What's this? Two podcasts From The Basement in less than nine months? Has the world gone mad!?! No, but when past Basement guest Grace Victoria Patterson asked nicely if she could return to this fine podcast, Jason and Shawn -- agreeable sorts that they are -- said yes. Hence we have this new episode for your ear holes! Grace provides an update on her career, which has seen the cheerleader-turned-actress appear in no fewer than eight films plus a TV series, with more projects on the way. She and Jason talk all about this, plus some other stuff. What kind of stuff? Stick with us! And stay tuned, as The Basement Boys discuss a whole slew of movies and television, including the Netflix Jimmy Savile documentary, The Batman, the horror romp The Cellar and more! It's podcasting that's so awesome, you'll be awesomed out by its awesomeness! What are you waiting for? Push play and enjoy!

With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound, he pulls the spitting high tension wires down... just in time for the latest podcast... From The Basement! That's right, we enjoyed using those Blue Oyster Cult lyrics so much for the radio show, we decided to use them again for the podcast. Wanna fight about it? Didn't think so... But it is time, Constant Listener, for Jason and Shawn to do battle with the biggest movie of the pandemic so far: Godzilla vs. Kong! This film, from director Adam Wingard, is already chewing up and spitting out box-office dollars from around the globe, at home AND in theatres. Now Godzilla fan Jason, and Kong fan Shawn, weigh in. Do they deem the flick Good, Bad, or Ugly? Stick with us! And stay tuned, True Believer, as The Basement Boys put more than just one flick on the chopping block. Shawn caught up with the early Colin Farrell action movie S.W.A.T. plus Alita: Battle Angel. Meanwhile, Jason took on the thriller The Block Island Sound, the second ...

Horror anthologies can be hit and miss, especially when it comes to feature films. Sure, there's good ones like Creepshow... but there's also Creepshow 2, to name one of many subpar entries in this subgenre. The key to a good anthology is to have an engaging wrap-around story that ties everything together. And, if possible, have it connect to some of the stories being told. And if those stories can in some way connect to each other, even better.  Tonally, everything should tie together as well, even if the tales jump from straight-up horror to comedy, and get pretty "out there" at times. Ryan Spindell's The Mortuary Collection checks off every of the above boxes, telling a number of interconnected tales of terror that take place in the fictional town of Raven's End. At the centre of these stories are mortician Montgomery Dark (played by veteran character actor Clancy Brown) and his new employee, Sam, portrayed by the captivating Caitlin Custer. Sam and Dark sp...

Because the 80s were all about sequels, it makes sense we'd get one to the most comprehensive documentary on 80s horror ever made. Truth be told, I didn't think we would as, at more than four hours, In Search of Darkness covered a lot of ground, taking an in-depth look at the best decade of horror ever; one that was unconcerned with political correctness, didn't rely on CGI, and was just out to entertain... and shock and gross out. Not that the best horror doesn't have something to say, but the 80s films didn't forget what audiences were there for: entertainment, scares, gore and Female Chest Nudity. Damn, I love me that era of horror! I've watched In Search of Darkness twice, and I'm ready for a third go-round. In Search of Darkness II has released its first trailer, see above, and launched a pre-sale campaign that runs through Oct. 31. You can check it out now at 80shorrordoc.com . There's also the opportunity to go beyond the film and subscribe to a 1...

Scare Me is not the movie I expected it to be, and that's why I enjoyed it so much. Written and directed by co-star Josh Ruben, Scare Me is about two writers -- one successful, the other much less so -- who find themselves together at a cabin in the Catskills during a power outage. To pass the time, they tell each other scary stories. On the surface, this sounds like the premise for a horror anthology, and it is, but not in the usual way. Instead of cutting to a movie within a movie when the storytelling starts, we stick with Ruben and co-star Aya Cash, who act out the tales they're telling with some subtle, but effective, visual and audio tricks to help them along. Now, Scare Me isn't scary... at least for the most part. But it is a lot of fun to watch. Ruben and Cash are the movie, and its success is all on them. They provide lively, likable (even when their characters aren't), and plausible performances. Had they faltered, the movie would've fallen apart. They di...

The headline says it all; From The Basement returns to the mighty Radio NL 610 AM Kamloops this Friday for another season of radio that's so awesome, you'll be awesomed out by its awesomeness! And what have Jason and Shawn got for you this week? How about a whole bunch of catching up to do when it comes to what's worth watching at home, as the global pandemic keeps many folks out of the movie theatre. The Basement Boys review a slew of stuff, including Enola Holmes, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, the Netflix series Ratched, and the new Shudder entry Scare Me. PLUS they welcome back Mike S, who begins a series of horror reviews that tie into the Halloween Day by Day festivities here on the website. Add a guest appearance by Dusan Magdolen of the Kamloops Film Society, for an update on what's going on at the local Paramount Theatre through October, and you've got yourself a radio show. You get to hear it all starting at 6:05 in the P.M. this Friday, Oct. 9, and only on...

Host is one of those great scary movies that come out of nowhere and completely win you over, much like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity before it. In fact, Rob Savage's lean, mean, scare machine is being compared to those genre classics, and rightly so. Set entirely during a Zoom chat in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Host is about a group of friends who decide to hold an online seance during their weekly call. Naturally, things go horribly wrong. Now, we know going in that something is going to go wrong, but Savage and his capable cast hold our interest from moment one, and there is an instant feeling of dread that never goes away. In fact, it builds and builds to a frightening climax that, although not unexpected, is pure gangbusters.  It helps the film is a scant 56 minutes -- not much longer than an average Zoom call on a free account -- and not a moment of that time is wasted. We get to know the characters through their interactions, and...

I feel like there's a lot of untapped story potential in folklore. The Dead Lands Season 1 comes close to realizing that potential. It's essentially an ancient Maori twist on the zombie series; the zombies being more restless souls than virus carriers. The whole story has a spiritual bent to it, and pulls from the lore of the time. Its strongest aspect is that ancient setting, with other aspects being average by comparison. If this series had a little more time in the oven, it could have been something great. Most aspects just need some polish and refining. The characters are decent, with them being fairly fleshed out, but slightly inconsistent at times. The script too is on the right track, but has some odd pacing and a few too many useless scenes. The overall direction is competent, but lacks the dramatic flavour the lore calls for. All in all, a pretty good show, just not as good as it could be. I'd still call this one a Good though. Definitely check it out whe...

The streaming site Shudder is where it's at when it comes to all-things horror. Haven't subscribed yet? Get on it! Now they're ready to take things up a notch, as their action/horror hybrid series The Dead Lands will make the leap to Digital HD next month. Co-directed by Peter Meteherangi Tikao Burger and Michael Hurst, The Dead Lands follows Waka, a murdered Maori warrior returned from the afterlife, and Mehe, a determined young woman, as they embark on a quest to fnd out who "broke the world," and how to close the breach between the living and the dead. Check out the trailer: The Dead Lands stars Te Kohe Tuhaka and Darneen Christian, and it hits Digital HD June 8 by way of Shudder and RLJE Films. Looks slick, so we'll check it out! Source: Shudder

The first season of Shudder's docu-series wraps up with two tragedy laden films, The Crow and Twilight Zone: The Movie -- a one-two punch that proves surprisingly emotional. The Crow claimed the life of Brandon Lee, prompting rumours of a family curse against the males in the Lee family. Brandon's dad is, of course, the great Bruce Lee, who died young himself. Veteran actor Vic Morrow died on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie, along with two young children Morrow shared a scene with. Filmmaker Jay Cheel explores how death prompts people to look for reasons behind it, which is where rumours of a curse were born. However, he reveals through interviews with filmmakers, special-effects artists, and stunt people that Lee and Murrow died from tragic accidents prompted by negligence and ego. Sad, but true. The episodes work best when they focus on the impact Lee's passing had on his friends and colleagues, and when Cheel explores how accidents like the one that killed ...

Shudder dropped the second and third episodes of their new docu-series Cursed Films late last week. And, like the first, these episodes explore the notorious stories behind high-profile Hollywood horror hits. The second episode has filmmaker Jay Cheel digging into the alleged Satanic goings on behind The Omen. Through interviews with director Richard Donner and producer Mace Neufeld, as well as discussions with scholars, skeptics, and even a practitioner of black magic, he explores whether or not the film was targeted by Satan. Much like the subject of the third episode, Poltergeist, there were a number of deaths, accidents and "near misses" associated with The Omen's cast and crew; to the point where a real-life death mirrored the classic beheading sequence. Was this the work of the Devil? Or mere coincidence? Cheel leans toward coincidence, which is also the opinion of Donner and Neufeld. The episode leaves us with the thought that we find what we look for. If w...

People are fascinated by the filmmaking process, which I find interesting because, having been involved in the making of a few films, it's more frustrating than interesting. But there are some movies with truly storied histories, and Shudder's new five-part documentary series looks at the urban legends surrounding some popular horror movies. The series kicks off with The Exorcist, a movie alleged to have caused audiences to faint, lured demons into movie theatres, and even had a murderer among the crew. Director Jay Cheel approaches the subject with an open mind, and includes interviews with cast members Linda Blair and her demonic counterpart, Eileen Dietz. He also talks with journalists, historians, and a real-life exorcist about The Exorcist, it's cultural impact, and the stories that surround it. I appreciate how Cheel isn't interested in rumours, but in getting to the facts as best he can. We learn Exorcist director William Friedkin could be a real jerk t...

Sure, we're all shut in right now, but that doesn't mean there isn't something to celebrate. What's worth celebrating, you ask? April is a week away, and do you know what April represents? Six months to Halloween, bitches! And the fine folks at Shudder are taking this six-months-to-Halloween thing seriously, as they've got a number of gruesome goodies on deck for April to celebrate with Halfway to Halloween Month! Check it: -the premiere of a new Shudder Original Series, Cursed Films. This a five-part documentary exploring myths and legends behind some of Hollywood's notoriously cursed horror movies like The Omen and The Crow -an all-new season of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, with a weekly hosted double feature streamed live on ShudderTV -the long-awaited second season of the hit Australian series Wolf Creek -the Friday the 13th collection: including the first eight movies in the franchise -the return of Shudder's Halloween Hotlin...

Australia has its fair share of genre flicks. Some quite good -- Wolf Creek, Rogue -- while others are just so-so... which brings me to recent offering The Marshes. The Marshes just turned up on Shudder, and while it's decent enough late-night fare, it certainly doesn't offer anything fresh or exciting. On the one hand, it's suggested this is an eco-horror movie about microbiologists trapped in an almost In the Tall Grass scenario. On the other, it's a backwoods slasher filled with graphic violence. But it never embraces either trope. Which isn't to say the movie doesn't have its moments. The final 20 minutes are pretty solid and suspenseful. There is a slasher/killer called The Swagman, which is based on an Australian legend. He may just be a psycho, but he does have supernatural elements to him as well. This is the aspect of the story I enjoyed the most. Less effective is the eco-horror angle, which isn't developed enough to be all that interesting...

The first season of Shudder's Creepshow comes a close with a creature-double feature... or is it double-creature feature? Feature-double creature? Whatever... just go with the flow. The first tale, Skincrawlers, is a fun and gory commentary on our obsession with weight loss and body image, and the price we're willing to pay for it; especially those who don't want to put any real effort in. Someone has found a leech that only sucks the fat out of your body with no side effects. If you think it sounds too good to be true, you're right. And if you want to see a blood-splattered conclusion, then this is the Creepshow vignette for you! I had a lot of fun with this one, and found myself laughing and clapping my hands with glee more than a few times. Kudos to co-writer Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series) for this one. The final anecdote, By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain, is directed by effects legend Tom Savini, and based on a Joe Hill short story. It's ...

The fifth episode of Shudder's horror anthology Creepshow tackles a difficult task with ease; taking the classic story The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs and breathing new life into it. Wonderfully directed by John Harrison, who at times makes this look like a comic book come to vivid life, and acted to perfection by the always reliable Bruce Davison, Night of the Paw re-invents Jacobs' tale while paying respect to the source material. We get the wishes, we get the horrible consequences of them, and we get the twists and turns we expect from a Creepshow story. We also get the talented, and beautiful, Hannah Barefoot as a mysterious assassin. She plays a key role in how Night of the Paw plays out. Her back and forth with Davison is a big part of the story's success. We dig both these characters, and they play off each other well. I also like how the majority of this episode's running time is dedicated to Night of the Paw, giving the story the duration it needs t...

I've come to enjoy my late-night Thursday viewings of Shudder's Creepshow. It's something I look forward to every week, in much the same way I anticipated my weekly watches of The A-Team or Knight Rider as a boy. Yes, that's supposed to be a compliment. Shawn and I have some things to say about that on our upcoming podcast, by the way. The latest Creepshow episode offers one groovy story, and one that's not so groovy. As with any anthology, you gotta take the good with the bad. It's the nature of the beast. The Companion is my preferred story. It's an old-school tale about a boy combating a bully, and finding an unlikely ally in a monstrous scarecrow. Being a creature-feature fan, I was all over this one. The practical effects, lean script -- this is based on a Joe R. Lansdale story -- and tight direction make this a fun romp. And it ends exactly how I wanted it to. Stoked! As for Lydia Layne's Better Half... well, it wasn't the better half...

The third episode of Shudder's Creepshow revival offers one of the best examples of short-film storytelling I've ever seen. There, I'm getting into things right out the gate, because All Hallows Eve is damn fine. Damn fine, indeed. Instead of fearing for the kids who are out trick or treating, we're supposed to be scared of them. Or at least those who answer the door are. And with good reason too, as we quickly find out. This is a poignant tale, well told and acted. And it oozes everything us Halloween-loving folk enjoy about the holiday; the colours, the decorations, the mood, and atmosphere. It's on glorious display here. And even though I saw the ending coming, I was 100-per-cent satisfied with how the story played out. Well done, team! The Man in the Suitcase is also good, but not great. It does fit the Creepshow/EC Comics mold of mixing dark comedy and creepy storytelling, with a moral at the end of the story. I got it. It works. But, after the genius o...

Shudder's reinvention of the Stephen King/George A. Romero classic rockets along with this second episode. There's two more ghoulish stories of terror that fit well within the franchise's wheelhouse, mixing gore and camp in equal measure. The episode kicks off with Bad Wolf Rising, which is a werewolf tale set in World War 2. Here Allied soldiers are trapped in a jailhouse by Nazis. And they're not alone as inside is a woman who may be a... well, I'm sure you've figured it out by now. A lot is packed into this 20-minute tale. Maybe a little too much, but it's still a fun story with ample character development and a conclusion that had me smiling. And yes, that's genre vet Jeffrey Combs as the Nazi commander. The second vignette has to be my favourite of the bunch so far. The Finger is written by splatterpunk guru David J. Schow, and tells the sad story of a man who befriends a little monster. This monster does what any loyal pet would do -- it ki...

Horror fans rejoice! The classic horror comics of the 1950s have returned to the screen with this latest incarnation of Creepshow, one that captures not on the stylings and ghoulish fun of the original comic book, but the vibe of George A. Romero's 80s adaptation as well. We'll forget about Creepshow 2, for the record. Big thanks to streaming service Shudder for bringing Creepshow back, and loading it with talent like Greg Nicotero and genre vets Adrianne Barbeau and Tobin Bell. And they've embraced the practical effects of Rob Bottin and Tom Savini as well. I'm not going to insult fans by explaining who these people are, but if you're a Millennial and have no clue, Google is your friend. The first episode launches with a vintage Stephen King story called Gray Matter about a dad who undergoes a startling -- and gooey -- transformation. It's pure 80s gunk and gore, and I loved it. There's also a welcome camp vibe that fits right in with Romero's...