Certified Forgotten

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).

CF85: Livid (w/ Jenn Wexler)

How many genres is too many genres? For Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, the sky itself is the limit. Writer-director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger, The Sacrifice Game) joins Certified Forgotten to discuss her path through the film industry and Maury and Bustillo's Livid, a vampire/fantasy/steampunk/slasher/something that left an indelible mark.

Uncertified: Chime

Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is without a doubt one of the most talented horror filmmakers of the 21st century. But would you sign up for a new NFT service just to watch his latest 45-minute movie? Matt Donato and Matt Monagle did, and they're here to tell you that Chime is, shockingly, very worth the effort.

CF84: III: The Ritual

In this latest episode of the podcast, the Matts look into an existential void to celebrate Matt Monagle's birthday! No, seriously. Mr. Monagle has chosen this episode's title flick, and it couldn't be more of a "Monagle Movie" (broody period vibes, religious overtones, Silent Hill parallels, slow-burn devastation). There will be horror genre talk in the back half like always, but to start, both Matts get real about getting older, their careers, and what wisdom they've learned with age. Hell yeah.

Uncertified: In A Violent Nature

If you've seen one slasher, have you really seen them all? Chris Nash's In A Violent Nature begs to differ, which is the topic of our latest Uncertified conversation. Imagine Friday the 13th shot exclusively over Jason's shoulder. It's an experimental take on undead killers stalking victims through the wilderness, sure to divide audiences with its abstract horror approach. Let's discuss!

CF83: Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (w/ Ariel Powers-Schaub)

What does it mean to be the best movie in the Wrong Turn franchise? In our latest podcast episode, The Matts are joined by horror journalist and author Ariel Powers-Schaub, whose upcoming book (Millennial Nasties: Analyzing a Decade of Brutal Horror Film Violence) examines the many films in the torture porn movement -- including Joe Lynch's cult classic Wrong Turn 2: Dead End.