Episode 213: 'Enys Men' (2023)/'Children of the Corn' (2023)

Explicit content warning

03/03/23 • 52 min

Ricou Browning is one of the most important figures in horror. His iconic work on The Creature form the Black Lagoon is still studied and an inspiration today. The character has proven to be timeless as horror fans of all ages know and love the Creature. We talk about our memories of the man and the movie.

Cocaine Bear was never high on our list of priorities. It's a funny idea, it just isn't enough to get us want to rush out and spend our money. Make it a more realistic story involving meth and a gator, however...

Thankfully, The Asylum is here to give fans what they want, and it doesn't include Elizabeth Banks.

Enys Men is everything you would expect an arthouse horror movie to be. Undoubtedly, this will be a lot of people's favorite film of the year. There is no denying it is beautifully shot and tells a creepy story. The acting is also top notch, which is incredibly important since it is basically a one person show.

But if it does not keep the audience entertained, does any of it matter? We discuss pretentious film fans versus those of us who just like to watch movies. Taste is subjective and no opinion matters more, but when the filmmaker goes out of their way to provide an experience instead of telling a story, someone has to call them out.

Stephen King has cemented his name in horror and pop culture. No matter how bad an adaption of one of his works is, there is no way it could sully his legacy. Right?

The latest iteration of Children of the Corn follows the basic premise of the 1977 short story. A group of creepy kids take over a small town in rural Nebraska. Its been given some modern touches (corn has never been more important), but it does not deviate much from the source material.

Is this the worse King adaptation ever? It certainly is one of the most nonsensical with strange character motivations, shoddy editing, and a complete lack of development past the protagonist and antagonist. Despite its (many) flaws, how did it manage to be entertaining?

Adventures in Movies! is a part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcast Network. Morbidly Beautiful is your one stop shop for all your horror needs. From the latest news and reviews to interviews and old favorites, it can be found at Morbidly Beautiful.

Adventures in Movies! is hosted by Nathaniel and Blake. You can find Nathaniel on Instagram at nathaninpoortaste. Blake can be found on Twitter @foureyedhorror and on Instagram at foureyedhorror. You can reach us personally or on Twitter @AdventuresinMo1.

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Thankfully, The Asylum is here to give fans what they want, and it doesn't include Elizabeth Banks.

Stephen King has cemented his name in horror and pop culture. No matter how bad an adaption of one of his works is, there is no way it could sully his legacy. Right?

Music in the background from https://www.FesliyanStudios.com

Previous Episode

Episode 212: Black Horror: 'Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde'(1976)/'Nanny'(2022)

We wanted to cover two movies that exemplify Black excellence in horror. Sure, we picked a movie from one of the most polarizing sub-genres out there, but the movie's plot had so much potential. And this week's feature is an award winning film that had a lot of buzz coming out of Sundance last year. We go in with no preconceived notions whenever we watch anything, but we knew we had picked two winners.

Before we talk about the two, we discuss someone we have never talked about on our humble little podcast. Woody Allen's fiftieth movie is completed and we talk about his legacy as a director. Even before he ruined his name, were we fans of his work? What did we miss that everyone else seemed to pick up on?

One of our best episodes is our look at Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults. The HBO documentary is well researched, informative, and shocking. With a new movie about the infamous group coming up, we talk about whether it is something we are interested in or if we have seen all that we need to.

Blaxploitation pictures constantly tackled race and class, and Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde has one of the most ingenuous stories out there. The subtly named Dr. Pride is a Black doctor who is trying to create a cure for liver disease. When he experiments on himself, he becomes a white man. Kinda.

It has been seen in many comedies, but rarely in serious films. The 1976 release sets the table for so much. Dr. Pride is a Black man who does not fit into a white world. He turns into a white man who does not fit in the Black world. There is are allusions to other movies that have dealt with race relations.

Regrettably, it does nothing with any of these bigger ideas. So, is it enjoyable as just a regular old schlocky creature feature?

Nanny was one of the biggest critical hits of last year. It won the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and seemed like it was set to join Sundance horror favorites like Mandy, V/H/S, and Hereditary. Since its big win, there has been little said about the movie, however.

Though much more focused than Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde, Nanny is a case of missed opportunities. It introduces interesting themes, but does little with any of them. We talk about its pacing, its decision to barely use West African culture, and whether it is a horror movie or not.

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Next Episode

Episode 214: 'Unwelcome'(2023)/'Triangle of Sadness'(2022)

It has been a while since we have talked Star Wars, but the current state of the once revered franchise has us reminiscing about what the movies meant to us as children and where it is now. We discuss the absence of movies, and how that is a good thing, and the surprising popularity of the television shows.

Another favorite from our youths were the first two Alien movies. The series has fallen so far since that younger audiences may have trouble believing just how groundbreaking the original movie was. Fede Alvarez has seen a similar fall from grace, though in a much shorter amount of time. After wowing audiences with his Evil Dead remake, his follow ups have been disappointing to horrible. Can the two save each other?

Unwelcome is a tonal mess. It is incredibly disturbing, cartoonishly silly, and surprisingly gory. The great performances and interesting stories are undermined by oddly artificial set pieces. With a movie that has this many pros and cons, it comes as no surprise that we had different opinions about it.

Triangle of Sadness is filled with great performances, biting satire, and great characters. We talk about its simple and nonchalant storytelling and how it is still a difficult movie to describe. We also discuss whether we think it has a shot at winning the top prize on Sunday.

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