Certified Forgotten

Drive Thru with Julieann Stipidis

Are you craving a greasy, sloppy bite of fast-food horror sleaze? This week's episode travels back to the bygone era of 2007, which feels like an alternate universe of nu-metal and poor behaviors. Horror journalist Julieann Stipidis brings The Matts what she describes as one of her "Holy Trinity of Bad Aughts Movies," ready to champion Horny the Clown. Kitchen deaths, demonic mascots, and inappropriateness galore await whoever dares watch Horny's Hella-Burger massacre — one of the most 2000s-ass slashers you probably haven't seen.

Uncertified: Thanksgiving Special

This week's episode is a bit of holiday fun — a chance to get to know your Matts a tad better. There's no single movie focus, no prime directive. We're just chatting about things we're thankful for this year as horror fans. It's an episode of shared reflection, highlighting what's excited us most in 2024. Listen along as you lay on your couch in a food coma, stuffed like yesterday's turkey.

Uncertified: Heretic

Sure, monsters and demons are terrifying, but is there anything quite as scary in 2024 as a conversation about religion? In this episode of Uncertified, Matt Monagle and Matt Donato discuss Scott Beck and Bryan Woods's Heretic, a parlor horror film with a great central performance by Hugh Grant. Come for the religious scares, stay for the crisis of faith. 

Uncertified: Smile 2

Skye Riley embarks on a comeback tour for the ages — but is it worth the price of admission? Co-hosts Matt Monagle and Matt Donato are covering Parker Finn's sequel Smile 2 in this week's bite-sized Uncertified episode. Is it one of the best horror movies of 2024? Does Naomi Scott give a powerhouse performance as a possessed pop star? You're damn right. The Matts share an olive branch of agreement over Smile 2, and they'd love to tell you why.

Scary Movie with Rocco T. Thompson

No, not THAT Scary Movie. This week's guest episode covers 1991's Scary Movie starring John Hawkes. Yes, THAT John Hawkes. The Matts bring in horror journalist and podcaster Rocco T. Thompson to discuss an underseen entry into the haunted attraction horror film canon. Plus, Rocco and Monagle address Scary Movie as a celebrated indie product of Austin's horror scene. Nothin' better than cozy regional horror.

Uncertified: Strange Darling

In this week's bite-sized podcast episode, Matt Donato and Matt Monagle discuss J.T. Mollner's Strange Darling. Is it a brilliant deconstruction of tired slasher tropes? Or a pretentious mashup of screenwriting tricks? The answer to both is a resounding yes, and, at the risk of spoiling the episode, it's exactly that ambition and playfulness that makes Strange Darling one of the best horror films of the year.

Uncertified: V/H/S/Beyond

What better way to celebrate Matt Monagle and Matt Donato's return from Fantastic Fest than with a Fantastic Fest release? In this episode of our Uncertified series, Monagle and Donato discuss V/H/S/Beyond, the latest (and potentially greatest) entry in the V/H/S series that features new films from filmmakers Justin Long, Kate Siegel, and Jordan Downey.

Uncertified: Out Come The Wolves

In this week's short-and-sweet podcast episode, The Matts discuss Adam MacDonald's Out Come The Wolves. It's a bit like Backcountry 2.0, except instead of a bear, it's a pack of hungry wolves. MacDonald's making a name as a wilderness horror director, which neither Certified Forgotten host sees as an issue. What do we think will be MacDonald's next animal of choice? Surely he'll at least complete a trilogy of "When Animals Attack" indies.

555 with Sean Abley

Here at Certified Forgotten, we're sometimes surprised to find specific movies qualify for our "10-or-less reviews on Rotten Tomatoes" rule — 555 is not one of those titles. Joining us this week is Sean Abley (co-creator of Queer Horror: A Film Guide), who brings with him a piece of shot-on-video Chicago horror history. Wally Koz's microbudget procedural features a murderous necrophile, infamous enough to be included in the Sterling Memorial Library at the Yale University Library. Yes, a movie with fake-as-hell beheadings and extreme overacting is shelved in a Yale collection. Listen in to find out why.

Uncertified: Blink Twice

In this week's mini-episode of Matt on Matt podcasting action, your Certified Forgotten co-hosts share their thoughts on Zoë Kravitz's rageful debut, Blink Twice. How did she sneak a rape-revenge movie into theaters with mainstream appeal? By wrapping it in a Glass Onion meets Get Out meets The Hunt vision — and casting Channing Tatum helps. But this isn't a movie about him. Blink Twice is an indictment of cancel culture's failings from a female perspective, which Kravitz delivers with haymakers from Naomi Ackie and the women around her. It's a battle of the sexes while trapped in paradise and one hell of a coming out for the actress-turned-filmmaker.