Podcast Summary: Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – Arizona

Episode: 10-24-25 – Trying To Remember Really Good Horror Or Scary Movies And We Can't Think Of Any Released Recently That Were Even Decent
Date: October 24, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Morning Sickness crew embarks on an energetic, hilarious, and honest discussion about horror and scary movies. They lament the lack of great, recent horror films and reminisce about memorable, older classics, exploring what makes truly scary cinema. The hosts debate supernatural vs. “realist” horror, trade stories about their own reactions, and respond to listener suggestions, all with their trademark irreverence and wit.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Recent Horror Movies: A Disappointing Drought

• The crew agrees: “There hasn’t been a good [scary movie] in forever” ([04:02], John).
• They recognize titles like Black Phone but dismiss them as forgettable or formulaic.
• Weapons came up as a recent example, but John found it “boring” and “didn’t make any sense to me” ([06:01], John).
• The group agrees that current films rarely achieve what classics did: "No good horror movie or suspenseful movie that I want to watch again." ([05:20], John).

2. The Impact of Horror Marketing and First Viewing Experiences

• The Blair Witch Project has a unique place for its marketing, which truly unsettled audiences before its “is-this-real?” mystery was solved.
  • John describes seeing it pre-release: "They showed it to us in a theater ... I'm like, that's the most horrifying thing ever. And then on the drive home, I'm like, why were there cameras in the room at the end?" ([07:06], John).
• Rewatching, though, is disappointing: “You watch it a second time, you’re like, this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen” ([08:43], John).

3. Standout Horror Classics: The Rewatchables

• The group revisits favorites:
  • The Ring (“entire time I watched, I’m like, this is – I don't like anything ... that horse jumped off the boat” – [04:47], John).
  • The Babadook – respected for its originality and "Australian thing"; “it's kind of cool ... Babadook was actually kind of scary” ([06:38], John).
  • The Grudge (“that scared the hell out of me” – [15:30], Listener via text; “Grudge wasn’t bad” – [15:32], John).
  • The Shining – “Shining is the best” ([20:43], John).
  • Nightmare on Elm Street (the first one) – “that movie is … truly scary” ([16:05], John).
  • Deliverance – “Deliverance might be the best Halloween movie ever ... you’re trying to be men and have an adventure, and your fat friend gets raped violently right in front of you.” ([22:40] - [24:52], John).
• They point out the value in rewatchability—something rare in contemporary horror.

4. Why Is Modern Horror Lacking?

• Overexposure to “real-life horror”:
  • “We get so much terrible reality news, horror movies can’t live up to what we actually see every day” ([16:29], John).
  • The group discusses news stories more disturbing than fiction.
• Desire for realism:
  • “I just don’t like when it gets supernatural… I like murderers in movies.” ([19:21], John).
• Desensitization: As society becomes more jaded, it’s harder for films to truly shock or disturb.

5. Supernatural vs. Realistic Horror

• The group agrees supernatural horror often loses them:
  • “When it goes supernatural, I'm like, all right, now anything can happen. I like the one where the guy next door …” ([21:26], John).
• “I think that's why the Ed Gein thing is so fascinating because he's just a regular fella. I like murderers in movies, I don't want that [supernatural].” ([19:32], John).

6. Listener and Crew Favorites: Deeper Cuts and Oddball Entries

• Human Centipede (“so underrated ... awesome, because it's funny” – [11:51], John).
• Saw series (“Saw one is good. The first. Yeah, those are pretty good. They get a little silly.” – [14:17], John).
• Jeepers Creepers, Terrifier, Children of the Corn, Silent Hill, Bone Tomahawk, Quiet Place, Tusk, Get Out, The Omen, The Exorcist—all get some discussion, praise, or disses.
• Rob Zombie’s films get dismissed as “unbelievably bad,” with a mild exception for Devil’s Rejects ([24:43], John/Bret).
• International suggestions surface, e.g., Korean film I Saw the Devil is recommended ([32:17], John via Rochester).
• Shaun of the Dead and Scream recognized as modern standouts, with Scream having “as good as a horror movie gets” opening ([32:55], John).

7. The “True Story” Effect

• Stories “based on a true story” (e.g., Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Ed Gein) are especially disturbing and effective ([22:37], John).
• Real-life horrors and their proximity (“who in my neighborhood is close to this?” – [22:24], John) capture more fear than the supernatural.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On recent horror films:
  • “There hasn’t been a good one in forever, ever.” – John ([04:02])
• On Blair Witch marketing:
  • "I walked out of there feeling like that's the most horrifying thing ever. And then on the drive home, I'm like, why were there cameras in the room at the end?" – John ([07:06])
• On being duped:
  • "I thought the Blair Witch was real. Felt real until I saw the main girl on Jay Leno promoting." – Listener Nick via text ([11:05])
• On real-life horror:
  • “We get so much terrible reality news, horror movies can’t live up to what we actually see every day.” – John ([16:29])
• On Deliverance as horror:
  • “Deliverance might be the best Halloween movie ever. It was unintentionally, but for men.” – John ([22:47])
  • “You're trying to be men and have an adventure, and your fat friend gets raped violently right in front of you.” – John ([24:52])
• On supernatural losing its edge:
  • “When it goes supernatural, I'm like, all right, now anything can happen … I like the one where the guy next door is …” – John ([21:26])
• On The Shining and Stephen King’s films:
  • “Cujo was terrible. Shining is the best ... all the other stuff he’s done is not good … Christine ... all of his stuff’s garbage.” – John/crew ([20:43–20:52])
• On “human pancakes” Halloween decor:
  • “When I did my three pumpkin Human Centipede, when I carved it out and made pumpkins, eating the ass of the pumpkins in front of them ... that might be the most proud Halloween thing I've ever done.” – John ([12:00])
• On aging and horror:
  • “Sex and the City, one of the scariest things you’ll ever watch ... When Carrie gets close ups ... That is the scare. You'll scream a hundred times.” – John ([33:18])

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 04:00-06:30 | Frustration with recent horror movies, “there hasn’t been a good one in forever”; discussion of “The Ring”, “Annabelle”, “Black Phone” | | 06:38-09:30 | Marketing genius and deception of “Blair Witch Project”; disappointing on rewatch | | 11:46-14:17 | Listener input; discussion of “Human Centipede”, “Saw”, power of disturbing imagery | | 16:05-17:57 | Praise for “Nightmare on Elm Street” (original), “The Ring”, “Halloween”, and pondering how real-life news now outpaces movie horror | | 19:21-22:04 | Debate: supernatural horror vs. realism and why “true story” horror films (Ed Gein, Texas Chainsaw) scare more | | 22:40-24:52 | “Deliverance” as a horror film for men; why its violence resonates so strongly | | 24:43-26:18 | Rob Zombie movies, “Devil’s Rejects” as exception, fun with creepy Halloween adventures | | 27:24-28:25 | Analysis of recent oddball horror: “Tusk”, “Get Out”, “Quiet Place” | | 29:00-29:44 | Classic religious/supernatural horror: “The Exorcist”, “The Omen” | | 32:17-32:55 | International recommendation: “I Saw the Devil”; “Shaun of the Dead”, “Scream” as comedic/modern standouts | | 33:18-35:29 | Comic relief: aging in “Sex and the City” as true modern horror |

Listener Interaction & Recommendations

• Audience texting in recommendations, such as The Grudge, Silent Hill, Jeepers Creepers, Terrifier ([15:15], [15:31]).
• Calls for international horror: I Saw The Devil (Korean, subtitled), shut down by Bret: "subtitled, so Bret’s out for sure—waste of time!" ([32:44], Bret/John).
• Laughter about cult classics and comedic horror: Shaun of the Dead, Scream, “first ten minutes … as good as it gets” ([32:54], John).

Conclusion & Tone

The episode is a lively, snarky, genuine discussion among horror fans jaded by recent fare and nostalgic for the classics. They find new horror can't compete with either the real world's daily terrors or the sharp simplicity of older films. The banter is loaded with offbeat humor, candid opinions, ribbing among the hosts, and the kind of pop-culture bluntness fans love.

For a Great Scare, the Crew Recommends:

• Classics: The Ring, The Exorcist, The Shining, Deliverance, Nightmare on Elm Street (original), Silence of the Lambs, Scream
• Modern Standouts: Get Out, A Quiet Place, Tusk (with a “ridiculous” ending)
• Wildcards: Human Centipede, Shaun of the Dead, I Saw the Devil (for subtitle fans)

For those craving new horror, their advice: Lower your expectations…or just revisit the oldies but goodies.