The Movie Crypt – Details, episodes & analysis

Filmmaker Babak Anvari (UNDER THE SHADOW, WOUNDS) joins Adam and Joe to discuss his career journey and the making of his latest feature HALLOW ROAD (in theaters now). From growing up in Iran and discovering his burgeoning love for cinema via unconventional means… to his journey through film school in the UK… to the making of his first feature UNDER THE SHADOW which he insisted on shooting in Jordan and in its native Farsi language… to his appreciation on finding ways to bring personal and even political stories to the audience through genre films… to the benefits of working with non-experienced actors… to how he shot HALLOW ROAD using both film and digital as well as a "volume" stage to achieve the wild visual style… to working with the incredible Rosamund Pike (GONE GIRL) and Matthew Rhys (THE AMERICANS)… to how he came up with surprising ways to utilize his talented cast in the film and even a little discussion about his developing CLOVERFIELD sequel, Babak is most definitely a rising star worth keeping your eyes on!

Filmmaker Izzy Lee (HOUSE OF ASHES) joins Adam and Joe in the ArieScope studio to share her career journey and discuss the making of her debut feature film (now available on most every VOD platform). From living in Boston working every job she could while making a name for herself as a journalist covering movies, festivals, and entertainment culture… to making a whopping 27 short films- many of which made splashes at well known festivals around the world- only to still find herself without any opportunities to make a feature… to spending almost a decade pitching features to no avail… to how she made the most of the pandemic's forced hiatus by enrolling in classes and constantly working on her craft while she couldn't actually be in active production… to shooting HOUSE OF ASHES in Los Angeles with extremely limited resources while living in San Francisco… to how she discovered her film's lead Fayna Sanchez… to doing her own DYI promotion for the movie and winding up in the pages of Fangoria (a medal of honor for any genre filmmaker), Izzy's journey has been a long but inspirational road.

Also, Dr. Arwen provides "Hollywood Therapy" for a filmmaker with budgetary questions, the guys reflect on Halloween 2025 and the group discusses society's morbid celebration of the Salem Witch Trials.

Filmmakers Pierre Tsigaridis and Maxime Rancon (TWO WITCHES) join Adam and Joe in the ArieScope studio to discuss their career journey and the making of their latest film TRAUMATIKA (in theaters now). From how the two randomly met at a Los Angeles club, bonded over their similar tastes in cinema and music and began working together… to how they put both TWO WITCHES and TRAUMATIKA together with their own resources rather than waiting for outside financing… to the many pivotal crew positions the duo perform themselves on their projects… to how they came up with the story and the title for TRAUMATIKA… to the challenges of crafting a film that involved child actors and why they performed and recorded the film's ending credits song themselves… Pierre and Maxime are two shining examples of how you can make big things happen if you stop waiting for someone else's permission.

PUBLIC VERSION. Screenwriter Nick Shafir (I.S.S.) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen in the ArieScope Studio to discuss his journey to becoming a working screenwriter with a film that's currently playing in theaters all across the country. From a dyslexic aspiring writer living in New York City who discovered THE MOVIE CRYPT podcast back in 2014 and drew his own personal inspiration from it… to paying his dues at various jobs including being the writer's assistant to the staff of a major network TV series where he was expected to fix toilets and once reprimanded for "walking too loud"… to selling his sci-fi screenplay I.S.S. during the pandemic and what it was like handing his baby off to a creative team and a production process that he wouldn't be directly involved with from day to day… to why he believes it would be a disservice for an aspiring filmmaker to NOT go through both the wonderful highs and the soul crushing lows that accompany most every artist's journey… to what it's really like surviving for 6 months or more without a paycheck in sight yet not throwing in the towel and giving up on your dream… to how exactly Nick took his brilliant single location concept and crafted a complex character driven sci-fi thriller… to the research that he needed to do to believably write a story about scientists living on the space station… to the nonstop anxiety and constant self-doubt that an artist endures while hoping and praying that somehow someone somewhere will discover and recognize your talent… to the triumphant moment of having I.S.S. world premiere at the prestigious Tribeca film festival only to not even be allowed to step foot on the red carpet or talk about the movie due to the WGA strike… we've been waiting and waiting (and waiting) to share Nick's story with you all and the time has finally come!

Also, Dr. Arwen provides "Hollywood Therapy" for a writer in search of tips on how to improve the dialogue in their screenplays which turns into a super in-depth 20 minute discussion on writing character's with unique voices.

After a decade of watching his journey and rooting for him every step of the way… on January 5, 2024 Nick Shafir walked into the ArieScope Studio as an accomplished union screenwriter with a film on the eve of opening in theaters nationwide. He is a friend, a colleague, and now… a GUEST on THE MOVIE CRYPT podcast.  We couldn't possibly ask for a more inspiring way to be starting off 2024 than with this amazing 2-hour conversation!

Will YOU be the next Nick Shafir? Strap in, get to work, and hopefully we'll see you here in our studio soon!

During THE MOVIE CRYPT's 8th annual "Yorkiethon" last month, actress and filmmaker Heather Graham (BOOGIE NIGHTS, THE HANGOVER, SWINGERS, AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME, BOWFINGER) joined Adam, Joe, and Arwen LIVE to discuss working on her latest film- Joe Lynch's SUITABLE FLESH (now available on digital and Blu-ray). From growing up as an insecure, brainy, drama geek who never thought of herself as pretty… to becoming an internationally famous actress and considered one of the most beautiful women in the world… to the films and actors that inspired her and made her fall in love with cinema… to playing the iconic role of "Rollergirl" in Paul Thomas Anderson's BOOGIE NIGHTS and the lasting impact that the film has had on our culture… to what it was like working with Joe and playing multiple characters inhabiting the same body in SUITABLE FLESH… this conversation with Heather was an absolute blast and we were so lucky to have her join us for our annual benefit for Save A Yorkie Rescue!

PUBLIC VERSION. Happy New Year! Hosts Adam Green, Joe Lynch, and Arwen look back on the past year of MOVIE CRYPT episodes and highlight some of the films, TV shows, and books that they loved in 2023.

Need a New Year's resolution? Start enjoying the FULL version of every week's new episode by supporting this program for just $1 a month at www.Patreon.com/TheMovieCrypt! 

PUBLIC VERSION. Merry Christmas and happy belated Thanksgiving! Recorded LIVE during YORKIETHON 8 on December 10, 2023, filmmaker Eli Roth (CABIN FEVER, HOSTEL, THE GREEN INFERNO, THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS) joins Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss his craft and career journey. From the long gestating impetus for THANKSGIVING which started way back in his childhood… to the constant fear that all filmmakers share over someone else beating you to an idea… to the difficulties of making violent horror films while navigating the MPAA… to which gory gags Eli had to scale back on with his holiday slasher… to how the demise of physical media and the rise of streaming has drastically changed the business model of film financing… to the fun of creating a great misdirect and keeping your audience guessing on a killer's identity… Eli candidly discusses how he creates his unique brand of fun and crowd pleasing horror.  

Adam and Joe recap the enormous success that was YORKIETHON 8, Adam has a heart to heart about CABIN FEVER 2 with Eli that was 20 years in the making, the boys' moms stop by to humiliate them, and Mrs. Green drops a major truth bomb about Adam's personal life in this special 2.5 hour "Santa-size" holiday episode!

PUBLIC VERSION. Documentary filmmakers Eastwood Allen and Chris Griffiths join Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss their epic 4-part documentary series ROBODOC: THE CREATION OF ROBOCOP. From how they got their start working on non-fiction documentaries about other films like HELLRAISER, FRIGHT NIGHT, and the IT mini-series… to why they felt the need to tell the story of how ROBOCOP was made… to how they didn't get "RoboCop" himself (Peter Weller) to sit down for an interview until the very last minute and how his incredibly candid words brought ROBODOC to a whole different level… to what it's like walking into Paul Verhoeven's Malibu house for the first time… to the dying art of special features on physical media… to the trials and tribulations of funding a project like this through Kickstarter and what film they MAY do next (which made Joe VERY happy)… this super-sized episode will make you wish had 3 more parts to listen to! 

PUBLIC VERSION. The Adams Family of filmmakers - John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser (HELLBENDER, WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS, THE DEEPER YOU DIG) join Adam, Joe, and Arwen to discuss their journey as a filmmaking family! From making the decision to stop waiting for permission and start making films on their own… to the importance of practice and why trial and error is crucial if you're going to learn how to do it yourself… to how they create their films in a way that makes the production possible to pull off WELL within their limited resources… to how they have been able to create professional, theatrical quality films with extremely low budgets (fancy sausage is the key!)… to the making of their latest feature WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS… this conversation puts the value in family values! 

Dr. Arwen provides "Hollywood Therapy" for a filmmaker having trouble letting go of a finished project and moving on to the next, the Adams Family shares why they are proud to be longtime MOVIE CRYPT Patreon members (we didn't pay them to say it- really!), and the boys gear up for YORKIETHON 8 next weekend (12/8 - 12/10) on www.ArieScope.com!