Certified Forgotten

Death Spa with Heather O. Petrocelli

Want a killer workout? Then come on down to Michael Fischa's Death Spa, where the equipment is automated and only a handful of people (just a handful!) are killed by the ghost in the machine. Heather O. Petrocelli, author of Queer for Fear: Horror Film and the Queer Spectator, joins Certified Forgotten to talk about '80s horror, queer film audiences, and the fading art of the movie theater experience.

Uncertified: Alien: Romulus

Matthew Monagle loves the Alien franchise. Matt Donato loves Fede Álvarez. But did either of them love Alien: Romulus? Listen and find out! In this week's episode of Uncertified, Matthew and Matt tackle the new Alien prequel from Álvarez, which is gorgeous, bloody, and full of creative decisions that, ah, might've looked better on paper.

Bruiser with Adam Cesare (Clown in a Cornfield)

Can you believe a George A. Romero title fits our "10 critic reviews or less" criteria for Certified Forgotten coverage? Neither can we! But here we are. Beloved horror author Adam Cesare of Clown in a Cornfield fame brings us another 2000s curiosity, this one by the master of zombie cinema himself, Bruiser. We'll talk about when movies felt like movies, why Jason Flemyng deserves more leading roles, and Peter Stormare doing Peter Stormare things. Come get Kentucky fried with us in this week's episode!

Uncertified: Cuckoo

This week's Uncertified episode is a house divided. Join the Matts as they try to stave off madness when discussing Tilman Singer's Cuckoo. Neon hopes to continue their hot streak of horror releases with an out-there Alpine tale that announces Singer in a big way. Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens star in this kooky creature feature shrouded in mountainside mystery from a surrealist filmmaker who plays by his own rules. It's a weird one, ya'll. The question is, whose side are you on between your hosts Donato and Monagle?

Down with Jessica Scott

It's one killer elevator, Michael, how much could it cost? In this week's episode of Certified Forgotten, we're joined by horror critic and cosplayer Jessica Scott (Fangoria, Inverse) to talk about Dick Maas's Down (aka The Shaft), a wild mashup of '80s scripts and '90s excess -- and, given its scheduled 2001 premiere date, perhaps the worst-timed movie in the history of Hollywood.

Uncertified: New Life

When Matt Donato wrote his midyear article about the best horror of 2024, the one title that caught everyone by surprise was John Rosman's New Life. But you should know better than to doubt the Donato. In this week's episode of Uncertified, we break down why New Life offers a compelling mix of big ideas in a small box, and how it underscores the very important difference between trauma and grief onscreen.

Uncertified: Longlegs

Matt Monagle's favorite horror movie is The Blackcoat's Daughter, and he's been a defender of Oz Perkins since the filmmaker's beginnings. Matt Donato has not liked any of Oz Perkins' first three movies to varying degrees. Finally, at long last, the Matts talk about The Great Perkins Divide and, more importantly, their thoughts on Longlegs. Will there finally be peace amongst podcast cohosts? Can Daddy Longlegs be the first "Both Matts Approved" Perkins film?

Uncertified: Infested

Spiders. It had to be goddamn spiders. Big ol' spiders, and lots of 'em, are the subject of this week's Uncertified conversation. Listen to the Matts as they address their differing opinions on Sébastien Vanicek's full-throttle arachnid nightmare Infested, available now on Shudder. Some call it the best spider-focused horror movie since Arachnophobia (that's Matt D.). Do you agree?

Landlocked with Richard Whittaker

This week's main episode traps the Matts and returning gust Richard Whittaker in a home video purgatory. Paul Owens' Landlocked repurposes the filmmaker's home movies to examine grief, liminal spaces, and being stuck in the past. It's an interesting slow burn that never lets us know what plane of existence the film chooses, becoming an endearing guessing game. Owens' family affair makes the most of no-budget restrictions, blending usages of found footage and traditional narratives to increasingly disturbing degrees.

Uncertified: Exhuma

In this week's minisode, The Matts chat about what they agree is one of the year's best horror films (so far). Jang Jae-hyun's Exhuma is available now on Shudder, climbing to the top of the streamer's 2024 catalog despite including bangers like Stopmotion and Infested. South Korea flexes its horror muscles yet again in a culturally rich story that Matt Donato wrote: "bobs and weaves in ways American exorcism stories couldn’t fathom." High praise for Matt 1 or Matt 2 (depending on your at-home ranking).