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🚑📄 EPISODE 157: INSURANCE IS TERRIFYING 📄🚑
460 Plays1 month ago
What’s scarier than ghosts, cults, or cosmic madness?
👉 Insurance.
This episode, we tackle the true horror of prior authorizations, denied claims, medical debt, and a healthcare system that somehow finds a way to say “have you tried waiting until Monday?” 😱
👁️ Horror in Real Life:
• The UnitedHealthcare / Luigi Mangione case
• Why claims are often denied by default
• How AI is increasingly making life-or-death decisions
• Why medical debt remains the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the U.S.
• And why being “in-network” is basically a haunted house with contracts
🎬 This week’s films:
🪦 Macabre (1958) — complete with William Castle literally insuring the audience in case they died of fright
📚 In the Mouth of Madness — Lovecraftian apocalypse, metafiction, and Sam Neill losing his mind (again)
🧠 Plus:
• Whatcha Been Watchin’, Bitch?!
• A new game: Policy Plot Twist
• And the reminder that horror doesn’t always wear a mask—it sometimes wears a badge
🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
💀 Support us on Patreon + grab merch at frigay13.com/support
⭐ Leave a review & tell a friend!
#FriGay13 #InsuranceIsTerrifying #HorrorPodcast #HorrorInRealLife #MedicalHorror #WilliamCastle #JohnCarpenter #QueerPodcasts #HealthcareIsScary
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Website Promotion
00:00:00
Speaker
Fri-Gay the 13th Horror Podcast is a proud independent podcast. To learn more about the show, visit Fri-Gay13.com. We're sorry. All of our representatives are still assisting other customers.
00:00:13
Speaker
please Please remain on the line, as we value your call.
Comedic Skit: Insurance Authorization Woes
00:00:17
Speaker
Fri-Gay 13th Horror Podcast
00:00:26
Speaker
hi this is Dr. Andrew calling for a prior authorization. Hi, Andrew. Maddie with KOK Insurance. How can I complicate your day? I have a patient who needs emergency surgery.
00:00:37
Speaker
Okay, how emergency? ah Actively bleeding. Was the bleeding pre-approved? Uh, it was not. Oh, that's a red flag already. um Their appendix is rupturing. Have you considered not removing it?
00:00:53
Speaker
They could die. Could they wait until Monday? it's Saturday. Oh, ah unfortunately, our clinician reviewers are all out of the office, at least emotionally today.
00:01:05
Speaker
I need authorization now. Of course. Let me see what I can do. Is the hospital in network? Yes. The surgeon? Yes. The vibes? The vibes of a rupturing appendix? I'd say the vibes are a no. Then at this time, I'm going to deny this and suggest a verbal and written appeal.
00:01:26
Speaker
While they're unconscious? Preferably both. Unreal. Thank you for calling. This may be recorded for Training Demons.
Episode 157 Overview: Insurance Horrors and Classic Horror References
00:01:35
Speaker
It's episode 157, Insurance is Terrifying.
00:01:39
Speaker
I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. I'm Marjorie Greene, and I approve this message to save America, Scott socialism, and Scott China.
00:01:53
Speaker
They define the honesty from life to death to rise.
00:01:59
Speaker
in real life. Doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters, they are going to get it wrong. Horror in the movies. Where are you gonna go?
00:02:11
Speaker
Where are gonna run? Where are gonna hide? Nowhere. Because there's no one like you left. What do we want? Justice!
00:02:22
Speaker
When do we want it? Now! Let's go! What are you waiting
00:02:30
Speaker
I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning.
AI Tool Saves on Healthcare Costs
00:02:35
Speaker
Sometimes.
00:02:39
Speaker
Artificial intelligence sometimes gets a bad rap these days, but one free tool helped a conquered woman save thousands on health care costs. She says her insurance company repeatedly denied her claims. Suji Nam shares how this tool helped her get the upper hand.
Podcast Journey and Patreon Support
00:02:54
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of Fry Gay, the 13th Horror Podcast. My name is Maddie.
00:02:59
Speaker
And I'm Andrew. And if this is your first time with us on Fry Gay, the 13th Horror Podcast, welcome to episode 157. This one is all about insurance. We'll talk a lot about that. But because it's 157, that means that there are 156 full-length episodes before this episodes a lot before this episode, so along with a number of other interviews and this thing and that thing and special episodes, blah, blah, blah.
00:03:27
Speaker
All free. Literally probably 250 different unique pieces of content from our little tiny podcast that could over these past eight years. Eight years because, i mean, Andrew, like basically this kind of will be the one. that like it hits our our actual eight year anniversary. Yeah, pretty close. i think February 8th is our yeah like quote, quote, anniversary. feel so what that We'll see how it all kind of meets up with dates, but but pretty pretty wild to have eight years under our belts now. Yeah.
00:03:58
Speaker
And if you want to support that eight years, yeah exactly you can go to patreon.com slash frag813 and sign up to be a patron for a dollar a month. That's 50 cents an episode, people. That's it right there. And listen, our enemies, we vanquished you. We made it longer than you ever thought we could, you motherfucker. So listen, um no, we we're we're happy to be back with you um on on one of our our first episodes of 2026.
Insurance Focus: Personal Stories and Movie Reviews
00:04:23
Speaker
We're going to talk a lot about insurance, obviously. I'm going to be talking about UnitedHealthcare and Luigi Mangione. Andrew, what are you talking about today?
00:04:31
Speaker
I've just got a lot of statistics on how much insurance is really costing you and how it will never pay off yeah you your care. Yeah. There you go. welcome um And we're talking about two great movies that go right along with insurance. And you you might be thinking, how do they connect with insurance? We'll get to it Exactly. the The first one is Macabre from 1958 from ah horror legend William Castle. And the second is honestly one of my favorite horror flicks of all time, In the Mouth of Madness from John Carpenter. I'm so glad we have a chance to bring this on to the show because I just I had so much fun watching it again, Andrew. I'm really glad we did this.
00:05:07
Speaker
um But before we get to any of that, um it look, it is it is Sunday, January 25th, as we record this.
Discussion on Police Violence and Social Justice
00:05:14
Speaker
And it is the day after ah ICE in America has brutally murdered another person in broad daylight in the streets of Minneapolis.
00:05:26
Speaker
Yesterday, it was a an ICU nurse named Alex Preddy. I'm not sure if that's how you pronounce it. Maybe it's pretty. Maybe it's pretty. I don't know. Whatever. um Regardless, the dude is a fucking saint.
00:05:39
Speaker
Like i I cannot believe, i of course I can believe it. um Awful what happened. Absolutely awful and terrible and angering. And I was telling Andrew, I'm probably going to be really angry in this episode. And now I don't, now I know i don't really don't know what I feel. i I think I've been numb the whole weekend and did a fair bit of crying.
00:06:02
Speaker
And watch the videos of this guy just getting shot like I forget how many times, like seven times, you know, ah and just being murdered on the street as people are screaming around him. And all he did was show up with a phone to record, which is his legal right to do. It's completely legal. And he also happened to show up with a firearm on his on his side in a holster, completely safe.
00:06:30
Speaker
The way that all these Second Amendment nuts in the Republican Party, the way that they do it all the time, the way that Kyle Rittenhouse showed up to protest when he killed somebody with his M-fucking-16 or whatever the fuck he had, the way all those January 6th protesters showed up at the Capitol when they were mounting an insurrection against the country,
00:06:51
Speaker
This guy shows up peacefully, not doing anything. they They take away his gun and then they shoot him point blank. It's on the video right there. and And if that wasn't enough, they insult every single person watching the videos from multiple angles by saying...
00:07:09
Speaker
and a narrative, by creating a narrative that is so completely untrue, it boggles your mind. It actually boggles your mind that they could be saying this and anyone could be believing it, but they do.
00:07:22
Speaker
They do. I mean, it's just, i I don't know what to say anymore.
Frustration Over Political Inaction and Call for Change
00:07:26
Speaker
like what what is What is the line? What is it going to be for Americans to wake up finally? What is it going to be?
00:07:33
Speaker
Is it going to be you have to wait until someone in your family is murdered? Is that what it means? Yes, that's what it is. yeah Is it going to be they have to come on your street and take away your neighbor that you love and kill somebody in your family for exercising their First Amendment right to legally protest or for exercising their Second Amendment right to carry an armed, a firearm?
00:08:00
Speaker
which is what all these people claim to love so much. They claim to love the Second Amendment. They claim to be ah all about it, that everyone should be able to do this, to defend themselves whenever they need. Suddenly, someone has a gun and suddenly this person is a domestic terrorist.
00:08:13
Speaker
Or you know there's another video that i i was watching over the weekend of another a woman in, I think it was in Portland, and she's filming ICE agents and she's seeing them you know go take all their license plates and get their faces on their own iPhones.
00:08:27
Speaker
And this agent tells her, oh, yeah, no, we've got a nice big database. And now you're all going to be labeled as domestic terrorists. you know like And then we've got Renee Good, a mother, just killed, just shot four times or three times in the head, whatever the fuck it is.
00:08:43
Speaker
Just killed. There's, you know, now she's got her kids without a mother and a wife without a partner and or a or a five year old child that's used as human bait, basically abducted off the street so that their parents would have to come and get them and be arrested. Right. And and all the while in that case, yet again, spinning a narrative that that that that father was like running down the street or something or or whatever, which is also completely untrue, completely untrue. All of it is.
00:09:12
Speaker
So what is the line going to be? What is it going to be? What is it going to take? And I would say that just, to you know, all the American people. But I would also say it to the Democrats in Congress. What is the line?
00:09:22
Speaker
What is the fucking line for you? What are you when are you going to fucking go do fucking anything? You've got, you know, just this weekend, there were 100 clergy members from around the country, but mostly Minnesota, who went to Minneapolis, St. Paul, to the airport, MSP, to get on the ground and use their bodies to stop things happening. All 100 of them got arrested. Where are the congresspeople doing that? Where are the senators doing that? Where are the people in power doing that? You've got clergy members out there, most of them who are old and who don't get paid anything. And you can think whatever you want about religion, but a lot of these people are really good people. They are people who are in your communities right now that are running soup kitchens, that are running meal programs, that are are counseling people.
00:10:09
Speaker
And they're out there doing that and you're doing nothing? i mean but So we can go back to some fucking politics of respectability? That's what we're doing right now? but we're were We're waiting to go back to the good old days of like, what, 2008?
00:10:21
Speaker
Fuck you. It's never worked. It's never fucking worked. You failed us in 2016. You fucking failed us in 2016. You got us Trump one. In 2020, it should have never been Biden to begin with, number one, because he fucking sucked in his presidency. And in 2024, that piece of shit stays on so that now we've got Trump fucking two.
00:10:42
Speaker
Congratulations. How wonderful that we're in this position right now when all you could have done is actually go out there and work with people and talk to them and figure out a way to bring the working class and the middle class together. But that would have been too much for your own elite pocketbooks. And that's the fucking truth. That is why we are where we are right now, because
Critique of the Healthcare System
00:11:06
Speaker
the Democrats do not fucking care about anybody but themselves, the people in power anyway. That's what I'm talking about, not the people. It is bullshit.
00:11:14
Speaker
It is so fucking infuriating. And I know that I live 4,000 miles away. And a lot of the anger that I feel is probably the guilt that I have at not being close to it anymore. But it is so fucking infuriating watching it. So infuriating when the people who have power to stop things and get in the middle of it don't do a fucking thing.
00:11:36
Speaker
Jesus fucking Christ. Well, and it doesn't help that you know this is the most, in at least in in my life, in my adult life, the most propagandized the news has ever been in our entire existence, you know ah beyond like maybe Nixon back in the day. But like we weren't both alive for that. course. um And I feel like I'm completely surrounded by people that are not thinking.
00:12:03
Speaker
They're only 100%. they're not They're not thinking, they're they're watching and they're receiving, they're not thinking. And it's it's really, really frustrating when you look at interviews where people can just turn it around and be like, oh, it's the victim's fault. They're called they're called victims for a reason.
00:12:21
Speaker
And you need to understand to look at the other look at it the other way. Because you don't, I've said this million times, but you don't want to be on the wrong side of history on this. You really, really don't.
00:12:34
Speaker
And I hope you won't be. And I hope you'll wake up. And I hope you'll at least acknowledge. You don't you don't have to do anything to acknowledge that. that this person was killed or this child was abducted or this family was ripped apart.
00:12:47
Speaker
You can still acknowledge that without really literally doing anything. But the sooner you acknowledge it, the sooner you're going to wake up and the sooner you're gonna understand how corrupt and evil our government is right now. Evil. And it's never been more evil.
00:13:01
Speaker
Evil is is the right word. Evil is the, it is absolute evil what is happening out there right now. And, and you know, look, I'm a Christian. I'm an out-of-the-box Christian. Listeners know this about me, um and they know very well. I'm an extremely progressive Christian with sort of wild views about theology, but I consider myself a Christian, and consider myself actually ah a pretty devout one because my my faith...
00:13:30
Speaker
demands that I work for justice. My faith demands that I am completely infuriated when I see injustice happening. It demands of me that I do something because my Christianity does not hinge around the afterlife.
00:13:47
Speaker
It does not hinge around what comes next. It hinges around the good i can do right now. And you've got all these people out there who call themselves Christians. You're not.
00:13:58
Speaker
You are not a Christian. If all you care about is some fucking made-up rapture that you think is coming one day, you are not a Christian. If all you care about is some loopy idea of a paradise called to heaven after you die and you magically get to go there and no one else does, you're not a Christian. You're a fucking liar. You are a liar. And frankly, you're following probably something satanic in one way or another. And yeah, I really do fucking mean that. I'm not being hyperbolic. If you really say you believe, you really say you want to be a part of this, go out there and do something when you see injustice happening. Stop, stop going along with it.
00:14:42
Speaker
Stop letting Caesar have his fucking way. Stop it. It's fucking, it's it's insane. Insane. You know, you you have all those the the the
Tragic Impacts of Healthcare Denial
00:14:51
Speaker
protesters that went to that church in Minnesota. Did did did you see that?
00:14:55
Speaker
And now they're all fucking arrested. Do you not know the fucking story? I'm talking to these people that that call themselves Christians. Do you not know the story of Jesus in the temple overturning the tables? Have you never heard that story in the scripture? That one's new to you?
00:15:09
Speaker
Why do you think he fucking turned the tables over? Because of people like fucking you ah Fucking psychopaths. And on top of it, on top of it, we've got these people that have been killed now.
00:15:21
Speaker
Renee Good, Alex Preddy, and and and and you know plenty of people before them, for God's sake, that these are not the first people to be killed in the injustices of America. We're supposed to believe that they're fucking monsters.
00:15:33
Speaker
Monsters. While the people that the right wants us to believe are saints, and you know who I'm talking about. I won't even give the fucking trolls the... um the the benefit of me saying it in our transcripts so that they can go come and hound us. But you know who I'm talking about. They want us to believe that that person is a fucking saint for going on his goddamn podcast and being a racist fucking troll.
00:15:57
Speaker
That's who we're supposed to believe is a saint. That's a good person. But Alex Preddy, who's an ICU you nurse for a VA hospital, for a VA hospital, VA hospital.
00:16:08
Speaker
That's the person that is a monster. That's a domestic terrorist. Jesus fucking Christ. The country is in a shambles. It's never been this bad before, past the Civil War. Past the Civil War and the Civil Rights era, this is the worst that it's been.
00:16:23
Speaker
And I'll just say this on top of what you know what you just said, is as an atheist, I still know what justice, and I still know what injustice, and I still know what good and evil looks like. So that's all I have to go off of. And if you don't like that, and you don't think that...
00:16:37
Speaker
you can turn your mind around. You're, you're going to look back at this. You're gonna, you're going to look back at this and just know deep, deep down in your heart that you were wrong. You know, this is wrong. I, I often wonder like, do they actually know that they're wrong and they just can't admit it because it would, it would release such a cascade of other things that are wrong that they would have to deal with. Do you know what i mean? Probably. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:04
Speaker
ah Once you start to dismantle your own tower, yeah the whole thing comes down. It's the absolute truth, man. And, um you know, look, I just keep thinking, like, if if if if all these ICE agents weren't in Minnesota right now and they were in Illinois instead, you know, the 3,000 ICE agents, they were all in Illinois, they were doing their thing there instead.
00:17:27
Speaker
i just I've been thinking over the weekend, who who in my circle would have been Alex Preddy? Who in my circle would have been Renee Good? And like, you know very well, like, you know, in my young life in Chicago, I was out there protesting all the time. We were we were in cops' faces. We were doing sit-ins. We were doing this. We were doing that. And, you know, back then it was it it was a completely different feel to it for LGBT stuff. It really was. it it wasn't yeah as...
00:17:53
Speaker
It wasn't as prescient. But I think that a lot of my friends would be out in the streets right now for it. and And one little trip, one little word wrong, one little hurt feeling in some ice fucking pussy motherfucker, the one little feeling hurt on their side, they'd be gunned down.
00:18:14
Speaker
They'd be murdered. And you know that's just it. It's like I was saying before, like what's the fucking red line? ah you know ah Maybe until it happens to you, for these these people that call themselves Republicans or call themselves MAGA, maybe until that happens to them, maybe they there is no red line. Maybe it'll never happen for them. I don't know. Yeah. At this point, at this at this point ah the Jenga Tower is getting real unsteady. Yeah.
00:18:37
Speaker
Good. one One more block and it's coming towards you. so Good. i don know Let it fall. Let it fall. yeah Anyway. look this um the ah All of what we just talked about is related to to insurance anyway because ah that's all fucked up too and healthcare is fucked well. The most infuriating thing that I think everybody has to deal with no matter if you're on the right or on the left is this is this is this bullshit that we call insurance. Oh, it's it's it's really pathetic. You know, it reminds me of of when I was laid off in 2018.
00:19:10
Speaker
And ah and i was I was laid off in the at the end of October of that year. and And luckily, I got a new job in February of the next year, which is the job that I'm still in today.
00:19:20
Speaker
So that during that time, i i didn't have health insurance. And i and like the you know I could have gotten the Cobra, but that was really expensive. I had no money. I had i truly was was basically bankrupt at that time.
00:19:33
Speaker
I had zero money. And so I was like, what am I going to do if something happens? And so i looked into I looked into Cobra, of course. That wasn't going to work. Looked into this. That wasn't going to work. Looked into the ACA or Obamacare, as people might call it.
00:19:47
Speaker
It was so expensive. like like The cheapest plan for me was so expensive. I literally... I'm not joking when I say I could not afford it. I couldn't afford it. There was no way for me to do that and also pay my rent. And so what did I do?
00:20:00
Speaker
I just went without healthcare. care And luckily, luckily, nothing happened. I just crossed my fingers. And honestly, I tried to be careful. I tried not to like... do dumb things. I tried not to trip. i tried not I tried not to get hurt in whatever way I could. And luckily, I didn't, thank God. um But if anything had happened, if anything had happened during that time, I would have been absolutely fucked. Absolutely fucked.
00:20:26
Speaker
And that is the case for so many people. And like, you know, look, I'm saying this as a lucky person. Andrew, you work in healthcare. Well, you work in marketing, but you know what i mean? Marketing for healthcare. care And like we both are very lucky people with the insurance that we have, frankly, especially you because you probably got great insurance through your employer.
00:20:44
Speaker
And like, and I've got pretty good stuff over here in Ireland because public health care here has a lot of problems. It's we're okay. the the For now. For now. It's true. Yep. For now.
00:20:55
Speaker
But the people who are not, that feeling, i don't i don't know if anyone listening right now doesn't have health insurance, it doesn't have healthcare. I know that fear that you are feeling right now.
00:21:08
Speaker
And I know how it feels to feel like ah what is going to happen if the unthinkable happens. And you have crazy thoughts in your head about what you'll do when that time comes. Because it all seems so hopeless. Like who's going to help you? there's no There's no one to help you. And that is that is so insane that in today's world, that's where we still are. When the money is there to help everybody. I don't fucking get it.
00:21:33
Speaker
Well, yeah, we have, this is the most frustrating part for me is, you know, with, with private insurance is that it's all a, it's all a business and therefore it's not a business for people. It's a business for money. yeah And so like, that's where it gets really frustrating. And the the fact that they are not um regulated ah by the government is the most frustrating thing in the world because,
00:21:57
Speaker
They can do whatever they want. They can charge whatever they want. They can do deals with whoever they want. they can They literally have free reign of this system that is meant to take care of you. And you pay for it. And let's just get into some of the statistics really quick. So if you have employer ah an employer-based plan, that's about 5% to 10% of your, average on average, 5% to 10% of your paycheck goes towards this thing that is supposed to help you when you are in trouble.
00:22:26
Speaker
um If you are on an ah Affordable Care Act plan, it's about five. This is on average, of course, this is based on it's going to be based on where you live and all that stuff. But it's on an average about five hundred and forty dollars per person. So think of a family of four.
00:22:41
Speaker
That's two thousand dollars that you need to fork over every month. And over $6,400 a year out of your own pocket. Where is that going to come from? Like like from the fuck? It's it's like with me. like Was it going to come out of my fucking ass? Where are you going to find that much fuck fuck fucking money?
00:22:59
Speaker
Right. And if you don't have insurance, just the average emergency room visit in the U.S. is $2,600. That's just to go to the emergency room. That's not your treatment. That's not any x-rays. That's that's just the visit, let alone if you rode there in an ambulance, God forbid, because that's going to be another $1,000 just for a ride to the hospital. Probably more.
00:23:25
Speaker
um On average in 2024, around 11.8 of health insurance claims were initially denied. So they just said, we're not going to cover it. That's the money that you paid into this into this system saying, I don't think so.
00:23:40
Speaker
um And on the um Affordable Care Act, I keep wanting call it the American Act. act but um the marketplace that jumps to nearly 20% or higher of denials right away. um Most people don't are realize that claims are often denied by default, especially nowadays with AI determination. Without a person actually looking at the chart or looking at the codes, it can be really easy for it to just deny right away. And honestly, most people are not insurance, quote unquote, literate.
00:24:13
Speaker
they They literally don't know what a uh you know what a down payment is or what a a co is or this thing or that thing completely you have to be literate within the system to help it and make it help you and you know that sorry to interrupt you but that really reminds me of um it reminds me of like the movie the big short and and the big short is all about the housing crisis in 2008 And eight and one of the one of the really great points that they make in that, and and also in the book, by the way, which also I listened to the book recently. It's very good. um But one of the points that they make is like, this is all done on purpose. Like the financial industry does this on purpose. They give you all these crazy terms about tranches and this and that, whatever, in order to confuse you and make it feel like it's some other mystical language that you could never understand. Insurance does the same thing.
00:25:02
Speaker
Yeah. And, um, they'll end up paying way too much money, even if they do have insurance. I have a personal experience with this. Uh, we had a medical, uh, emergency, I think it's like about three, two or three years ago. yeah And, um, I had ah a, a person in my life that ended up staying in the hospital overnight. Um, just one night went into the emergency room, uh, had, uh, stayed in the hospital overnight just for, um,
00:25:27
Speaker
What you call that? Just for observation. Did not need to get surgery. did not have anything. It was just basically like, all right, we're going to run, you know, saline. We're going to do, you know, the high pain. eat This way you're going to make sure you're not going to die. Yeah. And he stayed for one night and we waited.
00:25:45
Speaker
And keep in mind, this is under my insurance. So a hospital based insurance. ah And we got a bill for over $4,000. Yeah. And I immediately was like, that's not right. Like, that's not right. We literally printed off the far hundred page document that is our our our ah insurance but um piece. and i found the And I found where they were wrong.
00:26:11
Speaker
And I had to call them and read them this. And the woman on the phone, thankfully, was very nice. And she's like, you're absolutely right. We'll recode this. And the n at the end of the day, our bill was around $400, not $4,000. But we had to do the due diligence to get that bill taken care of. And most people...
00:26:31
Speaker
will not know how to do that because we don't teach that. We don't we say you have insurance and it's supposed to just work. We don't teach you about how to use it or how they abuse it. So just keep in mind, prices when it comes to healthcare and when it comes to insurance are always negotiable.
00:26:50
Speaker
Reach out. I know it's tough and I know it takes up so much time, but you can get those prices down. And that's up to the insurance. Sorry, you pay into it. It should benefit you, not benefit them. Yeah.
00:27:03
Speaker
um Most common reasons for denials are missing information or coding errors on the behalf of the healthcare worker. um I'm not blaming that on the healthcare care worker because they make it so complicated, these codes, and how many you have to put in to get the right ah benefit for your patient. That's not what I'm saying.
00:27:21
Speaker
I'm saying that the insurance companies make it incredibly, incredibly inefficient and take up so much time in a healthcare care worker's day. having to put in all these codes and these in the right notes and everything, it's infuriating. And I'll tell you, as a person who regularly speaks to healthcare workers, they hate it just as much as you do. It's also possible for insurance companies just flat out say that your cover is not medically necessary.
00:27:48
Speaker
I was following this guy on um Reels who has cancer and it has spread to his liver and his care team told him your best course of action is to get a liver transplant and then we can do chemotherapy to take care of the rest of the cancer. But your liver is not functioning like we have to get it out of there in order for you to continue care. And he documents getting on the phone with his insurance company. And because his insurance company is based in California, and he currently resides in Colorado because he's a remote worker, they give him the runaround.
00:28:24
Speaker
I think I watched 15 reels of him just going back and forth between the two insurance companies, one saying that he has to go to them. The other one saying he has to go to them. Meanwhile, this guy's dying.
00:28:34
Speaker
And his care team has already secured a liver. He's already ready to go. He's already pre-approved. But an insurance company is saying, I think you should try some other stuff first. I think you should try some other.
00:28:46
Speaker
So the business is telling you that you're not medically necessary. That's a bullshit. um Most insurers require prior authorization, which like but what I was just talking about, can hold up life-saving care or worsening of a patient's conditions.
00:29:01
Speaker
Medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. So what you were talking about earlier makes a ton of sense of being terrified to get even sick or hurt or anything and be completely flat on your ass. Because if you don't have insurance, I'm telling you, baby,
00:29:18
Speaker
You can't get healthcare. care It's going to run you bankrupt. I don't care how much money you have. i don't care I don't care how much people say, oh, save up six months of your expenses. That six months of it expenses, gone in a flash if you have to go to the hospital. 100%. 2024, it's estimated that insurance revenue $1.4 trillion. dollars Oh, sure. That's revenue. Of course.
00:29:45
Speaker
um And the biggest private insurance, is so I can just call them out right here, United Health Group, Anthem, which is now called Elevance Health, Aetna, Cigna, and Humana.
00:29:56
Speaker
And we you know we'll talk about you know the first one in a little bit here. Of course. But one thing I do want to just highlight is this in and out of network bullshit that they all sell you on,
00:30:07
Speaker
It's all a business. It's not about what's ah most convenient for you. It's about contracts that are secured behind the scenes with hospitals and providers for breaks in cost or breaks in um and medication costs or anything like that. It's all a business agreement made by the insurance company. that determines where and why or why you cannot have access to health care.
00:30:32
Speaker
It's not health care. It's all this business of insurance that is holding everyone back from living happier and healthier lives. It's bullshit. It needs to stop. We need a solution to it. Private insurance needs to be abolished.
00:30:49
Speaker
And we need to go to some sort of other way of doing it. And I don't know what that is with how corrupt our government is. i don't trust them to be in charge of it either. So I'm not sure what the solution is, but we need change and we need something different. Because this way of doing things where you are paying so much money into this system over your lifetime that you will maybe use once, on average, twice a year, that you then you have to cost that you have to pay into every single month.
00:31:17
Speaker
And then they want to just deny you right away. No, that's wrong. And you need to understand that that is wrong. That is that is robbing. That is robbing you.
00:31:28
Speaker
And then telling you that you're the victim. So if I can just add on a little bit more data to this, Andrew. Yeah, sure. i Because I've i've got chat GPT open. And I was like, hey, tell me the, what was my exact prompt? Give me the bonuses made by the top insurance executives in America last year.
00:31:45
Speaker
So they can't give it to me for 2025 because that data is not there yet. But for 2024, can tell you a bunch of them. So um let's see here. Health insurance CEOs. I'm just going to read you verbatim from ChatGPT. These figures include base salary, cash bonus, or non-equity incentive compensation and stock option awards with bonuses often embedded in the total package.
00:32:06
Speaker
Andrew Witte of United Health Group, $26.3 million dollars total compensation in 2024 with bonus and incentive components contributing significantly to that figure. That's from S&P Global. David Cordani from Cigna, $23.3 million, same thing. Gail Boudreaux from Elevance Health, $20.5 million.
00:32:27
Speaker
Joseph Zubretzky from Molina Healthcare, whatever that is, $21.9 million total compensation in 2024. Sarah London from Centene, $20.6 million dollars total compensation in 2024. Evan Greenberg from Chubb. These are industry analyses of P&C insurance companies, CEO pay.
00:32:48
Speaker
um Evan G. Greenberg from Chubb, $30.1 million. Nickus Papadopoulos, Arch Capital Group, $31.7 million. Thomas Wilson from Allstate, $26.1 million total compensation. Peter Zafino, $24.6 million. Parash Bhai Patel from HCI Group, twenty i mean I could go on. There's there's ah there's a list of of more millionaires making money off of our misery.
00:33:12
Speaker
Off of our misery. of Of people not being able to get the healthcare that they need. of parents dying, of children dying, of of loved ones dying. Not even that they need, that they deserve. Yeah, absolutely. That that that they that they should have.
00:33:27
Speaker
And you know it's it's amazing because, you know like look, yeah, the the Republicans are definitely bad guys on this. Don't get me wrong. But the Democrats aren't exactly good guys.
00:33:39
Speaker
Back to an earlier point I was making. Because so many of them make so much money off of this too. And, ah you know, look, this this is not an I told you so moment. This is not a moment of like, you know, me trying to rub it in people's faces. Right. there is no reason why a program like Medicare for all should not be in place in America right now.
00:33:59
Speaker
There's zero reason. Zero reason. I live in a country where there is that. There is, and it's in fact, in every single European country that you know of,
00:34:10
Speaker
That's how it works. And yeah, you can have private insurance on top of it to make it even better, but there's no reason why there should not be a base level of healthcare care for every single person in and the United States of America. It's it's ah absurd that anyone would think differently. The only reason why you wouldn't think that way is if you had a financial gain to benefit from there not being healthcare care for every single person.
00:34:37
Speaker
in the United States of America. And not just access to healthcare, but actual healthcare. that is That is also evil. There are the big evils that we see around us at at at certain periods of time. Like, you know, we're seeing it right now in what's happening in the Minneapolis and and around Minnesota. We're seeing that.
00:34:54
Speaker
But don't forget about the other evils that are being wreaked out by the elected by the people that we elected and the people that we pay to protect us from these things. They're doing it too.
00:35:05
Speaker
That's also evil. Keeping people from healthcare, care you know like like that guy with the liver transplant, that's evil. That's evil telling him that, you know what? We know that there's something that could save your life right now. And you want to know what? We're not going to let you get it Right.
00:35:21
Speaker
And here's what I'll say in in just kind of wrapping up my portion of this is like, you never see the insurance company go underwater, but you do you do see the hospital close and you do see people lose their jobs there and you do see dilapidated dilapidated hospitals in in the country where there's not huge populations to ah basically pay insurance companies to pay them to stay ah ah open. So just think about that. Next time your small hospital is not able to open for its emergency room for the day or has to divert funds to ah pay for nurses or any of that, the healthcare care industry is struggling.
00:36:03
Speaker
And it's only because of the insurance companies getting richer. Yeah, exactly. I mean, like, you know, It's such a great point. And like, that's what you were saying earlier about like, it's not the healthcare care workers fault. Like, I mean, how many, how many rich nurses do you know?
00:36:17
Speaker
Right. Exactly. i mean How many, how many, you know, rich nurses assistants do you know? How many rich phlebotomists do you know? You know, doctors are one thing. That's something different. And like, you know what too, like they've got a bunch of student loans too, which also, by the way, could have been taken care of by Joe Biden. Just want to point that out to everyone out there listening. But yeah,
00:36:36
Speaker
That stuff doesn't get talked about. you know like It's not their fucking fault. And they are suffering too with this. They're a beholden to the insurance companies too. Because if they don't do you know prescribe the right medication or do the right code, it all could come out of their pocket too. 100%.
00:36:55
Speaker
it It's so infuriating that nothing has been done about private insurance and the way that we have, what did I just say? $1.4 trillion dollars yeah that we can't figure out what to do with that, then give it to fat CEOs. Exactly. And I don't mean i don't mean fat like obese. I mean fat like their pockets. yeah we We don't fat shame on the show and everyone knows that.
00:37:18
Speaker
Um, you know, and for, for people out there who are like, you know, what is it really like to live in a place where there is socialized healthcare? I can tell you. And like, you know, look, I have access to that socialized healthcare that everyone else in this country does. You know, if you, if you, there are like sort of like different benefits that you get if you've lived here for a longer period of time. Sure. Or obviously if you were born here, there's just like different like benefits with this or with that. But, you know, there are some benefits that I definitely reap the were the the rewards of. You know, there is like, for example, a prescription drug card that I have. And it's it's it it's a scheme. You have to sign up for it.
00:37:56
Speaker
um But like that's because we have socialized health care, which means that, you know, there is a list of prescriptions that I don't have to pay for if I ever have to get them. And one of them is PrEP, for example. So that that's the only one that I use this for because I'm i'm back on PrEP as of last year.
00:38:12
Speaker
And like, that's important because if you don't have that, it's extremely expensive over here. Right. Right. So like, that's just one example of that. And also if I need to go to, the if if I didn't have private insurance through my job, I would still be able to avail of the national healthcare here. Does it take longer? Yes. Is it harder to get into a GP?
00:38:32
Speaker
Absolutely. If you had to get a surgery, would you have to wait for it? Yes. Yeah, you definitely would. But are they going to let you die? no they're not going to let you die. They're not going to let you just flounder out there. They're going to find a way to get you the treatment that you need in one way or another. And then on top of it, you can add private healthcare if you want to get better access or this or that or whatever. That's just how the game goes. It's the same way ah in any in any other country where there is socialized healthcare, you can still buy private private private insurance.
00:39:02
Speaker
And that's what I do. My company affords it. It happens for a lot of people. But anyone who's telling you in America that like socialized healthcare care is the worst thing in the world, you don't get anything, they're they're lying to you. And also, these are people who don't travel in the first place. If they do travel, their one trip of the year from America is to like fucking, I don't know, fucking like Cozumel or whatever the fuck. like they're not going anywhere they've never been to ireland they've never been to the uk they've never been to france they don't know what the fuck they're talking about all they're doing is listening to the trash propaganda that is that they're just pumping out about everything else socialized healthcare care is bad socialists are terrible they're all communists bo but it's it's absolute bullshit stop listening to it they don't know what they're talking about so like and they never fucking travel anyway what the fuck do they know
00:39:49
Speaker
um Look, all that stuff, Andrew, leads into, the and the anger that we described, leads into probably the most talked about case about healthcare executives and anger in the past many years. Right. Which is the ah the the Luigi Mangione and the CEO of UnitedHealthcare being killed, Brian Thompson, um in Manhattan in December of 2024.
00:40:13
Speaker
so There's a couple of things to remind us all, right? So this happened in midtown Manhattan. um Luigi Mangione is the one that is accused of doing this, though he has pled not guilty to all charges. That is something to remember.
00:40:27
Speaker
um Happened in December 2024, as I said. um He's facing charges, both federal and New York state charges, including murder and weapons related offenses. um So it makes the whole case just kind of complex because of those multiple jurisdictions. um His defense is attempting to suppress key evidence that they allegedly found in his backpack because they said that it was obtained unlawfully and that he was not read his Miranda rights, which is really interesting stuff to follow right now.
00:40:55
Speaker
There's a question about the death penalty. The federal prosecutors are likely going to seek it. um And, you know, look, I don't have to tell anybody, including you, Andrew, that it's just it sparked a lot of debate um and, you know, where people come down on this and how you react to it and what it means and but blah, blah, blah, blah. um'm tell how How do you feel about this over a year on from it now? What's what's on your mind when you hear anything about this case?
00:41:20
Speaker
I mean, i think that I understand the the frustration of ah of whoever the individual was to go after someone. Do I think it's right? No, I don't. I don't think anyone should try to kill anyone or should be killed for any reason.
00:41:37
Speaker
um and I don't even believe in the death penalty, for God's sakes. Yeah. but like I just think that this this being sparked into the thing that it is now, it's such like ah it's such a high-profile case now. And because we always have access to these things now, I mean, think about the 80s. We weren't watching this shit on TV. We didn't know about yeah yeah And so it's kind of hard to form a really good opinion about it with the way that news organizations can spin a story any which way they want. Yeah, sure. and that And like, I really do feel that thoughts can be bought now. And I think that that's really, really scary. So I don't have I don't have a firm, firm grasp on where I stand with this as it is, because I think that there's also a level of privilege that's being put on to this that I don't really know how to like wrestle with. What do you mean that?
00:42:35
Speaker
Well, if this was a if this was a black or a Muslim guy that did this, he'd already be in jail. He'd already be on death row like this is yeah because this is like a good looking white kid that there's like more behind it, in my opinion. Yeah. um And and and that they and that the Internet got a hold of it.
00:42:52
Speaker
The Internet went wild with it. So now it is high profile case. And so do I think what he did, if he did, i i I'm firmly leaving this with the justice system and hoping that they will do their due diligence and get it right, which I think is maybe the only system that's left that maybe sometimes gets it right. And I'm saying maybe. Yeah, maybe. um And i'm I'm holding it that I hope that things will go in the right direction. i don't think anybody should be killed, but I don't think that he, um if if the story stands, that he should have been denied for healthcare to begin with. And he was probably in a lot of pain and didn't see any way out of it.
00:43:31
Speaker
And so I feel for both sides. I really, really do. um And I don't really know how I would react in that situation if it was me or one of my loved ones. so Yeah.
00:43:41
Speaker
Those are all good points. um You know, ah you you you make a lot of good points there. And, ah you know, you're you're right. Luigi being, you know, ah ah ah let's face it, a really good looking white dude.
00:43:54
Speaker
um You know, that that plays a lot into this. That plays a lot into the heroics of it and why people latched on to him and why he's so... He's so memeable and so stickerable and so like strangely lovable. um you know he He becomes a bit of a folk hero in the way that like Robin Hood does. And and you know i think a lot of people latch on to it because they are in pain.
00:44:20
Speaker
They are in pain and they have been hurt by insurance companies. And they are looking for someone to give them an answer. They're looking for a Batman. out there. And they found a Batman in in Luigi Mangione. Now, like you said, all that being said, it's all alleged right now. And I don't know, there is something interesting about this case, the way the defense is playing it.
00:44:40
Speaker
And yeah I really, i don't know. We're getting kind of into conspiracy stuff here now, but like, Something doesn't add up. Like there is something really bizarre about how all of this was done and how it all gets laid out. And then how he's just found in a McDonald's one day.
00:44:57
Speaker
You know, that doesn't make any fucking sense. Like that none of the none of it makes any sense right now. And then the way that the defense is doing it is really interesting. i i truly wonder if he gets off.
00:45:10
Speaker
if he gets off from this. And i if he does, I'm not going to be surprised. I'm not you know and you know i'm like you. i Look, do am I shedding tears for Brian Thompson? I'll be very honest. No, I'm not. um I don't want to see the man killed.
00:45:24
Speaker
i don't i don't want anyone to be killed just like you. I feel the exact same way about it. But you know i look, there are some obituaries where I'm kind of like, well... well I mean, you get people angry enough. What do you expect?
00:45:38
Speaker
They're going to fucking pissed, man. And they are going to do crazy fucking things. And this isn't about like, hey, we denied your loan for a mortgage.
00:45:49
Speaker
This is we're denying you health care for your life, for your body. Like, it's not like you can't get a house. It's you might die or you might live and you might live in pain for the rest of your life.
00:46:00
Speaker
Well, and unlike, ah you know, a mortgage or something, you've already paid into the system. ah hundred already You've already given them hundred so much money. So like for them to deny you is utter bullshit. Yeah. To deny you for a mortgage because you have bad credit is one thing. To deny you healthcare care and autonomy to your own body, to a a person that you've to a person that you've already given over money to, that's bullshit.
00:46:27
Speaker
Totally different. Totally different. And what's amazing to me still too is like, and yeah luigi we we're kind of done talking about that. It doesn't doesn't even need to be talked about that much. i think I think it's been talked about ad nauseum almost. Yeah. Like it, it, what's amazing are the people that like lick the boots when they hear this shit.
00:46:44
Speaker
You know I mean They're like, hot well, yeah, nobody, everyone should have to pay for it. like I gotta work hard for it. Listen to yourself, man. Like, right do you, it's, it's like the same people who were bitching about student loans being taken away. Like, ah listen to yourself. Remember this. You are always going to be closer to being bankrupt than you are to being a billionaire. Right. That is the truth. Or even to a millionaire, quite frankly. right And trust me, i know that. So like remember this. Remember, you are always going to be closer with the people that you despise at the bottom than you ever will be with the people at the top who despise you all the live long day. You will never be part of their club.
00:47:25
Speaker
They don't want you. In fact, they're doing everything they can to make sure that you never will be a part of their club. So you can lick the boots and you can go out there and give some sound bites about how terrible people are and bubble blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:47:38
Speaker
Just remember one day it's going to happen to you or something will happen to you or to someone that you love. And then you'll get it one day. Then maybe you'll get it one day. Yeah. you You can lick the boots all all the live long day, but all you're going to end up at the end of the day is with a dirty mouth. So there we go. That's a good sound bite right there, Andrew. I'll tell you what.
00:47:56
Speaker
Listen, Andrew, that's 45 minutes of bitching. yeah Wow, I didn't realize we went that long. Sorry. No, don't don't be sorry. Listen, we could go for 45 minutes more people if you really want, but maybe we should end it there.
00:48:08
Speaker
And, um ah you know, look, I will say, because I know that there are definitely people out there that don't have insurance right now that are listening and that are worried about it and that are scared or they've lost their job or on they're on the verge of losing something or someone. I could go on with different scenarios.
00:48:23
Speaker
I'm so sorry that's happened to you. I'm so sorry. I know what that feels like. And I'm i'm saying that from a place of privilege. I get it. But trust me, I know what that feels like. And i i I am hoping with every hope in my body that you get what you need. And I am so sorry that's happening to you right now. And I hope, I don't hope, I know that there's light at the tunnel. It's just going to take a long time to get there.
00:48:45
Speaker
Yeah. And just just remember, you know, all those people that are worried and that are scared is like yeah your access to health care is a basic human right and you deserve it.
00:48:56
Speaker
And you should stand up to all of your politicians who reap the benefit of benefiting insurance companies and tell them 100% that you deserve to at least get to go to the doctor.
00:49:09
Speaker
Amen. so That's a right, not a privilege. I agree. Well, look, folks, that does it for our horror in real life ah segment. And what a horror it was. We're going to take a break there. We'll be right back with What You Been Watching, Bitch.
00:49:25
Speaker
Let's all go to the lobby. Let's all go to the lobby. Let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat.
00:49:36
Speaker
Welcome back. It's that time again for what you've been watching, bitch. What you've been watching, you insurance-denying, claim-denying little fucking bitch.
00:49:48
Speaker
Truly. and This is the part of the segment of the show where we talk about what we've been watching, what we got our eyeballs on these days. So, Matty, tell me, what you've been watching, you little bitch? Yeah, so my first one is 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple. This is the third, that not the third, it's the second. What's wrong with me? It's the second edition or or or entry in the the latest ah trilogy in the 28th century.
00:50:16
Speaker
zombie series um of 28 days, 28 weeks. Now it's 28 years. I was a huge fan of the first 28 years later. um Just, I thought it was a monumental work. Absolutely beautifully done.
00:50:29
Speaker
um i think that ah this one actually tops it if it's possible. I think that what we see here from Ralph Fiennes especially is astounding There is one scene in particular that I'm not going to give away, but it is definitely the scene that steals the entire movie. um it it's It's so incredibly unexpected. It's so bold. It's so ah it's so unique.
00:50:58
Speaker
um it it It really, hopefully, at least, will blow you away in the same way that it did for me. um I think it might be Ralph Fiennes' greatest role he's actually ever played.
00:51:11
Speaker
um there's There's just nothing else like it out there in um in film history and certainly not in horror history. ah the The rest of the film is brutal, as you might imagine. you know at At the end of 28 years later, Spike meets the Teletubbies kids um who are now all grown up and in a cult, basically. um And it continues on from that moment. And the things that Spike has to go through in this latest edition are really pretty wild um and and and sad. you know but Spike is, I forget the actor's name that plays it, but I think he's like 15 years old or something. And he would have been 13 or 14 for the first 28 years.
00:51:54
Speaker
ah it it's It's really beautifully played. And that that actor, that that that kid is just going to be, ah has a phenomenal career ahead of him. ah Truly some really great acting.
00:52:05
Speaker
And um he really makes you believe it in this. Additionally, you also get to find out what happens to um to the infected in this edition, which is pretty cool. And it's pretty wild. And i'm but once again, I'm not going to give it away, but um you you learn some really great insights. So look, I i really can't... um I can't recommend this enough. If you have a chance to go see it in the cinema, you absolutely should. And that's all I have to say about 28 years later, The Bone Temple.
00:52:37
Speaker
Well, that sounds awesome. I cannot wait to see it. My first one is The Long Walk. This is one that I missed over when it came out in September, or October. I can't remember exactly, but um I had just not gotten to the theater. You know, nowadays that you're out of the theater in three weeks. So if you don't get to see it, you don't get to see it. But it's finally on demand. So I went ahead and watched it. For people that don't know, The Long Walk is a based on a Richard Bachman book, which is Stephen King's pseudonym that he went by in the eighty s
00:53:10
Speaker
And apart from The Running Man, a lot of people saw or a lot of people once thought that the Richard a Bachman books were unfilmable. So this is kind of a big feat for The Long Walk. And Long Walk is actually one of my favorite Stephen King books, um if not my favorite um Richard Bachman book, for sure.
00:53:26
Speaker
So I was excited to watch this. um Here's what I'll say. It's very true to the book. um So if you're a book to to to film nerd like I am, you're really going to like that about it. um It's got a great cast. Everyone in it is really good. If you don't know what The Long Walk is about, it's kind of this like futuristic, dystopian place that is the United States.
00:53:49
Speaker
And every year, um these yeah like I think it's 15 to 18 is the age range. They can go out and they just have to out walk each other. um And you have to go at least, I think like 2.5 or three miles an hour. And if you don't, you get a warning. If you get three warnings, you get shot or you get ran over by the by the vehicles that are following you. And um this is all about one kid and then the ah the group of kids that are walking this year.
00:54:15
Speaker
And he's trying to win money for and oh, yeah, and if you win, you get unlimited riches for the rest of your life, anything you could ever want. um And so he wants to win this for him and his mom, who's a single mom. And it's just about them walking and kind of getting to know each other and you know,
00:54:31
Speaker
long the shit happens along the way. um What I'll say about this is I really liked it. um i thought it was nihilistic and brutal and just ah a great job by Mark Hamill as the general. um I think my only complaint about it was that the ending was really abrupt. You're going through like this really long ordeal with these kids and then all of a sudden it's just over. and i mean It is true to the book, kind of, but I don't know. It felt very sudden. and That was the only thing that I can really complain about really but overall great movie great cast the long walk okay now on to my second choice for what you've been watching bitch it is the evil TV series um evil is a one that I came to unfortunately late um because I live in Ireland and guess what we didn't get it until basically right now and so I recently just saw on um on my sky player
00:55:30
Speaker
uh, that it was available. Honestly, didn't even know what it was. I was, I was telling Andrew cause I've been texting Andrew and Michael, um, about it while, while I was watching it, that, um, that, that I was watching it. And I was like, and Andrew was like, yeah, of course we, we watched it too. So you, but Andrew, you probably talked about this before in in a previously what you've been watching bitch. um But look, if you have not seen this yet, I highly recommend it. It's full of really great actors. Katya Herbers plays Dr. Kristen Bouchard, who is this psychologist ah who teams up with Mike Coulter, playing Father David Acosta, and Asif Manvi, playing Ben Shakir. And together, these three are an assessing team for the Catholic Church.
00:56:12
Speaker
That goes out to look at possible demonic possessions and determines if they should get an exorcism or not. The show is four seasons and um i got to tell you, I've absolutely loved it.
00:56:25
Speaker
It's been so much fun to watch. Each episode is sort of like they attack a new monster kind of thing, which is kind of cool. um And it's just been a joy. it's it's It's a hilarious show. And it's also really heartfelt. um ah the heartfelt I said that really weird.
00:56:40
Speaker
um And there there's there's some really great family stuff in this. Katya Herbers, ah she has four daughters in this. And it's it's funny, whenever the daughters are all together, they're all like talking over each other. That's like a thing that they do in literally every episode for all four seasons.
00:56:56
Speaker
um Which is just really cute. Like it's's it's really evident that they spent some good time making synergy with all these people to make it feel like a real family. Andrea Martin is in this as well, who plays sister Andrea, which is kind of funny. And Andrea Martin is literally just gold in anything she does, and she does it again in this. So Andrea Martin is an absolute hit. If you've not watched Evil yet, I would highly recommend it. I can definitely tell you, too, as somebody, you know, i I said earlier in the show um that that i'm i'm i I'm a person of faith. um Not in a weird way. really not, I promise. and i'm and I'm a person of faith more in that I like to think about theology and i i have a fond fondness for for thinking about the afterlife. I have some specific religious beliefs, but mostly I like to drink wine and and hang out with people. um but But beyond that, like, it's um it's it's a show that's helped me kind of wrestle with some things that I've been thinking about a lot lately. So, look, it's a great show. I highly recommend it And also, Michael Emerson as Leland Townsend is probably one of the best villains ever. So really, really great show.
00:58:04
Speaker
Ah, yes, Evil. I remember watching that show and really liking it. So I'm glad that you liked it. My next one is the Toxic Avenger. This is the new Toxic Avenger.
00:58:16
Speaker
So um this is with Peter Dinklage and Kevin Bacon and a bunch of people. There's a bunch of people in this movie that you see pop up. um And it's all about Peter Dinklage plays a janitor at a at a chemical factory. And he gets caught up in this heist one night and he gets tossed into toxic waste that turns him into the toxic Avenger.
00:58:41
Speaker
And um this is really fun. You can tell. i don't know why this didn't go bigger. I know it went to the like film festivals, but it didn't really make a splash anywhere. And now it just randomly showed up on Hulu. So I guess if you have Disney Plus, you could probably watch this too.
00:58:56
Speaker
um because it is a lot of fun and the special effects are goofy it's bloody it's gory it's ridiculous it's funny um and so yeah i had a lot of fun with it i thought it was a nice little refreshing like sunday afternoon movie where you just want to have a little bit of fun um and so yeah that's that's the toxic avenger which you can watch like i said on hulu or disney plus i'm assuming My third ah entry for what you've been watching, bitch, is Nomadland. This is not new. In fact, I probably talked about it before. ah But Nomadland is one that I actually bought over the holidays um because i just wanted to have it. And um in some strange ways, Nomadland is a Christmas movie. I need to think about that more, but it is.
00:59:44
Speaker
Anyways, Nomadland stars Frances McDormand. It won a ah slew of Oscars in 2021, believe. um and um And for all the right reasons. This is a really beautiful movie. There's not a whole lot of a plot here. It's centered around Frances McDormand's character who is named Fern. Fern lives in Empire, Nevada, where there is a quartzite mine that had been there for a long time where basically the entire town worked.
01:00:11
Speaker
And when the quartzite mine closed down, it was only about a year until the zip code for Empire for empire Nevada was was discontinued because everyone left and it became a ghost town.
01:00:24
Speaker
It's a story of a lot of America that we don't talk about nearly enough. And um this story goes on from there with ah Fern putting some stuff into storage and then getting a van and going off to be a nomad.
01:00:37
Speaker
And she learns how to do it along the way. She meets a a wild, not not super wild, but you know ah ah I shouldn't say wild. it's ah It's a lovely, colorful cast of characters that she meets on the road.
01:00:50
Speaker
um Who she's meeting people. is is people ah She's meeting Americans. And a lot of them are people who had no other choice but to turn to a life of being a nomad.
01:01:04
Speaker
They don't have enough money for a house. They don't have any savings. They don't have this. They don't have that. They don't have family that they can go stay with or friends or whatever. And so they choose this life. And it's pretty remarkable to see um how happy they can be.
01:01:21
Speaker
And you know one and thing that's really cool about the movie, if you've never seen it before, is that Chloe Zhao, who directed it, who also directed Hamnet, which came out this year, um k Chloe Zhao uses real people um for those nomads. And so you've got actors and, you know, just sort of everyday real people mixing together for this. um creating some really beautiful synergy and and ah ah a gorgeous story but that that, like I said, doesn't have a lot of plot, but has an awful lot of heart.
01:01:51
Speaker
I think it's also really important to rewatch, especially now, because um look, I think this is probably the future for a lot of people. I think that we are on the verge, it doesn't matter where you are, but if you're in Ireland, if you're in America, if you're in the u k Europe, whatever,
01:02:05
Speaker
ah We're on the verge of some real economic realities that are going to be hard for a lot of people. I think that ai this is not a surprise to anybody, AI is going to take jobs. It's not going to take people, it's going to take jobs. The current roles that many of us are in those roles are likely to not exist in two, three, four, five years. um That's something that we need to really think about.
01:02:29
Speaker
Are we ready for those things? what What recourse do we have when they go away? No one ever thinks it will happen to them. No one starts their life going, hmm, I'm going to be a nomad, or at least very few people do. Most people start their real adult lives thinking, I'm going to have a house, I'm going to get married, I want to have kids, I want to have enough money to live, blah, blah, blah, blah.
01:02:51
Speaker
It's not the reality for a lot of people. So I think this is a really gorgeous exploration of that. And if you've not seen it, you should. Nomadland. ah Yeah, i missed I missed that one. um So I'll have to go back and give it a watch because it sounds really interesting.
01:03:07
Speaker
My next one is called Shell. Now, Shell, um another star-studded cast, um it's it's got like a ton of people in it. um But the best way I can describe it um is kind of the b version of... um of the substance. So just think about that. like It's similar plot. um Elizabeth Moss plays this washed-up actress who's trying to get her her ah her groove back, if you will, and she kind of gets in cahoots with this company, and Kate Hudson is the leader of the company. It's a beauty company, and you kind and and you'd kind of just go from there. But apart from Kate Hudson and Elizabeth Moss, um Kaya Gerber's in this movie, Elizabeth Berkley, Dustin Milligan, so pretty good cast. And it follows...
01:03:57
Speaker
and i I think what I remember correctly is you inject something from Kate Hudson in your body and you you become the best version of yourself. It's different than the substance, though, and you don't turn into a different person. You just turn into the best version of yourself. So you're still inside your body and you don't have to do the switch or anything like that in the substance.
01:04:16
Speaker
And so um it follows her kind of going down this path and um there might be some side effects to this treatment. And some crazy shit starts to happen and she has to track down Kate Hudson to find out what's going on and whatnot. So that's kind of the the main thing there. i don't want to give too much away, but <unk>m I'm not going to say that this is a good movie, but it's an entertaining movie because it's just so over the top. Like if you thought the ah ending of The Substance was crazy, this is crazy in a completely different way. I don't want to give anything away.
01:04:52
Speaker
But definitely, um if you're looking for something a little more lighthearted, I thought this was going to be really serious, but it ended up being like total B movie. Like if the substance was a lifetime movie, that's shell. So if that sounds like something up your alley, then definitely check it out. But if that sounds like something that's going to annoy you, then maybe just pass this one by. It's kind of a middle of the road for me when it comes to recommendations. But For pure, just unadulterated, just ridiculousness and fun, um i i can recommend Shell, but it's going to be kind of a mixed bag, I think, for most people.
01:05:26
Speaker
My final entry is actually a concert that I went to, a small gig. And it's a show called Breathe, the Pink Floyd Experience. This is a Pink Floyd tribute band that tours around the UK and Ireland. They were in Dublin last weekend um at the Academy on the north side and um bought some tickets. And they were probably about 35, 40 euros, somewhere in there. I'm a big Pink Floyd fan. um I've seen Roger Waters a few times.
01:05:55
Speaker
Really incredible stuff. If you ever get a chance to see um you know a show like this in person, it's ah it's a lot of fun. um The Academy is a smaller venue. And um it was it was a great show. you know These are guys that ah that have clearly been pain playing Pink Floyd's music for a long time. So they have it down pat. They know what they're doing. um They know how to sing it. They know how to play it. The the background singers, those ladies were absolutely off the chain. Incredible. um Two things that annoyed me about this show I will tell you about. um This is why I wanted to tell it. It's just because it just thinking about the world today and how people are is just so strange sometimes. But the first thing is that, ah you know, this was not a sold out show. When I got there, as I always do, about an hour early, got my spot.
01:06:42
Speaker
staked it out, all good to go, man. And, you know, the the crowd is full of people that are, you know, in the vibe for Pink Floyd. We're here to chill out, dude. You know, we're not here to, you know, go insane. And um there were these two ladies that weren't on that vibe, man. And like, like near the end of the show,
01:06:59
Speaker
bumped through a bunch of people and bumped around me and like got literally right in front of me, although they could have stood in many other places and just got out their phones and they're taking videos the whole time. And that one of them is leaning into me and they're steal they're spilling their drinks. It was just, it was, the it was gross.
01:07:19
Speaker
Please don't be those people. The other thing is that when I was getting my coat at the cloakroom, there were a few people who just were jerks. And they said something really, really quite racist to the um to the guy that was managing the cloakroom. And and he he this guy's black.
01:07:39
Speaker
A young guy, you know, ah and these adults just said something really fucking stupid to him. And, you know, it it was such a bizarre experience. I i hardly even knew what to do.
01:07:53
Speaker
And I just stood there and I looked at them and I just shook my head. And these people just went, oh, well, got to go. Not everyone can take a joke. And I was just thinking, how could you be so mean?
01:08:06
Speaker
How could you be so mean? And so, you know, once I got my um i got my coat from your man and i and I just said, you know what, dude, I'm so sorry that happened. like you're You're such a nice guy. And he had been really nice to me earlier in the night.
01:08:18
Speaker
Such a nice guy. You don't deserve that. I'm i'm terribly sorry. And you know he and he he he was thankful for that. um But it was a ah sad experience. And um I don't know. I don't even know why I'm talking about it. it's just um It's just gross, some of the things that are happening in the world and how people feel so empowered to say and do really stupid things.
01:08:39
Speaker
So I don't know. There's that. Oh, well, not that sucks that that and that had to happen to you, but i'm I'm glad you got to go to the show. um My final one is the Black Phone 2. So The Black Phone 2 is a continuation of The Black Phone, obviously, and it follows our our main characters as they kind of are dealing with the um outcomes of the first movie and kind of dealing with ah what happened there and and whatnot.
01:09:07
Speaker
And so it picks up um pretty much like a year later, I think. And it's following our main kid and he's starting and then his sister and his sister starting to have visions of this place. um It's like a camp and they they end up going to try to find it because they're starting to have nightmares about the grabber.
01:09:25
Speaker
And if you remember correctly, at the end of the first movie, sorry, minor spoilers for the first Black Phone, but we reviewed it on the show, so i don't care, um is that the grabber was dead at the end. So how does he get incorporated into this movie? It's a little more like Freddy Krueger, Nightmare on Elm Street situation where He is kind of a supernatural force and they have to figure out how to vanquish him. um ah the things that The things that I liked about this movie, I liked the atmosphere and I liked when they did like all of the special effects where ah you can't see the grabber, but he's doing stuff to the characters. I thought that was all done really well. And overall, it pretty fun movie. i don't think it's like the best movie. And honestly, we probably didn't even need the sequel, but I had fun with it. There's a little homage to Curtains in it, which we watched on the show, which was a fun little homage.
01:10:15
Speaker
um But overall, i'm a little too ah religious for me because a lot of it has to do with the religion and and how to how to you know pray the grabber away, I guess, if you will. So Overall, pretty fun. Is it a movie I'm going to return to a lot?
01:10:33
Speaker
No, probably not. But Black Phone 2. Well, folks, that does it for what you've been watching, bitch. Stay tuned. We'll be right back with our first movie of this episode, Macabre.
01:10:51
Speaker
Your attention, please. During every suspenseful moment of the running of the motion picture macabre, The life of everyone in this theater will be insured by Lloyds of London for $1,000 against death by fright.
01:11:05
Speaker
However, even Lloyds of London will not grant coverage for any person with a known heart condition or for suicide by any member of the audience.
01:11:19
Speaker
What has he done, Polly? Tell me. Go on. She's not that... Not yet. That she's in a good big coffin for her.
01:11:33
Speaker
Don't worry about being scared to death. Your errors will collect after you've gone.
01:11:43
Speaker
Where is she? Where is she? I can hear her
Introduction to 'Macabre' and Audience Recommendations
01:11:47
Speaker
breathing! Where is she? Bring someone with you to see this motion picture. You'll want some live hands to hold during the performance.
01:11:57
Speaker
And you won't want to go home alone after it's finished, if you're able to go home.
01:12:15
Speaker
And we won't worry about your telling anybody the ending of this picture. because you may not be around tell
01:12:31
Speaker
these are the living members of its cast if you meet any of them in a dark alley we advise you to scream for help if it's not too late to scream
01:12:57
Speaker
Andrew, tell us all about macabre.
Plot Overview: 'Macabre' and Psychological Thrills
01:13:00
Speaker
get ready for a veryy mccore story andrew tell us all about maccore So terrifying, we ensure you.
01:13:09
Speaker
A small town doctor receives a chilling phone call claiming his young daughter has been kidnapped and buried alive with only hours of of air remaining. As he races against time through hospitals, cemeteries, and other grim locations, Disturbing secrets about his past and family relationships resurface, revealing a calculated psychological game rather than a straightforward crime. This is directed by William Castle, written by Rob White based on the novel The Marble Forest, written by under the pseudonym Theo Durant.
01:13:41
Speaker
Production distribution were handled by William Castle Productions and Susina Associates, and distributor was Allied Artists um Pictures. ah the The main cast here is Dr. Rodney Barrett, played by William Price, um Police Chief tim r Jim Tillow, played by Jim Backus, Nancy Weatherby played by Christine White, Polly Barron played by Jacqueline Scott, and Sylvia Stevenson played by Susan Morrow. This is not rated, it came in at 73 minutes. It was released in March of 1958 with locations in and around California, and the budget was between $80,000 and $150,000, and it brought in $5 million, dollars mostly on the marketing from William Castle, which we'll get into in a little bit here.
01:14:25
Speaker
um this was a first time watch for me i'm not sure about you oh yeah please tell me what you thought on first glance of macabre yeah you know so when we when we do these episodes we we always have a worksheet that we work off of and we we have like you know what our rating is and information about the movie and and then a section that we call main takeaways and and so we we can read each other's and i forgot to put mine in there before before we i did it for the other movie but not for this one um but looking at andrews um which i won't give away right now but Kind of the same, to be honest. um like i so i mean I know about the William Castle kind of schtick, right? so like
01:15:04
Speaker
So when you would go to the theater, like all these crazy things would happen. And also, like they're like it's sort of like the exorcist effect, like telling people how terrifying it is and that like people are passing out and people are going to the hospital
William Castle's Marketing Innovations
01:15:17
Speaker
after. And don't tell people how the movie ended. Let them find out for themselves. So no one's to talk about it out there. Like it's brilliant marketing stuff. The thing that I was surprised about in this one though is that it wasn't really like jumpy or scary. It was actually sort of just like a mystery to me. Yeah, because well, if the the last one that we watched from William Castle was the House on Haunted Hill, which actually does have some pretty scary parts. Absolutely. For sure.
01:15:43
Speaker
I had an expectation going into this one a little bit. i I did too. And especially with the title, I was like, and like ah like the little bit that I knew about it, like graveyards and this thing and that thing, whatever. I just thought that there would be like, I don't know, fucking like skeletons jumping out or some shit. I don't fucking know. um And the fact that there wasn't, it wasn't that it was bad. It was just...
01:16:03
Speaker
If I'm being kind of honest, it was just kind of boring to me. And like, it's, it's the actors were fine and the story was was not bad. It was just, I guess maybe it just wasn't because what I was expecting it felt boring. Yeah, it was a little a little more tepid than what I was expecting. Yeah. You know, tepid is a great word for it. And you and I, for this show, watch very few tepid movies about it. And so I think in context of this, like the the tepid nature of it, the tepidatiousness, What a great word is is so much that I was just kind of like, oh, oh, OK. All right. Yeah. So, I mean, in general, that's kind of where I am with it. I mean, where where were you?
01:16:45
Speaker
Yeah. I, I listen, I've seen a lot of William Castle movies. Some of my favorite being a house on haunted Hill and 13 ghosts. Yeah. Sure. um And so like I had an expectation going into this, you know, this is right in his heyday of, of these
Initial Reactions to 'Macabre' and Comparisons
01:17:00
Speaker
movies. And so I was, I was kind of excited that I was like, oh gosh, a William Castle movie that I've never seen before. This is going to be fun. And you know, all his movies are just over an hour. So they're really easy to just like jump in and jump out and, you know, have a good time. And I still did have a good time. yeah i think I just think that like when the marketing for this, and this is why we picked it for insurance, is that back in the day, um he famously insured every audience member with $1,000 through Lloyd's of London um if anyone died of
Impact of Castle's Marketing on Film Success
01:17:31
Speaker
fright in the theater. So I was like, oh, this is going to be this is going to be spooky.
01:17:35
Speaker
um And apart from a couple like little things, like i I will say there's a there's a reveal of ah of a doll later in the movie that that was kind of freaked me out a little bit because I didn't know what was happening. but um And then ah you know there's one part where a hand comes out and grabs ah the actor.
01:17:53
Speaker
i' I'm going to be honest with you. I got these characters mixed up a lot. And so it's going to be a little hard for me to name them. but's It's the same. Yeah. um And so there's that part when it just turns out to be William Price, which I was so funny because when he showed up on screen, I was like, is that Vincent Price? And I was like, oh, no, it's his dad. Okay. So, um and so like i like, but like, by the end of it, after I like settled into my little bit out of my expectations, and we're settling into the movie and kind of got to the end and kind of got to the twist of the end, i ended up being like, you know what, I still liked it.
01:18:28
Speaker
I still enjoyed myself watching the movie. But yeah like you, i kind of was like, are we small and Am I missing something? Because there's there's a lot of parts in the movie where they're shining a flashlight like into the graveyard. yeah And i kept I kept waiting for the scare. like I kept waiting for some like either like a groundskeeper to be there or like ah a skeleton or like something.
01:18:50
Speaker
and it just never happened. And so I was like, um, that's that, that's
Character Motivations in 'Macabre'
01:18:54
Speaker
just it man. It's like, or like when they were going to open, when they were going to open all the caskets, like I was expecting some, some sort of jump or like a bat or a cat or something. And it just never happened. So I was like, what's, what is the, what is the point of this? And until the end, um, when everything is revealed, I was getting really frustrated with the main character because I was like, why are you not more, ah concerned or were like, why are you not more like,
01:19:21
Speaker
ah it infuriated or in like energized or what because he was just so blasé about his own daughter being in put in a casket yeah and potentially dying. and it's and it's not And the stakes are huge because it it's the daughter of his wife who died in childbirth. So this child should be like the most important thing to him. And, you know, even though he was having an affair with Sylvia on the side, um even if it was just an emotional affair, it obviously was leading to more um while his wife was laid up in bed. Yeah.
01:19:57
Speaker
don't know, there's a lot of layers to it. And like by the end, I got like, you know, you get it because the the ending is revealed, which we can talk about after you kind of give your your thoughts. um But I still had fun with it. I still think it the the version I watched actually looked really great. I think I watched mine on Amazon. I watched mine ah i watch mine on YouTube.
01:20:18
Speaker
Yeah. And it looked really good. And so I was like, I was happy with that because, you know, once you get, once you get before 1960, sometimes you're, you're, you're, you're throwing the dice with how good the film quality is going to be. Um, and so I was happy to see that it was a nice transfer and I could, you know, definitely it's, in and its it's black and white still, but you can still see everything. It's very clear. Obviously someone took the time to restore this thing at some point. So,
01:20:41
Speaker
um I had fun with it. had my I had my trepidations about some of the the characters and their and their motivations in the movie um but that we can get into. but overall, I still had a fun time
'Macabre' Reviews and Differing Opinions
01:20:53
Speaker
with it. Yeah, I mean, you know, and and a couple of interesting things about it, um and this is just straight off the internet, of course, writing for Famous Monsters in 1962, Joe Dante included Macabre among his worst horror films list. Oh, wow. Dante described the film as admittedly offbeat, but tasteless horror tale that was too grim for real punch, which is kind of an interesting way to think about it. because I definitely don't feel that way. i don't either.
01:21:20
Speaker
I mean, like, okay, is it going to be in my best horror films list? No. Absolutely not. Is it in my worst? No. Is it definitely in my like, if I'm being honest, I kind of don't really care about it.
01:21:31
Speaker
Like it's it's in that list. If I'm being real, which is which is fine. That's not that's not the worst place to be. And also who cares about what I have to say, frankly. um A couple of other things, too. Castle employed a method he called barnstorming, which involved following the film to different markets and promoting it along the way. In addition to the ads at touting the $1,000 insurance policy, methods used for macabre included hiring fake nurses to stand by in the lobby. And and ah hearses outside the theaters, which is hilarious.
01:22:01
Speaker
Castle arrived at the premiere by emerging from a coffin, um which is which bringing this around full circle from our initial conversation, at a Minneapolis theater. He also sealed himself in a coffin like the kidnapped child of the story. The promotions proved successful and macabre grossed as much as $5 million. It made $1 million in its first year alone. um So really pretty pretty crazy stuff.
01:22:26
Speaker
um You know, it's it's one of those movies, too, where like, um oh, by the way, Lloyd's stipulated that its name could not be used on printed marketing materials. which Oh, interesting.
01:22:37
Speaker
um You know, it's ah like, it's it's honestly like such a safe movie. Yeah. Like if I'm being real, like the performance and like the performances are actually not bad at all.
01:22:48
Speaker
You know, especially for, you know, being from 1958, like you would expect there to be like some some more anachronisms in this or just some more like... The only one that... Like awkward acting? The only one I will say is like Polly is a little over the top sometimes. Yeah, of course. Yeah. But even to her, it's not that bad. And like the rest of them are actually all pretty kind of good. So it's like, yeah it's this really interesting little like quote unquote horror movie. Like it's not that horrific. It's a little bit more of like a real crime story. And like the acting is good and like the quality of it is good. It's sort of like a
01:23:22
Speaker
well-made little movie. You know what I mean? like yeah it's It's a real surprise in that way. um yeah I think it would be fun to like watch this in like a William Castle marathon, like putting it in context of other William Castle films just to kind of like see how it feels with that. Like if this was like the, if this was like in the middle of a three film marathon kind of thing, that would be kind of interesting or in the middle of like a four or five film marathon. I would i would kind of enjoy that.
01:23:49
Speaker
um I don't know. Did anything really surprise you about this? Because nothing really surprised me besides like not being not being scared by it at all.
Plot Twist: Doctor's Orchestrated Scare
01:23:58
Speaker
I mean, the the ending did surprise me that it was like, i i kind of had a feeling like the kid was going to be alive. Like that part, I was like...
01:24:05
Speaker
not as surprised about, but who it turned out to be. And, you know, we can, we can give spoilers on this because it's our full review. um But, you know, turning out that it was really just the doctor all along trying to scare William Price to death so that he could collect his money. That was like, that was surprising to me. I'll be honest. Like when that guy shoots him at the end, you're like, wait, what the fuck? It was the funeral guy. And then he goes on his little tirade about like, you made me make this doll and you made me put it in here and you made me steal my own coffin and bury it. Okay. Because,
01:24:35
Speaker
All because he owed him money and stuff. And I was like, you know what? That did surprise me. I didn't think it was the doctor, but it makes sense now that like I've seen the entire movie of why you were not more um anxious to find your daughter buried in a coffin underground. Also, have you considered the therapy, sir? Have you considered that instead of going with these actions? Just saying.
01:24:56
Speaker
Yeah. um And I i did, like because there was a couple moments in the movie where I was like, is it Polly? Like, is it? is that I thought it was going to be Polly. i I started to think it was going to be the sheriff guy, be the police chief, because he was the only one that had, like, um the motive to, like, go after that
Flashbacks and Plot Relevance
01:25:18
Speaker
guy. Yeah. um The one thing in the movie that I didn't quite understand is why we needed the flashbacks to the ah to the blind sister.
01:25:28
Speaker
Because I understand that that's why we're in the graveyard, because she died. That's like why we're going to the funeral at night and whatever. But like did we need her like backstory about how she was a flippant, ah crazy girl who always... wasn't one One theory that i'm that I'm seeing here on the internet is flashbacks and revelations expose Barrett's guilt, particularly his role in a woman's death years earlier and the moral compromises he made to protect himself. Yeah, but that was his that was his wife.
01:25:59
Speaker
The other sister doesn't, I don't know why she, i don't know why we needed to see all that background. However, I am happy that we did because our chauffeur and the guy that comes to the pool very good looking looking good baby. I love it. I love when it's like vintage, good looking. know what I mean? Yes. Oh my God. Uh, yeah.
01:26:18
Speaker
Um, so yeah. Um, I did that was the part of the movie that was just like, I don't really get this. Why we need to see this about the sister. I understand why we need to see the whole story about, um, why he wasn't there when his wife went into, uh, into labor. And then the police chief was by her side when she died. and he blamed, he blames the doctor. and, And, you know, then he gets together with Sylvia and all that stuff. But like, God damn, they had to put a lot of information in the movie to make me get to this point. Because I'll tell you what, the first 10 minutes of this movie, I was l o s t o L-O-S-T. Oh, yeah. For sure.
01:26:56
Speaker
There were so many characters and so much plot in like the first like 10, 15 minutes that I was like, whoa. Yeah, it's it's like there's there's definitely too much going on at the start.
01:27:07
Speaker
Yeah. And like, you know, we add in the added character of the the maid or the caretaker, however you want to explain her role. yeah And I think only reason she's in the movie is because she's the catalyst for telling William Price that his ah granddaughter is missing.
01:27:23
Speaker
um i think that's the only reason she's in the movie is to get him to go to the cemetery to get scared to death. um It is really, really funny, though. Every time that he has like a minor scare, he like holds his heart and you're like, is this the time? Is this the time? like It's like any any minor inconvenience to this character and he could have a heart attack at any moment. I did like, oh, you know what i really liked about this movie? I liked it the end when it was like, hey, bitches, don't spoil this for everybody else. Don't tell people the ending. Because I was like, you know what? We need more of that.
01:27:58
Speaker
We need to be remembered to not go on the internet and spoil literally everything. 100%. and And people who do that especially it' today, like people who do that now, it's like, come on, you know better. You absolutely know better. Stop doing that.
01:28:11
Speaker
Yeah, um I did. I did find it kind of funny that um the blind sister would be in love with the police chief because they are they are not in they are not in each other's league. I'm just going to say that.
01:28:22
Speaker
Not at all. ah he's He's much older than she is like in the movie. um And I don't know, she's like a lovely, like very pretty, blonde, pinup girl. And he's like an old, gravelly police chief. And it just I didn't buy it. I more bought her with the guy that comes to the pool. And like when she's like, come on, take off come get in the pool. And he's like, I don't have my bathing suit. And she's like, do you think I care? Because she's blind. Yeah.
01:28:50
Speaker
But I did think it was funny when he first came in and he's like, you know, one of these days you're going to dive into that pool and there's not going to be any water in it. I was like, why? We should, you know, we should find a way to get the tingler in one of our episodes. Yeah. I really get some more William Castle in here.
01:29:06
Speaker
13 Ghosts is also very good. i i loved her house. I loved her pool. When she got to go, she got to get in the pool on the inside and then swim out to the outside. i was like, that is my dream. Let's go, baby.
01:29:19
Speaker
That is like Chief Palm Springs, like kind of dream. That'd be great. When we're old gays, maybe. Yeah, I think we won't be able to afford it. Yeah, exactly right. We'll be nomads by then. everybody.
01:29:35
Speaker
Um, um, but yeah. And then so like the ultimate ending where we did it for money, i was kind of like, so you put your own daughter in harm's way to collect money that I think you already kind of had because you were already married into the family. So I don't, I don't know some of the, now that I'm thinking about it, some of the,
01:29:57
Speaker
um the things that he does in this movie don't really make a lot of sense. um Yeah. And, you know, ah i am, like, i i haven't read anything about, like, how audiences really reacted to this in the theater. yeah Have you at all? No, not really.
01:30:13
Speaker
i wanted to be To be perfectly honest, I didn't know this movie existed until we started looking up movies about insurance. yeah But I mean, like apparently, like this is like the one that like really got a lot of stuff going. like so This was a really successful... I mean, he did they did make $5 million on this, for God's sake. So like yeah that's a lot of money back then. So this was definitely really successful. But you know I think, like you know, you and I keep saying the same thing, which is like, yeah, it's a good movie, but like...
01:30:39
Speaker
What? Like it's not, you know, it's it it's that's that's what's so surprising about it is that how it even got to be so successful. I don't know. I did have in my notes one part that made me laugh out loud loud um is the part where where Polly is on the phone and she's obviously getting the message about the character being um in the ground or whatever.
Acting Quality in 'Macabre'
01:30:59
Speaker
yeah and And she has her freak out moment. And the one made is like the more like stop like staunch, like doesn't nothing affects her type of character and she's like what is it what's wrong and she goes to Polly is obviously going to faint but she makes no effort to even try to stop her from falling she just lets her fall flat on her face which I thought was funny
01:31:24
Speaker
Oh, my God. I don't know. Do you have anything else to say about this? Because I think that it's just one of those ones that I was like, huh, okay which which ah Which I feel kind of bad about because like i I kind of wish I did. But like like I was saying, it's like, well, it's...
01:31:38
Speaker
kind of a well-made movie. It's not scary. It's not scary at all. And it's a, just kind of a mystery. That's maybe this, maybe this could be like a good, like starter horror for somebody that's being introduced to horror because it's still got like, it's still got like horror elements, but it's not a straight up horror movie.
01:31:55
Speaker
yeah know yeah yeah and like You know? Yeah. And like like I said, I actually, I would love us to like explore more of William Castle in our episodes. And maybe we'll get sure a couple more in there too. Andrew, what did you rate Macabre?
01:32:06
Speaker
I'm going to give Macabre a 4.5. And I'm going to say, it is is it scary as I was promised? No. But I still had fun with this somewhat overcomplicated little mystery. Nice. I gave it a four. And I said, definitely not scary or jumpy in the least, which was surprising. And it got a bit boring, but it's a good piece of horror history.
01:32:25
Speaker
So folks, that does it for Macabre. Stay tuned. We'll be right back with our second film of the episode, In the Mouth of Madness.
01:32:35
Speaker
This one will drive you absolutely mad. The riots began because the stores could not meet the demand of Sutter Cain's novel, In the Mouth of Madness. Cain disappeared two months ago without a trace.
01:32:48
Speaker
The guy that writes horror books. You can forget about Stephen King. Cain outsells them all. I need to know if he's alive or dead, and I need that book.
01:32:59
Speaker
It's a set up. I just have to work on how it's set Kane's writing has been known to have an effect on his readers.
01:33:09
Speaker
See this? It's a map. This whole thing has been staged. You just get out. This is not reality. It's all happening for real, Trent.
01:33:37
Speaker
I don't know this book called
01:33:40
Speaker
next month
01:33:54
Speaker
It's not in the ear. It's not in the nose. But it is in the mouth of madness. Maddie, tell us all about In the Mouth
Introduction to 'In the Mouth of Madness'
01:34:04
Speaker
of Madness. Lived any good books lately?
01:34:07
Speaker
Insurance investigator John Trent is hired to locate missing horror author Sutter Cain, whose novels are driving readers to madness. As Trent travels to the mysterious town of Hobbes Inn, he discovers that Cain's fiction is bleeding into reality, unleashing ancient cosmic forces and questioning whether reality itself can survive the power of belief.
01:34:32
Speaker
In the Mouth of Madness was directed by John Carpenter, written by Michael DeLuca, produced by New Line and distributed by New Line. John Trent, played by Sam Neill. Linda Stiles, played by Julie Carman. Sutter Cain, played by Juergen Prochnow. Jackson Harglow, played by Charlton Heston, who I forgot was in it until I watched this.
01:34:53
Speaker
um Again, for the millionth time. I can't believe I forgot that. And Pickman, played by David Warner. The film is rated R. It's 95 minutes long, made in the USA, ah but filmed in Toronto, Canada, of course. Released December 10th of 1994 with a budget of $8 million, and it only made $9 million, which I was pretty surprised about. um So look, that is In the Mouth of Madness.
Film's Impact and Reality vs. Fiction Themes
01:35:16
Speaker
It's not a first watch for either of us, but Andrew, tell me about how it hit you this time.
01:35:21
Speaker
Well, I will tell you, it's been so long that it did feel like a first watch. Sure. Because I just, I have not seen this movie in forever. i don't, I just hadn't thought about it. um And I was pleasantly surprised because ah this movie is really great. Um, it's, it's, it's trippy. It's, um, it's crazy. It's got a lot of like the major tropes of like an HP Lovecraft film, yeah um, with an added layer of like Stephen King isms.
01:35:50
Speaker
And so like, I mean, what is there not for me to like? I don't know. true it It does get a little confusing and I will say him constantly going between calling Linda, Linda, and then calling her styles really fucked me up. Yeah, because it was like, who is who? Are they the same person? Are they a different person? What's going on here? um And so like I really had to pay attention during this movie. A lot a lot of these movies, you know, you can kind of like look down to take notes or like whatever. And this one I had to really watch because I was confused um until the very ending. And I still don't think I completely understand the ending, but I'm going to try to get there. And I don't know. And this might be one of those movies that you're not supposed to completely understand the ending.
01:36:30
Speaker
um and so yeah i was pleasantly surprised had a lot of fun with it i really liked sam neill in this movie along with everybody else i think julie carmen who plays styles is a little weird in some parts especially her totally agree with that oh my god especially some of her seduction techniques and oh my god on here um but we can talk a little bit more about that after i get your initial thoughts on in the mouth of madness Yeah, so i i have I have a special love for this movie. I can still remember being 12 years old and going to see this in the theater. And I was with my friend Kevin and his mom, and I remember all three of us were just like, what the fuck was that? movie and um her her name her name is Marlies and she was she was sort of like a second mom to me she was she was always very very kind to me um and Kevin and I were really good friends back in the day um and so she would take us to movies all the time and she knew we didn't have a lot of money so she would always like just do nice things for me which is which is really nice um
01:37:28
Speaker
But ah that one, we just all had so much fun. And I remember like, you know, after we were done, we were like, do you see each other over and over again? It was just it was just so funny. But I remember just like, you know, being so young and seeing that, like it leaves an impression on you. And like my mom definitely would have never taken me to see that fucking movie. Yeah. um So it was it was fun and it felt a little bit naughty to see it.
01:37:49
Speaker
And so I think I just always kind of love this movie just for that experience alone, just being so young and watching it when you're not really supposed to. um But, you know, just like you, i i was even thinking on this because I i but it's not been that long since I've seen it, but, i you know, I don't watch it like every year or anything. So it's probably been a good film.
01:38:07
Speaker
four or five years since I've seen it, I would say. um And I was also really surprised with how well it stands up. And like, it it it it ah it really kind of like answers a lot of the crazy bullshit of our own day now. People reading things and it drives them insane if you think about it. Like, or reading anything on social media and believing that it's true and allowing that to become their reality to the point that they go out and do terrible things to each other. Like, this is a movie that everyone should be watching right now because it talks about the time that we're living in right now. Yeah. It might not be about a horror author writing horror novels, but it's certainly about how madness can take hold and how surprisingly in today's world even, the written word still has a really big effect. So you know I think there's just so many things going for this. I think that the soundtrack is really, really good.
01:39:07
Speaker
I think that the filming of it is incredible. I think Sam Neill, this is probably one of his best roles of all time. And, you know, we're talking about another really, really great sort of just like iconic actor. Like ah Sam Neill's been in so many things that so many people love. This was such a fucking just like, ah what's the word I'm looking for? Like like risk for him, for for his career. And he took it and ran with it and played that role to the fucking fullest. so same Same year as Jurassic Park, right? 1994? Well, Park was 93. Oh, okay. But I mean, that that that's a great thing to say is like, you've got somebody who became like, you know, like a family movie hero in, in ah in um what what's his name Jurassic Park? Yeah.
01:39:52
Speaker
doctor oh forget ellie sadler and whatever his fucking name it doesn't matter but you know like he's in this like in one of the biggest like movies that people brought to their kids to in 93 then he's in one of the biggest horror films in 94 the next year you know it's just it's absolutely wild so that's incredible um look charlton heston i've got a lot of things to say about him after being part of the nra but like fucking legendary Charles and Heston, for God's sake. Jürgen Prock now, incredible as Sutter Cain. Linda Stiles is definitely the strange one here. Yeah. she Like, you're you're absolutely right. All the seduction stuff is bizarre.
01:40:31
Speaker
it' ah it It kind of just comes out of literally nowhere. But also, like, there are times, sometimes when I'm like, Does she have a lazy eye? Did you think that too? Yeah, totally. And like, I don't know if she, and like, I'm not making fun of her if she does. I'm really not, not at all. But I was like, wait a minute. Is that, is that real?
01:40:52
Speaker
Or is that not real? i i don't know. um And then just one of those, she's one of those actresses that it, it, and this is going to sound bad, but just go with me on this, is like, she looks dead behind the eyes. Like, she doesn't have like emotion in her face. like i Or at least she doesn't express it that way. I agree with you on this. And so, like, yeah and it's not that she's bad, because, like, for the movie, it kind works.
01:41:18
Speaker
It is just a little bizarre. I'm not going to lie. It's just off-putting. Yeah. it' it's It is strange. In a movie that is so fucked up to begin with. One thing that I... The the the one like thing that I think is... like i just still kind of chuckle about is when... um when the one, when when the one, like, we don't really know who he is. He's like an interviewer, doctor, psychiatrist, somebody. But like in in the initial parts of the movie, when um when John Trent gets brought to the insane asylum. Yeah, I know who you're talking about. yeah And um and he's he's in the cell and you've got the guy who's like like the warden and then you've got the guy who comes to visit it and like assess him in some way.
01:41:55
Speaker
And so when he's being brought over to the cell, he's like, well, did did he ask for anything? And the guy goes, just one thing, a single black crayon. And then and then you go into the room.
01:42:06
Speaker
Motherfucker. Ain't no way one crayon didn't have that entire room. Like, he would have needed a box of fucking crayons for that shit. And that this still makes me laugh so, so hard. Well, and that's the thing, too. is ah It's funny because he draws crosses everywhere. Everywhere. But, but, but.
01:42:23
Speaker
The thing that he is running from or the thing that everyone eventually is running from yeah was birthed out of ah out out of a out of a church. So yeah why would why would crosses protect you? That part freaked me out. here Here's the thing, like ah like like you, so number one, I've seen the movie a lot and i and I really love it. It's one of my favorites. I have such a great time watching it. But like you said earlier on, it is confusing. And like, do I really understand what happens with like the dark church and the pit of monsters and like all this? ah To be honest, no, I really i really don't get that.
01:43:03
Speaker
what's What's interesting to me is that usually that kind of bugs me. I don't need to have an answer for everything, as you all know. like i I don't need to have the answers. But like I do need to have like a a reason kind of thing. yeah and And I don't really know what that is here. But at the same time, it doesn't bother me, which is I think is really interesting just the way that I usually think about movies.
Plot Theories and Sutter Cain's Influence
01:43:25
Speaker
So like it happens and and like we just kind of know monsters. And other than that, it's confusing. I don't really understand why. Do you this away?
01:43:34
Speaker
so here's the way i took it i took it as that sutter kain had become so godlike because um ah he had written books so many books that so many people have read that he was so popular not unlike a stephen king of his time yeah he ta That he tapped into another level of human existence where he had power to make things happen through his writing. sure yeah And that tapped into an alternate universe where the monsters are. And he gave into the power of the monsters, let them into our universe. And now anyone that comes in contact with either a monster or with his writing turns into a monster themselves, thus taking over the world. And it's the end of humanity. That's kind of how I took it.
01:44:19
Speaker
what's i yeah And Sam Neill is just a character in the book who thinks that he has autonomy, but really doesn't. Because anything that he tries to do to prevent the ah to prevent the um manuscript from getting to the publisher is thwarted through the writing in the book. And he doesn't even know that he's doing the things that he's doing. Right. Yeah. And and all of that makes sense to me. And like that that is the way that I would talk about it, too.
01:44:44
Speaker
But like the smaller things of like, well, why is it in a church? I don't know. Yeah. yeah like that's Yeah. I'm like, what's what's going on here? I think I think it's supposed to be exposing that, you know, worship can come from it can it can supersede even even Jesus. you know That's interesting. Yeah. You know, what's what what's great about it is that there could be a ah hundred different theories about this. Yeah. you're And you're not going to be wrong. um And there's just such like delightful, shitty moments in this. like what Good special effects, too. Oh, my God. Yeah. like And one of the things that like still actually disturbs me is when they get to Hobbs End and they go to the hotel. And then like later on, ah clearly, like you know your' your lady down and down at the desk, there's something going on. Duh.
01:45:27
Speaker
And like when when he runs out of there and she's like kicking her husband, who's chained to her with handcuffs, and she just goes, hush. Yeah. i'm just like oh it's like so fucking disturbing it's scary and that character act that that um oh she's so good whatever her name is yeah she's in a ton of stuff in the 90s like 80s 90s like she plays always plays that like quirky little grandma um she's in uh what do you call it she's in uh one of those adam sandler movies and it's oh yeah and it's the one where it's like oh your back hurts well now your fingers are gonna or no your fingers hurt well now your back's gonna hurt because you just pulled landscaping duty grandma happy gilmore i think happy gilmore that's it yeah yeah um but yeah i i think that this movie's a lot of fun like i said i think there are some parts that still did give me the heebie-jeebies like when she When Linda gets out of the car after they kind of get in their car accident and she's walking like crab style.
Eerie Atmosphere and Unsettling Scenes
01:46:25
Speaker
Oh, I hate that shit. And it's on like full display that her head is like upside down and then it turns around. i was like, wow, how did how did they do that? Obviously, it's like a mask or something on like a, what do you call those kind of people that can bend like that?
01:46:40
Speaker
Whatever, like acrobatic people. yeah Yeah. I mean, listen, anyone do a crab walk, I'm going to be freaked out. and And if their heads on backwards, come on, like that's that's not, that's it's not supposed to be that way. So don't do that, please. Thank you. um I think some of the monster design shows a little bit of its age just because it is kind of like waxy and goopy. And, but the good thing about this movie is that it's not on display for very long.
01:47:04
Speaker
So you don't, wait yeah you can't really like, um you can't really like think about it too much because you got to move on really quickly. I mean, the most you see of the monsters is when he is running away from them in the like tube, ah whatever that place is. Or like deck of a sci-fi spaceship. You're yeah're not you're not and you're not entirely sure what it is. That's the kind of stuff that I'm saying where it's like, what? I don't understand that. you know in that In that moment, you know what i thought was going to happen?
01:47:33
Speaker
um I thought, because when Sutter Cain gives in and becomes one with the energy or whatever you want to say, so he tears him he tears himself open like a like paper, like a book. Yeah, sure. i in in in If you remember at the beginning of the movie, he's walking home um one night from work and he kind of sees like a little tear in one of the posters. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought that he was going to go through that and end up being back at that moment when like earlier in the movie.
01:48:02
Speaker
because it's like, it's, that would be kind of cool. And I thought that was how he was going to get back to the city or whatever. but I mean, like speaking of that, like, like, you know, fully come around moment, like when he is in the, in the movie theater, watching it all happen, like watching himself, that is awesome. It's so well done. And like the way he's just laughing about it. It I, I love it. I love it so much. I just, it's, it's such a great scene. It really The only thing, only thing I will say about that ending, because I really do like the ending is that the way that, um John Carpenter edits that part, the the moments in the movie are happening out of context. like They're not in order.
01:48:42
Speaker
And I was like, why wouldn't you just show it and why wouldn't you just show it in order? i never I haven't thought of it. I'm going to have to go back and watch that scene again. I didn't even think about that. Good catch. yeah um my My favorite moment in the movie, though, is where he is on the bus ah you know coming home from Hop's end. And he has a dream where Sutter Cain is sitting next to him. And Sutter Cain simply just says, did I ever tell you my favorite color was blue? And then, um you know, he wakes up and everything has like a blue tint to it. yeah
01:49:13
Speaker
That part, I was like, that's kind of genius. Obviously, it's still it's still a ah dream at that point. But I was like, whoa, that's pretty cool. I like the woman sitting next to him on the bus, too. And she's like, let me tell you about New York. Yeah. Like out of nowhere, you're like, oh okay, sure. The part that I still don't really understand tell me um is the part where he goes back to the publisher and he says to the publisher, like, da-da-da-da-da, you can't publish this book. It's going to make everybody crazy, blah, blah, bla blah. yeah and And the guy's like,
01:49:45
Speaker
Linda? Who's Linda? Stiles? I never knew. and She never existed. And then he says something along the lines of like, maybe she was written out of the final like manuscript or something. Yeah, sure. And then he says to him, oh, you delivered that manuscript months ago.
01:49:59
Speaker
And I was like, wait, what? that that part That part threw me off, I will say. I was just like, I don't really understand. Yeah, it does kind of seem maybe like...
01:50:10
Speaker
It seems maybe like a little too far out there in terms of the plot, to be honest. Like, is this all happening like in a loop? Like, is he in a loop that he can't get out of and he makes different decisions every time in the loop? I mean, that's the stuff that like you're just, you're never going to know from this, which, which, which, you know, back to what we were saying earlier, like you could have a hundred theories about this and none of them are wrong.
01:50:30
Speaker
Yeah, i the the one part that did kind of um give me a little bit of a chill in ah in a different fashion than like monsters and stuff is where he goes to that bar and there's that guy in there talking about how he took the children first and dot da he even took my child. you know My child tried to bite me. And then he ends up, you know, unaliving himself. But, ah you know, ah Sam Neill says to him before he does he he's like, don't do it. It's not worth it. And um the guy just says, i can't help it. He wrote me this way. And I was like, whoa, that's creepy. And speaking of the kids, too, like when they confront her outside of the outside of the church and that ball comes up to her and the girl is just like,
01:51:11
Speaker
Give it. Oh, I hate that. And then she's like, today is, you know what today is? Today's mommy's day. Oh, it' so creepy. Like, why are kids so fucking scary? Why are they scary? And why does, why did they have to tear the leg off of that dog?
01:51:25
Speaker
Gotta eat something. You know what i mean? Get hungry, girl. Oh, and I wanted to get your thoughts on this. So the guy at the beginning, the agent, the guy that first goes crazy and like breaks into their meal and everything. you read Sutter Cain? Yeah. And he has like double pupil or double retina or whatever you to call that. Do you think that that is like Sutter Cain taking over that guy's body? Or is that...
01:51:52
Speaker
Or is that like just a symptom of reading, you know, the the book and going crazy? Andrew, great question. I don't have the answer. But it did tell me a little bit about how The Exorcist TV show got the idea for that in the first place. Oh, yeah.
01:52:07
Speaker
interesting i thought I was like oh that's the exorcist they did that in the exorcist when the demon would go inside of it so I don't know like did you also notice that anytime anyone was um under Sutter Cain's spell their eyes turned blue yeah no I did not Because blue is his favorite color. Oh, Andrew, like you're so good at noticing those things. Yeah.
01:52:29
Speaker
So that was fun. You're good on the details. I'm trying to think if I had anything else in here. um i i do like that i do like the allegory to religion here. i like that he was like, more people believe in my book than the Bible, um which was interesting to think about when we think about pop culture and like what everybody's into and what everybody worships. It's...
Commentary on Popular Culture vs. Religion
01:52:48
Speaker
Very interesting um to kind of put that in how you said earlier in the in the context of modern day living, which is crazy. yeah um And then i did like the other part where he was like, oh, yeah, the movie comes out next month. And he's like, oh, did you know much about this? that This is part of the apocalypse trilogy.
01:53:09
Speaker
ah What is his other ones? So this film is the final entry in John Carpenter's unofficial apocalypse trilogy following The Fang and Prince of Darkness, all of which explore humanity's collapse through different lenses.
01:53:22
Speaker
you could probably be said for that other movie too where he puts on the the so the the glasses. Oh, what's that? Is that They Live? They Live, yeah. They Live, yeah. um I mean, isn't that is kind of like every John Carpenter movie apart from like Halloween? Yeah, I guess. um But i I've never heard it referred to in that way before. as yeah I haven't either actually. It's been a really long time since I've seen Prince of Darkness. So i could think maybe that's why. well Andrew, we could go on and on about this. But what did you rate the film?
Film Rating and Final Thoughts
01:53:50
Speaker
Tell me. I gave In the Moth Madness a six. I think it's a solid movie. I said it's a dream-like experience that feels like a love child of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. It's very trippy and an ending that just sticks with you.
01:54:01
Speaker
I'm the same. I gave it a six. And I said I've loved this movie for since the first time I saw it when I was 12. And I still love it today. Horrific, scary, mind-bending, and a rollercoaster ride. Bold from John Carpenter. And Sam Neill nails it.
01:54:14
Speaker
one of the One of the best 90s horror movies, in my opinion. So good, dude. So good. all right, well, that will do it for what you've been... one no, no, no. That'll do it for what horror in the movies. We'll be right back with my game called Policy Plot Twist.
01:55:05
Speaker
Well, folks, that was episode 157. Hope you enjoyed it and hope you are, um you know, I don't know, looking for the best insurance possible for yourself. um Listen, everybody, as we always round out a show we always run that out with one of Andrew's ah games that he cooks up. This one is called Policy Plot Twist. So, Andrew, tell us about this game.
01:55:27
Speaker
So I'm going to read you the plots of horror movies, but in more like corporate insurance talk. Oh, Jesus. And you have to try to um tell me what the movie is. Okay. All right. Does that make sense? ah here's here's kind of a Here's kind of an easy one to like ease you into it, okay? Okay, sure.
01:55:45
Speaker
Participants are placed to into a high-risk environment with unclear rules, limited exits, and penalties for noncompliance. ah I mean, wait, wait. Say it it say it again.
01:56:00
Speaker
Participants are placed into a high-risk environment with unclear rules, limited exits, and penalties for noncompliance. I mean, this sounds like Cube, quite frankly. It is. It's Cube. I thought I'd give you the easy one first. There we go. Perfect.
01:56:13
Speaker
So you kind of get how the game is, all right? Yeah. yeah Okay. um I have 10. Maybe we'll do like five or six. Okay. um An individual is enrolled in a long-term behavioral modification program involving escalating consequences.
01:56:29
Speaker
Oh my God, this could be so many things. um So an individual is in a behavioral modification ah program. What's the last part of it again? Involving escalating consequences. And I'll add this, and traps.
01:56:41
Speaker
Is this like Saw? Yep, yep, you got it, Saw. This is kind of hard, i'm not going to lie. Well, there's so many horror movies, that's why. um a family relocates to a new property and experiences unanticipated adverse conditions not disclosed at onboarding.
01:56:59
Speaker
The Conjuring. The Amityville Horror, you were close. Oh, fair, but I don't know, that kind of works too, a little bit. Yeah. um And if you think about these in context, these could also all be insurance-like claims. Right. right.
01:57:14
Speaker
um All right. ah Let's do two more. Okay. A patient exhibits symptoms that standard providers are unable or unwilling to address. Okay.
01:57:28
Speaker
This is one of your favorite. The Exorcist? Yeah, you got it. Let's see here. I don't think you know that movie, so i won't do that one. Okay. Okay, how about this one? A wellness retreat fails to disclose that participation may result in permanent harm.
01:57:45
Speaker
Oh, fuck. Oh, shit.
01:57:51
Speaker
shit
01:57:54
Speaker
Say it again. um a wellness retreat fails to disclose that participation may result in permanent harm. And you were about to give me another hint. What was it? You definitely know this movie for sure.
01:58:06
Speaker
A wellness retreat where they don't know what's going to hit them basically. um Fuck, fuck, fuck me.
01:58:14
Speaker
I'm drawing a blank, Andrew. God damn it. What is it? Just tell me. This the plot to Midsommar. Oh. Oh, that's a good one. Damn. Your final one. a sleep-related disorder results in repeated fatal outcomes after insufficient oversight.
01:58:35
Speaker
Sleep-related. Insufficient outcomes. They're not getting better. Sleep. So that maybe it's like a sleep thing. They're trying to sleep. um Is it Nightmare on Elm Street? You're correct. One, two Freddy coming for you. oh my God, Jesus. who These are like, they're like heart pounding trying to get them right. My God almighty. Well, it's it's it's made to be that way. So you did a great job though. You only got a couple wrong.
01:59:01
Speaker
Thanks, Andrew. Yay. Good game as always. Well, listen yeah, that will do it. Oh, but you go ahead. Take it away. You know what? I love that we're both ready to tell our people how they can support us, Andrew. You know what I mean? Because listen, um we continue to be an independent podcast and we are very proud of that. Used be on a network. Not anymore. So guess what?
01:59:20
Speaker
That means that we rely on your support to keep it going. And you can support us really easily in a few ways. Number one, you're doing it right now just by listening. Thank you very much. Tell some people about it. But number two, if you want to go a step further, you can do it really easily. Just go to our website, www.frygay13.com slash support.
Support for Independent Podcast
01:59:40
Speaker
You will find links there for merch and links for our Patreon where literally it's a dollar a month. we don't We don't even want you to do the other levels. like Just do a dollar a month. That's all that we need. And that gives us money to break even on the show with renting movies, getting equipment, all that kind of stuff. um So if you feel like you can handle that this year, 12 bucks a year, why not? We might be your and cheapest subscription ever.
02:00:02
Speaker
And honestly, like, if you can't do it, that's totally fine. Totally fine. It really is. But if you can, that's only 50 cents an episode for two hours of content that you just absorbed. Girl, I think this one's going to be more than two hours. Yeah, probably.
02:00:18
Speaker
But if you can't, we also welcome you to leave a review on one of the platforms, preferably Apple Podcasts or Spotify because those are the ones that track it. But if you leave if you want to leave a a thing on social media or reach out to us or even email us if you really want, but we rarely look at that, so we might miss it. um But we really, we would really, really, really appreciate a review. It helps us get noticed more. It's been a little while since we've gotten a review. So if you've been putting that off, don't any longer. Yeah. Agreed.
02:00:51
Speaker
So listen, folks, thanks so much for being with us on episode 157. If you've not listened to the other ones, go back and have a listen to some other really great fun ones too. For over eight, eight damn years of doing this, which is just wild. And listen, more than anything else, what Andrew and I hope for you, is that tonight you go out there and you slayed.