Considering Horror Cinema Ep. 005: The Monster Problem, $5 Bargain Bin Gas Station Horror Movies, and Weekend Horror VHS Rentals From the Local Video Store

The Monster Problem

Are you a Horror fan? Me too! I used to host three different Horror movie podcasts, so I love to explore this powerful genre and its many sub-genres. Therefore, some of my Considering the Cinema episodes are going to be dedicated to focusing solely on Considering Horror Cinema! So, Episode 005 is a long-form show, and it is entirely dedicated to exploring the Horror genre. And while I am expecting Horror fans to enjoy this episode, I am also hopeful that people who are typically non-Horror fans will also give it a listen. Above all, my underlying passion is always the cinema and film criticism. If you feel the same way, I still think you’ll enjoy your time Considering Horror Cinema with me. This is a solo podcast for people who don’t typically like solocasts…

In Episode 005, your host Jason Pyles (aka Horror moniker “Jay of the Dead”) will discuss “The Monster Problem,” video rental store nostalgia and looking for Horror movie gems in the $5 bargain bins at truck stops and gas stations. And to help me reminisce about video store nostalgia, the Gillman Joel Robertson of Horror Movie Podcast, Retro Movie Geek and Universal Monsters Cast appears as a guest contributor! I will also bring you Feature Reviews of I Trapped the Devil (2019), Jordan Peele’s Us (2019), Sole Survivor (1984) on VHS, and for some reason, Camp Death III in 2D (2019). You will also get to hear two of my three specialty segments, Jay of the Dead’s Beastly Freaks, when I’ll review Night Wolf (2012), and Jay of the Dead’s Perishable Predicament, when I review a Survival Horror film called Thirst (2010).

You are welcome to call my new voicemail number at (801) 215-9704 or email me at ConsideringTheCinema@gmail.com or post a comment. Be sure to join me for my upcoming Episode 006, when I bring you a recap of the 2019 movies I’ve seen from January through April! Join me! Continue reading

Us (2019) and Triple Frontier (2019)

Triple Frontier poster

By Jason Pyles

*This column was originally printed in the April 2019 edition of The BP Times newspaper.

Us (2019) – Most people probably know writer-director Jordan Peele from his comedy duo TV series, “Key and Peele,” though he has many prior credits. In 2017, Peele wrote and directed a noteworthy Horror film titled “Get Out,” which was worthily praised for its razor-sharp social commentary about race and its exceptional performances.

Then on March 22, we got another Horror movie that Peele wrote and directed called “Us.” Here’s the premise (without spoilers): A family’s beach vacation becomes horrifying when they encounter doppelgängers — exact replicas of themselves — who try to harm and terrorize them.

Upon seeing the trailer, at first blush, the film appeared to be a Jordan Peele-worthy exploration of how sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. I wondered if the themes had something to do with self-sabotage, self-loathing or maybe even perfectionism. Continue reading