Screams & Streams

Chad, Mike, & Sam
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What if you could get a front row seat on a journey through the best and worst horror movies of the past half-century, all rated on Rotten Tomatoes? Brace yourself for an eerie tour with your hosts, Chad Campbell, Mike Carron, and Sam Schreiner, as they dissect each film with a surgeon's precision and a fan's passion. Our story began on a mundane work day, when two colleagues, Chad and Mike, decided to start a podcast centered on their shared love for horror films. The search for a genre was a winding, convoluted exploration of possibilities, before we arrived at the chilling idea of horror films.Our journey didn’t stop there. We had to figure out where to begin, how to categorize each film, and the scale to use for our rating system. We landed on a year-by-year review of the best and the worst films, starting from 1970 - the dawn of modern horror. Our shows come packed with a variety of categories like First Impressions, Tropes Hall of Shame, One-liners, and more. We also rate each film on a watchability scale, advising if it's worth your precious time. Join us as we sometimes agree, and other times disagree with Rotten Tomatoes' ratings. So, fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a spooky ride! Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for links and information related to our episodes.

  1. 5d ago

    Ep 139: Kane Parson’s "Backrooms" (2026)

    Imagine trying to describe a dog to someone who’s never seen one, then asking them to draw it. That’s the vibe we keep coming back to while we break down Kane Parsons’ Backrooms, a liminal space horror film that’s creepy in the details, frustrating in the questions, and weirdly effective when it just lets the empty rooms breathe. We go full spoilers as we track how a missing patient pulls a therapist into a reality-bending maze that feels like found footage, internet horror lore, and psychological horror all jammed into one fluorescent-lit nightmare. We talk honestly about what worked for us and what didn’t: the slow pacing that builds tension, the stretches that feel too long, and the “mystery box” storytelling that withholds answers. Along the way we hit our usual categories, calling out tropes like flickering lights, locked doors, and the classic horror habit of investigating every sound even when every red flag is screaming to leave. We also dig into the film’s sound design, from that maddening fluorescent buzz to music that feels slightly off, like a memory playing back wrong. The ending is where we really start debating: is the final backrooms version of the therapist a memory, a copy, or the start of the space reshaping itself around her trauma the way it did with Clark? We connect that to key scenes, including the tense dinner table moment, the repeated rooms, and the sense that something bigger is watching from the edges of the story. If you like Backrooms explained theories, found footage tension, and liminal space dread, you’ll have plenty to argue with us about. Follow, share, and leave a review if you enjoy the show, and then tell us your take: do you want hard lore and clear rules, or do you prefer horror that never fully explains itself?  Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

  2. Sep 12

    Ep. 138: Curry Barker's "Obsession" (2025)

    Love stories usually start with a spark. This one starts with a curse, a coworker crush, and a wish that should never be granted. We’re Sam, Chad, and Mike, and we’re diving into Curry Barker’s Obsession (2025), a listener pick with a jaw-dropping 94% Rotten Tomatoes score. Bear is a socially awkward music store employee who can’t risk rejection, so he reaches for a shortcut: a magical charm called a one-wish willow. When he uses it to force Nikki to love him, the film snaps from awkward longing into psychological horror, where “romance” turns into surveillance, confinement, and a steady collapse of autonomy. We talk through the moral line the movie crosses early, and why Bear feels less like a victim and more like the engine of the nightmare. From there, we get into the craft that makes Obsession so effective: Indy Navarrette’s performance, the unsettling switches in Nikki’s behavior, and the film’s smart use of shadows, silhouettes, and negative space to create fear without leaning on heavy CGI. We also hit our usual categories, including tropes, one-liners, what holds up, what doesn’t, the most gratuitous moment, and the scenes that made us laugh out loud even while we were cringing. Then we bring the research: the surprisingly small budget, practical stunt choices, and an alternate ending that changes the emotional wreckage. If you’re into modern horror movies about obsession, cursed wishes, and the real-world terror of control, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share the show with a horror fan, and leave a review. What did you think the wish really cost Nikki?  Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

  3. Sep 5

    Ep. 137: Damian McCarthy's "Hokum" (2026)

    A horror movie gets a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score, a listener tells us to watch it, and suddenly we’re debating witches, grief, and whether the entire plot is even real. Hokum drops us into an isolated Irish inn where a horror writer arrives to scatter his parents’ ashes and instead finds a missing woman, a sealed-off suite, and a haunting that escalates fast. We also attempt the “Irish Honeymoon” sinister sip inspired by magic milk, and it goes about as well as you’d expect when half and half meets whiskey.  We break down first impressions versus second-watch appreciation, including why Adam Scott’s character is so hard to root for and why that might be the point. Then we get granular on the horror craft: claustrophobic dumbwaiter scenes, creepy statue tableaus, face-flash jump scares, and sound design that builds dread without smothering every moment in music cues. If you love haunted hotel movies, folk horror vibes, and tight-space tension, there’s a lot here to chew on.  The real fun starts when we pull at the loose threads: the timeline problems, the missing cell phones, the questionable logic of that untouched bathtub water, and the ending beat that re-frames everything. Is the witch lore literal, or are we watching a drugged, traumatized spiral that turns guilt into monsters? Hit play, then come argue it out with us. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share the episode with a horror-loving friend, and leave a rating and review wherever you listen.  Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

  4. Jun 27

    Ep. 136: Takashi Shimizu's "Ju-On: The Grudge" (2002)

    That clicking noise isn’t just a jump scare. It’s a warning that once you step into Ju-on: The Grudge (2002), the movie’s curse logic has already decided your fate. We’re Mike, Chad, and Sam, and we put Takashi Shimizu’s J-horror classic back under the microscope to see what still creeps us out, what drags, and why this haunted house story became a template for a generation of supernatural horror. We start with quick impressions, the plot’s ruthless simplicity, and the stuff that makes rewatching tricky: a quiet tone, a fragmented timeline, and a vibe that feels very early-2000s. Then we get specific, naming the horror tropes Ju-on leans on (and sometimes overuses), from “let’s check that creepy noise” decisions to security footage reveals, glitchy cameras, flickering lights, and phones that refuse to behave. We also talk about the moments that still work because they’re built on sound design and physical performance, like the stair crawl, the bed-sheet nightmare, and the way the film uses eyes, shadows, and silence to pressure your brain into filling in the worst details. From there we stack it up against the American remake, including why the remake can feel clearer and scarier for first-time viewers, and we share bonus research on folklore, production facts, and how this story turned into a massive franchise. If you love Japanese horror, haunted house movies, or curse mythology, this one’s a great debate starter. Subscribe, share the show with a horror-loving friend, and leave a review, then tell us: original Ju-on or the U.S. remake?  Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

  5. Jun 20

    Ep. 135: Rick Bota's Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)

    0% on Rotten Tomatoes is rare, but after watching Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002), we get it. We go scene by scene through a sequel that drowns in non-linear edits, “gotcha” hallucinations, and a plot that keeps resetting right when it might finally build momentum. The result is less supernatural horror and more confused limbo, where sex, murder, and flashbacks pile up without earning dread or clarity. We also talk franchise expectations: what makes Hellraiser and Pinhead iconic in the first place, why the puzzle box mythology needs rules, and how this movie sidelines the very things fans show up for. If you’ve ever wondered how a horror sequel can feel like it was stitched together from a different script, our breakdown of the tone, performances, and missing Cenobites makes the case. Along the way, we hit our categories, including the Sinister Sip cocktail called “Hellraiser,” a Tropes Hall of Shame run through the usual suspects, and a long list of what truly doesn’t hold up, from awkward effects to the baffling crash setup. In our bonus research, we get into the direct-to-video reality, the low budget, and the wild stat that Pinhead is on screen for under five minutes. We wrap with our watchability score, plus a few comparisons to movies that handle twists, punishment, and psychological horror far better. If you like spoiler-heavy horror movie podcast reviews, deep dives into bad sequels, and honest takes on franchise fatigue, hit play, then subscribe, share the show, and leave us a review wherever you listen.  Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

  6. Jun 13

    Ep. 134: Neil Marshall's "Dog Soldiers" (2002)

    They kick off a training exercise and end up barricaded in a farmhouse with eight-foot problems outside the door. We’re talking Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers (2002), the British werewolf horror movie that somehow turns “soldiers vs lycanthropes in the Scottish wilderness” into a surprisingly fun, surprisingly funny survival night. We start with a quick spoiler warning, a tight plot summary, and our themed drink the Warrior Dog (vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, topped with sparkling wine). Then we get honest about first impressions: werewolf movies are notoriously hard to pull off, so we judge this one as military horror with creature-feature rules. From there we run Dog Soldiers through our categories, including Tropes Hall of Shame, Don’t Go Back in the House, and our favorite one-liners. We break down what doesn’t hold up (erratic early cuts, a few “too bright” blood moments, and suit shots that wobble between good and not great) while giving credit where it’s due: committed gore, tense siege pacing, strong banter, and smart choices around when not to show the full transformation. We also talk sound design, howling overload, the scenes that made us laugh out loud, and the big “what the f**k” moments. Finally, we compare it to American Werewolf in London and other horror-with-military vibes, share production trivia, and place it on our watchability scale. If you like werewolf horror movies, practical effects creature features, or action-forward horror, hit play and let us know where you land. Subscribe, share with a horror friend, and please leave a rating and review so more people can find the show.  Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

  7. Jun 6

    Ep. 133: Alejandro Amenábar's "The Others" (2001)

    A single slammed door shouldn’t feel like a jump scare you carry for hours, but that’s the magic trick The Others (2001) keeps pulling. We pour a brutally strong “Ghost Sip,” then head back into Alejandro Amenábar’s gothic haunted house classic with Nicole Kidman at full intensity and two child performances that actually raise the tension instead of breaking it. We talk through our first impressions, why the movie still plays so well in a theater, and the big question every twist-ending horror film has to face: does it hold up on rewatch? One of us calls it a near perfect first-watch experience, another enjoys the second pass as a clue hunt, and we all agree the film’s control of space, light, and routine turns a mansion into a pressure cooker. Along the way we hit our favorite Screams and Streams categories: tropes (fog, locked doors, creepy help, seances), one-liners, what didn’t hold up, and the moments that still make our skin crawl. Then we go deeper on the craft: the sound design that makes footsteps thunder, the constant score that never lets your shoulders drop, and the specific shots that define the movie’s dread. We also bring bonus research, including the real-world condition behind the kids’ sunlight sensitivity, casting facts, awards, and the wild box office numbers that made this a horror juggernaut. If you love psychological horror, ghost stories, and twist endings that spark arguments, hit play, follow us for more, and leave a rating or review so more horror fans can find the show. What’s your watchability score out of 10?  Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

  8. May 30

    Ep. 132: Victor Salva's "Jeepers Creepers" (2001)

    A monster on an empty highway, a dirty secret in a church basement, and two siblings who cannot stop arguing long enough to make a smart decision. We go back to Victor Salva’s 2001 horror hit Jeepers Creepers and find out what happens when a movie you remember as “so creepy” meets a modern rewatch and a very low patience for bad choices. We talk through the full plot with spoilers, then put the movie on trial using our favorite categories: first impressions, the Tropes Hall of Shame, “don’t go back in the house,” one-liners, what doesn’t hold up, most gratuitous moments, what made us laugh, and whether anything actually stood the test of time. Along the way we get into Justin Long’s early performance, the effects that now look downright wobbly, the logic gaps around the pipe, the psychic phone call that comes out of nowhere, and the way the Jeepers Creepers song gets used until it stops feeling scary. Of course, we also bring the fun. Mike serves up a Sinister Sip inspired by the movie, complete with an eyeball garnish, and we share the behind-the-scenes trivia that surprised us most, including box office numbers and some wild casting “what ifs.” Then we land the plane with our watchability scores and a blunt answer to the big question horror fans keep asking: is Jeepers Creepers worth watching today, or is it better left in the past? If you like spoiler-filled horror movie reviews, Rotten Tomatoes debates, and trope-spotting with jokes, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a rating and review.  Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

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About

What if you could get a front row seat on a journey through the best and worst horror movies of the past half-century, all rated on Rotten Tomatoes? Brace yourself for an eerie tour with your hosts, Chad Campbell, Mike Carron, and Sam Schreiner, as they dissect each film with a surgeon's precision and a fan's passion. Our story began on a mundane work day, when two colleagues, Chad and Mike, decided to start a podcast centered on their shared love for horror films. The search for a genre was a winding, convoluted exploration of possibilities, before we arrived at the chilling idea of horror films.Our journey didn’t stop there. We had to figure out where to begin, how to categorize each film, and the scale to use for our rating system. We landed on a year-by-year review of the best and the worst films, starting from 1970 - the dawn of modern horror. Our shows come packed with a variety of categories like First Impressions, Tropes Hall of Shame, One-liners, and more. We also rate each film on a watchability scale, advising if it's worth your precious time. Join us as we sometimes agree, and other times disagree with Rotten Tomatoes' ratings. So, fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a spooky ride! Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for links and information related to our episodes.

Information

  • Creator
    Chad, Mike, & Sam
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    142
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Screams & Streams
  • Show Website
    Screams & Streams