Two Quiet Spirals, An Eclipse & More Nuns: Spiral (1998), Spiral (2019), Speak No Evil & The First Omen

Explicit content warning

04/18/24 • 77 min

Last week, we saw the moon blot out the afternoon sun. It made us spiral out of control into a binge of cringe, frustration and the worst sequel you've never heard of. Grady unpacks Spiral (Japan, 1998), which begins as an also-ran sequel to Ring and descends into weird softcore porn. Marcus struggles with math in Spiral (Canada, 2019), a queer horror with a clever ending but a frustrating and unlikeable protagonist. Melissa is baffled by the upcoming American remake of Speak No Evil (Denmark & The Netherlands, 2022). Can she look at James McAvoy the same way ever again? Plus - The First Omen is the more satisfying Coke to Immaculate's Pepsi, a spinoff of the manga Parasyte hits Netflix and Late Night with the Devil finally hits Shudder.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"I'm Afraid of Other People and Myself: Christian Tafdrup on Speak No Evil," by Isaac Feldberg for RogerEbert.com

Articles mentioned in this episode:

"I'm Afraid of Other People and Myself: Christian Tafdrup on Speak No Evil," by Isaac Feldberg for RogerEbert.com

Previous Episode

Late Night Nuns in Space: Late Night with the Devil, Immaculate & Lifeforce

Creepy convents, ghoulish nostalgia and full frontal science fiction - we've got something for everyone this week. We give an enthusiastic recommendation for Late Night with the Devil (Australia & United Arab Emirates, 2023) even though a movie theater fire robbed us of the ending, and we debate the Twitter crossfire about its brief use of generative AI. We unpack the chills and flaws of Immaculate (Italy & USA, 2024) and consider how personal religious experiences shape our contrasting interpretations of its disturbing ending. Marcus also gets nerdy talking about Lifeforce (United Kingdom, 1985) with Duane Barry and Jean Luc Picard.

Articles Mentioned in this Episode:

"‘Late Night With the Devil’ Directors Explain Using AI Art in the Film, Say They ‘Experimented’ With Three Images Only (EXCLUSIVE)" by William Earl for Variety

"Immaculate star Sydney Sweeney explains that 'animatronic thing' and the gonzo, bloody ending" by Lauren Huff for Entertainment Weekly

"Let's Talk About The Shocking Ending of Immaculate" by Dais Johnson for Inverse

Next Episode

A Haunted House, Unhinged Ballerina & Clutch Mystery Star: What is Buried Must Remain, Mute Witness & Abigail

Grab your JNCOs and bleach your hair - the 90s called to say hello this week. We chat about the What Is Buried Must Remain (Lebanon, 2022), a found footage flick with all the turn-of-the-century vibes, and marvel at the gravitas of the legendary "Mystery Guest Star" in the so-bad-it's-good stab-fest Mute Witness (United Kingdom, Russia & Germany, 1995). Plus - Abigail is surprisingly affirming, the ending of Late Night with the Devil slaps and the next week is crawling with kaiju and spiders.

Articles mentioned on this episode:

"Exclusive Interview: Elias Matar (What Is Buried Must Remain)," by Peter "Witchfinder" Hopkins for Horror Asylum