Branded to Kill is the “incomprehensible” film that got Japanese auteur Suzuki Seijun fired from Nikkatsu studios in 1968. Join me as I take a deep dive into the movie and reveal why this fantastic film is actually a misunderstood masterpiece of yakuza cinema.
The Crow is one of those rare films where everything seems to come together to create something that transcends the genre it exists within. Listen to episode 17 of The Last Theater on the Left podcast as chris and Joey break down the film from its comic book origins all the way up to what it means to watch the movie all these years later.
After years of meandering away from the formula established in the early films in the Friday the 13th franchise (before going off the rails completely), Jason Voorhees joined so many other classic characters in getting a remake. This film is definitely a modernized reimagining of the series and characters, but is it any good? Does it feel like a Friday the 13th movie or is it just a part of the Voorhees legacy in name only? Listen to night twelve of The Last Theater on the Left’s marathon of 13 daily podcasts to hear chris and Joey discuss what worked and what didn’t (without being influenced by any of the automatic stigma that many people seemingly attach to any remake).
Theme music: “Rising Game” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
It’s a battle that horror fans had been dreaming and talking about for years by the time it was released, but does Freddy vs Jason hold up today as a good or fun movie? And is it more of a Nightmare on Elm Street film than Friday the 13th? Listen and find out!
Theme music: “Rising Game” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Where do horror franchises go when they run out of good ideas? Apparently they go to outer space. Although, a slasher movie on a spaceship isn’t the worst idea. The potential for claustrophobic tension built in endlessly twisting corridors with no escape is pretty great. It’s been done previously, and it’s been done well. Does Jason X deserve to be in the same sentence as some of the great sci-fi horror movies like Alien? You probably already know the answer to that, but it could still be campy fun, right?
Listen to night ten of The Last Theater on the Left’s marathon of 13 daily podcasts covering the entirety of the Friday the 13th franchise to find out what chris and Joey have to say about that question and so many more!
Theme music: “Rising Game” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
As the first of the “Jason” movies, does Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday work as a new spin on a beloved character, or does it instead feel like a bizarre and failed deviation from a well-worn yet effective formula? And perhaps more importantly, is this movie any good regardless of any concerns for the ongoing series? Listen as chris and Joey discuss this and more in night nine of The Last Theater on the Left’s marathon of 13 daily podcasts dedicated to the entirety of the Friday the 13th franchise!
The implausible and rather inappropriately named eighth installment of the Friday the 13th franchise, Jason Takes Manhattan, features Jason Voorhees taking a pleasure cruise with a handful of recently graduated students. Is it a recipe for a tense and claustrophobic series of murders, or is a failed attempt at trying to put Jason in new settings? Listen and find out!
It’s psychokinesis versus a supernatural killing machine in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood! Sounds fun, right? Between chris and Joey, at least one of them didn’t have a good memory of this entry in the series, but was his mind changed by the end of this episode? Listen and find out!
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning might not be much of a new beginning for the series. It might not even be a very good movie. But there might be some parts and ideas that actually work well when you think about it. Listen as chris and Joey discuss the good, the bad, and the painfully obvious in night five of The Last Theater on the Left’s series of 13 daily podcast episodes devoted to the entirety of the Friday the 13th franchise!
It may be called “The Final Chapter,” but even without knowing that many movies would come after, this installment of the Friday the 13th franchise feels like a fresh start. New characters, new directions, and the overall story is finally starting to be pulled together. But is it any good? Listen as chris and Joey discuss!