Filmspotting

Chris Klimek convenes a showdown between arguably the two most influential slasher films ever made: John Carpenter's "Halloween" and Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street."
One helped define the modern slasher, introducing audiences to the silent, implacable force of Michael Myers and transforming suburban streets into sites of terror. The other revitalized the genre six years later with Freddy Krueger, a wisecracking dream stalker who turned sleep itself into a death sentence.
Arguing for "Halloween" is Jason Zinoman (Shock Value, The New York Times), who contends that Carpenter's film remains the genre's most influential and enduring achievement. Defending "Nightmare" is Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard dream researcher, psychologist, and author, who makes the case that Freddy Krueger taps into some of our deepest and most universal fears.
Choose your winner at moviedeathmatch.com.
(Times will not be precise with ads.)
Intro / Meet the Advocates (00:00:00-00:16:41)
Rd. 1 – The Movies in Their Time (00:16:42-00:41:49)
Rd. 2 – The Movies in Our Time (00:41:50-01:06:16)
Rd. 3 – The Movies for All Time (01:06:17-01:37:03)
The Verdict / Credits (01:37:05-01:45:23)
More From Jason:
-‘Halloween’ 1978: The Times Finally Reviews a Horror Classic
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/movies/halloween-1978-review.html
-Book: Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143121367
-Instagram
@zinomanj
More From Deidre:
-deirdrebarrett.com
http://www.deirdrebarrett.com/
-Book: Pandemic Dreams
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0982869533
-Instagram
@deirdre_barrett_dreams
Follow Chris:
-Instagram | Bluesky | X
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For the debut episode of their new sport and film podcast, Adam Kempenaar and University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communication colleague Travis Vogan, PhD, are joined by scholar Seán Crosson, PhD, to discuss Harold Lloyd’s 1925 silent comedy The Freshman. Together, they explore the massive box-office hit’s treatment of masculinity and football, and how the film helped shape the underdog and American Dream narratives that remain central to the genre a century later.
Next Episode:
–Hoop Dreams with Samantha Noelle Sheppard, PhD, Cornell University
Links:
–Email the show at [email protected].
–Learn more about Seán Crosson
–Sport in European Cinema
–Sport and Film (2nd Edition)
Theme Music:
–King of the Corpse Flowers by Oxykitten | Spotify
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Two weeks after their Pantheon Project review of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, Adam and Josh take on the director’s 2001 mind-bender, Mulholland Drive, to celebrate its 25th anniversary. For a film with a reputation for being impenetrable, they find it surprisingly rich with clues while retaining all of its singular power. Plus, a Golden Brick nomination for If I Go Will They Miss Me, and thoughts on the new doc You Had To Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits.⁠ Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.⁠(Timecodes will not be precise with ads.)Intro (00:00:00-00:02:28)Mulholland Drive (00:02:29-0:30:28)Filmspotting Family (0:30:29-00:32:31)Mulholland Drive, cont. (00:32:32-0:58:43)If I Go Will They Miss Me (0:58:44-01:03:44)You Had To Be There (01:03:45-01:13:54)Notes (01:13:55-01:24:52)Massacre Theatre (01:24:53-01:30:51)Credits / New Releases (01:30:52-01:34:58)
Notes:
-David Lynch Ranked | Adam
https://boxd.it/Xk5q6$rM7TfIkSmbYwC11L
-David Lynch Ranked | Josh
https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm/list/david-lynch-ranked/
-Golden Bricks
https://www.filmspotting.net/bricks
-New Podcast! Field of Scenes
https://www.filmspotting.net/fieldofscenes
Feedback:
-Email us at [email protected]⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠-⁠Ask Us Anything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we might answer your question in bonus content.
Support:
-Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus shows, archive access, and more.
http://filmspottingfamily.com
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⁠https://www.filmspotting.net/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠
Follow:
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-Josh/LarsenOnFilm
⁠Letterboxd⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ |⁠ Facebook⁠ | ⁠Bluesky
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Ahead of December's Doomsday, Avengers: Endgame is back in theaters. Here's Adam and Josh with their original 2019 review—including spoilers.
Unlock the full archive, Filmspotting Discord, ad‑free + bonus episodes, and more when you ⁠join the Filmspotting Family⁠.
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Starring Russell Crowe and an all-grown-up Jacob Tremblay (“Room” “”Wonder”), Netflix’s Unabomber was a promising title on the fall streaming slate. Unfortunately, director Janus Metz’s exploitative biopic about the notorious domestic terrorist (and manifesto author) comes up well short of expectations. But Matt and Jordan use the film as an excuse to recommend a couple of films as alternatives—one, an underseen, decade-old indie about a controversial mid-20th century social scientist; the other a stone-cold classic from the ‘90s. Plus, a listener request for contemporary films that look like the period in which they take place. And a ‘90s crime thriller game hosted by Jordan.
Intro / Blumhouse Cheetos (00:00:00–00:07:44)
Unabomber (00:07:45–00:32:46)
Rec Seg! (00:32:47–00:51:27)
Listener Req Seg! (00:51:28–01:06:25)
Game: LLLE (01:06:26–01:23:58)
New to Streaming / Credits (01:23:59–01:39:02)
Show Notes
Now Streaming on Bazooga - A Filmspotting: SVU Archive⁠ https://letterboxd.com/samvanhallgren/list/now-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu/⁠
Pre-Order Matt's book "Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever" (Coming October 6th):⁠ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/⁠
Matt’s book tour!
matt-singer.net
For what film should Alison Willmore make her triumphant return to SVU?
https://poll.fm/17448084
Feedback: Email us at [email protected]
Follow Matt on Blue Sky: @mattsinger.bsky.social
Follow Jordan on Blue Sky: @jhoffman.bsky.social
Follow the Show:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu⁠
Follow the Show:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu⁠
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