Gretchen Felker-Martin's Cornucopia of Horror with Katya

Summary

The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya: Episode Summary
Episode Title: Gretchen Felker-Martin's Cornucopia of Horror with Katya
Release Date: November 26, 2024

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Introduction

In this special episode of The Bald and the Beautiful, hosts Trixie and Katya welcome acclaimed author and film critic Gretchen Felker-Martin. The conversation centers around Gretchen's insights into the horror genre, her favorite films of the past year, and her upcoming projects. The hosts also delve into book recommendations within the horror spectrum, providing listeners with a comprehensive exploration of modern horror media.

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Guest Introduction and Banter

The episode kicks off with playful banter as Trixie expresses her admiration for Gretchen's work:

Trixie [02:00]: "Gretchen is an author whom I absolutely adore. She's written two books that I've read. She, most importantly, she has a Patreon that slaps so fucking hard."

Katya adds her enthusiasm for Gretchen’s film critiques:

Katya [03:20]: "Whenever I see a movie, I immediately go to your Patreon to see if you've reviewed it. And I... I'm very embarrassed to say that you're one of the minds that could absolutely change my mind about a movie."

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Top Horror Movies of the Year

The core of the episode revolves around Gretchen and Katya discussing their top ten horror movies from the past year. They approach the list from best to worst, providing synopses, critiques, and personal reactions to each film.

1. The Devil's Bath [04:09]

Gretchen names The Devil's Bath as her top pick, surprising Katya who admits she watched it after receiving a recommendation from Gretchen:

Katya [04:20]: "It's the most depressing movie I've ever seen in my life."

Synopsis: Set in the German Middle Ages, the film explores the historical practice of suicide by proxy. Women suffering from intense mental illness and fearing eternal damnation would commit mortal sins, confess immediately for absolution, and be executed by the state. The opening scene features a harrowing depiction of infanticide.

Gretchen [04:25]: "It's like, yeah, absolutely. I gotta kill a kid, chop my head off and drink my blood."

2. Red Rooms [06:00]

Katya shares her admiration for Red Rooms, a French Canadian film that delves into celebrity obsession and desensitization to suffering.

Gretchen [07:09]: "The sound design is cunty. It's like, it is just riveting. It's really fucked up."

The film features a psycho obsessed with snuff films, set against the backdrop of a serial killer trial. Gretchen praises the lead actress's performance, describing her as "a soulless ghoul."

3. I Saw the TV Glow [07:47]

Despite not having seen the film initially, Katya highly recommends I Saw the TV Glow, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

Gretchen [08:34]: "It would be like a great mid-century short fiction collection. If O. Henry went insane."

Synopsis: The film portrays a teenager who realizes she is transgender but remains stagnant, resulting in a bleak and claustrophobic narrative intertwined with horrific special effects.

4. Kinds of Kindness [12:08]

Yorgos Lanthimos's Kinds of Kindness earns praise for its intelligent and enigmatic storytelling.

Katya [14:03]: "It's very weird. It feels in a lot of ways like sort of a great mid-century short fiction collection."

Synopsis: Structured in a triptych format, the film explores themes of sexuality and societal norms through surreal and disturbing scenarios, including a sex cult engaging in bizarre rituals.

5. The Substance [14:58]

Katya places The Substance at number five, commending its audacious approach despite its flaws.

Gretchen [15:35]: "It is nasty. It's like a big wet slap every 10 seconds in your face."

Synopsis: The movie features intense character deconstruction, focusing on a wife who undergoes extreme and disturbing transformations, leading to unsettling and grotesque outcomes.

6. Love Lies Bleeding [17:55]

A standout for its combination of humor and hyperviolence, Love Lies Bleeding captivates Gretchen and Katya.

Katya [18:21]: "It's very sexy. All the dykes out there will be eating if you watch this film."

Synopsis: Starring Katie O'Brien and Kristen Stewart, the film navigates a complex relationship filled with unexpected violent outbursts and intimate moments, delivering a unique blend of horror and sensuality.

7. Out of Darkness [24:36]

Katya introduces Out of Darkness as a prehistoric horror film that masterfully blends survival with terror.

Gretchen [30:54]: "There's a scene right in the beginning where they're hunting for rare spiders, and it's so nasty."

Synopsis: The narrative follows hunter-gatherers facing predatory threats in their quest for a new home, featuring innovative special effects and a tense atmosphere.

8. The First Omen [26:38]

The First Omen earns a spot for its captivating use of a constructed language and profound themes.

Katya [26:58]: "Nell Tiger free, who I think before this had only ever done a bit part on Game of Thrones, is so fucking good."

Synopsis: This film delves into apocalyptic themes with a focus on linguistic innovation and deep societal commentary, making it a standout in the genre.

9. The Vordelac [28:00]

Gretchen highlights The Vordelac for its unique portrayal of monstrous entities and sharp social commentary.

Katya [29:17]: "He's a picture of French aristocracy with the paint and the wig and all that stuff."

Synopsis: The story revolves around a puppet-animated monster treated as a human, exploring themes of gender, sexuality, and class within a horror framework.

10. Infested [29:41]

Closing their top ten list, Gretchen and Katya discuss Infested, a spider horror film that excels in instilling fear through its depictions.

Katya [31:13]: "Insect horror is all about the fear of being penetrated because they're small enough to do that, and this movie plays with that so cleverly."

Synopsis: Set in a Parisian tenement, the film portrays rapid-spreading spider infestations that elevate arachnophobia, intertwined with social issues like immigration and class struggles.

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Least Favorite Horror Movies

Katya candidly shares her disappointment with certain horror films she found lacking.

1. Alien Romulus [33:26]

Katya criticizes Alien Romulus for its reliance on outdated animation and a disjointed narrative.

Katya [33:26]: "You do not fucking dig up my boy Ian Holm with this AI bullshit."

The film attempts to revitalize the Alien franchise but falls short due to poor character development and technical issues.

2. Strange Darling [34:00]

Gretchen and Katya express mutual disdain for Strange Darling, citing its pretentiousness and flawed structure.

Katya [34:11]: "I felt like an absolute fucking lunatic watching people call it smart."

The film's non-linear storytelling and lack of continuous character development leave both critics unimpressed.

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Book Recommendations

Expanding the discussion beyond film, Gretchen offers two compelling horror book suggestions.

1. Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris [35:03]

Katya [35:09]: "There's fungal horror, like nasty fucked up animals. It's so cloying and claustrophobic and upsetting. I really dug it."

Synopsis: The novel follows a Mi'kmaq indigenous woman grappling with depression after her estranged father's death. Her journey leads her to an art residency where she faces psychological and supernatural horrors.

2. Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazarika [35:45]

Gretchen [36:06]: "It's about institutionalized cannibalism in the future. One of the greatest final lines in recent fiction."

Synopsis: Set in a dystopian future, the book explores the normalization of cannibalism, offering a brutal critique of societal desensitization and ethical decay.

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Upcoming Projects

Katya shares exciting news about adapting Gretchen's work for television.

Katya [32:21]: "Lily Wachowski and I are adapting Manhunt for television... I certainly wouldn't have imagined it happening with someone as incredible as Lily."

Synopsis: The television adaptation of Manhunt promises to bring Gretchen's acclaimed storytelling to a broader audience, collaborating with the esteemed Lily Wachowski.

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Where to Find Gretchen Felker-Martin Online

Gretchen provides her online presence details for listeners to follow her work:

Gretchen [36:38]: "Updates only on Twitter, but you will find out what I'm working on there."

She encourages listeners to subscribe to her Patreon for exclusive film reviews:

Gretchen [31:43]: "I highly encourage you to subscribe to her Patreon because the movie reviews are the best."

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with heartfelt appreciation from Gretchen towards the hosts and excitement for future collaborations.

Gretchen [37:08]: "I'm gonna be pissing and shitting all over myself, so it's a good luck with that."

Trixie and Katya express their enthusiasm for Gretchen's contributions and look forward to her upcoming projects, leaving listeners with a sense of anticipation for more engaging conversations in future episodes.

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Notable Quotes:

• Gretchen: "It's so nasty. It's like, yeah, absolutely. I gotta kill a kid, chop my head off and drink my blood." ([04:25])

• Katya: "I went to your Patreon to see if you've reviewed it. And I could absolutely change my mind about a movie." ([03:20])

• Katya: "It's very sexy. All the dykes out there will be eating if you watch this film." ([18:21])

• Gretchen: "I highly encourage you to subscribe to her Patreon because the movie reviews are the best." ([31:43])

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This episode of The Bald and the Beautiful offers a deep dive into the horror genre through the discerning lenses of Gretchen Felker-Martin, Trixie, and Katya, blending insightful critiques with entertaining discussions. Whether you're a horror aficionado or a casual fan, this conversation provides valuable perspectives and recommendations to enhance your appreciation of horror media.

Transcript

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

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[Gretchen Felker Martin]

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[Gretchen Felker Martin]

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[Gretchen Felker Martin]

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[Gretchen Felker Martin]

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[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Welcome to a very special edition of Movie Stuff with Gretchen Felker Martin. Gretchen is an author whom I absolutely adore. She's. She's written two books that I've read. She, most importantly, she has a patreon that slaps so fucking hard. So I'm going to talk to her about her favorite movies of the past year, Everything horror. And then maybe some personal questions like are you on your period? What's your favorite color? And so on. Welcome to the Bald and the Beautiful Gretchen. I'm so happy you agreed to do this we're going to talk movies, we're going to talk books. We're going to talk. Not politics, if that's okay with you. Are you.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Absolutely.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Are you in Worcestershire?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I'm actually in Michigan visiting my girlfriend.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, shit. Okay. But you are from. You do reside in Worcester, right?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I do reside in Worcester, yeah.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I fucking love Worcester.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh, it's my favorite.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

It's great.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It's a dump. But it's my dump.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

You know, it was when I lived in Marlboro, though. It was. It was a dump, like, you know, 25 years ago. Now it's kind of. I feel like it's popping.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

She's got the art museum. It's cunty. Anyways, okay, so you are the author of Cuckoo Manhunt, both books I have read and I adore.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Thank you so much.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

But mostly, Gretchen, for the listeners at home, her film criticism is so cunty. Basically, Gretchen, I'm here to just pimp your Patreon in a very obnoxious way because whenever I see a movie, I immediately go to your Patreon to see if you've reviewed it. And I. I'm very embarrassed to say that you're one of the minds that, like, could absolutely change my mind about, like, a movie is like, if I see something and I say, oh, I like that. And I read your review and you hate it. Like, no, actually, I hate it.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

This is very flattering.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Well, listen, so what? Let's get into the movies of the past year. I think we're going to focus on horror. What are your top ten?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I would say number one, the Devil's Bath.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, my God, Gretchen, I can't believe you. I can't believe I watched that.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It was a real feel bad classic.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, I got a text from Gretchen that said, if you want to feel really, really horrible, watch the Devil's Bath. And I sure fucking did. And it was the most depressing movie I've ever seen in my life. Tell the listeners about. Give a synopsis about the Devil's path.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah. So the Devil's Bath is set in the German Middle Ages, and it's about the historical practice of suicide by proxy, in which women who were going through, like, really intense mental illness and were suicidal because they were so afraid of going to hell after committing suicide. Instead, they would go and commit a mortal sin and then confess immediately so that they could be absolved and then executed by the state. And the most common crime was infanticide or murdering a young child.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yes. As we see in the opening scene. Where a lady just flings a baby off a waterfall. Yeah, it is. So, yeah, no, I mean it's, it's grim.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It's a great system you've built there, guys.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I mean, it's funny because the logic is so ridiculous and horrifying, but it does make sense, you know, it's like, yeah, absolutely.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

If that's how you believe the world works, that's what you should do.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, I gotta kill a kid, chop my head off and drink my blood.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

You both go to heaven. Great. Oh my God, that ending scene is so upsetting.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

It's so nasty. O so what number. So that's number 10. What about number nine? Or are we going best to worst? I don't know what the order is.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

We're going best to worst.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay, great. So Derma 2, I would say my.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

My runner up this year is Red Rooms.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yes. Yeah.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Which is just like so mind meltingly ghoulish.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yep.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

What an awful, awful picture of like celebrity obsession and depersonalization and desensitization to the suffering of other people.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, that would make quite the double feature. Like, it would be complete suicide watch if you watch these two back to back. So if you don't know Red Rooms, it's a French Canadian film and the lead actress, I forget what her name is, she is phenomenal. She plays this psycho who is obsessed with these snuff films that are filmed in these so called red rooms. And it all takes place during the trial of the serial killer. And that's all I'll tell you. The sound design is cunty. It's like, it is just riveting. And it's like fucked up. It's really fucked up. But she's incredible. Just her, like, yeah, her, like, like you said, she's a ghoul. She has like a soulless ghoul. It's like, oh, she gives me the creeps.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah. That actress is really doing something really, really special.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yes, disturbingly special.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

She's such a great combination of like normatively, marketably beautiful and just obviously insane.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, yeah. And it's funny. She's a model in a, in like a video poker shark and then has absolutely no. Like you. As the movie goes on, you realize she's like, oh, this. She's a demon. She's not a human being, you know? Oof. Okay, what's next?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I would have to say my number three spot goes to. I saw the TV glow.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay, that one I didn't, I didn't see yet.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh my God. So it's sort of, like, it's by Jane Schoenbrun, who did. We're all going to the world's Fair.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

And they just do such a beautiful job sketching this portrait of someone who realizes as a teenager that she's trans and then just stagnates and never emerges from that cocoon and becomes this miserable self, minimized nothing of a person. It is. It's. It's also really sweet and hopeful and beautiful. Some really horrific special effects.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Ooh, cool. So kind of a palate cleanser from the west from the previous two films.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah. Yeah. Hey.

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[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, my God. Okay, so next I got to. What that's on my list. What's. What's next?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I would. People would probably fight with me over whether you could classify the whole thing as is horror. But certainly the second entry is straightforwardly horror. And I think you could. You could make a case for the whole thing. Kinds of kindness. The newest Yorgos Lentimos movie.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I fucking loved this.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I was blown away.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, it was.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I really liked Poor Things last year. I really enjoyed it and I thought this blew right past it.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Really?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Interesting.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Just incredibly smart. Incredibly enigmatic. Really unafraid of presenting Mysteries and then just walking past them.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. Also, it's in a triptych format, which for me is perfect, because if anything is longer than two and a half hours, I need a break. So this was, like, excellent. And I had no idea walking into it. I actually did a double feature with Poor Things. And then this one, it was Margaret Qualley. Man. Emma Stone.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I love her.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Such a good cast. Jesse Plemons, Margaret Qualley, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chao. It's like, stacked, stacked.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I love Hong Chao. There should be. We need more Hong Chao as a culture.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. She needs to be like the new Nicole Kidman, like in every movie and TV series for the next 20 years. I mean, when I want to turn.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

On my tv, I want to have to pick between Hong Chao movies.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. So, darling, we have Hong Chao or we have Hong Chao. Yeah, absolutely. Let's see. My favorite moment. It's not a spoiler, I guess, but Jesse Plemons makes his wife cut her liver out.

[Unnamed Sponsor]

Right.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Is that right?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

It's so c. That's certainly horrific.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It's incredible. That's incredible.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, it's wild. Highly recommend kinds of kindness. It's weird. It's very weird, you know?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh, it's very weird. It feels in a lot of ways, like sort of a great mid century short fiction collection, you know, by G.K. chesterton. Or like, if O. Henry went insane.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I like that the. There's like a sex cult in the last segment where, like, they lick the salt out of the belly button after you're in a sauna to, like, see if you're clean. It's so fucking wild.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh, it's so good.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

It's fierce.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

That's just another thing I really love about Yorgos Lanthimos is that he's just really, unashamedly horny.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. And in an interesting way, like the horny.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah. He's a freak. You know? He is a freak.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

He's a fucking freak for sure. Yeah. Oh, my God.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

And as a. As a freak. I appreciate that.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Same, same. Let's see. Where's the substance on this list? Because you have to have it on there. I'll kill you.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It is substances here. The substance is, in fact, my number five pick.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay. That's okay. I love this movie so much, Gretchen. I realize it has flaws.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I had such a good listen. It does, you know, like, what are they trying to say with her eating all that food and stuff?

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Didn't make sense.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

What does that mean? Who cares? Who cares? A great movie can have one nonsense failure. And the substance is great. It is so mean. It is so dumb. I love it.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

It is nasty. It's like a big Wet slap every 10 seconds in your face. And then that truly. I mean, that idiotic song.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

The beginning, I was a little. I was a little hesitant getting in. And then we got to the Margaret Qualley scenes, and immediately the director just starts treating her like she's a living blowup doll with, like, no humanity, no interiority. And I started to see what they were doing, and I was like, jesus Christ, this is great. These people are totally empty and dead. There's nothing.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. The show is called the Show. You know, Hollywood has one studio. It's so funny.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

You know who really blew me away?

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

That was Dennis Quaid, the fucking shrimp.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

That just the most revolting performance I've ever seen.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I actually was like. I had eaten. I saw it three times, so the last time I saw it, I had eaten a full meal. And then that scene, I was like, I had to stop it. I had to just scrub right past it. It was so fucking disgusting.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Nasty. Wow. God, his metal heels.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Denise Mile. Horrible tan.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. He's such a. He's like. He's kind of like if Harvey Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein and Pee Wee Herman had, like, a baby. They're, like, very, very. That vibe.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh, that's. That's a very bad image. Thank you.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I'm obsessed with the. Because Margaret quality is like a ballerina. And I. You know, I was watching interviews of her, like, being so uncomfortable doing this kind of dance. Like, don't, you know, pump it up, where she's literally just gyrating and, like, you know, twerking and it's, like, supposed to be a fitness video. I just love that shit. It was so stupid and so dumb and so pointless.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, I mean, you know, that's. That's, like. The whole movie is just like, wow, I guess we're just going to deform and terrorize and murder ourselves in service to the dumbest thing imaginable. And we'll feel nothing about it. You know, we won't be happy, Right?

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. It's not going to satisfy us in any way. And it's funny. Like, she didn't go for, like, oh, maybe I'll try to get another Oscar. She just went straight back to the Pump it Up. So fucking weird. So weird. Okay, what's next?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I would say next is probably Love Lies Bleeding.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yes. Yeah.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I loved this movie. Katie O'Brien and Kristen Stewart, amazing chemistry. It's very funny. It's nasty. It has really unexpected moments of, like, bizarre hyperviolence.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, it's sexy too. It's like fucking.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It's very sexy.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

All the dykes out there. It is. You're. You will be eating if you watch this film.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yes. Good God. Like the scene, like, sniffing her in the bathroom. Come on. That's like. It's so real. You know, who has not been that dyke?

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Who among us has not sniffed a body?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Shitty apartment.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. You know, I'm so happy you recommended this because I. This is a movie I probably would not have watched on my own, like, just from the trailer, whatever, but Ed Harris, oh my God, talk about.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

He's so good.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Talk about the substance. He took the opposite. He is like a craggy, like, oh, just a monster. Eating bugs is so fierce.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I. His face just gets better every year.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. He takes the anti Botox. He like injects more wrinkles into his face. It's. I love it. I love it. Yeah. I highly recommend that. That's rose glass, right? She did Saint Maude.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, she did Saint Maud. Which I also love.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Love that one.

[Unnamed Sponsor]

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[Gretchen Felker Martin]

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[Unnamed Co-Host]

Cuckoo.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yes. Yes. Cuckoo with hypersha.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I really enjoyed Cuckoo.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I did too. I was very pleasantly surprised. I didn't know where it was going. I had no idea what was happening. And I was like, oh. I left the theater. Like, that was unexpected and original, which is kind of rare.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, it really was.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

How would you.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I didn't see it coming.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

How would you describe it? Like, I don't even know how.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I mean, in a lot of ways, it's like a straightforward creature feature.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

But it's so specifically situated. It's like so concerned with sound and with particular kinds of German culture.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, it's creepy.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Tillman Singer, I think, is German. And I grew up next to a German family. And they're exactly like that. Just like weirdly manic and punishingly unfun.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Well, that was like my grandmother, she would. She slept with one foot on the floor. She was always ready to go. I don't think I ever. And I never interrupted in like 20 years of knowing her, never heard her laugh once.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh, my God.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Fierce.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah. Dan Stevens is so pitch perfect. And Hunter really killed it.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

She really did. That poor girl. She, like went through the ringer. Yeah, she went through the ringer. It was so like, at a certain point, it's like, how many more injuries can this poor girl suffer? It was so funny.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I love a beat to ship protagonist.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Beat to shit protagonist.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Love it.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay, what else you got?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Out of Darkness? Have you seen this one?

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

No.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh, baby, you're gonna love it.

[Unnamed Sponsor]

Really?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It's so fucking good. It is a prehistoric horror movie about a small group of hunter gatherers migrating in an attempt to find, like, a new fertile place to live.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

What? Really?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

And they run into something that's hunting them. Oh, it is so good. It is so scary. It is similar to, like a constructed language.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Is it similar or not? Kind of that vibe or. No.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Superficially, I would say it's similar to prey, but it's doing very different things.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Gotcha. Okay, good. I can't wait to watch that one.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It's just. Just incredible.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Fabulous. You didn't see the Terrifier, did you, Mama?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I. I have to confess, I am a long standing the terrifier hater.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Listen, listen. No, it's with all the first two. They're terrible. The. They're terrible. But the third one is definitely something to talk about at the Water cooler. Let's just say that.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

All right.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, I. I would recommend streaming it if you're bored at some point. Just the third one. Don't.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I will do that.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

The first two are Absolutely.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I will do that for you. Literally no one else could compel me to this.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Just all you have to do is get up to the point where he sticks the chainsaw of the guy's ass.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

That sounds pretty good.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. And it balls too. Dick and balls come off too.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

That's fantastic. And you know, I have to say, even if I don't personally like it, I'm always glad to see the freaks win around.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Totally. And it fucking whopped the joker at the box office.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It made so much money.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Crazy. So battle the clowns. Art slapped the joker. So fierce. So fierce. What else you got?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

What are we at, eight?

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I think so. Yeah.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

All right. The first omen.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, yeah.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh, yeah. If I'm like rolling back over this, I might even move it up the list. It was so good. I was shocked by how good it was.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I was too. When that gray claw came out the pussy, I was like. I'm like, woo, woo, woo.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah. That really got me. Nell. Tiger free, who I think before this had only ever done like a bit part on Game of Thrones is so fucking good.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

That was the lead actress? Yeah, she was phenomenal. Phenomenal.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah. And you know, another. Another fantastic horror movie directed by a woman. It's been an absolute banger year for them.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. Rose Glass, Coralie, Farja. What's this one? What's her name?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I can't remember her name, unfortunately. And the Devil's Bath is also co. Directed by a woman.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, that's right. Shit.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Women be scary this year. It's awesome.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Women. Women do. It's a year of women's wrongs. Yes.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

And what's your. What's your number 10 for you?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

This will be number nine. We've got two more. That's all right. That's all right. Let me see. I've got my little list here. Number nine would be the Vordelac.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yes. Randomly I saw that me and my friend Andrew were the only people in the theater. So cute.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I was so impressed. I was so impressed.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, it's a French.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Just like, first of all, it's actually about things, you know, I was. I heard like, the conceit of the monster is a puppet. And I was like, oh, this will be like a neat little, you know, showcase for someone's craftsmanship. And the puppet is great. And the decision to have the characters treat the puppet like it's a normal human being. Terrifying. It's so scary.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

It was so fucking weird. We had no idea. We had no idea, like, anything about this movie. So when the character was introduced as the. You know, the father and it's this puppet, my friend Andrew and I were looking at each other like, what the fuck is going on? And after.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Are we sure?

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Are we sure that everybody's like, oh, that's dad. It's like. Like, whoa. And then five minutes later, I was like, I'm totally into it. I get it. I'm buying it. It was fabulous.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, it really does work. It's so surprising. And it has some really sharp, interesting things to say about gender and sexuality in class, too. I love. The protagonist is this ridiculous fop who accidentally falls in love with a cross dresser.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. He's a picture of French aristocracy with the paint and the wig and all that stuff.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

He's.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

He's so good. And I think he also does the voice of the puppet.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, he does.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Which is really impressive.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, he's fabulous. Fabulous film.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Just. Just a great vampire movie.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yep.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

And I would probably give my final slot to Infested.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I'm like, my skin is crawling. My skin is crawling.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah. Just a movie that made me want to get into bed, tuck the covers in at every corner, and never touch the floor again.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Now, this is a fucking spider movie that my mother and I watched together, and we were screaming so loud, like, every 10 minutes. It was. It makes arachnophobia look like Herbie Too fully loaded.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It's like, yeah, there's no contest between this and the next scariest spider movie.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, it's so gross. Gross. It's so, like. And there's actually, like, a lot going on with, like, class and, you know, race and everything. And it's situated in, like, a. Like a sl.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Immigration. Yeah.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, like a shitty. Like a tenement or a big sort of housing block in Paris. Like, outside of Paris. It's so nasty.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh. Oh, it's so scary. It's so scary. The effects are so good. It's so tense.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. And these spiders, they. They grow in. In minutes, which is.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

So horrible.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

They're like those little foam caplets you throw in the bath and they turn into a rhinoceros.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh. There's a scene right in the beginning that's kind of like the. The prologue where they're hunting for, like, you know, rare species of spiders in the desert. And I think one goes right up the guy like in his mouth, down his throat, and it's like.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yep.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, God, it's so nasty.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Oh, it just, it, you know, in so many ways, insect horror is all about the fear of being penetrated because they're small enough to do that. And this movie just plays with that so cleverly and remorselessly. It wants you to feel bad. It wants you to develop a phobia.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yes. And it succeeds 100%. Yes. Oh, my God. So for people out there, your Patreon is. Is it scum? Believable?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

No. It's under my own name. Gretchen Felker Martin.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Gretchen Felker Martin. I highly encourage you to subscribe to her Patreon because the movie reviews are the best. I can't find a better reviewer. Like, oh, geez. Seriously, I go to Roger Ebert, I'm like, what fucking three year old wrote this crap? So I highly recommend that. I think I subscribe to, like, the $5 thing. It's a cup of coffee a month. Totally do it. And I just finished Cuckoo. Fabulous. And thank you. Manhunt, of course, is a masterpiece. And can you share the details about what is that? Like, yes, I can.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I can finally talk about it. Lily Wachowski and I are adapting Manhunt for television.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, my God, that is so exciting. Are you shitting yourself over the moon?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I'm over the. I could never have imagined this would happen. And if it did, I certainly wouldn't have imagined it happening with someone as incredible and as influential to me personally as Lily. She's just. She's been amazing to work with.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

That's so fucking cool. I. My. One of the agents at the. Or me and Trixie's agency had like, he said something about the man, you know, the rights to Manhunt being sold. I was like, really? Really? And then you told me that, and I was like, oh, my God, this is going to be amazing. I cannot wait to see how it is translated because I have no idea how you're gonna do that. It's crazy.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, it's. We've certainly got a lot of hurdles ahead of us, but I'm really hopeful it'll get picked up.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. Okay. What's the worst movie of. What's the worst horror movie of the last year or this year?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I definitely watched worse movies than this, but I think the one that got me personally angriest was Alien Romulus. Because first of all, you do not fucking dig up my boy Ian Holm with this AI bullshit and make me watch his janky computer animated face jerk around for an Hour and a half and second of all. What happened to the back half of your movie? You had a whole script for 45 minutes and then it just blows out the fucking airlock and there's nothing.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Damn. I didn't see it. I didn't see it.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, I mean, don't bother.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay, note taken. I hated fucking. Oh, I hated Strange Darling.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I hated that movie.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah. I thought. I thought it was pretentious. I thought it was like the structure.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I felt like a. I felt like an absolute fucking lunatic watching people call it smart.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

It was just. It was just like sequential, out of order that there was no. Like, the characters didn't. The characterization didn't. It wasn't continuous. Like. Anyways, yeah, I hated it. Although Ed Bigly Jr. And Barbara Hershey eating. Had breakfast.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Eating that weird breakfast. That's a great scene.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

And staring at each other. It's worth it for about 30 seconds, maybe. Yeah, but I hated that movie.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just like a really incurious, dull movie that keeps going with a format that's not actually doing anything after the first twist.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Yeah, it's like, okay, great, let's see. And then can you recommend for me a book of the horror variety? Yes, please.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Absolutely. I've got two for you. One Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

This is a book about a Mi'kmaq indigenous woman who is super, super, super depressed after her estranged father's death. And her pushy white partner sends her to this art residency on the edge of a lake and she has this complete and total breakdown. There's fungal horror, there's like nasty fucked up animals, and it's so cloying and claustrophobic and upsetting. I really dug it.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Okay. Fierce.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

And my second recommendation is Agustina Bazarika's Tender is the Flesh, which I think doesn't have real competition for the best horror novel of the past 10 years. Really, it is a. It has one of the greatest final lines in recent fiction. It's brutal. It's nasty.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Is it cannibalism?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

It is. It is. It's about. It's about institutionalized cannibalism in the future.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Now we're talking.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Yeah.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Oh, my God, thank you so much. Okay, so we got a wrap, but thank you so much, Gretchen. Where can people find you online? And I'm going to spell your full name out. It's Gretchen. G R E T C H E N F E L K E R M A R T I N For Patreon and on Twitter. Are you still on Twitter?

[Unnamed Co-Host]

I AM Updates only on Twitter, but you will find out what I'm working on there.

[Unnamed Sponsor]

Okay.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Fabulous.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

And I'm scumbelievable or just my own name there. And same on Blue Sky.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Fabulous. Oh, my God. Thank you so much.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Thank you so much for having me. Yes.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

And I can.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

So fun.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

I. I wanted to get you on here forever. I am so excited for Manhunt. I cannot wait. I'm gonna be pissing and shitting all over myself, so it's a. Good luck with that.

[Unnamed Co-Host]

Thank you.

[Gretchen Felker Martin]

Awesome. All right, well, have fun in Michigan. Thanks so much for joining us.