This week on *The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast*, Clay and Amanda venture into the shimmer—no, not a drag revue (though that would also be excellent)—but the terrifying alien zone at the center of Alex Garland’s 2018 sci-fi horror epic, *Annihilation*. They unpack the film’s eerie, mind-bending blend of science fiction and psychological terror, its themes of identity and self-destruction, and how grief mutates not just the body, but the mind. With a cast led by Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac (sort of), and unforgettable sequences involving crystal trees, creepy doubles, and *that bear*, *Annihilation* isn’t just a movie—it’s an existential gut-punch wrapped in plant DNA. Clay and Amanda are here to guide you through it like a pair of academic ghost hunters armed with field notes and strong opinions.

Meanwhile, I’m just trying to keep it together. I don’t *do* plants. Never have, never will. They’re sneaky. Too quiet. One minute they’re peacefully photosynthesizing, and the next they’re sprouting human teeth and absorbing your memories. I watched *Annihilation* on a dare, and now every time I pass a hedge I flinch. The ivy on my neighbor’s fence? Suspicious. The succulent on my desk? I swear it moved. So yeah, it’s safe to say this movie wasn’t exactly a comfort watch. If you’re like me—someone who’s suspicious of anything green and doesn’t have a spine—you might want to listen to this one with the lights on and a can of weed killer within arm’s reach. But hey, at least Clay and Amanda are brave enough to face the shimmer so I don’t have to. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to check if my fern is whispering my name again.

And don't forget to head over to patreon.com/thepenskyfile to follow Clay and Amanda down the muddy path of remakes and reboots too!