Summary
Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins host a live episode of The Big Picture at the Tony Remby Theater in San Francisco, joined by Chris Ryan and filmmaker Alex Ross Perry for a Halloween movie draft. Over seven categories, including Halloween franchise films, Stephen King adaptations, and holiday horror, the panel debates classic and unexpected cinematic choices while discussing their personal horror viewing habits, childhood scares, and various holiday traditions. The episode highlights friendly rivalries, deep catalog dives, and concludes with an audience vote won by Amanda Dobbins.
- Amanda Dobbins selected Brian De Palma's Carrie for her Stephen King adaptation pick, highlighting its visual style and memorable high school setting. 27:28
- Chris Ryan chose John Carpenter's original Halloween for the Halloween franchise category, calling it responsible for modern cinematic horror atmospherics. 31:37
- Alex Ross Perry drafted The Nightmare Before Christmas under children's films, praising its music and enduring visual craftsmanship. 36:26
- Sean Fennessey picked Halloween III: Season of the Witch, noting its unique science fiction approach and absence of Michael Myers. 40:31
Chapters
- 0:00Podcast Intro and Ad Read
The episode opens with an ad read from a mental health partner and a credit card sponsor before the hosts introduce themselves.
- 2:17Hosts and Guest Introduction
Sean and Amanda introduce themselves and welcome filmmaker Alex Ross Perry and Chris Ryan to the show.
- 19:10Audience Interaction and Final Thoughts
The hosts engage with the audience, answer questions, and wrap up the episode with closing remarks.
- 23:20Draft Categories Explained
Sean outlines the seven categories that will guide the movie selections for the draft.
- 26:11Draft Order and Participant Roles
The hosts reveal the draft order and discuss each participant’s role and expectations.
- 45:00Movie Selection Discussions
Participants share their chosen movies for each category, offering background and personal connections to the films.
- 48:16Choosing Return of the Living Dead as Holiday Horror
The hosts debate adding the 1980s zombie film to the draft as a July 4th horror movie.
- 49:00Return of the Living Dead: Cultural Context and Personal Memories
They discuss the film’s acid‑rain punk vibe, personal childhood memories, and its place in horror history.
- 1:00:00Wildcard and Makeup Transformations: Beetlejuice, The Exorcist, and Digger
The group selects wildcard entries and discusses iconic makeup transformations in Beetlejuice, The Exorcist, and Digger.
- 1:19:43Kids’ Halloween Movies and the Blair Witch Debate
They debate whether Blair Witch Project can be considered a kids’ Halloween movie, exploring age‑appropriateness.
- 1:21:24Drafting Halloween‑Themed Picks: From Midsommar to Halloween H2O
Hosts outline their picks for holiday horror, dress‑up, and Halloween‑specific categories, including Midsommar and Halloween H2O.
- 1:33:05Dress‑Up and Horror Classics: Black Christmas, Scream, and VHS Halloween
Hosts pick classic horror films for dress‑up and discuss their personal connections to Black Christmas, Scream, and a self‑made VHS Halloween.
- 1:35:03Modern Horror Spotlight: Pearl Trilogy and Pet Sematary
They highlight recent horror works like the Pearl trilogy and Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, focusing on transformations and makeup.
- 1:37:28Behind the Scenes of a Failed Adaptation
A detailed recount of a failed Stephen King script adaptation, highlighting industry politics and project cancellations.
- 1:47:17Choosing Halloween‑Themed Picks
The panel selects and defends their favorite Halloween movies for kids, adults, and franchise entries.
Highlights
- 5:17
A Sequel Years in the Makinginsight
Alex Ross Perry marks the occasion as a sequel to their horror draft from four years prior, contrasting Amanda Dobbins's past reluctance with her current immersion in the genre.
- 9:48
The Haunted Hayride Incidentstory
Amanda Dobbins recalls being placed in the middle of a wagon during a haunted hayride in Griffith Park, only to encounter a chainsaw-wielding actor when forced to walk.
- 28:21
Carrie as High School Cinemainsight
Amanda Dobbins argues that Brian De Palma's adaptation of Carrie is one of the best high school movies ever made, capturing female cruelty.
- 31:44
The Atmosphere of Halloweenstrategy
Chris Ryan explains why John Carpenter's Halloween is a hangout movie for its first hour, establishing the quintessential cinematic Halloween mood.
- 41:39
The Absence of Michael Myersinsight
Sean Fennessey explains that Halloween III is the only film in the franchise without Michael Myers, functioning more as a sci-fi conspiracy thriller.
- 58:01
Beetlejuice for the Next Generationstory
Amanda Dobbins shares her experience showing Beetlejuice to her young son, who laughed at Michael Keaton's performance despite early apprehension.
- 1:16:54
The Birds Eco-Horror Legacyinsight
Alex Ross Perry selects Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds as a wildcard pick, praising its lack of explanation and status as early eco-horror.
Quotes
“I'm pro football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins, and I lived for a long time with something I did not know the name of: major depressive disorder.”
Unnamed speaker · 0:00 “If you're experiencing similar symptoms, talk to a healthcare professional.”
Unnamed speaker · 0:17 “I was just really struck by the class and dignity of how well she's dressed.”
Unnamed speaker · 5:10 “I did no prep. I'm just here for shits and giggles.”
Unnamed speaker · 5:53 “I carry sadness and anger because I thought I could handle it alone, but I couldn't.”
Unnamed speaker · 0:08 “Return of the Living Dead is a Dan O'Bannon movie. Dan O'Bannon, who wrote Alien and has many other relevant film credits, but that's probably the, that's obviously the highest.”
Unnamed speaker · 49:25 “I think House of Gucci would like a word.”
Unnamed speaker · 1:21:08 “I did it the last time we did it too. I took Hellraiser right away and wild card just because it didn't fit in any other categories.”
Unnamed speaker · 1:16:16 “I love the kind of slick nineties, it's just before Scream. So this genre is in the gutter. I love the slick nineties, just dimension films, quality of this film.”
Unnamed speaker · 1:50:10 “I can't believe she won. She fully disassociated for the last 35 minutes of that podcast.”
Unnamed speaker · 2:00:29
Sponsored segments
- Johnson & Johnson 0:25–0:30
- Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Credit Card 1:30–2:01
- Amazon Prime 1:01:17–1:01:38
- State Farm 1:01:40–1:02:05
- Trifia 2:02:14–2:02:56
- Whole Foods Market 2:02:38–2:03:25
About this episode
Live from the Toni Rembe theater in San Francisco, it’s the Halloween Movie Draft! Sean and Amanda are joined by friends of the pod Chris Ryan and Alex Ross Perry to select their favorite spooky genre movies of all time. (0:00) What makes a Halloween movie? (21:12) The draft categories and order (25:21) The Halloween Movie Draft (1:51:28) Honorable mentions and draft recap Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Alex Ross Perry Producers: Jack Sanders, Elizabeth Fierman, Helen Eichner, and Charlie Finan Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcript
22,475 words · 6 speakers
Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
Topics
- Halloween
- Beetlejuice
- ET
- Ghostbusters
- Scream
- Return of the Living Dead
- The Birds
- Maximum Overdrive
- The Exorcist
- Amazon
Page updated · transcript and summary are machine-generated