Episode 246 - MR. BOOGEDY / BRIDE OF BOOGEDY

Wacky shenanigans coexist with childhood traumas in a deep-cut double feature of Mr. Boogedy and Bride of Boogedy. Alisha Carderella introduces us to a plethora of happy(ish) haunts, practical jokes, and Puritan horror – all this, plus an epic listener email on our spooky season spectacular!

Mr. Boogedy (aired April 20, 1986)
Directed by Oz Scott
Written by Michael Janover
Starring Richard Masur, Mimi Kennedy, Kristy Swanson, David Faustino, Benjamin Gregory, John Astin, and Howard Witt

Bride of Boogedy (aired April 12, 1987)

Directed by Oz Scott

Written by Michael Janover

Starring Richard Masur, Mimi Kennedy, Tammy Lauren, David Faustino, Joshua Rudoy, Leonard Frey, Howard Witt, Ray Girardin, and Eugene Levy

Episode 233 - PRACTICAL MAGIC

The blood moon is rising, the witching hour is upon us, and the time is right to brush up on our Practical Magic. Blythe Rudloff completes our coven as we quaff from a cauldron of doomed romance, witchy intuition, and sisterly bonds. So mix those midnight margaritas and get out your brooms because listeners, it's time to clean house!

Practical Magic (1998)
Directed by Griffin Dunne
Written by Robin Swicord, Akiva Goldsman, and Adam Brooks
Based on the novel by Alice Hoffman
Starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexandra Artrip, Goran Visnjic, and Aidan Quinn

Episode 206 - THE MONSTER SQUAD

Under-appreciated in its time, The Monster Squad rose from '80s obscurity to become a cherished favorite of the cult movie crowd, as well as a key influence on other stories featuring kids fighting a supernatural threat. Striking a perfect balance between frights and frivolity, it's a screamingly clever and silly tale co-scripted by high concept wunderkind Shane Black.

Alisha Carderella is in the goddamn club as we celebrate the true spirit of spooky season. This episode's got nards!

The Monster Squad (1987)
Directed by Fred Dekker
Written by Shane Black and Fred Dekker
Starring Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Brent Chalem, Ryan Lambert, Michael Faustino, Ashley Bank, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, Jon Gries, Leonardo Cimino, and Tom Noonan

Episode 178 - THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

What's this? A macabre and moving musical classic? A gracefully ghoulish gem of gobsmacking animation? The mother of all modern mashups? The Nightmare Before Christmas has been all this and more for nearly three decades, as it transcends labels to illustrate the importance of being true to yourself.

Kev Young brings us dual-holiday delight in this screamingly fun episode that'll speak to anyone who loves to get their creep on at Christmastime. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Directed by Henry Selick
Screenplay by Caroline Thompson
Adaptation by Michael McDowell
Based on a story by Tim Burton
Starring Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, Ken Page, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Ed Ivory, and Danny Elfman 

Episode 156 - THE SUPER LONG 'WEEN-A-THON

This year, our annual 'Ween-A-Thon gets Super Long...and we mean it! Prepare yourself for two-plus hours of festive frights with a superhero twist. It's also the culmination of Joke-tober, as the Clown Prince of Crime's maniacal tricks make a special appearance among our platter of pop culture treats. 

With the help of fellow 'weener Sam Stovold, we've engineered a holiday tribute that nature never intended, bursting with one-of-a-kind features and an extended discussion of our favorite Halloween candy. We're holding nothing back on this episode, so get the funk up and don't stop dancing: it's the Super Long 'Ween-A-Thon!

Featured in this episode:

Batman: The Animated Series - "Almost Got 'Im" (aired November 10, 1992)
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends - "The Bride of Dracula!" (aired September 24, 1983)
Prince - "Batdance" (1989)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - "Super Irma" (aired September 26, 1992)
U2 - "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (1995)
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - "Ghosts" (aired November 24, 1996)

Episode 127 - 'WEEN-A-THON 2018 feat. SHAQ

Shaq-tober concludes with an alley-oop to our annual Halloween tradition, as Shaq himself appears among the macabre morsels we've scared up for Ween-A-Thon!  Enjoy this witches' brew of Hallow-themed entertainment, from gross commercials to silly sitcoms to traumatizing educational aids.  Don't listen to it alone!

Featured in this episode:

Clips and Shorts
Shaquille O'Neal feat. Method Man and RZA - "No Hook" (1994)
Harold Dexter Hoopes' filmstrip of Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns (early 1960s)
Doctor Dreadful commercials - Food Lab, Drink Lab, and Squeem Lab (1994)

TV Episodes
Animaniacs - "Scare Happy Slappy/Witch One/Macbeth" (aired May 3, 1994)
Big Bad Beetleborgs - "Beetle Rock, Part II" (aired September 7, 1996)
Family Matters - "Stevil" (aired October 25, 1996)
Celebrity Deathmatch - "Haunted Halloween of Horror" (aired October 28, 1999)

Episode 97 - 'WEEN-A-THON 2017

Our Halloween "visual playlist" spooktacular returns! This year, our trick-or-treat bag is packed with a variety of ghoulish goodies: commercials, cartoons, and comedies that capture the spirit of the season. Muster up your courage for a not-so-grisly grotesquerie of our Halloween faves in our second annual 'Ween-A-Thon...if you dare!

Featured in this episode:

Clips and Shorts
Coca-Cola "Monsters of the Gridiron" commercials (1993-1994) - Spot 1, Spot 2, Spot 3
Walt Disney World Inside Out - "Twilight Zone Tower of Terror" (1994)

TV Episodes
South Park - "Pinkeye" (aired October 29, 1997)
Rugrats - "Candy Bar Creep Show/Monster in the Garage" (aired January 5, 1992)
The Adventures of Pete & Pete - "Halloweenie" (aired October 9, 1994)
Home Improvement - "I Was A Teenage Taylor" (aired October 29, 1996)

Episode 96 - SCREAM

What's your favorite serio-comic deconstruction of the horror genre? For many, there is no better answer than the prescient Scream series, which combined trendy self-awareness with old-school storytelling chops. The instantly iconic (and oddly bumbling) Ghostface villain not only breathed life back into slasher movies, but also inspired the trick-or-treating costumes of countless lazy teenagers for decades to come.

Daren Sprawls joins us in celebration of the Halloween season as we soak in the details of the classic bloody whodunit, and indulge in listing our favorite scary movies.

Scream (1996)
Directed by Wes Craven
Produced by Cathy Conrad and Cary Woods
Written by Kevin Williamson
Starring Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Jaime Kennedy, and Henry Winkler

Episode 67 - 'WEEN-A-THON 2016

Festive frights abound! This year, the WWWW Halloween special features a "visual playlist" of music videos, animation, and live-action TV episodes: six fun-size entertainments selected by your fearless co-hosts. Enjoy this bonus discussion of the unnerving, the grotesque, and the morphenomenal, and have a Happy 'Ween!

Featured in this episode:

Music Videos
Busta Rhymes - "Gimme Some More" (1998)
Rob Zombie - "Dragula" (1998)

TV Episodes
The Simpsons - "Treehouse of Horror VII" (aired October 27, 1996)
Aaahh!! Real Monsters - "The Switching Hour" (aired October 29, 1994)
Salute Your Shorts - "Zeke the Plumber" (aired June 5, 1991)
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - "Trick or Treat" (aired May 3, 1994)

Episode 66 - BEETLEJUICE

Beetlejuice is an example of collaborative filmmaking at its finest, combining a wonderfully weird script, startling visual realizations of director Tim Burton's macabre vision, and virtuosic comedy from the likes of Catherine O'Hara and Michael Keaton. It's a shambling story that feels made up on the fly, but to fans--much like the outpouring of appreciation for the movie's perverse title character--the blemishes simply contribute to a greater overall charm.

Brian Rudloff returns to help us unfurl our freak flags as we examine a movie that looms large in early nightmares and latter-day nostalgia alike.

Beetlejuice (1988)
Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Michael Bender, Richard Hashimoto, and Larry Wilson
Written by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren
Starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder, Glenn Shadix, Sylvia Sidney, and Michael Keaton

Episode 40 - MICHAEL JACKSON'S THRILLER and MICHAEL JACKSON'S GHOSTS

Just in time for Mischief Night, it's a bonus double feature episode starring the celebrity who best embodies the season's brew of impish glee and creeping anxiety: Michael Jackson.

The King of Pop's iconic Thriller set a new standard for the music video, taking a serious approach to its scary subject matter with a noted horror director (John Landis) and a legendary makeup artist (Rick Baker).  Years later, Jackson tried to capture that magic again with the lavish, bombastic Ghosts, this time invoking the personal boogeymen who criticized his eccentric lifestyle.

Do we think MJ's Halloween offerings are tricks or treats?  Find out in our 2015 Halloween Special!

Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)

Directed by John Landis

Written by John Landis and Michael Jackson

Starring Michael Jackson, Ola Ray, and Vincent Price

Michael Jackson's Ghosts (1996)

Directed by Stan Winston

Screenplay by Stan Winston and Mick Garris

Concept by Michael Jackson and Stephen King

Starring Michael Jackson

Episode 39 - CASPER

Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci ain't 'fraid of no ghosts in this underrated adaptation that takes some of the most anodyne characters in comics history and drops them into a zany, pop-culture quoting haunted house farce.

Showcasing cutting-edge (for the time) CGI characters, Casper takes advantage of movie technology to bring the dead to cartoonish life while sneaking in some wry gallows humor and a surprisingly mature message about grief and letting go of loved ones.  So please, remember us this way: waxing poetic about yet another '90s film featuring Devon Sawa.

Casper (1995)
Directed by Brad Silberling
Produced by Colin Watson, Jeff Franklin, and Steve Waterman
Written by Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver
Based on the Casper the Friendly Ghost by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo
Starring Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle, Malachi Pearson, Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, Brad Garrett, and Devon Sawa