August 25, 2025 • 44 mins
Weapons is a twisted horror mystery from Barbarian director Zach Cregger. Told through multiple characters, the story unravels a dark secret and we meet the unforgettable Gladys. With creepy vibes, great performances, and a wild ending, it’s one of the year’s most talked-about horror films and we could not wait to talk about it!
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You can find more from us and our other shows at https://www.strandedpanda.com/
Join us on Patreon for some extra scary fun!
patreon.com/BillandAshTerrorTheater
@BATTpod on twitter
BillBria@billbriahttps://crookedmarquee.com/author/bill-bria/
https://www.slashfilm.com/author/billbria/
https://billbria.contently.com/billandashterrortheater@gmail.com
billandashterrortheater@instagram.com
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You can find more from us and our other shows at https://www.strandedpanda.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Welcome to another horrifying special review episode of Bill and
Ashley's Terror Theater on the Marquee. This week is twenty
twenty five's Weapons. Join us right after we get back
from removing all the forks in the house. All that
after these ads we have no control over.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Welcome back.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I'm Ashley Coffin, joined as always by my co host
and Terror Bill Bria, Bill Darling.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
How are we this evening?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Ooh, I'm pretty good this evening, ash and Oh fuck Willow,
Oh fuck Willow on DVD, Willow on DVD liston.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
They would have found that on myles.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I was like, you guys, ten points showing your kids
the right stuff.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
But so before we jump into the movie, we have
an announcement.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
We have started a Patreon.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
It's our official trumpet song.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
But yeah, no, we're very excited to announce that we
have the official Bill and Ashley's tearor Theater Patreon, which
we already have some members.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
So thank you so much. To thank you so much,
and come join us.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
If you come to any of our socials on Facebook
or Instagram or Twitter, you should find a link to
join that somewhere in our feeds.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
So please do.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
We'll probably repost it every now and again too, so
don't worry if you don't see it right away, but
it's there as of now.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
It has every episode ad free that we've ever done,
so immediately you'll get seventy ad free episodes plus where
we're creeping up to our hundreds and we're going to
do fun little videos, movie reviews, you know, episodes.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
We can even probably do polls on there. I don't know.
I'm new to the Patreon world, but we're still going
to learn. Yeah to see you know.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
What we're going to do and what we plan on
doing is we have a an exclusive, one of a
kind Bill and Ashley's Terror Theater T shirt designed by Ken.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Let me let me just interrupt you to say this
T shirt is legit. I you know I have discerning tastes.
I'm not going to mince words, you know when I
see something. So I was not going to let this
tea shirt go out if it was crap. But let
me tell you, Ken's done a fantastic job and it's beautiful.
I personally can't wait to have one of my own.
I don't know if I'll get one, but I would
say I would just say like I'd be proud to
(02:40):
wear it, so hopefully you will too.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
We rush to do it because I'm going to be
just debuting it at Dragon Con, so stay tuned for that,
and patrons will get pictures of that before everybody else.
And after the first thirty days since our patron's been launched,
we're going to pick a random winner to get the
T shirt.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Ye yay, it could be you could be anyone.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Yeah, so yeah, join us over there and we're going
to grow it. We have a lot of fun plans
that we're not going to discuss now because that would
take away the mystery of what we're going to do.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Yeah, you want some surprises, but certainly it is.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It is our announcement to you, you folks who are
listening to this, that not only do we appreciate you greatly,
but that we intend to stick around for a while.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I'm very happy me too.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
All right with that, we're going to take a quick
break and we'll be right back with our feature film.
And we're back with our feature film.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Okay. So Weapons is a film by Zach Krieger. Did
I say it right? Gregor Greger?
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Honestly, he's been doing a really good job with his storytelling.
His film Barbarian was fantastic companion. I thought it was
a better story than a film, but I still thought
it was okay. It was a fun watch. This is
a super original take on the classic idea of the
old witch, Like, yeah, I don't. I was so surprised,
(04:06):
but also was kind of mad at myself for not
seeing the writing on the car.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
If you will.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, that's a verg important point because it's something that
really cayed me into loving the movie as I do now,
because the first time I watched it, I wasn't sure.
I was coming away from it thinking, oh wow, there
was so much about that I really enjoyed and I
was laughing so much and blah blah blah, but I
felt like I hadn't locked in yet. I haven't found
(04:34):
my way into like what I enjoy about it, or
does it make sense to me and all that sort
of stuff. And when I remembered the witch written on
Justine I think her name is Julia Garner's car, which
you know, her character's segment is the first, really the
first real segment of the movie, so it's early in
the film. I instantly was like, oh, how what a
(04:57):
fun you know, foreshadowing and reference and all that, But
then it really clued me into being like, oh no,
he's actually like telegraphing to the audience what the answer
to the mystery is very early on in a way
that's very playful and very subversive. And there's so much
to discuss about this movie, but I think my favorite
aspect of it is the way in which it plays
(05:19):
around with expectations and still keeps that playing around on theme,
which is, you know, this movie, as Craiger has been
very vocal about in the press recently, is primarily inspired
by his loss of his friend and creative partner Trevor Moore,
who was part of the Whitest Kids, you know, the
comedy troupe that they were oh yeah for years and years.
(05:41):
And you know, Craiger's been vocal about he hasn't really
named you know, Trevor by name because he doesn't want
to bring up the trauma again necessarily, but he is
being honest and saying, you know, this is what he
wrote immediately after that event happened a couple of years ago,
to try and help himself process it and get through it.
And you know, this is a movie, not a just grief,
but just about this event that happens to a small
(06:03):
community that is so undefinable and mysterious that just the
fact that it happens at all is traumatic enough to
be like, you know, why is this happening, Who's doing it?
For what reason? What possibly could have you know, caused this,
you know to happen? So and so forth. And I
really respond to how even the answers aren't enough of
(06:24):
a of a fully realized Catharsis to let you let
go of it, you know, and and and you know,
we'll obviously talk about more about the movie and the
ending of the movie, but like even the ending isn't
so succinct enough to be like, and everybody went back
to normal, It was fine, everybody's happy now, you know.
It's sort of that lingering like we're never going to
forget this event. We're never going to forget this this incident.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
You know. Yeah, Well, if there's anything I'm here for,
it's a witchcraft story. And this one is fantastic because
you don't know that's what it is.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
We just said there are the telltale signs, which was
one the witch being written on Justine scarr for you
to piece together, but there were like symbols around or
poppits under the bed.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Though.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
I will say the second I saw Amy Madigan in Purple,
I was like witch, you know, Like that's when I
was like, oh, it's a witch. And I do want
to point out at the top, justin Long survived a
horror movie.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
He was kind of becoming the Sean Bean of horror movies.
And I'd like to say he just got through it.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah bye, by barely being in it. But that's fine plot.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
But plat oh, okay, okay, plot just for people who
might not have seen this yet. When all but one
child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same
night at exactly the same time, a community is left
questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
So like classroom was it was what like eighteen.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Kids, seventeen seventeen Yeah, back to you, but it was
it would be eighteen with Alex I think, right, oh, okay, yeah,
I think it's seventeen missing, but eighteen in the class.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
So I think there's a couple other signs than just
the witch on the on the side of the car.
There's also the fact that we keep seeing the symbology
of the triangle. That's right in the first title card.
You see the triangle within the of weapons, and it's yeah,
it's on the bell, and you have a big triangle
at the end credits and sort of things.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
So it does. It's a it's a movie that does
play f You're just gonna stop you.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
You said the symbols throughout the movie are a triangle
in the beginning and then at the end credits, and
not throughout the movie besides the.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Belle out here. I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
What I'm trying to say is that it is my
ultimate point is not necessarily Oh there's so many signs
you can put together. You're right, there's not, but it is.
But it is something that is solid in terms of
it's not a u a super ambiguous horror film where
there's so many different moving parts. It's not let's be honest,
it's not bring Her Back, because even this movie has
(08:44):
a lot in common with there's so much in the
lore of Bringer Back that we the viewers still do
not know. You know, yeah, we're never told by the
movie itself what happens, how this comes to be who's
doing what and all that sort of stuff, whereas in Weapons,
I feel like we get most of the answers that
we might have questions to.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Yeah, there's some where's that tree from?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
But what's fun about this is it's like a multi
layered investigation that spirals into the supernatural because the story
isn't told in a straight line. Instead, it weaves through
the perspectives of the different characters. The heartbroken father, the
troubled addict, terrified teacher, the lone child left to.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Face what's going on with what he's dealing with, and
then the cop struggling with his alcohol addiction and whatever.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I guess they just needed to throw him in there. Yeah,
the trouble that the addict, which.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Well I have a theory on that, and my theory
on the characters that Kreiger chooses to focus on and
give segments two. There's a distinction between the characters that
end up surviving the whole film, the whole ordeal, and
then those who do not. And I believe that those
who do not you can see in their segments they're
not all that concerned with the mystery of the children.
(09:54):
You know, certainly the junkie is not because he's just
looking to score and make money. And even the principle is,
you know, he says he's concerned and he's trying to do,
you know, within the limits of his job, his job
of you know, doing the due diligence of like trying
to make sure that the you know, the other parents
are okay and the school's okay, and you know this,
(10:17):
this kid's mother and father are okay. But really, you know,
he's at home with his buddy, his his you know,
his partner, having a bunch of hot dogs.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
And listen, did you see that cuture whatever the hot
Oh my god, yeah, loved it.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
At least seven different choices of hot dogs.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Yeah. And then Paul the cop.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
You know, he's supposed to be looking for these kids,
he's supposed to be doing you know, some police work,
but really he's just you know, making mess with the
junkie and get himself in trouble with dash cam.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Put it. It's true.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
I do like he was wrong in a lot of ways.
But a fear of something Kin brought up that I
thought was a really good point.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
When you're not afraid of the witchy and the supernatural,
be putting your hands in someone's pocket and getting stuck
by random needle.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Oh, that's super huge fear.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
And I can't say I wouldn't do exactly what that
guy did after I just asked you, no.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
I love his reflex actions to knock the guy could Yeah, yeah,
it's crazy and yeah. No, in terms of like, you
can't say that any character necessarily is a moral saint
in this movie. I mean, obviously Justine has a drinking problem.
Archer is a you know, a stalker, if not a
harasser you know, of Justine. And he's bad at his
(11:27):
job because of his grief. So he's forgetting a lot
of parties. Yeah, is that he's building and everything. So yeah,
nobody's a saint. But I am saying that, like, I
think there's a distinction between that the movies making, between
the characters who are actively trying to figure out what
happened to these kids and the and the characters who
maybe should be or or could be but aren't you know.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Oh yeah, well so it's I love how the movie
starts because it just is the kids running out of
what is it. I just watched the Netflix documentary about
them storming Area fifty one and to me, all those
kids are looking like they're doing and they all were
doing but at the two seventeen, which kind of reminded
(12:04):
me of the conjuring, which we just talked about last episode,
as if under a spell running out at that time
everybody at the same time.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Yeah, I think I forget which interview with Craigor I
was reading that he talked about the the position of
the running, you know, and because it's not just the kids,
you'll see it later when it happens to the principle too,
when he's running.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
And they all do it.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, And I think he was describing it as what
you might look like if all of your weight was
sort of distributed, as if you just dropped something or
something like that, Like your your hands are almost like
incidental to you because you're just so focused on like
running to your goal or whatever. I wish I could
find that quote, Unforunately, I don't have it in front
(12:47):
of me. But but yeah, No, it's a very interesting.
It's a very cool like visual and that whole opening sequence,
which we could call a title sequence, even though there's
no titles over it.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
It's just the footage.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
But it's really lyrical and Scott's great George Harrison song
Beware of Darkness happening over it. And yeah, it's such
a great table setter for the audience in terms of
just already being drawn into the sort of urban legend
mystery of like what the hell happened here?
Speaker 4 (13:13):
And why would they have all done this at the
same time?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Right?
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And I just gotta say, even before we get to that,
the fact that we have a narrator in this movie
who's a kid who's played by Scarlet Share is the
actress's name, who I assume as.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
A real child.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Just the narration like over that black screen before we
cut to the first bit of footage of like this
is a story about what happened in my town and
blah blah blah, and did she keeps sort of rambling
a little bit longer than you might expect, And I
just already that sets this brilliant tone of like things
are a little askew in this little tone you know.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah, actually no I don't, because I went to that
theater that I go to that doesn't have trailers. But
we were there two minutes before the movie started, and
the movie was already playing. When got in, I was curious,
So we missed, like justin we got in while she
was talking still, but I would have liked that experience.
And I'm going to write to them, stop starting your
(14:09):
movies five minutes early Flagship Cinemas.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
I know someone's listening. It's very annoying.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
How ironic that it's really feast or famine out there
that you go to any amc you're going to get
at least a half hour of trailers and ads, but
you go to Flagship and.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
You get zero zero.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Man, there's got to be a happy medium, folks. There's
got to be a happy medium on trailers.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But with what you were saying, that's what I kind
of liked about this Witch's magic is it wasn't a
huge spectacle.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
It was quiet, it was intimate.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
It was very disturbing, like rather than casting spells outright,
she bends people to her desires, turning them into extensions
of her own wrath. And it's it's interesting because we
actually don't know. This is what I wanted to know.
What it's fine that they didn't tell us, like how
old she is because that scene when she's talking to
Benedict Wong, she thought consumption would be something that she
(14:59):
could say that he would understand, and we're not sure
what's happening to her because usual witchcraft. I mean, I'll
use hocus pocus as you can get the children and
you suck them in and you know, you take their
life for us, and that heals you. But she is
at this point in her extremely long life where she
can't do that. She can't figure out how to save
(15:19):
herself anymore. Like she has these kids in the basement,
but why she's really not doing much off of them.
She might be feeding off of them, but they didn't
really show that. We have to assume that's what's happening.
But she's still very sick, and even she's just like
getting her cards in order or whatever.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
The saying is to be like, I don't know what
to do.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
This is the only things I can think to do
to try to save myself.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I'll plagiarize myself because one of the articles I wrote
about the movie, I think I use this metaphor. It's
like somebody having a condition. You know, what they think
might be a headache or a migraine, but maybe it's
actually something worse. But because they think it's a headache
or migraine. They just take like a ton of advil
where it's like you're supposed to only take two, you know,
per doos. Yeah, they just take like, you know, five, seven, ten.
(16:05):
And I kind of feel like that's Gladdus with the
kids where it's like, because there's just seventeen in Alex's class,
it's like, yeah, bring them all, you know, get hurt,
like we'll try it out, you know, because she starts
with just two people, but just her her you know,
sister and her husband. So and it's like that's not working.
So it's like, all right, I'll take seventeen. Sure, that's
you know. Why not?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
So were they?
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Were they really related? Like that was her what sister?
Apparently it was her sister. I thought it was her
mom's sister, like her great aunt.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Well Alex right, Alex keeps calling her aunt Gladys, And
I think.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I thought she was like, my mom would do this
for her. So I thought that it was her.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
My mom would do this for her. But I think
it's because supposedly they're sisters. But I don't know, it's
another good question.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
I thought that they said like great aunt, that's crazy. Yeah,
and they're like we never met her.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
But we're going to bring her in and like, right,
we never met her.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
That's the big thing for me where it's like, yeah,
it supposedly a relative that like you know, you actually
never met, which is crazy.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Yeah, but I guess it can happen.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So Gladys is a very fun new character to add.
And as you know, my favorite things of all time
are granny Hags from Hell and I love that this
director loves them as well, because Barbarian did it too,
And like, Gladdice is the heart of all of this,
and she's powerful and she's very unsettling, like you have
(17:23):
the other witches who are a little bit more in
your face and a little like Calkuli. Like Gladys uses psychological, ritualistic,
and symbolic methods, using people's personal effects and blood in
this and that to bind.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
People to her will, which is a really interesting way.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
And then you're like, oh, it's called weapons because it's
not guns or knives, but people manipulated into committing violence
under the influences of something ancient and malevolent. And I
will say I was blown away by this movie. I
really really loved it. And as someone who really enjoys
witch lore, I thought that this is such a fresh
(18:00):
new take on it, and I was just like, really,
I was really impressed.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
But it's also funny.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Oh, it's also very funny. I think that there's a
couple of things I want to say in just you know,
supporting what you just said. One is the fact that, yeah,
for me, this entire movie, its major theme is manipulation,
and that's not just about the characters in the movie,
but also of course the audience as well.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
So yeah, it's a really cool variation on that theme.
And I figure because you brought it up, Ash, I
feel like we must have talked about evil grannies or
exploitation movies on this podcast before.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
I want to do a whole thing on it, but
just in case.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
We have it, just to give people listeners a little
bit of a background. Exploitation is a subgenre in the
same way as a slasher movie or you know, a
possession movie or so on and so forth, where you know,
it's also called the psycho biddi film, so you'll hear
those terms interchangeable. But if you've heard of Robert Aldrich's
Whatever Happened.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
To Baby Jane? With Oh My Favorite and Joe Crawford.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
That was kind of the that basically was like the
Psycho of exploitation movies, or you could say the Halloween
of exploitation movies, like the one that everybody kind of
spun off of, you know, and and you had obviously
a lot that came after that in the trend that
you know, whoever slew Aunty Roue or you know, so
on and so forth, Mother's Day, Mother's Day, Yeah, the
(19:28):
the Kaffin one. But yeah, there's also been an interesting
sort of resurgence in exploitation movies recently, kind of since
ever ever since twenty fifteen with m Night Shamalan's The
Visit and Robert Eggers is the Witch with which we've
talked about in this podcast before. And from there we've seen,
you know, in movies like X, you know.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
With Pearls in a lot.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Yeah, recently, Bo.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Was afraid you could even think of as a as
a psycho biddy film, almost like an offshoot obviously Barbarian,
which you mentioned, Dash the fronts and nuns, lots of
nuns and then bring her back you know as well.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Yeah, also, oh yeah, will we go her? I mean
she was wearing purple and the same glasses.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
I will say.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
I will say on the record, the Philippoo brothers have
been very very vocal about how they love Expectation movies
and they thought of bring Her Back as their tribute.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
To Can I tell you one of them was in
the Area fifty one documentary. I don't know which one
it was, but and he was under he was under
his YouTube name.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Oh Rackareca rock Arera, and I was like, he was there, he.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Was playing that jar. I was like, what the fuck
are you doing there?
Speaker 2 (20:32):
But yeah, he was there.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Of course he was there, of course.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
But yeah, No, there's been an interesting kind of, you know,
resurgence in the subgenre that no one's really kind of
pointed out in a big way yet, and no one's
kind of given voice too in terms of like, oh, hey,
we're doing Expectation again. Guys, everybody jump in the pool,
but like we kind of are kind of.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
It's kind of yeah, I love it. I love it
so much. But you were saying conjuring, because we just
talked about the conjuring. The conjuring, I mean, he was
a queen hagh.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
You know what I mean. Yep, yep, yeah, yep.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
A lot of hags.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Yeah, a lot of hags recently. But but you're also
saying how this movie is very funny, which it truly
is in a way. My god, that's totally unique to
what you might dub the comedy horror, because this isn't
a movie of like, you know, something crazy happens and
then somebody drops a one liner. You know, it's not
the right movie, you know, it's it's not that kind
of humor. It's it's a situational Yeah, it's very dry
(21:28):
and very like absurdist in a way, because you know
there'll be a moment like you know, Julia Gardner's you know,
character getting chased through a gas station store and then
like fucking help me.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Can we talk about how many she got choked so
many times it was a joke by the end.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
She is tiny and every single character choked her for
a long time.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Oh yeah, very long time.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Just well, she got pulled back with the with appeelers.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I was well, okay, also, girl, what were you doing
with that? Like Jabba in his eye? Yeah, nobody would
sit there and just.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
I was like, okay, this is gratuitous, but it's fine.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
It's gross. I'm wincing yikes, but come on, what are
you doing? Poke it in a.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
Stroke that's super effective after the first stroke.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, p s a.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Anyone, if someone's choking, you take your finger and poke
them right in that little hole in your throat. It's
the best thing I can ever tell you to do.
Go for their eyes or go for it because they're
gonna go and there's nothing they can do about it.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
And then Ball's face.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Yea, I will with somebody under Gladys' control. I mean,
we saw what happened with our cher supernatural shit, you
know where It's like he just kept throwing them off
and they kept getting back.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
I was sad that they had to go that the like, yeah,
there's some real steaks, like people are dead. How do
you explain it?
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Well, speaking of humor, it's hard not to talk about
the end because the end, like the climax, doesn't just
kind of tie things together. It explodes and it's very chaotic,
but at the same time very humorous because we were
dying laughing. Gladys was like when the spell broke, she goes,
oh no or something, and she starts running and screaming
(23:08):
through this town at like four in them five in
the morning, the sun's coming up, and seventy kids are
chasing after her, and it is at least two minutes
of her them running and destroying houses, but her just
being like aha, and the kids dying laughing.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
I was like, this is so wrong.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
It's a great moment.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I think to point out because we haven't mentioned her
name yet, Amy Madigan's performance as Gladys, because she is
really brilliant in this movie. I mean, there's a lot
of people in the industry talking about an Oscar nomination.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
You know.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Well, I said when I saw Amy Madigan that I
knew it was going to be a witch.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Yeah, so I did.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Bring her up.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Yeah, oh you did. Okay, Oh you did say that. Okay,
but yeah, I think that it's just I hope so
it's her. Yeah, right, It's brilliant that she's able to
portray a character who is, you know, genuinely creepy, but
also I don't know if sympathetic is the right word,
but understandable.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
You know, there's there's self preservation.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Yeah, it's like, okay, I see where you're coming from
at least a little bit. And then at the end
with the finale, they're kind of pathetic you know, and
just running away in fear from these kids.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
What is she gonna do it? Bashfired?
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, good on that kid. Loved that kid. The trauma
that that poor kid.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
What's his name?
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Oh well, his character is Alex, but his Alex actor's
name is Carrie Christopher.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
I just called him eyelashes. Eyelashes did a great job
throughout it, Like these kids. I can't wait to see
what the kids of Horror are going to do as
they grow up and start to get into other films,
because you never know, you never know. Haley Haley has
a Hailey jo Oz. That's a very interesting career now.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
But you just really.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Yeah, he was believable. You felt bad for him, and like,
what a thing to have to deal with. The gore
in this I thought was perfect. The the it wasn't
too much, but it was just enough to be horrible.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
And when it was terrible is like the worst.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
The fork stuff, The way their eyes would bug out
when they would run.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
Oh yeah, I love the detail of for whatever reason.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
And again we never get an explanation for this exactly,
but if you're under Gladys' control, I guess long enough
or or what am I trying to think of intense
enough where it's like the intensity of your of trying
to complete the task that she's set you by her spell,
your eyes pop out of your head.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
I guess they're like not blinking and just moving forward.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
It's wild, wild.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
But I felt bad for the kid when the parents
were really coming after him when he was hiding in
the bedroom, because that scene is horrifying when they're breaking
through the door and they just look so scary, and
I'm like, he's like seven, and this kid thought to
do the whole spell. I was like, hero, you saved everybody.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
Hell yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
I think I guess this is as good as time
as any to ask this of you, Ash, because it's
something I've really been observing out here in La, which
is that this movie has become I would say, a
genuine phenomenon, you know, in terms of not just the
financial success, but culturally, you know, people really seem to
be responding to it. They seem to be going multiple
times the I think it's still number one at the
(26:10):
box office like three weeks. I love it from its release.
So what do you think is really connecting about this Because,
for instance, like with something like Sinners, which is also
another big success story this year. Sinners has like big
movie stars, It has all this awesome music, it has
you know, vampire Action, has sexy material, It has a
lot that obviously goes for it.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
You know.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Yeah, is this like if you had asked me before
it came out if it was going to be as
big of a hit as it is, I might have
said maybe not. You know, I might have guessed like
it was probably gonna do well, but you know, maybe
not be as like beloved as it seems to be
right now.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
But I will say star power right now.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
For the characters who are in it probably are equal
because I mean, really it's just Michael B.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
Jordan.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
You have Josh braul Let me just for Marvel people,
let's go. We have Josh Brollm.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
We have Arthanos, we have Julia Garner who just had
a great couple of months as the Silver Surfer coming out.
Ironheart just came out, So we have.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
What's his name, I can't say his name? What is
the guy? He's young and solo?
Speaker 4 (27:13):
There you go, what is that?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
That's what I said? Justin Ironheart?
Speaker 1 (27:20):
And then Wong we have you know, Benedict Wang, so
Josh Brolin and Julie Garner alone, I feel like, you know,
maybe not Michael B.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Jordan. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
I don't know how to like THEA, but I would
say it did have some star power and for what,
like what a thirty eight million dollar budget, it's kind
of crazy that these people showed up for this movie.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
And what I think.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Is it's a bold narrative structure, it's got an emotional core,
and it's like a genre defying approach to Witchcraft. So
people are being surprised again by horror, and I feel
like that's why horror recently has held the box office
in these different states. Like me, personally, what am I
gonna do? I liked this one better than Sinners because Witchcraft?
(28:04):
What can I love a Granny hag? This had everything
that I loved in a movie, even acceptable jump scares,
because I when we talk about how we don't like
a movie that bases itself all off the jump scares,
because that's not actually scary, this one's jump scares actually
got me a couple times, like when Gladys was on
the ceiling and jumped down Ugh and Josh Brolin in
(28:25):
the bed. So with these great actor performances, I just
feel like people are showing up for this and then
being impressed and excited by it, whereas something like Bring
Her Back, which I think was equal. Like, I'm gonna
have a really hard time with my end of the
year pick for best Horror.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
As I can.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
See, I could see how that one would hit differently
than this one would for an audience who's not like
a horror or like, we're going to the movies. Let's
oh that was Is in this movie or Julia Garner
we just saw her and whatever, So I'm not surpris
I'm not surprised because this guy is the pacing. Everything's
(29:04):
really but I saw it was two hours. I went, oh, wow,
here we go. Let's see. No, he's very good with
his pacing, and that's something I got from Companion, like
I didn't.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Let's just say he didn't direct Companion.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Oh he didn't.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Yeah, I think he had a producer credit on it
or something. But yeah, so this is really his only
his third feature. His first His first was The Whitest Kid.
You know, uh, maybe Miss March. Oh wow, so it
was him and Trevor Moore that code directed Miss March
in two thousand and nine.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Yeah, Okay, well then that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
He's he's on a good It's kind of like Rica Raca,
we got to let's see where we go.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Yeah, but uh, I do think that there is just
something special about a mainstream studio horror movie that still
has the power to get the general public's imagination going
this way, you know, because I do think that US fans,
you know, of the genre have been used to you know,
(30:05):
I don't I've talked in this podcast before about I
don't love the term elevated horror, but we've kind of
been used to it indie horror, you know, Landscape for
the longest time. Even Long Legs, which was I guess
you could say last year's equivalent to a summer horror
movie that's a big hit.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Even even Long Legs was more artsy and it's it's
in its way, you know, and obviously more indie because
of its released by Neon. So it's kind of neat
to see Warner Brothers or Newline Cinema, you know, back
original horror movie this way in the way they did,
and to have it be the successful Yeah, you know, I.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Mean he's particularly good at Hollie Handle's pacing ensemble, storytelling,
and genre subversion. It's a lot of different stuff in
one movie, and I like they give you just enough
answers in this one that you're not annoyed, you know,
and I really liked it.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
Okay, So let me ask you this, because there's already
buzz that they may be interested in making a prequel
movie about Gladys. Would that be of interest to you
or no?
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Yes, okay, because I would like to know how That
was the only questions I had when we got.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
Out of her.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
I was like, what are her powers? How long has
she been around? What is that tree? Because it is
a very simple spell which she has, but the spell
isn't possible unless you have whatever that tree was. Yeah,
so I need a lot more information on that.
Speaker 4 (31:26):
I'll say this, I'm not against it at all.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
I think, you know, if this is something that Kreger
wants to do and continue in this world, great, let's
see what else we have in store.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
I will say though, that I'm a little prequeled.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Out and as much as Forls that I'm enjoying and
I kind of missed the days of a horror franchise
that just goes for broke and says you know what,
we killed the hell out of him in the first
entry or the last entry. Let's bring him back somehow,
you know, Like we've went through movies where Jason Vorhees,
you know, got resurrected by lightning. We've been through movies
(31:58):
for Freddy Krueger gets pissed on by a dog in
the dream it comes back to life somehow, you know.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
It's like, that's my favorite way.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
You know.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Let's let's just say Gladys like you know, got buried
in the ground by the kids and then she just
grows again or something.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
You know.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Yeah, So I that was just me Manchurian candidating, being like, yes,
I know they're going to make a sequel, and.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
At least this one might be fun.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
But but yeah, no, if we if we ever get
the chance to have a natural grown or a homegrown
horror franchise again, I would love to see more sequels,
you know, because I like the idea of a continuing
franchise that way, you know, from the old days of
the of those movies.
Speaker 4 (32:37):
I mentioned.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
But yeah, no, I think that's whether it gets a
prequel or sequel or not. I think this is a
little gem and I think ultimately, you know this, this
feels to me in the same way that Jordan Peele
felt with us, you know where it's like, oh, he's
proved himself twice over. Now he's got the juice. So
(32:58):
you know, if that, if we want to continue that comparison,
then the next Greg zach Crecker movie might be his
Nope you know which we both love so.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Love us?
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Oh wait we did?
Speaker 2 (33:08):
I did, like nope, yeah, right.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
So that's what I mean. I'm just nowhere comparison, you know.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Where this one kind of like, I don't love a
story where they tell you the story over and over
and over again. But I thought that this one really
worked in that way, Like the nonlinear or multi perspective
storytelling kind of created a constant sense of disorientation and
brought more mystery.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
To the story.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
And like it as asks you to piece together the story,
it doesn't show you things that you already saw from
somebody else's perspective. It's making the reveals that you get
later feel more urned rather than spoon fed. But I
do feel like we were following something put together where
us After a certain point, I was like, I don't
know what's going on here?
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Yeah, No, I was just making the comparison that like
that get Out was a breakout movie of like, oh yeah,
Corre and Barbarian was his break up movie of oh
he can do and now we have and then we
had Us, which is like, oh he can still do horr.
And then this is like Weapons is Creigor could still
do horr. You know that this guy's a limit for
for this guy next round. You know, it feels like
you know, who knows what he's gonna come up with.
(34:13):
But I'm excited and i'd be and like I said,
I was saying, I'd be excited if it was another
movie in this universe or this this franchise.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
Or keep Going baby, another original.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Thing, just keep going?
Speaker 4 (34:25):
Yeah more Justin Long y Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
I kind of feel like Justin Long is becoming his
h I don't know whether good comparison, I don't know,
Bruce Campbell or something where it's like he's got to
show up.
Speaker 4 (34:36):
Pop him in now, yeah, just put him.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
In there so you know that someone who's going to
bring a little star power. I bet he did it
for nothing because Justin Long seems so cool. He just
does Just Long come on the show anytime.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
Sarah Paxton is his real life wife Zach Creggor's Oh.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Is it the hawk girl in the house with the
Oh it was fun. I loved that scene.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
I love that scene.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
She was like, I don't feel comfortable that with showing
you this footage and then.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
You know justin Oh, yeah, they wouldn't you.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Why haven't anybody done that yet either, which really bugged
me that plot point. I'm like, why is Josh Brolin
the only one who's like, let's watch all the videos
and see where they run? But that goes back to
what you were saying, where nobody was really paying attention.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
Nobody was paying attention, and when I also thought of
another thing as we were talking just now, I think
it's just Justine an Archer that get to have dream
sequences in their segments.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Where's the other character?
Speaker 2 (35:28):
So was she was kind of was she haunting them?
Speaker 4 (35:31):
I don't know if it was.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
I think it's literally the fact that like the mystery
is haunting them, and Gladys is the mystery, you know. Yeah,
So it's that thing of like they can't let it go,
like they just have to continue down in the same
way that the possessed have to compellingly go towards their target,
like they have to, you know, continue until they get
an answer, whereas other people, you know, they find it
(35:52):
easier to forget or move on.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
And she was so much more chill with that kid.
I would have kidnapped that kid. I've been like, what
the fuck is going on here?
Speaker 2 (35:59):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (36:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Right, But I did love how like even the little
details as making a comment that oh, the photographers and
the journalists are swarming the house, that's why the newspapers
are on the windows, like little tiny details. And that's
this new wave of directors I'm really enjoying.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
And when you have two out the bat like our
boys for RACAA, this one, let's keep going.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
Yeah, I'm almost like a not sad that they're making
talk to me too, because there is a lot more
to like explore with that you don't even have to
do anything with the people from the first movie. But
I want to see more originals. Let's say, keep going.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Well, I think that, I mean, we've said this on
this podcast before this year many times, but horror is
just in a really great place. It's maybe the only
thing that I would say is the best about the
film industry, right now where it's like so much is bad.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
But it's been a long time since we could say
this too.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
Yeah, but horror movies are thriving like they're they're doing
financially great, they're doing creatively great, and it's you know,
we we can welcome it as fans like it kind
of feels like we're collectively coming into our own you know,
in terms of uh, this genre has been sort of
on the back burner for so long that now it's
kind of just emerged as this, you know, thing that
(37:22):
might genuinely save Hollywood.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Who knows?
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Who knows? Yeah, fuck you, Tom Cruise. You're not going
to do it. Horror is.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
Tom Cruise. Don't kill us please, I mean.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
No, Your coconut cakes are great.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Yeah, I love you to try that to click.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Legend Listen, my favorite hag of all time is from.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
A movie with him in there. Oh that's true, Meg
the Bogwitch from Legend. Nobody is better than Meg muckle Bones.
Whos downs Meg muckle Bones is slumber. At least you
have Jack, the best, the best, those fact that fine
boy you are.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
Ashley will be performing her one woman show as big
a buckle Bunts.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
You can find your on Broadway.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Listen, I'm a scorpio. Put a mirror in front of me.
That's my downfall. Two, can't stop looking.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
Uh oh this is this should be an off off
off my conversation, But why not. I discovered that the
paranoral Activity stage show that we talked about in this
podcast before it is going to come to l all. Yeah,
I should try to say yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
That'll be a feedback for our patrons.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
But yeah, we can get more. That's the next frontier.
Right We've we've solved horror movies. We've we've you know,
we've reached the apex.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
They're so great. Right now, now we got to get
horror on stage going again. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
I I'm going to Evil Dead next month and.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
It is going to be scored by a live band.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
Really yeah, so that should be fun. That's fun. I
love that music.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
But yeah, so before we get away from the topic,
do we have any closing thoughts on weapons?
Speaker 1 (39:04):
I just think that, you know, unlike a lot of
horror films that lean into metaphors and political commentary, weapons
kind of deliberately avoids offering the tidy message. It leans
into confusion and the kind of dread an uncertainty just
kind of like real grief, which was kind of the
heart of this, and it's original storytelling that you can
(39:28):
of original storytelling of a.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Used up granny Hag topic.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
You know, they really were able to find an alternative way,
like it's reinventing the archetype of witchcraft in a movie.
And I hadn't seen anything like it in a long time.
And I'm very excited too. I can't wait to see
it again. I really liked it, and yeah, it surprised me.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
Yeah, it surprised me too, And it really holds up
on a rewatch for me, because, as I said, like,
once you get past the the manipulation that Gregor is
putting on you as a first time viewer, you can
really sort of let it soak in and let it
get into your uh as a as a story and
and all the unanswered you know, ambiguity of it, and
(40:14):
there can really you know, start to tickle your brain.
And I also really appreciated how as you said, ash Uh,
this is a horror movie kind of rare for these
days where it it's not like it doesn't have any
social or political commentary. It's just that it is generic,
and that's a complimentary generic, you know where it's like,
(40:35):
sure you can put onto the image of you know,
a classroom full of dead kids, like you know, that's
obviously an evocative image in terms of Hordern times. And yeah,
the idea of Archer and his dream sequencing a giant
you know, ar fifteen over a house you know in sea,
that was wild.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
I forgot about it until you brought that U.
Speaker 4 (40:52):
That's obvious.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
Yeah, that's obviously a very evocative image and there's so
much interpret there. But it's not like Craiger is standing
on a soapbox and saying this movie is about X thing.
Speaker 4 (41:01):
You know.
Speaker 3 (41:02):
He's really kind of just following his creative muse and
letting these images sort of come to him and come
into the movie and sit there and be there for
you the audience, you know where. It's like, you can
think of this as you wish. But ultimately it's not
a totally ambiguous movie. It is something that does have
(41:22):
you know, an ending, It does have an answer, and
it also leaves you with a lot to think about afterwards,
which is kind of an ideal you know situation. Do
we have any recommendations? I do Okay, you go first,
because I know if I.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
Have one, I'm going with the most indie movie that
you could probably watch in a while. I am recommending
twenty tony one's Hellbender. Oh oh, this little indie movie.
Film is made by the cutest family of filmmakers and
it's really fun for what it is. The dad is
the director, the mom and the daughter of the stars.
(41:59):
It's low budget but high storytelling. The whole family works
together to direct. The father and daughter Zelda and Toby
Poser do the cinematography, the mom, Toby Poser does the costumes.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
They do a bunch of movies.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
All together, just like a couple of them, and I
just think this is a really great coming of age
movie with interesting storytelling. When it comes to Witchcraft, which
reminded me a lot of what was going on with
the witchcraft in this movie.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
It's it's a watch, but I loved it.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Yeah, yeah, you know, I'm going to go a little
bit of a different direction here too, or different than
my usual because of what you just recommended their ash
and I'm going to shout out something that you're probably
going to roll your rise in me, but I'm going
to go with it.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
And it's the Witches.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
No, because because of this recent trend of exploitation that
we've been talking about during this episode. And it is
a movie that came out a couple of weeks ago
which kind of nobody saw, starring Pete Davidson. The Home
written and directed by James Demonico of the Purge franchise.
And I don't want to give too much away because
(43:09):
it is a very twisting movie and a lot you know,
changes during the course of the film in terms of
what is actually going on and what the secret of
the Home is. But it is a movie that stars
and features a lot of elderly characters and part of
the fear of the movie is what's going on with
these crazy old people, this old post sundowners. Yeah, So
if you want to continue on this sort of ha
(43:29):
exploitation modern day horror trend, give it a look. And
this is a movie that definitely because this is James Demonico,
the guy who wrote you know, the Purge movies and
directed the first couple, it definitely does have appointed political
commentary to it. So if you want to discover that,
you should see this movie. Pete Davidson. Notwithstanding it's Pete Davidson.
It's fine, but you know it's it's funny.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Hey, I like body Spotty's Botties whatever.
Speaker 3 (43:56):
Here you go. That's true. Shoot, I wasn't. This is
the one thing I forgot. I should I know, I
should have this memorized.
Speaker 4 (44:03):
I got this.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
A big thank you to all our patrons who are
helping us do our thing, and we will get you
next time.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
Thank you all for joining us for this episode of
Bill and Ashley's part of the Stranded Pendent Network. You
can find my work in the show notes thanks below.
Check us out on social media. You can find the
show at strandedpenda dot com and everywhere.
Speaker 4 (44:29):
Else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (44:30):
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to
write to us at Ill and ash Terror Theater at
gmail dot com.
Speaker 4 (44:36):
We're dying to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (44:38):
See
Welcome to another horrifying special review episode of Bill and
Ashley's Terror Theater on the Marquee. This week is twenty
twenty five's Weapons. Join us right after we get back
from removing all the forks in the house. All that
after these ads we have no control over.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Welcome back.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
I'm Ashley Coffin, joined as always by my co host
and Terror Bill Bria, Bill Darling.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
How are we this evening?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Ooh, I'm pretty good this evening, ash and Oh fuck Willow,
Oh fuck Willow on DVD, Willow on DVD liston.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
They would have found that on myles.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I was like, you guys, ten points showing your kids
the right stuff.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
But so before we jump into the movie, we have
an announcement.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
We have started a Patreon.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
It's our official trumpet song.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
But yeah, no, we're very excited to announce that we
have the official Bill and Ashley's tearor Theater Patreon, which
we already have some members.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
So thank you so much. To thank you so much,
and come join us.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
If you come to any of our socials on Facebook
or Instagram or Twitter, you should find a link to
join that somewhere in our feeds.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
So please do.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
We'll probably repost it every now and again too, so
don't worry if you don't see it right away, but
it's there as of now.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
It has every episode ad free that we've ever done,
so immediately you'll get seventy ad free episodes plus where
we're creeping up to our hundreds and we're going to
do fun little videos, movie reviews, you know, episodes.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
We can even probably do polls on there. I don't know.
I'm new to the Patreon world, but we're still going
to learn. Yeah to see you know.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
What we're going to do and what we plan on
doing is we have a an exclusive, one of a
kind Bill and Ashley's Terror Theater T shirt designed by Ken.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Let me let me just interrupt you to say this
T shirt is legit. I you know I have discerning tastes.
I'm not going to mince words, you know when I
see something. So I was not going to let this
tea shirt go out if it was crap. But let
me tell you, Ken's done a fantastic job and it's beautiful.
I personally can't wait to have one of my own.
I don't know if I'll get one, but I would
say I would just say like I'd be proud to
(02:40):
wear it, so hopefully you will too.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
We rush to do it because I'm going to be
just debuting it at Dragon Con, so stay tuned for that,
and patrons will get pictures of that before everybody else.
And after the first thirty days since our patron's been launched,
we're going to pick a random winner to get the
T shirt.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Ye yay, it could be you could be anyone.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Yeah, so yeah, join us over there and we're going
to grow it. We have a lot of fun plans
that we're not going to discuss now because that would
take away the mystery of what we're going to do.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Yeah, you want some surprises, but certainly it is.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
It is our announcement to you, you folks who are
listening to this, that not only do we appreciate you greatly,
but that we intend to stick around for a while.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I'm very happy me too.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
All right with that, we're going to take a quick
break and we'll be right back with our feature film.
And we're back with our feature film.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Okay. So Weapons is a film by Zach Krieger. Did
I say it right? Gregor Greger?
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Honestly, he's been doing a really good job with his storytelling.
His film Barbarian was fantastic companion. I thought it was
a better story than a film, but I still thought
it was okay. It was a fun watch. This is
a super original take on the classic idea of the
old witch, Like, yeah, I don't. I was so surprised,
(04:06):
but also was kind of mad at myself for not
seeing the writing on the car.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
If you will.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, that's a verg important point because it's something that
really cayed me into loving the movie as I do now,
because the first time I watched it, I wasn't sure.
I was coming away from it thinking, oh wow, there
was so much about that I really enjoyed and I
was laughing so much and blah blah blah, but I
felt like I hadn't locked in yet. I haven't found
(04:34):
my way into like what I enjoy about it, or
does it make sense to me and all that sort
of stuff. And when I remembered the witch written on
Justine I think her name is Julia Garner's car, which
you know, her character's segment is the first, really the
first real segment of the movie, so it's early in
the film. I instantly was like, oh, how what a
(04:57):
fun you know, foreshadowing and reference and all that, But
then it really clued me into being like, oh no,
he's actually like telegraphing to the audience what the answer
to the mystery is very early on in a way
that's very playful and very subversive. And there's so much
to discuss about this movie, but I think my favorite
aspect of it is the way in which it plays
(05:19):
around with expectations and still keeps that playing around on theme,
which is, you know, this movie, as Craiger has been
very vocal about in the press recently, is primarily inspired
by his loss of his friend and creative partner Trevor Moore,
who was part of the Whitest Kids, you know, the
comedy troupe that they were oh yeah for years and years.
(05:41):
And you know, Craiger's been vocal about he hasn't really
named you know, Trevor by name because he doesn't want
to bring up the trauma again necessarily, but he is
being honest and saying, you know, this is what he
wrote immediately after that event happened a couple of years ago,
to try and help himself process it and get through it.
And you know, this is a movie, not a just grief,
but just about this event that happens to a small
(06:03):
community that is so undefinable and mysterious that just the
fact that it happens at all is traumatic enough to
be like, you know, why is this happening, Who's doing it?
For what reason? What possibly could have you know, caused this,
you know to happen? So and so forth. And I
really respond to how even the answers aren't enough of
(06:24):
a of a fully realized Catharsis to let you let
go of it, you know, and and and you know,
we'll obviously talk about more about the movie and the
ending of the movie, but like even the ending isn't
so succinct enough to be like, and everybody went back
to normal, It was fine, everybody's happy now, you know.
It's sort of that lingering like we're never going to
forget this event. We're never going to forget this this incident.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
You know. Yeah, Well, if there's anything I'm here for,
it's a witchcraft story. And this one is fantastic because
you don't know that's what it is.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
We just said there are the telltale signs, which was
one the witch being written on Justine scarr for you
to piece together, but there were like symbols around or
poppits under the bed.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Though.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
I will say the second I saw Amy Madigan in Purple,
I was like witch, you know, Like that's when I
was like, oh, it's a witch. And I do want
to point out at the top, justin Long survived a
horror movie.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
He was kind of becoming the Sean Bean of horror movies.
And I'd like to say he just got through it.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah bye, by barely being in it. But that's fine plot.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
But plat oh, okay, okay, plot just for people who
might not have seen this yet. When all but one
child from the same classroom mysteriously vanish on the same
night at exactly the same time, a community is left
questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
So like classroom was it was what like eighteen.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Kids, seventeen seventeen Yeah, back to you, but it was
it would be eighteen with Alex I think, right, oh, okay, yeah,
I think it's seventeen missing, but eighteen in the class.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
So I think there's a couple other signs than just
the witch on the on the side of the car.
There's also the fact that we keep seeing the symbology
of the triangle. That's right in the first title card.
You see the triangle within the of weapons, and it's yeah,
it's on the bell, and you have a big triangle
at the end credits and sort of things.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
So it does. It's a it's a movie that does
play f You're just gonna stop you.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
You said the symbols throughout the movie are a triangle
in the beginning and then at the end credits, and
not throughout the movie besides the.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Belle out here. I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
What I'm trying to say is that it is my
ultimate point is not necessarily Oh there's so many signs
you can put together. You're right, there's not, but it is.
But it is something that is solid in terms of
it's not a u a super ambiguous horror film where
there's so many different moving parts. It's not let's be honest,
it's not bring Her Back, because even this movie has
(08:44):
a lot in common with there's so much in the
lore of Bringer Back that we the viewers still do
not know. You know, yeah, we're never told by the
movie itself what happens, how this comes to be who's
doing what and all that sort of stuff, whereas in Weapons,
I feel like we get most of the answers that
we might have questions to.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Yeah, there's some where's that tree from?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (09:05):
But what's fun about this is it's like a multi
layered investigation that spirals into the supernatural because the story
isn't told in a straight line. Instead, it weaves through
the perspectives of the different characters. The heartbroken father, the
troubled addict, terrified teacher, the lone child left to.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Face what's going on with what he's dealing with, and
then the cop struggling with his alcohol addiction and whatever.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I guess they just needed to throw him in there. Yeah,
the trouble that the addict, which.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Well I have a theory on that, and my theory
on the characters that Kreiger chooses to focus on and
give segments two. There's a distinction between the characters that
end up surviving the whole film, the whole ordeal, and
then those who do not. And I believe that those
who do not you can see in their segments they're
not all that concerned with the mystery of the children.
(09:54):
You know, certainly the junkie is not because he's just
looking to score and make money. And even the principle is,
you know, he says he's concerned and he's trying to do,
you know, within the limits of his job, his job
of you know, doing the due diligence of like trying
to make sure that the you know, the other parents
are okay and the school's okay, and you know this,
(10:17):
this kid's mother and father are okay. But really, you know,
he's at home with his buddy, his his you know,
his partner, having a bunch of hot dogs.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
And listen, did you see that cuture whatever the hot
Oh my god, yeah, loved it.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
At least seven different choices of hot dogs.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Yeah. And then Paul the cop.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
You know, he's supposed to be looking for these kids,
he's supposed to be doing you know, some police work,
but really he's just you know, making mess with the
junkie and get himself in trouble with dash cam.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Put it. It's true.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
I do like he was wrong in a lot of ways.
But a fear of something Kin brought up that I
thought was a really good point.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
When you're not afraid of the witchy and the supernatural,
be putting your hands in someone's pocket and getting stuck
by random needle.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Oh, that's super huge fear.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
And I can't say I wouldn't do exactly what that
guy did after I just asked you, no.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
I love his reflex actions to knock the guy could Yeah, yeah,
it's crazy and yeah. No, in terms of like, you
can't say that any character necessarily is a moral saint
in this movie. I mean, obviously Justine has a drinking problem.
Archer is a you know, a stalker, if not a
harasser you know, of Justine. And he's bad at his
(11:27):
job because of his grief. So he's forgetting a lot
of parties. Yeah, is that he's building and everything. So yeah,
nobody's a saint. But I am saying that, like, I
think there's a distinction between that the movies making, between
the characters who are actively trying to figure out what
happened to these kids and the and the characters who
maybe should be or or could be but aren't you know.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Oh yeah, well so it's I love how the movie
starts because it just is the kids running out of
what is it. I just watched the Netflix documentary about
them storming Area fifty one and to me, all those
kids are looking like they're doing and they all were
doing but at the two seventeen, which kind of reminded
(12:04):
me of the conjuring, which we just talked about last episode,
as if under a spell running out at that time
everybody at the same time.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Yeah, I think I forget which interview with Craigor I
was reading that he talked about the the position of
the running, you know, and because it's not just the kids,
you'll see it later when it happens to the principle too,
when he's running.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
And they all do it.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, And I think he was describing it as what
you might look like if all of your weight was
sort of distributed, as if you just dropped something or
something like that, Like your your hands are almost like
incidental to you because you're just so focused on like
running to your goal or whatever. I wish I could
find that quote, Unforunately, I don't have it in front
(12:47):
of me. But but yeah, No, it's a very interesting.
It's a very cool like visual and that whole opening sequence,
which we could call a title sequence, even though there's
no titles over it.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
It's just the footage.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
But it's really lyrical and Scott's great George Harrison song
Beware of Darkness happening over it. And yeah, it's such
a great table setter for the audience in terms of
just already being drawn into the sort of urban legend
mystery of like what the hell happened here?
Speaker 4 (13:13):
And why would they have all done this at the
same time?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Right?
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And I just gotta say, even before we get to that,
the fact that we have a narrator in this movie
who's a kid who's played by Scarlet Share is the
actress's name, who I assume as.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
A real child.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Just the narration like over that black screen before we
cut to the first bit of footage of like this
is a story about what happened in my town and
blah blah blah, and did she keeps sort of rambling
a little bit longer than you might expect, And I
just already that sets this brilliant tone of like things
are a little askew in this little tone you know.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah, actually no I don't, because I went to that
theater that I go to that doesn't have trailers. But
we were there two minutes before the movie started, and
the movie was already playing. When got in, I was curious,
So we missed, like justin we got in while she
was talking still, but I would have liked that experience.
And I'm going to write to them, stop starting your
(14:09):
movies five minutes early Flagship Cinemas.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
I know someone's listening. It's very annoying.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
How ironic that it's really feast or famine out there
that you go to any amc you're going to get
at least a half hour of trailers and ads, but
you go to Flagship and.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
You get zero zero.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Man, there's got to be a happy medium, folks. There's
got to be a happy medium on trailers.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But with what you were saying, that's what I kind
of liked about this Witch's magic is it wasn't a
huge spectacle.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
It was quiet, it was intimate.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
It was very disturbing, like rather than casting spells outright,
she bends people to her desires, turning them into extensions
of her own wrath. And it's it's interesting because we
actually don't know. This is what I wanted to know.
What it's fine that they didn't tell us, like how
old she is because that scene when she's talking to
Benedict Wong, she thought consumption would be something that she
(14:59):
could say that he would understand, and we're not sure
what's happening to her because usual witchcraft. I mean, I'll
use hocus pocus as you can get the children and
you suck them in and you know, you take their
life for us, and that heals you. But she is
at this point in her extremely long life where she
can't do that. She can't figure out how to save
(15:19):
herself anymore. Like she has these kids in the basement,
but why she's really not doing much off of them.
She might be feeding off of them, but they didn't
really show that. We have to assume that's what's happening.
But she's still very sick, and even she's just like
getting her cards in order or whatever.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
The saying is to be like, I don't know what
to do.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
This is the only things I can think to do
to try to save myself.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I'll plagiarize myself because one of the articles I wrote
about the movie, I think I use this metaphor. It's
like somebody having a condition. You know, what they think
might be a headache or a migraine, but maybe it's
actually something worse. But because they think it's a headache
or migraine. They just take like a ton of advil
where it's like you're supposed to only take two, you know,
per doos. Yeah, they just take like, you know, five, seven, ten.
(16:05):
And I kind of feel like that's Gladdus with the
kids where it's like, because there's just seventeen in Alex's class,
it's like, yeah, bring them all, you know, get hurt,
like we'll try it out, you know, because she starts
with just two people, but just her her you know,
sister and her husband. So and it's like that's not working.
So it's like, all right, I'll take seventeen. Sure, that's
you know. Why not?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
So were they?
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Were they really related? Like that was her what sister?
Apparently it was her sister. I thought it was her
mom's sister, like her great aunt.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Well Alex right, Alex keeps calling her aunt Gladys, And
I think.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I thought she was like, my mom would do this
for her. So I thought that it was her.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
My mom would do this for her. But I think
it's because supposedly they're sisters. But I don't know, it's
another good question.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
I thought that they said like great aunt, that's crazy. Yeah,
and they're like we never met her.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
But we're going to bring her in and like, right,
we never met her.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
That's the big thing for me where it's like, yeah,
it supposedly a relative that like you know, you actually
never met, which is crazy.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
Yeah, but I guess it can happen.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
So Gladys is a very fun new character to add.
And as you know, my favorite things of all time
are granny Hags from Hell and I love that this
director loves them as well, because Barbarian did it too,
And like, Gladdice is the heart of all of this,
and she's powerful and she's very unsettling, like you have
(17:23):
the other witches who are a little bit more in
your face and a little like Calkuli. Like Gladys uses psychological, ritualistic,
and symbolic methods, using people's personal effects and blood in
this and that to bind.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
People to her will, which is a really interesting way.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
And then you're like, oh, it's called weapons because it's
not guns or knives, but people manipulated into committing violence
under the influences of something ancient and malevolent. And I
will say I was blown away by this movie. I
really really loved it. And as someone who really enjoys
witch lore, I thought that this is such a fresh
(18:00):
new take on it, and I was just like, really,
I was really impressed.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
But it's also funny.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Oh, it's also very funny. I think that there's a
couple of things I want to say in just you know,
supporting what you just said. One is the fact that, yeah,
for me, this entire movie, its major theme is manipulation,
and that's not just about the characters in the movie,
but also of course the audience as well.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
So yeah, it's a really cool variation on that theme.
And I figure because you brought it up, Ash, I
feel like we must have talked about evil grannies or
exploitation movies on this podcast before.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
I want to do a whole thing on it, but
just in case.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
We have it, just to give people listeners a little
bit of a background. Exploitation is a subgenre in the
same way as a slasher movie or you know, a
possession movie or so on and so forth, where you know,
it's also called the psycho biddi film, so you'll hear
those terms interchangeable. But if you've heard of Robert Aldrich's
Whatever Happened.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
To Baby Jane? With Oh My Favorite and Joe Crawford.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
That was kind of the that basically was like the
Psycho of exploitation movies, or you could say the Halloween
of exploitation movies, like the one that everybody kind of
spun off of, you know, and and you had obviously
a lot that came after that in the trend that
you know, whoever slew Aunty Roue or you know, so
on and so forth, Mother's Day, Mother's Day, Yeah, the
(19:28):
the Kaffin one. But yeah, there's also been an interesting
sort of resurgence in exploitation movies recently, kind of since
ever ever since twenty fifteen with m Night Shamalan's The
Visit and Robert Eggers is the Witch with which we've
talked about in this podcast before. And from there we've seen,
you know, in movies like X, you know.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
With Pearls in a lot.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Yeah, recently, Bo.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Was afraid you could even think of as a as
a psycho biddy film, almost like an offshoot obviously Barbarian,
which you mentioned, Dash the fronts and nuns, lots of
nuns and then bring her back you know as well.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Yeah, also, oh yeah, will we go her? I mean
she was wearing purple and the same glasses.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
I will say.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
I will say on the record, the Philippoo brothers have
been very very vocal about how they love Expectation movies
and they thought of bring Her Back as their tribute.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
To Can I tell you one of them was in
the Area fifty one documentary. I don't know which one
it was, but and he was under he was under
his YouTube name.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Oh Rackareca rock Arera, and I was like, he was there, he.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Was playing that jar. I was like, what the fuck
are you doing there?
Speaker 2 (20:32):
But yeah, he was there.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Of course he was there, of course.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
But yeah, No, there's been an interesting kind of, you know,
resurgence in the subgenre that no one's really kind of
pointed out in a big way yet, and no one's
kind of given voice too in terms of like, oh, hey,
we're doing Expectation again. Guys, everybody jump in the pool,
but like we kind of are kind of.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
It's kind of yeah, I love it. I love it
so much. But you were saying conjuring, because we just
talked about the conjuring. The conjuring, I mean, he was
a queen hagh.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
You know what I mean. Yep, yep, yeah, yep.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
A lot of hags.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Yeah, a lot of hags recently. But but you're also
saying how this movie is very funny, which it truly
is in a way. My god, that's totally unique to
what you might dub the comedy horror, because this isn't
a movie of like, you know, something crazy happens and
then somebody drops a one liner. You know, it's not
the right movie, you know, it's it's not that kind
of humor. It's it's a situational Yeah, it's very dry
(21:28):
and very like absurdist in a way, because you know
there'll be a moment like you know, Julia Gardner's you know,
character getting chased through a gas station store and then
like fucking help me.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Can we talk about how many she got choked so
many times it was a joke by the end.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
She is tiny and every single character choked her for
a long time.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Oh yeah, very long time.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Just well, she got pulled back with the with appeelers.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I was well, okay, also, girl, what were you doing
with that? Like Jabba in his eye? Yeah, nobody would
sit there and just.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
I was like, okay, this is gratuitous, but it's fine.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
It's gross. I'm wincing yikes, but come on, what are
you doing? Poke it in a.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
Stroke that's super effective after the first stroke.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, p s a.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Anyone, if someone's choking, you take your finger and poke
them right in that little hole in your throat. It's
the best thing I can ever tell you to do.
Go for their eyes or go for it because they're
gonna go and there's nothing they can do about it.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
And then Ball's face.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Yea, I will with somebody under Gladys' control. I mean,
we saw what happened with our cher supernatural shit, you
know where It's like he just kept throwing them off
and they kept getting back.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
I was sad that they had to go that the like, yeah,
there's some real steaks, like people are dead. How do
you explain it?
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Well, speaking of humor, it's hard not to talk about
the end because the end, like the climax, doesn't just
kind of tie things together. It explodes and it's very chaotic,
but at the same time very humorous because we were
dying laughing. Gladys was like when the spell broke, she goes,
oh no or something, and she starts running and screaming
(23:08):
through this town at like four in them five in
the morning, the sun's coming up, and seventy kids are
chasing after her, and it is at least two minutes
of her them running and destroying houses, but her just
being like aha, and the kids dying laughing.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
I was like, this is so wrong.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
It's a great moment.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I think to point out because we haven't mentioned her
name yet, Amy Madigan's performance as Gladys, because she is
really brilliant in this movie. I mean, there's a lot
of people in the industry talking about an Oscar nomination.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
You know.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Well, I said when I saw Amy Madigan that I
knew it was going to be a witch.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Yeah, so I did.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Bring her up.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Yeah, oh you did. Okay, Oh you did say that. Okay,
but yeah, I think that it's just I hope so
it's her. Yeah, right, It's brilliant that she's able to
portray a character who is, you know, genuinely creepy, but
also I don't know if sympathetic is the right word,
but understandable.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
You know, there's there's self preservation.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Yeah, it's like, okay, I see where you're coming from
at least a little bit. And then at the end
with the finale, they're kind of pathetic you know, and
just running away in fear from these kids.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
What is she gonna do it? Bashfired?
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, good on that kid. Loved that kid. The trauma
that that poor kid.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
What's his name?
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Oh well, his character is Alex, but his Alex actor's
name is Carrie Christopher.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
I just called him eyelashes. Eyelashes did a great job
throughout it, Like these kids. I can't wait to see
what the kids of Horror are going to do as
they grow up and start to get into other films,
because you never know, you never know. Haley Haley has
a Hailey jo Oz. That's a very interesting career now.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
But you just really.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Yeah, he was believable. You felt bad for him, and like,
what a thing to have to deal with. The gore
in this I thought was perfect. The the it wasn't
too much, but it was just enough to be horrible.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
And when it was terrible is like the worst.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
The fork stuff, The way their eyes would bug out
when they would run.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
Oh yeah, I love the detail of for whatever reason.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
And again we never get an explanation for this exactly,
but if you're under Gladys' control, I guess long enough
or or what am I trying to think of intense
enough where it's like the intensity of your of trying
to complete the task that she's set you by her spell,
your eyes pop out of your head.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
I guess they're like not blinking and just moving forward.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
It's wild, wild.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
But I felt bad for the kid when the parents
were really coming after him when he was hiding in
the bedroom, because that scene is horrifying when they're breaking
through the door and they just look so scary, and
I'm like, he's like seven, and this kid thought to
do the whole spell. I was like, hero, you saved everybody.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
Hell yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:49):
I think I guess this is as good as time
as any to ask this of you, Ash, because it's
something I've really been observing out here in La, which
is that this movie has become I would say, a
genuine phenomenon, you know, in terms of not just the
financial success, but culturally, you know, people really seem to
be responding to it. They seem to be going multiple
times the I think it's still number one at the
(26:10):
box office like three weeks. I love it from its release.
So what do you think is really connecting about this Because,
for instance, like with something like Sinners, which is also
another big success story this year. Sinners has like big
movie stars, It has all this awesome music, it has
you know, vampire Action, has sexy material, It has a
lot that obviously goes for it.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
You know.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Yeah, is this like if you had asked me before
it came out if it was going to be as
big of a hit as it is, I might have
said maybe not. You know, I might have guessed like
it was probably gonna do well, but you know, maybe
not be as like beloved as it seems to be
right now.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
But I will say star power right now.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
For the characters who are in it probably are equal
because I mean, really it's just Michael B.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
Jordan.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
You have Josh braul Let me just for Marvel people,
let's go. We have Josh Brollm.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
We have Arthanos, we have Julia Garner who just had
a great couple of months as the Silver Surfer coming out.
Ironheart just came out, So we have.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
What's his name, I can't say his name? What is
the guy? He's young and solo?
Speaker 4 (27:13):
There you go, what is that?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
That's what I said? Justin Ironheart?
Speaker 1 (27:20):
And then Wong we have you know, Benedict Wang, so
Josh Brolin and Julie Garner alone, I feel like, you know,
maybe not Michael B.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Jordan. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
I don't know how to like THEA, but I would
say it did have some star power and for what,
like what a thirty eight million dollar budget, it's kind
of crazy that these people showed up for this movie.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
And what I think.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Is it's a bold narrative structure, it's got an emotional core,
and it's like a genre defying approach to Witchcraft. So
people are being surprised again by horror, and I feel
like that's why horror recently has held the box office
in these different states. Like me, personally, what am I
gonna do? I liked this one better than Sinners because Witchcraft?
(28:04):
What can I love a Granny hag? This had everything
that I loved in a movie, even acceptable jump scares,
because I when we talk about how we don't like
a movie that bases itself all off the jump scares,
because that's not actually scary, this one's jump scares actually
got me a couple times, like when Gladys was on
the ceiling and jumped down Ugh and Josh Brolin in
(28:25):
the bed. So with these great actor performances, I just
feel like people are showing up for this and then
being impressed and excited by it, whereas something like Bring
Her Back, which I think was equal. Like, I'm gonna
have a really hard time with my end of the
year pick for best Horror.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
As I can.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
See, I could see how that one would hit differently
than this one would for an audience who's not like
a horror or like, we're going to the movies. Let's
oh that was Is in this movie or Julia Garner
we just saw her and whatever, So I'm not surpris
I'm not surprised because this guy is the pacing. Everything's
(29:04):
really but I saw it was two hours. I went, oh, wow,
here we go. Let's see. No, he's very good with
his pacing, and that's something I got from Companion, like
I didn't.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Let's just say he didn't direct Companion.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Oh he didn't.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Yeah, I think he had a producer credit on it
or something. But yeah, so this is really his only
his third feature. His first His first was The Whitest Kid.
You know, uh, maybe Miss March. Oh wow, so it
was him and Trevor Moore that code directed Miss March
in two thousand and nine.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Yeah, Okay, well then that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
He's he's on a good It's kind of like Rica Raca,
we got to let's see where we go.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Yeah, but uh, I do think that there is just
something special about a mainstream studio horror movie that still
has the power to get the general public's imagination going
this way, you know, because I do think that US fans,
you know, of the genre have been used to you know,
(30:05):
I don't I've talked in this podcast before about I
don't love the term elevated horror, but we've kind of
been used to it indie horror, you know, Landscape for
the longest time. Even Long Legs, which was I guess
you could say last year's equivalent to a summer horror
movie that's a big hit.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Even even Long Legs was more artsy and it's it's
in its way, you know, and obviously more indie because
of its released by Neon. So it's kind of neat
to see Warner Brothers or Newline Cinema, you know, back
original horror movie this way in the way they did,
and to have it be the successful Yeah, you know, I.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Mean he's particularly good at Hollie Handle's pacing ensemble, storytelling,
and genre subversion. It's a lot of different stuff in
one movie, and I like they give you just enough
answers in this one that you're not annoyed, you know,
and I really liked it.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
Okay, So let me ask you this, because there's already
buzz that they may be interested in making a prequel
movie about Gladys. Would that be of interest to you
or no?
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Yes, okay, because I would like to know how That
was the only questions I had when we got.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
Out of her.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
I was like, what are her powers? How long has
she been around? What is that tree? Because it is
a very simple spell which she has, but the spell
isn't possible unless you have whatever that tree was. Yeah,
so I need a lot more information on that.
Speaker 4 (31:26):
I'll say this, I'm not against it at all.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
I think, you know, if this is something that Kreger
wants to do and continue in this world, great, let's
see what else we have in store.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
I will say though, that I'm a little prequeled.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Out and as much as Forls that I'm enjoying and
I kind of missed the days of a horror franchise
that just goes for broke and says you know what,
we killed the hell out of him in the first
entry or the last entry. Let's bring him back somehow,
you know, Like we've went through movies where Jason Vorhees,
you know, got resurrected by lightning. We've been through movies
(31:58):
for Freddy Krueger gets pissed on by a dog in
the dream it comes back to life somehow, you know.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
It's like, that's my favorite way.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
You know.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Let's let's just say Gladys like you know, got buried
in the ground by the kids and then she just
grows again or something.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
You know.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Yeah, So I that was just me Manchurian candidating, being like, yes,
I know they're going to make a sequel, and.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
At least this one might be fun.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
But but yeah, no, if we if we ever get
the chance to have a natural grown or a homegrown
horror franchise again, I would love to see more sequels,
you know, because I like the idea of a continuing
franchise that way, you know, from the old days of
the of those movies.
Speaker 4 (32:37):
I mentioned.
Speaker 3 (32:37):
But yeah, no, I think that's whether it gets a
prequel or sequel or not. I think this is a
little gem and I think ultimately, you know this, this
feels to me in the same way that Jordan Peele
felt with us, you know where it's like, oh, he's
proved himself twice over. Now he's got the juice. So
(32:58):
you know, if that, if we want to continue that comparison,
then the next Greg zach Crecker movie might be his
Nope you know which we both love so.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Love us?
Speaker 4 (33:07):
Oh wait we did?
Speaker 2 (33:08):
I did, like nope, yeah, right.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
So that's what I mean. I'm just nowhere comparison, you know.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Where this one kind of like, I don't love a
story where they tell you the story over and over
and over again. But I thought that this one really
worked in that way, Like the nonlinear or multi perspective
storytelling kind of created a constant sense of disorientation and
brought more mystery.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
To the story.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
And like it as asks you to piece together the story,
it doesn't show you things that you already saw from
somebody else's perspective. It's making the reveals that you get
later feel more urned rather than spoon fed. But I
do feel like we were following something put together where
us After a certain point, I was like, I don't
know what's going on here?
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Yeah, No, I was just making the comparison that like
that get Out was a breakout movie of like, oh yeah,
Corre and Barbarian was his break up movie of oh
he can do and now we have and then we
had Us, which is like, oh he can still do horr.
And then this is like Weapons is Creigor could still
do horr. You know that this guy's a limit for
for this guy next round. You know, it feels like
you know, who knows what he's gonna come up with.
(34:13):
But I'm excited and i'd be and like I said,
I was saying, I'd be excited if it was another
movie in this universe or this this franchise.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
Or keep Going baby, another original.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Thing, just keep going?
Speaker 4 (34:25):
Yeah more Justin Long y Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
I kind of feel like Justin Long is becoming his
h I don't know whether good comparison, I don't know,
Bruce Campbell or something where it's like he's got to
show up.
Speaker 4 (34:36):
Pop him in now, yeah, just put him.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
In there so you know that someone who's going to
bring a little star power. I bet he did it
for nothing because Justin Long seems so cool. He just
does Just Long come on the show anytime.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
Sarah Paxton is his real life wife Zach Creggor's Oh.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Is it the hawk girl in the house with the
Oh it was fun. I loved that scene.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
I love that scene.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
She was like, I don't feel comfortable that with showing
you this footage and then.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
You know justin Oh, yeah, they wouldn't you.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Why haven't anybody done that yet either, which really bugged
me that plot point. I'm like, why is Josh Brolin
the only one who's like, let's watch all the videos
and see where they run? But that goes back to
what you were saying, where nobody was really paying attention.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
Nobody was paying attention, and when I also thought of
another thing as we were talking just now, I think
it's just Justine an Archer that get to have dream
sequences in their segments.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Where's the other character?
Speaker 2 (35:28):
So was she was kind of was she haunting them?
Speaker 4 (35:31):
I don't know if it was.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
I think it's literally the fact that like the mystery
is haunting them, and Gladys is the mystery, you know. Yeah,
So it's that thing of like they can't let it go,
like they just have to continue down in the same
way that the possessed have to compellingly go towards their target,
like they have to, you know, continue until they get
an answer, whereas other people, you know, they find it
(35:52):
easier to forget or move on.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
And she was so much more chill with that kid.
I would have kidnapped that kid. I've been like, what
the fuck is going on here?
Speaker 2 (35:59):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (36:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Right, But I did love how like even the little
details as making a comment that oh, the photographers and
the journalists are swarming the house, that's why the newspapers
are on the windows, like little tiny details. And that's
this new wave of directors I'm really enjoying.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
And when you have two out the bat like our
boys for RACAA, this one, let's keep going.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
Yeah, I'm almost like a not sad that they're making
talk to me too, because there is a lot more
to like explore with that you don't even have to
do anything with the people from the first movie. But
I want to see more originals. Let's say, keep going.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Well, I think that, I mean, we've said this on
this podcast before this year many times, but horror is
just in a really great place. It's maybe the only
thing that I would say is the best about the
film industry, right now where it's like so much is bad.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
But it's been a long time since we could say
this too.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
Yeah, but horror movies are thriving like they're they're doing
financially great, they're doing creatively great, and it's you know,
we we can welcome it as fans like it kind
of feels like we're collectively coming into our own you know,
in terms of uh, this genre has been sort of
on the back burner for so long that now it's
kind of just emerged as this, you know, thing that
(37:22):
might genuinely save Hollywood.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Who knows?
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Who knows? Yeah, fuck you, Tom Cruise. You're not going
to do it. Horror is.
Speaker 4 (37:30):
Tom Cruise. Don't kill us please, I mean.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
No, Your coconut cakes are great.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Yeah, I love you to try that to click.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Legend Listen, my favorite hag of all time is from.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
A movie with him in there. Oh that's true, Meg
the Bogwitch from Legend. Nobody is better than Meg muckle Bones.
Whos downs Meg muckle Bones is slumber. At least you
have Jack, the best, the best, those fact that fine
boy you are.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
Ashley will be performing her one woman show as big
a buckle Bunts.
Speaker 4 (38:05):
You can find your on Broadway.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
Listen, I'm a scorpio. Put a mirror in front of me.
That's my downfall. Two, can't stop looking.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
Uh oh this is this should be an off off
off my conversation, But why not. I discovered that the
paranoral Activity stage show that we talked about in this
podcast before it is going to come to l all. Yeah,
I should try to say yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
That'll be a feedback for our patrons.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
But yeah, we can get more. That's the next frontier.
Right We've we've solved horror movies. We've we've you know,
we've reached the apex.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
They're so great. Right now, now we got to get
horror on stage going again. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
I I'm going to Evil Dead next month and.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
It is going to be scored by a live band.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
Really yeah, so that should be fun. That's fun. I
love that music.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
But yeah, so before we get away from the topic,
do we have any closing thoughts on weapons?
Speaker 1 (39:04):
I just think that, you know, unlike a lot of
horror films that lean into metaphors and political commentary, weapons
kind of deliberately avoids offering the tidy message. It leans
into confusion and the kind of dread an uncertainty just
kind of like real grief, which was kind of the
heart of this, and it's original storytelling that you can
(39:28):
of original storytelling of a.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Used up granny Hag topic.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
You know, they really were able to find an alternative way,
like it's reinventing the archetype of witchcraft in a movie.
And I hadn't seen anything like it in a long time.
And I'm very excited too. I can't wait to see
it again. I really liked it, and yeah, it surprised me.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
Yeah, it surprised me too, And it really holds up
on a rewatch for me, because, as I said, like,
once you get past the the manipulation that Gregor is
putting on you as a first time viewer, you can
really sort of let it soak in and let it
get into your uh as a as a story and
and all the unanswered you know, ambiguity of it, and
(40:14):
there can really you know, start to tickle your brain.
And I also really appreciated how as you said, ash Uh,
this is a horror movie kind of rare for these
days where it it's not like it doesn't have any
social or political commentary. It's just that it is generic,
and that's a complimentary generic, you know where it's like,
(40:35):
sure you can put onto the image of you know,
a classroom full of dead kids, like you know, that's
obviously an evocative image in terms of Hordern times. And yeah,
the idea of Archer and his dream sequencing a giant
you know, ar fifteen over a house you know in sea,
that was wild.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
I forgot about it until you brought that U.
Speaker 4 (40:52):
That's obvious.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
Yeah, that's obviously a very evocative image and there's so
much interpret there. But it's not like Craiger is standing
on a soapbox and saying this movie is about X thing.
Speaker 4 (41:01):
You know.
Speaker 3 (41:02):
He's really kind of just following his creative muse and
letting these images sort of come to him and come
into the movie and sit there and be there for
you the audience, you know where. It's like, you can
think of this as you wish. But ultimately it's not
a totally ambiguous movie. It is something that does have
(41:22):
you know, an ending, It does have an answer, and
it also leaves you with a lot to think about afterwards,
which is kind of an ideal you know situation. Do
we have any recommendations? I do Okay, you go first,
because I know if I.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
Have one, I'm going with the most indie movie that
you could probably watch in a while. I am recommending
twenty tony one's Hellbender. Oh oh, this little indie movie.
Film is made by the cutest family of filmmakers and
it's really fun for what it is. The dad is
the director, the mom and the daughter of the stars.
(41:59):
It's low budget but high storytelling. The whole family works
together to direct. The father and daughter Zelda and Toby
Poser do the cinematography, the mom, Toby Poser does the costumes.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
They do a bunch of movies.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
All together, just like a couple of them, and I
just think this is a really great coming of age
movie with interesting storytelling. When it comes to Witchcraft, which
reminded me a lot of what was going on with
the witchcraft in this movie.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
It's it's a watch, but I loved it.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Yeah, yeah, you know, I'm going to go a little
bit of a different direction here too, or different than
my usual because of what you just recommended their ash
and I'm going to shout out something that you're probably
going to roll your rise in me, but I'm going
to go with it.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
And it's the Witches.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
No, because because of this recent trend of exploitation that
we've been talking about during this episode. And it is
a movie that came out a couple of weeks ago
which kind of nobody saw, starring Pete Davidson. The Home
written and directed by James Demonico of the Purge franchise.
And I don't want to give too much away because
(43:09):
it is a very twisting movie and a lot you know,
changes during the course of the film in terms of
what is actually going on and what the secret of
the Home is. But it is a movie that stars
and features a lot of elderly characters and part of
the fear of the movie is what's going on with
these crazy old people, this old post sundowners. Yeah, So
if you want to continue on this sort of ha
(43:29):
exploitation modern day horror trend, give it a look. And
this is a movie that definitely because this is James Demonico,
the guy who wrote you know, the Purge movies and
directed the first couple, it definitely does have appointed political
commentary to it. So if you want to discover that,
you should see this movie. Pete Davidson. Notwithstanding it's Pete Davidson.
It's fine, but you know it's it's funny.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Hey, I like body Spotty's Botties whatever.
Speaker 3 (43:56):
Here you go. That's true. Shoot, I wasn't. This is
the one thing I forgot. I should I know, I
should have this memorized.
Speaker 4 (44:03):
I got this.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
A big thank you to all our patrons who are
helping us do our thing, and we will get you
next time.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
Thank you all for joining us for this episode of
Bill and Ashley's part of the Stranded Pendent Network. You
can find my work in the show notes thanks below.
Check us out on social media. You can find the
show at strandedpenda dot com and everywhere.
Speaker 4 (44:29):
Else you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (44:30):
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to
write to us at Ill and ash Terror Theater at
gmail dot com.
Speaker 4 (44:36):
We're dying to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (44:38):
See
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