and little kids are creepier still. The boys try to understand why short stories make better movie adaptations than novels. Levi shares his exhaustive list of horror shorts, and Johnathon confesses why dogs creep him out when they poop. Also, whatever you do, don't get a degree in the humanities. Levi's list of recommended horror stories:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XBQmakZnZC8fdTrYos6AQOMEWP4y5umQN5HzZpGCnj4/edit?usp=sharing

00:52:56

Nice reality you've got there (In the Mouth of Madness)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/03/13

This week the boys crush on Sam Neil and discuss what makes a good pseudonym, all while covering the third movie in John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy, In the Mouth of Madness (1994). Levi defends the art of the downer ending in horror films. Johnathon throws some side eye at eco nihilism and fashionable misanthropy. And there's a healthy side tangent on everyone's favorite Carpathian from the Ghost Busters franchise.

00:42:00

What's a B movie? (Yellow Brick Road)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/03/06

This week finds the boys arguing over definitions, specifically the definition of a B movie. What makes a B movie? Is it the cast? The budget? Does our movie this week qualify? Levi says yes, while Johnathon isn't so sure. Everyone loves a lost colony mystery, which leads to a brief discussion of the Roanoke investigation. Trigger warning: sports metaphors.

00:43:52

Fish people are stealing our jobs! (Dagon)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/02/24

What do you get when you combine xenophobia, an unrelenting atmosphere of dread, and fish people? An HP Lovecraft story, that’s what. This week the boys tackle Johnathon’s favorite Lovecraft adaptation for the screen, 1991’s Dagon. Levi doesn't want to cloud the episode with Lovecraft's personal life, so of course Johnathon brings it up immediately. Also, tentacles.

00:54:50

Art versus the artist (The House That Jack Built)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/02/20

This week's movie is a litmus test for fans of horror. The House That Jack Built is a characteristically bitter piece of visual candy from Lars Von Trier, and oh do the boys have questions. Is interpreting art through the identity of the artist valid criticism or fashionable nonsense? Should viewers care whether artists are virtuous people? Are serial killers interesting? And is it okay to laugh while cringing?

00:57:39

Carpet on the toilet seat (Critters)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/02/09

This week the boys discuss the possibility of life in outer space, the wonders of Dee Wallace's filmography, the lack of adult supervision that kids enjoyed in the 80s, and why carpet on the toilet is always a bad idea. Also, don't give Levi a radio telescope, because he will unilaterally call the aliens.

01:01:50

Welcome to the wilderness (The Witch)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2021/01/20

Less than a week after the U.S. Capitol was stormed, the boys discuss irrational beliefs, the terror of the wilderness, the power of words, the ickyness of Puritans, and, oh yeah, Robert Eggers' The Witch

01:16:17

A mannequin filled with jelly (Maximum Overdrive)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2020/12/31

We can't wait to see 2020 end. But before it goes, we take a long look at Stephen King's first and only directorial effort, Maximum Overdrive. Easter eggs abound in the casting, as well as in the lore surrounding the drug-fueled production. In a movie filled with memorable deaths, we each pick a favorite. Finally, we discussed what each of us learned during 2020. Pop a bottle of champagne with us. And thanks for listening.

00:40:57

Stimulus? Humbug! (A Christmas Carol)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2020/12/23

It's the end of the year and the boys have nothing but questions. Is A Christmas Carol a proper horror story? Was George C. Scott capable of portraying joy? Which three actors would portray our Xmas ghosts? Are people capable of genuine spiritual transformation?

00:43:18

A sorority house, not a convent (Black Christmas)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2020/12/09

What do you get when you combine a lunatic hiding in the attic of a sorority house with mean girls and drinking? 1974's Black Christmas, that's what. The boys lament that it took them so long to recognize this as the mother of all slasher films and consider how different it is from later entries in the genre.This one has it all: John Saxon as the archetypal police detective, Margot Kidder before she was Lois Lane, a sorority house mom with a drinking problem, and the first-ever instance of the

00:38:26

The darkest time of the year (Silent Night, Deadly...

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2020/12/01

The boys look at one of their very favorite seasonal disasters, 1984's Silent Night, Deadly Night. This one has it all: holiday murder sprees, horrible nuns, a demented grandfather, and a toy store with a selection to (literally) die for.Levi bemoans the loss of innocence when belief in Santa wanes. Johnathon wants more Linnea Quiqley. Also, Xmas is quite literally the darkest time of the year from our recording latitude. Science!

00:48:50

50 Shades of Witch (Season of the Witch/Martin)

Well-Adjusted Horror ·

2020/11/22

When he wasn't single-handedly creating the zombie genre, George Romero made his mark on just about every other corner of the horror filmverse. This week, the boys look at Season of the Witch and Martin. The first is a film ostensibly about a 70s housewife finding liberation through witchcraft and mariticide; the second is one of the most original and disturbing takes on vampirism you'll ever see.Also discussed: do a person's political leanings / ideology affect their reaction to horror stories? Hat

90 results

Well-Adjusted Horror

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

David Yontef

Nerd Culture - A Gamekings Podcast

Blammo Media

UPodcast

UPodcast

The Writers Hangout

Sandy Adomaitis

The Sarah Fraser Show

Sarah Fraser