Like a monster you can't keep down...we're back!

NQD is reviving our Patrick Wilson season with the cult classic Bone Tomahawk. Released in 2015 and the first feature film from director S. Craig Zahler, this slow-burn western horror is a delight for almost everyone. An all star ensemble rounds out this excellent movie: Kurt Russell, Matthew Fox, and the always endearing Richard Jenkins.

The Girls are joined by friend of the podcast, Jeremy who HATES horror movies. What a cruel (and/or hilarious) movie to endure him to.

Cate and Meg discuss colors, social justice, corny writing, and of course, our guy Patrick Wilson!

A remake that’s…pretty good! Dawn of the Dead is already a zombie classic, and while this version doesn’t update much, it does place us squarely in the early 2000s. Special guests High on Film’s Brad Davis and Chris Maxwell join us for this action-packed episode! 

Before he was releasing cuts of DC movies, Zack Snyder directed the remake of Dawn of the Dead. Featuring the iconic mall setting and a creepy little zombie baby, it’s a modern classic! 

Discussion points include: mall theft, power-tripping security guards, and the saddest chess game ever. 

Let's give a round of applause to the finale of the Independent Horror Film season! We hope you enjoyed the byzantine plot structures, artistic cinematography, and wild allegory conjecture as much as Megan and Cate did. Make sure to check out our Instagram @notquitedead_podcast and follow our blog for extras!

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer and Cate Smith.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

The most terrifying tale of all: motherhood! The Babadook (2014), directed by Jennifer Kent, is ostensibly a story of a boogeyman plaguing a single Australian mother and her spirited son. But as Megan and Cate get into it, it's a gruesome, difficult to watch tale of unchecked grief, parenthood, and PTSD.

Edited by Cate Smith.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Dancing, endless sunshine, tea that makes you feel funny. Sounds like a good time, right? Well, if you’re an American in the 2019 film Midsommar, it could really go either way!

Listen to the penultimate movie of Season 3 and debate with us - would you rather have a shitty boyfriend or a slightly murderous Swedish cult family?

Edited by Cate Smith.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

What is "It"? In this minisode, Megan and Cate discuss whether "It" is sexual shame, AIDS, general trauma - and strongly disagree with director David Robert Mitchell's intention. It Follows (2014) tracks a group of teenagers as they resist a slow-moving yet consistent apparition.

Listen to this short episode and debate along with us - the interpretation is most of the fun!

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

A broke punk band, a sketchy gig in the Pacific Northwest, and a Nazi gang cover-up conspiracy. What could go wrong?

Jeremy Saulnier's 2015 horror-thriller Green Room has all of the tension and surprising gore you could ask for. Megan and Cate debate about effective techniques for fighting against dumb-yet-strong white supremacists and discuss what our desert island band would be.

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

We thought we'd break up season 3 with a family-friendly movie - Hereditary (2018)! Do some arts and crafts alongside mom Annie, play with dolls with Charlie, go for a joyride with Peter, and share a nice meal with dad Steve. Whatever you do, don't look too closely at grandma's scrapbooks.

Join the Not Quite Dead gals as they get into Ari Aster's psychologically horrifying debut feature-length film.

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

A tale of two giant wooden effigies, painstakingly crafted by rural island cultspeople. A tale of two protagonists, deeply unlikeable in their own ways. A tale as old as time: the original and the remake.

Megan and Cate get into The Wicker Man (1973) and The Wicker Man (2006) to analyze what makes the original so great, and what makes the remake so, so bizarre. Watch both, watch one, or watch neither – any way, this short episode is a fun one!

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Join the gals as they get deep on one of their all-time favorite horror movies The VVitch: A New England Folktale (2015). The debut film from director Robert Eggers uses dialog pulled directly from 1600s documents to build the religiously fervent, tightly coiled with paranoia atmosphere. Patriarch William gets his family excommunicated from their Puritan village because he won't play nice with the townspeople - surely relocating to a remote spot outside of the wilderness a full day's horseride from town will work out well.

Edited by Cate Smith.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

What are the elements of an indie movie, besides, of course, being produced by an independent film studio? Avant-garde plot structure, shoestring budgets, characters stoically looking off-camera into the distance while a plinky piano plays? Sure, some of those elements are present in the horror comedy/satire film Rubber (2010), but it also has a healthy dose of fourth-wall breaking meta commentary and a psychokinetic murderous tire as its protagonist.

Megan and Cate spend this short episode digesting what, exactly, they just watched. Join us for the ride!

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

In the last two decades, no film has wrought more confusion, fear, and satire than The Blair Witch Project (1999). Written and directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, the advertised-as-real found footage documentary taps into our most primal fears and paranoia.

The gals dig deep into this one, looking at American horror roots and how the phenomenon of the newly weaponized Internet catapulted this movie into infamy. Don't forget your map for this one!

Episode edited by Cate Smith.

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Lupita Nyong'o stars as the cutest zombie killing teacher ever in the Hulu-released horror-comedy flick Little Monsters (2019).

Slacker Dave joins his young nephew on a field trip strictly to get closer to his cute teacher, Miss Audrey. Dave quickly learns he needs to take at least a little responsibility when the field trip has to face a horde of zombies.

Discussion points include: disrespectful houseguests, the slacker-to-hero storyline, children's entertainers.

That’s a wrap on Season 2! Join us for a medley season finale episode where we chat about our ranking of the series, make a Purge bingo game, look at how people on the Internet would handle the Purge, and, of course, do some arts and crafts. Happy hunting!

It was about time for a prequel. After three chronological entries in The Purge series, we have been flung back in time to see how, exactly, the New Founding Fathers of America were able to launch what they called "the experiment." Gerard McMurray helms The First Purge (2018) in a tonally and narratively compelling direction, elevating the series to new heights.

Megan and Cate talk soundtrack, script, and all the other goodies built into the last movie of The Purge series. You don't want to miss this episode (or this movie)!

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

“I turned myself into a minisode, Morty! I’m minisode Riiiiiiiick!”
Join the gals for our Season 2 minisode all about the classic Rick and Morty season 2 episode “Look Who’s Purging Now.” Released in 2015 after the first two Purge movies came out, the episode is a satire of all our favorite Purge cliches. Get meta with us and check your candy for Purgenol!

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer.

Did YOU vote for The Purge? We know WE sure didn't, but here it is in Election Year, the bleakest of all Purge years. Join Cate and Megan as they follow a sexy she-Bernie through the blood soaked streets of DC in The Purge: Election Year!

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer.

Ready for a little chaos? Season 2 Episode 2 drops the gals off in Downtown Los Angeles to experience one night of the purge.

Director James DeMonaco is back at the helm for The Purge: Anarchy (2014) to give us a thriller/action/horror sequel that is a genuine improvement on the first entry. Former police sergeant Leo Barnes has an axe to grind on Purge night, but when he runs into an innocent group stranded in the middle of the city, will his morals outweigh his desire for revenge? Megan and Cate are along for the ride!

Music by Zach Pfeifer.

Episode edited by Cate Smith.

Season 2, you wild kids! Join us in the second season as we break down the first movie in the Purge series. The original movie, released in 2013 and directed by James DeMonaco, is an accomplished horror thriller (and sometimes near-satire) film with a great cast on a relatively lean budget.

All crime - including murder! - is legal for one 12 hour period per year. A wealthy suburban family goes into lockdown at their house during the annual purge; at least, until things start to go sideways. The movie is fraught with murderous neighbors, government propaganda, and bad boyfriends. Plan your purge party or maybe just get out of town for a couple of days because we're only one bad election away from our very own purge.

Intro and Outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

Welcome to the Season 1 Finale of Not Quite Dead! To cap off the season, we have a Very Special Episode™ with fun segments all about our favorite aspects of the Saw series. Thanks to the creators of the Saw movies and to all of our listeners for making the first season so great.

You thought it had ended with Saw 3D (ironically AKA Saw: The Final Chapter), but alas, one decade later we were back at the theaters in to watch the 2017 installment of the series directed by The Spierig Brothers and written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. Jigsaw has been dead for ten years but a new crop of victims in vicious torture traps have been discovered. The detectives are on the case, and only time will tell if they can save the newest group of victims.

Join Megan and Cate as they dissect the last (for now) Saw movie. Featuring some serious narrative retconning and some of our favorite tropes, this movie makes us ask: Is this a Saw movie for the diehard fans or just for newbies? Only you can decide.

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

This time it's Saw...in your face! The movie of many names - Saw 3D, Saw VII, Saw: The Final Chapter - is here. The (ostensible) end of the franchise has Kevin Greutert back at the helm to have a little fun while fulfilling his duty to see to the ends of Detective Hoffman, hapless Jill Tuck, and another cadre of unwitting victims.

Listen to Megan and Cate's breakdown of the 2010 horror movie and all of its camera-splashing bloody hijinks. Hoffman may be the Saw series' own Michael Meyers, but this is the final chapter...for now.

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

Oh my! In Saw VI, most of our main characters are dead, except for our gruesome twosome. Detective Hoffman and Jill Tuck are bound to continue carrying on Jigsaw's demented legacy in this 2009 jaunt from first-time director Kevin Greutert.

Join us as we plunge into the depths of the Saw series to encounter typical Saw fare: flashbacks, traps that are feats of mechanical engineering, and a handful of surprises.  The biggest twist of all? It's the only Saw movie to take place in a zoo!

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

Train to Busan was director Yeon Sang-ho's gift to the world in 2016. Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead fame calls it the best zombie film ever made - and who are we to disagree?

Gong Yoo (known now for Squid Game) plays Seok-woo, a hedge fund manager who prioritized work over his family - until a zombie apocalypse traps him and his young daughter on a high speed train. They are up against zombies and the selfishness of their fellow passengers, making for a thrilling horror film.

Discussion points include: undead animals, Korean horror themes, multiple villains.

The first Saw movie has been frequently accused of ripping off David Fincher's 1995 psychological thriller Se7en. Megan and Cate review the differences and similarities between the two movies, including weighing on Jigsaw vs John Doe's motivations as serial killers. Listen in and and judge for yourself - these two villains definitely would!

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

If you need more Costas Mandylor in your life, look no further than the back half of the SCU franchise. The 2008 gore-fest directed by David Hackl ticks all the Saw boxes: detective cat-and-mouse, brutal torture devices, and extolling the virtue of teamwork.

Megan claims this is her favorite of the Saw series, but really she just loves a good story about friendship. Cate is here for the blood and Julie Benz (Dexter’s Rita!). Detective Hoffman and FBI Special Agent Strahm are back at each other’s throats while investigating the Jigsaw murders of Saw III and Saw IV while another convoluted trap plays out. Strahm’s suspicion of Hoffman is ever increasing, but who will come out of the game with blood on their hands?

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

Bonus content! To promote Saw II, IDW Publishing released the one-shot comic Saw: Rebirth in 2005. This prequel dives into John Kramer the man before he becomes the Jigsaw Killer.

Listen in on this short episode as we cover the differences in John’s backstory between the prequel and the later Saw movies in the series.

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

The hits just keep coming! Jigsaw and pals have another adventure in the 2007 Scott Patterson vehicle Saw IV.

Director Bousman is back at the helm to tell the tale of SWAT Lt. Rigg, a victim of Jigsaw’s latest torturous games. Megan and Cate are at the edge of their seats as the story unfolds: Will Rigg get jigsawed? Or will he truly sees as John Kramer sees and become the Jigsaw himself? Only a dozen (or so) flashbacks will tell.

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

The third episode of Not Quite Dead covers the third installment of the series, the 2006 venture that was the highest grossing film of the whole Saw franchise. Tobin Bell earns his 2007 MTV Movie Award nomination for "Best Villain" as he demeans medical professionals and sets up another convoluted series of tests and traps, all while lying in a bed dying for the entire movie.

This movie has it all: twists, devious torture devices, a hot Shawnee Smith, and Megan and Cate wondering who exactly we're rooting for here.

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

Buckle up, things are escalating in the Saw Cinematic Universe (SCU). Join Cate and Megan in counting the myriad traps at play in Saw II, the 2005 quick follow sequel directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman.

Detective Matthews is not a great cop, dad, or man in general. His character is put to the test by Jigsaw when he learns that his teen son is locked in a house with 7 others who must fight through Jigsaw's deadly puzzles to survive. The clock is ticking, the neurotoxic chemicals are pumping, and the blood is flowing. Time is running out, Detective Matthews, and Jigsaw, Megan, and Cate are watching your every move.

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

The first, the OG, the one that started it all. Jump into our first podcast episode and listen to us chat about the 2004 horror movie Saw, directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell.

Generic dude Adam and Dr. Lawrence Gordon are chained in a dank warehouse bathroom with nothing but a dead body, a handful of clues, and two rusty saws. Will they survive serial killer Jigsaw’s trap with life and limb intact? Will Danny Glover run out of newspaper clippings to crack this whole thing wide open? Will Megan and Cate build a faithful recreation of the bathroom diorama? Tune in and find out!

Intro and outro music by Zach Pfeifer.

Edgar Wright wraps his love of the zombie genre in many layers of era-specific humor in the buddy horror comedy Shaun of the Dead! Guest Jason Burk from Hemispheric Views joins us again to reminisce on this not-so-cult classic.

Shaun is your typical Gen X slacker who shirks responsibility at every available opportunity. That is, until a zombie apocalypse arrives in his garden. With the help of his equally lame best friend, Shaun embarks on a quest to save his mum and ex-girlfriend, and maybe do a little bit of growing up along the way (but, probably not).

Discussion points include: the loser hero's journey, hot skeletons, witty dialog, and - oh, wait, you've got red on you.

Director Danny Boyle reinvigorated the zombie genre with 2002's 28 Days Later.

Cillian Murphy wakes up alone and naked in a hospital bed 28 days after a rage virus decimates England. Zombies, lack of resources, and some really gross military dudes round out some real horror in this episode!

Discussion points include: how quickly men become terrible in a disaster, falling in love in an apocalypse, how to flag down help.

NQD couldn't kick off a Zombies season without George Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead!

Bringing the zombie genre to life, Romero shocked 1960s audiences with his tale of the undead. It's gruesome, it's seminal, it's a ghoulish good time!

Discussion points include: earlier zombie movies, a useless woman, space radiation.

The Grudge came out hot on the heels of global interest in J-horror, and is one of the better American adaptations!

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars in Sam Raimi's 2004 ghost horror story as an American exchange student attempting to solve a haunting.

Discussion points include: Japanese horror history, onryo, the ghosts' rules.

Are you ready for a Saw X-travaganza?! We here at NQD certainly are! Join us as we talk all things prequel, play the drinking game we came up with way back in Season 1 of the podcast, test each other's Saw trivia knowledge, and re-rank the films in the franchise. It's a blast, and not just the kind that makes you lose a limb. Discussion points include: what makes a critically acclaimed Saw film, the return of director Kevin Greutert, John Kramer's doodling.

Smile (2022) may be director Parker Finn's feature length film debut, but it has the style and scares to feel like a veteran effort.

Psychiatric therapist Laura already has a lot of baggage - workaholic, abusive childhood, a strained relationship with her sister - when a delusional patient seems to transmit a terrifying curse onto her. Is it all in her head, or is there an entity really after her?

Discussion points include: homages to other horror films, a useless fiancé, poor trauma processing. 

The 2007 Spanish film The Orphanage has horrors of multiple levels: a missing child, playful ghosts, and home renovations.

The J.A. Bayona horror flick was a smash hit internationally, bringing acclaim to the Spanish film industry. Not Quite Dead gets into the details of a woman buying the orphanage she grew up in with her family, only to be plagued by ghosts and the loss of her son.

Discussion points include: abandoned beach-front real estate, watching the wrong movie, Peter Pan references.

Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

NQD is kicking off an all-new season focusing on the horror scream king Patrick Wilson! The modern horror icon stars in our first movie of the year: The Conjuring (2013).

Director James Wan kicks off this horror movie franchise with Patrick Wilson alongside Vera Farmiga playing real-life paranormal investigator couple Ed and Lorraine Warren. They're skeptical of the haunting at the Perron house...until they get there.

Discussion points include: 1970s sideburns, vintage real estate, mother/daughter relationships.

Not Quite Dead? More like "Not So Scary" when we cover nostalgic classics like the 1995 movie Casper! Fan favorites Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman and Devon Sawa star in the kid-friendly film about a dead child ghost falling in love with a living teen. 

Discussion points include: terrible uncle poltergeists, the CGI of the 90s, and dead wives. 

The Evil Dead Rise! The series is back and chock full of Sam Raimi-isms, with plenty of homages to the much beloved earlier entries in the franchise.

Stuffed to the brim with disgustingly gory effects and plenty of slyly funny jokes, Lee Cronin's 2023 addition to the Evil Dead series is a welcome one.

Discussion points include: sister relationships, where not to take a pregnancy test, our favorite callbacks.

The first found footage movie to be scary since Blair Witch! Paranormal Activity debuted in 2007 to critical acclaim and a staggering box office on a shoestring budget.

Couple Katie and Micah are already on tense terms when they get third-wheeled by Katie's own personal (literal) demon. Micah is an inept boyfriend whose only skill is pissing off a demon, while poor Katie has to be haunted while surrounded by his cameras.

Discussion points include: bad boyfriends, specializing in undead hauntings, budget filmmaking.

Come away with us to tropical Li Tolqa, home to beautiful resorts and pay-to-play murder and crime sprees! The catch is teeny-tiny: be executed for your misdeeds or pay to have a clone of yourself be killed in your place.

Infinity Pool, directed and written by Brandon Cronenberg, explores issues of privilege, tourism, and scifi existentialism in one not-so-neat package.

Discussion points include: fictional tourist countries, White Lotus, Cronenberg the Elder vs Cronenberg the Younger.

They're here! NQD is covering the classic horror film Poltergeist. Effectively a Steven Spielberg movie, this movie introduced a new cultural fear: getting stuck in the TV.

Join us as we dissect the haunting of this all-American 80s family, baby angel Carol Anne's entrapment in the ghostly plane, and a host of malicious spirits.

Discussion points include: the old timey 80s, what's a poltergeist vs a haunting, and sketchy special effects.

TW: This episode contains discussion of suicide and self-harm. If you need help or are having thoughts of harming yourself, please call or text 988.

M. Night Shyamalan, you dog, you did it again. A thrilling popcorn flick with twists aplenty, the 2023 mystery/horror movie Knock at the Cabin brings the frights. Are these four strangers really preventing the end times, or are they delusional cultists targeting a queer family?

Discussion points include: Dave Bautista's career, suicide cults, our favorite type of apocalypse.

Director Mike Flanagan, now better known for the Flanaverse of horror shows on Netflix, helmed Oculus as one of his first feature-length films. Siblings Kaylie and Tim post up in their childhood home, where they attempt to capture definitive proof that a cursed mirror caused their family’s tragedy, not their father. Jump scares galore in this one! 

Discussion points include: how to outsmart ghosts, eating things you definitely shouldn't, the nonsensical characterization of Kaylie. 

• The Lasser glass, while not real, was hung in a real place - Balmoral Castle. 
• Learn about other myths and folktales from the Bavarian forest.
• Pica is a real and scary condition! 

Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

The two greatest Nicks, together at last! Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage join up for a fun, albeit critically bombed, turn in the horror comedy Renfield (2023).

Hoult plays the much maligned assistant to Cage's Dracula, with variably funny turns from Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz in supporting roles.

Discussion points include: top comedy and horror moments, vampire traits, other notable Louisiana vampire lore.

Did you know that the 80s were 40 years ago? We did, and so did the film industry! This special episode covers John Carpenter’s The Thing and its 40th Anniversary Fathom event (err….one year later). 

What we consider today a masterpiece look at the horror of a perfectly-replicating alien invasion, the folks of the 80s found disgusting, depressing, and a little dull. Boo for them, yay for us! Discussion points include: lackluster Fathom events, Carpenter’s special effects, the fun of paranoia and nihilism.

• Check out some of the practical special effects in the movie.
• Learn how you too can work in Antarctica.
• Read about the real-life Nauls of Antarctica.
• Mick Garris throws shade like no other.
• BONUS! See Meg's many pages of notes for this movie, unfiltered.

Episode edited by Megan Prior-Pfeifer. Music by Zach Pfeifer. 

A hauntingly tragic story of immigration, ghosts both real and imagined, His House is a universally acclaimed horror film. The 2020 directorial debut from Remi Weekes about a South Sudanese refugee couple in the UK touches on culture, racism, xenophobia, and war trauma. Heavy but necessary topics that truly show that horror is embedded in all aspects of society. Discussion points include: UK immigration statistics, refugee trauma, what makes a good person. 

• Read about the cripplingly high bonds that immigrants have to pay to be released from detention. 
• Learn about UK immigration statistics.
• How much does the average grocery bill cost per week?

Episode edited by Tedd Williamson. Music by Zach Pfeifer.