The Steves discuss the 2010 and freshly rereleased All About Evil and enjoy the opportunity to discuss the film with it's writer, director, and co-star, Joshua Grannell!
We also touch on what's making us happy in pop culture today- They/Them on Peacock and X-Men: The Animated Series on Disney+
Movie Discussion Includes
And much more!
To purchase "All About Evil" you can go to
Severin Films or Amazon
To Learn more about Peaches Christ, please visit: https://www.peacheschrist.com/
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
The Steves discuss the 2010 and freshly rereleased All About Evil and enjoy the opportunity to discuss the film with it's writer, director, and co-star, Joshua Grannell!
We also touch on what's making us happy in pop culture today- They/Them on Peacock and X-Men: The Animated Series on Disney+
Movie Discussion Includes
And much more!
To purchase "All About Evil" you can go to
Severin Films or Amazon
To Learn more about Peaches Christ, please visit: https://www.peacheschrist.com/
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
Hello returning happys and new listeners. This is Steve Bennet-Martin, and
Stephen:this is Stephen Martin-Bennet and
Steve:welcome to a lifetime of happiness. The podcast where we take you on our journey through some of the movies shows and other bits of pop culture that are helping to keep us happy while hopefully bring a smile to your face along the way. And
Stephen:today we're celebrating summer by going to camp and watching all of our favorite campy movies with this week, being the comedy slasher 2010 film, all.
Steve:Evil. I can't wait to dive into it more because this isn't just a normal episode of the podcast, is it? It
Stephen:is not because we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing writer, director, and co-star. Peaches Christ also Joshua Grinnell.
Steve:Yes. I'm very excited to share that with our listeners. We're recording in the future where we've already had the amazing interview and I'm just very excited to share it. So yes, stick around for the full episode to get the tea. Yes, 100%. But before we get into all that, my love what's been making you happy lately.
Stephen:So. we've known for a bit that Disney plus was bringing back Xmen the animated series and kind of continuing where it ended in 1997. Yeah. Everyone knows that. Yeah. Well, so I've started doing a rewatch of some of the episodes on Disney plus, and it's so much fun going back to the show from 92 and. Watching, you know, some of the overtop thing over the top things with, you know, storm and meet you at the monorail and Wolverine in as bub. Yeah. And. Oh, yeah. But no lack that. And you know, it, Xmen in the animate series in and of itself is campy. Yes, it is.
Steve:And it, I mean, it's iconic in the way that that's the first impression so many people have of Xmen. Yes. Like, and they're different from the comic books and it doesn't matter, like those are the Xmen to the majority of people of that, especially those that grew up in like, around between the time you did. And at the time I did like, yep. You hear that music and, you know, even Marvel knows to just put those four or five strengths at the end of a show and you have your first mute and yep.
Stephen:oh, that song is so iconic. There, there was a small part of me when we were getting married. That was gonna try to ask you if you wanted to walk down the aisle to the X-Men the animated series song.
Steve:We could do that when we get remarried later on
Stephen:another time we've already been remarried. I know,
Steve:well, we'll have to do it again when we hit like 50 years together or something. Okay.
Stephen:What about you what's been making you happy? Well,
Steve:I was thinking of sticking to the slasher genre because of this week's episode. And we recently watched the new slasher based around the L G T plus community. They then yes.
Stephen:And it has been very divisive online. Yes. You have a lot of people that. Enjoyed it for what it was. Mm-hmm the brilliant acting by people like Kevin bacon and the talented actress that played his wife that we know from true blood and everything. I thought it was very well
Steve:done. Yeah. It made me happy. I went in with low expectations, you know, it's out. Peacock. It was on peacock. And so, like, it wasn't anything that, like, we were going out to the movies and investing, you know, 30, 40 bucks. And like I went and being like, this is something we're gonna watch over a Sunday, brunch on the couch. Yeah. And it was just for what that
Stephen:was. I was really enjoyed it. Yeah. 100%. I
Steve:of course wish that the killer got in the way in the end, but I feel like most people within our community would have to agree. Exactly. yes. And so let's get into it with all about evil. Yeah. Now why are you choosing it for the month of camp?
Stephen:Okay. So you went to New York for about a week in June and I was at home and I had seen people talking about this on Twitter and I was like, you know what? I love horror movies. I love camp. I love drag Queens. I love Natasha Leone. Like this just sounds like it's gonna be good. Mm-hmm so I turned on shutter and I watch. And I was just enthralled. Like, you know, you may, like one of the questions in the outline is how is all about evil campy? It's almost easier to ask how is it all about evil? Not campy.
Steve:Yes, it is definitely a good lesson on what camp is from top Shabb bottom and everything in between it. And because
Stephen:I watched it once and then that same weekend I was. I should watch it again. Yeah. Well, so I've seen it five times now.
Steve:in addition to all those things that you loved about it, that you also, after your first watch through, knew that it also had your Cassandra Peterson. Oh,
Stephen:I love Cassandra Peterson. So if somehow Cassandra Peterson is hearing this podcast, please know of my undying love for you for your character. LVI. And everything like that. And if you felt like reaching out to us, that would be
Steve:lovely. Our emails, happy life, pod, gmail.com.
Stephen:now you watched it because I convinced you to do it for the podcast, but what about it? Did you enjoy?
Steve:I enjoyed how campy it was and also just, I love the idea behind the movie of, you know, Watching a movie and not knowing whether it's real or not. And just that that's a fun idea to play with. And it's a tricky one. I feel like if you take it too seriously. Right. And so I think that they just did it brilliantly. It was like a brilliant way to tackle such like a, a. Crunchy thought.
Stephen:Yeah. Now IMDB says, after inheriting her father's movie theater, a woman begins filming snuff films, which are screened as horror films to great success until a high school student learns that the murders are real. What do you think about that? I think that's a
Steve:pretty good summary. I feel like talk giving, we did the whole movie discussion there and we're done no, I know we're gonna continue on, but I feel like it is a great preview. It lets you know exactly what you're getting into. Before you get into it right
Stephen:now, the film
Steve:itself. Yes. We're gonna get into its interesting backstory a little bit more during our interview, but the film premiered originally on May 1st, 2010 as part of the San Francisco international film festival before touring theaters from July through November,
Stephen:it's now available on shutter and on Blueray from S films and we will put. In the show notes where you can purchase it, because this is one of those things where a you're gonna need this for your campy horror collection, but also the Blueray includes so many things that we actually will go over in the interview. So I won't go over it again right here. Yes.
Steve:And as we mentioned, it's written in directed by Joshua. GRA Granell Grinnell AKA peaches
Stephen:Christ and he studied film at Penn state university where his senior thesis film Ji. Moper a love story about a janitor and adult video store won the audience award at the annual Penn state student film festival Grinnell developed the peaches Christ character during the production of this. Which
Steve:I mean, just not, or I'm in love. no. Well, how would you not have that be a love story. Oh,
Stephen:and it's just one of those things that I've, I've looked it up and I can't fund it anywhere on lock and either. So as Joshua and a, a K peaches made some of these small films, which all about evil started as a small film called grind. That they would premiere at their midnight mass movie showings. And some of the other ones were seasons of the troll, a nightmare on Castro street and whatever happened to peaches
Steve:Christ. Yes. And I love how that, like loving of twisting classic horror films into titles is something that she's stuck with. Oh
Stephen:yeah. And I mean, she even does a live stage show with Bind Lari and jinx monsoon, where they do. One of our favorites death becomes her and they call it drag becomes her. Awesome. Yeah. now the film stars, Natasha Leone, Thomas Decker, Cassandra Peterson, mink stole Noah Segan and jock Donner. It's so many people you can tell that they're just. So much fun. This, you know, we've talked before about you watch cast doing movies and things, and you're like, you can tell they're having a good time with this. Now it's clear that Joshua Grinnell has a deep love and respect for horror films and cinema in general. And we are so honored that he took time out of his extraordinarily busy schedule to speak with us about all, about evil. So let's take a listen to that interview.
We
Stephen:have the unbelievable pleasure of having with us today. Joshua Grinnell, actor writer, producer, director MC extraordinaire, midnight movie Maven co-host of the podcast, midnight mass, and also known as the superstar drag queen and cult leader. Peaches Christ. Welcome Joshua, and thank you so much for joining us on a lifetime of Happiness!.
Joshua Grannell:Thanks for having me pleasure to be here.
Stephen:Now. I discovered all about evil. Thanks to Twitter, going Gaga over its release on shutter in June. So I am admittedly a new fan, but I fell head over heels for it immediately and watched it twice that first weekend. And now in about two months, I have about four viewings down on it and wow. It, it is really just so good. Where did the idea for the original short that was called Grindhouse and all about evil
Joshua Grannell:come. well, I was doing midnight mass at a movie theater called the bridge. A midnight mass was my cult movie event show that I hosted as peaches Christ and every week, you know, for, for a season I would do different cult movie screenings with these big drag show celebrations. What a lot of people didn't know that the reason I was able to do this is peaches Christ is because as Joshua, I was actually running the bridge theater. So I was at the bridge theater a lot, you know, day and night. You know, B both doing shows, but also running the business. And I worked for landmark theaters and I, and I convinced landmark theaters to allow me to do the midnight mass movie event there, way back in 1998. So I had been there for many years when in San Francisco. Single screen movie theaters, such as the, a Hora, the Coronet the old Alexandria and the list goes on and on. We're just shuttering one by one, you know, and we were losing them as multiplexes were popping up in the city before the multiplexes were really kind of in at least in San Francisco and the bay area, they were more relegated to the suburbs. They hadn't really taken over. The city and we, we got two giant multiplexes and that really caused a lot of theaters theaters to close. So the idea was really my own anxiety about the bridge closing. As well, you know, my home, my second home and, and sort of like you created this sort of horror story about what one should go to what length one should go to in order to save, you know, a beloved single screen movie house, and, you know, and that's really where it came from. So it was about gentrification and, and growth and being afraid of change and all those things.
Stephen:Now, Stephen is a great viewpoint character who IDU introduces us to the world of midnight screenings through his enthusiasm. and unfortunately, for a lot of us, our only idea of midnight screenings are when we go to the Rocky horror, midnight shows. And I see all this history of what you've done at the bridge. And then we've, you know, we have Elvira with her midnight screenings back in the day on TV and things. How did your love of movies get you started into hosting? Well,
Joshua Grannell:I was definitely a kid who was obsessed with spooky things, obsessed with horror, really into anything, Mac cob. And I loved movies. I loved horror movies. So that love of theater, haunted houses and haunted attractions. And movies led me to you know, just basically, well, you know, discover Elvira, you know, as a kid and, and kind of become obsessed with that idea of like, wait, she gets to live in this sort of like horror movie world. That's where this character exists is on a red velvet couch, you know, with candle Abras around her. And through my love of Elvira, of course, I was introduced to a lot of those old great movies, especially the price movies. And then. As I got older and I discovered as a Marylander, you know, John Waters at a very young age, it was John Waters. And my, my love of John Waters that led me to discover his idols. One of whom included William castle, you know, the showmen behind such ingenious movie screenings as you know, the Tingler where they would electrocute and vibrate the seats in the audience. And so. That spirit of showmanship is really what I decided to infuse with my drag persona or drag character. And in many ways, I think that's what led me to even be interested in drag other than my, you know, gender issues, because I always was a sissy and, you know, I always felt more fem than masculine, you know, so it was like put all that shit into a you know, into a blender and outs, spits, you know, peaches Christ. And so. The character peaches Christ for all these years has really been centered around either making movies, celebrating movies, or creating something like a movie.
Stephen:And we obviously, our podcast is all about celebrating movies and the things that make us happy. And this month we're doing summer camp. So some of our favorite campy movies and this of course fit in so well with all of that. Now you originally released all about evil in 2010, and you did a road show that was similar to like what you did with the midnight mass at the bridge.
Joshua Grannell:Yes, that's right. And I do wanna apologize to you and the listeners, if you hear people being murdered in the background. I am I'm, I'm usually at home when I do something like this, but I'm actually at the Terra volt right now. And the Terra volt is my immersive. Theatrical haunted attraction at the San Francisco mint and sound carries here. And so even though I'm, I'm further away and I shuttered myself into the wardrobe closet, I can still hear murders taking place off in the distance. So I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. It'll add to the ambiance. No
Stephen:worries. yeah, I, I was actually hoping that, you know, you had Debora back there, you know, filming some new movie.
Joshua Grannell:Oh, can you imagine if like, you know, you just saw Natasha walk up behind me and stab me or something like that would be very all about evil. I would probably shoot in my pants at that point. oh gosh, that would be that's a good, good thing to think about for future promotions of the film. Okay. Yeah, so it, it you're right. The movie was released in 2010 and we did a, a sort of a cross country road show tour with it. That was very kind of a William castle style experience hosted by peaches with different gimmicks and gags. And yeah, it was basically a roadshow version of midnight mass, but instead of me celebrating someone else's movie, we were basically, you know, setting the stage for our own movie. Now
Stephen:after this long, how did this re-release with shutter and Severn films come about.
Joshua Grannell:That was actually the, the catalyst for that was that when the movie was released back in 2010 and it did have this small theatrical through landmark theaters, and it was self distributed on DVD by our producer they sold it to NBC universal. And so it was on TV for a short time on, on NBC universals channel called chiller, which was a hor a horror channel. Yeah. So when chiller disappeared and the DVDs kind of, you know, sold out the run, which was lovely that they did it existed in other countries, which is hilarious, cuz other countries had distribution rights for it. So it was growing in popularity in Germany and Japan, but in north America you could not get it. You know, it was hard to find and it kind of helped build this. Well, I, I didn't love it. Of course, cuz I wanted people to see the movie, you know, I, I look back on it now and I'm like, well it did kind. Help build this sort of mystique around it. And and so I was at the fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in 2019 and Sam Zimmerman, who is the head of shutter the, the, the director creative director. I forget what his title is, but he's the big guy at shutter. Was there and I just walked up to him and I said, hi, I'm you know, Joshua peaches and I love shutter and I really do love shutter. And he said, of course, I know who you are. I saw all about evil at the Los Angeles film festival. In fact, we met back then and I've always loved your movie. And he said, How do, how can I get it? And then that's really what got the ball rolling. And around the same time, maybe a few months later, Severn films reached out and said, we'd really love to do a big splashy Blueray release of all about the evil is that possible? And I said, well, Shutter wants to put it on its streaming service. So would you be interested in kind of working all of us working together and that that's what happened? And then the pandemic came yeah. And so the whole thing was gonna be like a 10 year anniversary thing because 2020 would've been 10 years mm-hmm and I was so bummed and so depressed about, you know, everything related to the pandemic, but especially the. That we would be putting out all about evil but not even really be able to get the special features that we wanted because we wouldn't be able to fly and film people the way we wanted to not be able to do celebratory screenings. You know, that's like the whole point of the movie mm-hmm it was just gonna have to be put out on Blueray and on Shutter without any sort of fanfare. And I, I basically stalled them for two years. And then, and then when it looked like we could have screenings again, we set some dates and it finally happened.
Stephen:So I do love the fact that, you know, you were big in Germany. You're like the David Hasselhoff of
Joshua Grannell:horror. yeah, yeah. Right. Oh God. That's kinda amazing.
Stephen:So there's an amazing cast in this film. Were any of the main actors suggested by the studio or work you were working with? Or did you get to hand pick any of the people? How did that work work?
Joshua Grannell:Yeah, the nice thing was it was an independent film, so it had no studio affiliation. Okay. One of the earliest producers, or I should say the earliest producer to come on board was my friend Darren Stein, who actually had, had heard through me that I was gonna write a feature film version of Grindhouse and Darren had made a film written and directed a film called Jawbreaker. Darren. And I are very much kindred spirits and we were very close friends and Darren said, I wanna produce your first feature. And I said, well, then absolutely. That would be amazing. And then when we went out and found the other producers and the investors, the nice thing was, is I had total creative control. So everything that you see in that movie, For better or worse, you know, the decision all came down to me ultimately which is a real blessing. And I remember at one point John Waters telling me like, that's the dream, like most filmmakers, you know, especially first time directors don't really get that. You know, you're really lucky that it's that independent. And that was lovely. And, and. It was kind of a combination of Darren and I going to people we knew. So I was friends with mink stole and I was friends with Cassandra Peterson through midnight mass. So I knew I wanted to ask them both to be in the movie. So I did that. And Darren had known Thomas Decker who plays Steven. And so Darren and I went to the set of the Terminator TV show that Thomas Thomas was on. And, and that's how I met Thomas. And Darren actually knew Noah Segan. Darren knew Tom Richmond, the director of photography. And so when we got Tom Richmond on and we still didn't have a Debora and Tom asked me flat out who would be your absolute first choice? And I had already suggested this person to the casting director who said it wasn't possible. I said, well, my first choice ultimately would be Natasha Leone. And Tom reminded me that he had shot the movie, the slums of Beverly Hills, which is one of Natasha's big hits, you know, Sundance hits. She was young and it really put her on the map, you know, as a serious young actor. And he just picked up. His cell phone and, and called her up and then handed me the cell phone. And I was talking to Natasha Leone and, you know, I sent her the script and yeah. And, and that's basically how the movie was cast. So it was really, you know, and then a lot of the other parts that I think are so important, like Jack Donner is Mr. Twigs. Oh yeah.
Stephen:So good.
Joshua Grannell:So amazing. Yeah. And that was really, really tough because I knew exactly what I wanted and I'd kind of written it with Angus scrim from the fantasm movies in mind, or, you know, Vincent Price, you know, but by the time, you know, but by the time we got or Burris, Carla or someone, you know, by the time we you know, got to shooting the movie or casting the movie, and I had to have auditions and we auditioned and auditioned and auditioned in LA, but eventually Jack came in and as soon as Jack came in, I said, he's, he's the one. And if you get the Blueray that sever put out, you actually see his audition. It's one in one of the features. And, and same thing with the twins when the twins came in, you know, because originally the twins were blonde in the original script. Mm-hmm They were, they were kind of supposed to be like a, a nod to Carol Anne from Poltergeist or the bred or village of the damned. But guess what? When you audition blonde twins in LA, you don't get spooky. It's scary. You get, you
Stephen:get some porn.
Joshua Grannell:you get the entire Playboy mansion showing up. You.
Stephen:Now I have to give you props for Ashley Fink as Lolita in the movie. We became huge fans of her whenever she was criminally underused on glee. Yes. And so it's so great to see her in this, and I'm like, I want more Ashley Fink in the world. Yeah. So Cassandra Peterson. Yes. One of my favorite people love, love, love, everything. Elvira. I've already read her memoir. It was fantastic. This was interesting casting for Cassandra. Like she's your straight laced mom. There's not really any chewing the scenery by Cassandra and this right. Was that on purpose. And did that appeal to her that it. Different than what she usually gets cast as.
Joshua Grannell:That's funny that you ask, if it specifically, if it appealed to her, most people don't get to the crux of it, which is, let know, I don't think it did appeal to her. Initially I'm not sure that it still appeals to her. I'll say that. But we were, like I said, we were friends and that's someone that I idolized, I mean, just. Absolutely idolized. And the fact that, you know, John Waters or mink stole or Cassandra Peterson are people that I can truly say are friends of mine is still a very surreal thing. I never get used to it. I value their friendships so, so much, but part of being Cassandra's friend of course, is that I, when I met Cassandra. 20 years ago she had a young child, you know, mm-hmm And so part of getting to know Cassandra was as a mother and a mother with a, a, a, a, a secret partner, you know, I got to know Cassandra and Terry very, very early on, and, you know, she had divorced mark her husband. And so I watched her as a friend, you know, be a loving mother and be a concerned mom and be just like a, a normal good. Mom. And so that's how I knew Cassandra and I saw Cassandra as very different much in the same way that I think peaches and Joshua are different. Cassandra and Elvira are the same and they're different. Mm-hmm and I feel like I I'm very much that with peaches and Joshua peaches is a part of me, for sure. I'm not gonna lie. It's not some. Distant character that I, I, I made up, you know, she's from inside me. And I think that's how Elvira is, but there's this other part of me that if you only know me as peaches, you don't see the other side of me. Right. And I got to see the other side of Cassandra. And so when I wrote the script and I was finished, I'm like, oh my God, wouldn't it be funny and ironic to have her play the mother concerned about her son's interest in horror movies, you know, And that was really the, you know, I love, I love gags, you know, and, but I knew she could do it. That was the other thing I knew she could do it. So, and she did. Oh,
Stephen:yes is so good. And especially the nod that we love is when she's in there and she's asking him, well, how old is the woman that you're in love with? And she looks above his head and it's the poster of her. Yeah.
Joshua Grannell:The moon bathing poster. Yeah. Which we, I had to license from her, you know, I mean, she didn't charge us for it, but it was just so funny where it was like, okay, in this scene, the art department needs you to sign this piece of paper saying that we have the right to use your Elvira image, you know? And it's a very meta. Moment and kind of like very me, you know, it's a kind of a sick joke because you know, she's looking at herself above her son's bed, you know, as a total sex pot, mm-hmm you know it's just, you know, it's kind of a weird moment, but then the lovely thing is that's what, you know that in many ways, that's what the movie is. It's like, I love camp. I love winking at the audience, but I also like it when it's, you know, it doesn't have to be always over the top. Mm-hmm you know, I think. People expect me because I'm peaches Christ. You know, they expect the movie to baby be at a level 20, you know, throughout the whole thing. And it's like, no, I actually like a story with, you know, pacing. And some of the comedy can be more of a, you know, a wink or a nod. And I think that's one of those moments, Vita and Vera,
Stephen:like, and we were talking about that and it, you cast twins that are sexy and creepy at the same time, which. Is a hard to find that's hard to find. Yeah. And I do, I definitely do love the whole, that their brunette, like with blonde, you would've had to have just required special effects to have their eyes glow village of the damn style but yes. Where did the inspiration come from? Those characters? Like, did you know it wanted to be twins, like how that, that is fascinating to
Joshua Grannell:me as. I definitely think it's funny because I, I, I really am hugely informed by all the movies I loved as a kid. And sometimes I still will see a movie like to this day. And like, I recently re-watched popcorn, you know, on shutter. And I hadn't seen it in a long time and I was watching it and I was like, oh shit, that's where that came from. And all about evil, you know? Certainly movies that take place in movie theaters were very much informing me. And there's no doubt that the shining and my love of the shining and then my love Poltergeist that, that I kind of created this hybrid between the twins and shining and Carol Anne and Poltergeist more so that than village of the damned or the brew, even though I love that the looks of those kids. And so yeah, when I was writing it, I definitely had this sort of like teenage version of Caroline in my mind. And less on the nose about the shining with brunettes. But ironically, if you, you know, Jayden Nikita who play those parts if, if in the movie we actually gave them American accents, because they're actually the most British girls you could ever imagine. you know, So British and they, you know, they come from Southern England and they have the most posh accents. And, you know if, if I had let them use their British accent, it would've been too much of the shining. Right. So that was one of the things we altered, but they CA when they came in, they used their British accents. Not that they have many lines, you know, the thing that they did. Audition that blew me away though, was something none of the other twins had done. Not only did they give that evil death stare, but they had timed their breathing. So they were completely in movement with each other. So they were moving and breathing in tandem, you know, and it was just, it was chills, you know, and I
Stephen:Bravo on their death. The other people like Adrian, having the headless body drop on him, that ki that very much fit for how Adrian should have died. but for the twins to only allow themselves to be killed by each other is so on point, like you're watching it you're and I'm like, of course that's the only way. Yeah.
Joshua Grannell:Yeah. And you know, honestly, that's one of those moments as a writer where Most couldn't tell you where I was when I wrote such and such a scene. You know, I, I don't remember. And of course it takes a long time to write a feature script and you go through many drafts, but I do remember I was at a coffee shop on Noe street in San Francisco. That's how long ago I wrote the screenplay. I wrote it in coffee shops. You know, who does that anymore? You. So I'm at the coffee shop and I'm, I'm, I'm nearing, you know, the end of the movie and, and, and kind of saving them because I loved them so much. And then I'm like sitting there going. How do I resolve them? You know, like how do I, you know, and then to have peaches say to them, you know, I hope you like jail, cuz you're going away for the rest of your lives. You know, that's their, that's really what tells them like, absolutely not. We're not doing that. We spent our whole childhood in a hospital. We
Stephen:were already locked up for a very long time. Yeah. And you also have now created, I have a Julie Brown trifecta that I love because you're casting of her as Tammy, Denise. Like, she's just such a horrible person, but she plays it so well, I mean, even just that first scene where she's dressed as the wicked witch and you're like, this is not a good person. And you wonder, yeah. You wonder what drew, besides her looks like what drew Devora's father to her,
Joshua Grannell:like. Oh, that's hilarious. Honestly, I have no idea. That is definitely one of those things where as the writer if you've, if you've seen the short film, Grindhouse, you know, Timmy Spence, my friend, Timmy, who plays the principal in all about evil, he actually plays the stepmother in the, the movie Grindhouse, you know, rather deliciously and. And I think when I was making the short of course, because it was a short, it was, it was no budget. And, you know, the camp factor was on high. I played, you know, the, the, the news reporter in that. And and so I basically sketched that character as like the most wicked stepmother and what she really represented was tech gentrification in San Francisco. So I really, I mean, she's dressed in, when I did the feature, I really leaned in, I mean, she is the wicked witch. I mean, it's every, I mean, it's not, it's subtle, it's the opposite of subtle, you know? Yeah. So I don't know why, I don't know why he liked her.
Stephen:And now in the original Walmart was taking over, but it was bed bath and beyond in this one. Ah, yes. Both like to take their spots. I mean, we live in the land of strip malls in Southwest Florida, so we understand bed bath and beyond in Walmart's being everywhere.
Joshua Grannell:Yeah. You know, it's funny that it switched to bed bath and beyond. And I think this is, this is one of those silly little writing things where I hate Walmart so much. and I hate that family so much. And I think they're so disgusting that even in a, in a sort of a A jab type way. I didn't want to give them the benefit of putting their name in my movie. so it's like, I think I just wrote them out because even though it was a critique of who they are, mm-hmm I couldn't even stomach having their name in the movie. Oh no.
Stephen:I like, I have so much respect for that. That'd be like, if I wrote anything, I would never actually put the name of the big orange du.
Joshua Grannell:In anything that I, yeah, and same thing with, with myself, I did one show. It was a, it was a parody of nine to five that Ryan land rewrote. And it was about the big orange turd. Yeah. And how awful he was. And because that's what the show was about. Mm-hmm and he Dabney Coleman character and it all made sense. It does. You know, that worked. Other than that, I don't like a throwaway joke with his name. Mm-hmm I don't like, I don't like to even bring him up in passing unless it's a serious moment. I mm-hmm I don't find it funny. Like we're still, you know, we're still, Ugh, God, in the middle of it serious.
Stephen:We're yeah. We're dealing with all this because everyone thought it was
Joshua Grannell:funny. Yeah. That's exactly right. I mean, and, and that's why, you know, when, when the elect not to totally get off topic, but when the election happened my, I said to my partner, I'm like, I, I think we have to get rid of cable television. Like, you know, I sat and watched CNN, you know, I was a news junkie and I, and I watched as they let this happen, they, they, they, they presented him yeah. In a criti critical light, but it was all for entertainment. It was all it's. Again, his name was in the news every single day. And I agree with you. If, if, if, if the left hadn. Kind of enjoyed him so much as fodder, you know, I don't think he would've gotten nearly as much power as he did. Mm-hmm
Stephen:took us too long to get rid of that. Yeah. So Debora. Yes. Do you believe that her electrocution as a child led to where she was mentally when she snaps on Tammy and like that takes her where she gets to, when she's making these
Joshua Grannell:movie. Yes. And, and, and I know it's super but super bizarre. But it was one of those things where when I was fleshing out the character, I thought to myself you know, something traumatic had to happen to her as a kid in order to justify like mental illness. Is not what causes people to murder. You know, my friends, me, we all have mental illness. Like, you know, so there's no, yeah, like that's not, we don't murder people just because we're mentally ill. Right. So I wanted to put something in there and I love horror mythology. And I, I like going all in or not at all. Like, I love the idea of either a Michael Myers mm-hmm where it. You're evil and it's never explained, you never know why, or it's like a Freddie Kruger where you get this fabulous backstory, you know, and then you find out. And so I think with her, by showing her childhood and showing how evil her stepmother had been consistently, mm-hmm, you know, the worst part about that situation isn't even that she gets electrocuted it's that that woman laughs at her and takes pleasure in it, you know? So. It was like, okay, let's see what could drive a kid to actually murder their parent. And ironically, it's funny that you bring that up because I just watched this Netflix documentary it's in three parts about this kid who murders his father. And I was thinking about Debora because this is a kid who was kidnapped from his mother raised by his father. Totally controlling, totally manipulative, totally abusive. And the whole trial is about the fact that this kid may not have been, you know, Protecting himself in that moment mm-hmm to the degree that they want you to believe it. But the nice thing is, and I don't wanna give a spoiler away, cause this is a real life thing. And you might wanna watch the documentary. It's really interesting. Part of the fun of watching a story like that on real crime is not knowing how it's gonna end, but you know, basically they have to argue, did a lifetime and a childhood of abuse justify the eventual breaking mm-hmm mentally and murdering this person. Right. And that's what that is with NATA or Debora. Yeah. Not.
Stephen:Now be, was it her father's love that kept it dormant for all those years. And when he died, she didn't have that stabilizing influence of her father.
Joshua Grannell:Exactly. I think that she became that wallflower. She became silence. Mm-hmm she learned how to live. I mean, she, she, she went into library science or whatever, and just kind of was like you know, just surviving, just trying to get by. And I think her dad was the only person that ever showed her any love or confidence or. Anything. And so she, you know the idea that that woman would just steamroll over her and her father with, with regard to selling the movie theater was enough to cause her to snap, you know,
Stephen:with, in regards to Steven, if Judy hadn't disappeared, would Steven have stayed ignorant to Deb crimes and just continues as infatuation with her in the.
Joshua Grannell:Ha, I don't know. I mean, I think at some point the. The revelation was going to come. You know, it was about to, it was about to come, right? Yeah. She was gonna kill the audience in front of themselves and film it you know, she'd really lost it at that point. So I guess he would've figured it out when at that point, but yeah, that's a good question. I'm not sure.
Stephen:You know,
Joshua Grannell:speaking of the climax, I mean, when you get to that point where you're planning on murdering your entire audience, you know, if her like plan worked out and went well, what was her next steps? What would you imagine? That's also a good question. Like in my sort of idea of like what would've happened, if Debora got her way mm-hmm you know, I think, you know, what would have occurred is that she would've taken the, that she would've gotten rid of those bodies. Mm-hmm somehow not put in more of them
Stephen:in the
Joshua Grannell:attic. Right, right. Yeah, exactly. She couldn't at that point. Right. So she would've, she would've disposed of the bodies. I guess she would had to have come up with a new way to do that. And and then she would be screening that movie, you know, whatever gore and piece ended up being, I don't know how she would've made it a feature film, but you know, she would've turned it into a feature film and she would've sold that movie to, you know, other cinemas and, you know, be on our way to being a film filmmaker
Stephen:and maybe head over to Europe where like, it would've been a whole group of new people. Or head to tourist heavy areas where like since I lived in Cincinnati and that was very transient, people moved in, people moved out same way with Tampa, Florida, you have so many new people moving in all the time. She would've had great fodder. I was gonna say, do I get the sense that you wish she got away with it? I, I always root for a well written. Like mean? Yeah. Like how many times have I said, I wish that the Sanderson sisters had just killed the little brat. Yeah. Or, you know, yeah. Ursula was misunderstood. Ariel signed a contract. Like
it's
Joshua Grannell:all there. I agree. I agree. I mean, and I even, even, you know, even Dorothy melting that witch, you know, I, I would love to have seen, you know, Margaret Hamilton live to see another. But I'm also as a creator very cliched. And so you know, my stories tend to have a beginning, middle and an end, and they do kind of follow as outrageous as they might be. Like my first movie as a senior in, in college was GI moper, I've always felt set, like, you know, I've always set movies in these insane environments with insane characters. But if you actually get to the core of the storytelling, it's very standard. It's very cliche. And so I think I probably knew all along that she wasn't gonna win. But yes, I, I actually love the idea that she would have J
Stephen:moper I, I read up on this, but even like, no, just the title of the movie. You're like, he works at an adult film store where there's the booth. Yes. That's exactly like, you know, his job as soon as you hear the title of the movie. Yes, that's brilliant.
Joshua Grannell:Yeah.
Stephen:Darling, do you have any final questions for our team guest? Thank
Joshua Grannell:you. It was, it was a pleasure getting to know you better and talk more about this movie, cuz it definitely was one that I'm glad that Steven introduced to. Oh, thank you so much. It means the world to me that like shutter and new people are discovering it. And also shutter and severance specifically, severance did such a beautiful job with the Blueray. It's just so flattering and shutter is just really, you know, like I said, it was on, it was on NBC universals. Sort of failed horror network chiller, not to say anything bad about chiller, but you know, obviously it's not easy to come along and try to do an entire network dedicated to genre. And I love shutter. I'm a huge shutter fan mm-hmm And so between. You know, between severance and shutter, I'm having the best year because I'm also trying to get a new movie made. And so the nice thing is this re reinterest this resurgence and all about evil has gotten all this momentum behind this new movie project. So, you know, it's been lovely, well,
Stephen:very excited for what comes next. I was gonna say, now I'm super excited to find out what comes next. That's amazing. We have our Blueray ordered. I know that you can order it directly from S. There's also the world's largest retailer that has it coming out on August 30th that you can order online from there, but really? Yeah. Oh yeah. That's I didn't know that. That's how I originally found it when I started searching on it. August 30th. They're releasing the summer in Blueray. Okay.
Joshua Grannell:Interesting. Well, good to know. Yeah. I mean, you know, and, and and I will say this about the Blueray Was skeptical, you know, at, at first, because I'm kind of like who collects media anymore, but I'll say this. Yes. I, I I'm fascinated now because it's, it's about the collecting and that Blueray has a book in it. That's the diaries of our tour. Like a little booklet. It has another, it has a audio CD. That's the score of the movie. It has documentaries and I couldn't believe it. It's
Stephen:amazing. Yeah, because we both listened to. Your midnight mass podcast about this. So, right. Like we know that Vince Santi score is in there. So, and after listening to your podcast and going back and we rewatched it again this Saturday before talking to you, that score is really good.
Joshua Grannell:Yeah. It's really wild. It's very unique. It doesn't sound like anything else. Mm-hmm Very purely. And if you listen to the the midnight mass podcast, then you know that, you know, we were two drag sisters who had had a real challenge trying to get that together because I'd never directed a movie before. And he had never scored a movie before. So, you know, thank God we were surrounded by people who knew what they were doing, but there's a purity to the score and, and sort of in the way the movie was made because. So removed from, you know, any sort of Hollywood handhold holding. So, you know, I, I think in a way it's why that, that, that score is so unique and plug for Vince Santos. If you like the Mo the movie score I just saw on his Instagram that, that he'll be touring once again with Bowhouse across north America. So, you know, I just, I love that, like, you know, this goth kid who I was best friends with growing up is now touring with our go God's. Bowhouse.
Stephen:That's fantastic. Yeah. Joshua, thank you so much for joining us. We can't. Thank you enough. This has been absolutely lovely. And we will make sure in all the things to plug everything where we can, but perfect. Thank you so much.
Joshua Grannell:Thank you. And stay in touch. Let me know when the episode comes out. Absolutely. All right. Take care.
Stephen:I could have talked to him forever. You know, it's really special when someone creates a fictional world that you just wanna dive deeper into and know more about. So thank you again, Joshua. And now let's get into the nitty gritty of the movie.
Steve:Yes. In 1984, young Deborah tennis is electrocuted by a microphone during a stage performance at the Victoria theater in San Francisco, which her family owns and operates and she miraculously survives.
Stephen:Yeah. And that day they were doing a kitty matinee of the wizard of Oz. And her stepmother was there as the wicked witch of the
Steve:west. Yeah. So we talked about that a little bit during the interview at the backstory of the character, but yeah, it just is like, so on the nose, like right from the start, you're like, okay, they're self-aware wicked stepmother was sort of Oz. I know exactly what they're like outside of this character. Yeah. And that's what this character is to a T. and I also love how in the show she pees herself which is funny until she gets electric cue. And then I'm like, oh my God. But then she gets this rogue, like white streak in her
Stephen:hair. And I love that. And you know, and you called her Deborah tennis, which is her correct
Steve:name, but after this it's Debora
Stephen:Debora, Denise Yes. I mean, it's just the best name. I love it so much. So 16 years later, the introverted Deborah Debora works as a librarian with Evelyn. Evelyn is played by mink stole and operates her families now decrepit theater, which primarily holds revival, screenings of exploitation and horror films. And Evelyn tries to be that mother figure for her.
Steve:Yes, honey. I know what it's like to feel. No husband, no children, just me and the
Stephen:cats. My father invested everything he had into the Victoria theater. He truly loved the movie experience and above all else. Well, daddy was a showman years of blood, sweat, and tears went into the business. He loved so much the business of show. He never wanted me to be a library. I was to be a great Hollywood actress. Well, I may have disappointed my father in life, but I'm gonna do my absolute best to make him proud. Even in death. It's like daddy always said the show must go on, like clap, clap, clap
Steve:from the beginning. That, that
Stephen:is a lesson in camp. yeah, from the beginning, she's already chewing the scenery with her performance, like Natasha Leone. Of course as the lead has to carry the film, but she does so, so brilliantly.
Steve:Yes. Now with her father, dad, Deborah is under the thumb of her abuse of stepmother, Tammy. When Tammy confronts Debbie one night about selling the theater to bed bath and beyond, so they can tear it down. She flies into an unexpected rage. Invertedly stabs her to death in the lobby, just as a screening is about to. your father knew deep down inside that you were useless. You're one of those plain girls living in the world of the bland. You lack any sort of star quality? Fuck you, mother
Stephen:killer. Mommy. Killer blood. Oh God, mother blood blood. The wicked bitch is dead. star quality.
Steve:yes. And so. fans should be worried for me right now. but thank you. I am okay. That was just a quote from the movie. Yes.
Stephen:Now in a panic Debora rushes to the projection booth to start the film, but inadvertently screens, security footage showing the murder, she just committ.
Steve:Yes. The, the patrons of a theater among them. Teenage film buff, Stephen Thompson, assume the footage to be a short film screen before the main feature are and are impressed by it. Yeah.
Stephen:Mr. Twigs, longtime projectionist to the theater who despise Tammy comes out in Mr. Tennis's red jacket and he is immediately creepy from the moment we meet him, like barely alive. If somebody had told me this was a zombie. I would've expected Mr. Twigs to have been the zombie. Yes. And he starts in with the whole ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Victoria theater. We hope you enjoyed our brand new original, short film introduction. With the passing of Mr. Tennis, we wanted to create something honoring his Victoria Spearman of showmanship. We are here to say to corporate developers, capitalist mothers beware. The Victoria theater is here to stay.
Steve:Oh, speak to me fatty now. Ha, have you ever had that wonder fear of a movie? Like not understanding if it was fiction or real or not real or
Stephen:wondering? So I have two things with this. So one of them was when my babysitter, let me watch Halloween four every day for a month when I was. And reality started to blur and I was pretty sure Michael Myers was real and in the closet, in the woods, outside my house. Yeah. Things like that. But you remember when Blair witch came out? Mm-hmm so one of the TV channels, I don't even remember which one it was now showed a documentary, like thing of. It was called the hunt for the Blair witch or the search for the Blair witch. And they interviewed people in the town where the movie took place and they talked about the legend and everything. And so you're like, you've seen the found footage mm-hmm and now you have a documentary where people are talking about it and you're almost thinking shit, is this real. and we fi we figured out it wasn't, but we convinced my mom that it was real. Yeah. And we let her believe for a while that it was real and she kept going those poor kids' parents. They have to watch their children die. How awful for them? How are we as a society letting. This be screened. mom with all of her empathy. And she got so mad when we finally told her it wasn't real. What about you do have any things like that?
Steve:I would say like, definitely. I remember when I was younger, I was just like convinced if it's a cartoon, it's fake. If it's humans, it's real. Oh. Like I, like, I was like, I watch full house and I'm like, it's so great that this family gets to put together this show every single week. like, I, I, I figured it out by the time I was probably. I don't know, seven or whatever, but like 17, but like for a while. Well, no, that was when I learned that like TV shows can also have things that aren't true in them and like lies and that like, yeah. But I was a little slow to, to realize it, but I did figure it out eventually. Wow. And then like, I mean the whole found footage, just genre when it first started it mm-hmm and like, you had to wonder like H you know, where does the line draw? And it was just really interesting before it got hold real.
Stephen:well, and Blair witch did a really good job of making you think it was real. Yeah. Mr. Twigs helps Deborah HDE Tammy's corpse in the theater's at because Tammy is someone. No one will miss.
Steve:yes, the unhinged Debora commits a second murder with the help of Mr. Twigs. This time of an annoying theater goer named Veronica who refuses to get off her cell phone when interacting with people at the theater and they film the act in the footage Deborah or Debora now acts as a Victorian queen. Twigs tries to kill her with a guillotine.
Stephen:It was the best of times. It was the worst of times off with her head.
Steve:Yes. And Veronica screams about an acid flashback, but the guillotine won't allow her head in. So instead they put her boobs in one at a time and cut them off in a tale of two severed titties. Yep. That was hard to watch.
Stephen:divorce says. And because you used your cell phone during the film, my dear, it truly was the worst of. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Victoria theater, where we kindly ask you to silence your cell phones before the picture begins or else. And nobody's phone goes off for the rest of the night. Yeah. Or
Steve:ever again at that point, because that is like one hell of a trailer. Yeah.
Stephen:I mean, it's better than that one where like, this is illegal. This is annoying.
Steve:Yeah. And so, I mean, they continue to screen the footage of the short films before their main feature. And it shocks the audience. Rightfully so. I mean, it, it is, oh, it's very graphic. Yeah. Soon the Victoria's graphic short film attracts a cult following among them. Steven of course, whose mother Linda who's Elvira, Elvira out of drag.
Stephen:Yep. Begins because Elvira even says, or Cassandra says that Avira is just drag. Yeah.
Steve:I could totally see that. Yeah. She begins to worry about her son's fascination with violent film. Steven becomes infatuated with Debora, heralding her as a pioneering female horror director.
Stephen:Now, what do you think about them? Just stacking bodies in the attic. It
Steve:just, it leads to great visual gags later on in the movie. Yeah,
Stephen:but like,
Steve:logically, I don't think that that's like, I think you would move the bodies, get them away from the theater. Don't just like, leave them on. because it's just, it's a very short
Stephen:term. I wonder if like, be if New York like San Francisco is like New York, if you live in the downtown area, you don't have a car. So twigs and Debora and things don't have access in ways to get. Bodies out of the, like put it in the trunk and take it out to the Redwood forest type of thing. Yeah. True. And I love that they were trying to shove her head into the guillotine and they didn't even fix it. So the guillotine could, the top of it could slide up. Yeah. Put the head in and put it back down. It was locked in place. And Deora was just pissed that I gave you the instructions.
Steve:Yeah. I, it was just very funny, but I mean, the solution's just so twisted. Yeah. And that she, I don't even have breasts and I like am hurt at the idea. I'm still holding my chest to close. Just very sensitive right now.
Stephen:Now, meanwhile, in order to generate new material Debora and Mr. Twigs poses, family members of Veta and Vera two sociopathic twin sisters who were about to be released from a child psych psychiatric hospital for murdering their parents years prior. And they managed to take the girls under their wing.
Steve:Yes. She then encounters a violent Vagrant Adrian, on the streets after he beats an elderly woman with her own cane and also recruits him to assist them in making new films. Now, what do you think of this found family?
Stephen:It's very appropriate found family, like because you know, Steven asks for a job at the theater and she's. no, no, no, sweetie, because she knows that like, he may be a fan. Yeah.
Steve:But he wouldn't be
Stephen:down for, he's not down for the murder and so of course, Debora has to sit them around. Like it's a thing from the godfather and we need to address something before we're moving forward. I'm talking about making movies here. Nobody shall know our trade secret. Remember, there's magic in movies. I learned that from my father, you were entering into a code of conduct here, an artist secret society, and there are rules I am in charge. You will do. As I say, and in return, I will give you a life. Most people, they only dream. This is the business we call show. And I'm your manager, you a publicist, your agent and your director. Otherwise you are on your
Steve:own. Oh, I love it. When you talk, do to me,
Stephen:so. and it just keeps going. Like anybody in Devora's orbit is in danger. Yes,
Steve:exactly. Evelyn comes to the theater, looking for Debora out of concern and bangs on the door, which does not please Debora at all.
Stephen:I was scheduled to work at the library and haven't shown up. I can't go back there. I'm not a librarian anymore. You know, Evelyn doesn't know me at all. How dare she come here and bang on the door? I mean, she was banging, right? Not knocking. She's always so loud. I have work to do Mr. Twigs. I could no longer sell tickets and shovel popcorn. I am not a concessionaire. I am an actress. I am a filmmaker. How dare she? So,
Steve:yeah, she was very extra and I love at all time. Yes. Talk about always M 11, but that's what she was
Stephen:asked to do. Yeah. And so what's funny. Okay. So we recently talked about Showgirls. Yes. And we talked about how I'm the PTSD go on. We talked about how Nomi was not likable. Yeah. What about Debora? Do you find her lik. Yes, I do too. Okay. so it's interesting that they're both playing at an 11 where Natasha of course shows levels with this whole
Steve:thing. I mean, would I wanna be friends with her in real life? No, because I would be dead.
Stephen:Would
Steve:you go see the movies? I don't know. It makes me feel icky thinking about. Maybe not, I would, you would, you're the sick person who watches all the violent shootings on Twitter and stuff? No,
Stephen:I, I do not search out violent shootings. It's whenever there are violent shootings in the country. I feel it is our duty to have seen them so that we are not ignorant of the things that are going on. That's different. Then you touch it's like yourself. I do not. it's not like I'm watching faces of death here. Okay.
Steve:for the record for the record, but under Devora's direction, the group ambush, her librarian, coworker, Evelyn, as she's closing up. The group film as AOR stitches, Evelyn's mouth shut and lock her still alive in the theater attic. Evelyn's torture footage is dubbed the naming of the Shrew. Yeah. Now how many times have you wanted to, so someone's mouth shut were talking during a
Stephen:movie. You know, that, that isn't one of my movie pet peeves. It's probably my only movie pet peeve and I just don't get why you pay$16 a. to come and talk during the film, you can talk after the film, you can talk before the film. You don't need to talk during the film or you and everyone around you are going to miss the film. I honestly think that, you know, she was
Steve:justified
Stephen:to summer mouth shot. Well, so far she's made PSAs about not using your cell phone in the theater and not tur talking during a movie right now. She's a hero.
Steve:True. And do you have a favorite part of her monologue that you'd like to share?
Stephen:And I told you Madam Evelyn to sh perhaps my lady does not understand yield English sh means shut the fuck up, bitch. My movie theater shall be as silent as the library, a managerial promise made to the silence. White thumb movie screens for FFL speech is deemed. You too, shall star in the naming of the Shrew. Yes. So I love that she's using her life as a librarian. Yeah. And her cultured knowledge and everything to add to these films. Like it's not just somebody, you know, sewing somebody's mouth shut, she's got costumes, she's got sets, she's setting it during things. And then there's like pulling in literary works like that's.
Steve:Yeah, sure. Yeah. Yeah. It is art under the general definition, I would imagine. Yeah, but it is also just, it's very creative is what I would say. Okay. I'll give it that. Okay. Now at a new screening, Steven is accompanied by his popular mean girl classmate Claar Kavanaugh who has a blanked out pink crystal cell phone,
Stephen:which they are very clear to show
Steve:us. And it's the real crystals. Yeah. It's. She's rude to the twins. She calls Debora ugly and says if she were naturally pretty, she wouldn't wear all that makeup and that she looks like a drag queen.
Stephen:And she says this while peaches and Mar tiny are behind her.
Steve:Yeah. And during the live introduction to the show, Claire loudly gets up to go pee Debora, stabs, Claire to death in the bathroom, films it with the help of Vida and Vera. And I
Stephen:love it that they did it. It was. The Scarlet leper. Yeah.
Steve:Instead of the Scarlet letter mm-hmm yes. And meanwhile, Evelyn manages to tear open the sutures in her lips because leaving her alive was stupid. In my book, I agreed, killed her. Agreed begins screaming for help from the theater addict only to be, be headed by Mr. Twigs. Steven discovers Claire is missing, but assume she left the theater of her own accord and Adrian, the usher confirms she got in a. oh, well, yeah. I mean, out of all the kills, I'd say Claire had a coming the most, wouldn't you?
Stephen:Yes. 100%. Claire is a bad person. So this is one of those kills where I'm like, I mean, honestly again, Debora good job. Like, I mean, how rude is it that, you know, Jabora is up there introducing our film and Claire not whispering, not like doing an inside. Stands up and is like, I have to get outta here. I have to go pee. Yeah. And like, so, and she called her ugly, which the twins heard. So. She had it coming. She had it coming.
Steve:Yes. Now, when Steven is accused of causing Claire's disappearance, he becomes suspicious about Debora and the goings on at the Victoria. Ooh, Steven's friend, Judy visits, a theater to interview Debora for their school, newspaper, but attempts to leave after finding Claire's bloody cell phone. Oh, she has ACCO by Debora, Vita, Vera, Adrian and Mr. Twigs and is bound and gagged and locked in the attic.
Stephen:Okay. So. One of the things I loved about this scene. So we recently watched reefer madness and there's the scene at the end where they're all seeing the dead high school kids come back. And there's the scene where Sally is being overwhelmed by the dead zombie kids. And they're coming in on top of her. And this felt very similar to that where Judy is back against a wall and crouching. And the other people are coming around her and the shot is like them abs like hun hunkering down on top her. And so that was just something that like visually called to me.
Steve:Yeah. And that's when Steven starts suspecting that Devora has caused Judy's disappearance, the, the police dismiss his claims when she accuses him of being an obsessed. The bar. I taught Steven by informing him that she is shooting her debut feature of film, which she has just started casting.
Stephen:Now Judy is missing. And that's what sends Steven over the edge. Do you think that if it, if he had gone to her about Claire and not Judy, like if, if this hadn't happened with Judy, would he have just.
Steve:ignored it. I think there would've been more of a chance. I mean, he probably still would've pressed her for information, but I feel like if she came clean and said, like told him the whole truth, maybe he would come around to it. Cuz like she could, she might like try and play it. Like it's only the really bad people. Yeah. And like hope she could sway him. She'd have more of a chance, but once she kills his friend it's over.
Stephen:Yeah. And so I love the scene with Debora. Whenever the police shows up with Steven. At the homeless soup matinee. And she's like, did Steven bring you here, officer? This kid is an obsessed fan of mine. A stalker he's upset because I won't hire him. Look, I can assure you. There's nothing regarding that missing girl. Why don't you go bother some other good Samaritan? Why don't you find mother fucking Teresa and harass. And the cop leaves and Steven goes outside and she follows him out. Steven, Steven, Steven, I'm very disappointed in you. You know, I really thought you were my number one fan. I thought you loved me. I just don't know what you're talking about, Steven. Oh, you have quite an imagination, Steven. I'm so sorry. We're no longer. But I really hope that doesn't stop you from attending the debut of my first feature link film this Friday. Oh, we're casting it right now. Guess who stars in it now? Your little girlfriend. Isn't the best actress. Oh, but she's got a great blood cuddling scream. I mean, clearly at that point, she's saying I've kidnapped your
Steve:girlfriend and I'm going to kill her. Yes. Yeah. And so of course he attends the premier with numerous fans and finds that his mother also decided to attend VI Vera serve the patron's cups of punch secretly laced with cyanide planning, to hold a toast during the screening in which the entire audience will ingest the poison and die in event to be filmed by Mr. Twigs.
Stephen:So very Jonestown.
Steve:Yes, Steven botch is the mass poisoning by warning the others, except for that one bitchy girl from school.
Stephen:Yeah. Which like when her face was melting off and everything, I was like, you also had it coming. Yes.
Steve:And Devora proceeds to screen her film gore in peace in which she attempts to murder Judy in real life footage backstage.
Stephen:Yeah. Real time death while the people are dying in real time, out front. It's very artistic. Yes.
Steve:Steven manages to save Judy as the theater erupt into Amelee. When the guests find out they've been locked inside, Adrian is killed when Evelyn's corpse falls on him
Stephen:from the attic, which it's the headless corpse. So the body falls torso first. And so his head goes into her chest cavity. So I'm
sure
Steve:with like all of the ribs and everything went through his skull, right. Probably instant death, but. Again, just like, I don't know why they put them up in the attic for like logic's sake, but for that moment alone
Stephen:was so worth. Yeah. It was like, if you built it all for that one site gag. Yeah. It's
Steve:okay. Yes. It, it certainly is
Stephen:now. One, one of Steven's classmates will lead us stabs Mr. Twigs to death. Yes.
Steve:While beta and Vera attempt to start a fire to incinerate everyone inside though, the guests managed to escape unharmed. meanwhile, Debora kidnapped Linda at knife point and brings her to the theater's roof where Steven confronts
Stephen:her. And what role do you think you're playing in my movie? The hero. It's not a comedy. Listen to your mother, Steven. She's a fine lady. And isn't it obvious. She loves you very much. She always will. Even from heaven,
Steve:stop, stop.
Stephen:She Steven begs for her to let his mom go. Oh, it would make for a happy ending. Indeed. Let me think about it for a moment. Well, no, you're smarter than that, Steven, you know, better than anybody, the audience is always secretly rooting for the killer. We wanna see this mommy bitch die, where you've reached the finale. Stephen at its core. This film is about love, not horror. Our love, love, and
Steve:death. Knock it off Deb. There are no cameras here. Jesus, your father would be so ashamed.
Stephen:What did you say
Steve:about my father? Your father appreciated true talent and he respected horror and the art of being creative, but you you're just a fraud and a hack. Daddy.
Stephen:I did it for you, daddy. You know I did. I did it all for you.
Steve:Mr tennis has you for a legacy. You're not even directing people and you know why you're a terrible actress. You're nothing, there is no magic and without a hint of star quality and all
Stephen:of this destroys de Bo's ego causing her to break down of the tears. And this allows Linda to wrangle the knife from Deborah and stab her in the throat. She backs away. And then Steven pushes Debora off the building to her death.
Steve:Yeah. And I mean, with all of that, talk about in action packed, climax, what was your favorite part of the, the big ending? Oh, I mean,
Stephen:so I like it when everyone works together. yes. And so down below, whenever you've got Judy and Lolita and peach, and the friends trying to like break the door open and they're taking on twigs and, you know, peaches pulls the knife on the double meant twins. Yeah. And she's like, I'll cut away any and all pretty from your faces type of thing. So I enjoyed that part a lot. I also enjoy that Elvira got to stab
Steve:her in the neck. Yes, that was awesome. Yeah. now outside as police enclosed, the building Vive exit, both brandishing. Peaches says, I hope you
Stephen:like jail, cuz you're gonna be there for the rest of your lives.
Steve:They realize they don't want to go back to an institution. So they stab each other to death. When the news talks to Steven about Devora's films and the possibility of her actions becoming a film, Steven expresses his doubts that this will happen commenting that if it were Devor would rise from the dead by now Steven then leaves with his mother and Judy passing by Devora's corpses. They depart down the street. Oh,
Stephen:what a movie.
Steve:Yes. And it definitely was campy and funny and happy. And I enjoyed it. And I'm glad that we had the, the amazing interview as well. Oh my
Stephen:goodness. And like Debora had to keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger and each killing and each new movie and each new fan drove her to make the next one bigger than the last, obviously not sustainable, but I do think that there was probably a. Point between Claire's death and killing everyone that came to see your movie. Yeah. There's probably a middle ground that she missed somewhere in the middle probably, but we also know. That she's crazy because she got electrocuted. Yes.
Steve:And I would love to hear what everyone thought of, not only the movie, but this week's episode as well. Yes. As you think of having a special guest, tell us about it by emailing us at happy life, pod, gmail.com.
Stephen:And you can also get in touch with us on all the socials, whether that is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok at happy life pod. And until
Steve:next time everybody stay happy. Evil. Oh, happy, happy, happy, happy.