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Podcast: Meagan Navarro on ‘Burning Bright’

In July, 2019, The Matts invited Bloody Disgusting writer Meagan Navarro for the third-ever episode of Certified Forgotten. Back then, the duo was convinced it would be too difficult for their guests to come up with recommendations that met their RottenTomatoes criteria, so they “helpfully” suggested High Moon, a 2019 werewolf movie from director Josh Ridgway. The movie wasn’t great, but they figured they could make it up to Meagan at a later date. Now, a year later, she has called in her favor with Burning Bright.

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In this episode of Certified Forgotten, Meagan returns to discuss Burning Bring, a 2010 creature feature from director Carlos Brooks. Seemingly ripped from a Hallmark Channel slush pile, Burning Bright follows a young college girl and her autistic brother as they attempt to escape their home in the middle of a hurricane. The only catch? Their evil stepfather – played by the ever-reliable Garret Dillahunt – may have locked them indoors with a man-eating tiger.

Burning Bright might have succumbed to its low-budget and campy premise. But with a standout leading performance by Briana Evigan and an impressive emphasis on practical effects, Burning Bright is truly the exception that proves the rule.

Meagan joins The Matts for a discussion about the future of streaming festivals center on the then-upcoming Chattanooga Film Festival. They then discuss why a lack of B-roll – and a surplus of Dillahunt – is the perfect formula for any low-budget creature feature.

The Burning Bright episode of Certified Forgotten is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the podcast platform of your choice.

Podcast: Al Lowe on ‘Munger Road’

Every community has its own urban legend. Sometimes, it’s a ghost that haunts a nearby building. Other times, it is a local outcast who is rumored to dabble in the black arts. These stories are circulated around campfires and bunk beds for years; passing them from generation to generation becomes an important rite of passage.And sometimes, in films like Munger Road, these urban legends find their way onto the big screen.

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In 2011, Nicholas Smith released Munger Road, a horror film about a group of teenagers who decide to capture their own local legend on film. Smith, a native of Illinois, drew on the local legend of Munger Road for the film, which suggests that the ghost of a young girl will push cars off a stretch of railroad tracks to avoid her terrible fate.

And who better to guide us through this legend than someone who grew up there? On this week’s episode, Al Lowe of the Loose Canon podcast joins to share his own memories of growing up in Illinois and testing the Munger Road legend.

In this episode, Al opens up to The Matts about the unique experience of watching a horror film set in your own backyard. Before long, the group is also pulled into a knock-down discussion about Munger Road‘s unique ending. Does Smith earn his one-of-a-kind cliffhanger? Tune in and find out!

The Munger Road episode of Certified Forgotten is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the podcast platform of your choice.

Podcast: Meredith Borders on ‘Ojuju’

Like the zombies that populate them, zombie movies are never quite dead. Just when you think Hollywood has wrung every last bit of value from the undead, fresh voices come along – often from outside of the United States – and find new ways to make the zombie movie relevant again. So it is with Ojuju, the 2014 zombie movie from Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Obasi.

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Set in a poor neighborhood in Nigeria, Ojuju uses the zombie as an allegory for ecological disaster, drawing direct parallels between the undead and the lack of drinking water available in many communities. Along the way, Obasi reminds us all that, in the battle between big ideas and big budgets, big ideas will always, always win.

In this episode of Certified Forgotten, The Matts are joined by Fangoria Managing Editor Meredith Borders to discuss the importance of midnight screenings for the success of some horror films. They also discuss the unique joys – and the specific disconnects – of watching international horror as American viewers, and how to navigate our own biases as audience members.

The Ojuju episode of Certified Forgotten is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the podcast platform of your choice.

Podcast: Leigh Monson on ‘Satan’s Little Helper’

For decades now, Hollywood has grappled with the role that violent video games play in popular culture. From desensitizing audiences to real-life violence, to straight-up suggesting that video games inspire teenagers to kill, Hollywood’s legacy of video game dramas might charitably be described as mixed at best. And then there’s Satan’s Little Helper.

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Written and directed by cult icon Jeff Lieberman (Squirm), Satan’s Little Helper is a gonzo blend of ’70s slashers and ’90s after-school specials, showing what happens when one young boy becomes obsessed with helping Satan rain destruction upon his sleepy Northeastern community. Often funny and always ridiculous, it’s one of those movies that has to be seen to be believed.

In this episode of Certified Forgotten, The Matts are joined by film critic Leigh Monson to discuss those cult classics that horror fans can never really shake. They also discuss the thin line between horror and humor, and why Satan’s Little Helper is a movie in a league of its own when it comes to striking a balance between the two. So buckle up, power up, and get ready for a low-budget horror film you’ll never forget.

The Satan’s Little Helper episode of Certified Forgotten is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the podcast platform of your choice.