Yakov Ronen (Dave Davis) is part of a support group of Jewish folk who have left the Orthodox community in New York City.  When a former member of his temple asks him to do shomer for the recently deceased Mr. Litvak, he agrees to do so for $400. However, he is introduced to the deceased widow who has dementia, who doesn’t want him there. But by the end of the night, he may have something much more worrisome to be concerned about.

The film is the motion picture debut of director and screenwriter Keith Thomas. Having played festival circuits since 2019, the movie finally was released in the United States in February to much praise by critics. Dark Discussions takes a look at this supernatural thriller and gives their thoughts.

Anne (Barbara Crampton) is a middle aged woman married to Pastor Jakob (Larry Fessenden). Generally she’s happy but her youth seemed to have disappeared with a blink. When she become in charge of converting an old town property to something useful, a disturbing presence has taken residence within the cobwebbed structure. Soon Anne’s life is turned upside down and her community may be in danger.

JAKOB’S WIFE is directed by Travis Stevens, the director of 2019’s GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR. The movie stars two modern horror legends including Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR) and actor/director Larry Fessenden (HABIT).  Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thoughts.

When a quiet drifter (Nicholas Cage) has all four of his sport’s car’s tires destroyed from a police spike strip on a remote Nevada route, he is picked up by the local car mechanic who is willing to fix the situation. Unfortunately the local ATM and credit card machines don’t work nor does the drifter have the cash on hand to pay. So a local business man offers him to clean the local family entertainment center over night. While there, the drifter discovers that his life may be in danger.

WILLY’S WONDERLAND was original set for an October 30th, 2020 theatrical Halloween release. But with COVID-19, the movie was pushed back before appearing on VOD. The film was directed by Kevin Lewis and written by G.O. Parsons. Besides Nicholas Cage, he co-stars along with Emily Tosta and Beth Grant. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thoughts.

College students Jen, Darius, and their four friends head out for an outdoor adventure on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. When they decide to go view an old Civil War fort off the beaten track, disaster happens. Soon they find themselves confronted by a mysterious cult in the backwoods that they may have wronged. Lost and without gear, all their lives are turn out to be in jeopardy.

Alan B. McElroy returns to the film series that he made iconic. Rebooted and with a new type of villain, his screenplay was directed by newcomer Mike P. Nelson. The film received mixed reviews but did get some early year buzz from horror fans. Dark Discussions takes a look at this new addition to a horror franchise and gives their thoughts.

Widower Jeff (Joel McHale) and young daughter, Becky (Lulu Wilson), head out to their lake home. Becky is surprised that her father’s girlfriend and son are there and that he’s planning to get married to her. Still not over her mother’s passing, she storms off to her forest fort to cool down. While there, a group of criminals barge into the lake house. They take everyone hostage and demand a lost key that they had hid on the property years earlier. 

Crazy violent, BECKY changes tone from a psychological thriller to a gruesome revenge movie. From a script written by Nick Morris, Lane Skye, and Ruckus Skye, the film was directed by co-directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion. With so many fingers in the pot so-to-speak, does the film turn into a hodge-podge mess or hold up as an engrossing horror-thriller. Your co-hosts of Dark Discussions take a look at the film and give their thoughts.

Cartographer and geologist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) is hired by apex Cybernetics to investigate the center of the earth. When Kong is endangered from an attack from Godzilla, Monarch decides to move him to Antartica where an entrance to the earth’s innercore may exist. Soon Godzilla’s rampage back on the surface makes Lind and others wonder if there is a greater conspiracy than just angry monsters.

Genre director Adam Wingard directs a film based off the screenplay by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein. The cast includes Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza Gonzalez, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, among others. Dark Discussions takes a look at this latest big monster movie and give their thoughts where it fits in the MonsterVerse as well as other recent Kaiju films such as RAMPAGE (2018).

When fish begin to wash ashore upon the beaches of Rhode Island’s Block Island, Audrey (Michaela McManus) is sent by the EPA to check out the circumstances. Originally an islander, she stays with her father Tom (Neville Archambault) and brother Harry (Chris Sheffield). Soon her father disappears at sea, and Harry begins to do his own investigation that may show a connection between his father’s disappearance and the animal deaths.

The movie was co-written and directed by brothers Kevin and Matthew McManus. After a run at festivals (including Fantasia), the movie quickly received quality reviews from numerous outlets. THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND was even noticed by such outlets as the Austin Chronicle. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and are joined by actor Dan Lench to get further perspective.

Films reviewed starring Dan Lench and Dan Lench Dark Discussions appearances:

Episode 259 – Patient Seven – Review

Episode 238 – Patient Seven – Interview

Episode 339 – The Lurking Man

Episode 209 – Circle – Review

Episode 221 – Circle – Interview

Episode 358 – Dan Lench Special – Favorite Horror Movies

Episode 453 – The Clovehitch Killer – Guest Hosting

When a Texas family’s patriarch becomes comatose, and it appears he is going to pass, estranged adult children, Louise and Michael, decide to return to give their regards. Their mother asks them not to come, but they arrive none-the-less. When they discover that their mother’s concerns are not related to their estrangement but to something much more dark, all their lives turn upside down as an evil begins to effect each of them.

Considered part of the new subgenre of elevated horror that was coined by snotty critics, the movie has received phenomenal reviews. With its mostly unknown cast, the movie uses the real life sheep farm of Brian Bertino’s family as a brilliant backdrop for its story. Dark Discussions takes a look at this interesting film and gives their thought.

When a little girl named Jake sees her brother drown at a quarry, she blames herself for his death. As she walks home one day, a group of gypsy men make a deal with her saying they could bring her brother back if she has another lose their life in his place. Knowing the son of her father’s enemy has a crush on her, she begins to weigh if killing another would give her peace if her brother indeed returned to her.

As an artwork almost all critics felt the movie was a very impressive gothic thriller. Generally the story was also enjoyed by most. With its low profile, DIG TWO GRAVES was overlooked by many on its initial release, but with a reappearance on Shudder TV, it has gained a new audience. A patreon pick for Dark Discussions, your co-hosts take a look at this very interesting film and give their thoughts.

Grace (Kaitlyn Bernard) and her six friends have been named the Sinners by their high school classmates because each has taken on the identity of one of the seven deadly sins. Grace, known as “lust”, decides to lead a kangaroo court against Aubrey (Brenna Llewellyn), known as “pride”, for tattle-telling on the group for improprieties. But when Aubrey goes missing, others in the group begin to turn up murdered. Is their a serial killer come to their otherwise peaceful community.

Holly Amber Church, interviewed on Episode 471, who’s worked on numerous films including Open 24 Hours, was the composer to the movie. Besides Kaitlyn Bernard and Brenna Llewellyn, the cast includes Breena Coates, Keilani Elizabeth Rose, Jasmine Randhawa, Carly Fawcett, and Natalie Malaika as the other five sins. Dark Discussions takes a look at this recently released genre film.

When Ripley’s escape shuttle is found, she is offered by the corporation to check up on a colony of civilians on LV-426. When the colony is reported missing, the trip turns into a rescue. When the space marines arrive, they find nothing but an empty facility. Soon as they turn a rescue mission into a search-and-find assignment, they begin to discover that they too may be in grave danger.

ALIENS was the sequel to the original 1979 ALIEN (directed by Ridley Scott). At the helm was TERMINATOR (1984) director James Cameron. He brought in a great group to work with including composer James Horner, special effects artist Stan Winston, cinematographer Adrian Biddle, and editor Ray Lovejoy. Dark Discussions takes a look at this science fiction horror classic and celebrates their tenth anniversary podcasting.

Other Podcasts about the franchise:

• Alien 1979
• Prometheus (2012)
• Alien Covenant (2017)

Other alien films Podcasts:

• Alien Abduction (2014)
• Dark Encounter (2020)
• Skyman (2020)
• Dark Skies (2013)
• Devil’s Gate (2018)
• The Thing From Another World (1951)
• The Thing (1982)
• The Thing (2011)
• The Host (2013)

Joseph (Devon Sawa) and Anne Mersault (Camille Sullivan) live in the outback woods of Canada with their daughter Renee. They are fur trappers and live off the land. Unfortunately a very large wolf has begun eating their trapping bait as well as the animals they have captured for their food and money. When Joseph heads out to find the vicious animal, he stumbles upon a horror that may be more terrifying than just a carnivorous predator.

With its 94% Rotten Tomatoes score by critics, the movie has slowly been found by fans of thrillers and horror movies. Though overlooked by many, HUNTER HUNTER has been rediscovered by those who had missed it the prior year. Dark Discussions takes a look at this little film and gives their thoughts.

After destroying a meteor headed to crash on Earth, chemicals from the rockets cause cold blooded creatures to become giant mutants. Joel Dawson (Dylan O’Brien) is a survivor of the apocalypse. He is determined to cross eight-five miles to another prepper bunker where his girlfriend is. Having never left his own bunker, he is off in the wilderness where giant frogs, insects, and mollusks are now at the top of the food chain.

LOVE AND MONSTERS stars Dylan O’Brien, Michael Rooker, Jessica Henwick, Ellen Hollman, as well as others in an excellent cast. The screenplay was written by veteran screenwriters Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson. Receiving excellent reviews by from critics, the movie has been getting a lot of buzz by renters. Dark Discussions takes a look at the movie and gives their thoughts.

After the suicide of her mother a year ago, Charlotte (Odessa Young) tries to celebrate her high school graduation with her friends. When the bodies of two young woman from a neighboring town are found, a once dormant serial killer seems to have become active again. Oddly, the murders began when her old boyfriend once again returns to town and the two begin to rekindle their once strong romance.

Whether the film is art house, horror, coming of age, a Southern gothic or all of the above, the movie has received mixed reviews from critics, receiving exactly 50%. Audiences seem to be less enthusiastic with reviews as low as 0% (believe it or not). Dark Discussions takes a look at David Raboy’s directorial debut and give their thoughts.

Max (Ryan Guzman) and Drew (Kyle Gallner) run The Cleansing Room, a one hour weekly internet exorcism show. It’s all fake. Max isn’t really a priest. And Drew gets actors to come on to play the possessed using various production designs to make it look real. When their latest performer doesn’t show, Drew’s fiancé Lane (Alix Angelis) has to step in otherwise the latest episode has to be cancelled. But as the hour begins, something bizarre happens, and soon secrets emerge that could destroy them all.

The movie appears to be the feature length debut of director Damien LeVeck. From a story by Aaron Horowitz, the screenplay was co-written with the director. With a present score of 72% on RottenTomatoes, the movie is receiving fine reviews from critics. The movie made the 2020 top ten lists of a number of your co-hosts, so the crew decided to take a look at this interesting take on the exorcism movie subgenre.

The movie is a bit different than the story; the tale has moved from England to the U.S. city of Chicago. Helen (Virginia Madsen), a graduate student, is writing a paper on urban legends. Though curious with many tales, the inner city legend of Candy Man interests her most. As a result her paper can be expanded to include such topics as gentrification, class, and hardship of the poor. While navigating through areas of the city that aren’t safe for a young, attractive woman as herself, her discoveries may lead to a greater danger than people.

Tony Todd stars as the iconic titled villain and brings a menace that tops some of the best monster icons in horror cinema. Though not as well known of his contemporaries, director/screenwriter Bernard Rose turns an interesting topic to a cult classic. Also of note is that Philip Glass scored the film. A Patreon pick from our listeners, Dark Discussions takes a look at this cult classic and give their thoughts.

In the small college town of Raven’s End, the local mortuary and funeral parlor is run by the aptly named Montgomery Dark (Clancy Brown). When a young woman visits, her interest in a coffin of a toddler attracts Montgomery’s attention. Soon Montgomery takes an interest her very odd and inquisitive ways and begins to discuss various instances of the showings and burials of the dead.

Originally written as a short entitled The Babysitter Murders, writer and director Ryan Spindell expanded the fourth story of the anthology to include three more, and a wrap around tale. The movie stars Clancy Brown in the pivotal role of the establishment’s owner. Dark Discussions on the recommendation of co-host Abe takes a look at this well received anthology film and give their thoughts.

Each of your co-hosts put together a list of movies they thought were good enough to be seen by audiences. This included both a list of horror films and a list of other speculative fiction films. Afterwards we then combined those lists and came up with Dark Discussions definitive lists of the best of 2020. Some obvious films like THE INVISIBLE MAN and THE COLOR OUT OF SPACE appear but also little known films like A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND, OPEN 24 HOURS, and 1BR were considered.

Also included are some of our listener choices and what they felt were the best of the year. And don’t forget our top and worst scenes, scream queens, breakout star, and anything else you can think of. Dark Discussions wraps up last year in a nice tight bow and gives their listeners a good many films to go out and search for.

After reviewing the movie and tweeting out the episode, both Padraig and Holly took a listen and retweeted the podcast to their followers. As a result, we decided to have the creators join the podcast to talk about their latest collaboration. The movie even has a vinyl release of the soundtrack as well as a CD and audio album.

In next week’s episode of the Dark Discussions where we recap the best of 2020, OPEN 24 HOURS unsurprisingly makes our definitive list of top 10 horror movies of the year, so look out for that episode. But until then, take a listen to Padraig Reynolds and Holly Amber Church give some insights into OPEN 24 HOURS.

After destroying a meteor headed to crash on Earth, chemicals from the rockets cause cold blooded creatures to become giant mutants. Joel Dawson (Dylan O’Brien) is a survivor of the apocalypse. He is determined to cross eight-five miles to another prepper bunker where his girlfriend is. Having never left his own bunker, he is off in the wilderness where giant frogs, insects, and mollusks are now at the top of the food chain.

LOVE AND MONSTERS stars Dylan O’Brien, Michael Rooker, Jessica Henwick, Ellen Hollman, as well as others in an excellent cast. The screenplay was written by veteran screenwriters Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson. Receiving excellent reviews by from critics, the movie has been getting a lot of buzz by renters. Dark Discussions takes a look at the movie and gives their thoughts.

Audrey (Sheila McCarthy) and Henry (Julian Richings) Walsh lost their grandson Jackson and daughter in a vehicular accident. When Audrey’s grief becomes overwhelming, the two have decided to join a satanic cult in hopes to somehow find a way to bring at the very least their grandson back to them. Unfortunately their plan of kidnapping a young pregnant woman goes awry when entities from the beyond start appearing.

Starting out as a bit of a dark comedy, the movie soon becomes a carefully crafted and honest horror movie. Some have called it a twisted delight while others have called it a frightening masterpiece, ANYTHING FOR JACKSON has received quite a bit of buzz. Your co-hosts take a look at this interesting film found on the Shudder channel.