Hereditary is one of those films that stays with you — and in this episode we dig into exactly why. We start with the party scene that changes everything, and the awful, suffocating quiet that comes after. Then we follow the thread: Annie's desperate need for control, Charlie's strange little rituals, and Joan showing up at just the right moment with just the right amount of sympathy. Spoiler — she's not being kind.

We also get into the small stuff that makes the film so unsettling: the cluck, the flickering blue light, that symbol that keeps turning up where it shouldn't. Peter's slow unravelling is a big part of this one too — there's a classroom scene that's easy to miss but says everything. And once we get to the attic, it all starts to click into place in the most horrible way possible.

The ending is divisive, and we get into why — what it means, how it connects to films like Rosemary's Baby and The Witch, and why the whole thing lands hardest if you read it as a story about a family whose grief was being used against them the entire time.

If you're into horror that actually rewards paying attention, this one's for you. Give us a subscribe, leave some stars, and let us know what you made of that ending — we'll read out our favourites next time.

And if this episode entertained you, unsettled you, or mildly ruined your evening — we'll take that as a win.

Damo & Lily :)

• (00:00) - Cold Open And Sunday Banter
• (00:55) - Why Hereditary And First Reactions
• (02:53) - Recent Horror Watches And Tangents
• (07:46) - Setting The Stage: Family, Grief, Symbols
• (13:10) - Party Night And The Unthinkable Twist
• (18:06) - Shock, Aftermath, And Heavy Grief
• (23:10) - Miniatures, Control, And Family Dynamics
• (29:37) - Joan Appears: Seance And The Door Opens
• (35:12) - Peter Unravels: School Visions And Attacks
• (41:36) - The Cult Revealed And Ancestral Secrets
• (46:20) - Fire, Possession, And The Final Pursuit
• (51:05) - Treehouse Coronation And Interpreting The Ending
• (55:45) - Stupid Decisions Score And How We’d Die
• (01:01:30) - What To Watch Next And Listener Poll
• (01:09:00) - Reviews, Thanks, And Closing

Damo and Lily shake off the New Year cobwebs with Return of the Living Dead — a film that somehow manages to be hilarious, horrifying, and weirdly philosophical all at once. Expect stupid decisions, pain-feeling zombies, punk energy, nuclear fallout, and the eternal horror question: why does everyone always make the absolute worst possible choice?

The new movie is being made! https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31350873/

Damo & Lily :)

The scariest mask isn’t the one with horns. It’s the one that feels possible.

We dive into The Black Phone and its sequel to test a simple claim: horror hits hardest when it stays close to the ground. The first film is a masterclass in tight dread—school, home, a basement—and a villain whose calm menace lingers long after the credits. A disconnected phone that won’t stop ringing, a boy learning to fight back, and Gwen’s visions that blur trauma and second sight: this is horror that respects our nerves.

Then we pivot to Black Phone 2, a sequel with big ideas and bigger moves. The early promise is there—snowbound landscapes, eerie dream-logic, and threads of the Grabber’s past flickering through ghostly footage—but the tone drifts. Instead of claustrophobic terror, we get an ice-rink showdown and lore that over-explains while undercutting risk. When almost no one dies, danger starts to feel optional.

We talk about why spectacle rarely replaces fear, and how a single choice—shifting from human evil to supernatural theatre—changes everything.

Along the way we compare notes with Sinister, call out script choices that dull sharp edges, and map the moments that still deliver genuine unease. We also rank the “stupidity index” for both films, share the blunders that pulled us out of the story, and yes, imagine how each of us would meet our end in both universes. If you care about what makes horror stick—pacing, performance, plausibility, and the power of suggestion—this one’s for you.

Enjoy the breakdown? Follow the show, share it with a horror-loving friend, and leave a review. Your messages help us pick the next film—and your best “how I’d die in a horror” ideas might make the show.

Join Lily and Damien as they dive into the world of horror films with humour, insight, and caffeine. From cult classics to guilty pleasures, they prove there’s no such thing as a bad horror movie.

Damo & Lily :)

• (00:00) - Cold Open And Host Banter
• (02:45) - Introducing The Podcast’s Premise
• (05:10) - Editing Style And Authenticity Chat
• (06:45) - Today’s Focus: Black Phone 1 & 2
• (09:30) - Housekeeping And Listener Plugs
• (12:20) - Why Black Phone 1 Works
• (16:20) - Quick Plot Recaps, With Spoilers
• (22:10) - Ghosts, The Phone, And The Grabber
• (26:30) - Comparing Sinister And The Black Phone
• (30:40) - Where Black Phone 2 Goes Wrong
• (36:20) - Script, Tone, And Language Gripes
• (41:30) - Camp Lore, Wild Bill, And The Ice Finale
• (47:00) - Scares That Land Versus Empty Spectacle
• (51:20) - Blunders In Black Phone 1
• (56:40) - Blunders In Black Phone 2
• (01:02:30) - “How We’d Die” In Each Film
• (01:07:30) - Stupidity Index And Final Verdict
• (01:12:00) - Wrap-Up, Support, And Next Pick Tease