Case File 129: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - The Movie
Rogues Gallery
Released at the height of the franchise’s popularity, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie brought the titular heroes to the big screen with a larger budget, redesigned costumes, and a brand new villain to contend with. Behind the scenes, however, there was an entirely different battle being fought. We trace the project’s troubled development and the many changes that reshaped the film along the way. We also discuss the movie’s complicated relationship with the continuity of the television series, how it was received by critics and fans, whether or not this feels suitably...
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Case File 128: Zombieland
Rogues Gallery
Originally pitched as a television series in the early 2000s, Zombieland was ultimately reconceived as a feature film. Join us as we trace the project's unusual journey from rejected TV pilot, to low-budget direct-to-video concept, to hit studio release. Along the way, we dig into the film's distinctive sense of humor, the chemistry between its unforgettable cast, and how the story evolved as its scope grew larger. We also discuss whether Zombieland: Double Tap managed to recapture the original's magic, the ill-fated Amazon television pilot that brought the franchise full circle, where...
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Case File 127: Final Destination
Rogues Gallery
What began as a spec script for The X-Files evolved into one of horror’s most enduring modern franchises. By stripping away the traditional slasher formula and replacing the killer with fate itself, Final Destination turned everyday spaces and ordinary objects into sources of dread. We trace the project’s unconventional origins and how director James Wong and writer Glen Morgan transformed a familiar teen horror setup into something more unique. Along the way, we dig into the film’s elaborate death sequences, the challenge of creating tension without a physical antagonist, how...
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Case File 126: Dressed to Kill
Rogues Gallery
This week, we’re stepping into the stylish, seductive, and deeply divisive world of Dressed to Kill. Released at the height of Brian De Palma’s fascination with voyeurism, identity, and cinematic sleight of hand, the film is both a love letter to classic thrillers and a provocation in its own right. Drawing heavily from the work of Alfred Hitchcock (that's putting it mildly) while pushing further into sex, violence, and dreamlike excess, Dressed to Kill quickly became one of the most controversial films of its era. We discuss how De Palma’s visual style helps put a new spin on...
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Case File 125: Resident Evil (2002)
Rogues Gallery
After years in development hell, a live-action adaptation of the blockbuster survival horror video game Resident Evil finally hit screens in 2002. As opposed to just retelling a story fans were already familiar with, this was intended to be a prequel featuring a new set of characters and references to the series deeper lore. That's... sort of what this is. Not really. And as a result, the film's financial success was offset by a backlash from gamers who didn't appreciate the bait and switch. Or a Resident Evil that was light on gore and heavy on...
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Case File 124: Ready or Not
Rogues Gallery
Welcome back to Rogues Gallery! This week, we’re gearing up for a deadly game night with Ready or Not. What began as a sharp high-concept pitch from writers Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy became one of the most crowd-pleasing horror films of the last decade: a blood-soaked satire about wealth, tradition, and the kind of family that would literally kill to preserve both. We trace the project’s origins and how directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett balanced brutal horror with pitch-black comedy without letting either undercut the other. Along the way, we dig into...
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Case File 123: Weapons
Rogues Gallery
This week, we’re opening a case file on Aunt Gladys, the instantly iconic villain at the center of Weapons. Told across multiple perspectives and timelines, the film constantly shifts its footing, forcing the audience to piece together what’s really happening… and whether or not there’s even a single, coherent truth to find. Topics include: the two separate ideas Cregger combined to create this story, how different the film might have been if the SAG-AFTRA strike hadn’t forced them to recast almost all of the major roles, details we didn’t notice until subsequent viewings, Amy...
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Case File 122: Hellraiser
Rogues Gallery
The pod. You opened it. We cast. Welcome to a brand new season of Rogues Gallery! We’re kicking things off by opening the puzzle box on the original Hellraiser. It's a film that didn’t just push the boundaries of horror, but gleefully tore them apart. What began as a low-budget adaptation of Clive Barker’s own novella The Hellbound Heart evolved into something far stranger and more enduring: a nightmarish blend of desire, pain, and the grotesque. It also introduced the world to one of horror’s most iconic figures in Pinhead. We trace how Barker’s uncompromising vision...
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Case File 121: Halloween H20
Rogues Gallery
It’s the season finale of Rogues Gallery, and our final investigation of the year leads us into the eerily empty halls of Hillcrest Academy for a look back at Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. What began as a modest direct-to-video sequel was reborn as a prestige anniversary event, bringing Jamie Lee Curtis back for one last confrontation with the Shape... or so we thought. We dig into how a late-stage rewrite and a scrapped subplot shaped this sleek, surprisingly brisk entry, and whether the glossy, post-Scream style enhances or undermines what made the early films so haunting. Along...
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Case File 120: Total Recall
Rogues Gallery
It's Fall Verhoeven on Rogues Gallery! Our retrospective of Paul Verhoeven's work is winding down, and we're capping it off with a trip to Mars in his 1990 action/sci-fi fever dream Total Recall. Join us as we dig into the chaotic production history, break down the wild practical effects, and debate whether or not this is all real or just an implanted fantasy. Get ready for some open-your-mind weirdness because we’ve got a lot of thoughts about this one. | | | Chris's | Kristen's Chris & Kristen's Web Series:
info_outlineThis week, we're strapping into our Gyrospheres and heading back to Isla Nublar to unlock the secrets of 2015’s Jurassic World. After spending over a decade exploring (and ultimately rejecting) various story ideas, Steven Spielberg finally hit upon a concept for the long-awaited fourth film in his blockbuster franchise...
Open the park.
But even with those guardrails in place, this installment went through a wild ride to get to the big screen. On this episode, we're digging into all the behind-the-scenes info and trying to figure out how we feel about this one ten years later.
Topics include: the absolutely bonkers version of Jurassic Park IV they came very close to making in the early aughts, why it took so long to shift gears, the big differences between the original draft of this script and director Colin Trevorrow's rewrite, the creation of the Indominus Rex and why the meta aspect they're going for winds up falling flat, the best and worst moments, some mixed feelings about one of the movie's standout sequences, our rankings of these films, thoughts on the upcoming Jurassic World: Rebirth, and much more!
Chris & Kristen's Web Series:
The Strange Case of Lucy Chandler