Podcast: B.J. Colangelo on ‘Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival’

If there's one truth about Certified Forgotten, it's that we will always find time for a good horror-musical. For this much-anticipated follow-up to her episode on The Devil's Carnival, film journalist and podcaster B.J. Colangelo (This Ends at Prom) returns to discuss Darren Lynn Bousman's feature-length sequel, Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival. In the war between heaven and hell, only the theater kids win.

Building on the events of the previous film, Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival reintroduces us to Paul Sorvino's God, who is stymied by the decision of Lucifer (Terrance Zdunich) to close the doors of Hell in anticipation of an all-out assault on Heaven. To help squash Hell's rebellion, God enlists the support of The Agent (Adam Pascal), who he orders to seduce Jane (Emilie Autumn) and damn those who would seek knowledge against him. Meanwhile, Lucifer's carnival of misfits and hellions prepares for the final battle, one that will shake the very foundation of the afterlife to its core.

In this short excerpt from the episode, Colangelo explains why Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival represents such a big step forward from Bousman's original short:

I think this is more in line [with] what they wish they could have done with the first one. You're getting a lot more characters. The budget is up, but still, as a reminder, this is like $500,000 — which is a nothing budget for a musical, especially.

But they get to do feature-length. They get to do a little bit more storytelling. The first film, while, yes, has an overarching story, is very much like songs that are also parables. Whereas these songs are more in line with the story they're trying to tell, and building tension toward what should have been a third finale. Which we unfortunately did not get.

The Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival episode of the Certified Forgotten podcast is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the podcast platform of your choice.