Tonight, we're diving into the wild world of *Clown in a Cornfield*, where we unpack the spooky vibes of the book and the movie with our friends Kenya and Mike of the Hellscape Literary Society! It's got all the classic slasher elements—creepy clowns, cornfields, and plenty of teenage shenanigans that end up going very wrong. We're also giving a shoutout to the Anomaly Film Festival, happening November 11-15, where you can catch some killer flicks. So, grab your popcorn and settle in as we chat about the differences between the book and the movie, and why the character arcs matter more than you think. Let’s get this horror party started!

Check out Anomaly on Social Media!

www.anomalyfilmfest.com

Instagram: @anomalyfilmfest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnomalyFilmFest/

Join us for the Anomaly Film Festival every November in Downtown Rochester, NY!

Mentioned in this episode:

Pauly Guglielmo Show

Pauly Guglielmo is a former radio guy turned food business entrepreneur. While running a manufacturing facility is his day job, he likes to dust off his broadcasting skills once a week on this podcast and talk to entrepreneurs and other influencers. https://pauly-guglielmo-show.captivate.fm/

It’s A Lot

Check out It’s A Lot on Lunchador! https://feeds.captivate.fm/itsalot/

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone. https://shop.joebeanroasters.com

The following footage is certified pg.

Pretty great.

It's Anomaly Presents with your friends, the podcastronauts.

Sounds like a lot of supernatural baloney to me.

Supernatural, perhaps baloney, perhaps not.

Hello and welcome to the Anomaly Presents podcast, The podcast about the genre movies that inspired a genre film festival.

That's the Anomaly Film Festival in Rochester, New York, happening this year November 11th through the 15th at the Little Theater.

The historic Little Theater, the historic Dryden Theater.

We have a night there.

And you know what?

Tickets on sale now.

Been waiting all year to say that.

Anomalyfilmfest.com for all of your past needs there.

There's one pass that you can buy.

And it's Chuck.

Full of fun.

We stuff so much in there.

We're diligently just waiting through the cornfield to find you the best of the best.

We are.

Maybe.

There's a purpose for that.

You'll find out in a moment.

If you haven't looked at the title.

Oh, if you look at the title.

Rude.

Just trust us.

Yeah, just trust us.

If you've learned anything over these last eight years, just trust us.

Yes.

So, as always, I like to introduce our podcastronauts.

My name is Matt Austin.

We've got Megan Murphy with us tonight.

Hi.

I'm here and out of the house.

Can't be contained.

Congratulations.

We've got Kristin Pelc Pacheco.

Good evening, good morning, good day.

Off to an auspicious start.

And we are so lucky to be joined by our illustrious guests.

It's Mike and Kenya from the Hellscape Literary Society, one of the newest shows on Lunchadore.

Mike, Kenya, do you want to tell us a little bit about the show?

Kenya, you go first.

You're the boss here.

Wow.

I'm the boss.

Wow.

That's kind of nice.

I like that.

Yeah.

So Mike and I are avid readers here in Rochester and are often interacting with each other with books and whatnot.

But we also keep running into each other at the Anomaly Film Festival.

And so when we are talking about what movies from the festival last year inspired us to read other books or reminded us of books, and.

And Mike's a podcast guy, and he said, hey, I'm thinking about doing this thing.

And I said, I don't know anything about that, but, yeah, sign me up.

And that's what we're doing.

Awesome.

Well, thank you.

Thank you for doing it.

And in honor of that, we're going to do.

I think this is the first episode where we've ever done a book and movie.

Yeah, we had a read for this.

It was Summer reading.

It was summer reading.

Oh, yeah.

But I.

As soon as the options came up, so Matt texted us and said, hey, this is the.

They're thinking about A or B.

And so look up the trailer for Clown Cornfield.

And then I'm like, okay, well, need to read the book for it, obviously.

But go on the library website immediately.

See the one closest to me and Henrietta is checked out.

Find out.

It's Megan checked it out.

I just happened to have it.

Like, I don't know.

I was like, I'll read this next.

And then kismet.

Oh, no, you already had it.

I literally was like, I walk to my shelf and go, hey, guys, we should do Cloud.

And it's the easiest for me because it's right here.

Yeah, awesome.

So sorry.

No, it all worked out.

I drove down to Brighton and.

Because that was the next closest and picked it up and enjoyed it.

Shout out to our library system.

Yes.

Support your local library.

Librarians are heroes.

We love them.

Yes.

Agree.

So, yeah, tonight we're talking about Clown in a Cornfield, the book and movie.

I think it's now a book series, right?

It is.

Fourth one is coming out, I think September, I think soon.

Yeah.

I just read the first one, so I hope the quiz is only on that.

Yeah.

Happy to hear more.

I have read them all.

I only reread the first one before this.

I think you have read them all.

Did you reread them all?

No, I had only read the first one.

And then we decided to do this, and I said, have you read them all?

And you said, yes.

So I didn't want to be the only one who hadn't read them all.

I'm about exactly 60% through the third one, so there's a three that are already published.

But I reread the first one, and I'm so glad I did because there was so much in there that I was like, that was this book that happened.

Right.

Same.

And then for the movie, as we'll talk about, there's a lot that I was like, I don't know, Was this in the movie?

Was it not?

We'll get there.

So can we.

Let's.

Let's do this.

Who wants to just kind of give us a rough plot, Kind of the plot that both of these things share, and then we can kind of talk about where they jump off, because there's some spots.

Did everybody read it?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Wow.

Look at this, readers.

And wow.

I am untouched.

I can try to attempt this.

Okay.

So.

Because I have them fairly fresh in my Brain.

So basically it's the story of a big city girl, Quinn and her dad who.

They've suffered a tragedy.

So a Philly girl.

I think it's important that you.

Well, it's funny, I don't know if the movie mentions it, but the book mentions it several times.

It's a thing.

And her Ned, they've had a tragedy, so.

So he has decided to go from being an ER doctor to a small town family doctor.

And there just happened to be an opening in this town.

And they move into this fully furnished.

Yeah, yeah.

Like someone left really quick.

And we learn about Quinn, Quinn learns about the kids in the town.

And there seems to be like there always is friction between the generations.

Right.

You have a.

But the older generation seems particularly like a little prickly.

But you know, see things have happened, perhaps things have been blamed.

These kids love the YouTubing.

They're real YouTubey kids.

So I guess that makes them bad.

I'm not sure.

But anyway, they do a lot of.

Pranks that they live stream.

But the town is, you know, it used to be a little more lively because it used to be the center of the Bay Pen syrup syrup company that made a corn syrup.

That's thus the field.

And its mascot is Friendo, a creepy ass clown face just on everything.

But you know, the town's been, you know, having harder times.

I don't think the corn syrup game is the way it used to be.

And you know, unfortunate.

Yeah, it's a source of a lot of friction.

So the story is about will Quinn be accepted by these friends?

Are they bad friends?

Oh, also murders start to happen and it might be Friendo.

Yeah.

So you've got all the elements of a classic.

And I mean the name and the title and all this, you know, even from the book are very.

They call back to all the stuff we love about the like grungy 80s horror.

You've got clowns, you've got cornfields.

You could probably just leave it there.

But yeah, you got teenagers.

Some of them are maybe a little illicit.

Three Cs, right?

Yeah.

There you go.

Children.

Yeah.

Oh yeah.

Children.

Children.

That's a winning combo.

There's just going to be some slashing.

Yeah, you gotta have a slash in that.

Gotta have a slash.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

This book and movie were very much teenagers.

First slasher.

I mean it's a YA novel.

Yes.

And I know the movie is R, but it still plays like you can enter it without understanding the formula and you can enjoy it and start to kind of Work backwards.

That's the type of movie I definitely would have snuck into as a teenager.

Those need to exist.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It kind of put me in the mind of those like Kevin Williamson movies that all came out in the 90s.

Like I was just gonna.

All right.

All that, like the 90s slasher horror definitely has that vibe.

Yeah.

And he said.

What's his name?

Adam Cesari.

Caesar.

I should know how to pronounce that.

I think the audiobook lady says Caesar, but I'm Caesar.

That's probably the right.

We'll go with it.

Trust me.

Audiobook.

And he was saying that he wanted to do a slasher, but he wanted it to be a modern slasher with modern themes, but slasher nonetheless.

And like, one of the things that comes up in the book that sort of only bounced around a little bit in the movie through this traditions kind of thing is that in the book, somewhere when they're driving through the town she sees make Kettle Springs great again.

And in the movie they just sort of like talk about tradition and old ways and, you know, killing hippies and things like that.

Yeah, there's.

There's an effort there and I think, like, I'm sure we'll talk about it more and maybe at the end if we preview the other books, because this is a series the other books kind of that forecast to the direction that he goes in with those books.

But it's definitely a whole side that they left out of the movie.

So he was an English teacher for five years.

So that like, I think he's trying to come at it from an AP English teacher.

So I know he is trying to, to get at it specifically for teenagers and bring them in and what speaks to them.

He is a millennial.

So like.

And it was kind of interesting in the movie because Eli Craig is Gen X.

And so you kind of see where it's like what is each of their takes on what they think Gen Z is.

It is.

I was about to say, like kp.

One of my most interesting things in both the book and the movie is how very much these are teenagers written by middle aged dudes.

Yeah.

And it's so.

Because I feel like I'm like, I think they're coming from a good place.

But like, oh no.

Woke I've used as a word that I don't think they fully wanted to explore, but it was a signifier for the youth and not in a negative way, but in almost in a.

Kids.

Kids are about this.

Right?

Sure.

I'll bring up this one thing in the book, which is a line that was like, I mean, I know you mean good, but it just feels very clumsy.

Is like, so Quinn's going to the party, and she's like, wow, this small town is.

It's not as, like, conservative as I thought.

There was guys dancing with guys and girls dancing with girls, and then right up and then a couple black guys.

Literally, the line at the party.

And that was her like.

And that's not like.

And the book isn't presenting it like, that's an odd thought for someone, and maybe we should explore that.

It's like, oh, no, that's just her picking up.

And that's a vibe.

That's an odd thought for somebody that probably grew.

That grew up in Philly, I feel like.

But I think she's trying to say, like, I didn't think there were going to be any black people in the corn.

Like, everyone's here.

And to be clear, I wouldn't be in the corner.

Oh, wait.

Or.

Yeah.

Well, sometimes when they talk about Philly again, more.

I think it's explored more in the book.

More like, oh, like, when was it Rust?

That's the kid who's like, the hunter and has all the gun safety, which I appreciate book they really go into.

He's a gun safety guy.

He says, like, no, you shoot it this way not.

And he minds side shooting, like, the gangster style.

And I'm like, again, they don't like, exploding.

Explore it in the book because, like, that's a wild thing to say.

Maybe she should go like, hey, dude.

No.

But it just passes like, that was a reasonable thing to say.

And I'm like, I don't know, but.

But I think that was mainly, like, author brain.

Yeah.

You know, again, I don't think it was meant to be awkward, but it feels awkward a little.

Like, I'm like, these kids aren't, like, kid kids.

They're what I think what he thinks kids are.

Which I guess.

I don't know.

I think there's very little that, like, rang super true for me.

Which doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.

It just means, like, are we going to get to the killing?

Right?

Which I hate to think, but I'm like, okay, let's get to the action.

Because I'm not getting.

These characters aren't, like, deep.

Which is wild to say, because I.

Feel like the book does a slight.

Because we have so much more extra time with them.

Getting more.

Because, I mean, Janet gets Done so bad in the film.

Yes, 100%.

Where I'm just like, she is one of the kids that has a bunch of dabs.

Yeah.

I do want to say getting into touch on a few of these things.

So getting to the lens of this is a middle aged man imagining teenagers.

It's the one thing that I thought the.

The movie did slightly better than the book is when we first meet them.

Like the prologue chapter in the book is this like we're all hanging out like filming these pranks and like the whole YouTube ideas that like we film pranks and like, I mean I have a teenage son.

Like, I know they watched a lot of random crap on there, but I just.

It very much sounded like a.

This is what a middle aged guy thinks.

This is how kids use the YouTube and like that he literally would in his head call it the YouTube.

Oh yeah.

But I like in the movie they say, no, we do our own horror movies.

So I mean it nods to it at least.

I'm like, okay, this feels more like credible that this is something that kids would do.

And it's used well in there where it feels like they set up in the book.

This whole idea of that it's the teenagers in this.

The like the prank videos and then that kind of gets left to the side.

Yeah.

I think the prank videos kind of fell by the wayside after Jackass, which would have been like us as teen.

Well older than.

There's a ton of like, if you're.

They're streamers and tik toks and reals of just prank idiots.

Like prank couples, prank families.

It is very comm.

Bl.

Your algorithm must save you from it.

But it is really popular content.

I'm like the Seymour Skinner meme of the.

No, it's the children that are.

Kind of like, doesn't.

It makes it kind of sticky.

As somebody that sometimes watch like streamer content, it does feel like somebody who maybe doesn't necessarily watch it.

And I think the book tries.

Well, and I guess the movie too tries to.

This balancing act with these teenagers being annoying.

I don't think most of them are interesting at all.

Or like.

Or even be like, yeah, I'm friends with these people or I know these people.

It just seems like caricatures to an extreme.

We just needed to put together the Breakfast Club.

We have these archetypes that we needed to hit because we need to kill off one of each of these.

These people before we can get to the end.

You've got to go on, Janet.

You're Sorry, I cut that thought off before.

And you're right, there are massive janitors.

Well, this goes right into my.

My thought that Quinn's an unnecessary character.

And it should have either been Cole Rust or Janet as the main character.

Because in the book, Janet has been an outsider.

Right?

Like, she came in, like, first grade, her mom married this.

Her stepdad moved to this town.

And as.

I mean, we're talking spoilers at this point.

Yeah, Like.

Like, this is going to be one of.

Because, like, so Janet has this great storyline where she's like, yeah, queen, but we care.

Like, we get to hear her thoughts.

And she's like, well, I had to when I moved here at first grade.

Like, I knew I had to protect myself, so she has a reason to be.

And then we had this great scene when we finally get to the clown factory, the big party, where, like, I think that's the strength of both.

Yeah, it's the strength of both the book and the movie.

Like, that's really what they're working for.

Right.

And in the book, I think it's much more.

It's terrifying because it's all the kids.

It's not just these kids.

Right?

Yeah.

We gotta touch on that.

Janet, who gets.

She gets, like, an arrow in her, and she's suffering and she's losing it.

She gets, like, really upset.

She's yelling at people, and then she's apologizing for being a bitch.

And then she has this moment, right, where she's the first one to realize, sincerely, spoilers just stop right now.

Because there's more than one clown, right?

Which is in the.

Which is revealed in the trailer for the movie, which pisses me off.

That's its big thing.

Right, Right.

But she's the one who says she could just hide.

But instead, she has this moment where she's like, I'm gonna go and tell them there's more than one clown.

And that's what costs her her life.

She gets, like, eviscerated.

And then we learn that her stepdad's one of the clowns and is fine with it.

So there's this tragedy of this girl.

Plus, am I remembering correctly, is Janet described as Asian?

Yes.

Right.

She is.

Cause Quinn's like, oh, she has a Valley girl accent and goes.

So I also feel like that is something that's not super explored about being different in this town.

Which is very white.

It's very white.

Right?

Right.

Oh, yeah.

So you have this character who has been an outsider, but had to change.

Change herself to, like, fit in and Then she has a sacrifice, and I can see her being the final girl because she has an arc.

Right?

She has an arc.

I'm sorry, Quinn.

You're fine.

But Quinn doesn't really have an arc where Janet is very interesting to me, and I thought the movie just makes her, like, the bitchy girl who gets killed.

Yes.

Well, that's.

So her being Asian in the book is one of the things that annoyed me about the movie, because there's a moment when they're.

When Quinn meets these guys in class.

Like, they're all going off on this awful science teacher that sucks.

And she hears Janet and she says, like, I picture the.

What she pictures is exactly the character in the movie.

But then she turns around and sees, oh, it's this Asian girl.

And not just that, like, oh, she's Asian.

And I wasn't expecting an Asian, but, like, more that.

Like, different things about her that you're like, oh, she's.

This is not what I was expecting.

Yeah.

Right.

And I'm like.

So as soon as, like, they.

And I forgot about that in the movie because, like, I'd seen the movie before, and, I mean, she's a completely forgettable character.

Yeah.

So when I.

When I watch it again and then, like, camera right in the camera when it goes to her, I was like, oh, oh, yeah, they did just make her exactly like, the book went out of its way to say.

She is not this stereotype.

Yeah.

In the movie.

She is.

Yeah.

I mean, they flattened Ronnie, too, who's the.

The other girl who has a super interesting subplot in the film.

Her and her boyfriend.

I will say I got nervous when I saw Ronnie and Matt's casting, and I was like, oh, no.

Yeah.

And then I was like, okay, we.

Didn't do that, but we also killed him first.

Yeah.

I literally was like, oh, oh, this is not great.

Because I think it's.

It's one of the more interesting things in the book.

Right.

And.

Yeah.

And their sub.

So going back to the whole concept of, like, this make kettle springs great again, that.

That whole, like, subtext for the book is completely removed from the show or the.

The movie.

And that's something like, their whole, like, Matt and Ronnie's storyline is, like, speaks specifically to that, and it's just completely removed.

Yeah.

Because it's really this idea of, like, you have these two characters who portray not just their friend group, but every other kid.

Right.

For, like.

Like, what, Acceptance?

Like, if they are the good kids, they get to.

You know, it sounds like it's not just Liv.

It's something, right?

We don't really get to know.

And I think that's a scary thought that you think you're, like, together with someone.

You've got community.

You are against these adults who are judging you for no reason.

Idea that, like, these two people.

And then I like that moment where they click, oh, my God.

They've been trying to save Cole because they have.

Like, the adults and his dad have a plan for him, right?

And then that's cool, because it's a moment you can literally go back in your heads and, oh, yeah, they stopped him from going there.

And they.

That's terrifying.

But.

And they kind of.

Again, like that.

I say kind of.

It's not in the film.

They're just more bodies, which I guess it's, you know, just.

It was a unique thing to the book, too, this idea of, like, oh, damn.

Like, you know, there's.

There's always going to be someone.

Like, there are people who betray you even when you're on.

Like, you're having the same struggles.

Right.

You know, I think what they really took out of the movie was that the community has made a decision.

Like, there's nothing about the.

The.

The team, the town meetings.

There's no mayor, which is.

I love.

The mayor is the dad, which I wish they had.

Like, if they were two separate characters, I think that would have worked better.

Because then you could be like, oh, the guy who's Rawlingstown has no idea.

He's just up there.

Even if they kept kind of the change, where it's like, this is, like, tradition.

But maybe the mayor just doesn't know because he can't be trusted.

Kenya, years away.

Because that's another part I really enjoyed is, like, in the book, it's terrifying because it's a year, right?

It's a year from Victoria dying to a psychopath sheriff being able to convince 15 to 20 adults, including.

Including Cole's dad, to murder a bunch of teenagers.

20% Of the kids.

That's what they say in a small house.

And that's scarier to me than, like, they did this vague, like, we cull every couple generations.

Which I'm.

Look at me.

I'm a big cult person.

I usually love that.

I kind of thought that's where the movie was going.

But I.

Like, in the book, they're like, oh, no.

All it took.

These are just regular kids doing jackass kid things.

They don't deserve murder.

But all it takes is that little twist.

A grieving dad and a psych like, yeah.

A sheriff who just kind of wants to do it and sees who he can get.

And the fact that he convinces people.

Which fits into this whole make kettle springs great again and how easy it is to.

You know, it's a fear thing.

Yeah.

So I missed that in the film because like, oh, we just.

We just do this every single generations.

It's.

Right.

And I don't think it's even clear enough.

Right.

It's not.

Because like, I kept thinking about, like, why did this.

Why is the prologue here in the.

90S that also feels like you're kind of typical slasher.

Like it moves away from the book to kind of set that up to just be like, oh, okay, this is your first slasher.

There's always kind.

A lot of horror movies will do your.

30 Years prior, this horrible spooky thing happened.

So annoying.

Yeah.

I didn't think it needed it.

I wish it had done the party.

But.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Right.

Like, I. I know why they're like, that's a whole nother filming location.

A reservoir.

Because I'm like, oh, that's a good.

Because.

Which apparently had a million dollar budget or something like that.

Yeah.

So they just didn't have.

But like, I think what's important is.

And I think the book forgets it a little too.

Is it kind of loses the.

The.

The dead sister.

That should be.

So that should be on Cole's mind all the time.

Right, Right.

Because like it's.

And.

And it keeps him and his dad, even though they're both mourning, it's the fact that his dad has curdled on it, whereas Cole has kind of like, he's got this armor of being this like, cool kid.

Right.

I'm always surprised that like.

Oh, it just doesn't get mentioned for most of the book and then it comes back in.

No.

And it's so interesting that the movie also kind of like they brought it in.

They had that little like I.

Something.

My mom died from an overdose.

My sister died from a reservoir.

I'm like, is this flirting?

But anyway, like, it was.

Is this right?

It was kind of like I expected, like, yes.

She.

She leans her head on his shoulder and I just thought get like a Paula Cole song in the background.

That's so much of the movie.

That's what it feels like to me.

It's the OC but going into the country.

Seth going to the country.

Dawson's Creep but murder.

Right.

Exactly.

Dawson's Creek in the cornfield.

I thought it was another interesting thing in the book that Kind of.

There's a lot of interesting stuff in the book that I think just doesn't have enough breathing room either in the.

Book or the movie.

But more breathing room in the book.

We are more in the kids brains, which is nice, I do think.

I'm very glad the movie, and I think it's probably because it was.

Kevin Durant is the actor who plays Cole's dad.

I think it's because they got like a fascinating actor.

Because I'm like, yeah, Cole's dad should be in this more.

He shouldn't just show up at the end and go, oh, yeah, by the way, you know, I'm cool.

Couldn't wait for you to die.

Yeah, yeah, I'll give the movie dad that his character needed to be in there more.

But part of the.

Part of the.

I don't know, whatever it's called, right.

You know who the big bad's gonna be when they show up and you recognize him from something else.

Yeah, right, right.

That's the guy.

Right?

This guy.

They kind of miss the law and order rule, right?

This guest star is definitely the killer, Cole's dad.

And they're not even sure he's going to show up to the founders parade.

He's not really been around very much.

He's lost his daughter, blah, blah, blah.

And then.

Yeah, he's in the barn.

Yeah, I can see that too.

I just wanted it to hit more emotional.

Like, I need at least one scene of like Coldest dad in the book where you can tell they're like, hit.

They're hitting at grief and because they're not talking, because that's.

That's part of what the movie is about is these generational, like, miscommunications, which at this point it turned into murder and mayhem instead of just like therapy.

Well, sometimes you gotta.

Whatever he said, like, call the blight.

Yeah, that's aggressive.

Yeah.

I guess men will murder an entire generation instead of getting therapy.

Yeah.

I do appreciate the thematic thing of it's a bad crop.

They keep saying a bad crop, which I think allows the adults to like, oh, this is fine.

It's just a.

It's a bad crop.

They're your kids.

It's a bad prop.

They're your children.

You raise them.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I will say one thing too, about the movie that I was disappointed in.

All for how kind of bland Quinn is.

She's much smarter in the book.

And that was kind of disappointing where it's like, oh, she gets kidnapped.

And I think part of that too is with the clowns.

They don't.

Because they don't.

Like, they don't even let Rust be as much of a hero as he is.

And I'm disappointed in that because, yeah, they just let the dad.

I don't think they do enough justice to, like, how bumbling he is because he's so grief stricken.

He's supposed to be in a pile of bodies and corn.

Oh, yeah.

God, yeah.

The money for that nicely, I will appreciate.

I like.

That's wonderfully visceral.

Is not only is there a body, but it's rotten corn.

It's rot.

It's literal rot, which is.

This town is rot, which I like.

Yeah.

No, the dad needs to be a mess because this is about this young generation having to struggle through and no adults coming to save them.

That's the point.

Save themselves.

And, like, there's a where.

What?

Quinn just becomes Rambo with the gun.

That was interesting.

Where she went gun crazy.

She went gun crazy.

But she knew, like, yeah, this gun will save me.

I'm not giving it to anyone else.

Like, when Ronnie tries to, like, hold onto it, she's like, no, I'm taking that back.

And also her managing to shoot some of the clowns.

So then they're able to connect the dots.

Oh, as soon as Cole gets taken away by the sheriff, the sheriff can't be trusted.

Like, he literally was the clown.

It's not that he's just a jerk, but, like, whatever is happening next is insanely dangerous and we need to get there as quickly as possible.

So I felt like that kind of does her a disservice.

Yeah.

Plus, it's so interesting.

I think the Sheriff Dunn is a little defanged in the movie and part of the casting.

Like, it's Will Sasso.

I'm not saying he's a bad actor, but he doesn't have, like, he's not in Stone Cold Menace.

Yeah, there's no menace.

Yeah, there's no menace there.

There isn't.

And he.

Yeah, he's supposed to be scared.

You're supposed to go there.

Something.

The first time Quinn see, like, encounters him in the diner, you're like, you already know if something's wrong.

Like, there's something.

The way they, like, interacts with the waitress, the way the kids are like, that's that you're first.

Like, oh, oh.

Something is very.

Like, this is a weird dynamic.

And I wish that was there because.

But then again, since he's not the locus of this, if he's not the person who, like, created This.

I guess they didn't need to, but, you know, I don't know if he didn't read the book, I don't know if that matters, you know, for me, I just.

I liked that in the book because that's terrifying how easily.

Yeah.

He's able to sway people and how much he doesn't care.

And part of the conflict between the sheriff, though, is with the mayor and the townspeople at the meetings, which they.

They're not there.

Yeah.

Completely not in there.

But that showed sort of like staring contest or whatever between them and the kids at the door at the diner.

Yeah, yeah.

Was really watered down.

Yeah.

Yes.

You know, they're like, oh, those are troublesome kids.

It's not like, where he is a menace, he's a threat.

Right.

Or you won't even let them come into the diner.

Yeah, yeah.

Like, I guess.

Yeah.

I don't want to talk.

Like, I feel like I'm talking down on it.

I think it's.

It's fine.

I also don't think I'm the intended audience.

Like, both the book and, again, we talked about.

The movies are.

But it does feel very much like it's for teenagers, you know, and maybe, like, I love subtlety, but maybe sometimes you don't need subtlety.

Maybe you gotta be real.

Like, hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, so, you know, I don't want to be like.

I just, you know, it's.

It's good.

It's not like I'm always like, things I would like better.

But then again, I've been watching these films and reading these books for decades.

Right, let's.

Yeah.

But I think it's disappointing to read a book that has all of these sort of, like, elements in it, and then to watch a movie that feels like it's been dumbed down for the visual, you know, Because I think that the people.

I think people can get it.

Yeah.

Oh, you know, I don't think we gotta dumb it down for them this much.

I just think the thing that disappointed me the most about the movie is that in the book, the whole, like, the clowns invading the party, like, that's really.

Is, like, the centerpiece of the entire book.

And it's this incredible set piece with the, like, all these different, like, things happening in different places and there's nowhere.

And I forgot that I'm like, in the movie, you see, like, the one girl come out of the corn that's killed, and then there's, like, another guy that gets killed, and then it's just a group of them.

And, like, the movie forgets that there's anyone else there, and then it's just about chasing them.

And I like.

But the whole, like.

Like you said, the whole thing with Janet, like, it's really cool.

We're like, yeah, to the side.

And she has this moment and.

But in this, like, the way, like, Adam tells it really well, I think in the book, we talks about, like, the smoke.

It is the smoke coming in, and, like, it does a great sense of just this creeping sense and what those.

Are willing to do.

We talk about set it on fire and then have one door open and we're picking off the kids, trying right it out.

That is terrifying.

And I think that was very effective in the book, you know, also.

And maybe I'm forgetting, but I was.

The other thing I was mad about Janet is they didn't follow.

She had the coolest death in the book.

Oh, like this.

The.

Like the.

The.

Like buzz saw.

The.

The, like the way he describes it, like, the guy misses her, then comes swinging around, like a.

Like a karate type thing where he, like.

Oh, brings it around and decapitates her.

So.

So I thought it was interesting that they change the timeline in dying.

Like, Tucker being killed several days before the party.

What was.

What's that about?

Yeah.

Right.

You know what I mean?

No, they're like, yeah, he's not returning my calls.

Right.

You.

You live in a small town.

You didn't go to his house.

Well, and my partner watched it with me, and he's like, it doesn't make sense.

Like, was nobody looking for Tucker?

Where were Tucker's parents?

You know?

I'm like, well, in the book, everybody dies on the set, like the mayor.

Yeah.

And Tucker's still at his house.

And I really liked the visual in the book of him being a hulking guy who follows.

Oh, Cole around.

Cole around.

Right.

Because he's an intimidating guy.

He's like that big.

The big dog and the little dog, you know, and he.

And Matt, or whoever.

Whatever that guy's name is, sort of being the dorks together wasn't as.

Wasn't as good.

Yeah.

Not as dynamic.

You have three idiots instead of kind of.

They all are just slight variations on one another.

Yes.

And leaving.

Leaving the.

What is that thing where you'd spin the thing and the thing pops up.

Oh, the jack in the box that, you know.

Yeah.

It was made for merch.

Yeah.

It just.

It doesn't connect to anything.

Right.

Like, why would they.

Like, because, like, okay, if it was an idea about intimidation we'd see that.

But it's not about intimidation.

It's literally about killing these kids.

Right, Right.

So why would you take the time Leaving a message.

Yeah, yeah.

Like, it just.

Yeah.

Like, you got these sitting around.

You got to use them for something.

What are you gonna do?

We can leave them around.

I will say I did, like, the.

The beheading that we got of Matt with the.

The weight.

That was pretty.

And then it, like, rolls into the little yeti.

Anyway.

Why is he doing all that bowing off of the thing?

Yeah.

Like, nobody saw the proper technique.

No.

This is the sad thing of my thought.

I think I've watched so many horror films, I'm like, why would you use a solid blade?

Don't you want something nice and sharp?

It doesn't.

Right.

That would.

It wouldn't work that way.

It wouldn't work that way.

Like, I felt bad because I'm like, oh, this kid, but I don't know him.

And also.

What?

Come on.

Adults.

Yeah.

It felt like the first half was kind of more in line with the tone of the book because I feel like the book is not very funny.

Right.

It's a straight horror.

And then the movie's just like, all right, we're going dark horror.

Dark.

Dark comedy a little bit.

The three things that annoyed me the most.

Dark humor at the end, when it should be like.

Like, just augered in and probably because you should be on the kid's side.

Right?

Right.

So instead you have the joke about the rotary phone.

Ha ha, ha, ha.

I hate a little before.

We're like.

And I want to talk about this a bit about Rust and Cole.

Oh, yeah.

Like, where.

Where.

Where they're talking, and you get this idea, oh, they have a relationship.

And then the other three are like, oh, I'm like, my God.

Right?

I just.

I got so angry.

What are you doing?

And then, of course, the whole, like, manual, which is the only thing in the book is the manual, like, how to draw the manual translation in.

In the book.

It's scary because she just doesn't know.

She just doesn't know.

Which.

Why would she.

Why would these kids know rotary foam?

There's no need.

But it's played as a joke every time.

And I'm like, why is the joke on these kids?

They're getting massacred.

Right.

You know, so that just.

Those are the things.

Like, okay, this is just for, like, the movie.

And who do you think is going to watch this movie?

Who's this?

Who's the audience that's going to laugh at this.

I also think that kids that age who are on the Internet and creating content know what a rotary film looks like.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's a.

It's a weird.

Yeah, I. I thought it was.

I don't want to say lazy, but it felt like we need to punch up a joke.

Yeah.

Haha.

The one thing that did make me laugh, which I am sad about everything with Janet, but when she just gets impaled and then she's like, is it bad?

It's so bad because, like, it's so bad, girl.

I'm still laughing.

Janet.

That's funny because she doesn't have any depth.

Yeah, exactly.

Oh, I'm sorry.

It just works.

I hate you, Quinn.

And they're both just like, I hate you, Quinn.

And the clown goes, yeah, the clown too.

Yeah, me too.

It's so stupid.

But that was the funny part.

Yeah, exactly.

Like.

But I think talking about Cole and Rust, I think that's the thing that actually works the best in the book and the movie is.

I like that the one thing it really subverts.

It really subverts is the final girl and, like, the guy.

Her romance, that's not there.

Because with the actual relationship, that is interesting.

And again, I wish there was more of it because I kind of.

That's why I wish one of them were the main character is.

Because that's an interesting relationship.

They're in a small town, they both have all this social pressure.

They were like.

You could tell that they.

They'd like each other still, but they've been forced by, like, I'm the rich kid and I'm the country kid.

Right.

And I like that.

That kind of comes back up.

And I was so worried at the end that they were gonna have the dad save Cole when he was hanging.

Yeah, right.

Cause I was like, no, because that's.

Because they have the dad, like, doing all this.

And I'm like, Then Russ comes out, like, that's it.

Cause this is like, that's the big moment.

Not this dude comes in and saves the girl, but like, these two dudes who have known each other, and it's like.

It's all little stuff that's keeping them apart, but you can tell they really do give.

They really care about each other or why would you be so upset?

And I thought that was.

I was like, there we go.

And I love.

At the end of the movie where they're like, you know, Quinn's going off to college and they give her, like, the tactical defense baton.

And I'm like, she Gives him a hug.

I'm like, oh, that felt real.

Yeah, that felt real.

That's like the realest moment in this film where I'm like, that sounds like three people who've been through it have figured out what their relationship is, have a friend.

I was like, oh, I like that.

Yes, I know.

But imagine going through all that stuff and then you still have to go back to school.

I want you to pass for a life.

Deuces.

Sorry.

Is that okay?

So let me ask about Rustin Cole.

And that was something, you know, I mentioned before.

I read the Three a long time ago and in coming back to it now, I was trying to remember when their relationship came into it.

And I couldn't remember if it was in there.

So when I was reading it, it still felt to me reading the book, even knowing it was there, that it was like thrown in at the end of the book.

I think that like, oh, they're kissing.

Oh, okay.

That I felt like, at least in the movie they tried to give you hints.

And I was like, but it also could be just that I was clueless in the book.

And like, it's definitely something that is like, gets a lot more.

A lot more time and weight in future books.

I'd say it definitely works better in the movie.

Absolutely.

Because you get a little bit of their interaction.

The.

Oh, I get like.

But like.

But still we know.

And then that, yeah.

Feel like too.

Even in the movie.

Maybe it's a little bit more heavy handed with.

It was like, maybe that's what it is.

And I'm not even talking specifically about the O scene.

I'm talking about when they're in the car as somebody with rainbow colored glasses.

But looking back on it, I think if I went back to that scene in the book when they're in the.

Car kind of talking to each other.

You could maybe.

But I think upon first reading I'm like, okay, there's something there.

But it reads more like friends that have fallen apart.

And I think that the movie is just trying to do a better job of setting the pace there.

I don't think they have in the book.

I don't think that Cole and Russ have many interactions with each other.

Not really.

Russ shows up at the party, but when he's walking her to school, they don't see him.

And in the car, it's not Russ they run into.

It's a scarecrow.

So Russ isn't there.

Yeah, but there is a part where.

I think, don't they run the three?

The three of Them do interact at the party.

Oh, it's when they physically.

Okay.

Because again, in the book, the party is more than like a five minute piece.

Yeah.

In the movie.

Right.

Oh, yeah.

No, I'll give.

I'll actually give the movie credit for that.

I mean, I. I do still like it in the book, just because I'm like, oh, it subverts it in a genuine.

In a genuine subversion.

Yeah.

Right.

But, yeah, I think.

And the book had the time to go, you know what we should do?

We should set this up a little so it pays off, which I appreciate, you know?

Well, I mean, I also think, like, the movie gives Quinn this sort of, like jumping on Cole scene for no reason.

I hate it.

That felt very sort of gratuitous.

Yeah.

Came from nowhere.

Right.

And then.

But it gave what it did for the movie.

Is it gave Janet or.

It gave the audience, I guess, an opportunity to hear Janet say, cole always rejects the girls.

Right, right, right.

Okay.

He rejected you too, didn't he?

Right, right.

So they.

They tried.

Oh, movie Janet.

Right.

And so.

So that's the, like, setup for the O scene.

Because nobody understands why Cole doesn't like girls.

And it's because Russ.

It's because he likes Russ.

Yeah.

You know, I feel like in the book, though, I'll tell you, the one thing I like a book is I like when Quinn is describing them at the end.

At the end, the diner, and they've.

Rust and Cole's kind of almost switched visuals.

I like this idea where they said Cole is more like he's been eating a little more because she always said that he's skinnier.

He's been like.

You can tell, like, being in a relationship has been good.

He's, like, wearing flannels where I think Rust has the short hair because of the fire.

So he's almost got Cole's hair now.

And I'm like, that's kind of adorable.

Right, right, right.

That they're kind of like, you know, it's trauma based, but, like, they're like, oh, they're kind of healing into each other.

Adorable.

Is this gonna last?

Who knows her in high school?

But, you know.

Well, we can tell you about book two and three.

Yeah.

What a segue.

Very well done.

Bravo.

Yeah.

Well, we're not going to, because you guys have to read them.

Yes.

We got homework.

But I will say, you know, talking about kind of that final image that we get in the movie of the two of them as a couple, like, oh, they look comfortable with each other.

And then they Give her this baton.

It's just a great setup for the.

The next book, the next two that like all of them evolve.

Right.

That my.

My imp.

My imploring implosion.

I don't know what's the word I'm looking for there for you to read, though?

To me, I think they each get better.

They get better with each book, but you get a lot more of their relationship either.

You get a lot more of them.

I think Rust really gets a lot of time to become a great character.

And Quinn is an absolute, like, badass, like, almost scary girl.

I don't really care about her, but.

But it's in the books.

Other movies.

We like this actor.

I don't.

What do we know she's from.

She's from Jenny and Georgia.

All of the kids in this, because I think all they had was a million dollars are.

Are.

Do not have quite the rap sheet.

So.

Right.

I think.

But I think she's got a lot of stuff on her.

It might not be things anybody's heard of, but she's done some acting.

Yeah.

Katie Douglas, the biggest thing that I saw that she did was Ginny in Georgia, which was that it was a Netflix TV show.

I have not seen her before.

So this was seen in Manitoba, was filmed in Manitoba.

So the entire cast is Canadian.

So they're taking all the Canadian, like,.

You know, the Canadian incentive money.

Sure.

Yeah.

So if you.

If you have all Canadian actors and a significant amount, you get a lot more money.

You know what?

I would love to see a version of this just with that framing that this actually happens in Letterkenny.

I was just thinking the same thing.

I was actually shocked that there was nobody from the cast of Letter Kenny.

It is surprising I didn't have that money anymore.

That's true.

So those guys were making bank at that.

Oh, yeah, right.

That's another thing.

I guess they have to remember that like you said, this was a million dollar movie and like it did have a theatrical run, but really it's a.

It's a shudder movie.

Yeah.

Like I will say too.

I did look at.

So budget was a million.

Gross worldwide was 13.8 million.

So that's pretty good.

And I think it looks good.

Like it's a. Yeah, I think too.

That you watch it and it doesn't feel like.

It doesn't.

Oh, this is a shutter movie.

Like, this is done on Shoestring.

Like it feels very professional.

Hadn't read the book, I probably would have liked the movie more.

Yeah.

That's perfectly.

That's an interesting question.

Yeah, yeah, I, I saw the movie before I read the book because it was on Joe Bob and I'm.

Oh, that's right.

Chronically having to watch that show.

So I saw it first and I was like, well, this is kind of like the WB's version of my Bloody Valentine.

Yeah, that's where that is.

Without any context in the book.

And then the book kind of fleshed it out.

I was like, okay.

On second viewing after I read the book, I was like, no, that fleshes that out.

This is kind of.

So if you did it that way, it was, it was all right.

Yeah, it was all right.

But I think the reason it looks, it's.

What was the director's name?

It's Eli Craig.

Eli Craig.

Who made.

Which is.

I love them.

I love that film.

So I, that, yeah.

So he knows how to make.

Yeah.

A movie on a shoestring that looks great and, and kind of digs itself into you.

So I, I, but to your point before, I don't know who he was aiming this at.

Yeah.

The audience.

Yeah.

Because it kind of works for teenagers.

The blood was great, though.

The blood was great.

Like, he knows how to shoot gore.

Oh, a pitchfork kill.

I will say this.

So as far as books are concerned, I think this was the first slasher book I read.

But as far as Baby's first slasher, you could go watch Fear street and I would say you have that trilogy right there.

Those are great.

1978, The second one is the best.

But.

And that hits a couple different.

Like you have your slasher and then you have your folk horror.

So I would start there.

Yeah.

You know, it's interesting because those are very much aimed at a younger audience, but I, as a full, full ass grown adult, quite enjoyed.

I didn't feel that it was being.

Playing it easy or it was like, oh, no, no.

I just, I cared about those kids.

Yeah.

Even when they were being little assholes.

Because they're, they're teenagers, they're high schoolers.

That's.

That's their right.

But I feel like even then I understood.

Like, I knew why they were.

And I kind of cared.

And it hurt when, like, you lost.

Them at the end of the first movie and all the kids are dying.

I was like.

And that bread slicer kill still haunts me.

It will haunt me to my dying day.

Right.

Yeah.

And I'm sure they'll.

That budget was more than the million,.

But yeah, it's something similar.

And I think that that was really great kp because like I think that's a good recommendation.

I'm like, if you're kind of looking for that test out horror, you're a teenage.

Hey, say hey, teens.

I know you're a big part of our audience and thanks for listening and not cringing too much.

But like, yeah, genuinely, I think Fear street is a good spot because I don't want to think that Conor Corfield is talking down.

I'm not saying it's talking down, but I think Fear Street.

Trust, Trust a teen audience.

They say no, they'll, they'll roll with this.

They know what horror is, they know what pain is.

They know what fear is.

They know what like being with your friends and stuff.

Bad stuff happens and it just lets it be and lets like trust it.

I feel like it trusts the audience a bit more.

It feels a bit more like comfortable with what it is.

Can we give some.

I don't know if you have some.

That was what I was going to ask.

What, some slasher book recommendations or books.

That like this made you think of?

Oh gosh, that seems like a completely predictable question I'm ill prepared for.

Oh no.

Well, I can, I can start because I got a couple on.

All right, so a couple.

I'm going to give one for the kids, the teenagers that this book was aimed at.

So another one of my favorite authors who's done a ton of stuff in multiple genres is Delilah S. Dawson.

She's done like D and D Star wars books and a bunch of different things.

She did a YA that's almost more middle grade horror called Ride or Die that's about this girl that goes to an amusement park and then gets stuck in there after night and then like scary happens.

It's really good, really entertaining.

If you like this, you'll like that.

Goosebumps.

Choose your own adventure where you're trapped in the amusement park.

Because I love that one.

It's kind of.

Yeah, it has that, it has that feel to it.

So that one's really good.

I also.

One of my favorite authors that is.

Is great at YA horror and just great in general is Tiffany Jackson.

The.

Her books can get pretty damn disturbing at times, but she has some like, like White Smoke, a Weight of Blood that are both that are kind of, I guess, white smoke.

If I'm remembering it right and I could be getting the title wrong.

No, I think that's it.

I think it's.

What.

Okay.

It's because there's like purple on the COVID So I'm questioning myself.

Were you saying?

It's like.

Right.

It's a ghost story.

But Weight of Blood is her retelling of Carrie that takes the.

Like through the framing of this passing black girl in this kind of this divided community that's.

There's some echoes to Kettle Sprint.

So, again, really good.

Those are ones I would definitely.

Or anything by Tiffany Jackson.

Everything she writes is great.

In two adult books that I would say slasher books that I've read recently that I freaking love.

So one of them is Breathe In, Bleed out by Brian McCauley.

That one's really fun.

And it's like this.

Got.

It takes place in, like, this wellness resort that is.

Yeah, right.

Then, like, bodies start dry.

It's a lot of fun.

It's great.

And then the other one, one of my favorite books last year that is, like, the complete opposite of this is called the Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Phil Fracassi.

I almost bought that, like, a week ago.

I love that book so much.

So it's.

It's.

It's a slasher movie book that takes place in a retirement home.

And your main character is this old woman, and she is just fantastic.

She's so well written.

And she has, like, her best friend Miller, that, like, he kind of likes her.

She kind of doesn't.

And it's just like, it's.

It's done really well.

Like, there's stuff in there that made me think about, like.

Oh, I don't ever think about what it's like being someone that has to live in one of these places.

And, like.

So I'm just begging.

I want more of, like, this type of stuff.

So those are two that.

Again, if you, like, they.

I feel like they have the same feel of this that if you want to read a slasher book, but they're all, like, quick reads and a lot of fun.

Can I throw one out that's kind of.

Please do.

Please.

So Stephen Graham Jones is.

Oh, yes.

Like, oh, yeah.

So much fun.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

It's.

It's super meta.

The whole thing is the main character is.

She was raised on slasher movies, and then a slasher movie kind of unfolds in front of her.

Yes.

And it kind of goes through three different books where it's kind of an evolution, and it's great.

And it's.

It's like a syllabus.

It's like a syllabus.

Wonderful taste, Kenya.

Oh, God, I love that song.

We have guests, and this is what happens.

Well, you can probably do better than.

Me explaining that was the only one I could even think of.

And you've already stole it.

Oh, my.

Did you read Stephen Graham Jones other one?

I Was a Teenage slasher.

No.

So I read My Heart as a Chainsaw and then was gonna read I Was a Teenage Slasher.

And the beginning felt so redundant with the other ones that I was like, I'm gonna have to put some space between.

But the main character of the My Heart is a Chainsaw trilogy, whatever it's called, is very popular.

Like, she's got.

There's a lot of merch because she's.

She's trying to be a final girl.

And nobody believes her because she's always talking about slasher movies.

And they're like, you're crazy.

But at the end of the.

At the end of the first book, it becomes something besides just a slasher story.

Right.

Which I think is kind of what Stephen Graham Jones does.

He.

Yes.

He brings you along on what you think is a story, and then it's a little bit of a different thing than what you thought.

And it really.

It's like a syllabus in slasher movies because, like, it goes.

There's so many movies that they, like, directly talk about, like, from the smallest ones.

Like, every.

You could go through that.