The Nameless Archives - Certified Forgotten

Here at Certified Forgotten, we’ve been known to cast a pretty wide net when it comes to the definition of horror. Not all films that deal with dread or terror fit neatly into the horror carousel on a Netflix page. Sometimes, some of the movies that hit the hardest are the ones that sidestep most genre conventions entirely.

One such film is John Carchietta‘s Teenage Cocktail, a 2016 thriller that explores what happens when a pair of high school lovers cross paths with a possessive fan who demonstrates the worst elements of toxic masculinity. For those who live their lives even semi-publically online, Teenage Cocktail is a far more frightening and realistic outcome than any number of movies about killers in the woods.

In this new episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by writer BJ Colangelo to discuss the ways in which Teenage Cocktail both subverts and uplifts the coming-of-age formula. The team also discusses how Teenage Cocktail avoids some of the more common mistakes with lesbian love stories.

You can rent Teenage Cocktail on Amazon or Apple TV. Check out the rest of our podcast episodes on our Podcasts page.

It has been over ten years since Jaume Balagueró‘s Rec reinvigorated the found footage genre. Balagueró’s film – in addition to a number of Spanish filmmakers – helped launch Spain to the top of the international marketplace. Horror fans who had already grown to love Japanese horror films or the French New Extremity were thrilled to have a new national cinema to explore.

But no national cinema is launched overnight, and Balagueró’s success did not begin with Rec. In 1999, the filmmaker launched his directing career with The Nameless, a film inspired in equal parts by the work of David Fincher and Clive Barker. The enduring appeal of the film is so strong for Spanish moviegoers that The Nameless was recently announced as the inspiration for an ongoing television series as well.

In this new episode of Certified Forgotten, the Matts are joined by Canadian horror scholar Joe Lipsett to discuss the cultural importance of Balagueró’s debut feature. With a long conversation about national cinema, religion, and the challenges of international distribution, this episode brings the smart – even when the Matts get sidetracked by a pesky little thing like matricide.

You can purchase a DVD copy of The Nameless by visiting Amazon or your independent retailer of choice. Check out the rest of our podcast episodes on our Podcasts page.

Tag Archives: The Nameless

Episode 22: BJ Colangelo Stirs Up a ‘Teenage Cocktail’

Episode 21: Joe Lipsett Names ‘The Nameless’