Episodes
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THIS WEEK: The Hitcher (1986), The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting (2003) and The Hitcher (2007)
No, we haven't immediately abandoned our proposed annual foray into artful smut... it's just rather overwhelming to curate. So outside circumstances have dictated a temporary pivot to a different sort of pistoning action. And let's face it, Rutger Hauer is steamier than any vintage pornography we were going to dredge up anyhow.
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THIS WEEK: Onibaba (1964) and Kuroneko (1968)
For the final episode of Shawntober 2024, we expose Mr. Glinis to the gorgeous Japanese folk horror of Kaneto Shindo.
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Missing episodes?
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THIS WEEK: House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), Homicidal (1961)
Sometimes called the P.T. Barnum of Hollywood, William Castle made his mark in the world of cinema by promoting his kitschy horror films with one of a kind gimmicks.
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THIS WEEK: The Devils (1971), Gothic (1986), The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
We're taking Shawn on a trip across the pond to discuss transgressive auteur Ken Russell's contributions to the horror genre. Will we cure Shawn of his disdain for grand theatrical hijinks and flat British production? Probably not.
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THIS WEEK: The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), Army of Darkness (1982)
Like an incurable rash, SHAWNTOBER returns again so we can subject respectable film lover and Wiseman Cast host Shawn Glinis to all the horror films he's managed to avoid watching for decades. This year, we're starting off with a big blind spot: Evil Dead.
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THIS WEEK: Baby Cat (2023) vs The Towel Man (2021)
We're taking a little break from your regularly scheduled OpVac episode to prep for our favorite yearly tradition, Shawntober.
But don't worry, we won't leave you hangin'. Enjoy a little treat from the PATRON EXCLUSIVE feed: The debut episode from Caustic Content: Season 2 - The show where Steve and Miros compete head to head to find the absolute worst thing streaming on the internet.
And boy do we have a couple of beautiful specimens for you in this episode. It's a classic battle of an animal cosplay fetish film against a dollar store slasher.
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THIS WEEK: Caged Heat (1974), Crazy Mama (1975), Last Embrace (1979)
Before Jonathan Demme was hanging out with David Byrne and winning Oscars, he was pumping out exploitation flicks for Roger Corman and doing weird Hitchcock homages
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THIS WEEK: Manhunter (1986), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002), Hannibal Rising (2007)
After covering Jonathan Demme's Silence of The Lambs last week we decided to keep the ball rolling and cover the rest of the film adaptations of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter novels. Not that any of us need an excuse to watch Manhunter for the 74726587432 time. Maybe we could have done without Bret Ratner, Hannibal's silly Italian hat, and the Samurai training montage though. Oh well.
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THIS WEEK: The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Cell (2000), Longlegs (2024)
People keep telling us Longlegs is the new Silence of the Lambs so we figured we had better see how Osgood Perkin's screeching Nic Cage glam rock dollmaker stacks up to Hannibal Lecter. We watched The Cell too because Miros is ride-or-die for J Lo and who doesn't love Tarsem Singh and Vincent D'Onofrio in a bad wig?
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THIS WEEK: The Crow: City of Angels (1996), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)
What's that? There's a brand new reboot of the Alex Proyas/Brandon Lee film, The Crow, and it stars the guy who played Pennywise in the IT remake? While the cowards make their way out of the local Hot Topic and into the AMC theater on the other side of the mall, only ONE podcast is daring to ignore both the beloved original and the maligned remake. That's right. It's the only Crow-cast with only Crow sequels. Pull out your Discman and pop in a burned CD with your favorite Nu-Metal jams. It's time to fly high with Edward Furlong and embrace the Crow cash-ins.
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THIS WEEK: 300 (2006), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), Meet The Spartans (2008)
Some things are so difficult to comprehend they boggle the mind to the point of madness. Who knew Zack Snyder would create the cinematic playbook for stylized dumb guy action and modern reactionary right wing fascism? Who could have ever dreamed a wildly successful non-Snyder sequel to 300 would be released eight years later, only to be wiped clean from our collective memory? Who could have predicted parody film slop auteurs, Friedberg and Seltzer, would have a decade+ successful run in Hollywood?
And, most importantly, who ever thought Optimism Vaccine would make it to 300 episodes?
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THIS WEEK: Dances With Wolves (1990), Open Range (2003), Horizon: An American Story - Chapter 1 (2024)
We're joined by Aaron from Hit Factory to discuss the standard bearer for the modern American western, Kevin Costner, and why sometimes you need to lose your wife of 18 years so you can make a four-part epic about the 19th-century American frontier.
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THIS WEEK: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006)
In the late 90s, Kevin Williamson was the hottest name in horror after penning Scream for Wes Craven. Just a year later, he capitalized on his newfound fame with a script about small town teens getting their comeuppance after (maybe) committing a lil bit of manslaughter and covering it up. The resulting film is a fun giallo-inspired teen slasher featuring some of the era's biggest up-and-coming stars, including Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr, and Ryan Phillipe (oh and one of the Big Bang Theory guys).
But what about the sequel with a Rastafarian Jack Black or the direct-to-video third film starring literally no one?
OPTIMISM VACCINE INVESTIGATES.
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THIS WEEK: Golgo 13: The Professional (1983), Ninja Scroll (1993), Perfect Blue (1997) and Kite (1998)
Steve and Jack are both out this week so there's never been a better time to subject Adam "Hentai Hater" Miros to some of the best anime produced in 80s and 90s. And also Kite.
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THIS WEEK: Wishmaster (1997), Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999), Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell (2001) and Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled
In the horror desert of the late 90s, a group of practical effects legends and genre has-beens came together to crown Andrew Divoff as heir to the horror icons of yesteryear. We all wish that this had heralded in a new golden age of Karo syrup, squibs and latex, but if this franchise has taught us anything... wishing is for fools and suckers.
So pick yourselves up by your bootstraps, and do the work necessary for a better world.
And as always, Fear the Djinn.
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THIS WEEK: Death Race 2000 (1975), Rollerball (1975), The Running Man (1987)
Recently, President Joe Biden tried to salvage his legacy after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump by going on national television and reassuring the American people he was fit to be the commander-in-chief. Unfortunately, he committed the ultimate gaff and revealed that in America, things aren't settled by voting -- We handle it all at THE BATTLE BOX.
What do we really know about the ongoing American tradition of trial by combat at The Battle Box? We look to the world of film for clues. Will Hollywood reveal the answers?
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THIS WEEK: Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
The biggest surprise of 2024 might be that there's one person John Landis can't kill despite his best efforts: Axel Foley. Join us as we dig into the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, crown Eddie Murphy the king of on-screen improv, unpack what makes part three so bad, and figure out if Eddie has still got it 30 years later.
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THIS WEEK: If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do? (1971), The Burning Hell (1974), The Believer's Heaven (1977)
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Ron Ormond and his family made a name for themselves peddling trashy drive-in flicks across the country. After a near-fatal plane crash, the Ormonds gave up their wicked ways and dedicated their lives to God. So how does an exploitation filmmaker convert from sinner to saint? Well, in the case of Ron Ormond, that meant partnering with the Reverend Estus Pirkle and creating a trio of fire, brimstone, and child decapitation movies the likes of which the world had never seen or will see produced again.
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THIS WEEK: Captain America (1979) and Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979)
Can you believe we were blessed with not one but TWO made for tv Captain America movies in 1979?
Nothing says FREEDOM on the 4th of July like watching Reb Brown in red, white and blue spandex popping a sick wheelie on his lil motorcycle.
Celebrate America’s birthday like a true PATRIOT and salute the only Marvel movies that matter with us
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THIS WEEK: Dreamaniac (1986), Batas Impian Ranjang Setan AKA Satan's Bed (1986), Night Killer (1990), and Mahakaal AKA The Monster (1994)
Knockoff month has been a dream, but sometimes you eat a supreme pizza just before bed -- and the dream curdles into nightmare. A nightmare not unlike what transpires when Wes Craven's masterpiece is entrusted to schlock-peddlers around the globe -- and David DeCoteau.
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