Podcasts
‘The Conjuring’ Turns 10: James Wan at His Scariest and Strongest [Halloweenies Podcast]
“The devil exists. God exists. And for us, as people, our very destiny hinges upon which one we elect to follow.”
In 2013, James Wan broke the box office again for horror with The Conjuring. At the time, he was riding high off the successes of Saw and Insidious, so to crack open yet another franchise for the genre was something of a coup. Yet the story of the Conjuring universe goes way, way back, involving producer Tony DeRosa-Grund and, of course, the Warrens.
It’s a complicated backstory, admittedly, and one that’s ripe for the vintage Halloweenies treatment. Fortunately for you, the gang headed to Harrisville, Rhode Island in June of 2021 and exorcised all the demons within the 2013 blockbuster, particularly the sordid history involving the Warrens that has been the franchise’s foundation for a decade now.
Yet they also discuss why this is arguably Wan’s strongest and scariest picture to date, assessing the patience, the style, and the finesse that makes this a benchmark for the supernatural genre (at least throughout the 2010s). Joining the gang for this seance is Randall Colburn of Entertainment Weekly/The Losers’ Club and writer-artist Jessica Rose.
This episode has since been unlocked for the film’s 10th anniversary this week.
Stream the conversation below or subscribe via 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, Friday the 13th, Scream, and The Evil Dead. This year they’re covering Chucky.
You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gremlins, The Blob), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Saw, The Conjuring, The Changeling), and even topical spinoffs like their ensuing Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.
On the DL.
After spending June on explicitly queer texts like Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (listen) and William Castle’s Homicidal (listen), it’s only appropriate that Horror Queers celebrate the American holiday with a blockbuster film with a not-so-secret gay connection.
In Independence Day, an unlikely group of people come together when the human race faces extinction from a threatening alien race. After spaceships destroy every major city, pilot Steven Hiller (Will Smith) must team up with secret tech genius David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), as well as the US President (Bill Pullman), to execute a daring plan to save the planet from annihilation.
Along for the ride are the two saviors’ romantic partners – WH Communications Director Constance (Margaret Colin) and stripper Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) – plus eccentric scientist Dr. Okun (Brent Spiner), who is at the center of the film’s most horrific set piece.
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Episode 393: Independence Day (1996)
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day…courtesy of gay German director Roland Emmerich.
As the summer blockbuster celebrates its 30th anniversary, we’re looking back on an alien disaster film that scared young Trace (thanks to that alien autopsy scene) and turned Will Smith into a star.
Plus: the death that upsets the most; bemoaning Vivica A. Fox’s career; pondering what could have been with the casting; why Smith’s bravado and the film’s patriotism doesn’t always work for Joe; and plenty of riffing on the atrocious sequel.
Cross out Independence Day!
Coming Up Next: We’re retreating to the country for some questionable therapy courtesy of Joe Dante’s 1981 classic, The Howling!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 503 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Forbidden Fruits, Saccharine, Evil Dead Burn, an audio commentary on the utterly ridiculous sequel Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf (1985), and the conclusion of our Requel Tier coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.