THIS WEEK: See No Evil (2006) and See No Evil 2 (2014)

It doesn't get much worse than this, folks. We're exploring the origins of WWE Films via the limp, senseless misadventures of Jacob Goodnight. Will Vince McMahon's callous attempt to christen Glenn Jacobs the new face of fear succeed? Find out next Sunday at Survivor Series.

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THIS WEEK: Dee Snider's Strangeland (1998), Feardotcom (2002) and Cry_Wolf (2005)

We’ve traveled down Route 66 and across the Australian outback but one road remains: THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY. Join us as explore the dangers of chat rooms, cyber bullying, and haunted Flash websites.

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THIS WEEK: Caged Heat (1974), Crazy Mama (1975), Last Embrace (1979)

Before Jonathan Demme was hanging out with David Byrne and winning Oscars, he was pumping out exploitation flicks for Roger Corman and doing weird Hitchcock homages

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THIS WEEK: Dead Bang (1989), The Hot Spot (1990), and Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man (1991)

While fans of nepo babies doing adaptations of Z-grade erotica might be crying out for more Dakota Johnson, real film heads know you can't beat the cinema of daddy Don. Sure you know him from the beaches of Miami Vice and the... nashy bridges of Nash Bridges, but what about the great movies Don Johnson starred in between those two hit TV series? Turns out DJ has a few tricks up his sleeve (we're not talking about his musical chops) and just might surprise you as a leading man and action film star.

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THIS WEEK: Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1991) and Silent Night (2012)

Oh, wow. They just kept making these, huh? Once again the beloved Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise swerves into another totally unrelated story about how Mickey Rooney is a weird little creep who looks like someone tried to make an obese baby out of a sponge. And there's a robot this time and some Freudian MILF business going on. And hey! Did you know someone did a DTV "remake" of the original Silent Night, Deadly Night in 2012 starring Malcolm McDowell? Shocking Twist: It has almost nothing to do with the first film or any of the sequels. Merry Christmas, I guess.

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THIS WEEK: Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989) and Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation

After Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 was reduced to an underfunded clip show, you would think more sequels to the beloved holiday slasher would be unlikely. Shows what you know. As a testament to unexplained franchise resiliency, two more sequels quickly followed from the legendary Monte Hellman (with a twin peaks adjacent cast) and splatter god Brian Yuzna (with special effects from Screaming Mad George). Just for added fun, neither really has much to do with the rest of the franchise or Christmas. But hey, why would that matter?

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THIS WEEK: Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)

This year, you made it through David Gordon Green's Halloween. But can you survive three decades of Silent Night, Deadly Night?

Probably!

The first two movies are pretty great, actually. Find out why one is a stone-cold second-wave slasher classic and the other transcends meme-ification and a money-grab clip show structure to become something extraordinary.

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THIS WEEK: This Man Must Die AKA Que La Bête Meure (1969), La Rupture AKA The Breach (1970), Torment AKA L'enfer (1994)

Murder! Jealousy! Acid trips! Claude Chabrol sure knows how to hook you. He's also made roughly one zillion movies and they all seem to be pretty great. Guess we'll keep doing these episodes!

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THIS WEEK: Skinamarink (2022) and Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural (1973)

Turns out the scariest movie of 2022 is a zero-budget, Canadian horror film that trades cheap scares for foreboding liminal spaces.

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THIS WEEK: Blood Freak (1972)

This year, we have a lot to be thankful for. Shag carpet, wood panel walls, Pall Mall cigarettes, half-baked Animorph murder turkeys, cool drugs, and scar tissue from third-degree burns - the list goes on. Join us as we celebrate this joyous American holiday by watching one of the most foundational no-budget Floridian films of all time, Blood Freak.

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THIS WEEK: Viva Erotica (1996)

The OV boys are joined by Hong Kong film fanatic and all-around nice guy, Dylan Cheung, to talk about HK films and the Cat III meta-comedy from Tung-Shing Yee and Chi-Leung Law, Viva Erotica.

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THIS WEEK: Night Owl (1993), The Addiction (1995), and Nadja (1994)

Three filmmakers. Three films. Three black and white vampire movies from the mid-90s. Sounds like a good episode theme (and it helps us exclude Vampire in Brooklyn). It's art house meets bat house! It's Abel Ferrara reminding us that he knows Russel Simmons! It's David Lynch playing a security guard! What else could you possibly ask for?

THIS WEEK: Alone in the Dark (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985), and The Hidden (1987).

Jack Sholder might not be a household name when it comes to horror and sci-fi directors, but he should be. Unfortunately, one of his best films shares a title with a maligned 2005 Uwe Boll joint, another is unfairly labeled the worst in a classic franchise, and then there's one that you never bothered to watch. Shameful. Well, we're here to fix all of this. Long live Jack Sholder, king of unheralded 1980s studio shlock.

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THIS WEEK: Manhunter (1986), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002), Hannibal Rising (2007)

After covering Jonathan Demme's Silence of The Lambs last week we decided to keep the ball rolling and cover the rest of the film adaptations of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter novels. Not that any of us need an excuse to watch Manhunter for the 74726587432 time. Maybe we could have done without Bret Ratner, Hannibal's silly Italian hat, and the Samurai training montage though. Oh well.

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THIS WEEK: Basket Case (1982), Brain Damage (1988), Frankenhooker (1990), Bad Biology (2008)

Josh Lewis from the Sleazoids podcast helps Miros introduce Shawn Glinis to the king of 42nd St. gross-out grindhouse fare, Frank Henenlotter. An essential episode for anyone who enjoys zero-budget stop-motion animation and exploding prostitutes.

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THIS WEEK: Nekromantik (1988), Der Todesking (1990), Nekromantik 2 (1991) and Schramm (1993)

It's time for Shawn's final exam, as we introduce him to the shocking, grotesque poetry of zero budget German maestro Jörg Buttgereit. No genitals were mutilated in the making of this podcast.

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THIS WEEK: Stage Fright a.k.a. Aquarius (1987), The Sect (1991), and Cemetary Man a.k.a. Dellamorte Dellamore

It wouldn't be October if we weren't introducing Shawn to another Italian master of horror. This year, it's the top disciple of Dario Argento, Joe D'Amato, and Lucio Fulci, and the last artistic gasp of the Italian horror film industry: Michele Soavi.

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THIS WEEK: Knife in the Water (1962), Repulsion (1965), The Tenant (1976)

It's October, which means it's once again time for Shawn Glinis to mainline some horror films he's never seen. What's that? We've betrayed tradition? Knife in the Water isn't spooky? Listen, pal, Roman Polanski is wanted in 188 countries for unspeakable crimes and was extradited directly to this podcast. There's your horror. Kind of weird that we couldn't find a guest for this episode. Oh well.

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THIS WEEK: Hot to Trot (1988)

Episode 200 is brought to you by a dream. A dream that one day, Optimism Vaccine would cover the classic talking horse/Bobcat Goldthwait star vehicle, Hot to Trot, and the corresponding episode would thrust the podcast into the upper echelon of respected outlets for serious film criticism.

Or maybe we just talked about horse dicks for 90 minutes. Only one way to find out. Happy 200th episode!

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THIS WEEK: Thunderbolt (1995), Mr. Nice Guy (1997) and Who Am I? (1998)

A generous benefactor demanded that we cover... Jackie Chan? What a chore.

It's certainly a fascinating slate, as the aging Hong Kong megastar begins to dial back the wild stunts and ramp up the brand identity in preparation for his inevitable move to Hollywood.

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THIS WEEK: My Son Hunter (2022)

Director Robert Davi (Rtas 'Vadum in Halo 2 and 3) and the conservative cinema vanguard have finally released the MAGA response to Adam McKay's liberal political comedies.

It's about time someone made a movie for Breitbart readers with a fetish for Gina Carano wearing an ill-fitting suit, don't you think?

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THIS WEEK: Les Biches AKA Bad Girls (1968), La Femme Infidèle AKA The Unfaithful Wife (1969), and Merci Pour Le Chocolat AKA Nightcap (2000)

If you're still sleeping on Chabrol, Shawn Glinis is back to tell you exactly what you're missing out on with three stone-cold classics from the underrated French New Wave master.

THIS WEEK: Tiger Claws (1991), Tiger Claws II (1996) and Tiger Claws III (2000)

Rothrock hitches her wagon to Beirut’s Steven Seagal in what must be the only DTV martial arts franchise to involve both an illicit arms deal with ancient China AND legally distinct spectral goons straight out of the Phantom Zone.

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THIS WEEK: Devil Fish AKA Monster Shark (1984), Deep Blood (1990), and Cruel Jaws (1995)

Our Patrons spoke and we listened. Still a little shocked they didn't vote to make Miros watch Hentai. Oh well. Nothing says SUMMER FUN like watching teens get eaten by sharks (or maybe a prehistoric shark-like fish with tentacles) in a trio of Italian Jaws knockoffs. Or, if you're Bruno Mattei you can't be bothered to film your own scenes of a mechanical shark trying to mangia some doofus so you just steal liberally from existing movie footage. Very cool, alpha move.

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THIS WEEK: The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Cell (2000), Longlegs (2024)

People keep telling us Longlegs is the new Silence of the Lambs so we figured we had better see how Osgood Perkin's screeching Nic Cage glam rock dollmaker stacks up to Hannibal Lecter. We watched The Cell too because Miros is ride-or-die for J Lo and who doesn't love Tarsem Singh and Vincent D'Onofrio in a bad wig?

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THIS WEEK: China O'Brien (1990) and China O'Brien 2 (1990)

What happens when one of Hong Kong's hottest new action stars makes her triumphant return to America and teams up with the legendary director of Enter the Dragon? Shit, not much, actually. Join us for part two of our Cynthia Rothrock retrospective where the most dangerous woman alive gets to karate kick evil lumberjacks and liberate sex slaves in Utah.

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THIS WEEK: Yes, Madam! (1985) and Righting Wrongs (1986)

Ronda Rousey might call herself "the baddest woman on the planet" but we all know that can't be true as long as Cynthia Rothrock is still breathing. This week, we're exploring a pair of Hong Kong action classics from the five-time martial arts champion turned underappreciated action queen of 80s and 90s.

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THIS WEEK: Ravenous (1999), The Proposition (2005), Lawless (2012)

Nobody pulls off the "exhausted Australian in dire need of a bath" look quite like Guy Pearce. Maybe that's why when it comes to contemporary westerns he's been a go-to actor for decades. This week, we're watching three films starring our guy, Guy, and making an official statement on whether or not Ravenous is a lost classic or just something horror film nerds won't stop talking to you about.

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THIS WEEK: The Butcher/Le Boucher (1970), Just Before Nightfall/Juste Avant la Nuit (1971), and The Ceremony/La Cérémonie (1995)

Every once in a while we need Shawn Glinis to jump in and make our show classy again.

This week, we're dissecting three films from the underrated French New Wave master, Claude Chabrol. Over the course of six decades, Chabrol made nearly 60 films. While he was never afraid to branch out beyond genre fare, he often returned to Hitchcock-inspired thrillers which later inspired auteurs like Michael Haneke.

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THIS WEEK: Mad God (2021) and The Thief and the Cobbler (1993)

Colin Tanner drops in for a scintillating discussion on the minutiae of process. Is a creative work ever truly complete? Is Harvey Weinstein the enemy of all art? Is Aladdin actually terrible? All questions will be answered. Eventually.

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THIS WEEK: WarGames (1983) and Cloak and Dagger (1984)

Whether you're a young Mathew Broderick or just the kid from E.T., the only surefire way to protect America from a nefarious foreign power is with a little dab of Dabney Coleman. Join us as we confront 1980s cold war anxiety and Russophobia the only way we know how: By watching a pair of 40-year-old movies made for children.

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THIS WEEK: Crimes of the Future (2022), Crimes of the Future (1970), eXistenZ (1999)

David Cronenberg is back with more body horror because the man can't resist a good goopy bone machine. Plus, it's been a while since he's tried to make a film with the title Crimes of the Future so he needs to check that box. Grab a big ol' bar of tasty synthetic waste to munch on, kick your feet up, and see if you're ready to get on Dave's level.

Steve and Stephen endured cross-state travel and sweltering heat to check out Tears for Fears on their 2022 tour in support of The Tipping Point. How do the new songs translate live? More importantly, did the OV squad finally make it backstage or did Tears For Fears melt into a pile of black long sleeve shirts and perspiration?

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THIS WEEK: Thriller: A Cruel Picture AKA They Call Her One Eye (1973) and Breaking Point (1975)

Swedish director Bo Arne Vibenius may have gotten his start working with Ingmar Bergman, but he made his mark on cinema with the grindhouse classic, Thriller: A Cruel Picture. He's also the only director who has been breathlessly lauded by Quentin Tarantino and had multiple films completely banned in his home country. This week we're unraveling the slow-mo cruelty of Thriller and trying to wrap our heads around his darkly comedic XXX followup, Breaking Point.

THIS WEEK: The Guyver (1991) and Guyver: Dark Hero (1994)

Brian Yuzna sure did make a pile money off of Honey I Shrunk the Kids. That's the only explanation for this franchise based on an incomprehensible manga that boldly toes the line between body horror and Barney.

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THIS WEEK: The Crow: City of Angels (1996), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)

What's that? There's a brand new reboot of the Alex Proyas/Brandon Lee film, The Crow, and it stars the guy who played Pennywise in the IT remake? While the cowards make their way out of the local Hot Topic and into the AMC theater on the other side of the mall, only ONE podcast is daring to ignore both the beloved original and the maligned remake. That's right. It's the only Crow-cast with only Crow sequels. Pull out your Discman and pop in a burned CD with your favorite Nu-Metal jams. It's time to fly high with Edward Furlong and embrace the Crow cash-ins.

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THIS WEEK: Scanners 2: The New Order (1991), Scanners 3: The Takeover (1991), Scanner Cop (1994), and Scanner Cop 2: Volkin's Revenge (1995)

We celebrate the release of Crimes of the Future by examining the only franchise to emerge from a David Cronenberg film: Scanners. Surely, each sequel will prove more cerebral than the last.

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THIS WEEK: RRR (2022)

With Steve marooned on a godless island, we've called Jake Tropila away from his fatherly duties to discuss the best film of the... year? Decade? Century? All answers are valid.

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THIS WEEK: Mad Dog Time (1996) and Hell Ride (2008)

Larry Bishop rubbed shoulders with the Hollywood elite at a young age and made a name for himself among cult film fans with roles in classic biker exploitation movies like The Savage Seven and Wild in the Streets. So what happens when Larry cashes in his clout and connections to write and direct his own feature films?

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THIS WEEK: The Haunting of Morella (1990), The Demolitionist (1995), Amanda and the Alien (1995), and Blown Away (1993)

Nicole Eggert was an American television mainstay with roles on Who's the Boss, Charles in Charge, and later alongside Pamela Anderson on Baywatch. TV made her a star but what happened when Eggert became a leading lady in feature-length films? Let's just say your mileage with her movies may vary (unless you're a big Jim Wynorski fan).

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THIS WEEK: Father Stu (2022)

Sometimes God calls you to do something extraordinary. Maybe he wants you to get blackout drunk and carbo load until you're accepted into the priesthood. Maybe he wants you to team up with Mel Gibson and his girlfriend to make the Catholic biopic every major studio has already declined. Either way, nothing beats mop top Marky Mark on the silver screen teaching us about redemption and how to uppercut the blessed virgin to show her you mean business.

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THIS WEEK: The Laughing Dead (1989) and Shatter Dead (1994)

From the fringe corners of the zombie film spectrum comes a pair of movies that might have "dead" in the title but couldn't be further from anything George A. Romero has cooked up. One is a bleak, shot-on-video masterpiece proudly proclaiming that "God hates you." The other is about catholic romance, kaiju battles, and basketball. Normal stuff, really.

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THIS WEEK: High Risk (1995) and The Red Wolf (1995)

Steve is sick, Miros is hung over, and Jack is fending off a feral dog. Ideal recording conditions for discussing two Hong Kong Die Hard clones. Does one of them exist solely to spite Jackie Chan in surprisingly vulgar fashion? You betcha!

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THIS WEEK: Champagne and Bullets AKA Geteven AKA Road to Revenge (1993)

How do you measure greatness? When do you know you're watching an unimpeachable masterpiece? What is it like to touch the hand of God?

The closest any of us can really get is John DeHart's 1993 movie, Champagne and Bullets. Originally released to little fanfare and then re-edited and re-released multiple times by writer/director/actor/producer/composer John DeHart under alternate titles, Champagne and Bullets is an unforgettable film full of action, painfully long sex scenes, and satanic baby sacrifices.

Witness a visibly drunk Wings Hauser give the performance of a lifetime! Stand in awe of William Smith's gravel-voiced portrayal of the dastardly Normad (yes that's with a "d")!

Open your heart, dear listener, and let John DeHart gently shimmy slide into it.

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THIS WEEK: Snapdragon (1993), Raw Force (1994), Barb Wire (1996), Naked Souls (1996)

From Playboy centerfold to first-run syndication starlet and tabloid fodder, only one woman can claim the title of THE definitive cultural icon of the 1990s: Pamela Anderson. Sure, you're probably familiar with Anderson's big-budget studio film, Barb Wire, but what about the rest of her cinematic oeuvre? Join us as we dissect the 90s movies that made Pam Anderson (not so) famous, read excerpts from her semi-autobiographical novels, and try to figure out how she got involved with a Power Rangers director.

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THIS WEEK: Fatal Exam (1990), Beyond Dream's Door (1989), Winterbeast (1992)

From the crusty bowels of middle America to a crisp HD Vinegar Syndrome boxset, Homegrown Horror Volume 1 collects three regional horror films from the 80s and 90s. Join the OV boys as we wax poetic about goopy monsters shot on 16mm, claymation stop motion action, and hanging out with your St. Louis buds.

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THIS WEEK: 300 (2006), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), Meet The Spartans (2008)

Some things are so difficult to comprehend they boggle the mind to the point of madness. Who knew Zack Snyder would create the cinematic playbook for stylized dumb guy action and modern reactionary right wing fascism? Who could have ever dreamed a wildly successful non-Snyder sequel to 300 would be released eight years later, only to be wiped clean from our collective memory? Who could have predicted parody film slop auteurs, Friedberg and Seltzer, would have a decade+ successful run in Hollywood?

And, most importantly, who ever thought Optimism Vaccine would make it to 300 episodes?

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THIS WEEK: Nothing But Trouble (1991), Cool As Ice (1991), Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991), Hudson Hawk (1991), and Dice Rules (1991)

The morning zoo crew tackles the hottest awards show in tinsel town.

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After seven years of podcasting and 18 years since Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, a day we never thought would come has arrived. There's finally a brand new Tears for Fears album. Steve and Stephen dive headfirst into The Tipping Point, share their initial impressions, expectations vs reality, and more.

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THIS WEEK: Boardinghouse (1982) and Pathogen (2006)

The OV Team turns their keen critical eyes to the world of shot-on-video horror films. First up, Boardinghouse, the film that dared to combine murder, music and man thongs. It also holds the distinction of being completely incomprehensible AND the first SOV film released theatrically. The chaser to this shot of 80's sleaze is Pathogen; a homegrown zombie film written, directed and starring an actual 12-year-old.

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