Podcasts
Uncrossing the Controversy Surrounding ‘Basic Instinct’ [Halloweenies Podcast]
It’s the ’90s. Hollywood stars are hotter than ever, particularly Michael Douglas. The Oscar-winning producer and actor is in search of his next chapter after owning the latter half of the ’80s. He’s found it in a new erotic thriller from scribe Joe Eszterhas (Flashdance, Jagged Edge) and filmmaker Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Total Recall). Together, they grab a chair in a low-lit sweat box of male testosterone with sex on the mind and money to make.
The film? Basic Instinct. The twist? Sharon Stone runs away with it.
For the latest installment of this season’s Randy’s Recs, which finds the Halloweenies dissecting a film that inspired the Scream franchise, the gang heads to San Francisco to try and solve a string of murderers. Make no mistake, these are grisly crimes, sure, but they’re also familiar, especially for readers of crime novelist Catherine Tramell. It would appear the blood beyond the yellow tape matches what anyone can find in any one of her books.
Sound familiar? If Scream 3 comes to mind, you’re not alone. Join the Halloweenies as they discuss the smutty film’s curious parallels to Wes Craven’s meta franchise, the myriad controversies that surrounded the 1992 thriller, the behind-the-scenes chaos that would go on to fuel the film, the sexual fluidity (or lack thereof) of Douglas, and the blockbuster sex appeal of Sharon Stone. Special guest includes Bloody Disgusting‘s own Meagan Navarro!
So, light up a cigarette, hide your icepick, and join the gang now via iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th. You can also become a member of their Patreon for hilarious commentaries and one-off episodes.
Free cable is the ultimate aphrodisiac…
After kicking off June with discussions of our very first Vincent Price film in Theater of Blood (listen) and revisiting the world of Anne Rice (kinda) in Queen of the Damned (listen), we’re stepping out of our usual area of coverage to discuss Ben Stiller‘s genre-adjacent black comedy The Cable Guy (1996).
In The Cable Guy, newly single Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick) gets more than he bargained for after he bribes his eccentric cable installer, Ernie “Chip” Douglas (Jim Carrey), for free movie channels. While attempting to woo back his ex Robin (Leslie Mann), Steven must contend with Chip’s desperate need for companionship. Chip’s relationship-building tactics quickly escalate into obsessive stalking, making for a darkly comedic take on thrillers like Fatal Attraction and Single White Female.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, and RSS.
Episode 390: The Cable Guy (1996)
Get ready to tell us where you like it as we head to Medieval Times because we’re discussing Ben Stiller’s Jim Carrey-starring black comedy The Cable Guy (1996) for its 30th anniversary! Tagging in for the conversation are Patrick Hamilton and Gena Radcliffe of the Kill By Kill Podcast.
Join us as we go all in on the oddly prescient (and highly media literate) film made famous by Jim Carrey’s $20 million paycheck. From Carrey’s incredibly creepy performance to a nightmare sequence straight out of A Nightmare on Elm Street, there are a lot more horror (and homoerotic) undertones to this film than you might expect!
Plus, that iconic karaoke sequence, sexy Jack Black and comparisons to Single White Female, So I Married an Axe Murderer and Scream.
Cross out The Cable Guy!
Coming Up Next: We’re licking the drain as we check in with the Catton family in Emerald Fennel’s not-remake of The Talented Mr. Ripley in her 2023 sophomore feature Saltburn!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 498 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 5 & 6, Backrooms, Passenger, Leviticus, an audio commentary on the original Scary Movie (2000), and the return of our Requel Tier as we begin our episode coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.