Podcasts
Opening a Discussion Portal Into ‘OXENFREE II: Lost Signals’ [Safe Room Podcast]
The concept of a standalone sequel feels like a relic of a bygone era. Sequels that co-exist within an established game world but can be enjoyed on their own. And as studios emphasize building franchises, sequels that are an immediate continuation of what came before it is almost entirely the industry’s standard approach. Color me surprised when I discovered that OXENFREE II: Lost Signals is largely a standalone sequel crafting a wholly new story that doesn’t require the original to play.
If you had played the original Oxenfree, you’d have more insight into what is happening and pick-up nods to past events, but it is absolutely not required. Rather than directly continuing Alex’s journey in the original, the player meets newcomer Riley, who has taken a summer job in her coastal hometown of Camena. OXENFREE II picking up five years after the original game’s events, the player may be surprised by how little OXENFREE II is concerned with dredging up the past.
Allowing the sequel to explore new characters and a more extensive setting allows OXENFREE II to stand on its own right rather than being a conventional sequel. And while the game’s narrative will eventually become interwoven with the originals, OXENFREE II is a game that newcomers can enjoy without feeling overly alienated.
So for this week’s episode, Neil and I discuss the inclusion of new characters, the all-new setting of Camena, and how this sequel inevitably ties into the lineage of that which came before it. – Jay Krieger
And in this week’s Horror Bytes, we solve a micro murder mystery in Raspberry Wine and head to the Arctic for research in Siren Call.
Next week sees a review roundup of recent horror games including My Friendly Neighborhood, Exoprimal, Remnant II, and Xenonauts II.
Safe Room is a weekly horror video game discussion podcast with new episodes every Monday and Thursday. For additional streaming services, Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Linktree.
Feel free to follow the show and hosts on Twitter:
Safe Room | Neil | Jay | Horror Bytes
Podcasts
‘The Boston Strangler’ Adaptations Share One Major Blind Spot [Murder Made Fiction Podcast]
Amanda and I have spent the month of July examining the various cinematic depictions of The Boston Strangler over on Murder Made Fiction, and we’ve come to an odd realization: despite the case claiming thirteen lives, none of its filmed adaptations seem to care at all about the victims.
After walking Amanda through a Primer on the case, which seems like an open and shut indictment of Albert DeSalvo (until it gets muddied by conspiracy and possible corruption by the Boston PD), we tackled three very different films:
- 1964’s The Strangler: Burt Topper directs Whatever Happened to Baby Jane actor Victor Buono in a slice of 60s pop psychology that tries to inject a weird doll fetish into the proceedings. The real life details of the case mostly fall by the wayside, in large part because DeSalvo wasn’t implicated in the murders until after this film’s release. Still, Buono’s performance is pretty astounding!
- 1968’s The Boston Strangler: The best of this month’s three films, though it is less for Tony Curtis‘ take on the killer than its use of split screens by cinematographer Richard H. Kline and editor Marion Rothman. It’s magnificently entertaining, though the back half slows down too much when it comes time to let Curtis do his thing.
- 2023’s Boston Strangler: This is the film that finally prioritizes women…although not the victims. The straight-to-Hulu film (which I reviewed for Bloody back in the day) stars Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon as Record American reporters, but writer/director Matt Ruskin’s thesis, which boils down to “it’s hard for women in the workforce,” feels overly simplistic. In hindsight, this one is mostly just a boring misfire.
The Boston Strangler 1968
Next month: For August, we’re turning our attention to John List, the family annihilator who went on to inspire 1987’s The Stepfather. We’ll partner that up with the 2009 remake, starring YOU‘s Penn Badgley (!), as well as the 2026 Tubi version starring Taye Diggs (!!)
Want even more true crime adaptations and Murder Made Fiction? Support the show on Patreon to listen to our coverage of Elle Fanning in The Girl From Plainville and Ryan Murphy’s The Watcher Netflix series, as well as full-length primers and 160+ hours of bonus content.
You must be logged in to post a comment.