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The Halloween Movie Draft

The Big Picture

Hosted by Amanda Dobbins and Sean Fennessey

2h 1m
Transcript

Original podcast

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

  1. 0:00
    Podcast 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. 2:17
    Hosts and Guest Introduction

    Sean and Amanda introduce themselves and welcome filmmaker Alex Ross Perry and Chris Ryan to the show.

  3. 19:10
    Audience Interaction and Final Thoughts

    The hosts engage with the audience, answer questions, and wrap up the episode with closing remarks.

  4. 23:20
    Draft Categories Explained

    Sean outlines the seven categories that will guide the movie selections for the draft.

  5. 26:11
    Draft Order and Participant Roles

    The hosts reveal the draft order and discuss each participant’s role and expectations.

  6. 45:00
    Movie Selection Discussions

    Participants share their chosen movies for each category, offering background and personal connections to the films.

  7. 48:16
    Choosing 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.

  8. 49:00
    Return 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.

  9. 1:00:00
    Wildcard and Makeup Transformations: Beetlejuice, The Exorcist, and Digger

    The group selects wildcard entries and discusses iconic makeup transformations in Beetlejuice, The Exorcist, and Digger.

  10. 1:19:43
    Kids’ Halloween Movies and the Blair Witch Debate

    They debate whether Blair Witch Project can be considered a kids’ Halloween movie, exploring age‑appropriateness.

  11. 1:21:24
    Drafting 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.

  12. 1:33:05
    Dress‑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.

  13. 1:35:03
    Modern 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.

  14. 1:37:28
    Behind the Scenes of a Failed Adaptation

    A detailed recount of a failed Stephen King script adaptation, highlighting industry politics and project cancellations.

  15. 1:47:17
    Choosing 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
  • 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

0:00
2:01:03

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