It's almost Spooky Season once again at The Fear of God and this year, we're keeping the annual tradition alive of marching through a whole franchise by tackling deep space, where no one can hear you scream. That's right, we'll be making our way through the entire ALIEN franchise through the rest of September and October, and we start this week with a Redux conversation about the landmark original by Ridley Scott.

We're joined aboard the Nostromo by friends of the show Brandon Grafius and Matt Murray to unpack why this franchise is not only still captivating and relevant, but why it also seems to stand apart from its peers as respected beyond the trappings of its genre.

Also featuring a Patron-only chat about the recently released ALIEN: ROMULUS, this is a hearty, lively, and thoughtful discussion that we hope you enjoy!

Patron Only Segment: ALIEN: ROMULUS

14:36 - ALIEN REDUX

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We close down our march through a handful of recent Dracula-inspired films by taking a look at last year's RENFIELD. Starring Nicholas Hoult and Akwafina, Renfield is an energetic, humorous, and remarkably thoughtful take on codependency, oppressive relationships, and rampant injustice. Oh.... and Nic Cage plays Dracula.

We're joined this week by FoGers and friends, Vera Goudie and John Viinalass to unpack all the mayhem, all the laughs, and the disarming amount of depth this film carries with it. Also featuring a "Whatcha" Patron-Only segment, we really hope you enjoy our conversation!

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

8:02 - RENFIELD

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We continue our series of recent takes on the Dracula mythos by examining last year's THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER. Nestled in the first third of Bram Stoker's original novel is the tale of a ship which unknowingly carried Dracula from his homeland to London, losing crew member after crew member along the way. Until now, that specific chapter had never been given a deeper cinematic exploration. The result, directed by Andrew Ovredal, has a sleek production, competent performances, and a well-structured script. But we are joined by FoG friend Dave Courtney to debate how well the film captures the themes it's so clearly interested in.

With apologies for the slightly late release, we hope you enjoy this week's episode!

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We have another special interview for you this week, this time with Mikael Hafstrom, director of 1408, The Rite, and his latest film, SLINGSHOT (in theaters August 30th). Slingshot tells the story of an expedition into deep space, where a small crew must execute a risky slingshot maneuver propelling off of Jupiter's orbit. When the mission's security becomes questionably compromised, one particular crew member (Casey Affleck) must fight to maintain his grip on reality amidst possible hallucinations, potentially faulty equipment, and fellow crewmates possibly more precariously compromised than he is. While the film's space narrative proceeds, we also witness the blossoming romance Affleck's character left back on earth, and the relationship between the two experiences may prove more consequential than he could have imagined.

Slingshot is a love story, a mind-bending science fiction drama, and an existential exploration of isolation and the importance of connection. It's an excellent film that we hope everyone checks out and we hope you enjoy our conversation about it with director Mikael Hafstrom.

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We continue our series this week on recent interpretations of Dracula with a subversively entertaining new thriller from the Radio Silence boys: ABIGAIL. When a motley crew of kidnappers take captive a young girl, they are locked in a mansion for 24 hours while the man who hired them seeks ransom. Little do they know, but quickly do they discover, that this is no ordinary job and they're holding captive no ordinary girl.

We're joined by recurring guests Jackson Harper and Jocee Worley for a laugh-filled chat about this highly enjoyable film that may have some quibble-worthy elements but is overall a simply fantastic time at the movies. This conversation was a real blast and we hope you enjoy it!

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We kick off a brand new mini-series this week all about the most infamous bloodsucker in all of culture. Earlier this year, we drilled down on some recent films which were inspired by Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. Coincidentally, the same thing has been happening with Bram Stoker's original classic vampire tale, inspiring a handful of films in the last year or two based upon different aspects of the Dracula story.

So we start this series with a direct adaptation, one which forever influenced the way vampires were depicted in pop culture entirely. 1992's BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a lush and excessive production full of gothic grandeur and theatricality. It features incredible performances from Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins and a script which drills in on the concept of lost love, abandonment of faith, and the nature of appetite and longing. We're joined this week by fellow film critic and host of the "1 of my Stories" podcast, Lindsey Dunn, to discuss the film's rich tapestry of religious symbolism, desperate romance, and -- of course -- bloodsucking vampires.

Also featuring a Patron-only segment where we catch up on our "Whatchas", this is a fun and hearty episode that we really hope you enjoy.

6:24 - Getting to Know Lindsey Dunn

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

15:52 - BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA

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In October of 2019, we covered this horror sci-fi landmark as part of our #ilovethe70s series. This week, we're revisiting it as part of our tribute to the late Donald Sutherland. This time around, we've invited two friends of the show: bestselling author Matt Ruff and Gorey Gamer Matt Murray. We all have a tremendous amount of positive things to say about this excellent film that explores paranoia, humanity, and societal destabilization. It holds up remarkably even almost 50 years since its release.

Also featuring a Patron-only "Whatcha" segment, this is a fun conversation that we really hope you enjoy.

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

5:31 - INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS Redux

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We have another very special bonus interview for you today featuring writer and director Marcus Dunstan. Marcus first broke into the industry as a co-writer for the winning screenplay of Project Greenlight season 3, on which Wes Craven himself was an advisor. From there, he's directed The Collector, The Collection, Pilgrim, Unhuman, and co-written nearly half of the Saw franchise.

His latest film, out in theaters and on demand as of August 2nd, is #AMFAD ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD. When a group of friends rent an Airbnb to attend the biggest music festival of the year, their plans quickly turn sour when someone begins killing them one by one, each according to one of the seven deadly sins.

Marcus was gracious enough to sit down with us to talk about his inspirations for this latest piece and what makes working within the horror genre such a rewarding joy. Check out our conversation and check out Marcus's latest film. We hope you enjoy both!

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