The Final Girls

The Final Girls

Not gonna lie: We loved this movie to death, and can’t imagine any horror fan who wouldn’t go crazy over the clever, funny, and supremely touching film that is The Final Girls. From beginning to end, it took us on a roller-coaster of emotions. And maybe we cried a little bit at the end? Just a little bit…

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The Final Girls (2015)

Episode 36, 2 Guys and a Chainsaw

Craig:  Welcome to another episode of 2 Guys in a Chainsaw. I’m Craig

Todd:  And I’m Todd. 

Craig:  Todd let me pick the movie today, and I picked one that I’ve been wanting to do for a really long time. Yes. Todd, we are talking about 2015 film, The Final Girls. Not to be mistaken for, the also 2015, The Final Girl, Which is also a good movie, but that’s not what we’re talking about today. 

Todd:  It’s not a high it’s highly rated as this one, 

Craig:  I see. 

Todd:  But Right. 

Craig:  I saw this movie, oh, gosh. I don’t know. A few months ago, just one time, and I fell Absolutely in love with it. I think within the 1st 10 minutes, my eyes were watery. My Smile was just going from ear to ear because I knew exactly what kind of movie this was gonna be, and I was absolutely in Love. So what did you 

Todd:  think, Todd? I have to admit the same way. And Craig has been begging actually to do this movie for quite some time. But I didn’t read a thing about it. In fact, I actually acquired the wrong movie initially. I got the final girl that you were talking about earlier without the s The end. And it was this morning when I realized, oh, crap. I need to find the the right one. I had no idea what it was about.   I mean, I had this idea probably. It’s something to do with the final girl concept, But as, the movie went on, I was like, oh, probably what? About 15 minutes into it. I said, oh, I see where this is going and was Hirely pleased. 

Craig:  Yeah. Oh, gosh. It’s just such a a clever concept, and I’m just surprised that we haven’t already seen this Movie. I mean, it’s really you know, it’s clever, but so I guess the concept is we start out with the trailer For a cheesy eighties slasher film. Right? 

Todd:  Camp Bloodbath. Camp Bloodbath. Right. 

Clip:  They’ll be screaming for kumbano. Pack your bags for camp bloodbath.   You just messed with the Wrong virgin.   Where the only marshmallow that will roast is your sanity. 

Craig:  And it’s it’s clearly a Friday 13th Ripoff 

Clip:  Yeah. 

Craig:  Or homage, even better. It’s terribly eighties and wonderfully eighties at the same time. I mean, it’s exactly what We went to the theater for for all those Friday 13th movies. 

Todd:  It gets you in a good mood right off the bat. 

Craig:  Right. Yeah. Bad acting, just, you know, all of your classic tropes with the, you know, the sex gets you killed and all that stuff. Cordy one liners. Oh, yeah. You all have seen Friday 13th. You you know what we’re talking about, and the sequels too. And then we cut after the trailer.   We cut, to this scene with Tasia Farmiga and Malin Akerman, 2 actresses who I am, like, huge, huge fanboy fans of. Tayshia is from, well, from a lot of things, but I know her primarily from, American Horror Story. She was in the 1st season Murder House, and she was in Coven also. And she’s wonderful in Both. Madelyn Ackerman has been in lots of stuff. She’s this gorgeous character actress, who is So, like, stunningly beautiful in such a charming way, but also, like, ridiculously funny too. And their mother and daughter, Malin Akerman is is the mom. Her She’s and she’s an actress, Amanda Cartwright.   But this is in present day, so she, you know, she’s known for her Eighties roles, and she’s having problems being taken seriously as an actress now. And she’s gone, I guess, to an audition, and she’s and and her daughter, Max, Tessa Farmiga, is with her. And they’re in the car, and they’re talking, and it’s really cute mother and daughter stuff back and 4th, and Mullen Akerman says something like 

Todd:  slide You 

Clip:  know, everything in my life I got wrong, but you I got right. You won’t have I love you. You know that. 

Todd:  Right? It’s really sweet. This exchange couldn’t be sweeter, except it it never got into the saccharin ridiculous territory. 

Craig:  No. It was Cute. 

Todd:  It was very believable as a mother daughter kind of thing, and, it just it was very touching. 

Craig:  Yeah. It was a great way to set up their relationship. It felt authentic to me. Absolutely. And they’re just driving along, and they’re playing. It’s really playful, and and the song comes on the radio, Bette Davis Eyes. You know, great eighties song, and and Mullen Akerman’s kinda lip syncing and dancing around. It’s really cute.   But Max, the daughter, spills her coffee, which distracts the mom, and they’re in this terrible car accident. And I read online that the the car accident was all done with CGI, but it looked great. I mean fantastic. I’m gonna gush over this whole movie because I just love everything about it. 

Todd:  Todd. The this whole, we’re We’re gonna have to look out for our equipment because we are gushing all over this film. My room will never be the same. We are finished with this. Yeah. Oh, my word. It what it was just so and it was well filmed. You know? I was just little moments of even this car sequence.   I I was going, oh, that’s cool. Oh, that’s cool. After the car crashes, it it’s just night, and there’s nobody else there. Mhmm. It’s like a car crash on a Cold, wet, dark road in the middle of the night, and, and then the light just turns red. 

Craig:  You know? 

Todd:  It just clicks. Just these moments in this film are so good. I agree a 100%. 

Craig:  And then and then we cut what Todd how 3 years later. You know? It cuts to black. 3 years later, Max is waking up in her bed, And, we realized very quickly that her mother didn’t survive the Craig. But she’s, you know, a teenager now. Again, another thing, you know, they make in that opening scene, they make Tessa Farmiga look so young and they make Malin Akerman look or Malin Akerman, excuse me, look so much, Yeah. Believably older than her. 

Clip:  They did a good job with that. 

Craig:  Then we get this set up. We meet her friends. We meet Max’s friends. She’s got this friend, Gerty, who is kind of the but cute and funny one. And then there’s Chris, who’s the hot guy who, Gertie is trying to hook Max up with, and there’s Duncan, who’s like the nerdy horror film guy. Right? Duncan is a oh, what was the name of it? A mathematician, Which I guess is the the club in their school that is, like, obsessed with these these movies. 

Todd:  Who who people who are obsessed with camp camp bloodbath Franchise apparently. Right. 

Craig:  They call themselves. Yeah. And he apparently has just realized that Max is the daughter of the star of this movie. And so he wants her to come to this showing, And she doesn’t want to, but he says, I’ll do all your homework for you, and so she agrees. 

Todd:  He works at, like, the theater, doesn’t he? 

Craig:  Or Yeah. I think so. Mhmm. And so she agrees to do it. And so all of the friends meet up at the movie theater, and, you know, there’s just the cool posters for Can’t blood bath. It’s also throwback to the eighties. It’s all so fun. 

Todd:  It really is. And yet they’re really laying it on thick of Present day references. 

Craig:  Yeah. 

Todd:  You know, you kinda notice that the 1 girl drives up. Oh, I think that’s when we’re first introduced to Vicky Yeah. Which is her friend Who I apparently, they were better friends earlier and have grown apart a little bit because Vicky is that prissy, what would you call her? She’s the girl who’s She’s 

Craig:  the mean girl Kind of. Girl. Yeah. I mean, she’s, you know, passive aggressive. I mean, like, she’s still kinda their friend, but 

Todd:  super hot and knows it. Right. It kinda flaunts it and everything. And she pulls up, and she starts making Twitter references. And and, later on, they’re talking about Adderall. She says something about She hasn’t she’s she’s got her Adderall with her and and all that, and it’s like bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, but I actually liked that. I thought that was cool. You know, it’s funny, but and I don’t know if it’s just because writers tend to be just a little bit older.   You don’t we’re just now starting to see movies that feel like, Okay. Absolutely. They take place present day. Right. Right. Everybody has a cell phone, sure, but everybody’s referencing Twitter, and I’ve I expected a Snapchat reference in here somewhere, you know, at some point, and that was cool. Like, it really puts the movie here, which which is a perfect setup for later. Right.   So it it was very intentional, I’m sure, but it also I consciously appreciated that. I don’t know. I felt like this movie. I don’t know. I I felt like I was watching something that came out yesterday. 

Craig:  Yeah. Definitely. And you’re right. It’s it’s a perfect juxtaposition. There’s all kinds of funny I mean, it’s just it’s Such a funny movie. Really, you know, we got a little bit into it, and I almost felt like I had tricked Todd a little bit because it’s it’s really it is a horror film, but It’s so much more than that. And really, like, there’s so much comedy. It’s so funny.   I mean, it’s just laugh out loud funny, Like, 90% of the time. Yeah. 

Todd:  And it’s funny how well it works. They’re not trying that hard. I mean, there are so many movies that crack jokes that are so similar, But they’re so they’re just not as funny as this movie is, and I don’t know if it’s a combination of the act I think it’s a combination delivery, the actors involved, the way it’s presented. Altogether, this movie just works. It just gels so well. And it 

Craig:  just seems like the actors were having so much fun. And at the end, you know, in the with the credits, they do, a bloopers reel. And you can just see that these actors were playing and having so much fun. A couple of, the actors, we haven’t introduced the character yet, because he hasn’t come up yet, but Kurt, Adam Devine, he’s actually a musical theater kinda guy. Most people would probably know him from Pitch Perfects, but he’s done stuff on Broadway and stuff too. He and, the guy that plays Chris, I believe, We’re encouraged to adlib a lot of their lines, and they did, and a lot of it made it into the film. And you can tell. I mean, it’s just it’s It’s real it’s, like, fresh funny.   It doesn’t seem like superscripted trying to sell jokes. It’s it’s just it’s hilarious. 

Todd:  It really is. And it also never goes into that territory that we’ve accused films of before where they’re almost a little too clever. 

Craig:  Yeah. 

Todd:  Like, that line sounds so written. Right. People aren’t really that witty in real life. This sounds like how people talk. How young you know, Craig and I hang around young people all day long, and and we know how they talk. This isn’t really far from that, is it? No. It’s great. It’s great. 

Craig:  It’s really fresh. It’s really clever. 

Clip:  Hey. What a coincidence. This is Tyson. We’ve been hanging out, and he’s so funny. My hands are, like, shredded I’m laughing so hard. Anyway, Dyson wanted to come here tonight, and I was like, ugh. We don’t know, but and here we are, so You went, Dyson.   So you 

Craig:  didn’t see my post about it or anything? 

Clip:  No. I don’t go on your stupid Twitter, which 

Todd:  by the 

Clip:  way, I lost 3 more followers today. Anyway, see you guys inside. K? 

Craig:  So they’re at the movie, and the movie’s playing. And, you know, there’s lots of fun gags in the lobby like, Duncan trips over the The velvet rope and just little gags like that. But they’re watching the movie, and then there’s this really cool sequence Almost like a like a Final Destination kind of scene. 

Todd:  That was the vibe I was getting as well where things are happening in the movie that they’re watching. And it has to be said that obviously, Max is a little hesitant. She’s sort of happy to do it in a way, but this also happens Todd be the anniversary of her mom’s death. 

Craig:  Mhmm. 

Todd:  And so, obviously, that’s going through her mind, but it has been 3 years later, and her mom was in films. That’s something that she’s had Todd deal with her whole life, and I was thinking about that that whole time. Well, I don’t know if anybody’s ever really explored this topic, at least not much, But it’s something that’s fascinated me, and that is what is it like to be immortalized Mhmm. As a character on the screen, but more so what is it like For you as family to see a loved one immortalized on the screen, especially in this particular circumstance when they’re no longer around. Right. And early on, without hammering you over the head with it, you see this problem. You know, you and you almost know it’s gonna creep up again. Right? And I didn’t a thing about the movie, and I still felt like, oh, this is a theme.   This is something we’re gonna be exploring, and this is really interesting to me. But she plays it so well. She doesn’t play it over it’s it’s like it just seems real. Yeah. You know? It seems so real how the way it would be. And so this is the point at which The the the world of the movie, at least a little bit, is paralleling the world, of of reality. It’s starting to blur those lines before That actually happens a 100%. Right.   Like you said, it’s this sort of final destination thing where there’s, somebody on screen. I think it’s her mom’s character, Nancy, lights The a lighter. And in the meantime, somebody in the theater flicks a lighter to light a cigarette, which I’m not sure what movie did you have. Okay. Whatever. And then, at the same time, somebody else in the in the movie a little minute or 2 later chugs, Like, out of a bottle. Like a jacket or something. Yeah.   And somebody in the theater chugs a bottle out, and and I’m thinking, what? What’s where’s this going? And It’s this convoluted series of events where the bottle falls and rolls down and spills this, alcohol all the way up to the curtain and underneath everybody. And then, of course, this guy’s ash falls right down at just the inappropriate time, lights it all up Just as she is starting to walk out of the theater. Right. 

Craig:  It’s the because it’s the point where her mom on film is about to get killed. Yeah. And so she Gets up to, like, excuse herself, but then the theaters burst into flames. And she looks back at her friends, and she runs back to them, and They can see that all the exits are blocked, but she Todd Duncan, who works in the theater, is there a a door behind the screen? And he says, yeah. And, you know, this is one of those things. It’s like, a film not a film festival, but it’s like a party. You know? Like, people are dressed up, and, somebody had, like, a machete, because the guy in the movie, Billy, the bad guy in the movie, kills people with a machete, and they drop it. So Max picks it up, and they run towards the screen.   And she Slices the screen open, and from behind it, there’s this brilliant glow. And the friends all start going through, and Max takes one back look back around, but then she goes through too. And then it’s like The Wizard of Oz. I mean, it’s just like 

Todd:  The Wizard of Oz. It’s just like The Wizard of Oz. 

Craig:  Yeah. They wake up in this Technicolor world and, like, Again, you know, I unreal looking. 

Todd:  Yeah. Immediately, you can tell that it’s unreal looking forest. You know? They’re like Flowers that are brightly colored, and then you you’re conscious of it. Uh-huh. Yeah. And I was like and at that moment, I was like, I turned to Craig, and I said, oh, it’s gonna be one of these 

Craig:  kind of movies. That was it. And and that’s the thing. Now they have entered into the movie. And, you know, they’re standing there kind of in the forest, and they they hear a car coming. And it’s this, you know, like, seventies VW van with these The characters from the movie 

Todd:  in it And we’d seen a scene earlier. We’ve seen we’ve somehow just seen enough scenes from this movie to be able to draw parallels whether it was from that trailer that we had seen at the beginning or whether it was from the little clips we were seeing with her in the movie theater. Right? 

Craig:  Right. Right. And so at first, Like, the the the the van pulls up, and they’re like, hey. The Tina, in the van the movie cast, We’ve got Kurt who is supposed to be, like, the Lothario kinda guy, but it’s also hysterically funny because, I mean, he’s a good looking guy, but he’s not, like, You’re ripped, you know, hot guy that you would which makes it even funnier. 

Todd:  He’s like the on the football team. Yeah. Todd, I do. 

Craig:  And he’s just He’s just so hilarious. I I I don’t even know. I mean, folks, you’re gonna have to watch the movie to see, but we can’t possibly do it justice just talking about it. But, so there’s Kurt, and then there’s Tina who is kind of the dumb blondish one. Yeah. For the slutty girl. Right. I read they kind of based her character around the, like, PJ Soul’s character from Halloween.   Mhmm. So many homages in this movie. I mean, we couldn’t possibly list them all. 

Todd:  Yeah. 

Craig:  Again, I think that’s why you and I enjoyed it So much is because we love these kind of movies and to see somebody paying tribute to them while poking fun of it in a really good natured way. Yeah. So much It’s it’s on 

Todd:  a different level of this it’s different from, like, the scream franchise. Yeah. You know? It’s it’s maybe more comedy than the scream movies were 

Craig:  Right. 

Todd:  But also hyper self aware. Yes. But I don’t know, man. I don’t know why this movie was so much better Then there are other films that try to do this. You know? There are other films that try to poke fun. And maybe by the end of this podcast, I will have figured out the formula as to why this movie was way more fun than any of the rest of those. 

Craig:  Well, I I think that part of it is because it’s got so much humor. It is So hysterically funny, but it also has so much heart. And I think that that’s hard to get in horror and in comedy. And to get a a horror comedy that really has this much heart because it really comes down to another one of the characters in the movie is Nancy, Who is is Malin Akerman. But, of course, in the movie, she’s the character. She doesn’t know that she’s the mom. But right away, it you realize that it’s gonna become this thing where Max is gonna have an opportunity Todd interact with her mother again. Yes.   And that mother daughter thing, that vibe that plays through the whole thing, Max trying to look out for her. And, eventually, as time goes on, you know, they become close, and Nancy wants to look out for Max. And it’s such a sweet dynamic, and the actresses are so good That it has it has so much heart. And I read that, initially, this was New Line wanted to license it, but they wanted to cut out all that sentimental stuff. 

Todd:  That is Cutting out the whole heart of this I know. That would this movie would not that’s probably it. It’s what you’re saying is exactly it. If this film didn’t have that as its emotional core, It wouldn’t have been it would’ve just been another, oh, Look at. We’re poking fun of horror movies by by mimic mocking them and going over the top with certain things. But because of this emotional core of her reconnecting with her mother, getting a second chance to Spend time with this loved one that she dearly misses, and then maybe even a way Todd, save her, you know? Right. Oh my gosh. It’s it was Kill a bit. 

Craig:  And and it’s so surprising to me how they could balance those different tones because you have this Straight, almost slapstick comedy in so much of the movie. And then you’ll have these moments between characters. Like, even In the movie theater, Chris and Max have this little moment where she’s, you know, kinda saying it’s kinda weird to be here to see the movie or whatever. And Chris just says, well, But isn’t it nice to kinda be able to honor your mother’s memory in this way? And and she just kinda quietly concedes. You know? It’s those those Sweet moments. And then later in the film, Max and Nancy have moments that are not Entirely devoid of comedy, but that’s not where the focus is. It’s really on their relationship, and it it’s believable and it’s sweet to the point We are gonna cry, folks. 

Todd:  I I, yeah, I I I lost it a couple times during this movie. Yeah. 

Craig:  I was try I was Trying not to because I I don’t know. Stereotypical horror fan, whatever. But, you know, I’m a sensitive guy. I I get choked up about all kinds of things, and I I wanna embarrass myself in front of Todd crying over this corny horror movie. 

Todd:  Little did he realize maybe he realize that over here like, oh, geez. 

Craig:  Yeah. I I I hear him sniffing a little bit and rubbing his eyes, and I I didn’t I didn’t wanna look because I didn’t want to be uncomfortable or whatever. But It but seriously, I mean, it it’s got that much heart to where it affects you on a surprising level, and I just love it. You know? I Through the whole movie, my my face was just glowing and, you know, as soon as it was over, I just I love this movie. 

Todd:  Any film that can take you on an emotional roller is is what we would what I would consider a successful film. You know, that’s did I like the movie? Well, the answer to that question is did it touch me? Yeah. And this movie This movie touched me in so many places. It’s just a joy when you can get a film that has you laughing out loud 1 minute and then just bawling your eyes out the next and can bring you back then to that laugh out loud moment just a couple minutes later. You know? It’s Yeah. It just strikes the right balance. 

Craig:  Yeah. And and so then, you know, what what happens is they eventually realize, okay. We’re in the movie. And there are So many clever things. Like, the van goes by several times before, and every time it goes by, it says 92 Minutes Later. The exact length of both The actual Camp Bloodbath film and this film, 92 Minutes Later. 

Todd:  And that’s Todd Duncan puts 2 and 2 together. He’s the guy, like, I can’t remember the name of the character scream. 

Craig:  He knows all the rule 

Todd:  or whatever, and he he instantly is, like, sets his watch, and he realizes this 92 minutes later, and he goes, oh, don’t you guys realize we’re in the movie? And so when they pull up that 3rd time, Tina is like, you guys know the way to the camp, and he says, well, yeah. We’re actually, we’re counselors there, and I can show you the way if you’ll just give us a ride. Yeah. And so, okay, hop on in. So they all hop in, Which and this is the 1 maybe just the only criticism really I have of the movie is Yeah. As soon as they get in the car, and they’re just driving along. And when now we’ve seen this scene in the movie movie camp bloodbath play out where at some point, the driver, Kurt, turns around and says, somebody wake up Sleeping Beauty. Mhmm.   And in the back, is, obviously, is Max’s mother Mhmm. His character, Nancy, who comes out. And Now come on. There there’s no way that Max isn’t sitting here thinking this whole time that her mom is also in the car too. So when that moment comes up, a little silly. 

Craig:  It is a little silly. 

Todd:  She turns around and has that moment. I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know how else you could have set it up. Right. You know? 

Craig:  Be because She’s not the, you know, the horror movie one who I don’t know. You’re right. It is a little bit silly that she wouldn’t have thought about it before she got in. But at the same time, It was still kind of sweet. You know? I mean, between you know, when you see the look on, Tasia Farmiga’s face, it’s You feel for her. Like do. Oh, like, my god. What would that be like to not only encounter your deceased mother, but In her youth and at at her prime and to see her in all her glory. 

Todd:  I mean Happy and playful. Yeah. But, you know, even not the because In in the beginning of the movie, there was some indication that she was a little beat down, you know, by the fact that she would been typecast or she just couldn’t get anything good. I mean, they’re coming after that audition, and they were joking about it, and they get past it, but you could see it tell that was a lingering thing. So here was she When she was doing that part that she was sure was gonna rock at her to stardom, it just did it in a whole different way. Right. You know? And so they had to have that moment. So, of course, I’ll I’ll I’ll forgive that.   You know? Yeah. I don’t know how else you could’ve could’ve done it really. 

Craig:  Right. They they so they all go to the camp, and and it’s Funny because the characters in the movie like, they don’t know really how to interact with these new people, but They’re trying to go along with it, and and the the people from outside of the movie are trying to play along. And there’s just so much Silly, hilarious dialogue. 

Todd:  They’re even using old eighties slang back to Right. Characters in the film. 

Craig:  Yeah. Right? Yeah. I think that there’s There’s a point where, they go up to Kurt because they’re they’re thinking about their first thought is we’ll just take the van, and we’ll drive out of here. So they go up to Kurt to ask for the keys, and Kurt is throwing all these lame, like, lines at them or whatever. And 

Clip:  Oh, what’s up? Fun bags?   Fun bags. Right. A feminism. Listen. We need to borrow your van for a little while. Okay. Yeah.   I don’t know. 

Craig:  What’s in it for me? 

Clip:  How about my friends don’t kick your ass?   Oh, This guy’s your friend. Yeah. Yeah. Right. You wanna go? No. No. The guy said smash. Okay.   And that would kill you. That’s a karate technique. No.   I don’t I’ve never actually fought anyone before in my life.   Yeah. Well, I have so many times. Seven times. 

Todd:  Hey. Do we this is so weird. 

Craig:  Do me 

Clip:  a favor and just zing me   and just get me. Fine. How about you 

Craig:  go suck a turd? Writing is so bad. Such corny 

Todd:  corny. We’ve lived through this. We understand it. This time and period of films, it it that was also a neat thing about this movie is it was really Not just, showing the dichotomy between the now and the then, but also the now and the then in film and how we’ve really gotten past A lot of ridiculous stuff that we used to put up with in pop culture. You know, if you go far far enough back, There are all these racial stereotypes Right. That we used to be so much a part of movies that just embarrass us today. What go up a couple notches, and there are other stereotypes as well that we used to perpetuate in films that you go back and you look at them now and you just shake your head, like, I can’t believe we used Talk like that. I can’t believe, you know, people thought that was funny Mhmm.   And stuff. And they have there’s so many of those moments in here too that it makes you hyper aware. In in some ways, very proud. Like, I was, like, hyper aware, like, wow. Look how far we’ve come in just a couple decades. This guy just, like, is is making boob jokes Right. Girls, like, right in their faces, And they’re just laughing at it like it’s funny or they’re just brushing it off. I mean, this guy would have been arrested so quickly.   Right. 

Craig:  Yeah. I mean, we just 

Todd:  size for Sexual, assault. Yeah. 

Craig:  I mean, that was just kind of what we expected from those movies. You know? That kind of sexism, you know, exploiting women, and It’s not I think that we’re proud of I think we’re more proud of how far we’ve come, but there’s I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia or what, but, like, Kurt at one point says to some girl, nice legs. What time do they open? Just just the most horrible and and the girls in those movies in the eighties would respond to that flirtatiously. You know, women Today would punch that guy in the face, but Yeah. I don’t know. It’s it’s a day gone by that we went through, and we can look back now and laugh. This was 

Todd:  a safe naturedly. A very safe way to go back and and laugh at it. 

Craig:  Well, and it it that’s what it seems like. Like, it is making fun of those movies, but it seems like it’s It’s people like us making fun of them. You know? It’s it’s good natured. It’s we love it too. That’s why we wanna laugh about it. It’s it’s so good. Then okay. So they figure out they’re in the movie.   The 1st girl to die, they see her going off into the woods. So they know that things are progressing the way that they’re supposed to in the movie. They follow her out there, and there’s this really hilarious dialogue like, Shouldn’t we stop this? I can’t believe we’re just gonna sit here and watch these people casually get murdered. Yeah. 

Todd:  Which which was interesting. As as that line came up, obviously, ding, ding, ding, ding. You know, we’re thinking back I don’t know about you, but I was thinking back to, Funny Games. Yeah. And I I was I thought, wow, are we gonna start going here too where we where we’re talking about the entertainment of violence and these people are are living through this film, They’re gonna watch these people die, yet, they’re not going to intervene and do anything, but this is gonna bother them so much more. That Todd didn’t really go there. 

Craig:  No. Not really. I mean, it’s it hinted at it a little bit, but I mean, then that’s what they do. They sit there and watch the movie play out. Billy, the Jason esque killer comes, and he kills this, counselor and this hot Like, hi, girl guy that she met in the woods. And, again, it’s just such cheesy, like I mean, what is he says, like, do you know the how to get there? And she’s like, 

Clip:  A guy like you could go anywhere. 

Craig:  And and then they just started making out in the woods. So cheesy and stupid and hilarious. And so they they they’re like Hiding behind a log, it’s almost like cartoonish like Scooby Doo 

Clip:  or something. Their heads 

Todd:  are just all poking up one right after the other. 

Craig:  And they watch these people get killed, and then Billy turns and sees them. And I think just stands there and and, the hot guy, Chris, is like, run. And so they all start running except for Duncan who says, no. Don’t worry about it. He we’re not from the movie, so he doesn’t know what to do with us. He’ll leave us alone. 

Todd:  Yeah. Duncan thinks he has this the rules of this world all figured out. 

Craig:  And it plays out so funny because it seems like he’s gonna be right. Like, the the killer just stands there for a while, and then the killer, like, walks right up to him, and Duncan is clearly really scared, but the killer kinda walks away. And Duncan’s like, see, guys? Told you. And then the machete comes flying in the frame and slices right through his abdomen, and he falls over presumably dead. 

Todd:  So we immediately know that, there there are no rules here. These guys are just as much in it as anybody else, and so that immediately ratchets up up the stakes. So it takes us from this observational laughing at moment into okay. Now we need to really get invested in these characters because they are now in peril. And and that’s at the point at which I I would say that’s the point which it becomes a horror movie, really. 

Craig:  Yeah. 

Todd:  With you? I mean, essentially. 

Craig:  Well but it’s even pretty light on it. 

Todd:  Oh, it is. 

Craig:  Because Billy doesn’t show up again for quite a while. I mean, there’s a lot of interaction between the characters where the folks from outside the movie kinda figure out what’s going on and and say, you know, we gotta we gotta make to the end of the movie. And the end of the movie is when, you know, the I feel like they say that’s the rule. Duncan says that before he dies. Movies like this end when the final girl kills the bad guy. 

Todd:  Yeah. 

Craig:  And and he he tells them who the the final girl is. It’s this girl named Paula. She’s like the hot badass girl. And he’s like, she’s gonna show up in the next frame. 

Todd:  Yeah. Like, the next scene, he’ll be Right. Like, what do you say? Like, 20 minutes in, she’s gonna show up. 

Craig:  And so they Decide before Duncan gets killed. We just gotta find this final girl and stick with her until the end, and then everything will be okay. 

Todd:  And and knowing the rules of the film, there’s also this sense That’s that anybody who has sex is going to die, and this is really the spurs the first more or less poignant encounter between Max And, her mom’s character, Nancy, where Nancy’s out there, Nancy’s just just volunteers that she’s going to, oh, yeah. I’m totally gonna do, Kurt tonight. 

Clip:  Kurt told me he wants to do it later. Wow. Just like that? I know. And it’s like, I can’t stay virgin forever, you know? And he’s been with a lot of girls, so he probably would be, like, I don’t know, help me along. You shouldn’t have sex. Why? Because I I heard that sex can kill you. Max, sex isn’t anything to be afraid of. I told myself that I was gonna lose my virginity this summer, get drunk.   Not necessarily in that order. It’s just trust me. Sound like my mom. Yeah. 

Todd:  Oh, man. 

Craig:  But it 

Todd:  was a very interesting reversal at that point, which kind of continues where she does end up being the caretaker because She, like a mother over her child, has more information, has more worldly knowledge and experience than her mother’s character in the film. Right. And so she takes on this role of caretaker for her and, and make Sure. Just starts to intervene to make sure that you don’t take your Todd off. Don’t have sex 

Craig:  with that guy. Despite the warning, We we see the beginning of the scene that we’ve already seen from earlier in the theater where Nancy is going she’s, like, getting herself ready. She’s spraying for fruit perfume. She’s lighting candles. And there are so many funny things that they do with how being in a movie and being aware that you’re in a movie It makes such a difference because as soon as Nancy starts doing all this stuff, getting ready for sex, you start hearing the, Which is is stolen just directly, from Friday 13th. But the the the characters from outside the movie can hear it. So so they like, oh, 

Todd:  crap. So she runs 

Craig:  up the stairs. Right. It’s like, no. You can’t do this. You can’t have sex. 

Todd:  And This movie, more than any of these, I’m in a movie movie, maybe not since the last action hero has anybody taken it this far. Yeah. I mean, you see titles on the screen that actually exist in their world that they’re stepping over. Right. Their sound effects are coming in and all that stuff, and I really appreciated that they just went whole hog on it. And after she Todd them. They run downstairs, and I’m pretty sure isn’t this the point of which Yeah. Says, oh, it’s Billy.   Billy, Billy Murphy, is gonna kill us, and Nancy says, Billy Murphy. You don’t mean the Billy Murphy. And she slips right into her Scene which we’ve already seen in the flashback scene where she does the flashback. And it’s 

Craig:  so funny because she starts telling the story and, like, she and all of the other in the movie characters just drift to the couches where they’re supposed to be. 

Todd:  Sit down at once to sit down and hear this story. It’s it’s blocked. It’s totally blocked. And everybody else is looking at them like, what the heck? 

Craig:  And she starts to tell this story, and there’s this really cool I mean, I don’t even know. I feel like the budget couldn’t have been huge on this. Some of the effects except for towards the end. Towards the end, they seem to be really cool, but some of them seem to be maybe a little cheap, but Believable and fun. Like, when when Nancy starts telling the flashback story, it’s almost like the celluloid kinda starts to melt from up above and melts down all around them until then they are in black and white at which they comment on. Wait a minute. Am I color blind that I 

Todd:  have a Joke what’s happening. It’s that it’s that, that, you know, liquidy look where Right. You know, you’ve seen in the movies were over going back in time. And For some reason, long, long ago, somebody decided that flat that that transition needed to look like it was like water Right. Like, Oh, like Wade’s world. And, and so, yeah, this is like the real world manifestation of what that would be like, I guess, having the liquid water kind of everything around you gets blurry. 

Craig:  Wash away. Yeah. It’s neat. And and so then they’re in the flashback, back, and they’re in black and white. They see the whole Billy origin story, which was that he was kind of this weird kid that everybody picked on, and the counselors Played a prank on him. He locked himself in the outhouse, and they said, oh, I know how to get him out. And they threw, like, this big thing of firecrackers in there, and he that’s how he got burned. And then it said, like, he wanted to cover up his, his physical scars, so he made a mask.   And it’s this funny kinda it’s like a Greek tragedy mask. 

Todd:  Yeah. 

Clip:  I read 

Todd:  with a tiki mask, anyway. 

Craig:  Yeah. I read that, initially, The mask had these great big eyebrows, and everybody on the set referred to it as the Eugene Levy, mask. But, eventually, they trimmed the eyebrows down a little bit, but it’s I mean, it’s almost comical. It’s kinda scary. It’s not like something you wouldn’t have seen in any of those Copycat slasher movies. And so we get the origin story, and it’s very typical of any of the origin stories of those slasher stories. 

Todd:  Me of, Was it called The Burning? Yeah. The Yeah. It was. There was actually a lot of this movie that reminded me of that, and I’m and I’ll hopefully, I can pinpoint why as we go along. 

Craig:  Well, I don’t even remember if I’ve seen that movie, but I did read that they were inspired by that. Oh, really? Yeah. But it’s, That’s 

Todd:  a pretty notorious one anyway. 

Craig:  Right. Well and, I mean, with the whole Camp setting. I mean, there’s a clear Friday 13th reference. They don’t really delve so much into the whole Pamela Voorhees thing or anything. 

Todd:  But Yeah. But there are Shades of it, and I guess also shades of the burning toward the end where they retreat to another location and but that which is also a little bit of Friday 13th as well. But 

Craig:  Well, there’s so many homages. I mean, we’ve got characters named, Nancy and Tina. I mean, these are the 2 main girls from Nightmare on Elm Street. I mean, Folks, I encourage you to re if you’re interested in this movie, read the trivia on IMDB. 

Todd:  It’s like 5 pages long. 

Craig:  Yeah. And there’s every most is is gold. I mean, it’s it’s it’s so interesting. But so they get the flashback, then they get a and it’s funny. In the flashback, when Billy kills the counselors, Blood splashes on Gertie’s face. And when they come back in to real time, the blood is still on her face. And so when the story’s over, all of the camp Counselors look out at her and scream and run out the building like they’re gonna try to run and get away. 

Todd:  Yeah. 

Craig:  And the out of the movie characters say you can’t get away, because they’ve already tried. They’ve run away, and, like, everything just played on a loop, and they realized there was no escaping it. 

Todd:  Which was, which is also kinda like Friday, Nightmare on Elm Street 4, is 

Craig:  it the dream 1 yeah. 

Todd:  That we had that looping sequence? Yep. 

Craig:  I hadn’t thought of that, but, yeah, it’s exactly like that. And they tried to run away, and this is when people well, we Paula arrived, and they kinda tried to cling on to her or whatever, and she’s hilarious. I mean, she plays that tough girl in the horror movie Perfectly. 

Todd:  Which is interesting because usually the final girl in the horror movie is not the tough girl at all. 

Craig:  Right. It’s usually the sweet girl. 

Todd:  Yeah. 

Craig:  And that’s who they modeled Nancy after. They modeled Nancy after, I won’t be able to think of her name, but Oh, I her the actress’s name is Amy something from 1 of the Friday 13th movies, maybe 3, blondes. Anyway, not the telekinetic one. Don’t know. But anyway so everybody starts to try to run away, and, Chris and Paula Jump into Paula’s car. Paula’s car is like, you know, a muscle car with the license plate Paula 1. I mean, it’s all it’s so cheesy but funny. And and they’re driving away, and everybody’s like, but wait.   She’s the final girl. Wait. Wait. And she, out of nowhere, right walking in the road comes Duncan saying, hey. Wait, guys. I’m not dead. And she plows him down. And Chris is like, oh my god.   You killed Duckett. And he makes some pervy sex joke with totally, you 

Todd:  know It was just Kurt. 

Craig:  Right? Is it Kurt? Yeah. You’re right, Kurt. Sorry. I’m getting them mixed up. Kurt, the the goofy one. Yeah. And then so the Paula crashes her car. Kurt goes flying out.   It is like totally mangled on the road. And then they’re like, Paula, wait. We need you, and the car explodes. Yes. Which which which throws their whole plan out of whack. Yeah. So then they have to rethink 

Todd:  You know, it’s funny the way Kurt was mangled. Did you did you ever see It Follows? Yes. I did. Remember the opening sequence of that where they’re slowly panning across a beach, And you see somebody who’s mangled in almost that exact same where their Todd is just bent backwards, and it’s like their legs are hanging down. 

Craig:  I don’t remember. I just saw it once. 

Todd:  Yeah. It was, like, Pretty much the same thing. 

Craig:  I thought that was interesting. And, you know, it’s gross. And this is where we kinda start to get more of the horror elements where people are getting killed in different ways. 

Todd:  Also really comical. It is. Hilariously. Like a cartoon in some ways. 

Craig:  Oh, definitely. And it’s a PG 13 movie. And, you know, I I read online all the time, you know, comments from Horror fans who are not fans of PG 13 horror, and I’m not really sure why that is. We don’t get a lot of gore in this movie. We, you know, we see Violence, but there’s not a lot of bloodletting. There’s not, there’s implied sexual content and implied nudity, but you don’t see a lot of it. No. And you Don’t need it.   I mean, we get it. You know? We get that somebody has to show their tits for Billy to arrive, but we don’t have to see them. Yeah. You know what I mean? I I thought they they could have gone there, and it would have been fine, and maybe it would have been just as funny or maybe more funny. I don’t know. Well, I But it just didn’t feel necessary. 

Todd:  I think what you’re you know, hearing you talk, Craig, that’s the same that’s our modern sensibility. You know what I mean? It’s the same thing about the a like, When I was talking earlier, we’ve kind of gone beyond that now where that’s necessary or that’s even really titillating. Yesterday’s you know, our movie is today’s PG 13. Right? You can go on the Internet. You can find whatever you want. You can find real people get Hacked up on the Internet. No longer is it Well, and 

Craig:  you can find your fair share of boobs on the Internet too. 

Todd:  Absolutely. So it’s no longer entertainment. And so In these even in these films, I was struck by the fact that, no, I didn’t need to see this at all. You know? It didn’t make the movie. Of course, Back then, that was a lot of what made the movie because the movie was pretty crappy otherwise. Right. You know? Yeah. I I I was I was a I was a fan of that.   I liked the idea that I could probably sit No. Actually, I probably couldn’t, but this is about as close as it gets to me being able to sit down even with my wife and watching this. 

Craig:  I was wondering that. She 

Todd:  Now there are a few things in here that would have bothered her nonetheless. Like, she can’t really even see Chevy Chase take a pratfall. Gotcha. You know? That that’s kind of the level we’re dealing with, but just just a couple notches Above that is all this is. 

Craig:  Yeah. It’s a fair PG 13. Mhmm. 

Todd:  They really I mean, Indiana Jones is in some races more violent than this is. 

Craig:  And I’m cool with it. I I think it struck a great balance. I don’t have any problem with that at all. At that point, I feel like they they make a plan. They Duncan had said something about he can only be killed with his own or something like that, and, everything else will only hurt him. But they set up, you know, like, these traps, and it’s great. It’s a perfect eighties Todd mean, it’s Nancy going around and setting up all these things in her house to trap Freddie. Yep.   It’s exactly that. And you’ve got the classic, you know, kinda 80 cent music in the background. And so they set up all this stuff, and the the way that they’re gonna get Billy there is that in the original movie, at At this in the slumber party scene, Tina did a strip tease. So up until now, they’ve had her with, like, Oven mitts on and, like, a a life vest from the boat to keep her from taking her clothes off so Billy won’t come around. 

Todd:  It’s like Tina’s sole purpose in life, And everything that drives her is the ability to tear at her own clothes. Yeah. That is the implication that you get from this. Is that Tina’s just looking for any and every excuse 

Craig:  Oh, she’s just the sex bot. When when, Max and Nancy are having the conversation about why Nancy shouldn’t have sex, Nancy says, Sex isn’t bad. Tina’s already have it twice today, and she’s perfectly normal. And then it cuts to a scene of Nancy, like, grinding up on Tina. For oh, yeah. Excuse Excuse me. 

Clip:  Tina grinding up on Chris, the hot guy. 

Todd:  Well, in every scene Tina’s in, she’s just off in space doing some kind of dance or grinding on a table Or yeah. Got her Walkman, and then she’s dancing again. 

Craig:  And and there are jokes that, you know, Tina’s, you know, kind of fascinated with, Vicky’s iPhone, and, she finds the Adderall in in, I guess she’s wearing Vicky’s jacket. She finds the Adderall. And at first, Vicky takes it away for her and says, no. Not for you. But eventually, somehow she gets it back, and she takes, like, all of them. So she’s just, like, comically hopped up on Adderall, and they’re like, oh, no. We’ll have to change the plan. She’s like, no.   I got this. 

Todd:  I got it. 

Craig:  And she so they’re like, alright. Let’s give her a chance. And she does this strip tease. Like a strip tease on Adderall. Yes. And 2, cherry pie, which oh, god. You just don’t get any more eighties than that. We don’t.   And, it’s great. The striptease is so Funny. Like, she’s so hyped up, and I read that she just totally made that up on her own. Just added it to the whole thing, and it is hilarious. She’s down grinding on the ground. And eventually at the end of it, she pulls up her top. Again, we don’t see her boobs, but we know that she’s showing her boobs. And at that very moment, out of the fog comes walking Billy, and it’s just perfect. 

Todd:  He’s like a bear to honey right there. Oh my god. It’s so And, of course, it doesn’t go as planned. Right. He comes in, and, she actually tripping, Running away from him and tripping into one of the traps, her head goes right to a bear trap. And he comes in, And, the they release a giant, they shut the door, and at the back of the door, they put all these antlers, light spikes on it. They release a giant hammer. That goes into him, and he flies up very movie style into the the antlers and the spikes, and so you think everything’s gonna be fine.   But then Somebody comes nearby. 

Craig:  The black guy who we’ve not even mentioned, his name is Blake, who who I expected them to play him as the the gay guy because he kinda had that look about him Yeah. But they didn’t. He actually had that look 

Todd:  about him. Sure. 

Craig:  He, he he kinda had a thing with Gertie and, like, so they Kiss, and I think he’s trying to go be the hero. He’s trying to go get the machete, but Billy wakes up. 

Todd:  The problem is that they kiss. He says, I love you, and she says, I don’t care. And she kisses him, and you’re thinking, oh, you idiot. This is the moment. Of course, he goes up to get the machete, and the machete ends up, He wakes up and kinda slashes him with the machete instead. So he falls down. There’s a moment between Gertie and him, and then they all run up stairs as he launches himself off of those spikes and goes after them. 

Craig:  Yeah. There was also Vicky’s about to die, which is why I wanted to say this. Again, another one of these moments where it’s so self referential and funny, but at the same time kinda sweet. There’s this moment at some point where Gertie and, Max and Vicki are all talking together. And and Vicki says, You know, when your mom died, you really retreated into yourself, and I miss you. You know? We were friends. And she said, I know that I’ve become kind of a, and Says, bitch. She’s like, yeah.   Yeah. Thanks. She’s like, but, you know, I’m I’m I and I know I did some things that were bad and that I shouldn’t have done, but I’m really sorry, and I love you, or I don’t know what she says. 

Clip:  Yeah. 

Craig:  And and it’s it kind of comes out of nowhere, and it should be silly and it is, but it feels heartfelt. Like, it feels True. And she said, Max says, don’t you don’t have to die. And she says, I’m the mean girl in an eighties movie. I’ve made it past the halfway mark. I think I pretty much overstayed my welcome. 

Todd:  Yeah. Which is funny and also kinda sad. Right. Because she recognizes herself in this movie. You know, it’s like, you don’t real recognize yourself until you see it reflected back at you. This is what she’s experienced now. And now This girl who we were introduced to in the beginning of the movie and it totally pegged her Yeah. As that girl.   She sees that girl, realizes I says she’s that girl, and now she’s contrite about it. 

Craig:  Right. And that’s one of the things that I think that this movie does so well is that it gives you these kind of stock characters, but then it forces you to be sad when they die because they’re not just Todd. They’re real people that have Feelings, and they have more than one level. They’re really not flat, and so you’d you want them all to you know they’re not going Todd, but you want them all to make it, and you’re legit sad when they die as opposed to in the regular where you’re almost waiting for it and applauding when it happens. 

Todd:  Yeah. But their whole plot, their whole thing with her is with, taking this guy down is just as absurd as in any of these films. Yeah. Because, at their chasing as he’s chasing after them and they are running upstairs, they’re shooting him with flaming arrows from across the room, which none of it makes any sense. It’s so funny, but of so he has all these flaming arrows in his chest, and when they run upstairs, one of their schemes was that he would come into a room, and they would dump this bucket of gasoline, I guess, on him to really ignite the arrows. And that’s where these 2 girls, Gerdie and, Vicky. Vicky gets stuck. For some reason, they’re yanking on it.   It’s not coming down. He comes in, throws a bookshelf on them. They’re pinned underneath the bookshelf, And there’s that moment where you know they’re gonna die, they know they’re gonna die, and, escaping out the window, Max and, Chris know that they’re going to die, and there’s nothing they can really do. And Vicky looks up and and says, it’s okay. Mhmm. It’s okay. Like, I’ve accepted my fate. This was destiny.   Go on and save yourself, and gives them that permission to leave. 

Craig:  Right. And it’s sweet. You know, Gerty gets stabbed, and they’re both trapped under the thing. Billy takes his machete and stabs through Gertie. And, again, it’s sad. We like this character. 

Todd:  It really bothered me, actually, like, more than they would 

Craig:  And and and like you said, you know, they say it’s okay. And They hold hands. They hold hands. 

Todd:  Each other’s hands. 

Craig:  And then they pull down they’ve been trying to pull Bucket. Finally, Vicky gives it one last. The other people, the one the the remaining people are now Chris, Max, and Nancy. They get out the window, and Vicky pulls this bucket Todd, and the house explodes. And this I felt like was where the effects started to get So cool. Yeah. They the the heroes jump out the window, and it goes into slow mo. And Nancy goes, What’s happening? And Max is like, It’s slow mo.   And then Billy and just really I mean, I feel they kinda tried to do this in some of the later in those franchises of, like, Friday 13th and whatnot. He bursts out of the house in flames, And it’s this slow mo shot where he just slowly, slowly descends and stomps down right in front of him, and they get up and run. And this whole chase scene is in slow mo, and he’s right behind them, but it I don’t know. It it it looked To me, like, it was really good slow mo. Like, they were really running, and it it really captured it, with him right behind. And, oh, god. I thought the effect was So cool. 

Todd:  Really cool, and it really adds this tension to the scene, you know, and that slow mo tries to give you this tension. But in this case, where the slow mo is this self aware kind of slow mo, you’re thinking I I don’t know. I was Todd immediately putting myself in their shoes and thinking of the effort it would have taken to, like, Trying really hard to bring your foot forward and this foot forward. And and if you’re in slow mo, but your mind is going at normal speed, like, How are you planning and plotting out every little movement that you make? Right. And I was thinking, wow. This is actually kind of an advantage that they have. Yeah. You know, if they’re aware of the slow mo and able to plot and plan, and then they get to that pot pond and I’m and they start to leap over.   Right? 

Craig:  Mhmm. 

Todd:  And, They start to leap over the pond, but, of course, the guy reaches out and grabs somebody’s leg. Chris. Chris’s leg. Right? And that’s when Chris gets 

Craig:  Well, it breaks out of the slow mo at that 

Todd:  point. Right. 

Craig:  And so they’re kinda stuck there, and I think it’s Max says, flashback. Flashback. Say the words. Say the words. And so Nancy starts telling her story again really, really fast, and it goes into flashback, and they’re right back where they were. And this again is where they did some really fun things with the lettering where it says I don’t know how many years 

Todd:  later. The Christmas 1957 

Craig:  Right. Or something. And, like, characters are tripping over the letters, and the letters are, like, spilling out like they’re part of the actual environment. Really clever. 

Todd:  And this is the point and I actually predicted I was wrong, but I thought they were gonna go back and actually prevent those firecrackers from going into that outhouse the 1st place and erase him, essentially. 

Craig:  Mhmm. 

Todd:  And I was surprised that Todd didn’t even occur to them. They didn’t really go there. But what they did do was follow Billy, after After he emerged from the outhouse and saw that there was some kind of other cabin or some kind of house back in the woods Craig something like or whatnot. 

Craig:  Says, I’ve never seen this part of camp before, which is always how it is. I mean, in Friday 13th, you know, Jason has his little shack just right outside the camp, and nobody knows about it. 

Todd:  And that so that gave them the information. Right. Yes. 

Craig:  And then Billy is also with them in the flash Back and when he catches up with them, then somehow they get out of it, and he’s kind of not there anymore. 

Todd:  I don’t know how Todd spell that. Chris gets 

Craig:  Stabbed. Right? He 

Todd:  gets stabbed by Billy and, Through 

Craig:  and with the machete through his abdomen, and Max is like, Are you okay? He’s like, yeah. I’m fine. 

Todd:  She grabs him and takes him to a church. The old church. The old abandoned church. That was so funny. At this point, we’re really breaking into total surrealness. Yes. Like, the movie is Clearly doesn’t even care anymore. 

Craig:  Right. 

Todd:  We are going full whole hog Hollywood here, and she’s taken this advantage with the light behind it. 

Craig:  Right. The stained glass. Those Right. Again, I mean, it is the finale of some of those later in the franchise, right, in 13th movies. And, like, where they don’t even bother to really make sense. Like, instead of just killing Nancy, Billy throws him over her show throws her over his shoulder and and takes her off. And, 

Todd:  Which in a way, you’re thinking if she’s supposed to be the final girl in the movie logic, he’s gotta do something with her besides killing. Right. So we’re gearing up for the final scene. Right? Right. So it still makes some sense, but you’re right. It is absolutely part and parcel any single one of these films. 

Craig:  Yeah. 

Todd:  Yeah. 

Craig:  Yeah. And so, when Billy takes Nancy off, Chris is, you know, saying to Max, it’s too late for her. It’s too late for her. She’s gone. She’s dead. But Max says, no. She’s not. I’m gonna get her back.   I can protect her. I can save her. And I feel like it was before this. You know? It was when they found out about Billy and they were, you know, preparing to protect themselves, that’s when we really get that really, really personal and emotional scene between Nancy and, her or and Max. Excuse me. And Nancy is saying, you know, I I don’t wanna die. You know? I I had had A dream that I would go to college, and I would meet a guy, and I would have a daughter, and I would love her. And Yeah.   It it it sounds so silly. I mean, We I don’t think that we can really convey. I mean, it’s it’s it’s so sweet. 

Todd:  Comes across so much better on the film than we can describe it. 

Craig:  Right. 

Todd:  But this is when they’re I think they’re dipping the arrows in the gasoline Yeah. Getting ready. This was shortly after the montage, but they had this mother and daughter moment where the mother didn’t realize this was her daughter, And the daughter never let on. 

Craig:  Right. 

Clip:  God. Your parents must be freaking out right now. I mean, you’ve been gone for hours. They must be so worried about you. Not really. Never knew my dad, and my mom’s away. What’s she like? She, she was so beautiful and funny. She never knew how awesome she was.   Had she die? Never said she’d die. You said was, so I just figured. It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. Here. I need to have this. It’s a friendship bracelet, so you don’t forget me. How could I ever forget you? 

Craig:  It’s almost like they’re she senses some sort of connection, but they don’t know. And and, like, With us talking about it, it seems like it would be out of place in the movie, but it’s not. It just works. I mean, they pull back on the comedy a little bit. They take these moments to really get us invested in these characters and care about their relationships, and I you know, we have to credit the actresses. It was just such strong performance that it worked. Yes. Somewhere else with weaker performances, it would have feel it felt cheesy.   It would have felt forced, But here, it just really works. 

Todd:  It really did. And so that sets you up for what’s about to come. 

Craig:  Right. Max goes to find Nancy, and she finds her tied up in this place, then Billy shows up, and all 3 of them kind of start fighting. Like, Billy will hit 1, and the other one will Strike back at him, and they’re getting some blows in, but really they’re kinda getting beat up until finally, Billy doesn’t have his machete anymore, but he has this little knife, like a pocket knife, and he stabs Max with it. I don’t remember how this happened. Like, I I know that Nancy, like, kind of took him out a little bit somehow with the machete. Like, he was out of commission for a minute, And they were able to run back to the church. Right? Uh-huh. That’s where they again, they have this conversation where Max Finally confesses, Nancy says, it’s okay.   You’re not gonna die. I’m gonna be the final girl. I’m not just gonna be the shy girl with the clipboard and the guitar anymore, which is kind of what she’s been lamenting this whole time that she was just the shy girl with the clipboard and 

Clip:  the guitar. 

Todd:  Well, because somebody said that outright. 

Craig:  Yeah. Yeah. Vicky, I think, did. Mhmm. So you can’t be the final girl. She’s like, I can do this. You’re, you know, you’re still alive. All I have to do is go out and and die, and you guys can go home.   And that’s when Max confesses the truth. 

Clip:  No. Mom, you belong at home with me. Look, your your name is Amanda Carvey, and you live in Encino, and and you love Bette Davis Eyes and Mel’s diaper, and You wanted to be the biggest movie star more than anything 

Craig:  in the world. 

Clip:  But you had a daughter. You have it, dummy. 

Craig:  I’m not going 

Clip:  back without you. 

Todd:  And that’s such a poignant moment because, you know that’s what’s gonna happen. Mhmm. And it’s What has to happen, really? Because eventually, they have to get back to the real world, and her mother is still going to be dead. And throughout this whole film, even the other character just saying, look. She’s not your mom. She’s not your mom. She’s not your mom. She you’re you’re you’re holding on to this, but she’s not.   And in a way, she knows it 

Craig:  Mhmm. 

Todd:  But She’s just really not ready to let it go. 

Craig:  Well and I really liked that the movie played it that way. I really didn’t think for a minute that Nancy was gonna get out of it, that she was gonna get Todd come back. It wouldn’t have made sense because even within the context of the movie, Even when Max tells her the truth, it’s not as though, oh, realization I’m your mom. No. You know, I am this character that your mom played, but they’ve established this bond that it almost feels motherly. 

Todd:  Yeah. 

Craig:  And it’s really sweet. And so She and, again, the effects here are so cool. It’s this really wide shot of this, you know, the church in the far right frame and then just this Big open space with this crazy supernatural storm, all pink and purple and lightning. And Nancy goes out, And her song starts playing again. The Betty Davis song starts playing again, and she walks out. And she starts kinda doing a little strip tease, but she’s doing it for Max, who is sitting back in the church watching all of this. And so it’s not sexy. It’s Cute.   It’s playful. It’s like when they were in the car. 

Todd:  Yep. It’s an exact replica of what they were doing in the car, except now you know she’s gonna die. Right. And she’s willingly sacrificing himself for her daughter, and there are just so many emotional subtech. I mean, it it just it just Everything leading up to this point set you up for this point, and it pulled the right strings, and I was just like freaking ball. I know. I couldn’t handle it. I was I had a hard time and because it it really did, she’s gotta watch her mother die again.   Uh-huh. But She’s doing it for her so she can live on. Wow. 

Craig:  And it’s not like you don’t want it to happen. Like, you appreciate the heroic nature of it, and it’s so sweet. And so she does. You know? Billy starts she sees Billy coming. Billy’s walking up behind her. She turns away. Nancy turns away and just looks at her daughter and just well, her movie daughter, whatever, and just smiles like, it’s alright. It’s okay.   And, Billy’s just slowly, slowly coming up behind her at the very last 2nd, Max looks away, and it pulls back from a close shot back to that really wide shot. And we see Billy just nail her, you know, right right through the back and, you know, her back arches, and she falls forward, off the ground and kinda slides off of his knife. And yeah. It’s I mean, it it almost feels tragic. You know? Like, it almost it feels like Greek tragedy or something. 

Todd:  It does. And in all the More power to them that this would happen in this absurd Hollywood atmosphere. Yeah. With the the the lightning going and the red Sky and then then shadow and silhouette and whatnot. And, you know, you never feel this way in these horror films when that See this happening. But, boy, it just pull it just tugs at you. 

Craig:  Yeah. It’s a gut punch. 

Todd:  Yeah. 

Craig:  Well, now since She’s the final girl. Max recovers her strength, and she gets up, and she and Billy have this awesome Some fight Todd get I mean, it’s exactly what you want for the final battle. It’s big. You know, Billy is kicking her and punching her, and she’s going Flying like 20 feet back in the air, scooting along the ground when she lands, but always getting back up and coming right back for more. And eventually, he throws his knife, and there’s a cool slow mo shot where she goes down on her knees and leans back, and it flies right over. 

Todd:  It’s like a matrix type. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 

Craig:  And she jumps up and takes the machete and slices him in the leg and then slices his arm and then slices his head off. And then just like in the eighties movies, Now it’s morning. She wakes up, and the birds are singing. 

Todd:  And for a split second when she woke up because this was a, A flash sort of a throwback to an the earliest scene when she woke up in the film. I thought, don’t tell me she’s gonna wake up in the woods by the road, And this car is gonna Right. Again. You know? I was worried 

Clip:  about it. 

Todd:  Because you’re just seeing her eyes, and she opens up, and it’s exactly like it is when when that happens earlier in the film, but she’s in a hospital. 

Craig:  Well, before the hospital, the credits start to roll. Oh, that’s right. Yeah. The credits start to roll in in the background. And, Chris, who is apparently still alive despite his injuries, comes out and they, like, embrace, and they’re watching the credits roll. And then when the credits are done, It’s like the the film strip, like, runs out on the projector, and they’re kind of stuck in that, and they’re holding one another. And then it goes to bright white, and then she Wakes up in the house. 

Todd:  And and that’s my 2nd criticism of the film. Alright. Artistically, that worked really well. It looked cool. Realistically, Nobody shoots nobody projects film anymore. Yeah. In the theater that they were watching this movie, and I just gotta say 

Craig:  Right. 

Todd:  I doubt they were projecting a film print of this film. Right. But okay. That’s fine. That was the that was the stupidly enough, that was actually going through my mind. What what we That bit. But it was so cool. Yeah.   The movie ended. And, again, like I said earlier, this movie absolutely commits to being a film, them being inside of a film. Mhmm. And that Credit sequence, I’ve never seen anything like that in any of it. 

Craig:  It was really neat. You know, it reminded me the tonally, the whole movie reminded me a little bit of Cabin in the Woods, but even more pushing for the comedy. And, like, Cabin in the Woods is is pretty graphic and and gross, and they stay away from that, but the tone was kind of there, kind of that self aware Yeah. Idea. But they wake up in the hospital And everybody’s okay. Yes. They suffered injuries. Duncan shows them that he’s got this huge scar 

Todd:  on his abdomen. I thought it would be oh, it’s all a dream kind of thing. And he’s like, nope. It really happened. Here’s my machete scar. 

Craig:  Yeah. Which which seems ridiculous, but the you know, they’re all there. They’re all okay. But then You hear something out in the hallway, and it’s this doctor talking to a nurse like, come on. We’ve got time. And, like, It’s clearly cheese, like sex cheese. And then they look around and they see a Rubik’s cube and a a can of tab Ab and look. Gremlin of a doll.   And they realized that they are now in the sequel, Camp Bloodbath 2. I don’t remember what the rest of the title was. And and Billy comes flying through the window, and and Max grabs her IV Pulled, like, uses a weapon, and that’s where it cuts out. And it’s so funny. 

Todd:  There’s no better way to end this movie. Yeah. There’s no better way. Oh, and 

Craig:  I would watch that sequel too. 

Todd:  Too. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. This you know what? As much as this movie really, Really, really tugged at my heartstrings. I get online, and I’m looking through the credits, and through the trivia as I often I’m Who directed this? What else has he done? Who wrote this? What else have they done? 1 of the writers it’s credited to 2 writers. 1 of them is a guy named Jason, Joshua John Miller. 

Craig:  Mhmm. 

Todd:  And, this person has an act been an actor in a couple he was an actor in near dark, and a couple other horror films in the eighties. But it said that apparently his father is Jason Miller, who is father Karas in The Exorcist. 

Craig:  Mhmm. 

Todd:  And that he conceived this film and co wrote it as a way of coping with his own father’s death. 

Craig:  That makes perfect sense. I mean, it’s got so much heart. And and like I said, I’m so glad that, The people behind it, I think that it you know, after it was made, they had a difficult time getting it distributed because they wanted to keep it the way that it was. They wanted to keep the heart of it. And, eventually, Sony picked it up and and liked it. They toned it down a little bit because they wanted, a p g 13. But, I’m so glad. See, honestly, like you said, I mean, the balance is one thing, but the heart of it is really What gets you? And and I I think that’s why I’ve wanted to do this for so long. 

Todd:  Oh my god. This is my favorite movie of 2016. I was just, From beginning to end, just enraptured, enthralled. It took me everywhere. Todd me place I didn’t expect to go, and by the end, I’m gonna be thinking about it for a long time. I’ll be watching it again. I’ll try to get Vic to watch it with me. She I think 

Craig:  think she’ll like it. 

Todd:  She would love it if I if I just tell her when to close her eyes. Right. I gotta watch it a couple more times so that I know when she needs to close her eyes. But, Yeah. 

Craig:  And that’s the thing. Like, I I have a really hard time getting my partner to watch horror movies with me too. Yeah. But he he will concede every once in a while. And this is one where we watched it together, and at the end, he wasn’t like, yeah. Whatever. Really? Yeah. No.   He really enjoyed it too. 

Todd:  Cry too? Can you hear me? 

Craig:  He’s not so much of a cry. Oh, okay. I I I I definitely cry. 

Todd:  I cry, like, almost everything. I like for you to cry at the right commercials, so I’m a bad judge of this. But, you know, I also wonder, because I had a similar experience. I might have talked about this before, showing my dad Cabin in the Woods. Mhmm. Okay? My dad’s not really into horror. We watched a few horror movies growing up mostly as a concession to me, but he doesn’t know the tropes. He doesn’t know the things.   And I watched Cabin in the Woods thinking that he would really appreciate and enjoy it, but in the end, because he I realized That because he didn’t know the tropes, because he didn’t understand all that, he really didn’t get the comedy or he didn’t get the thematic thread Mhmm. Of the film, and that caused him to not like it at all. And it wasn’t until afterwards, we had this discussion where I explained everything to him. He appreciated it more, but but the movie, he he was like, why’d you show me this gory you know, I hate gory movies where people are getting cut up and people are hurting each other, and that’s exactly what this was. And if you’re not familiar with horror films, that’s what you would, of course, think. Mhmm. And it didn’t occur to me until I showed that to him that he didn’t have the context. So my question for you is, Do you think this movie requires that advanced knowledge? 

Craig:  I think that being familiar with those old eighties slashers will make you enjoy this movie Eve more. But I don’t know. I just think it’s so funny. Even if you don’t I don’t know. I mean, what horror fan isn’t at least familiar with that type of movie? 

Todd:  Well, and a person who’s not a horror fan should still be familiar because you still have 

Craig:  I mean, it’s So prevalent in pop culture. 

Todd:  Yeah. Even if 

Craig:  you haven’t seen the movies, I mean, you kinda get I don’t know. I I think you’re right. If it Would non horror fans like it? Maybe. Because it is funny. But I really think that it’s It’s for horror fans. You know, it it’s for people who have grown up with these types of movies, and do And and then you just get more on top of that. You get the comedy and you get the heart on top of that. 

Todd:  Well and that thematic thread really about this girl, relationship with her mom should cut through. It really doesn’t matter the genre. We’re sure not you’re familiar with these tropes that they’re making fun of, and it’s it’s just a a wrapping around the core of the film, which should be I don’t know. I mean, my dad Craig this. 

Craig:  Well and if you’re a fan of either of these Which again, I am a huge fan of both of these actresses, Tasia Farmiga and, oh, gosh, Malin Akerman, huge fans. If you’re fans of theirs, you’ve got to see this movie. It’s So funny, and they are so good in it. 

Todd:  Well and the guy who played Kurt, do you know who he is? Yeah. 

Craig:  The guy who played Kurt, his name’s Adam Devine. He’s a musical theater guy. He was in both Pitch Perfect movies, and he was hilarious. And he’s a hilarious guy. 

Todd:  He seems to be. Yeah. 

Craig:  He did a he did a stint, I believe, In the Book of Mormon on Broadway, he’s he’s really funny. He’s very talented. I mean, the guy can sing too. He’s a really talented guy, and he’s hilarious in this movie. 

Todd:  He is and and that’s what you know this movie more than any other I think really if the what you said earlier about the at At the very end, after the credits where we got the outtakes and things, this movie needed it. Yeah. It’s a movie about movies. It’s about people making movies. It’s about these things. The outtakes made sense, but also the outtakes thematically totally worked with the film. My gosh. And they 

Craig:  were so funny, and it was so nice to just be able to laugh and laugh and laugh at the end. I’m so glad they include I’m a fan of outtakes anyway. You know? They’re silly and fun, but here, what I really appreciated about them is you could really just Tell that everybody was having so much fun making this movie. It made me jealous. Like, oh, god. To be to have been a part of this, How much fun would that have been? 

Todd:  This is the movie I wish I had made. Yeah. Yeah. This is really it. 

Craig:  It’s good. Alright. Well, I If you’ve made it this long with us gushing throughout this movie, thank you. We appreciate you listening. If you like our stuff, we’ve got a Whole bunch of back, episodes on Stitcher and iTunes. We’re on Facebook. We’d love to hear your feedback. Let us know what you think.   Let us know, if there’s anything that you would like us to watch and talk about. But until then, I’m Craig And I’m Todd. With Two Guys and a Chainsaw.

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