There are podcasts I like. Others... not so much. A few I love, but there is only one I fear and that is The Demented Podcast.
Each week, the hosts ask a guest a series of "get to know you" questions before diving into a discussion of two films linked thematically. The hosts and their guests are always knowledgeable and bring different perspectives to the reviews. If the podcast were just this banter, it would be worth it. But you have not entered The Demented Tower.
The Tower is in essence a trivia game. However, to leave the description at that is to rob the game of its power. Players proceed through levels of the Tower by answering questions within particular categories. You may have to ask twenty questions to guess an actor or guess a common theme amongst a series of films as they are revealed one-by-one. Layered on top of that is the fact that the player has a series of decisions to make. Do you give up points to get more clues? Do you choose the difficult or easy question and get more or less points?
I've seen cocky players instantly reduced to rubble when they think they can handle an expert question. I've seen players skate through a couple levels only to come upon an insurmontable cinematic roadblock. I've seen players completely choke as they get stuck on what they think the answer must be (even though it's not). It's fun to listen to until I imagine myself in the hapless guest's place. Then, it's terrifying.
The hosts track the guests scores then call back the best performers for a battle royale periodically. It's like the Hunger Games but with less killing.
In short, good movie discussion combined with a fun yet sadistic film trivia game? What's not to love?
