Rotten Horror Picture Show

The Pensky File
The Pensky File
  • 4.8 (33)
  • Film Reviews
  • Biweekly

Amanda and Clay dive deep into Rotten Tomatoes' list of the "200 Best Horror Movies of All Time". There will be classics, cult classics, hidden gems, stuff that's just OK, and a few that are so bad it's SCARY! Come along for the ride... IF YOU DARE!

  1. 2d ago

    153. Crystal Lake (Television Series)

    Happy Halloween, horror fans! This week on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, Clay and Amanda are celebrating the spookiest day of the year by talking about Crystal Lake, the new Peacock series returning audiences to the terrifying world of Friday the 13th! That’s right, we’re heading back to the infamous summer camp where Jason Voorhees made a career out of ruining vacations, and Clay and Amanda are ready to discuss what this new chapter means for one of horror’s most beloved franchises. So grab your hockey mask, turn off the lights, and settle in for a Halloween discussion that promises to be scarier than finding out your favorite horror franchise has been rebooted for the fifteenth time! Personally, though, I’m a little confused about all this excitement surrounding Crystal Lake. Because whenever someone mentions it, I immediately think of Crystal Light, the delicious powdered drink mix that has been keeping thirsty Americans hydrated since the 1980s. And let me tell you something: my favorite flavor of Crystal Lake is kiwi strawberry. I know what you’re thinking. “Isn’t it called Crystal Light?” Well, yes, technically. But I’ve been calling it Crystal Lake for years, and nobody has had the courage to correct me. Besides, have you ever tried kiwi strawberry Crystal Lake? It’s refreshing, it’s fruity, and it doesn’t contain a single murderous summer camp counselor. At least, not that I’ve noticed. Now, I understand that this new Peacock show involves a masked killer, a mysterious lake, and a whole lot of screaming. But personally, I think the franchise would benefit from a little more emphasis on hydration. Imagine Jason Voorhees emerging from the water, hockey mask dripping, machete in hand, only to offer everyone a refreshing glass of kiwi strawberry Crystal Lake. Would that be terrifying? Absolutely. Especially if he served it without ice. So this Halloween, join Clay and Amanda as they discuss Crystal Lake, the new Friday the 13th series. And afterward, why not mix yourself a nice cold pitcher of Crystal Light? Just remember: if the drink starts whispering your name from inside the refrigerator, maybe stick to water. And when you're done at the lake, head over to patreon.com/thepenskyfile to continue hearing all Clay and Amanda's thoughts on the Friday the 13th series!

  2. Oct 18

    152. The Curse of Frankenstein

    This week on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, Clay and Amanda are going back to the beginning of one of horror cinema’s most legendary eras with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)! Directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing as the brilliant but morally bankrupt Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as the Creature, this landmark film helped launch Hammer Film Productions into horror superstardom. With its vivid color photography, gruesome scientific experiments, and decidedly less sympathetic take on the classic monster story, The Curse of Frankenstein changed the game and paved the way for decades of Gothic horror. So join Clay and Amanda as they crack open the laboratory doors and examine the movie that helped make Hammer Horror a household name! Now, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: I understand the difference between Frankenstein and the monster. I know Frankenstein is the doctor. I know the Creature is the one lumbering around the countryside looking for people to murder. I have absolutely no problem with that distinction. My problem is the name. Is it Frankenstein? Or is it Frank N. Stein? Because I’ve spent my entire life hearing people say “Frankenstein,” and every time I hear it, I picture some guy named Frank who has somehow managed to acquire the surname Stein. Like, was there a Frank Stein who lived in Germany and got really good at science? Did he have a brother named Gary Stein who worked in accounting? Was the whole thing a family business? And if it’s Frank N. Stein, what does the N stand for? Nathaniel? Norman? Nobody seems to know! Everyone just accepts that this man has a name that sounds suspiciously like a pun, and nobody asks questions. I’ve tried looking into it, but the more I investigate, the more confused I get. Mary Shelley wrote the book, James Whale made the famous movies, and Hammer came along in 1957 to show us that a mad scientist could be even more unpleasant in Technicolor. But nowhere in all this history can I find a satisfactory explanation for whether we’re dealing with a proper German surname or a man whose parents thought they were being clever. And frankly, I’m tired of living in uncertainty. So join Clay and Amanda for The Curse of Frankenstein, the movie that kickstarted the Hammer Horror boom. We’ll talk about Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and the legacy of this Gothic classic. And if anyone knows whether Frank N. Stein is a real person, please write in. I need closure. And make sure to follow this year's journey through franchise sequels over on Patreon at patreon.com/thepenskyfile!

  3. Oct 14

    Friday the 13th Part III (Patreon)

    The countdown to Crystal Lake continues on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast! As Clay and Amanda prepare to cover the new series, they’re bringing another installment of their Friday the 13th Patreon series to the main feed. This week, it’s Friday the 13th Part 3 from 1982, the glorious third chapter in the slasher franchise that finally gave Jason Voorhees his iconic hockey mask. So before we return to Camp Crystal Lake for the new show, join Clay and Amanda for a look back at the movie that helped turn Jason into the horror icon we know today! Now, I know what you're thinking. Why are we bothering with Friday the 13th Part 3? Isn't it just another dumb slasher sequel? Isn't it basically the same movie as the first two, except now Jason has a hockey mask? And to that I say: have you ever listened to Van Halen III? Because I understand what it's like to love something that the rest of the world considers an embarrassing mistake. I know what it's like to stand alone in a room full of people who insist that the earlier entries were better. People tell me 1984 is a classic. They tell me 5150 is a great record. They tell me Gary Cherone sounds like a man who wandered into the wrong recording session and nobody had the heart to ask him to leave. And I tell them they're missing the point. Is Van Halen III a terrible album? Yes. Is Friday the 13th Part 3 a ridiculous movie? Absolutely. Both are bloated, weirdly paced, and full of decisions that make you wonder whether anyone involved was paying attention. But both also have something their critics refuse to acknowledge: they're the third installment, and sometimes the third time really is the charm. Friday the 13th Part 3 gives us the hockey mask. Van Halen III gives us... well, a lot of keyboards and a nearly seventy-minute cry for help. But I love them both, and I refuse to apologize. So join Clay and Amanda for Friday the 13th Part 3 as we gear up for Crystal Lake. And remember: if you can accept Jason wearing a hockey mask, you can accept Eddie Van Halen making an album with Gary Cherone. Actually, no. That's asking too much. But I'll keep trying.

  4. Oct 11

    151. Demons

    This week on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, Clay and Amanda are letting the winner of their recent horror movie trivia game choose the next film for them to cover! The winning selection? Lamberto Bava’s 1985 Italian horror classic Demons, a blood-soaked nightmare about moviegoers trapped inside a theater with some particularly unfriendly monsters. It’s the perfect movie to get the gang back together for another round of screaming, splattering, and wondering why anyone would ever go to a movie theater again. So settle in, horror fans, because this week we’re celebrating trivia, terrifying Italian cinema, and the questionable judgment of people who choose to watch movies about evil movies. And speaking of things that deserve more attention, can someone please explain to me what happened to Nostradamus? I’m serious. Where did he go? In the 1990s, Nostradamus was EVERYWHERE. You couldn’t turn on the television without some guy in a black turtleneck explaining how a 16th-century French astrologer had predicted the end of the world, the rise of some terrible dictator, or possibly a particularly nasty storm in New Jersey. Books about his prophecies were flying off shelves. Documentaries were devoted to his every cryptic utterance. People were absolutely losing their minds over quatrains that sounded like they’d been written by a fortune cookie that had suffered a nervous breakdown. And now? Nothing. Nobody cares! We’ve got podcasts about murder, documentaries about ghosts, and endless television shows about whether aliens built the pyramids, but where is Nostradamus? Where are the ominous reenactments? Where are the actors whispering vague predictions while lightning flashes behind them? Where is the dramatic narrator asking if an obscure 16th-century poem could have predicted the events of next Tuesday? I LOVE that stuff! I want to believe that some French guy who died nearly five hundred years ago knew everything that was going to happen. I want to hear about his predictions until I’m too frightened to buy groceries. Instead, society has abandoned him. Frankly, it’s disgusting. So while Clay and Amanda discuss Demons, I’ll be wondering whether Nostradamus predicted the decline of his own pop-culture relevance. And if he did, I hope he left us a clue about when we’ll finally get another prime-time special about him. Because the future is terrifying, and I’d much rather hear about it from a dead Frenchman.

  5. Sep 26

    Friday the 13th: Part 2 (Patreon)

    The countdown to Crystal Lake is officially underway on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast! With the upcoming series set to return audiences to the world of Camp Crystal Lake, Clay and Amanda are preparing by digging back into the franchise’s history. And what better way to get ready for Crystal Lake than by bringing one of their Friday the 13th Patreon episodes to the main feed? This week, they’re releasing their discussion of Friday the 13th Part 2 from 1981, giving everyone a chance to revisit the movie that introduced Jason Voorhees as the franchise’s signature killer before Clay and Amanda begin their coverage of the new show. But while Clay and Amanda are getting ready to spend more time at Camp Crystal Lake, there’s one person who wants absolutely nothing to do with the place—and it has nothing to do with Jason. They’re afraid of camping because there are no soda vending machines. You can tell me about the beautiful scenery. You can tell me about swimming in the lake, roasting marshmallows over a campfire, sleeping under the stars, and enjoying the peaceful sounds of nature. I don’t care. Where is the vending machine? At home, if I want a cold soda, I walk twelve feet to the refrigerator. If I’m out somewhere, there’s probably a vending machine within visual range. But at Camp Crystal Lake? You could wander for miles before finding one, and even then it’s probably broken. And what happens when you finish your last soda? You’re just supposed to drink water? WATER?! That’s not camping. That’s punishment. So while Clay and Amanda prepare to return to Camp Crystal Lake for Crystal Lake, grab yourself a cold soda and join them for Friday the 13th Part 2. Because Jason Voorhees may be hiding in the woods, but the real horror is realizing you’re three miles from camp and your Dr Pepper is gone. And make sure to follow all the sequel shenanigans with Clay and Amanda over at patreon.com/thepenskyfile

  6. Sep 24

    150. The Wailing

    Welcome back to The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, where this week Clay and Amanda take on The Wailing, the acclaimed 2016 Korean horror mystery that has earned a spot at #3 on Rotten Tomatoes’ Best Horror Movies of All Time list. Directed by Na Hong-jin, this sprawling, unsettling nightmare follows a small-town police officer investigating a series of bizarre illnesses, violent incidents, and increasingly disturbing supernatural events after a mysterious stranger arrives in the area. It’s creepy, atmospheric, occasionally darkly funny, and packed with enough ambiguity to keep you questioning what you’ve actually witnessed long after the credits roll. It definitely had me questioning what I'd just witnessed, that's for sure! You see, I had certain expectations of what I'd be in for with this one. Maybe not immediately. Maybe the movie would start with some mysterious Korean fisherman staring dramatically out at the ocean. Maybe eventually we'd get a majestic humpback breaching through the mist. Perhaps the supernatural evil would turn out to be some enormous demonic whale. I was open to anything! But no. Not a single whale. In fact, as far as I could tell, there weren't even any fish. None! Do you know how disappointing that is? You give a movie a title like The Wailing and then completely ignore the aquatic possibilities? That's like making a movie called The Howling and not including a single wolf. Oh, wait. And sure, Clay and Amanda have plenty to say about the film's disturbing atmosphere, religious imagery, mysteries, supernatural elements, and deliberately confusing narrative. They'll probably spend the episode examining every suspicious character and trying to determine what's really happening. Meanwhile, I'll be sitting here wondering where the damn fish are. Still, even without marine life, The Wailing sounds like an incredible horror experience, and if Clay and Amanda can help me understand why this movie is so highly regarded, perhaps I'll forgive its unforgivable lack of whales. But I won't forget. The Wailing deserved at least one whale. And be sure to follow Clay and Amanda as they run down their list of horror sequels over at patreon.com/thepenskyfile!

  7. Sep 14

    Friday the 13th (Patreon)

    Welcome back to The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, where Clay and Amanda are getting ready for their upcoming coverage of Crystal Lake by bringing some classic slasher mayhem back to the main feed! Before they dive into the new series, they’re opening up the vault and releasing their previously Patreon-exclusive episodes covering the Friday the 13th franchise. That means hockey masks, summer camps, creative kills, questionable decisions, and enough teenage counselors wandering into dark woods to make you wonder how Camp Crystal Lake ever passed an inspection. Now, I know everybody says Friday the 13th is the scary day. But I’ve never bought into that. Friday the 13th? Whatever. I can handle it. You want to put a hockey-masked murderer in the woods on Friday the 13th? Fine. I’ll stay home, lock the doors, and maybe watch something cheerful. But Thursday the 12th? Now that is terrifying. Think about it. Thursday the 12th is when you realize Friday the 13th is coming. You wake up Thursday morning and everything seems normal. You go to work. You eat lunch. You go about your business. But in the back of your mind, there’s a little voice whispering: “Tomorrow.” Tomorrow is Friday the 13th. That means Thursday the 12th is basically the opening act. It’s the ominous footsteps outside the cabin. It’s the mysterious phone call. It’s the part where you hear something downstairs and decide to investigate despite having absolutely no reason to do so. And that’s why I’m much more interested in Clay and Amanda’s Friday the 13th coverage. They’re looking back at the franchise just in time to prepare everyone for Crystal Lake, exploring the movies, the mythology, Jason Voorhees, and all the glorious nonsense that made the series a horror institution. So listen closely, because this is your chance to get caught up before Crystal Lake arrives. Just remember: Friday the 13th may have Jason, but Thursday the 12th has anticipation. And anticipation is where the real terror lives. And be sure to follow Clay and Amanda in their coverage of horror sequels over at patreon.com/thepenskyfile!

  8. Sep 5

    149. Dracula (1931)

    Welcome back to The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, where this week Clay and Amanda sink their teeth into the stone-cold horror classic Dracula from 1931! Starring Bela Lugosi as the legendary Count Dracula, this foundational Universal monster movie helped establish the look, mood, and mythology of the cinematic vampire for generations to come. Clay and Amanda are here to talk about Lugosi’s iconic performance, Tod Browning’s direction, the gothic atmosphere, and all the creepy, atmospheric business that made this movie an essential piece of horror history. Now, I was very excited when I heard the podcast was covering Dracula. I thought, finally, someone is giving the world the horror experience it deserves. I got myself prepared. I put on some Rob Zombie, turned the lights down, and started imagining what kind of cinematic madness we were about to get. I figured there’d be dark roads, sinister machinery, possibly some witches, and definitely a tremendous amount of screaming. Frankly, I was ready for a good time. Then I started watching the movie and realized something had gone terribly wrong. They meant Dracula. I thought they meant “Dragula.” Do you have any idea how disappointing that is? I spent the entire movie waiting for somebody to start burning witches and digging ditches. I kept expecting a monstrous hot rod to come roaring around the corner. Instead, I got Bela Lugosi in a cape standing around Transylvania, hypnotizing people and drinking blood. That's not what I ordered! Where are the ditches? Where's the screaming guitar? Where's the music video? I suppose I should have figured it out sooner. The lack of industrial metal (or any music at all) should've been my first clue. Still, Clay and Amanda are here to explain why Dracula is such a stone-cold classic, and I’ll admit, Bela Lugosi is pretty damn good. Maybe not “Dragula” good, but pretty damn good. So settle in for a trip back to 1931 and one of horror cinema’s most important films. Just don't blame me when nobody digs through the ditches. And be sure to join Clay and Amanda as they cover franchise sequels over on Patreon at Patreon.com/thepenskyfile!

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Amanda and Clay dive deep into Rotten Tomatoes' list of the "200 Best Horror Movies of All Time". There will be classics, cult classics, hidden gems, stuff that's just OK, and a few that are so bad it's SCARY! Come along for the ride... IF YOU DARE!

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